Wed 11/20/2013 10:25 AM

Well, Elder Pope is leaving me after only a transfer.  He is going to Franklin, MA and I am getting Elder Meservy as my new companion.  He was from my district in the MTC, so this will be pretty interesting!

 

This last week we have been saying good byes to people for Elder Pope and have had some great visits.  We have been working a lot with the members in our branch and helping them get more excited about missionary work; letting them self-discover how wonderful it truly is for themselves with our help =D.  If only we as members of the church could realize the direct correlation between our own personal righteous desires and goals for ourselves or our families and missionary work.  It's so amazing.  Truly as we seek first and foremost to build up the Kingdom of God everything else in our lives will be blessed and the windows of heaven will be opened and we will receive blessings so abundant that there wont be room enough to receive them!  It is amazing to see those things first hand in the lived of others and my own as well.

 

We have a family starting to see this in their lives.  They started by inviting a non member friend/family to activities, to church and we have been working with them to help this family come to know the truth of it for themselves.  Now they are inviting another non member family to a talent show we have this Sat. and to church on Sunday!  Can you imagine if all we did was invite those in our lives, who we already know, to come to such activities or church?

 

It is amazing to see the reaction on peoples faces when we talk  about missionary work, our baptismal covenant and then show them that we start doing it by simply inviting and introducing them to us at church or the event and other members.  Then if the person is interested, the member asks them if they want to meet with us!  It makes for a less awkward experience and better flow of things. 

 

We have been working with a less-active family who lives 30-45 minutes away from where we meet for church. The father is a recent convert and they have 3 kids.  A wonderful family, and it is amazing to see how faithful they are.  They cannot come, simply because they don't have a way to get there.  Their car is having issues and won't get that far.  Yet, they still read in the Book of Mormon as a family, have Family Home Evening and are doing everything they need to.  We have been looking for ways to get them to church, but so far haven't found one that can get them there every week since they live so far away.

 

This last week we had Zone Conference and Gifford Nielson, one of the Seventies, came to speak to us.  Yes, it was the EXCLAMATION POINT guy from General Conference, and yes, it was amazing!  He also went in depth a lot more about what prompted him referring to exclamation points in conference.  I would pose the question, how often do we pay attention to the way the Book of Mormon is written, and the "why" it is written the way it is?  He showed us some examples of where the exclamation points are and how it changes the way we read and understand the meaning. 

 

We also had a great lesson on what the word Repent means from it's definition in Greek, Hebrew and Latin and how it has changed so much to where people think of it as a scary thing because of how it comes across in Latin.  But, it really is just a beautiful thing that brings about a complete change in us to where we become new creatures, more beautiful and extraordinary beings like a caterpillar changes into a beautiful butterfly, and it means that we turn back to God.  There is nothing scary about that!  I wish I had time and the ability to explain everything so much more because really repentance is a beautiful concept when we get what it truly means and how it was used back when all the Apostles and Christ use to go around telling people to Repent.  Hopefully I haven't lost any of you in all of the information I am trying to throw out in such little time.  In short, the work is going great!

I love seeing people's lives change for the better coming to know our Savior more as they come to know the truthfulness of the gospel.  I have seen how it has changed my life and still is and how wonderful it is!

 

I know that this church is true.  I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the World and invites all of us to turn back unto him and repent - to become a new, more beautiful creature through His Atoning sacrifice and grace, that allows us to do so.  I know that as we become this new person, the person He would have us be, a desire in us will grow to bring others unto Him through the knowledge we have come to know.

 

I know that as we strive to invite others to taste and experience this change within themselves, the Lord will open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings in our lives that there won't be room enough to receive them.  I leave these things with you all, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Tue 11/12/2013 11:04 AM

Some wonderful news!  It snowed this morning, and so that means that the time will soon come for me to freeze over!  It is starting to get just a little chilly here, but not too bad.

The work here in New London is going pretty well right now. There is a lot to do though.  We are still working with the people we have set for baptismal dates.  We are trying to help them based on their needs.  The members have been helping a lot as well which is wonderful because they do have some concerns, but nothing the Lord can't settle.

