Mon 10/28/2013 9:13 AM

Well, there have been a few highlights from this last week I would like to share.

 

Friday we had a trunk or treat that our branch and the English ward combined for, but I didn't go because Elder Pope and I were on exchanges with the Zone Leaders that night. 

 

I was in Groton for the Day.  I was with Elder Cooney, who is pretty awesome and very smart.  We met a lot of people who are in the Navy.  One of them was a young family where the wife is a member and the Husband isn't, but he pays tithing, works with the young men and really is just an awesome guy.  We also met with a lady who fell away from the church growing up.  She is in her early 20's and has a young child and she has felt the need to come back to church.  Her husband is out to sea right now, but to see the determination she has to come back, for herself and her child, is amazing.  It was even more amazing to hear how all these things started coming about for her.  The Lord truly knows each and everyone of us perfectly and His hands truly are in our lives guiding us.

 

Saturday night we had a little spanish dinner activity at the church where everyone brought unique dishes from their country.  There were a whole lot of non-members there that night and all had a pretty good time.  There was a younger family there and the fathers name was Jose.  I started talking to him and he loved the whole evening.  He was astonished at how well we spoke spanish and as everything was wrapping up he waved at us and wanted to come to church the next day!  He was a really awesome guy.

 

On Sunday we combined with the English ward since it was the Primary Program.  It was so amazing!  The Spirit that was there was incredible.  I always love hearing primary children sing and share their testimonies.  It touched my heart so deeply.  There truly is a sweet spirit in little children and there is so much we can learn from them.

My heart has been filling with gratitude day by day as I continue to see the Lords hands in my life more and more, guiding me all the day long.  This transfer so far has been very hard, but I am so grateful for that.  The Lord has been stretching me a lot to make me into what I need to be and it is a great blessing.  I can see how He has been blessing me with the grace of my Savior, Jesus Christ to carry me through.  Giving me the enabling power to do what I my self could not do alone.  I know that as we seek to know and learn what the Lord has in store for us, we can come to know more of the great love He has for each and everyone of us and the great plans he has in store for us.  I can see now that He truly is preparing me physically, spiritually, and emotionally for things to come; that my desires to follow Him increase each and every day and that I am now looking forward with an eye of faith to the things that will come.  I know that it will help me to become a better provider, a better husband and a better father down the road and aid me in all the things that I may seek to endeavor.  

 

I encourage all of you to seek out daily, through sincere prayer, what it is that the Lord wants you to know.  I promise you that as you do so you will come to know even more than you do now, that you are a Child of God, that He knows you and loves you perfectly and truly does have a plan for you, which is rightly called the plan of happiness.

 

I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the World, and that He lives.  I leave these things with you in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 10/21/2013 9:08 AM

There has been a lot going on here in New London.  I love this place, the people and my companion now so much and in such little time.  It has been one of the hardest things so far in my mission, but it has been amazing to see the Lord's hands in my life guiding and directing me in all that I am doing here.

 

This past week we had 44 people at church!  It was our branch conference and so the Stake Presidency came down, and it was really good.  We had 4 non-members at sacrament that a member brought, and we have an appointment set up with them this next week.

 

At church on Sunday, before everything started, there was a sister there who was having a hard time and asked if we could give her a blessing.  It was a beautiful blessing and after, she wanted to talk to us.  It was hard to hear everything she had been through, but the love that I had for this women I just met, increased greatly and it was amazing to have the Spirit work through me to say the things that she needed to hear and guide her to our loving Banch President for advice.  It warmed my heart even more to see her after church and see her Spirit uplifted and to just let her know that we are there for her.  On Sunday, the love I have for all the members doubled, it was truly an amazing Sunday.  By the way, our Branch Pres. is the brother of Juan Diego who was in my first area in Bridgeport.  His wife is also the daughter of people I knew back there.  So it is cool to hear how everyone is doing back there in Bridgeport.

 

On Saturday we were able to go to the temple because we had a youth trip up there to do baptisms for the dead.  It was a great experience to get to know the youth more and I love any opportunity we get to go to the Temple anyway =D.  While we were there I saw Elder Sompii, Freeman, and Sousa, along with members from Revere ward.  That was a nice little treat.  They had taken a recent convert to the Temple for his 1st time.  It was awesome to see them all and hear about what is going on in Revere now.  All the hard work we started last transfer has taken off!!!! To where 6 missionaries do not have the time to do everything they need to and are going on splits with members every day and still are not able to get everything done and meet with everyone they need to!  It is so awesome to hear that!

 

Elder Pope and I have been getting around to meet with people, so I can get to know them.  As of right now we are going to try and do the same thing we did in Revere down here.  Work with the members and get the branch to be a place where all the less actives feel welcomed and wanted again and then also have them focus on finding people for us and getting excited about this great work!  So, we shall see how it all works out.  It will be a little hard because most of our active members work a ton and crazy schedules as well, but it is possible.

