Yes, I am on a bike!

First Transfer on a bike!

Hello everyone! I hope y'all had a great week!

This week has definitely been a VERY memorable week. On Tuesday we had transfer meetings and I got transferred into the Dallas 4 Ward up in North Dallas right by Richardson, Texas. This was crazy because:

1. We got doubled in (so we are BOTH new to the area) - which I have never done

2. I'm senior companion now - which I have never done

3. We are in our Mission President's ward - which is insane

4. We live with the Assistants to the President (Which is actually not that bad because the APs are Elder Hafen and Elder Langford and I love them both)

5. and last but not least.... Yes, I'm on a Bike.

It has been SO HARD to be in a bike area, but I know I'm going to learn and grow so much because of it. Also I probably will lose weight so that's a plus :)

My new companion's name is Elder Casper, and he's awesome! We get along so great and it's going to be a fun transfer with him. HE ACTUALLY COMPETED AGAINST ME IN FINALS ROUND AT STATE DRAMA IN ORIGINAL HUMOROUS!! He's from Rigby, Idaho. It's so crazy! It's been fun so far to be companions with him. 

On Saturday, we met the Richardson Family and I LOVE THEM. They are a young couple and they were so awesome to us. We sat by them in church and Sister Richardson made me a fan out of the program (because it was so hot) and get this. Brother Richardson has a beard... AND A SPIDER CRAWLED OUT OF IT IN THE MIDDLE OF SACRAMENT MEETING!!! LOL. I was shocked and just kept laughing about it.

It is SO HOT here in Texas. I'm dying from the heat. Luckily we've had a lot of very kind members who have stopped and bought us water and stuff like that.

This ward is already great and I know I'm going to love serving here :)

On Tuesday, all the departing missionaries came and stayed at our apartment the night before they went home! It was crazy! I tried not to listen to them talk about going home so it wouldn't make me trunky! LOL

It was hard to say goodbye to DeSoto and the Duncanville YSA and it was really hard to say bye to Elder O'Neal, but the Lord has been merciful and given me so many blessings since I've been here. I'm grateful for the trials I've been given. I'm going to grow so much.

I love you all more than you know. Have an amazing week!

Josh Needles

Transfer

Elder Joshua Needles has been transferred to Dallas. He is in the Dallas 4th ward and his new companion is Elder Casper. Josh is now Senior Companion. His new mailing address is

15255 Preston Road APT #1125

Dallas, Texas 75248

Goodbye Desoto :(

Goodbye, DeSoto and Duncanville YSA

This morning I got the unfortunate news that I'll be leaving DeSoto and be transferred somewhere new... I'm going to miss it here SO MUCH! I have so many great memories here and it's going to be really hard to say goodbye to all of the people I've grown to love in this area. It's also going to be hard to get a new companion, because I LOVE ELDER O'NEAL. He has been the best companion ever and I have so many good memories with him. He's the most Christ-like person I've met on the mission and I just know when he goes home in September he will be so successful and happy. I'll be here in Texas cheering him on as he starts that new chapter in his life and I'm sure we'll be life-long friends.

I have some of the best memories of my life here in DeSoto. Being companions with Elder Smith, and meeting some of the best friends I've ever had like Elder Evans, Sister Hughes, Sister Awerkamp, Elder O'Neal, Elder Smith, and so many more. Meeting the Duarte Family and getting the opportunity to teach Dolores and baptize her. Meeting Priscilla and teaching her and becoming great friends with her. Meeting the Chase Family who have helped me SO MUCH on my mission with happiness and having a good time. Meeting the Martineaus and having them zone my feet. Teaching Ruby and getting to see her be baptized. EVERYONE IN THE YSA BRANCH WHO I LOVE SO MUCH. The Honeycutts, Sappingtons, Rousseaus, Tatros, aaaaaaah just everyone! I'm going to miss it so much! But I hope that wherever I go and whoever I'm with will be right and I'll find just as much happiness as I have found here.

On Saturday, we got the opportunity to watch Ruby be baptized. I'm so honored to have been able to teach her. She is truly incredible and inspiring and I know she'll go so far in life.

At the end of this next transfer, I'll be right on the verge of my hump day! (Year Mark, Halfway Done, Done with all my "firsts") It's crazy that I've made it this far. Hopefully it continues to fly by like this last transfer did. This has got to be the fastest a transfer has gone by. It feels like just yesterday when we were celebrating the fact that I got to stay another transfer! 

The first week with a new companion is always hard, so hopefully I can push through it and really get into my new area with ease.