It is crazy that a whole transfer has already almost passed by.  Time sure does fly.  It will be interesting to see what happens.  Lately it seems like Elder Pope and I have been using a lot more English than Spanish, so we have come to the conclusion and set the goal to speak Spanish all the time, especially when it is only he and I.  So far it has been going pretty good.  It is nice to both be on the same page and want to push each other.

 New London has been a great blessing in disguise.  I love it here so much and the people, but it has also been a very trying place. The wonderful thing though is the Lord has been there by my side the entire time, even though at the time it may not have felt like it. We are all to go through times of trial where it may seem very hard for whatever reason.  The Lord requires us to go forward in darkness to test our faith and willingness to follow him.  I know that even though he requires us to do this He is there gently leading us along, planting little speckles of light just enough in-front of us to help us press on, but not seeing any more than that until the next saving speckle of light appears.  Oh how great the wisdom and love of our Heavenly Father!   I am so grateful that he allows us to have these experiences, for truly out of them we come to know ourselves, Him and our Savior so much more.  We come to develop our character and our ability to better help others.

For those of you who may be feeling that you are overwhelmed or are struggling with whatever it may be, I encourage you to press forward!  The Lord is there and I promise you that indeed a man or a woman does not stand taller than when they are on their knees praying to our Heavenly Father for help and guidance.  I know that as you move forward and press along, that the speckle of light will appear, even at those times where it seems you have nothing else to give. 

I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the World.  I know that he has walked that path before us and therefore is able to guide is where we need to go.

I invite all you who may be laboring and feeling heavy-laden to turn to Christ for surely He will give you rest. I say these things in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 11/4/2013 1:04 PM

This past week has been pretty good.  We had Stake Conference and were invited to the Saturday night session.  It was all about Hastening the Work and our Mission President was there with his wife and gave wonderful talks.  They had all the missionaries stand up to introduced us.  There was 38 total.  It was an amazing night.

 

The next day was equally amazing.  We had another wonderful time listening to the talks prepared.   Afterward we went over to a member's house for lunch with a family that is investigating the church.  It turned out to be a really good lesson.

 

This past week we were able to meet with our Branch President and talk about the work in the branch.  It was a very spiritual  experience.  We let him know why we are there and that we want to work.  We also brought up a lot of great ideas that could help the work get moving along and the members involved.  It is cool to see how many times the things the Lord already has revealed to you can be applied to every situation and area.  Sometimes however, a little twist is required in order to fit the needs of the people and area.

 

Our people "finding pool" has been growing a lot and we have currently 4 baptismal dates extended and accepted.  Three to the family that we have been teaching for 2 weeks now and one to a lady we haven't met yet.  Her name is Alexandra, and the English missionaries met with her before and found out she is more comfortable with going to the Spanish Branch, so we need to get to know her now.  All of their baptismal dates just so happen to be on the same day, December 15th!  So, we shall see where all this goes and hopefully they will all be ready for that date. 

 

I am so grateful for the area I am in now.  It has been an area where I can see the Lord is developing me into the man He wants me to be.  It is a great blessing to look back at the time I have been here and see His hand in all of it.

 

I know that this is Christ's Church and that He lives.  That he has a plan for each and every one of us.  I say these things in His name, even the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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.

Mon 9/23/2013 8:52 AM

Life has been good here in Chelsea for the past two weeks with many wonderful experiences, opportunities for growth and many tender mercies and blessing from the Lord. Everything I will write about will be from either 2 weeks ago or this last week (it is all jumbled together now since it has been so long).

After one of our District Meetings we went out with the Sisters- Sister Hileman and Sister Laudie to meet with one of our investigators.  Her name is Micah and agrees with a lot of what we believe, but is very content with her religion because it teaches a lot of what we teach.  Before we went, we went to a little deli for lunch and I felt impressed to do a quick 1 meal fast, so I did and watched everyone eat.  We got Sis. Hileman to play her Ukelele for the waitress there which was fun.  As we went over to Micah's home we prayed and prepped a little bit more beforehand. We ended up sharing 3 Nephi 33 with her, and talked about the Book of Mormon and the Priesthood of God, since we were there to give a blessing of comfort since her husband passed away a little while ago.  We started the lesson by singing a hymn and the Spirit was so strong the whole time!  When we gave her a blessing, Elder Sompi was truly led by the Spirit and said things that were beautiful and that she truly needed to hear.  After the lesson we shared with her the love that we have for her and bore our testimonies.  It made for quite a wonderful visit.  There is so much power in being able to work with Sister Missionaries because they see and handle things so differently than we do and when we are able to work together like that, miracles happen!  After we were filled with such joy and gratitude we said a pray of thanks right away and such a sweet Spirit followed.  It was truly an amazing experience.

