July
31st
This
week was a good week but it was slow. It is harder training than I
thought it would be. Surprisingly though I can tell that I am being blessed
with a lot more patience because I know I don’t have as much as I have had to
use. Not saying my companion is bad but that I have to show him how to do
everything. Which is why I am the trainer but I feel bad for Elder Gomes if
this is what he had to go through with me. I hope not.
This
Sunday was a long day! First we spoke in a sacrament meeting. Then
went and sat in a Sunday school class and taught parts of it with the
teacher. Then we went and taught a combined relief society and elders
quorum and then switched with the sisters half way through and taught combined
young men and young women. Then we took a 20 minute lunch and went and
spoke in another sacrament meeting. This Saturday we are hopefully taking
our investigators to Temple square.
My
address [has changed however I may be moving soon. I will know on Aug 29th]
6100
S. Mt Vernon Dr.
Murray,
UT 84107
It’s
where it’s at. Our landlord is the nicest man ever! We have the
whole downstairs too. When I get older, I want to have the missionaries
live with me.
This
week we are working on increasing our teaching pool. It is a struggle
sometimes we only have 4 apartment buildings in our area so we have to rely on
the members a lot to help us with their friends and neighbors because a lot of
them have had missionaries knock at their doors before.
We
have been stopping by the young men and women this week and challenging them to
write their testimony in a Book of Mormon and give it to a less active or nonmember
friend. It has been working great they all accept the challenge and are
excited about doing it.
Other
than that I love you guys. The new mission is great. I love doing
the Lord's work it is the best.
August
7th
This
week has been very stressful. Our area is not doing so hot. We go
out all day and talk to people and ask for referrals and then go contact them
and no one is interested. It is sad. We contacted 13 referrals this
week and all of them were nice but not interested in us teaching them or their
kids. I don't know if these people realize that them not allowing their
kids to learn and be baptized that they will be held responsible for them later
on. D&C 68:25.
I
have been so stressed out this week with being a trainer. It is so much
harder than I imagined. My companion feels homesick and depressed and
complains all the time about everything. I try to be happy and keep a
smile on my face. It is so hard though, the Lord is really testing me
now. It isn’t that he isn’t a great missionary, because he has potential
to become one, but sometimes he gets very depressed. I stay positive as
best as I can and look forward to the future. He has so much potential to
become a great hard working missionary and I know there is a reason he is
here. I also know there is a reason why he and I are companions; we have
things to learn from each other.
I
love doing this work though no matter how much of a struggle it is at
times. People’s lives are being blessed even when they don't accept the
Gospel with us at the door, we planted a seed and it will grow. As long
as their neighbors will nourish it for us and keep inviting them and
befriending them and sharing what blesses their lives.
August
14th
This
week was such a good week! We are starting to teach more and found a few
new people to teach. I love when you find the people who are prepared to
hear about the Gospel. So 2 weeks ago we spoke in a ward and I said that I
knew people were coming to church who hadn't been baptized and no one said
anything to us. Sunday night we went to someone's house and she told us
that this kid who came to her house every day comes to church every week and isn’t
baptized and get this… his dad who adopted him is in the bishopric! We
work hard and we are finding some people to teach.
Yesterday
we ran into a guy who just wanted to try and make us want to go home. He
was Catholic but didn’t even really believe what the Catholics teach from what
he was saying to us. He told us he was an active Catholic too! He
told us he had a movie he wanted us to see that would make us not believe
anymore and all this stuff, I bore my testimony to him and he even then tried
to tell me I was wrong. I was kind of ticked but I didn’t let it get to
me, we left him be.
The
other day we went to a BBQ at the park. There were over 200 people there
and we talked to so many people. We found this new guy to teach too.
He comes to church almost every week too with a neighbor. He says he is
homeless but he reads the Book of Mormon and we are excited to teach him!
We
are doing great though and the transfer has 2 more weeks left. My
companion is staying now too he changed his mind. I am so happy; I didn’t
want him to go home.
Tell
grandma Jeannette that Harold Brockbank is my ward mission leader. He was
in their ward when grandpa Bruce was bishop right before he passed away.
He also knows aunt Joy. Small world huh?
I
love you a lot and miss you too.
August
21st
Wow
this week has been sad, it’s been happy, and it’s been full of miracles!
Last Friday I got to take a trip to the SLC airport... :( My companion decided
to go home. It was a very sad and stressful day. Then I went to
breakfast with President Moffat. Still not knowing what would be
happening when I got back in my area. I got to the mission office to find
2 Zone leaders there that I barely knew. Then the assistants showed up, and
then my zone leaders showed up. Then we had a big meeting with everyone.
Basically one of my zone leaders went to another zone to fill the place of another
zone leader who became assistant to the president. Then I am now with
Elder Wilson my zone leader working with the Young Single Adult Stake. So
for time being I am a zone leader, at least until transfers on the 29th.
It is weird because we cover half of the mission and it’s a huge area. It’s
so much fun though.
So
onto the miracles. Every day it seems like we have seen them.
Saturday we had 2 baptisms and then we went out to work and couldn’t find
anyone to teach. Finally at 8:45 we felt impressed to go to this
apartment building by our house. We found this stairwell and went to the
top. We knocked on one door, they didn’t answer. We turn to walk
down the stairs and see this guy who just went into his door. We looked
at each other and knew it was him. Went and knocked on his door.
It
went like this. Knock Knock Knock.
"Hello."
"Hello
we are representatives of Jesus Christ; will you follow his example and be
baptized by someone holding priesthood authority?"
"uhhhhhhhhh,
no"(not in a rude way though)
"What
would be holding you back from joining his restored gospel f you knew it was
true?"
"Well
I am a Christian."
and
the rest is history we had an appointment to come back and he wasn’t
home. We will find him tonight. He is ready and by the time we left
his door he said he would be baptized if he knew it was true.
Sunday
at church.
We
went to have 2 confirmations. After the first we found out the second guy
was nowhere to be found. We called him and texted him and nothing.
We had to go to his house with a member and still not there. We got the
member to drive us to his moms and finally found him. In the end he got
confirmed and also got the priesthood right after church. It turned out
he just slept in because he lost his phone the night before.
Yesterday
We
are on the way to dinner. I said wait turn right and go down that street
lets go talk to this one house. In the past when I have gone there no one
has been home. DJ was this person’s name. He is 18 and opened the
door and asked us in. We went in and turns out he isn’t baptized but said
part of his extended family is. He said if he found out the Book of Mormon
was true he wanted to be baptized. Perfect. Set up a time to come
back tomorrow I think.
So
basically though, on the 29th I find out what happens. I got the package!
Thanks so much! Elder Wilson and I love the bread. I don’t live at
my house currently so anything that is sent there might take me a day or two to
get from the time that it arrives in the mailbox. I will try to write
people back when I have time. It might not be for another week.
I
love you and miss you so much!
