Hi Sister Needles,
My name is Donella Younger. I live in Bullard, Texas. Your son is a missionary in our ward. My husband is in the Bishopric and went out with your son this past Tuesday evening. When he returned, he commented that your son has a sweet spirit about him as he teaches the gospel. They were able to visit with several families in our ward and the Whitehouse ward as well. Our oldest son is serving a mission in California and I treasure the messages and pictures that I receive from time to time and thought I would return the favor. He is giving a talk in church this coming Sunday on missionary work. We are looking forward to hearing from him!
Kindest Regards,
Donella
Monday, October 27, 2014
His voice is gone but a delight to see him!
As many of you know Josh loses his voice this time of the year! Every Year! Even though he didn't sing too well it is so good to just hear his voice and see him interacting. How sweet it is!
Kind words from Texas
My name is Hilde Taylor and I had the opportunity to listen to Elder Needles give a most incredible talk today is Sacrament meeting in our Bullard Ward in the Tyler, Texas Stake. Your son told us he had been out on his mission for just about 1 month! Wow! He delivered his message about missionary work in such a dignified way! He talked as if he was about to finish up his mission. He testified with great faith how much he loves his Savior Jesus Christ! The Spirit was so strong! My husband serves in the Tyler Texas Stake Presidency and he was able to hear Elder Needles talk as well! We talked about your faithful and good son over dinner today. Wanted you to know he serves well and is a blessing to us! Thank you!
4 Baptism dates set!
Hello! Well, it's another P-Day and a lot has happened this week! First-- We've set 4 baptism dates.
Wilburn: November 8th
Zack: December 6th
Faye: December 13th
Dustin: December13th
We're hoping to move the december dates sooner, but if we can't I'm still very excited for them and am happy to see people wanting to get baptized. We had 5 investigators at church this week! Oh, and I gave a talk. People were pretty complimentary about it, so you could say that it was a decent Sunday! On Saturday, we went to a Halloween Party at the Robisons. Brother Robison scared the crap out of me. He hid and jumped out in his crazy clown costume. I almost swore. I ALMOST SWORE ON MY MISSION. hahahaha. It was so fun though, their house is so decked out with Halloween stuff it's insane. I loved it though. Yesterday, we didn't have our GPS and we dropped our phone in Dr. Pepper.... so we had to get people to tell us where to go. haha. The phone is currently in a bag of rice hopefully reviving. On Friday, I got two packages and three letters. It was so nice haha. I love getting letters and packages. I think I'm finally used to the Texan Accents, which is good haha. I still don't really have a voice though. It's starting to bother me because I lost my voice in the MTC and still haven't gotten it back. And trust me, I've tried almost everything. I even tried a nebulizer at the Robisons. It helped me breathe better, but still don't have a voice. Hopefully I can figure out something! Well, I hope you all have a great week. I still miss you all, but am pushing through.
Elder Needles
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| Elder Needles and Elder Ezzell got to go to the Movie "Meet the Mormons" with their investigators. I am sure Josh was in Heaven. He loves going to the movie and eating 2 or 3 buckets of popcorn and his big Dr. Pepper! |
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Hello! Today is P-Day and I love P-Day because I get to email all of you! Life is okay here in Whitehouse Texas. I'm definitely constantly exhausted, but that's a good thing right? It means I'm working hard. At least I hope so haha. I got sick in the MTC and ever since then I have not had my voice back to its normal state. I'm constantly clearing my throat and I cannot sing as well as I could back at home. It is starting to upset me that my voice won't come back. I've had this problem before, so hopefully things change. I didn't go back to that guys house so don't worry ahaha. We had 4 investigators at church yesterday which was really exciting. The Melton family is so awesome. They made us dinner and got my families recipe for chili. I was so happy ahha. On October 17, I hit my one month mark! My companion and I lit a fire and drank the Martinellis that Bryan gave me before my mission. It was fun! We went to the Fite family and they are awesome. They live on a farm and have pigs. They are another one of my favorite families in my ward. Also, it is very common for people to just burn things they don't want anymore in their front yard. I see it all over the place. I've finally gotten used to the accents and don't notice them as much anymore. I get to go to Dallas tomorrow! I'm excited to see it again. All in all, I love the people here, but still miss all the great people back at home. Have a good week everyone!
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| Zone Conference Dallas, TX |
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| Celebrating one month! |
Monday, October 13, 2014
P-DAY!
