January 28, 2019 Disk Golf

This week was a good one like usual. First off because of MLK day on Monday, the children had school off so some came and played basketball with us at the church. There was this one kid who was 14 and he is the second best 14 year old in the state and ESPN has already got their eye on him. He can almost dunk. We played a lot of games and Elder Lamb and I were the dream team. We were like Malone and Stockton or Pippin and Jordan. Haha We did have some good contacts with people but also a lot of really weird ones. The "focus" people we talked to seemed to have was on Black Jesus. We try and tell them that skin color doesn't matter and that is Christ's example and how we try and follow it that matters. Some people even tried showing us some videos on evidence that Christ is black. You just got to love Jesop! We had another awesome lesson with Miley on Wednesday and taught her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Faith, Repentance, baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End) and explained the importance of the commitment of baptism. It was a super good lesson. Her family also sat in and shared some awesome testimony which really brought in the spirit. Today I got to go disk golfing which was awesome and spend p-day with Grandpa Girard! It was a great week! 

The spiritual thought of the week comes from a talk we studied in elders quorum. It is from Elder Christofferson. He talks about how the gospel is true or its not true. We either know it's true and have felt the spirit or you are still trying to feel that. I know that I have felt the spirit testify to me of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know we have a prophet on the earth who leads and guides the church. I am grateful for each time I feel the spirit leading and guiding my life. You all are the best and have been a great blessing in my life!! I love you all and hope your weeks are Flipping amazing! 

2000 Piece puzzle we finished

Disk Golf

My beautiful Pinky Finger

January 21,2019 Keep What You Need!

This week was an adventure. We had a pretty successful week with our finding. We had 3 people in church and we had an awesome lesson with one and set a baptismal date. Her date is for the 9th of February so that is super exciting.

One of the funniest things happened this week. We were eating dinner with the Osborne family and having a good conversation. We were talking about how most people see pastors as paid callings. We were saying how Bishops or Stake Presidents and other leaders in our church would put up a fight when they got released, it wouldn't be a calling, and they wouldn't be Christ like servants if they got paid. Brother Osborne then proceeded to act out taking the plate of money recieved into the back room and throwing it up in the air and saying to God, "Keep what you need." We were all laughing so hard it was so funny. 

We finally had some service opertunitues this week and possibly some others that we can do in future weeks. It is something we have been wanting and praying for and it finally came. We were able to help the Hammond family build a playground set for their kids that came just as boxes of boards. It was fun. They have some awesome but crazy kids and I decided it would be good to play a short game with them just to distract them. Well, that turned into tons of short games over and over. Then they found a football and kept telling me to throw it really high and let me tell you, it didn't stop coming back! Haha 

There is a girl named Miley and her family is members but she isn't. She is 12 and has expressed in the past a desire to be baptised. So we decided to try and have lessons with her. We could never catch her parents home to set anything up and kind of were at a stand still. We felt like we should go by this last week and we set up to meet twice a week after Church on Sunday and after Mutural Wednesday. We met with Miley Sunday after church and had a good lesson and invited her to Baptism and she said she wanted to be baptised on the 9th of Feburary so that was a huge miracle this week! 

While having dinner at a members house, we talked about parenting because they asked us if our siblings fought and struggled sometimes. We told them yes and they asked us what parenting techniques our parents used to raise us to be good men. As I was thinking, the biggest thing that came to my mind was my parents example to me. They taught me what was right and set the expectations of FHE, Scripture Study, Family Prayer, Church... and at times I may have not wanted to participate or do family activities but because from a young age I had that example, I was able to carry those things with me and they were important to me and have become my foundation now. I hope that each of us realize that we are examples in all we do even when we don't think we are. As we implament the gospel in all we do, we will be a tool in the Lord's hands and bless the lives of many. I love you all and hope your weeks are filled with AWESOMENESS! 

Elder Bell and Elgaaen

Elder Bell being shy

Elder Bell tin foil dinner creation

Frozen yogurt Ice Cream Place

Frozen Yogurt YUM!

January 14,2019 Weekly

This week was an awesome one. First full week of the new year! This week again was pretty busy with all that was going on but we saw a really cool experience on Wednesday. We were finding in a area and we decided to knock on a door of a nicer house in a poor area. We met a lady named Vernita. We asked if she had heard of the Book of Mormon and she said she had. We told her that it can bring her closer to Christ than any other book. She straight us asked if we believe that as we read out of the introduction. We were then able to share our testimonies with her of the Book of Mormon and how the spirit has testified to us of its truth and can do the same to her as she reads and prays.