That weekend we had an International Dinner at the Church.  There were dinners from where every member in our ward was from.  It was a lot of fun; dancing; music and a lot of non-members that the members brought.  We had our little American dessert table that we all pitched in together for. We couldn't afford anything too crazy, so we just made cookies and brownies.  It was a great time.  We met together and prayed really fast to see what the Lord would have us do to help peak the interests of those there.  During that prayer the Lord, in his great mercy and love, showed me something that I will never forget and am so grateful for.  The Lord truly does work in mysterious ways.

This last week, there has been a lot of correlation with the sisters and other elders about the area and we have a lot of people to meet with now!  We met with a less active family named the Lapops and had two great wonderful lessons with them.  The first was only with the wife and a member we brought with us.  We shared with her how Christ wants her and her family to come back.  That we love them and need them back.  It was a great 1st lesson with them.
This last week we went back and the husband was there.  We had another great lesson with them. They opened up to us and I felt like I needed to share with them an experience I had and had typed up for the digital mission about forgiveness and forgiving others.  It really helped them open up and strengthened our relationship with them.  It was a great visit and the Spirit was so strong as we invited them back.  The husband works every Sunday, so that will be a bit of a challenge, but he has such a strong testimony and actually served a mission.


This last week I was asked to give a training on bearing our testimonies.  I prayed that the Spirit would be there and work through me that we all could be more effective representatives of Jesus Christ and help people come closer to him through our testimonies.  The Lord in his great mercy blessed me to be able to do this.  The Spirit was so strong and the Love that was in that room was overwhelming.  We then felt impressed to have a testimony sharing meeting which was truly beautiful.  I love my district so much and am so grateful for each and every one of them.
After this we went home and I crashed and took a nap, since Elder Freeman got me sick and I had nothing left to give.  After my nap, we went back out again.  It is amazing to me how strong Spiritual experiences just zap the energy right out of you.


Saturday I spent a lot of time prepping for a talk for Sunday.  We were given the opportunity to have a missionary sacrament.   Sister Hileman and I were asked to speak and we all sang The Spirit of God.  It was an amazing experience.  Anyway, I was trying to prep all day and couldn't seem to get anything.  I remember James 1:5 come to mind and also D&C 6:8 as well. So, I went to my knees and asked the Lord what he would have me speak on, expressing all my desires and reasons behind my asking for guidance.  After kneeling and pondering what the Lord wanted to tell me, I received the prompting to focus on the Atonement and missionary work.  To read Mosiah 4:11 and some other scriptures and that it would be given me what to say in that moment.  It was a wonderful spiritual experience and then I received a warning from the Lord that Satan would try to get me frustrated that day and to stay faithful and keep busy.  I know that with all my heart this was an answer to my prayers because a lot of dumb little things came up that day that Satan was trying his hardest to get me frustrated.  But, because of the heads up I was able to stay focused and busy.  It truly is amazing how the Lord is aware of us and gives us opportunities to grow like that.  We went out and invited a lot of people to church the next day.  We came back around 8ish and I tried prepping again with not avail, so I just decided to prep scriptures. I still had nothing though and normally I would be freaking out, but the Lord was blessing me with his grace and love.  The next morning I woke up and poured my heart out to the Lord again and he comforted my soul and so I moved forward.  There were doubts that came to my mind as we went to church, but I kept remembering my experience and moving forward pushing those doubts out.  Sacrament was such a beautiful meeting.  Sister Hileman went first and did a fantastic job speaking about grace and miracles, and then I was up. I had no idea what to say but the Lord granted me to say what was needed to be heard.  After, we sang our Hymn and it was a very moving experience for everyone.  Later that night we had dinner at a member's home whose son and his wife are less actives and we had a delicous meal and sang a lot with them and developed our relationships with them a lot.  We had a beautiful lesson about Christ loving his sheep and how he goes and looks for those who wander off to bring them back.  The Spirit that was present was so strong and that led them to ask for a blessing.  They asked me to give the blessing of comfort, and it was such a moving experience for me.  As I placed my hands on her head, they were no longer mine.  The words that came out of my mouth were not mine.  There was an overwhelming presence in that room and later words came out of my mouth that introduced them.  None of us saw them, but Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's presences were in that room letting this daughter of their's know that she was loved.  When these words left my mouth the Spirit confirmed them and the room was enveloped in such a sweet, loving Spirit.

