Thanksgiving in Parkville

Hey everybody! Hope you had a great week and a happy Thanksgiving! I was getting kinda bored with writing my big emails in the "Miracle" format, so I'll just do the day by day this week. Hope ya enjoy it!!

Monday- P day is always good. We spent most of it with Elder Walker and Elder Call, and I completely ran out of money like a week ago so that’s been interesting. Turns out that if you spend forty bucks on steak you run out of money faster than you would think. That’s okay though, totally worth it. Anyway, P-day with Elder Walker was great, just like the good old days!

Tuesday- We had Interviews with President Vest! Man, I just love interviews. They just get you pumped to go baptize the world. That and My dear district leader, Elder Walker, let me give a small training in the district meeting portion of interviews which was fun. It’s been a little while since the last time I gave one of those. We had a super solid night of work after dinner too. We met with a new investigator named Danny. His Grandpa is a less active member of the church and Danny had a couple questions about what we believe. It went really well. I'm looking forward to meeting with him a little bit more.

Wednesday- Today was a wonderful day of service! First we helped a member cut down a bunch of huge trees. Missionaries aren't allowed to know how to use a chainsaw, so we mostly just hauled out a lot of logs. It was fun though,and good exercise. It’s nice to get out of a shirt and tie now and again and break a sweat. We were on team-ups later that night with a new member who just moved into the ward. We had some extra time after our appointments so we went back to his place and helped him move some furniture from his garage into his house. It was a lot of work! I think it was a spiritual prompting to sleep through exercises that morning.

Thursday- Happy Thanksgiving!!! Thanksgiving has always been one of my most favorite days of the year! It’s just fantastic! There’s really nothing better. Families get together to all eat a whole bunch of food, and be happy, and talk about everything they're grateful for. We were well taken care of today too! First we had lunch with Sister Hall’s extended family. The Halls are so cool. Before we left I was talking to Sister Hall’s father in law and he asked what we do during our day time hours. When I explained that we were full time missionaries he was like, "Oh okay, I work at this bank and I was going to offer you a job." I totally could have gotten a job at some fancy investment banking place! Ha, I was almost tempted to take it. Saving money by day…and saving souls by night. Dinner was fantastic too! Next we ate at the McCarters, and then we finished off the night by going to another family’s house for an absurd amount of pie! What a great holiday! It really doesn’t get any better!

Brother McCarter in a food coma

Friday- The day finally came! The day when Elder Walker and I were reunited! We went on exchanges and Elder Walker came up to Parkville. We had Thanksgiving leftovers for Lunch and Dinner, so that alone would have made it a great day! Elder Walker and I did a whole lot of tracting. It wouldn't have been so bad but it was thirty degrees and raining. Yeah raining, not snowing. We get freezing rain out here, it’s horrible! As soon as the rain lands, it freezes so everything is just coated in ice. Ha, If it wasn't so fun it would have been miserable. We found a lot of good potentials too.

Saturday- We had an awesome appointment with a new investigator named Israel last Saturday night. He is one of the most solid investigators I have ever met. A couple days earlier we were tacting along, and he flagged us down and pretty much set his own return appointment. He met with missionaries when he was a kid down in Mexico but hasn't really had any contact with the church since. He was super open to everything we shared, and promised to read the book of Mormon and pray about it. Ha, his wife was kind of standoffish at the beginning because she thought we were Jehovah Wittiness, but as soon as she found out we were LDS she perked up and said that when she was younger the missionaries were where she lived and they would take her and of her friends to church with them, and that she even got baptized. His wife is already a member!!! Anyway, it was a great lesson. We are meeting with him again tomorrow night so hopefully this one goes as well as the first.

Sunday- Another great Sabbath day! 

Well Thanks for tuning in! Hope you all have a great week, and I hope to hear from you soon!
Love, Elder Cluster

PS feel free to write :)

Elder Austin Cluster

9226 NW 60th street
Parkville, MO. 64152

Let it Go!

MIRACLE 11/23/15

M- It was a long week, and it was a cold week but it was a good week. We didn't have the car but we had a lot of help from members, especially from Jeremy Guthrie! He is the coolest guy ever! He came out on team ups with us three times this week!

