Letter received 8/21/2013

This is bits and pieces of his latest letter home (it was 8 pages long which we were very excited about but didn't figure you all would want to hear all of it):
Thank you so so so much for not only that (we had sent him a GPS so he would find his way around his area) but for everything.  I'm so supported from home and I'm really blessed for it.  Like immensely blessed for it.  Especially from the way you've raised me.  I'm going to be successful thanks to you guys.  I am already taking over in anything and everything I can.  I apologize for not writing sooner.  It's been a long few weeks.  A new Ward Mission Leader was called so that will help.  He's a great guy.  Can't wait to get things rolling.  We'll see where things go.  Hope Cole will like his birthday present.  Figured he might dig it.  Nana sent me like a ton of cards so I have something to send to people.  And I have now collected almost 100 stamps so I'm good for a while.  I think I've gotten everything that was sent back from everyone, including Grandma.  Should be caught up.  I'm on top of the world baby!  I can't wait to be a leader and move this mission forward.  Me and my companion are designing a Member Record Form we're hoping to get implemented throughout the mission.  Long story on that one.  Couple of experiences I'll share in the next letter that are really cool.  This really is the Lord's work!  I know it, I live it, I love it.  I love the gospel!  Celestial party!  I love you!  Thank you again.  I love you!
Love,
Elder Gunnoe
PS.  I love stickers.  Have kids send them to me!  Cars, Nemo, Disney, Looney Tunes, etc. :)

But...he didn't end there....
We took the Sacrament to Grandma Meadows.  Super awesome lady.  Has a super high grandma voice, puffy white hair, super blunt and yet sweet as molasses.  Anyways, she lost her husband a few years ago and has really wavered in her faith even though she's sealed to him.  So we're really trying to build that faith back up.  But we love her.  She's awesome.  And we talked with this Muslim guy today who totally believes in prophets so we told him there's a prophet today but he has a hard time believing that because of the Koran.  Great guy though!  He said he'll research and call us if he has questions.  It's funny when I knock doors I open the conversation with things in their yards but mostly use their cars!  Works for the most part!  Gotta love Fairfield and Forest Park and Colerain and Mount Healthy and Seven Hills.  It was funny, we were riding our bikes in Seven Hills and rode by a house with a bunch of people out front and loud music and I said to myself "Hey, I smell skunk...oh wait, I'm in Seven Hills...Hey, I smell weed!"  :)  True that!  Good times.  So many bumpin cars around here.  Even bumpin mini vans!  When we're on our bikes members honk at us!  I can't wait for fall and winter.  Gotta love the cold!  My companion, being from Georgia, does not like that I am my dad and keep the apartment anywhere from 60-66 degrees which is freezing for him, inside at least.  The apartment is always a disaster so I'd rather not send pictures...I'm not as good about that mostly because I'll be here for a while...my bad.  Please read this months Ensign!  It's sooo good.  Oh ya, I forgot to mention...I'll let you know what he talks on and how it is meeting him when I see Dallin H. Oaks this weekend when he comes to reorganize the Stake Presidency!  Going to be amazing!  Talk about timing!  So I need all the kids (littler kids) back home to send me stickers!  We as missionaries love re-living our childhoods so we use stickers a lot!  Please and thank you!  I want to go to the temple so bad!  Andrew Unklesbay (he takes us out to appointments a lot) just got endowed and he saw the new stuff!  :(  I'm so jealous.  He is reporting to the Salt Lake City Utah mission in October!  We're going to try and get a coffee table and some bar stools for the apartment because we work in the living room a lot and the floor is our desk.  Thrift store here we come!  Gotta make it more homey too.  I'm going to try and send this and Cole's package out today but we'll see.  I have given up ending this letter because I keep wanting to say more.  Gotta shower!  I can't wait to play baseball again.  I will get back into it.  I miss it so much.  I held a baseball the other day and it felt so good.  I just wanted to pitch for hours and hours.  Something I'll definitely get back into.  So today I got through all of D&C 107 which is about the order of the Priesthood.  I'm researching and studying this because there's a lady (lives in Dayton but works in Fairfield so we see her and work with her) and she really wants to get baptized but she is having a hard time accepting prophets after Joseph Smith because she doesn't understand how that works so I'm working to help her gain that knowledge and testimony of Thomas S. Monson so she can be baptized!  Such an awesome lady.  Now off to write letters and then the rest of P-day!  Love you!  I'll send this now!  Hope this made up for not writing in a while!  Love you!  This letter dates 8-18 and 8-19.  Oh ya, we found out there is a missionary-only meeting with Elder Oaks on Sunday!!! :)  So just the missionaries in our zone so it'll be very personal!!!  Ahh!!! :)  I can't wait!  I love you!  Have a great week!
Love ,
Elder Gunnoe

Letter received August 12

Dear Family/Blog,
Hola from Ohio!  What a week it has been.  Still a hard area to be in but we’re pressing forward!  We have 2 solid investigators, 2 so-so investigators, and 3 potential investigators!  The work is moving forward.  We are now on bikes which means during this week of being on bikes, dinner time means shower time.  Because soaking wet clothes when it’s not raining is not right!  It does rain often though so that doesn’t help.  We’re still getting to know the area and the members.  We’ve reactivated one family, we’re helping a recent convert re-quit smoking, AND we’re never getting fed.  We have had 1 member meal and we have 1 planned for next week and 2 that are always set in stone monthly.  So money runs out fast from needing real food all the time.  The apartment is still a disaster which is why I haven’t sent many pictures.  I saw a bunch of my fellow MTC missionaries at zone meeting and a trainer/trainee meeting which was awesome.  I’m being told by President Porter and my companion and missionary leaders that I have a ton of potential and will progress quickly which is comforting to me.  I hope all is well back home!
Love you all!
Love,
Elder Gunnoe