Brothers and Sister, I know with all my heart and soul that we are sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father and that he is aware of each and everyone of us. I know and bear my solemn witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer of the World and He loves us more than we can ever come close to comprehend.  He shed His precious blood for each and every one of us, being spit on, mocked and gave his life willingly for our sakes.  I know that He lives for I have felt his presence so many times in my life.  I know that as we turn to him in sincere prayer and express all of our desires to him that he will bless us with the things that we stand in need of.  I know of these things for myself and what joy, what peace and what gratitude I have that God in His great goodness, His great love and mercy to me has made these things known to me as a result of my desire to find out for myself.

I know that all men and women can come to know what I have come to know and even more as they turn to the Lord and truly, truly come to know Him more than they did before and to continually strive to know Him better.

I urge all of you to seek for ways to do just this, come to know your Savior and Redeemer.  Come to know what love and great blessings He has in store for you.  A great way to start is by reading the Book of Mormon which is another testament of Jesus Christ, which truly does teach us how we can come to know Him.  I know these things are true and I leave you with my solemn witness, in the sacred name, of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 9/9/2013 9:12 AM

This past week has been really good.  There has been a ton of planning involved, serving and some teaching.  It is truly a great blessing to see the Lords hand in His work and to be able to receive inspiration concerning the things that we need to do in this area to get the work moving.

 

We have been in daily contact with the missionaries in our ward, and since we have been working so smoothly with each other things are going well and the work is going great!

 

Last night was a great lesson.  We had Hermano Alfredo and the other Elders come with us (an awesome member) and we ate dinner with La familia Cruz.  The mother is active but all her kids are inactive/less active.   We only had about 10-15 min to prep before hand at Hermano Alfredos house, but it went really well.  Elder Freeman and I shared a couple of scriptures and explained them. Then I felt prompted to go share part of my conversion story, why we are here and a scripture in 3 Nephi 9:13-14.  I love this scripture so much because it is Christ inviting those who once came unto him, but turned away, to come back.  The Spirit was there as we explained this and we were able to get their attention.  It was a wonderful experience, for which I am glad for. I hope that they will continue pondering the words we spake through the Holy Ghost and that as we continue to work with them we will be able to bring them back.

On Sunday we taught the Young Men on how to resist temptation and what it truly means to be a Son of God.  It was a great experience and amazing to see how  the Spirit touched their hearts. I love working with the youth, and am so grateful that I can relate to them, and because of my experiences I can better help them.  We also had a young man help us teach who isn't even a member of the church.  The only reason is because his Father won't allow him until he is 18.  He did really well and has a great testimony already.

Today I was reading in 2 Nephi chapter 33.  It is such a beautiful chapter.  There is too much to share that I loved, but one verse really stood out to me and goes hand in hand with why I am here.  It is verse 6 and it says:
 6 I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell.

Brothers and Sisters I know that with all my heart and soul that Jesus Christ is the light and life of the world and that he truly is truth.  I have tasted of His love and that is why I am here.  For he hath redeemed my soul from hell and as Nephi, I will rejoice in my Lord and glory in Christ for he truly does live, and because he lives there is hope.

 

I invite all of you to turn to Christ and seek to come to know him as I have, for it is the greatest blessing in my life.  I leave you all with my love and this testimony, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

 

Tue 9/3/2013 1:44 PM

The new area is pretty nice!  We have a huge apartment and there are a total of 6 Elders living there.  We have a balcony which is nice, so we get a nice breeze.

Pretty much everyone in Chelsea speaks Spanish.  We walk and ride the bus everywhere.  My companion is Elder Sompi and we have 4 other missionaries working with us in our ward.  We have 2 more Elders and 2 Sisters.  All of them are awesome!

