Wed 3/26/2014 10:19 AM

Hmmmm, where to begin.  Well, first off, I just want you all to know that this last week was pretty dang awesome!  We will start with transfers.  We are currently down to a 3 Elder apartment and are in a trio.  It is Elder Wenner, Hunter and I.  Elder Bastida got transferred to Greenfield, MA to die on his mission in 6 more weeks.  Sister Kemp got transferred to Gardner, MA and we are getting Sister Romans, who I hear is a lot of fun and a great missionary.  She was in Elder Lefthand's district before this, so I have information coming from a good source.  So, now we have a lot more work to do since we are down a companionship, so it will be awesome!

This last week we got a baptismal date with Rosario for April 20th and are currently working, trying to get a date for her children, but there are some issues we have to handle with her ex-husband.

We got Jessica Boyd to church with her boyfriend and two daughters, which was awesome and she told us that she has some friends that want to come to church as well, to change their lives around.  So, it looks like we have some good potentials coming our way!

We did a lot of prepping people for General Conference coming and there has been such a sweet and powerful Spirit assisting us as we have sought to prepare them for this amazing time of year when we can listen to a prophet of God and all the other men and women he has called to lead his church.  "We Watched Conference," has something for you, by Jeffrey R. Holland, which is a little 3 min. excerpt from a previous conference talk of his that is packed with such a powerful spirit of love.  I invite you all to watch it and then seek to prepare yourselves for conference so that you to can receive that little prophetic epistle just for you. 

Elder Jones, our Zone Leader (who is awesome) got transferred to btw., but, before he left he gave me some very valuable advice on how to finger pick the guitar which was awesome! =D.

I met Jose this week for the first time and he is really a pretty cool guy.  He got out of prison and we are helping him to find God in his life and come to feel the power of the Atonement as well.  I am really looking forward to hearing from him.

Since Sister Jacobson is a Sister Training Leader, she was on exchanges with Sister Hileman in our area.  Sister Kemp was with Sister Brown, also working here as well.  A lot of awesome stuff happened in that exchange.  Sister Hileman and Jacobson met with Juan, an investigator whose wife is a member.  All of us have been having a hard time with him when it comes to the gospel.  Well, let's just say it was one of those powerful lessons where there were tears involved.  I wish I could have been there.  I do not feel how everything happened was a coincidence.  I believe that lesson was very well needed and that Sister Hileman needed to be there for it. She had already established a great love for that family and relationship with them that I believe only she was able to connect that way with them.  It is amazing to see how the Lord works.  As time goes by and after the many experiences I have had on exchanges I have felt more and more that truly there are  opportunities for us to find and connect with those that we are suppose to find.  For example, Sister Sullivan and her family.  Even though I was on exchanges that day, it opened up so many doors.  I have grown to love that family so much as a result even though I haven't had the chance to get to know them as much as the missionaries working with them.

Well, I am running out of time.  I just want you all to know how grateful I am to be able to be here on my mission.  I know that this truly is the work of the Lord.   I have had so many experiences that have humbled me greatly to where I know even more now, than I did before, that truly the Lord giveth and he taketh away.  I have been coming to realize my powerlessness without the Lord.  Truly, everything that I am, all of the talents, gifts, abilities and attributes I have are the Lord's.  I have been realizing that more and more as time goes on.  I remember before my mission I thought that I had come to know the Atonement pretty dang well and had come to know my Savior pretty well also because of the experiences I had. Well, I was wrong.  I have been experiencing the power of his Atonement in ways I have never before thought of and He seems to never cease to amaze me with His perfect love and willingness to forgive and forming us into who we need to be.  Truly He is the Master Gardener here and I am grateful that He loves me enough to have cut me down so that I can be who He intends me to be.

