Mon 6/23/2014 10:06 AM

This past week has been a little bit different.  It was a great week though.  Most of our investigators have been sick so it seems like it has been forever since we have seen them.  We spent a lot of time following up with all the people we have contacted and set up appointments with, however a lot of them fell through.  Also, we are in the process of putting a lot of our records online now, so we can work more united with our ward mission leader and so he can see our weekly plans to follow up with us throughout the week.

 

On Friday we had a great lesson with Hermano Lapop, an inactive member.  He pulled out his mission journal when we were there. We had a great lesson helping him to remember how he had once felt as we used scriptures from Alma 5.  We then eventually were able to get him on his knees to pray and simply ask God what he would want him to do.  So, he prayed out loud for us and then we stayed on our knees in silence for the answer.  Afterwards he expressed to us what came to his mind and that he would be going to church on Sunday and also asked us on Saturday to remind him. Well, he was at church! =D.  Also on Sunday, we all got up and sang a musical number, Elders of Israel. 

 

This last week we had a ton of contacting experiences which were pretty funny.  We met this Polish man who is a fisherman as well and talked to him for a while.  One of the most unique people I have met.  There were some times were I had to pray and do my best to not start cracking up.  Some of the things that came out of his mouth were just so out there.  Good thing is that we have a new friend who will give us great discounts on fish, squid and whatever from the sea.  I love talking to everyone!  There truly is a whole other aspect of joy and spirit that come from it.

I know that if we but strive to do our best to talk to those around us about the wonderful and marvelous message we have, we will feel the Spirit come into our lives in even more power and abundance.  I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 6/16/2014 8:40 AM

A lot has happened this past week and I do not have my planner with me, so I will do my best to remember all the things that happened.

Yesterday, on Sunday we had a great day.  During church in Sacrament Meeting we watched a Mormon Message - Earthly Father, Heavenly Father.  It was different watching it during Sacrament Mtg. with a projector, but it was cool.  I love that video.

After church our original appointments fell through, but did for a purpose.  We went home and waited for a member to drop by dinner.  After we got the dinner we ran into Henry's daughter Adelle.  Henry was our Land Lord who passed away a little more than a month ago.  His kids have been in and out fixing everything up and taking care of things.  We hadn't met her before and so we started talking.  She invited us in so she could give us her number and everything.  We started talking and the death of her father and mother came up.  The Spirit was so strong as we were able to talk to her, express our love, and help bring peace to her at this time. She shared the experiences she had right before her parents passed away.  The one about her mother jumped out to me and was pressing itself on my mind and wouldn't go away.  She said that before her mother passed away the thing that brought peace to her was her mother said she saw angels in the room and that they had a book and were preparing her for something.  The whole time after she brought this up, The Book of Mormon kept flashing in my mind and how we believe that after death all those who have not had the chance to hear and receive the gospel will have the opportunity after this life.  We shared with her our testimonies about what the gospel means to us to know that we can live with our families for all time and eternity and that death is not the end and that we know exactly where her father and mother are.  We then expressed how we wanted to give her something, so we ran upstairs, got a Book of Mormon and a Plan of Salvation Pamphlet said said a quick prayer and ran back down the stairs.  I remember  sharing with her how much The Book of Mormon means to me and how as she brought up that book her mother talked about the thought kept pressing itself on my mind to give her this book.  I then told her why and that I felt this was the very book of which she spoke.  It was a very powerful, tender moment in which we all shared tears and enjoyed a great peace.  She accepted the Book and the Pamphlet and said she would always cherish them and start to read them. 

Later that night we went into East Boston and met with Mike, our 21 year old friend who is awesome.  He is a carpenter and travels a lot.  He has been to many other countries and is just an awesome guy.  Before he left for the Dominican Republic last week we had a great talk with him over the phone about a mission, which was guided completely by the Spirit.  Anyway, we talked with him, sharing our conversion stories and how we came to be on missions today.  It was an amazing visit.  He expressed all of his concerns, doubts, and fears.  He has been trying to change his life and has had a really tough one, but the Lord was there helping us with him.  We had some good success with him and I think with time he will actually go.  I know that when he does go and gets that answer, he is going to be the means of so much good because of all the experiences that he has had and just how he is. 

