New emails- last week

Sorry this post is up a little late, crazy week! Here are parts of the emails to Brock and I and my parents-

FAMILY :)

This last week has been awesome! We had another baptism Saturday, it was a way cool experience. His name is Danny Wilson, and he's honestly the funniest man i have ever met! when i send you the pictures from this area, you will see him, he's the really big black man hahaha and some of the things he says reminds me of Dad! But he is about 52 and when he was standing in the font the spirit was SO STRONG! He told us after that he saw his mother who had passed away, standing outside of the font smiling at him! He told us that Saturday was a day that he'll always remember, and that he'll always know that this church is true by that experience. Elder Fatiau baptised him, and i got to comfirm him yesterday! It was so cool! I love exercising my priesthood, especially as a missionary, because im truely as in tune with the spirit as i can be, and it makes it that much better! But we have another baptism this week, his name is Lloyd, ill be baptising him, im WAY EXCITED!! but then the week after we have two more and the week after that we have FOUR! So i hope i dont get transfered out of this area, because i want to be able to baptise those people with elder fatiau!! So pray for me! :) Elder Kelley our other companion got transfered early, him and Elder Fatiau werent getting along, because elder kelley likes to start arguments, and that only leads to contention, and the spirit can't dwell where there is contention, so he got transefered up to B-Ham. This week went by pretty fast, i swear it just keeps speeding up!! but anywho, i love hearing about all the fun times you guys are having! I continue to pray for you and my friends as well daily! but it makes me so happy so see your continuing on in righteousness! I KNOW that families can be together forever, and i want to be able to be with all of you and the rest of my family in the Celestial kingdom! So keep it up!! :) Jesus the Christ in an AWESOME book!! it blows my mind everytime i read it, and im learning a ton! Same with the BOM and BIBLE! Im so happy that i have your support as a family, and that you never gave up on stubborn little alex, even when i was going the wrong way! I know that Alabama is where im supposed to be, even if i am 1 out of 9 white people here in Selma haha! But continue to pray for Elder Fatiau (fot-e-ow) and I, we could use all the help we can get!! Tell all of my friends that i miss them very much, and that i love them to death!! Well i cant wait to hear from you next week, im sure it will go by extremely fast!! I hope everything at home is going well, i try not to worry about you all but it just happens, so please STAY HEALTHY and RIGHTEOUS so i dont have to worry!! :) Fai fai Lemu, alofa ia te oe (take it easy, I love you!!) REMEMBER E Faavavau aiga (families are FOREVER!)

Fiafia ma olioli,

Peace and Blessings,

Elder Tolman

WASUP!! :)

This week was pretty sick! The tornado didnt end up hitting so that was good!! But yeah the weather has been good its really starting to cool off!! I lOVE IT NOW! its still humid but ive gotten pretty used to it! But yeah playing ball with all the brothers is sick, we are like on of the crew now haha. Its pretty scary sometimes though because they get super mad at basketball, especially when they are losing, (which is most of the time ;) ) haha but they are all tatted up and have tear drop tats under their eyes and stuff, most of them are gang members, so it can get pretty crazy when they lose, but you know what they say, dont hate the player hate the game haha so they dont mess with us ;) but we had another baptism this week and i got to do my first comformation, it was way awesome!! its a pretty long story and im almost out of time, but get it from mom and dad haha :) sorry i love you. But we have 7 MORE BAPTISMS scheduled in the next three weeks, so hopefully i dont get transfered on the 28th so i can see these people get baptised! But im really growing to love Selma, the ward family is awesome!! Im super proud of the companionship we have, yesterday we DOUBLED the attendance at sacrament meeting!! DOING WORK!! but its okay haha but i better get a package soon, im getting bored of looking in the mail everyday and having nothing haha, but you'll be getting a package from me for you birthday so be ready :) its going to be at mom and dads house, but you BETTER LOVE IT! :) but i miss being able to come over and kick it at your house, but ill be fine :) dont game to hard with out me! You two are the best, i couldnt have asked for a better sister and brother, and soon to be nephew :) I pray for you daily and promise that the lord will bless you through you faith that you put in him that EVERYTHING is going to be OKAY :), just have faith.. you two are awesome i really cant wait to set up the skype and talk to you on christmas, just so you can see how skinny ive already gotten haha! Well Fai fai lemu, alofa ia te oe (take it easy, i love you)!

Fiafia Ma Olioli,

Peace and blessings, Elder Tolman

New emails!