I know that we have a loving Heavenly Father and Redeemer who is Jesus Christ.  They want the very best for us and see us not as we are now, but rather as what we can become.  I invite you all to look to them, pray and ask them to help you see who you truly are and your potential as sons and daughters of God and to watch General Conference.  I promise you that those of you who accept this challenge and prepare for it now will come to feel the great love that God has for you and receive a personal little prophetic epistle just for you and the things you are going through in your life at this time.  I leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

3/17/2014 11:37 AM

Well, once again another week just flew by!  Starting with a fantastic P-day!  We ended up going to the Science Musuem in Cambridge which was pretty dang sweet.  Our ward mission leader who owns a bunch of panadarias- hispanic bakery, was able to get us in for free, so that was a nice little treat.  I unfortianately was not thinking that day, so I did not get any pictures.  I hope you all will forgive me.  If I go back (which I probably will) I will make sure to take some.

 

We were able to get contact Jessica who is an inactive member who loves the missionaries.  She is pretty awesome and has two little girls named Kaylee and Daniel.  She and her little daughters sure are characters.  We also were able to meet with Rosario and had a great lesson on forgiveness; one on forgiving others and one on receiving forgiveness from the Lord.  It was an awesome lesson. Later that night we were able to meet with Juan and Evalynne. Evalynne is a member, her husband isn't and they have three little sons.  Juan isn't actually very interested and so the missionaries weren't able to meet with him for a while but, they are an awesome family.  We were there for 3 hours because we were waiting for Evalynne to get home, so we talked a lot with Juan and his friend Manny who is actually a former investigator as well.  We were just able to get to know them better and we talked about life and death and how the Lord has a plan for each and everyone of us. It was a great time.  Then finally Evalynne got home with her friend Jasmine, so we had 3 non-members there!  Now, normally we wouldn't be at someone's home for 3 hours, but it ended up turning out that way.  We found out later that Evalynne actually planned to be gone that long so that her husband would be forced to meet with us and interact since she wasn't there haha.  But, it was great and a good bonding time with Juan, so we'll see how things turn out.

 

We had an awesome lesson with a youth as well about missionary work.  He hasn't read the Book of Mormon and never wanted to serve a mission, but now he is pumped to serve one.  It was a great lttile lesson.

 

We were finally able to get the Lapops to open their door for us. They are a less active family I was working with when I was here last and after I left they stopped meeting with the missionaries.  So, hopefully we will be able to start meeting with them again.  I love them so much.  They are great people.

 

Also Jack, our Detective friend, came for mutual to talk to the youth about being a detective.  It was a great turnout.  We had 28 people there.  Twenty five were from our ward.  And for the cherry on top, we had 14 non members at church on Sunday; including Juan and Jasmine.  Then after church, got spoiled at Jessica's house as we ate ribs and very good steak.  So, we had a fantastic week and even though a lot of it fell through we were able to keep busy and have a lot of successes.

As time goes by, I am reminded more and more of how powerless I am to do this work alone.  It is amazing to me that God who is perfect, works through us, imperfect beings.  It truly is a great blessing to be a part of this wonderful work.  To share these things with others so that perhaps they too will put it to the test and come to realize who they, sons and daughters of God, and the great potential they have and to start seeing them change their lives is truly a joy that I cannot even come close to express. 

 

Where there is so much good to be done there will also be opposition. The wonderful thing though is that as long as we strive our very best to do what the Lord would have us do, and allow him to change us and help us, we cannot lose.

 

I know this is Christ's true church restored on the earth today; that He lives, and that truly all things that we are afflicted by, will turn out to be for our good.  I know these things are true and leave with my testimony that they are, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 3/10/2014 9:08 AM

We met with Rosario and her family again and had an terrific experience with them.  We found out some of her concerns and were able to address them right then and there.  We had another confirmation with her where the Spirit confirmed that this is what she needs to do.  We then had her and her daughter pray and then look at a calendar and see what dates stood out to them.  It was a very powerful experience.  We left them with the commitment to talk to each other and pray and come to a conclusion to when they should be baptized.  I am looking forward to seeing what happens.