There is a whole lot of work to be done, that we need to get started. We are in Revere 1st Ward and we had 135 people last Sunday attend.  A little bit bigger than the branch down in CT.

On monday we were able to go to the Temple, which was amazing. There were so many missionaries there and I got to see some of the members as well from Bridgeport that came up.  We got there at 7:15 am and left at 1:30.  It was packed!

We were allowed to go to the Redsox game with permission from Pres. Packard, but we didn't because we didn't have time and weren't sure we wanted to spend $30, so we went to the Cambridge stake center (which is a beautiful building and one of the most expensive).  There were Brazilian members there who were having a BBQ.  They invited us for lunch and there was a party in there with musical chairs and everything.  It was fun and we then went into Boston to Quincy Market and that was a very interesting and fun place.  There are a lot of things to do here since we are so close to everything, so I am looking forward to my new area.

There is a man named Dan who the Elders met on the street.  He come up to them and wanted them to meet his mom in a nursing home.  He is a very nice man and doesn't really want anything to do with the church, but we are really good friends with him.  We went Sunday night to see his mom with him.  It was really hard to walk in there because of how sad it is, but it was a beautiful experience. She wasn't in the best of moods and so we ended up singing a song, "Families Can Be Together Forever."  The Spirit that was there was amazing and she just lit up after that.  It was really a great visit and she kept talking about how bright we were, like there was a light coming from us.  She expressed how she was scared and so we expressed our love for her and talked a little bit about the Plan of Salvation since she also said she never got to know the purpose of life.  It was a great visit, but so hard to see how the whole situation was affecting Dan.

How blessed we are to know the answers to these questions that everyone asks themselves at one point in their lives, which is the reason why we NEED to share these wonderful things with others. 

I would encourage all of you to ponder for a few moments exactly how coming to the knowledge of these things has blessed your life and affected how you have handled situations differently as a result.  Wouldn't you want others to feel that same peace that you have felt; that same joy?  Can you imagine having to go through life in the dark not knowing why we are here, where we came from and the fear that people have about death because it is the unknown.   We do not have to be in the dark and I know that Heavenly Father has provided us a way to have a light in this life; that light is Jesus Christ and his gospel.  Everyone can have the peace and guidance from having this light in their lives if they but chose to follow it.  We as members who have come to know this truth and have had this light have the responsibility to share it with others.

In Luke 15:4-6 we can learn one of the best ways to really be that light.

4  What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine ^ain the wilderness, and go after that which is ^blost, until he find it?

5  And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

6  And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

Every Sunday we go to church and partake of the sacrament and then go to our classes learning more and more about our Savior, but how often during church are we truly striving to become more like him?  Are we having too great of a time focusing on ourselves and those who are at church and not giving a second thought to those who aren't there?  Brothers and Sisters I hope with all my heart we can apply this parable to our lives and start looking for those who are not at church and making it a priority to stop by and see how they are doing.  To let them feel that they are loved and that they are needed, for truly they are loved and needed.  Just as The Good Shepherd goes out to find that sheep that is lost, so should we.

 

We should all ponder about how going to church each Sunday blesses our lives and why we would want others to feel that same way.   We need to ask ourselves, "who is not here today that should be," and then, "who is not here because I didn't invite them?"  Just as Christ invites all people to come unto him, so must we.  I know that as we invite people to come closer to Jesus Christ their lives will be blessed and so will ours.  There are so many blessings waiting for those who let their light shine forth.  I urge you to be that light to others, that they may come to know what you have.

 

I know that this church is true.  That it is truly Christ's church restored on the earth today and that there are many people who are looking for the truth, but do not know where to find it.  I know that Christ is our Redeemer and is that Light for all men.  I know that because He lives He will always be that light that can never diminish, and how great this knowledge is; I know that my redeemer lives.  I say these things in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Wed 8/28/2013 9:44 AM

Where to begin... This last week has been a fantastic week!  A very bitter, but very sweet week as well.  I have been called to go serve over in Revere, Massachusetts now and will be leaving tomorrow morning (Sept. 29, 2013) bright and early.  Elder Treseder from my MTC district is coming down here to replace me and so I am excited for that.  I love him so much, and hope he will love this wonderful area here in Bridgeport.  My new companion will be Elder Sompi, who was Elder Jones' companion before me.  I have already met him before when we went to Boston for P-Day for Elder Hawks' last P-Day.  He is a great Elder and I am looking forward to serving with him.