It's P-Day again and I'm so excited to email everyone! So much has happened since my last email! After I emailed everyone we went and played disc golf for P-Day. It was really fun! I definitely lost though. I got to go to Dallas on Tuesday! It's huge! I love it! We watched "Meet the Mormons" as a whole mission. It was really good. It made me laugh a lot in the beginning, but also got me homesick at the end when it follows the life of a missionary and his mom. Go see it! I loved watching it. I also got to see all of my MTC friends again which was awesome. Only two people are being trained out east and I'm one of them, and Elder Marshall is the other. Everyone else is close by each other in Dallas. I love it here though. I'm so glad this is my first area. We tracted into quite a few people and they have become incredible investigators! The spirit is SO strong whenever we quote the first vision. On Thursday, I met a man named Michael. It was the scariest night of my mission so far. He twisted my arm and I thought he was going to break it. He mentioned how he can taze me, mace me, break my arm, shoot me with his guns, and beat me up. He also told me I'm going to be a terrible missionary because I have no "skills." He is a very prideful man and I was as nice to him as I could be. At the end of the lesson he told me I have potential unlike other missionaries so that was nice I guess. I just wanted to leave haha. We are going to drop him because he was about to be baptized, but ended up threatening the bishop like he did me. Hopefully I only have to meet with him once more. But, there have been two more huge storms. I wake up in the middle of the night with huge cracks of thunder and it scares me every time haha. I'm really enjoying my mission though. Friday nights suck because it's football night. NOBODY IS HOME THEY ARE ALL AT THE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAME. Football is so much bigger here than it is in Idaho. It's awesome haha. I love some of the people here though. The Robisons are still my favorite though haha. We're helping one of our investigators quit smoking. She's been through a lot in her life. Hopefully she can do this, then she'll be able to get baptized like she wants to be. Two of my favorite scriptures I've found recently are Alma 26:12 and 2 Nephi 22:2. Look them up! They're great scriptures! Well I miss you all and hope everything is well! Oh, and they have mcchickens AND spicy mcchickens here. I'm so happy. Have a good week everyone!
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Elder Needles learning
a new sport! Disc Golf!
Go TATER!
Friday, October 10, 2014
A little about Whitehouse, Texas
Whitehouse, Texas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Whitehouse, Texas | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 Location of Whitehouse, Texas | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 32°13′24″N 95°13′3″W / 32.22333°N 95.21750°WCoordinates: 32°13′24″N 95°13′3″W / 32.22333°N 95.21750°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Smith |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.8 sq mi (9.8 km2) |
| • Land | 3.8 sq mi (9.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 479 ft (146 m) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 7,327 |
| • Density | 1,413.6/sq mi (545.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 75791 |
| Area code(s) | 903 |
| FIPS code | 48-78388[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1350005[2] |
- Geography[edit]
32°13′24″N 95°13′3″W / 32.22333°N 95.21750°W (32.223443, -95.217579).[3] The city is bisected by State Highway 110 and Farm to Market Road 346. The City of Tyler, Texas is located approximately seven miles to the north, while the City of Troup, Texas lies roughly the same distance to the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area that exceeds 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²), all land. The city's extra territorial jurisdiction includes land surrounding Lake Tyler, a large water body used for drinking water and recreation by East Texas residents.
Climate[edit]
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Whitehouse has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[4]Demographics[edit]
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 5,346 people, 1,819 households, and 1,500 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,413.6 people per square mile (546.1/km²). There were 1,890 housing units at an average density of 499.8 per square mile (193.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.14% White, 2.47% African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 1.78% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.98% of the population.There were 1,819 households out of which 50.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.5% were non-families. 14.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the city the population was spread out with 32.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $46,804, and the median income for a family was $49,393. Males had a median income of $36,891 versus $22,334 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,489. About 6.7% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.5% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
History[edit]
Early history[edit]
The Welcome to Whitehouse sign is built from rock used in the old "rock school house." The school house and other public works were built during the Great Depression by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
Residents of Whitehouse were predominantly farmers or worked in support of agriculture until transportation innovations following World War II lead to other employment options. Many streets and subdivisions in the community are named for these early agricultural and commercial leaders.
According to oral tradition, the community was named "Whitehouse" by the railroad engineers who stopped near a white-washed community building during early settlement times. Several cherished historic resources include the various Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects located within the city. These projects, typically built with sandstone rockwork, are found throughout the city's historic Town Center.