Earlier in the week we were on exchanges and so I was with Elder Tait in my area.  Our appointments canceled on us, it was pouring outside, we got soaked, but it was an awesome day.  We talked with EVERYONE we saw and got so many return appointments. There truly is a different Spirit that comes in missionary work when you strive to talk to everyone instead of having tunnel vision going from point "A" to point "B."  We had a great Fathers day breakfast, and many other great visits during the week.  I wish I had more time to write it all.

If only I could express even the smallest part of what I feel about this amazing work!  I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ's church restored on the earth today. There is no doubt to me that it is true.  I know he is very involved in his work and is preparing our brothers and sisters to receive the fulness of his gospel.  All he asks is for us to "doubt not, fear not, but believing".  As we move forward and put our faith and trust in him and talk to everyone we will come to see the truth of the promise in D&C 84:88

"And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face.  I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."

I know that is true.  I invite all of you reading this to think about one person this next week that you can share the gospel with.  I promise you that as you do so prayerfully and out of love, you will feel the truthfulness of this verse.  I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 6/9/2014 10:16 AM

Where to begin about this last week!  It has been amazing.  We have been working like crazy and talking to everyone.  We had a 4 hour zone conference meeting from our mission president about how to receive revelation.  It was really cool, because it solidified the things the Lord had already taught men and inspired me again. It was a great meeting.

We had an amazing lesson with Wilmer at President Haites house again and we extended a baptismal date.  He didn't accept, but said he believes everything is true, he just wants to read the Book of Mormon first.  He is so ready though, so I am not to worried.  We had a 2 hour train ride with him back to our area and along the way talked with everyone.  It was a great experience.

Then there was a day where we met with Veronica, a recent convert that just got baptized like 5 weeks ago.  We met with her about doing member missionary work and had a great lesson with her going over her concerns and fears.  After sharing D&C100:4-8 her friend Gabby walked in.  The Spirit took over and we applied what we just taught Veronica, so she could see it in action.  That meeting was so packed with the Spirit I don't really know how to even begin to explain what happened because it was not us doing the speaking. It was a very powerful visit on our purpose as missionaries, our testimonies and we gave her a Book of Mormon and invited her to read it and apply what we taught Veronica to do when she reads, which is to pay attention to the things that stick out to you because it is the Lord trying to tell you something.  At first Veronica was a little uncomfortable, but then she became very relaxed and handled everything well.   She then texted us later about how amazing it was and how it was what we just taught her in action.  It was great!  Now, we usually do not do that because it is not good to pounce on the member's friends with out them knowing before hand, but this wasn't us, it was the Spirit.  I am just grateful that we were able to be instruments in the Lords hands. 

We picked up a new investigator.  His name is Julian and we contacted him on the train a few weeks ago.  We have been inviting him to our English class, but he hasn't been able to make it.  On Friday, he called us and said, "hey, I want to meet with you and talk about Jesus tomorrow," so, we headed on over there, taught him some English and part of the Restoration.  He is an awesome guy.

Our zone started a World Cup for contacting people.  We have been hearing a lot about talking to everyone and how it is our last priority to track, but really we should be talking to everyone we see on our way to appointments.  We have a point system to help people get a little bit excited about it and to help those who are a little nervous..... make it into a game so they can build up the confidence they need.  Elder Cathcart and I have been rocking it!  It has been a blast!

There was a little poem that Jeffrey R. Holland told when he was here last.  I don't know who it is by, but the one inviting us is Christ and we are on top a huge, beautiful mountain:

Christ: Come to the edge
Me: No, I will fall
Christ: Come to the edge!
Me: No! I will fall
Christ: Come to the edge!!
Me: to the edge I went, he pushed me and I flew!

I don't know how accurate that is, but it gets the point across.