We were able to meet with someone we haven't been able to see since I got here.  His name is Jose and he has come to he point where he wants to change, so he is meeting with us, but at the same time he doesn't want to do anything.  We will see how it turns out. We will just love him and try to help him progress and change. 

We also met with an inactive youth who is 19.  He called us and wanted us to come by.  It was a nice little visit.  His name is Kevin. As we were sitting with him, listening I remember looking at him and not seeing him as he was dressed then, but rather as a missionary.  It was weird.  The thought came to share it with him. At first I was a bit hesitant, but then I decided to go ahead and share it anyway.  I did and a very sweet spirit entered the room in more force.  It was a great visit and he is a great kid.

We have had some fun times with Jack, our Police friend.  He takes really good care of us.  He is a self declared dry Mormon.  He is one of the most charitable guys I know and he loves us.  He is awesome.

It truly is a great blessing to be a part of this wonderful work.  To invite people as a representative of Jesus Christ to come unto Him is truly a miraculous thing to witness and be a part of.

I know that truly we have a loving, merciful Savior, who wants us to come unto him.  He wants to forgive us of our sins and shortcomings and wants us to feel his love and the peace that comes from trusting him.  I know that this is his church, that all who truly desire to follow him will come closer to him through his church and his teachings than by any other way.  I leave these things with all of you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 3/3/2014 11:20 AM

I cannot believe that it is already March!  Where is all the time going?  It is going way to fast, that is for sure!

This past week has been amazing with a lot of great experiences. On Tuesday we went to meet with la familia Flores.  It is Rosario and her two children, Stephanie who is 12 and John who is 9.  We had our friend Alfredo come with us as well.  It was a bit of an interesting lesson because we ended up actually splitting them for the lesson.  Elder Wennar taught the kids while I taught Rosario. They have had all the lessons and are just an amazing family. She has been struggling with getting an answer whether or not this is what the Lord wants her to do, but she does believe the church is true.   We watched the "Patterns of Light" Mormon messages by David A. Bednar with them and I shared with her the story of Enos and expounded it to help her understand - what we need to do to get an answer, how we need to do it and how we can understand we are receiving the answer.  It was very spiritual and at the end we all knelt down together and we invited her to say a pray asking the Lord and then afterwards we knelt in silence to listen/feel the Spirit and what it was telling us.  Well it worked out a little different than we intended because she and her kids ended up just saying quiet personal prayers :-), but the result was the same.  The Spirit that entered the room during that time was immense.  I remember looking at her as she raised her head and she had tears rolling down here cheeks and to then be able to help her self discover what the Spirit felt like was a remarkable experience.  Elder Wennar and I testified boldy, lovingly and powerfully to them and helped her realize that she had gotten the answer to her prayers.  We then extended a baptismal date to her, but she didn't accept.  She expressed why to us and also that she wanted to pray about it some more.  To be honest, we were a little bit bummed, but they are a terrific family and I feel that everything will work out.  I am so excited for when it does! 

We had our Zone Conference this week as well.  It was pretty dang amazing!  In the beginning, President Packard went in depth about the King Benjamin Speech and how poetic it is.  It was very interesting and it is amazing how educated King Benjamin was, the symbolism in everything he said, how he said it.  I wish I could remember a lot of the words he used and what everything was called, but it was just remarkable to see and learn.  Even if Joseph Smith did make up the Book of Mormon (which he didn't) there is no way a uneducated man like himself could have used the ancient art of poetry that had been lost for so long.  It truly is remarkable! Then to hear President Hait speek at the end was amazing.  I don't even really remember what he said and wasn't able to take notes because I was being his scribe on the white board up front, but I just remember being overwhelmed by the Spirit as he spoke.  He is amazing.

We hung out with Jack this past week as well, gave him some service.  Then he took us out for yogurt and to the Police Station so we could write a letter to a 6 year old kid who has Leukemia right now.  That was a nice little experience, to try and give some comfort to him and his family.