Later in the week on Saturday we also had a really good day. We had planned a ton of lessons but it seemed that every one fell through. We tried finding around the lessons and found 2 awesome people. One lady we found had met with missionary's in the 80s and was super kind to us. We shared testimony of The Book of Mormon and invited her to accept a copy and read. She said yes and seemed super excited. It was an amazing day!

We got a lot more member involvement this last week and so things should continue to improve and progress. Everything else is going good as well. We have been finding some good people and hopefully will see some people start to progress more towards baptism at the end of the month. 

Our testimonies of the Book of Mormon are so important. I am so grateful for my knowledge of the gospel and the testimony I have of the Book of Mormon! I love you all and hope you have an awesome week! 

January 7, 2019 A Busy Week and the Book of Mormon

This week was one of the more busy weeks I've had. We had New Years and had a really fun day with the Gipson's. They are the best. They are so loving and do so much for us missionaries. We are working with them to prepare their family for the temple! 

We had MLC (Mission Leadership Council) on Wednesday and we had to wake up at 5am to drive there and got back to our apartment at 9pm. It was a long day. It was a really good meeting though and we discussed a lot of goals for the next year. We also found out that we will be getting the new version of preach my gospel in hard format! Super exciting!!! Something that also is a big focus is sharing The Book of Mormon and giving out 1 copy every day. The good thing about this was our zone focus was on the Book of Mormon so it will be an easy thing to implement. So far we have given out a Book of Mormon or two each day and have seen so many miracles. One night, we were trying to give out a Book of Mormon and it was 8:50 at night. We didn't really have any set plans so we were I netting around our apartment and we felt like we should knock on a certain door and we were able to share our testimonies of the Book of Mormon and give out a copy. 

I have been reflecting a lot on my personal conversion to the Gospel this week as we start the new program and how the Church continues to move forward with new revelation. It really hints that the Second Coming is close and how we each need to prepare. One thing I loved from the study guide this week was the section about the 10 virgins. I shared that story last week with someone and said as Missionaries, we want them to do what is required of them to fill their vessels with oil so they can be prepared to see their Savior. It made me reflect on my personal testimony and on how prepared I am to meet my Savior. I thought about the strength of my testimony, different struggles I have, and how converted I really am to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have come to know that our testimony and personal conversion is what will carry us through our hard times and help us progress and learn. 

We were able to find some awesome new people this week and continue to help the work move forward. Sometimes it's slow but as long as we continue to exercise faith in the Lord, everything will work out. I am grateful for my testimony and the opportunity I have each day to strengthen it as a share it with others. It is such a blessing to know about the fulness of the gospel and bless others through my example and love of God each day!

3 Nephi 12

        14 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

        15 Behold, do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house;

16 Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

December 31,2018 Christmas week and the unlockable door

This week was a great one. I think our area finally flipped to a teaching area more than just a finding area. Before, we just would find every day all day and this week we have taught a lot more second or third lessons which have been super good. One thing this week we have focused on as a district is sharing the book of mormon. We set goals and made plans to share the Book of Mormon in every contact attempt. As we did, there were so many blessings that came. I also think that the people we found have a better understanding of the Keystone of our religion or what holds it together. As I have focused on the Book of Mormon I have noticed so much more how its teachings apply to literally every situation possible and it has an answer for anything. 

One awesome experience we had on Sunday Night was with one of the people who has been taught for a while and he didn't really have a desire to learn but more was there to argue. I had no idea why he was like that or what lead him to be so contentious and negative. In my head I was thinking, why can't you just see! Come on! It's so easy to do the simple things we ask and get the blessings. As we went to the lesson on Sunday, we talked a lot about his desires and what he wanted to do or where he saw himself going with what we taught. He shared a lot about his past and some of the difficult things that would keep him back from joining the Church. As he shared, I felt the spirit so much stronger testify to me of his needs. I now was able to see where he was coming from and how we can better teach him to his needs. 

I had a great Christmas and was able to spend a lot of time at members houses. I enjoyed calling home and getting to talk to my family and am just loving life! One other thing that was super awesome this week was Elder Bell speaking in sacrament. He gave a super good talk on how we can study better to find more insight and recieve personal revelation for our lives. He is such an amazing missionary! We also were able to teach Donna(The deaf lady) more about the book of Mormon and give her a copy. She is super awesome. Funny thing is because she is deaf she can't hear us knocking on her door. We were banging on it so hard to try and make it shake her house so she would answer but nothing! Haha after 10 minutes of trying to get her to come to the door, we saw her in her kitchen and so we went to the back of her house and waved through the window until she looked. Maybe we should ask her next time we meet how to alert her that we are there. 

