7 June 2026
VOLUME 14 – NUMBER 646
Our new “Himalaya House”
Veidi
On Memorial Day we officially got moved into the Himalaya house, and it is nice. We had taken over a lot of small trailer loads a few weeks before, but on Memorial Day, Dad rented a big U-Haul truck, and some of the Olders came over to help us move the big stuff that was left in the house. It still took us about four truck loads to get most of it.
There are still a few things left at the old house that we will get over the next few weeks. That night we had pizza and ice cream, and that was our first night in the house. I really like the pool table in the basement that Andrew and Maddy left. I am getting better at it.
Veidi walking dogs
We also had some bad news this past week. Mable got into Isaac's fanny pack, and she may have eaten up to 10 tablets of ibuprofen, so we had to take her to the emergency room for dogs. I went with Dad, but he had to leave to take care of something, so I stayed there for a few hours doing nothing, just waiting for Mable.
Finally Dad came back and he took me out for a shade. Then we went back and Mable was ready, so we went home. Dad said the visit cost about $1000! Mable was pretty out of it for a while. It was a long day.
Mom on moving day
I also went to Braden and Brook’s to babysit Ellie, Charlie, and Ava overnight while Braden and Brook went on a run. We played for a little while. In the morning we ate breakfast, and then we played again. We also watched TV for a little bit. When they got back, Braden took me back home.
Isaac planned a party with our old neighborhood friends, where we had a BBQ at our new house and played games, including a game called Ugly on the pool table. They we went swimming at the Nelson’s house until dark.
When it was dark, we drove over to the old house and played Fugitive in the neighborhood. It was fun because Ashton and Caleb went, and they were the finders. Me and Sophie got caught in the beginning because we did not hide fast enough, but I still had fun trying to find people.
Back yard of Himalaya house
Dad / Arkin
Well, we finally did it. On Memorial Day, after I rented a truck to move some of our bigger items, I made a spontaneous decision and decided to just go ahead an move everything. It took us until late that night, but we got most of our things moved over, and even our got beds set up in the new home so we could sleep there.
Emotionally, I’m kind of torn. I feel like we are making progress in a way, but this temporary move is still just one step in a complicated process. I do know that Jenny is relieved to finally be moved over, after weeks of slowly moving in this direction. I also know Jenny really likes this house and neighborhood, and that makes me very happy.
Jenny and co-worker Liz with authors
However, I still feel stressed because we still haven’t solved the original problem that caused us to move in the first place. We still don’t know how to legally operate our business here long term. We can fake it for a while, but we’re still left with the same original problems.
One thing is for sure. The house is beautiful, and it fits us very well. There are many advantages, included the spacious living room/kitchen area, a much larger dog room, a beautiful back yard, a three-car garage (which is still too full with construction stuff to park in), and the home is in a great location—everything seems like it’s 10 to 15 minutes closer now!
Itzel, Quinn, and Ellie in back yard
Quinn
This week Mable ate pills. It all started when we were working on the garage putting stuff away. Then Isaac came out and said, "Dad, Mable ate 10 pills."
We called Mom, and she said that Mable could die if she ate 250 milligrams. They took her to the vet, and they told me to sit on my bed. When Dad came home with Mable and dog pills, they had a medication schedule for Mable.
Quinn with face paint by Veidi
Troy
We have officially moved into the Himalaya House, and we have been starting to unpack everything and organize the things.
The basement is really nice. The way it is organized is very neat. The main room is also very nicely organized.
But the one room that really was surprisingly better than I thought it would have been is the Dog Room. It is so nice because the larger room makes dog work way more smoother, which has been nice.
The kitchen is beautiful, especially how Mom has organized everything!
Kai and Troy unloading at the dump
Kai
So Isaac set up a party at the new house. The plan was to play some games at the house and eat dinner, and then go to Aunt Amy’s to swim for a while. After that, we’d play Fugitive in our old neighborhood.
What we didn’t realize was that after going swimming, most people were pretty tired, and some left. In retrospect, we should’ve picked either one or the other, not both.
I still had a great time though! Swimming was super fun!
Back yard of Himalaya house
Gloria
This week started off a bit rough. After P-day, we were biking home at like 8:15 PM, I hit a crack, and my bike fell right on top of me. When I got up. I was actually laughing and crying at the same time, because it hurt so bad. Right across the street were our STLs, and they came to the rescue with the first aid.
My comp also had so many flat tires, so we knocked and walked for a few hours. We had so many first contacts and lots of rejections, and even door slams, but it's okay because they aren't ready, but one day they will be.
We had many lessons that went on for about an hour about the plan of salvation, and it's my favorite topic to talk about. It's so cool seeing people have that hope after death, and that there's not just a heaven and hell, but there's opportunities after this life to still choose to live with our loving Heavenly Father.