We have also been working with a lot of the youth, trying to help them gain a desire to serve a mission and everything else. This last Fast Sunday one of them got up and bore his testimony how now he wants to go on one and then he pointed us out and thanked us.  It was a bit awkward to be acknowledged, but I am so happy that he wants to go on one now. 

It truly is amazing to see the Lord's hands in this work.  To feel him working through me as His representative.  Words cannot come close to express the joy and love I feel!  As I continue to strive to give the Lord my all, striving to help those around me come to Him, Jesus Christ, miracles happen.  It is amazing to me to see all of the opposition that seems to come, but oh how grateful I am for the grace of Jesus Christ, or in other words, that enabling power to do what I myself alone would not be able to do without Him.  He has been blessing the lives of those around me.

 

People say that the mission is a great opportunity to forget yourself and help those around you.  It seems no matter how much I try to forget myself and help others, it is me that is receiving so many blessings that there is no room to receive them.

 

I encourage all of you who are reading this to forget yourselves and look for someone you can help in whatever way it may be.  Serve them, help them, love them, or even just listen to them.  You will find that all the troubles in life will be calmed by these small and simple things.  When we are in the service of our fellow beings, we are only in service of our God!  How amazing is that?  It doesn't matter whatever it is that we struggle with.  Whether it be depression, loneliness, sadness, being stressed, overwhelmed, angry or whatever it is.  Service is such a great cure to many of the illnesses and things in the world that are bad.

 

I invite you to look for an opportunity to serve someone this week. Whoever, and whatever it may be that you do for them. I want you yo come to feel and know what I have been experiencing with all my heart. I know that this Church is truly the Church of Jesus Christ, that He loves each and everyone of us and that one of the greatest ways to truly turn a frown upside down is to forget yourself and help someone else who stands in need. I leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

 

 

 

Mon 2/24/2014 10:49 AM

This last week has been very spiritual, but a very draining week for me.  It is awesome to be back in Revere.  There truly is something very special about this area.  I have a great companion and the work is great.  What more can one ask for?  I finally got to meet our investigator family. Rosario, the mother; Stephanie-12 year old daughter and Johnny-year old son.  They are so special and are currently just seeking an answer.  They have been keeping commitments and have progressed so much!  We currently have 11 investigators and are striving to find more.  The Lord truly is hastening his work.  As of right now we are doing our best to find out what the Lord wants for this area and what we need to do to make it happen.  We have 6 missionaries, so we are trying our best to make sure we are unified in the work and recording everything effectively.  It is amazing how I still feel like I know nothing lol. You would think after being out a year everything would just be so much easier.  I am starting to finally get why all the departing missionaries say that they were finally just starting to get it.

 

This last week we were blessed to be able to go to the temple twice. Once on p-day and the other day on Wednesday with our ward.  It was all in Spanish and there were parts that were a bit hard because of the lang., but nonetheless a very great experience. 

 

Friday night we had a Family Home Evening at our investigators house and this is how awesome she is.......she is already sharing the gospel!  She invited her friend over, and it was a great lesson.  She accepted a Book of Mormon and accepted the invitation to read. She will be there again this Friday.  We went "less active hunting" with the Sisters since they were our ride.  It was a lot of fun.  In the car ride before we started the thought came to mind, " Hey you should practice out those contacting tricks that President Packard's cousin taught you."  Well, sure enough, there were plenty of opportunities and now we will be returning to a lady's house to leave a blessing on it and teach her the 1st lesson! 

 

The members here are amazing and so hard working.  We have one member that makes 4 trips in the morning just to bring people to church, and then to take them home.  Many others like that as well. We just need to help get everyone unified in the work so we can get even more done.