This week has been awesome! I loved every minute and appreciated the moments when I was able to learn and feel the spirit. I hope and pray that each of us will have increased desires to serve the lord and make that the center of our lives year round. I love you all and hope your weeks are Bomb! 

Archer taking selfies with my tablet

Mom's M&M cookies

December 24, 2018 Merry Christmas!

This week has been one of the best weeks ever! So up until Wednesday, I spent my time with Elder T and Elder Shurtliff. We had a good time and were able to help a lot of people. One thing we did was a secret Santa for a few families. One we put the stuff in their car because they had a window that wasn't rolled up. We actually didn't know the apartment so it was a blessing that their car window was down. The next person we went to was a family the sisters were teaching. They wanted to drop the gifts at the door and knock and run but it was in a sketchy area so the elders were the protection. It was funny seeing 5 elders like bodyguards for the 2 sisters. 

Wednesday came around and I got to meet Elder Bell. He is short, funny, smart, and an amazing missionary. He has been super fun to work with so far and we get along really well. 

On Saturday we had a really special day. The description of the day is for sure Dog Crap! We went to a more country part of Jesup and  one if not both of us stepped in dog dukie at every location. At the end of the day, we had a Facebook lesson and one of our potential people we were teaching asked us to explain more about the Book of Mormon and who nephi was. We were able to have a really good lesson with her and address her concerns. It made our day a lot less "stinky". Haha 

On Sunday we had a really cool miracle happen. We were driving back from church which was only one hour. We pulled in and were going to go do study's and we saw a lady across the street raking leafs. We felt prompted to go over and help her. When I walked up to her she was saying no I'm dead and she didn't want help. I pulled out my very little knowledge of ASL and said were missionaires and we want to help you. She accepted and we did some service for her. It was a cool experience. I was able to share a little about our message and the Book of Mormon and she said she wants one and loves to read. Another cool thing happened later in the day when we were at an apartment complex. We saw a lady outside and I felt again that we should talk with her. It happened to be a lady we had taught around 5 weeks ago and hadn't been able to contact at all. We shared the light the world message with her and got her Facebook so we can keep in contact because she is super busy. 

I have been thinking a lot about the goals we set in this life. There is a quote from M. Russell Ballard which says,

 "I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life.” 

 I really like the power in that quote and have seen goals really give me a direction and helped me make tons of progress in my life. Another question I love to ponder is What Specifically do you want the savior to tell you when you meet again. I read in Enos and this verse answered that question for me. 

Enos 1: 27 And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen. 

I hope one day I can stand before my savior with confidence and know that I have a place in the kingdom of God. I know as we follow the saviors example, we can progress in this life through the goals we set to eventually make it back to him and gain the greatest blessing God has to offer even Exaltation. I love the gospel and know it gives me purpose and direction each day. I love you all and hope your weeks are great! MERRY CHRISTmas!!!

December 17,2018 The Week of Transfers

This week was an adventure. We had a lot going on with transfer call, my companions going home, and spending a few days with Elder T and Elder Shurtliff. So we spent our week working pretty hard to find some good people before transfers to keep it alive. 

Saturday we were able to find 2 awesome people. They were out cleaning some leaves up and we decided to talk to them. They were both super interested and We had our last dinner before heading the next day to Jacksonville. We ate with the Robertson's and they made us Shrimp and Grits. They were pretty good. We also burned a suit as tradition for Elders going home. Most the time, they buy a 5 dollar suit from a local thrift store. 

On Sunday we had a good church service and had 5 people in church. It was super good. We had a great lunch after with the Osbornes and it was super fun. They also made us shrimp and some other super good food including Grape Salad, Apple Pie... It was really good. They said their goodbyes and we drove down to a Genesis concert which took 3 hrs. It was a long drive but it was good to see some of my past companions and other missionaries. The concert was good. They had a lot of people do special musical numbers from tons of other churches and they had some other pastors pray. The first Lady that prayed was yelling up at the pulpit and it was really interesting. 

After, I went with the Dunn Avenue elders and went to their apartment and am spending 1/2 the week with them. It has been a good week. I am going to be serving with Elder Bell in Jesup and it should be good. I am going to be the district leader which should be interesting. Well, next week I'll try and put a little more in my letter and get more pictures next week. Remember Christ is the center of the season. He is the master healer and the only one that can help us truly experience eternal happiness. 

Santa camera ornamnet

Christmas party Santa

Santa Jokes