This last week was jammed with so much work.  For this month our Zone Leaders gave a challenge to the zone that whoever had the most members present at investigator lessons would get a nice dinner from them.  So after a lot of wonderfully hard days we WON!  It has been such a great blessing to see the power and extra Spirit that comes from having a member present at every lesson. The work picked up even more, the members get more excited to share, and we as missionaries were blessed to see others, both members and non-members alike come closer to Christ.  We ended up telling them that we didn't want a huge dinner but rather 50 cent ice cream cones from McDonalds. =D.

The past few days in particular have been weird since it is my first time during a transfer where I am leaving.  I was able to meet with all the people we were working with.  Sunday was all the investigators (most of them) and so many doors opened as a result. We stopped by Kaylas with Gabe (her bf) (she, by the way, was losing interest since we answered all of her questions), but I was able to just share with her my love and the real reason behind why we and Gabe are there.  The Spirit that came was so sweet and a great blessing.  We were able to meet with her dad and mom and found little opportunities where the door with them could open more and more.

 

Just visit after visit was such a tender blessing from the Lord.  I have come to love all these people so much and it is really hard to leave them, but I know that the Lord wants me to go to Revere now.

 

One of the sweetest things to me has been how the Lord can expand our hearts.  I loved being able to meet with these wonderful people one last time to express my gratitude and love for them and one of the most sweetest and most tender parts was when I was able to bare my testimony to them and express that love and then after leave them with a blessing.  Whether it was through prayer or offering a blessing with my hands on their heads, they were truly tender moments for me.

Every day of my mission my eyes open more and more for all that the Lord has done for me.  I am awakened more and more each and every day that truly I am nothing without him.  Everything that I have been, I am and will become is solely through his great love and mercy towards me.  He loves me so much that he has blessed me with the ability to choose for myself, but even more than that he grants me life each and every day and his Spirit to be able to go out and help his other sons and daughters come to a knowledge that He truly is there and does love them.  There is no greater blessing to me than this.  To see peoples lives change and to be able to be a part of that, to be able to be an instrument in the Lord's hands.

I can now understand greater the joy and gratitude that Ammon expressed in the book of Alma 26:11-12

11 But Ammon said unto him: I do not ^aboast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my ^bjoy is full, yea, my heart is brim with ^cjoy, and I will rejoice in my God.

12 Yea, I know that I am ^anothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will ^bnot boast of myself, but I will ^cboast of my God, for in his ^dstrength I can do all ^ethings; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

I know with all my heart and soul that this church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ's church fully restored on the earth today.

I know that we have a prophet on the earth today as we did in the days of Moses and Abraham and that his name is Thomas S. Monson.

I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the World and that He loves each and every one of us more than we can ever come close to comprehend.  I know that He lives and oh what joy, what peace and what strength that knowledge brings. These things are ever more solidified in my heart, soul and mind more and more every day for I have felt his presence so many times in my life, felt his love, felt his guidance and have seen so many beautiful miracles in my life and in the lives of others.

I know that God truly is a God of grace, love, peace, power and miracles.  I have seen his hand more and more abundantly in my life and know that truly "I am nothing" and so I shall not boast of myself but rather "I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things."  And So I will praise his name forever!

All you reading this I bare my solemn testimony that I know that these things are true and I invite you all to come to know your Savior and Redeemer, who is Jesus Christ, better than you do now and not to just know of him.   He truly is there waiting for you to turn to him and I promise you that He will prove all his words to you as he has done for me.

I leave this things with you, in the sacred and wonderful name, of Jesus Christ, amen.

3 And my brother, Jacob, also has ^aseen him as I have seen him; wherefore, I will send their words forth unto my children to prove unto them that my words are true. Wherefore, by the words of ^bthree, God hath said, I will establish my word.  Nevertheless, God sendeth more ^cwitnesses, and he proveth all his words.

Mon 8/19/2013 2:53 PM

This past week has been amazing.  There has been a lot of new work coming our way and ideas on how to do it better and huge events going on as well.

