Letter Received September 25, 2013

Dear Mom & Pop,
Well what a week it's been!  Full of rain, brownies, bike riding, move ins, funeral, and correlation.  This Friday we were over at Greg's house and we were reading with him on his porch and the sky kept getting darker and darker and it was only 4:30...we left his house and as soon as we rounded the corner I felt a few drops and said "uh oh..we gotta go.."  Next corner..it was raining pretty hard..so we booked it to the Gardner's which was a few streets down and as soon as we got on the porch it was a super hard downpour.  Barely missed that.  Saturday was Brother Tony Mensah-Daku's funeral.  He was from Togo which is next to Ghana.  He had a condition with the veins behind his lungs and they basically shut down and he was home alone asleep when he suffocated to death.  His 8 year old son came home when his dad wasn't there to pick him up at the bus stop.  The door was locked and no one would answer so the police and apartment management came to open the door and Harrison ran in to find his dad and they couldn't wake him up.  He had been dead for about 2 hours.  Very sad!  I swear I'm bad luck.  Elder Giblette crashed on his bike :(  We were going down this super steep windy road and you know me I take stuff like that fast and lay my bike down in turns.  He was following at his own pace which I guess was a little too fast and he couldn't quite navigate the turn so the bike went down.  He slid on his arms, belly down and the guardrail post was what stopped him.  He's alright...just a little sore.  Sister Fletcher and Sister Chapa are super awesome :)  Sister Chapa just came out this last transfer and Sister Fletcher goes home in November!  The ward loves them..And loves feeding them.  They had the 2 meal calendars passed around (ours and theirs) last Sunday and they ended up getting 4 dinners and we had 0.  Luckily the Unklesbay's fed us last minute as did the Martins.  Good eats!  Sister Unklesbay made chicken that was rolled and coated in BBQ chips!  Oh my gosh, so good!  The Martins made these super good steak taco's with homemade tortilla chips (she's from Chile).  Then again on Saturday we had...Outback Steakhouse!  It was Elder Giblette's birthday so we treated ourselves :)  Soooo good!  We have 9 investigators but only 4 or 5 are being or staying solid.  We keep getting a ton of media referrals which is good.  Hope all is well back home!  It is so awesome being out here!  It's already October!  Time flies.  My new companion is so awesome!  We talk all the time and get along really well.  He's a great guy.  As you heard earlier ya we have Sisters.  We make a bomb team.  Hopefully the weather stays cooled down now.  I miss the Temple!  Thanks for the love and support guys!  I love and miss you!  Ta ta for now.
Love,
Elder Gunnoe

Elder Giblette and Elder Gunnoe

Elder Gunnoe and Elder Giblette at the Unklesbay's for dinner!!  

Thanks to the Unklesbay's for taking such good care of our Missionaries!! :)

Finally...a long letter to post :)