Hermanas Rigtrup and Hill with friend
We have seen a few miracles this week. One of our goals is to reactivate three members, and we've been visiting them and inviting them to church, and they all came. Three inactive members came, and that was a huge miracle! Our friend Douglas also brought his friend and daughter. So we had eight people at church on Sunday!
On Sunday morning, Hermana Page cut my hair so I have bangs now! Later that day, I cut Hermana Page’s hair too, even though I haven't cut hair before, and it actually turned out better than expected!
This past week we went to Temecula for Hermana Rigtrup's doctor appointment. It was so fun seeing my old area. It brought back some good memories with Hermana Allen.
Friday’s zone conference was also President and Sister Hendrickson’s last zone conference. They are getting released soon and we will have a new mission president here in the next couple of weeks. Our mission will also be divided into the Riverside and Ontario missions.
Veidi and Mom doing nails
And after zone conference we had an amazing lesson with Christian, who is 15 years old and very quiet. In our last lesson we invited him to read the Book of Mormon and to pray about it to know if its true. As we followed up with him, he told us yes, and that he does believe our words. He also said he knows that God is a God of miracles, and that he’s seen God’s hand in his life!
Sunday I shared my testimony and i was very nervous but i did it. You should listen to this talk given from most recent general conference. It’s called, “Come Home.” Let me know your thoughts on it!
For P-Day, we went to the temple and did sealings, and that was an amazing experience because I had not done one before. It was super cool seeing people getting sealed for all time and eternity. And that made me think about when I got sealed as a family a few years ago.
Isaac riding Caleb’s bike
Ashton
We beat Powell Power team this week in one of the trivia rounds! It was incredible. We were tied for first place this week in the round on books and authors.
The best moment was when Yarima identified the cover of The Girl on the Train. They removed the train and the title, and you had to guess what they were. She was like, "I have no idea what it's called, but it's something about a girl on a train. I don't know, let's just put that."
Games with Kyle after ruptured appendix
Five minutes later, when they are reading out the right answers, the title of the book was The Girl on the Train! It was so funny because none of us thought we would get it, but we ended up needing every single point we got.
I feel like my role in most of the trivia questions is to be the hype man since everyone else knows the actual stuff, but occasionally, instincts play a big role in getting us some correct answers.
Always go with your gut! Almost every time we write and answer and second guess ourselves and change it, we end up being wrong, so we learned to just go with the gut.
Endia and children on back porch
Monte
What a week! As a mission, we had the goal to have 110 baptisms or more in the month of May. Well, we were able to reach that goal and baptize 111 people in May! That's 111 people who now have made a covenant with God, and can now receive the blessings that God has waiting for them!
As for our friends, we are currently teaching the mom (Yanely) and sister (Eli) of our recent convert Mateo. Eli came to church with us yesterday, so that was pretty great. Now we're going to really focus on helping Yanely understand why it's necessary to go to church, and that when we put God first, He will provide.
Last week, we were also able to set a day for our friend Glendi to be baptized! Glendi's younger sisters are both baptized and the first time that I talked to Glendi, she had zero interest in getting baptized. But this week, we had a super spirit-filled lesson, and she accepted to prepare to be baptized on the 7th of June.
Monte and Elder Contreras in the rain
Overall, it was a great week and a wonderful end to the month. We're now in the 6th month of the year, which is absolutely bonkers! Almost halfway done with 2026, y'all! Well, I love you guys, and I hope that you're able to find God's tender mercies in your lives this week.
Transfers are hier, and I'm going to be staying here in José María Morelos for another transfer! As for Elder Contreras, he is going to be leaving. He'll be going to Playa del Carmen in an area called Sacbe, to be companions with the one and only Elder Gutierrez!
I'm going to be companions with an elder named Elder Torrez. It was actually super cool because when I talked with him at the last multi-zonas, I got the strongest feeling that at one point in my mission, I was going to be his companion! I'm also really going to miss Elder Contreras a ton.
Mom sleeping
This week Satan is trying everything in his power to stop Glendi from being baptized. Glendi's younger sister Cata (who is a member) is constantly bashing on baptism during the lessons! As we're teaching about the joy and hope that baptism brings, Cata is whispering in Glendi’s ear things to give her doubts. When we asked if Glendi still wants to be baptized, Cata turned to us and said that Glendi didn't want to!
Now the good part of the story is that Glendi told Cata to stop talking for her, and that she never said that. Glendi told us that she wants to receive confirmation that this is what she should do, so we invited her to pray and then come to church on Sunday, and she did!
The sun has been trying to cook us all week, but like I've stated before, I love this weather/heat, and I still enjoy how humid it is here. We even decided to wear our suits one day! Will I ever do that again? Probably not. Was it worth the memories? Yes, yes it was!
Endia and Cougar after half marathon