 

The stake is wanting our branch to focus on our less actives anyway, so it should be great.

I know that the Lord is very aware of each and every one of us and our situations.  I know that He may not always answer us when we want to be answered or when we think that we need His help, but He always is there in our greatest time of need.  I have seen that so much in my life and especially lately.  He can, if we let him, increase our capacity to do, to love, and to understand.  But, we need to put our trust and faith in him, even when it seems that He is stretching us beyond what we can bear.

 

I know that He loves each and every one of us more than we can ever comprehend and that truly the best way we can come close to taste this love, even in the smallest degree, is by serving others and putting them first.

 

I love this gospel so much!  I love my Savior, Jesus Christ and I am so grateful for all that He does, and continues to do for me and everyone of us.  I know that those who trust Him, and look forward with faith will be supported in all their trials.  I know with all my hear and soul that He lives for I have felt his presence so many times in my life, picking me up and helping me to continue, when I myself had nothing else to give.

 

So, the invitation I leave with all of you reading this, who are laboring and are heavy laden, is to turn to your Savior Jesus Christ, and I promise you that He will give you rest.  I leave these things with all of you, in the sacred name, of Jesus Christ, amen.

10/15/2013 11:27 AM

Well, New area!  I am currently in New London, Connecticut.  My new companion is Elder Pope, who has currently been on his mission for 4 transfers now, not much less than I have.

 

For P-day we went up to the temple since it was a Holiday, and so that was beautiful.  We did have to get up at 4 though in order to make our 8am session.  After that we headed into Boston and walked around.  We did a little bit of the Freedom Trail since a lot of our zone hasn't been up to Boston before and wanted to do it.  It was a pretty good day.

 

We have a branch with only about 20 active members that go every Sunday, and so we meet in the primary room for sacrament since the English ward has the same block as us.  The kids then go off with the English kids and we have two classes in Spanish for the adults.

 

The people down here are very friendly and I already love them. After church a family invites us and the English Elders over for lunch every Sunday.  Their names (or rather nicknames) are Pops and Sweetie.   They are really nice and bring a little piece from home to the missionaries in the area.

 

Today we had service at a food pantry that we went to which was a lot of fun.  The people we were working with are so nice and fun.

 

Other than that I do not have to much to reply about.  I am still trying to get to know everyone down here and see what needs to be done in order to hopefully get the work moving along.  I will keep everyone posted as time goes on though.

 

As I keep having more and more experiences in the mission, the more and more I realize how important it is for each and every one of us to love one another.   The love that I have for people now is so much greater than when I first started out, and I am so grateful for that.  As I strive to look for ways to serve others my love for those individuals increases and my ability to do things the way our Heavenly Father would have me do for them increases as well. It truly is a great blessing.  I would encourage all of you who may be feeling down for whatever reason, to look for and pray for opportunities to serve others.  I promise and testify that as you do so, your love for others and your own happiness will increase.  As you do this you may come to know that truly, when we are in the service our fellow beings we are only in the service of our God. This is my invitation to you, to come and join me in the great peace and joy I feel when doing this.  I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 9/16/2013 8:30 AM

Some how this one got missed from Steven's 9/16/13 email.  Oops!

So, I have no time this week at all, the library is packed!  I have had a wonderful week and a lot of experiences I wish I could share but don't have the time, I will share them next week. The work is good and moving along, and all is well.

I am so grateful for this wonderful gospel in my life and what it has brought to me.  I know that truly whatsoever we shall desire will be granted unto us, for I have seen these blessings unfold in my life and my heart is filled with gratitude for them.

My relationship with my Savior has grown so much and I am so grateful for that and am looking forward to the day when I will know him perfectly.  I know that as we strive to come to know our Savior, Jesus Christ, we will develop the most important relationship we can ever develop.  I know Him now more than I did before and I am looking to come to know Him even more in the future.  I love Him and am so grateful for Him and what this knowledge has done for me in my life.

I invite all of you to come unto Him, come to truly, truly know him for that will be the greatest blessing in your life.  I know that Jesus Christ lives and that He is the Only Begotten Son of our Heavenly Father and that it is only through him that we can receive a remission of our sins and come to taste what true peace and happiness feel like.

I urge all of you to strive to come to know Him more, by first learning of Him and then striving to live your lives as He would.  I know these things are true with all my soul, with all my heart and with all my mind.  I say these things in the Sacred and Holy name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Wed 10/9/2013 9:57 AM

There is a lot to write about.  I found out that I am getting transferred tomorrow to Quaker Hill, Ct.  I am not sure the address yet, so everyone will have to wait in sending letters or just send them to the mission office.  It is hard to have to leave this area so soon, but the Lord can use me in another place now.  The people here are amazing and I was blessed with yet again another wonderful district; one that I became very close with in such little time.  I was told as well that if Pres. Packard doesn't call me back here to serve before I have 6 months left, that I just have to remind him and he will send me back here because he feels my work here in this area isn't finished yet.  I will for sure always remember this area and the people here because so far in my mission it has been a place where I have been tried a lot, but have grown a lot.  I have come closer to my Savior here through a lot of the experiences He has blessed me with and especially through some of the things He has brought to my mind.