But any who, this last week went by so fast!! It was a very successful week!! Your gonna think im crazy, and that this isnt really me emailing, but i am ADDICTED to READING!! there is SO much you can learn, and just being out here and seeing how much there really is for me to know, makes me want to just learn all the time!! from the time ive been here ive read through half of JESUS THE CHRIST, im almost done with the BOM, i have a mini king james version bible i read from everyday, and im working on True to the faith, Our Heritage, and Mans search for Happiness. Is that crazy or what!! I have learned so much here! but anyways about my successful week, we found 11 new investigators, 5 of whom are already committed to baptism!! Now that's what im talking about!! It was actually really cool because we were tracting in the pooring rain, just soaking wet, (there were even flood warnings) but we kept on going, and right as we were getting discouraged the last 3 houses we knocked on we got those 5 investigators who committed, they were very receptive to our message, it was so awesome. The Lord definitely works in mysterious ways!! But we have a baptism this week of a guy named Danny Wilson, he is so awesome, he reminds me exactly of Dad, just the way he talks and the things he says, so i take to him really well! He calls me Marshal Mathers (or Eminem the Rapper) because he says i look just like him, it's probably only because im white though, but he is a cool guy! The cooking is coming really good, Elder Fatiau and I are the cooks, i have actually learned some awesome Somoan recipes from him that are fast and really filling, and the best part.. CHEAP! He taught me how to make this really good homemaid bread, CURRY CHICKEN, fried rice, and some other good things that i can whip up in about five to ten minutes. Im continuing to lose weight just not as fast, im down to about 188, but to be honest ive actually gotten more ripped out here because of the weight ive lost, and we work out every night and run every other day, so its really good! My legs have gotten way strong, biking everyday has really done its job! i can dunk a basketball with ease now! We play ball every P day with the street negros, they have taught me a thing or two about basketball. It awesome here, Selma is the "promised land", i hope i can stay here for a while!! the area may be scary at times, but i dont worry at all because i know ill be protected! The temple last Wednesday was AWESOME!! I got to baptise for 30 names, i baptised 3 people each for 10 names, and then Elder Anderson baptised me for 10 also. We also did an endowment session with all the missionaries in our zone, that was pretty awesome! Elder Fatiau is teaching me Somoan, i have actually learned a lot, we can talk in whole sentences now to each other. If i knew how to spell all the things i can say, i would tell you what i know, but i cant haha so im sorry. but i can tell you this one (its the one i use most often haha) its Ma'puni Laonco, it means "shut your mouth" haha, its kind of an inside joke between us. but the days here are awesome, and i dont regret any minute of them, i cant wait to get a package from you guys, those are the most exciting to get. make sure when you send your picture holder, that you put some pictures of the family and stuff in there okay :) but oh, im only supposed to email family, so if my email is on face book please just put my address instead, i need to be obediant with exactness in order to be the best missionary i can, and thats exactly what i want. but Dad im glad you wrote the other two missionaries, but just for the sake of being obediant, try not to email them, but they told me last week at the temple that they love you guys already!! but you are awesome!! i love you guys so much!! thanks for not giving up on me even when i was stubborn! I fasted this week for you guys, shaylee and brock, and my friends and family!! I hope you can see the blessing and help it brings!! You are all truely a blessing in my life!!

I have taken some more photos and stuff that i have to send, so ill probably send them at the end of this transfer, which is on the 28th of this month, so make sure to send that memory card :) But i have a surpise coming that ill send home with the memory card at the end of this month!! but i love you all so much, and i cant wait until get to Skype with you and tell you about how AMAZING this is!! christmas is pretty close right ;) well keep on keepin' on as they say here :)

Peace Love and Blessings,

Elder Tolman

haha im glad that i get to write you guys after mom and dad because all the things i forget, i can just tell you to tell them! so why were are on this topic, tell them not be nervous, but im encountering my first tornado sometime this week!! haha scary i know, there has been tornado warnings all over the state, its supposed to come right through central alabama!! Yesterday wind speeds got up to 65 MPH, try biking against that :) haha but any who the guetto is pretty scary, we are actually going to tract the projects today :) there was four shootings there last week haha, but what can ya say, its all a part of the game! but yes im am still in a trio, the transfer meeting is actually on your birthday haha so i will be in a trio probably until then. But about the tornado that happened, yes i have seen the aftermath and it is pretty crazy, they have a lot of it cleaned up but there is still huge bridges and stuff that are down. My daily schedule is this, wake up at 6, work out for an hour, make breakfast and shower until 8, personal study until 9, companionship study until 11, make lunch, leave the house at 12, usually go tract for 3 - 4 hours, we have appointments set up at the end of the day most of the time, then we usually tract after until we go home! We get home around 8-8:30 most of the time, then we plan for the next day until 9, then we make dinner and work out, and write in our journals until bed time at 10:30 :) and thats a regular day for me haha. biking hasnt been that far the last week or so because elder fatiau has a hemroid and it hurts his butt to ride hahahahaaha so we got of easy last week :) our car is a 2011 ford fusion! its SO SICK! so thats what we drive on P day and to church! i miss you two like crazy!! but the temple is in Birmingham!! it was pretty awesome!! i got to do an session and baptisms for the dead! it was way cool!! Tell luke i say hi!! and that i love him like crazy!! Tell him to please write me i wanna hear from him!! haha but slacklining huh? that sounds... cool.. ;) haha so your starting up a pace family circus i see? awh man you guys are so funny, i cant wait to Skype with you on Christmas!! im sure ill blink and it will be here so im excited!! but i cant wait to get your package!! you should go with Mom and Dad to the store and get me some more jordan shorts, size XL, cause my other ones ripped playing ball with the street negros. And if you do get some, make sure they are SICK!! :) oh and then since youd be sending those, send me ALL of my jordan shorts at home, because these ballers are crazy, and my shorts are getting ruined haha! Oh and if you would ask mom to let me know every email how much money is in my AMERICA FIRST CHECKING account okay :) you guys are the best, i love you so much!! Dont forget to send that stuff its IMPORTANT :) haha well since ive been learning Somoan, "Fiafia Ma Olioli" (happiness and rejoicing)

Elder Tolman :)