Hope you're all ready
to hear about a great week!
M-I'm doing really well! This has been an awesome week. We made
it through a bike week at the end of July. Ugh... It was hot, but we
actually survived it. We used members a lot. It helped that we were busy
with appointments so we didn't have to spend too much time outside. You see, they make us get all dressed up nice to look professional, but when you're riding your bike around town with a heat index of 112 there is nothing professional about how you look. Nothing at all!! But hey, we made it through.
I-Our investigators are doing really well. Allen is great as
always. We had another good lesson with him at the visitor center. He said that
besides for his wife, the church is the most important thing in his life
right now. What an awesome guy! The Davies are doing great too! We had an
awesome member present lesson with John Davies and his wife at the visitor
center this week. So… my grandparents and my little sister Ivy went on a Church
History trip this past week, and one of their stops along the way was the
Missouri Independence Visitors' Center, and I "just so happened" to
be there at the same time with the Davies so they all sat in and helped us
teach! (It was approved) Ha! It’s the best thing ever to be teaching a lesson,
and turn and say "Grandma, how has the gospel blessed your family?"
The lesson went well, and it was fantastic to have the chance to see my family
for a split second.
R- Working with members is always the way to go. They have cars, and air conditioning, and friends to teach, and food, and couches, and all that a missionary could ever want!
A- The area is doing great! As far as productive missionary work
goes, this has been one of the best weeks in my mission. Really these past two
transfers have been great! I don't feel like I'm trying any harder now than I
had been before, but things are just finally working. I guess it’s just a
matter of Gods timing and serving in the right area. If there are any
missionaries reading this, and you are serving in a hard area just keep up the
good work! It will all turn around sooner or later! You'll get there!
C- Elder Bylund is doing well too. I'm still trying to convince
him to let me write his sister but it’s not going too well. It'll happen
though! Missionaries must learn to be persistent! I also had a chance to go on
two exchanges this week. One with Elder Spencer, and one with my zone
leader, Elder Hart. Ha, they're just the best. Elder Spencer is just about
the funniest guy on the planet. Elder Hart is awesome too. He flies home in a
week and a half! Crazy stuff! We had a good exchange. He's a Spanish speaking
missionary so we went to a Spanish appointment and to the visitor’s center. I
didn't understand a word that was said for the last two hours of the day, but I
was ready to step in any second they needed me! I have the gift of tongues I
swear! I could just feel it! I was just waiting for that moment when your
companion looks at you like it’s your time to talk, and I was going to start
right in in Spanish. If I just had a little bit more faith I would have been
set.
L- My Atonement study has been going well. I was reading a verse
a couple days ago that talks about how we are the fruit of the atonement that
Christ will present to Heavenly Father. It got me thinking about the fact that
when we sacrifice anything for God, he always blesses us with so much more in
return. We are Christ's reward that He won for taking on all the pains,
suffering, and afflictions that we have had, or ever will have in this life. If
he went through that much suffering so we could be with him again someday,
and the reward outweighs the cost, then we must mean a whole lot to
him.
E- I got the closest you could possibly be to the
celestial kingdom while still in this life this week. That's right; I went to a
giant Polynesian family reunion. It was Beautiful. It was the Fuimahono annual
family reunion. Imagine three hundred of the happiest people you've ever met
all dressed in white. When you step into the room someone shouts "Hey,
somebody get the elders some food!" and then a giant plate of the best
food you have ever tasted appears in your hands almost instantaneously. As you
eat your feast you are hearing peaceful islander music, and watching the happy
families laughing and loving each other. A large man also dressed in white
periodically come around saying things such as "Hey Elders, do you need
more ribs?" and then they load your plate up again, no matter what your
answer might be. Man, all I know is I want a Polynesian family someday. They
know how to live their lives!
Well that's just about
all I've got for today folks! Hope you're having a great week and
surviving this heat!
Elder Cluster