 

For instance, on Sat. we had the Temple ground breaking for the Hartford, CT Temple and Pres. Monson came down for it.  We had a new investigator go with us to the broadcast for the event.  Her name is Victoria and it is a long story how we came in contact with her again, but it most certainly was not a coincidence.  All of the different circumstances that happened in order for us to literally be in the right place at the right time, and then for her to tell us that she was just thinking about us and praying that we would show up. When she said this I felt the Spirit hit me and confirm the words she just said.  She has a lot of faith and knows the scriptures like the back of her hand.  She is a missionary for all sorts of different churches, and we can tell that it will be a little difficult to teach her, but it will be well worth it.

 

Last night we had a missionary musical fireside where missionaries performed musical numbers, bore testimonies and read scriptures.  I was asked to recite scriptures to introduce the topics, so I shared D&C 19:16-19 on the Atonement and James 1:5 on Revelation.

All the performances were beautiful, especially the ones with our Mission President and his family.  He sang one song with his 16 yr. old daughter and one with his 13 yr. old son.  Each was so beautiful and I felt the love that they had for each other and the Spirit just overwhelmed me and that is how it was during the whole event.  His family is very musically inclined.  Elder Lefthand was able to record it, so hopefully I can get it from him.

 

We met with Silvia on Thurs. and taught the restoration lesson with a young man whose papers just went in for his mission.  It was an awesome lesson.  She is what we as missionaries call a "Golden Investigator" and truly is one of the children of God He has been preparing to receive the gospel, so it is sad she moved to New Jersey on Sat., but we went ahead and set her up with the missionaries in her area.

 

We have a new Elder in our district name Elder Nordin, who is with Elder Nielson currently (the Elders that live with us).  He is a great Elder and has been out a little over a year now.  We all bonded really easy and have the same goals, so it is awesome to see the change in the apartment and really in just everything.  We are a lot more unified.

 

Everyone has been telling me how my Spanish has improved so much and I am really grateful for that because I am a lot more comfortable at speaking it because I can understand more now.

 

We had a wedding the other day for a lady who has wanted to be baptized for 5 years and couldn't because she wasn't married and didn't have her paper work.  She has a baptismal date on the 31st of this month.  Now her husband will be able to receive the priesthood as a result, after waiting the allotted time.

 

I have been doing a study, since our District meeting, on focusing on Missionary work and the blessings and promises that we will receive if we just do it.  This is not only for full-time missionaries, but for EVERYONE (members and non members alike) and for those who have been baptized and are members of the church it is just to keep their baptismal covenant(promise) to God to stand as a witness of him in all places and at all times.  The blessings that we receive can help with ANYTHING in our lives.  Whether it be financially, family wise - like helping our families become more unified and strengthened from everything going on out in the world.  We are promised to be forgiven of sins to become more clean, more in tune with the Spirit and so many more things than I can even come close to list at this time.  So, in short, for all of you reading this and especially those who are struggling with something in your lives, whatever it may be, just be a missionary!  Find opportunities to serve others, (opening a door, sayiing hi and asking someone how they are doing, etc.) invite others to come to church with you, to activities or to dinner and invite the missionaries over. Share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people and invite them to learn more about it.  If you are worried that it will ruin your friendship, it wont.  Just let them know how much you love them and why you would like to invite them, and that if they don't want to accept, that is fine, and will not ruin the friendship.  I wish I had more time to share with you all the importance of doing these things and the great promises awaiting.  I share this with you because no matter what it is you are going through at this time in your life, no matter where you are spiritually, whether you are very strong in the gospel or just starting out, these things will bless your lives in more ways than you think possible.

 

I leave you with this invitation to put these things to the test and to prove God himself for he will deliver. "prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Malachi 3:10

These things have been a great blessing in my life and have helped not only my life but my family's as a result.  I know that these things are true and are out there awaiting those who will just put them to the test.

 

I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World, and that He loves us more than we can ever come close to comprehend.  I know that He wants us to turn to him that he may heal us and help us to become like him.  I know that he took upon himself the sins, sicknesses, infirmities, and injustices of this life upon himself so that he could do this.  I know that He lives and because He lives there is always hope and He will help us.  I say these things in his sacred name, even the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

 

Mon 8/12/2013 9:03 AM

We have had a lot of work going on.  We have six investigators right now and around 12-14 really good referrals/potentials and all of which are growing.  The work has been picking up a lot and hardly any time to do anything between all the less actives, and member work.

