Week 57 7/27/15

7.27.15

Hey everyone! 

Well, i do not have much time this week at all! This comming week me and my companion have decided to give it all we have, even more than usual! Usually in a week we work around 55 hours (thats of actual proselyting time) but this week we really want to give the lord our all! Weve decided to work 70 hours this week and a few other companionships have decided to join us! I know it seams a bit crazy, we have to get out earlier and get home at 930 instead of 9 every day, but i know the lord truly does bless us for our sacrifices! I just cant wait to see the miricales that will come! :)

They already are! here is a quick thing that happened to us last night!

So, Emmaus Expirience!  yesterday, we had like 10 minutes left, so we were trying to figure out what to do and i was just strait exausted!!! My back hurt from a long day of biking and i had no idea what to do! But, we ended up seeing these people on a curb out from of a hotel, so we rode over there and started talking to them. Turned out they actually live in our area, they are just between houses at the moment. Me and elder Platt were able to teach them all about the restoration and the plan of salvation and answer countless questions that they had! Even better, as we said goodbye and got there information, a man that had overheard the conversation (or parts of it) came over and started asking us about the book of mormon as well! We were then able to teach him all about joseph smith and the blessings that come from reading the book of mormon! It was awesome! I do not know yet what will come of it, but it was such a cool teaching expirience. The lord really does guide us to be in the right place at the right time! Satan may try and disuade us, but, if we are diligent and listen to the spirit, he does lead us. its awesome :) Funny enough, my back totally stoped hurting after that. I think the lord maybe just needed me to slow down enough to see them! Its funny how he works sometimes haha.

Well, thats about all i have time for! I love yall!

Week 56 7/20/15

7.20.15

Happy P-day!

This week has been a full one! between zone activities, service, basketball night, teaching investigators, district meeting, and exchanges, We've been going pretty much non stop all week! What a blessing it is though!

One highlight is an experience I had While on exchange in Athens with an Elder Named Elder Forbush. We were tracting and had found some great success in teaching a few Spanish families, we then set up return appointments for the Spanish sisters in Athens to go back because The Elders there are only English speaking. So as time went on, we decided we better walk to a restroom because when its hot and you've been drinking a ton of water, obviously a restroom will be needed. So, on the way, I saw this group of 3 people sitting on a porch and I felt extremely prompted to go talk to them. unfortunately I was having an internal dilemma.... bathroom, or talk to them. Luckily, the spirit won that battle and me and Elder Forbush went over and started talking to these wonderful people. Shortly into the conversation however, an unfortunately long winded Ex-Pastor Methodist joined the conversation. He was very nice, but went on talking for around 20 ish minutes before deciding he had to go. At this point I was about ready to explode, but I kept feeling prompted to stay and wait out the pastor, Elder Forbush did as well. Finally, after much patience and much bladder control, we were able to really talk to this small family. They had some of the best questions ever and were really honest and open to the gospel. We taught them about the plan of salvation and the blessings that come from living the gospel in it. THEY LOVED IT! It was such a cool experience because it shows how much satan will try and put everything in your way to stop you from teaching someone who is prepared, but if we listen to the spirit and keep trying, we will be able to tach the true gospel of jesus Christ to those who are ready! It was awesome! :)

Well, I just wanted to share a little video with yall.

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/collection/come-follow-me-plan-of-salvation/until-we-meet-again-3

I know gods plan for us is real! We really can live with our families again for eternity! I love you all!

Week 55 7/13/15

7.13.15

Hello dearest family and friends!

This week i will describe in one simple word.

HOT!!!!!!!

I have always appreciated Air Conditioning, However, I have learned that sometimes we do not realize the greatness of the blessings we have until after they are taken away from us. Me and my new companion Elder Platt were fortunate enough to be able to fully appreciate the blessings of A/C this week when ours went out. So, for the last 3 days, we've been a wee bit warm at nights! haha. We put sun barriers in our windows and had fans blowing 24/7 and so we managed to keep it under 86 most of the time, but, we are extremely grateful that it will be fixed today and we will again be able to enjoy the rich blessings of air conditioning in our home! :)

However, the Heat was not just found in our apartments this week! With over 40 % humidity every day and high ninety's, we were left in heat index's pushing 105 every day! It is nice though because people tend to feel bad for you and so we've been able to teach a few lessons in people homes this week that otherwise may have not happened! blessings sometimes come in mysterious ways I guess.

Sadly this week was also a bit of a goodbye. Two of my best friends (Elders Bott and Jackson) went home this week. they faught a good fight and kept the faith. Its always a mixed emotion when your mission friends go home. its sadness and also joy, they are going to kill it out in the real world!

On the plus side my new companion Elder Platt is a stud! we've been getting up at 530 to work out every day and we've really been putting emphasis on prayer. always asking the lord for his spirit. There is a talk we both read called "confidence shall wax strong in the presence of god"

https://devotional.byuh.edu/script/thy-confidence-shall-wax-strong-presence-god

Its awesome, we really want to give it our all this transfer and trust in the lord. Personally i want to be able to live more in the presence of the lord so that at any moment i will be able to teach and testify with power and authority. so, im going to be working on that a lot! PMG gave 6 specific points im going to try to work on!

-Pray for the spirit

-purify your heart

-Keep the commandments

-Treasure up the words of god diligently

-teach so others can understand

-exercise faith.