I love and miss you all. Keep having the time of your lives! I'll try to do the same :)

-Josh Needles

Ten Months!

TENr, Chris Kundis, Hailey M, Tim Needles, bjralphs@live.com, chloelambo, Alison Doyle, Andres Maldonado, Glenn Lambert, meganprien, Maddie Prien, Brianna Snyder, erinvail44, Tessa Chandler, samandra.McKinley@yahoo.com, Sondra McKinley, Tanya White, Patty Petersen, Beverlie White, Hannah Keating, Hannah Wentland, rachelannhansen@hotmail.com, Katie Facer, Carolyn White, Megan Needles, Lauren Thomas, kcallis@tvcc.cc, Makette Morgan, Makette Morgan, Lisa Sherle, Cindy Wilson, Sydnee Williams, BeyondTheLimit1351, Lyric Bowman, Kara Larsen, Makalie Morgan, alisa, Faye Melton, Clark Evans, Lori Bierschwale, Lauren Sharp, Judy Brito, Maria Duarte, Whitney Hughes, Teina Smith, Brendan Ezzell

Hello family and friends!

I can't tell y'all just how much I miss you. It's a boat load of missing. Seriously! But I'm hanging in there and still having a ton of fun! I hit 10 months on my mission this week! Holy Moly! I can't believe I've been out for THAT long. It's seriously insane! I'm so glad I've been able to stay in my area for as long as I have been! I'm hoping and praying that I might get the opportunity to stay longer! As most of you know, I don't do too well with change. I HATE moving! But whatever happens I know is meant to. God has proved that to me over and over again! I just would LOVE to stay with Elder O'Neal one more transfer and send him home! That seriously would be awesome. This week was great! Ruby had her baptism interview! She will be baptized this Saturday and I'm so excited for her. It's so great that she wants to enter into the strait and narrow path toward eternal life. I'm glad I get to be here to experience it.

This last week, my trainer went home! MY TRAINER WENT HOME. I can't believe it! The only companion I've had that is still here is Elder O'Neal! It's crazy to think Elder Ezzell went home. I spent a lot of time reminiscing on good times with Elder Ezzell this week. He seriously is the best trainer out there! I look back on all the fun times we had in Whitehouse, Texas and just am so grateful that he was there to help me. The first transfer was really hard for me, but God blessed me with such a great trainer to help me get through it. I'm jealous that he gets to see his family, but I'll be there one day!

At church in the YSA, a guy named John walked up to us and said "Hey I want to be baptized, what do I need to do?" I was so happy! When does that happen?! Never! It was a cool miracle that God helped construct.

Some members of the YSA went to Nauvoo on a trip. I had no idea that my Aunt Jenny and Uncle Derek and their kids were going to be there AT THE SAME TIME. They ran into each other and they recorded a video to show me when they got back! It's crazy that out of all the missionaries my aunt and uncle could've known in the Texas Dallas Mission, the one they did know was in those members branch! It seriously was a tender mercy of the Lord, because I loved to see their faces and hear their voices! God is good!

I love you all so much. I've learned a lot this week. It's been difficult, but great (as has my whole mission). Keep the faith and know that Christ lives. I know it. Have an incredible week!

Elder Joshua Needles

Great Moments

Hello everyone!

I hope your 4th of July was a blast! It was great to see all the fireworks and American flags! I'm so glad to be an american!

This week was one I'll always remember from my mission. It's been such a crazy roller coaster. On a mission you just experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. It's really quite crazy! This week was one of those weeks.

Ruby is now being baptized on July 18th! We're very happy for her. She'll have to have her baptism interview this week, and then she'll be ready. She really has grown so much and so fast in the gospel. It inspires me to be better! 

On the 4th of July, Elder O'Neal and I bought American Flag shirts to wear at some point during the day! In the morning, we went to Duncanville to be a part of the parade! We walked and handed out cards and threw candy in the parade. It was pretty fun, but it is SO HOT here in Texas, so I was sweating bullets. After that, we went to lunch with Elder Truman and Elder Curtis. Then that night, we went to Golden Corral with the Martineau Family (and I LOVE them) and then went to see some fireworks in DeSoto. It was SO PACKED in DeSoto that we ended up just standing in a neighborhood watching the fireworks. Standing there watching the fireworks just made me realize how much I love all the people I've met, but even more how much I love my friends and family back home. DeSoto puts on a GOOD firework show! It was like a typical finale the whole way through! And then the actual finale was even better!

I hope y'all have a good week and always remember the Savior throughout. I love you all more than you know!

Elder Josh Needles