 

We went to the temple on Sat. to help out our Branch since we need priesthood holders.   It was a wonderful experience.  Milena was going to go, but couldn't last second.  

 

Yesterday at church we had 95 people in the Branch, so our numbers are finally back and we had a member bring a non member family member who wanted to learn more.  Her name is Silbia and was a news anchor in Puerto Rico.  She is very friendly and not afraid to speak up or do things we ask her to do, so that is awesome.  It was actually a cool experience how it worked out.  I was praying hard that the Lord would put someone in our path that He has been preparing, for truly the field is white all ready to harvest.  And next thing you know she is there.  I feel that it was indeed an answer to my prayer, so I am excited to teach her more.

 

The temple ground breaking is this Saturday for the Hartford, CT Temple, so I am exited for that.  I can not wait!

 

Also on Sunday there was a farewell for a Raquel who is leaving on her mission and reports to the MTC on Wed.  There was a lot of good food and people there.  A member brought her husband who is not a member who we just started working with.  So it was a great experience.

 

We had Zone Conference last week as well which was amazing. We had the whole Mission Presidency speak.  Pres. Clayton Christensen and Pres. Hate.  It was amazing!  We got to see what our digital missionaries are working on and it is awesome.  It will be a great tool in getting the whole digital way of doing missionary work going.  It is a great blessing to be here when there is so much going on. 

 

I am out of time, but I just want to bear my testimony that I know this church is true and that this is the Lord's work.  I know that because I can feel His Spirit daily in blessing the lives of others as we teach them about the gospel.  I know that the Lord has a plan for all of His children and it truly is a plan of happiness where we can be sealed to our families for all time and eternity in holy temples through Priesthood authority from God.  Meaning, we can live with our families (the people we love most) forever!  I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer.  I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 8/5/2013 11:07 AM

There is so much to write about and not enough time, since we are all leaving soon to go bowling today and I was the last to get on a computer.  I will try to hurry and get everything in.

This past week has been really focusing on having members presents at our lessons with investigators.  This has been turning out really, really well.  Especially because a lot of the people we are teaching are referrals from members.  We have done a lot of praying for each individual and have received a lot of answers on things we need to do, so I am excited to be able to do those things. 

 

I have learned a few more songs on the guitar, and just working hard.

 

On Sunday we had a wonderful fast Sunday and there was a descent turn out at church since it has been slow lately, but it is finally starting to pick up.  It was at 88, and when people get back from vacations it should be back to around 100ish.  During sacrament as I was looking around a lot of people came to mind that I needed to talk to and start working with.  A lot being part member families.  So, we set up our planner with a ton of stuff to do this next week.  We are now going to be booked.

 

After sacrament we went with Gabe Maldonado (a youth whose girlfriend we are teaching) and a return missionary and helped a member move.  It was a great experience.  We didn't have time to change so we did it in our church clothes and stopped and talked to a guy who was curious about us.  He was interested in going to church and everything!  It was cool.  We got done around 4:30 and had to hurry and head up to the chapel in Trumbull to practice for the interfaith musical that night.  I was so nervous, but it turned out really good!  There were so many very talented people there!  It was amazing to see all of these people come together from different faiths but united in Christ.  It was amazing!  The Spirit and love that was felt in the chapel was overwhelming.  One of my favorite parts was hearing the primary kids sing.  It was beautiful.  They are getting CDs, so I will get one and send it out.  There may be video as well, but I am not sure.  It was awesome and the people who were putting it all together had a lot of opposition as they were trying to get it all done.  After much fasting they succeeded and it was truly beautiful.  We had Kayla's parents there sitting in front of us and the Spirit was just pressing on my mind to talk to them a lot that night.  After the performances there was a lot of dessert and goodies, and I talked to them quite a bit, they are very nice people. I hope we will be able to get that family to become interested and put these things to the test so they can come to have a greater peace and joy in their lives.

 

I have to go right now, but I want you all to know that I know that the Church is true, I know Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world and as we all seek him he will come to us.

 

I know that the song of the righteous is truly a prayer unto the Lord and that we receive blessings as a result!  I love this gospel and being a missionary.  There truly is nothing better than serving other people.  I leave these things with you all in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.