Often times in our lives Christ invites us to come to the edge, to "fear not, but be believing" or in other words, to do some things can seem scary or insane, but by forgetting about ourselves and trusting him and accept his invitation to just come to him at the edge, it is then he can help us fly.

I know that to be true. There are so many times in our lives when it is easy to be afraid.  Life can be scary at times.  We make decisions every day that can affect us for the rest of our lives.  I am so grateful that we have the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be that guide to us that we need to get to our common destination, to live with our loving Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ once more.

 

I know that Jesus Christ lives, and that he is inviting us all to come unto him, to forget our doubts, fears and selves so that he can help us fly.  I leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 6/2/2014 10:18 AM

There has been a lot that has transpired these past two weeks.  I will do my best to touch on everything.

Two weeks ago we had a mission conference and Jeffrey R. Holland was there.  It was an amazing experience.  It was great to see everyone again that I have come to love, but as we were in our seats early and ready to receive revelation, it prepared us for what then followed.  He walked in the room and we all stood, and the Spirit just poured in.  We were all able to go and shake his and his wife's hands and Elder Hallstrom's of the Seventy.  I have never heard Sister Holland speak before, but man she speaks with such power and conviction.  No wonder they are married.

Along with amazing talks, we had beautiful musical numbers.  After Pres. Holland and all of them left we all stood in reverence and reflected on what we had just learned through the Spirit.  This was probably my favorite part of all of it.  There is nothing quite like the Spirit teaching you.

This last week we picked up two new investigators.  We had one appointment at President Haite's house in Belmont with a guy that he found.  His name is Wilmer and is from Guatemala.  He is an amazing guy and we had a very different but amazing lesson nevertheless.  We team taught with the Belmont English sisters and with Pres. Haite and his wife, all of which did not speak a lick of spanish and Wilmer's English isn't the best.....it's pretty good, but we ended up going over what they were teaching in Spanish.  It was a bilingual lesson.  We will be going back over there this week again.  Also, as we were walking home from an appointment we ran into this guy named Sylvester.  I do not know what to say to describe him other than he is unique.  He knows a lot about religion and is looking for truth and sure can talk.  We met with him in his basement and he is a DJ.  He was showing us all his stuff and right as we were about to start the lesson he started blasted some Metallica; wanting to listen to some good music as we taught him the gospel... lol!  Don't worry, we had him turn it off, but it was still pretty funny as I looked over at my companion and saw his reaction....lol.

This last Saturday we took Rosario, Stephanie and John to the temple and prepped them beforehand for what they were about to feel.  It was a great visit. They felt such a great peace and spirit there.  We walked in the temple into the waiting room and took time for them to feel the difference. Stephanie later explained to us, "I felt like I left this world."  We then took time for them to pray outside and express to God their questions and concerns.  After that, we asked them some questions to see what they got out of the experience.  Stephanie knows that it is true with all her heart and is one very special youth.  John was behaving himself as well and had a great time at the temple and with his prayer as well.  At the end of the day we committed Stephanie to do missionary work and to help her mom.

On Sunday, after learning about some of the doubts/concerns Rosario had, we had a lot of testimonies that touched on her situation.  Towards the end I felt impressed to ask one of my favorite members who just so happened to be sitting behind us to get up and bear her testimony on Joseph Smith and how we can know he was a prophet and more.  She at first looked at me like, you want me to go up now?  She was a little caught off guard, but man was it what was needed!  I remember praying so hard that the spirit would pour out as this lady was so willing to get up there and help Rosario.  The Spirit poured out, and hit me very strongly confirming to me that Rosario just received what she needed to hear.  This lady who was so willing to help us out and share her testimony just so happened to hit on things I didn't even ask her to bear her testimony on, but that Rosario needed to hear.  After sacrament I talked to Rosario to see how she was doing and what she thought. I  expressed to her the feelings I had about sacrament meeting and how I felt the Spirit confirm to me that she had just received what she needed.  It was a nice little talk and she simply replied with a hmmm and a smile.  During class we ran into Hermana Garcia (the one who bore her testimony) in the hallway and she said that Rosario just talked to her and thanked her for her testimony and that it was exactly what she needed to hear. She then shared more of her story with Rosario and invited her over to her house this week and gave us some tips that will help. =D.  It was amazing.  Then to add to all of this, Rosario talked to her ex husband after church and told him that she had been going to church.  That was a huge step for her btw, and we will leave it there. 