YesterYear Celebration[edit]
Civic leaders established the YesterYear Celebration to educate residents about the community's history and heritage. The festival is held on the fourth weekend each June and includes activities such as parades, carnivals, historic battle reenactments, pageants, and trade days.Historic reading[edit]
Several works documenting the community's history have been published in the recent past. Shirley Smith wrote and/or edited several books including Homefolks, a collection of letters from important figures who lived in the community throughout the early 20th century. The Tri-County Leader published a series of articles by Acker Hanks called "Growing up in Whitehouse." The articles recounted Mr. Hanks' experience in the community starting in the early 1920s. The Whitehouse Vision 2020 Comprehensive Plan (see Planning and Development) also included a history section. This section was based on oral history interviews from prominent Whitehouse residents such at Nancy Shahan Coats, Joe Pat Hagan, Acker Hanks, and Richard Waller. Many of these resources are available at the Whitehouse Community Library.Planning and development[edit]
Past efforts[edit]
Recent efforts[edit]
The city's Planning & Zoning Commission has worked at the direction of the City Council to update various components of the 1987 zoning ordinance. The commission also recommended updates to the subdivision regulations which were adopted in February 2004. The city also contracted with Butler Planning Services to update the comprehensive plan from 1996. The firm, along with a citizen steering committee, produced the Whitehouse Vision 2020 Comprehensive Plan in the spring of 2006. Following this effort, the city is currently evaluating the need for a new zoning ordinance which can implement the recommendations of the Vision 2020 Plan.Education[edit]
The city is served by the Whitehouse Independent School District. The district consists of seven schools located on six campuses. The campuses include:
- Cain Elementary School
- Mozelle Brown Elementary School
- Higgins Elementary School
- Stanton-Smith Elementary School
- Holloway Middle School
- Whitehouse Junior High School
- Whitehouse High School
- AIM Center
- Bus Barn
Stanton-Smith Elementary school is a more recent addition to the Whitehouse ISD campuses. It has been added to meet the needs of population growth within the city, with more efficient classroom space.
Text from Sister Robison
Some of you are probably wondering why I am posting texts and such from members. I am keeping everything from Josh's mission to make him a book. I want him to see all the wonderful things that members are saying about him. These messages bring peace, joy, and love into my heart. I know that someday he will look back and read this blog and feel the same peace that I feel. that being said......
"The boys came over tonight. They had an appointment cancel. They came over to talk about early morning seminary. They are going to teach my class one of the scripture mastery scriptures. Hopefully get it memorized. He looked and sounded great tonight. He and Elder Ezzell are perfect together! They sat down and played my piano. Your son can play and sing beautifully! I am going to get him signed up to perform for the ward. He is doing great. Thought I would let you know. " Sister Celeste Robison
This text made me smile but also giggle. Josh told me he would never play the piano on his mission because he didn't want anyone to know he could and get sucked into playing all the time. What do you know! He is playing the first week of his mission!
"The boys came over tonight. They had an appointment cancel. They came over to talk about early morning seminary. They are going to teach my class one of the scripture mastery scriptures. Hopefully get it memorized. He looked and sounded great tonight. He and Elder Ezzell are perfect together! They sat down and played my piano. Your son can play and sing beautifully! I am going to get him signed up to perform for the ward. He is doing great. Thought I would let you know. " Sister Celeste Robison
This text made me smile but also giggle. Josh told me he would never play the piano on his mission because he didn't want anyone to know he could and get sucked into playing all the time. What do you know! He is playing the first week of his mission!
Monday, October 6, 2014
First Week in Texas!