Family,
Oh my gosh!  Such an awesome week.  So we got fed yesterday by the Felsheims.  They BBQ'd New York strip steaks for us, with green beans with bacon bits on top!  The thing was literally like an inch thick and about 4x6" big!  Ahh!  Me and Brother Felsheim are connected.  In his garage...A 2008 silver 505hp 6-speed Corvette Z06!!! Ahhh!!! It has the 7 liter L57 in it AND there's a remote on the key ring...it turns off the mufflers and sounds amazing!  He's a machinist but like super high tech machinist.  He makes helicopter blades for the government and jet engine parts, blades and tools.  I told him I'm keeping in contact so we can ride in it when you come to pick me up.  Hope you liked the pics from Sis. Unklesbay.  They're an awesome family!  Love em!  Thanks for the letters!! Sorry it's hard to respond to each one.  I always love the counsel, love, and love hearing how things are going!  Dad - I bet it's quite weird sitting with mom in Sacrament!  Good times!  Cole - that's awesome you're working at Pali.  What are hours/schedule like?  Mom - hope the new calling is treating you well!  God really did bless me with this body.  I has so much strength and energy when we're riding bikes despite 90 degree heat and 80-90% humidity.  I kill my companion - poor guy.  I thank the Lord every day for the strength He has given me.  I get MSF money next week.  Yay!  I've been better lately.  We got some new furniture.  Finally an end table I can keep my things on.  I hope you liked the pictures.  Meeting Dallin H. Oaks was AMAZING!  Such a great man.  He went straight from Gospel Doctrine Teacher to Apostle!  Never been a Bishop or a Stake President or anything.  Scary stuff!  Sorry I missed you on p-day.  We cleaned all day and got there late and I know you're back to a schedule.  My bad.  It's fun being out here!  Lovin Ohio!  If you can think of anyone else I can write please send addresses.  Nana sent me like 100 cards to send out and collectively from everyone I have almost 100 stamps!  Love everyone so much.  I get written pretty often..Stephanie writes basically weekly..she's amazing.  Nana sends me a card often.  Got a few cards from Grandma and Grandpa.  One letter from Sis. Mastro.  Mostly email but I've gotten a few letters and they said they'll write more.  I need to go find more sheet protectors..my binder is full and they're all front and back filled.  Crazy stuff!  I love letters.  I saw all my MTC family (district) at the meeting with Elder Oaks.  It was such a great reunion!  Strongest bond ever.  I love them all so much.  Can't wait to hang with them post mission.  Eternal friends!  Lovin life.  Got fed by the Unklesbay's again (she may have told you this) but I was petting Shadow, their little dog, behind his ear and he whipped his head around and bit my whole thumb!  Even broke the skin by my nail.  That hurt!  Good dog story huh? :)  Thanks for the letters and the bread!! Mom - I hope you liked the pics.  I'll try and take more soon.  I sent you a badge pic.  It's somewhere around when I sent the map pictures.  Check and let me know Monday.  I want to stay here.  I'm gonna own this area.  Transfers are next week and there's 30+ missionaries coming in so we'll see.  Hope you and dad are feeling better!  Dad - Stake Conference was amazing so you heard earlier.  I'm always staying positive now.  Cole - that job sounds sweet.  So excited for you.  School goes by fast.  Enjoy it because you will miss it no matter what you say.  Do all you can because it's your last chance.  It's already September!  Crazy stuff!  Fall is going to be awesome and crazy.  So many leaves to clean up.  Still hot though.  Hottest it's been since I got here.  So today's weather was intense.  We left at 2 and it was 92 degrees with 90% humidity and sunny.  Went to a members home and left at 4.  It was semi-cloudy and still hot.  At 4:45 we were waiting outside for our ride from the family we were having dinner with (it gets dark at 5).  I was looking at the sky and realized how dark the clouds were and I told my comp.."Uh, it's about to dump.."  As we were loading our bikes it started to rain.  Off in the distance was all the lightening.  It started to downpour.  Literally.  Hardcore.  And it got insanely windy.  We got to the member's home and in the 30 foot run to the house we got soaked.  Had to use paper towels on my hair and arms.  Then I went out on the porch to watch the rain because I was fascinated.  I've never seen so much rain so quickly.  And it's 9:00 now and still raining.  Not as hard but still.  Amazing how quick the weather changed.  So we're getting Sisters in the ward.  We got a new investigator today!  He's a sweet 16 year old guy that I see a ton of potential in and we're teaching his mom.  So I'll keep you posted on that.  Tomorrow is the Labor Day Stake picnic.  I'm gonna be on our Ward's team for the soccer tourney.  Once again I'm blessed.  Definitely with you guys.  Elder Giblette it is (new companion)!  He's such an awesome guy.  Matches me so well.  From Montana.  Hard worker, energetic and just a great guy!  We've had such an awesome few days.  2 new investigators.  So much hard work.  A lesson tomorrow with John after we have dinner with the Felsheim's again.  We're helping a family move in today from Albuquerque.  The work is slowly building.  New investigators but no one with a date yet though.  But we'll get there.  Well I guess I'll just finish this up so I can send it off.  I love and miss you!  Enjoy this novel!  Love you!
Love,
Elder Gunnoe

Elder Gunnoe playing soccer at the Labor Day picnic.

Rain storm in Fairfield, Ohio.

Elder McMichael (first companion) and Elder Gunnoe.

Little bit of an update...more to come soon

I was able to chat with Elder Gunnoe via email this morning and thought I would post some of what he had to say....
"Tomorrow is transfers which is why today is p-day.  My companion is getting transferred and I'm staying here in Fairfield."  I asked him "Are you doing ok?"  He said "Ya I'm alright.  I've been sleeping on a couch or sleeping on the floor for the last 5 days (they are dealing with a bed bug issue which I have heard is quite a big problem in that area of the country), the apartment is torn apart, everything I have is all in trash bags so I'm living out of trash bags for a week.  I'm losing my companion tomorrow and either I'm getting a follow up trainer or I'll be training.  We haven't had very many real missionary days in almost a week, and ya, we've gotten fed a few more times which is nice.  So ya that's pretty much been life lately.  The letter I still need to send to you is like 7 pages long so that'll explain a lot."  I told him "Sorry to hear you are dealing with bugs! and sleeping on the couch/floor.  Do you feel you would be ready to train?  Are you glad you're staying there?"  He said "Ya it's not like a bad thing it's more of a tedious annoying and ongoingly dumb thing.  I feel ready to do anything but you know me - that's just the way I am.  I am glad I'm staying here.  Like you have no idea.  I love Fairfield.  This place is awesome.  I definitely can do anything and it's thanks to you.  Honestly.  I wouldn't be where I am without you.  Thank you so much for everything you've taught me and everything you've done for me."  I asked him "What do you think would be the ideal amount of time to stay in one area before being transferred?"  He said "I think 4-6 months is perfect to be in an area because you can really develop a relationship with the members and continually work with the same less actives and really get work accomplished.  Because being new to an area, in the first 6 weeks the only work that really gets done is getting to know the area and the members."
I am hoping to get the "long" letter soon so stay posted for more news :)