 

These past two weeks have been amazing and the Lord truly is hastening his work.  I know that if we but lose ourselves in the Lord's work with a willing heart everything will work out and miracles will happen.  I know that miracles have not ceased and that they are very much still here as we but act in faith and do our part.  I leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 5/19/2014 8:55 AM

Since this last week was so incredibly awesome, on so many levels, it will be hard for me to be able to express everything in a way that you can experience it, but I will do my best.

 

To start things off, we had some pretty amazing lessons with Rosario about the power of the Atonement and forgiveness.  We were able to help her start an action plan and we gave her some homework, an awesome talk by Jeffrey R. Holland called "Remember Lot's Wife."  We had a sweet Family Home Evening with her and Orlando (her bf) and we invited him to start taking the lessons to see and experience what Rosario has been learning.

 

The same day as the FHE, we did service at Alfredo's house who also had his non-member sister there visiting.  We had an amazing BBQ afterwards for lunch and then went over to Rosario's again later and BBQ'ed Otra Vez.

 

Sonia, Chris's mom, wants us to start teaching her the lessons as she has loved coming to church the past couple weeks, but by far, my favorite part of this whole week has got to be yesterday.  We got permission from President Packard to go down to New London, CT because Ramona Donstorg and Brandon were getting baptized! To add to that wonderful news, President Packard told us along these lines, "Hey, Jeffrey R. Holland will be down there for stake conference at 10.  You Elders are more than welcome to go to that if you'd like, you deserve it," so along with seeing a family I had come to love and care about so deeply, that the Lord put in our path to find, we got permission to go see an Apostle of the Lord speak in person!  It was amazing!  That whole Stake Conference was just jam packed with inspired words.  It was cool because the people who had things prepped, got up and changed them because the Spirit was directing them to say something else.  Let's just say I got what I needed to hear and it is amazing to me how our Heavenly Father knows each and every one of us perfectly and what we need in every moment.  Jeffrey R. Holland had a lot of jokes up his sleeve as well, which was cool to hear his sense of humor.  He invited us all, especially those 12-22 years of age, to tithe 10 years out of our lives to the Lord.  He then said that if we but did that, everything else in our lives would fall into place. The best part of it all was the Blessing that he left on all of us.  I don't feel comfortable sharing it with all of you, but right as he was saying it, he said this blessing was as if he himself was putting his hands on our heads for the blessing.  The spirit that man brings with him is just astounding.  After, Ramona and Brandon got to shake his hand, and Brandon told him how he was getting baptized.  It was cool to hear how excited Jeffrey R. Holland was.  Then after the line finished up and we were able to get Mike (our ride) up there to meet him, we too got to shake his hand.  It was pretty dang cool! After being filled and uplifted by the Spirit after an amazing Stake Conference we headed over to the church and had the baptism.  It was such a beautiful experience and one that I am grateful for, for being able to see all these wonderful people again that I had come so close to.  To see Ramona and Brandon dressed in white and to be able to baptize them having been commissioned of Jesus Christ was a remarkable experience.  The joy and peace that I felt was amazing.  Then the part that really got to me was when Ramona was bearing her testimony.  It is amazing to see how far she has come and the light that has entered her life as result of coming to know the truth for herself that this is Christ's church restored on the earth today with the fullness of His gospel.  The part that really hit home to me was when she started to talk about how it was my character, the way I carried myself, taught and bore a sincere testimony, that kept her interested and helped her feel something.  I still do not quite understand what she saw, because I find it hard to see, but I am grateful that even with my own imperfections she was able to see the love I have for this gospel and I think that is something that everyone can see when they look at everyone of us. We have that special light that can only be obtained through knowing the truth and having the Holy Ghost as our special companion always.  Truly, as the Lord said, we are a peculiar people.