It feels like FOREVER since I've been able to talk to everyone. First, I miss everyone so much. I've never been this homesick in my life. But that hasn't changed the fact that I'm starting to really enjoy my mission. My new companion's name is Elder Ezzell. He's from Utah and he's really awesome. He plays guitar and can do lots of cool card tricks like me haha. We live on Memory Lane in Whitehouse Texas. My are for my mission is bigger than some people's whole missions. Hence the car that we have. They also told me that I'm one of two that have been trained in East Texas in the past year. I guess that's a compliment. Elder Ezzell says he might be getting transferred soon which would mean I would be taking over the area... That scares me to death, but I'm really excited. I have met some amazing people and had some weird experiences. My VERY FIRST lesson was insane. The lady argued and argued and argued with us. She would be yelling at us one moment then telling us how awesome we are the next. She is definitely bipolar. Then her boyfriend (who I thought might be a little more normal than her) proceeded to tell us how Jesus was a ninja and that he went on a boat to China to become the master of the ninjas. HE WAS BEING SERIOUS. I don't like to make fun of other peoples beliefs but it was hard not to laugh at that one. So my first experience was definitely unforgettable. I've met some really nice people. The Robison Family are definitely my favorite. She cooks us food, gives us a blanket and a couch to lay on, turns on the heater and general conference, and watches with us. I accidentally fell asleep. Oops. But their family is so incredibly nice and it helps with the homesickness when I'm with them. We just set a date to baptize one of our investigators. After his first lesson, he wanted to be baptized. It's really exciting. There are also some scary neighborhoods here. I was scared that we might get shot at one point because of the people, their house, and the way we were treated. It was scary. There have been two HUGE storms. And I mean HUGE. My companion and I ran out during one of them in our shorts, but then heard the BIGGEST and LOUDEST crack of thunder I've ever heard in my life. It scared the crap out of me so we ran back to the apartment as fast as we could. Tomorrow, we get to go see Meet the Mormons. I'm really excited because I get to see my old district again. We all had to say goodbye and it was really sad. Guess where the first place I ate when I got here was? That's right --- TACO BELL. Here are all of the places we've eaten:
1. TACO BELL
2. Some Mexican place I can't name
3. Stanley's (SO GOOD) (BBQ)
4. Another Mexican place I can't name
5. Buffalo Wild Wings
6. Texas Roadhouse
7. Subway
8. and yes Dollar General, because everything else was closed for some water problem IDK who cares.
All in all, I miss everyone more than I can say, but I'm enjoying the experiences I'm having here in Texas. I can't wait to hear from everyone again!
Conference Weekend
What an awesome conference weekend. We had pizza delivered to Josh and his companion on Saturday and Sunday we received this nice text and picture from Sister Robinson.
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"Just had the Elders over for breakfast and Conference. Your son is adorable. Yes, he is homesick. I told him that is where we come in. He can come over to our home and we will make him feel like he is at home. I told him I also told my daughter to take a hot shower bawl her eyes out, get out, dry off and go to work! He is going to be awesome and we love him already. He is under our wing."
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Dear Missionary Family,
We just want to let you know that your missionary has arrived in Dallas and is part of a wonderful group of 20 new missionaries today!
Attached you will see the pictures taken at the Dallas Temple as they came in from the airport. The group had lunch on the way, and are spending the afternoon and evening in orientation and training. They will have dinner at the Mission Home with President and Sister Taylor and their family. Then they will stay the night with a nearby companionship, and in the morning will be introduced to their trainer. After a little more training together, they will leave for their area and begin their work. We will follow up with a letter letting you know where they are serving and who their trainer is.
Monday is their preparation day, so you should receive an email from them telling you about their first week in the Mission. I’m sure you’re looking forward to that!
Thank you for sending us your missionary! This will be a great experience for them.
Sister Larsen, Secretary
Texas Dallas Mission
Elder Needles with President and Sister Taylor
OFFICIALLY A TEXAN!
Elder Needles is officially in Texas!!!!
Josh arrived in Dallas Monday morning. The call from the airport was bitter-sweet. He sounded so good but at the end it was difficult for both of us to say goodbye. Tim was not able to talk with him because he was on his own flight for work. That was hard on Tim and Josh. He admitted that he is homesick, but that he would be okay. I worried about him all day. A friend in Boise was on his flight and sent a message to me saying that Josh looked great! That was comforting.
He spent 2 days in Dallas for meetings and then he was off to his new home in Whitehouse, Texas. Population 8,000. It is 10 minutes from Tyler, Texas. The population there is 96,000. His trainer and new companion is Elder Ezzell. I don't know anything else about him at this point. I received this nice text from a ward member of Josh's who happen to be the ward mission leaders.
Hi Jenny,
This is Sister Robison. We are happy to have your son living in our ward. He was in our home last night giving him experience teaching about the Restoration. He did a great job and we are so happy to have him here. We will send pictures soon. We see them weekly! He wanted you to know his address. He is well. I have a daughter serving in the San Jose California mission. I miss her so much! It means the world to me to hear of members taking care of her. I am the early morning seminary teacher and we are also ward missionaries. So we will see him every week. So I will be happy to pass along greetings! He mentioned he was a little homesick the day he arrived in Dallas but he feels good being here now with his companion and is ready to work. Great attitude!
How grateful I was to receive this message tonight. I miss him terribly but feel so at peace at the same time. Please send Josh lots of encouragement. He needs it! Here is his current address....
Elder Joshua Needles
214 Memory Lane
Whitehouse, Texas 75791
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| Elder Needles and Elder Ezzell |
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| New Missionaries with President and Sister Taylor in front of the Dallas Temple |
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