A lot of the ideas that we have come up with during our planning sessions and correlation meetings are starting to be implemented and so far we can see a difference in the work.  The makeup of our ward missionaries will change a little bit though.  Sister Laudie is leaving and going to Lynne to be a digital missionary.  Sister Hileman will be getting Sister Brown from my MTC district, and they will be co-training a new sister missionary.  Elder Sompi will be with Elder Sousa and Elder Freeman, and it looks like Elder Freeman will be leaving soon since his Visa is coming along.  Also, the Sisters will be getting a car today, so that will allow them to meet with so many more people since they will no longer have to wait for the buses here.  So, there is a lot changing and going on now that will really help this work become even more efficient.

One of the ideas that just got started was to get a missionary backpack going in the ward.  We have one for the Priesthood holders, the Relief Society and the Sisters are working on one for the youth.  The idea is that one individual will get the back pack with all the supplies in it to share the gospel, and then they are assigned the responsibility to share the gospel with one of their friends that week or with any one.  Then, they come to church and have to report in front of the other people in their class.  It has been something we have seen in other wards that really help people get excited about sharing the gospel, and see how it can bless their lives as well as those they share it with.  One of the ladies that the sisters had given the backpack to just a few days ago, has shared the gospel with 3 people already and is so excited.  It is awesome to hear!

These past two weeks have honestly been some of the hardest weeks so far in my mission, but I am so grateful for them.  It seems to me that whenever we increase in knowledge or understanding about something in the gospel and come closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ, there is always something that follows to test us and help us grow even more as a result.  I remember I was talking to Elder Sompi a little bit about how hard it is to seem to remember things, especially spiritual experiences.  I think a lot of times we ask the Lord for more and more experiences, but do not look back enough to remember the previous ones we have already had.  These experiences are so wonderful and profitable all the days of our lives if we but remember them and continue to strive to learn something from them.  Because for me, as I do look back and try to remember, I find that I learn something new just about every time and see something I did not see before.  So as we talked about this, my mind was drawn to the story of Alma the younger and his conversion.  I remember thinking, "if there is one person I really look up to and can relate really well with it would have to be him." Then I asked myself, "how did Alma the younger stay so dedicated and focused serving the Lord his whole life?" As I turned to Alma 36, where he is recounting his conversion to his son, I found the answer.  Right in the beginning he tells his son to do as he has done, and that is to remember the captivity of their fathers and how the Lord delivered them.  He then talks about his own captivity and how the Lord delivered him as well.  Oh how I wish we all would strive each and every day to take time to just remember!  Remember all that the Lord has done for us, and how he has always been there for us.  That perhaps we can continue to grow, learn and progress as our Heavenly Father wants us to.

I had a faith shaking experience the last couple weeks where if I did not strive to remember the experience I had, and rely on the Lord then I would not have been able to grow as much as a result. Remembering didn’t make everything a whole lot better, but, it did help me get through it and get though it much better than I could have on my own.  I am so grateful for this faith shaking experience. Because of it my faith in my Savior has increased, and my faith in general has been strengthened as a result.  We cannot expect to have a faith strengthening experience if we do not have experiences where we have to walk into the dark, thereby exercising our faith in Christ to guide us through who is the Light and life of the world.

To all those who are reading this, I urge and invite you to remember.  Remember the Lord and his goodness to you.  Remember that all of the things that we go through in this life are put in our paths to make us stronger as a result.  I know and testify to all of you that IF we but remembered, our lives would be filled with so much gratitude for all that the Lord has done for us, for we will truly see his hand in our lives and know in whom we can turn to for help.

I love my Savior and his goodness, mercy and love towards me.  I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World, and that He lives. I invite all of you reading this to remember what the Lord has done for you, and for members to seek and pray for opportunities to share the gospel.  That way you can come to feel the joy, peace and love that I feel as I share the gospel.

For those of you who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please read the Book of Mormon and ponder the words in it and ask God if it is right.  I promise that you will receive an answer to your question as countless others have and as a result will come to know your Savior so much more than you do now.  I leave these things with you and my love, in the Sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

10/1/2013 9:15 AM

Everything here is going really good.  The work is starting to pick up a bit and so there is a lot more to do.  But oh, so much planning!

 

We had a lot of service opportunities this last week, and had some great visits with some of the youth out here.

 

I do not have time right now to write all I would like to, but it is truly a great blessing in my life to be able to bring people to come to know what I have, to see their lives change for the better.

 

I know that this is Christ's church fully restored on the earth today and that we can know all things that we need to do if we but ask in faith.  I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.