 

I have to get going now, but before I leave I wanted to leave you all with my testimony that I know that this is the Church of Jesus Christ and it has been restored to the earth today.  I have felt him guiding me along in His work and know that He has a plan for each and every one of us.  One that at times may not make sense, but one that will help us to become who it is He wants us to be and knows we can become.  I leave these things with you and also an invitation to seek out what plan it is the Lord has for you and to follow that plan.  For truly your life will be blessed along with those of them that you come in contact with.  I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 2/17/2014 11:21 AM

Leaving New London was bitter sweet. I am so sad to have left everyone I had come so close to there, especially Ramona and her family.  I love that family so much, especially the little girl Ambar. She was so awesome.  Before I left we jam packed our days visiting everyone.  It was a great blessing for me to be able to give the people I love Priesthood blessings before I left.  The very last day in the morning Elder Meservy and I were blessed with the opportunity to give a woman a blessing who is pregnant and was in the hospital with a really bad gall blatter infection.  She was in a lot of pain and was scared.  She asked me what my favorite scripture was to help with fear.  I remembered Doctrine and Covenants section 6 towards the end. 

34 Therefore, fear not, little ^aflock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are ^bbuilt upon my rock, they cannot prevail.

 36 ^aLook unto me in every ^bthought; ^cdoubt not, fear not.

 37 ^aBehold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the ^bnails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall ^cinherit the ^dkingdom of heaven. Amen.

I was then blessed with the opportunity to bear my testimony about our Savior and his Atonement and some of my experiences.  I can't come close to express the love I felt as I felt the Spirit enter in that room so strongly and saw tears run down this lady's face.  I remember testifying to her that He - Jesus Christ was there and would be by her side throughout it all.  Well last night Elder Meservy called me and let me know what happened.  The pain had stopped, and all these crazy things happened which left the doctors and staff speechless.  She should be in a ton of pain still and shouldn't be able to eat or drink.  After thinking about all the possibilities they then asked her if she was Mormon, to which she replied, "yes, yes I am." 

Being back in Revere again sure is different.  Everyone from my last district left and so it is all new faces.  Elder Somppi, my old companion, finished his mission.  I sure am gonna miss him.  I wish I could have served with him longer than that transfer.  He truly is such a special guy.  He bore such a powerful testimony before he left.  One of the most loving people I know. 

Now I am with his son - in the mission, Elder Wennar.  He is great!  He is one of the 18 year old missionaries and has been out for 4 months.  His spanish is already better than mine.  It is crazy.  The Lord truly is hastening his work along with those he has called.  I love him so much and it is funny he has bits and pieces of Elder Somppi and Freeman in him.  Mostly Somppi.  He has that wonderful Somppi laugh lol.  As for the work, there are so many new investigators and I haven't had the opportunity to meet them yet, but will this week.  Jack, our cop friend, is now investigating.  It was awesome to see him and the others I knew get excited for my return. Christian, one of the investigators we were working with last time I was here got confirmed at church this last Sunday, which was a nice little treat.

There sure is so much work to do.  That is great though.  I am going to do my best to work Elder Wennar to death. lol.  I am so excited to be back again. There seems to be something about this place that just draws me in, helping me realize on an even greater level how powerless I truly am without the Savior.

I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of the Savior and even more so grateful for the relationship I have developed with Him and continuing to develop with Him.  This knowledge brings such great comfort to my soul.  For truly He is the Great Physician, who's hands are perfectly steady and experienced as He himself suffered all of our pains, sicknesses, infirmities, and injustices of every kind, both spiritual and temporal.  He allows us to feel the sorrow and pain so we can much more enjoy the peace and joy that He brings.  My trust in Him grows each and every day. Yes there are dark days where everything seems so overwhelming and where I may feel completely lost, but truly as we move forward with faith, no matter how small and insignificant that faith may seem to us, He grants us his guiding light one step at a time after we take that initial step into the unknown.

There are so many miracles around us if we but look for them.  I leave you with my testimony that I know with everything that I possess that Jesus Christ,is the Son of God. He is our Great Physician, our Savior and Redeemer.  He lives and truly what joy and comfort that sentence gives.  I leave these things with you all in His sacred name, even the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.