Jeremy Guthrie 

I- We didn't get meet with a couple of our investigators but we had a really good appointment with Denitra this week. We read 3Nephi 11, and talked about how she can know she's ready to be baptized. We invited her to be baptized on December 12th if she receives her answer.

R- I absolutely love going to church as a missionary. It has come to be the highlight of my week. To be able to look around and be surrounded by members who love and support you, and to see the people that you've worked so hard to bring closer to Christ sitting right next to them. It's then that you come to see all the fruits of your labor.

A- The area is doing well. It was hard to get from place to place without a car, but it all worked out for the best. Ha, this area makes me trunky to have a wife and cute little kids. There's a medical school nearby, so there's a whole bunch of young families who have one or two young kids.

C- Elder Robinson is a stud. We've done a whole lot of service this week and it was right up his ally. From ripping out carpet to grouting tile to moving heavy stuff he's a professional at all of it!

L- Having a member to work with is a lot better than trying to do missionary work on our own. We would have had some long cold nights of walking if it wasn't for the support from the Ward.

E- I love you all! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

MIRACLE 10/16/15

M- I'm doing well! Life is good as always out here! The weather has been perfect! Like mid sixties we're half way through November! 

I- We got a new investigator this week! His name is Shane. He is doing great! He was a referral from our bishop. He knows members of the church well, but doesn't really know anything about the church. He really wants to build a relationship with God, and he's seen the great example that the members of the church have set for him. We invited him to be baptized when he finds out the church is true, and he agreed! He even made it to church yesterday. 

R- You remember and gain much more revelation if you take time to write it down. There's lots of little orange boxes throughout preach my gospel that have study activities that ask you to read this passage, or look at this picture, or this or that, and then write about it and answer questions in a study journal. Throughout most of my mission I've just skipped over them, but recently I've taken the time use them and it's made a world of difference in my studies. If God ever gives you revelation, write it down! 

A- The area is great. One thing that I've notice though that isn't so great is the fact that there are like zero sidewalks in the whole city. We got put on a car rotation so we'll be on bikes this week, and I hear it'll be cold and rainy, but we'll see. 

C- Elder Robinson is doing great. We've had good bonding time as we've cooked our bountiful collect of meats together. He's a really good cook and we bought a bunch of good seasonings and what not to make it even better! 

L- Recently we've been memorizing scriptures for the 42 doctrinal points that we teach as missionaries. It's been great to have so many verses to use just right off the top of your head. How's everyone doing with their "Ponderizing"? 

E- When all of our expensive meat came, it came in a big foam cooler with dry ice in it to keep it cool! Needless to say we had a lot of fun with the dry ice! In case any of you have ever wondered, dry ice eggnog isn't half bad! I love you all! Hope you have a great week! 

~Elder Cluster 

Meat, Parades, and Boxers!

What a deal! We couldn't help ourselves :) 

M- Life is great as always! This week is going to be even better though! We are going to eat like kings! So Elder Robinson and I got a coupon in the mail this week. It was just such a good deal we couldn't pass it up! We may or may not have spent like 80 dollars on steak this week. It was meant to only be fifty, but then shipping was like seventeen and then the guy said we qualified for a special deal on lasagna so we had to get that too!

I- Our investigators are doing well. I have to admit, the work isn't quite as hot as I thought it was but that's okay, it's still going well. We had a really good lesson with Denitra this week. Her dad just passed away, so she's going through some pretty hard times, and she could use prayers. She made it to church though. It was the primary program so it was fantastic!

R- The spirit always guides you to say what needs to be said. Whether you're in a teaching appointment, a correlation meeting, or just sitting back at the apartment with your companion. When you are confirmed you are promised to have the Holy Ghost to always be with you. I think that we often forget what that really means. The Holy Ghost can guide you in any situation you could ever find yourself in

A- The area is great. I love the Ward. Jeremy Guthrie is in our ward! He is one of the pitchers for the Kansas City Royals! Oh man, that’s something exciting I haven’t mentioned in my emails yet! The Royals won the World Series! It was the first time since 1985! The whole city has been revolving around baseball for the past month! It has been so great! Jeremy Guthrie is the coolest guy you could ever meet too! He loves going out with the missionaries, and with the World Series just ending he's going to have extra time to help us!