(on pmg page 3-4)

i invite yall to read the talk and perhaps check those pages out in Preach my gospel. it gives really great insight on how to have to spirit with you always!

Well, that's all for today, i love all of you!

Week 54 7/6/15

7.6.15

Hey yall!

Yet another week has blown by here in Decatur Alabama! We got transfer calls this Saturday night and I will be staying here another transfer as DL. Possibly another 2 transfers! However, I will be losing my team mate Elder Wilson, he's being transferred somewhere, we don't know where though! Im sad to be losing him, but im stoked to be staying here! We lovingly have knick-named Decatur "The Promise Land" Because it really is! We have amazing members, The work is Flying right now, The town is super fun to be in, Its in the north of Alabama so its not quite as hot, its just awesome! Hopefully we will be seeing many miracles come this next transfer as well :)

As far as this week went, it was an incredibly busy one! With an exchange to Athens, Zone training, District meeting, The fourth of July, and Teaching a bunch of people, We've been packed! Honestly the best feeling in the world as a missionary is to have a full schedule. So, just another reason why its the promise land here haha. Other fun things though, on the 4th of July we went to a Barbeque with a bunch of members! We had delicious Brisket and a ton of other food, then as it got dark they lit off a bunch of Fireworks! I missed fireworks last year so it was awesome to finally get to be in the united states and see them again!

On sunday, Blair ( a less active member) and Merideth (his soon to be Wife) came to church, Merideth just loves the church and has been studying and investigating for a while, we just are praying that they can get married soon and then She would love to get baptized! They have 3 super cute little kids as well. Tonight we even got permission to go to a play that Meredith is in, I forgot the Title but it should be a great way to end P-day!

Well, I don't know if everyone here knew, but President Packer past away this last week, he was such a great inspiration to me as an apostle! If you have not had a chance to check out the video about him on LDS.org, here it is!

https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/biographies/president-boyd-k-packer?cid=HP_FR_07-03-15_dPAAST_fBIO-PCKR_xLIDyL1-B_&lang=eng

Love yall!

7.8.15

Hey Everyone!

Just a quick note! Im still in Decatur and just received Elder Platt as my new companion today! He is from Henryville utah, right next to Bryce canyon and he was in my MTC group! it should be an awesome transfer! Love yall!

Week 53 6/29/15 One Year!

6.29.15 Baptisms!

Hey everyone!

This week has just been amazing! As you probably guessed from the subject, me and my companion Elder Wilson were very privileged to see Kevin and Staciee get baptized this weekend!! It was awesome, definitely one of the top 10 days of my mission thus far. We have been working with them since i got to Decatur and they have been investigating the church for nearly 2 years!!! The spirit that was there at the baptism really blew me away, the feeling you get from being part of someone to Christ is indescribable. I think the best part was right after coming out of the water, i was in the bathroom changing and Kevin and i were talking. He is not a very talkative person, nor a very spiritual/emotional person. However, he just bore his testimony so powerfully to me, how he felt so incredibly clean, how he felt like he definitely made the right decision. Its been such a privilege to work with Him and Staciee!

The other picture is me taking an awkward selfie by our car haha, It was my hump day this last week and so i got this awesome Camel shirt in the mail! Thank you by the way! and so i thought id share with yall a bit of my testimony after being in the mission a year!

I'll be honest, when i came out on my mission, i thought i knew everything, i thought there is no way i would change on my mission, i thought i would have some good experiences, but i never could have imagined how truly powerful missionary work is. Ive never been able to feel the spirit so much in my life, ive never been able to feel literally guided by the hand of the lord, and here i truly feel that every single day, god is leading the way. Ive seen how powerful the atonement is to change lives, in the lives of others, and in the my own life. Jesus Christ truly did suffer and die for each and every one of us, because of that atoning sacrifice he took all of our sins, our pains, our weeknesses, everything! all we need to do, is trust in him! My mission has been hard during many times, however in the hardest times, the times i felt i couldnt go on, the times i wanted to give up. I have been strengthened and lifted by the spirit in a way i cant describe. I thought i wouldnt change, that i wouldnt grow. Now, i look back and realize that i am in nowise the same person at all, that ive grown more than makes sense to my brain; and i look forward thinking, i still have a long way to go. I truly love Alabama, i love the people here, i love the gospel, i love serving, i love the hard days because they help me appreciate the good ones. I love the rain, The heat, and yes, Even the Humidity! I want you all to know that jesus Christ lives, God is his and our father, and because of him. We can overcome anything. Any trial, any problem, anything. I know this is his church on the earth. I know i am in his service. I know he loves all of us :)

I could keep writing forever, but i guess thats just a little teaser haha. As far as the rest of my week though, it was great! We had an awesome time at a service project! The Rawlings in our ward are building a house out of shipping containers, so... We helped them build it! it was kind of like building with giant legos haha. we just cut steel and gave it to brother rawlings to weld into place and then went and water prrofed everything! I wish i had pictures to send but i forgot my camera that day sadly.... These people also custom make old cars into drag racing cars. One of them is built specifically to do wheelies haha. Its awesome!

We also got to go to the temple this week! Its super fun to go as a missionary because it only happens like 3 times a year! it was such a needed spiritual boost! 

That is all the big stuff we did though, i hope all of you are doing really well! Love you all so much!