C- Elder Robinson is such a stud! He's doing great! He is also a great cook!!!!

L- I learned that my emails get a lot shorter if I wait to the last minute to write them.

E- There was a giant parade for the Royals downtown on Tuesday. 800,000 people showed up for it! That is sooo many people! Also one of the families we visit has a pet Possum living under the porch! 

 World Series champs parade through downtown Kansas City 

~ Love Elder ClusterPS. My Grandma made me an awesome pillowcase using all my old boxers (An Elder Cluster tradition)  I was so excited to get it this week! Thank you Grandma!  Oh, and with it came a lovely poem my mom and dad wrote. Ha!

The Boxercase

Once you had a friendship of the most intimate kind,

Colorful, crazy boxers that blessed your sweet behind.

  

I know your boxers made you happy, I know they made you glad,

And now that you wear garments, you’re feeling kind of sad.

  

To show you that we love you, to show you that we care,

We have this special gift for you, made from your underwear.

  

You might think it’s distasteful, you might think its unkind,
To have to rest your weary head, where once sat your behind.

So when you’re feeling troubled, or when you’re feeling blue,

Hold your pillow close to you, and know that WE LOVE YOU!

Transferred!!

Hey Everyone! It's been a great week! I've got a whole lot to say and not much time to say it!

M- I got transferred! Gaaa! Didn't see that coming! They whitewashed Redbridge and put in Elder Amosa, a new missionary. Apparently President likes training people there, starting them off right in the refiner’s fire. I'm doing well out here though! I'm serving in the Parkville Ward in the Platte City stake. I've made a full circle! Atchison is just up yonder. I think I might have to cut up there one of these P-days. I am really looking forward to serving here. I'm going to make it the best twelve weeks of my life! (That is until I marry a honey, being married is going to be the best!) 

I- We have a couple good investigators up here. I won't take time to talk about everyone today but I will take time to talk about two. The first is Jesse James Fleig! He's a really cool guy! He's our neighbor in the apartment across the street. He has some physical disabilities so he's in an electric wheelchair and has trouble communicating but he has an awesome testimony and he loves coming to church. The other investigator is Denitra Thomas. She's been meeting with the missionaries for a couple weeks and she's doing really well. We had a family home evening lesson with her at a member’s home last night. We talked about fasting. The spirit was really strong. We're meeting with her again tomorrow. 

R- You know what? I had a nice long conversation with Sister Moore the day before I left Redbridge. She was the member we were living with. She said that it seemed like there had been a weight on my shoulders for the past couple weeks and I didn't seem happy. And you know what? She was right, and well that just won't do! One of my favorite things about myself is how happy and easygoing I try to be, and I wasn't being either of those things. Missions are simple. You go out and you work your hardest, and then you go to bed knowing that you did you best, and if you did do your best, you can go to bed happy. I'm going to strive to stay happy out here! 

A- The area is doing great. I feel like I have been in more homes in the past four days than I have in the past four weeks. 

C- My new companion's name is Elder Robinson. He is a great missionary! He's from Logan and he has been out on his mission for two transfers. He was trained by a great missionary, so he knows what to do! He's a great teacher and he's hilarious! It's been a really fun couple of days with him. 

L- I just finished reading the Book of Mormon yesterday. I started reading it November 13th of last year so it almost took half of my mission! I really wasn't moving through it too fast. I only read a chapter a day. It made for a great way to open up my studies. Reading that slow gave me a lot of chance to highlight and underline and pick it apart! After I finished yesterday I prayed to God to know if it was true. I can testify to you that it is. It truly is packed full of revelation and pure doctrine. I know that anyone who reads it will get that same answer too!

E- My new address is 

9226 NW 60th street

Parkville, Mo. 64152

Please please please feel free to write or email as much as you'd like. I love you! 

Elder Austin Cluster