 

I am so grateful for this wonderful knowledge I have come to know and am grateful that I have been able to help bring a few to come to know these things for themselves, whether for the first time or bringing them back to a remembrance of what they had come to know before. The joy that I feel as a result is a joy that I cannot come close to explain, truly what the scriptures say in Doctrina y Convenios es verdad.

 15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

 16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!

I know that what these scriptures say are true.  If we want to truly be happy, to truly have this great joy in our lives, this is the most fulfilling and best way that we can accomplish it.  To "forget ourselves and go to work."

 

I invite all those who are reading this to come to know what I have come to know of this great joy that can be felt through the gospel. For those who are members and have come to know how wonderful this gospel is, I invite you to think about one of your friends, family members, really just anyone that you can have a missionary experience with.  For those who are reading and are not members, I invite you to come take the missionary lessons and learn of and experience this great joy of the true and full gospel for yourselves.

I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer, that he lives and that The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is his church restored on the earth today.  That this church has the Priesthood of God, that the power and authority given to man to act in the name of God for the salvation and benefit of his children is on the earth once again today.  I know these things of myself and I am so grateful for them and a loving Father in Heaven who has blessed me to come to know them.  I leave these things with you in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 5/12/2014 8:39 AM

A lot has been happening lately.  It seems like it is getting harder and harder to differentiate the days, let alone the whole week :-), but last weekend we had a baptism!  It was for this awesome lady named Veronica who is in her 20's.  It is very rare to find someone so ready for the gospel.  A little background on her.  Our Sisters got a phone call from a member in Texas who gave them Veronica's number after he had been working with her.  The sisters starting meeting with her and she set her own baptismal date for the following week.  Now, normally we don't just go ahead and baptize someone, but she had all the lessons and was ready.  I had the opportunity to interview her and ask her all of the baptismal questions and it was a very special experience.  I remember the sweet Spirit that came as I sat down with her and she answered these questions correctly and knew everything she needed.  The baptism was very beautiful, especially the part as she came up out of the water.  I do not think that will ever get old to me, it sure is something to see these people's countenances change as they become new people.  She had a friend come with her, whose heart was a little hard in the beginning, but ended up crying because of the Spirit that was there.

We had an awesome Mother's day breakfast.  All of the men, and us missionaries got to the church early and made breakfast and served all the mothers.  The Spanish culture sure knows how to party, that is for sure!  It was a blast.  They had a lot of the mothers come up and had them do karaoke and dance.  It was pretty funny.  Sonia, a recent convert, and her non-member mother came and then also came to church as well, and loved it.  I am starting to feel that it might be about time to start meeting with her and see if she is interested in learning more about the church, so that will be pretty awesome.

We had transfers come up, and so now Elder Hunter and Wenner got transferred.  Wenner is in Framingham and Hunter is now in my old area in New London!

With that said, Ramona (investigator that I found in New London) is getting baptized this coming Sunday!  President Packard gave Elder Meservy and I permission to go down to attend and also to stay for Stake Conference because Jeffrey R. Holland will be speaking!  It wil be awesome!

My new companion is Elder Cathcart and is from Glendale AZ.  He is awesome!  He has only been out for 4 months, but his Spanish is so good already.  This last week we also got in contact with the Lapop family again, finally!  Oh how I love them! They were a less active/inactive family that Elder Somppi and I were able to start meeting with when I was here in this area last and we were having good success with them, but after I left, the missionaries lost contact with them.  This week we are planning on a Family Home Evening with them and Rosario at Rosario's house!  It will be awesome!  We met with Rosario and found out more about what is holding her back and committed her to talk to her boyfriend about her desire to be baptized and everything.  She said she would, which is huge! 

Skyping home yesterday was pretty awesome as well.  I am so grateful for my family and my mothers.

There is a lot of good stuff going on lately, but Elder Cathcart and I need to make sure that we get organized.  It is something I have been trying to get done for awhile, but now we actually can.

I know that this is the Lord's work, that he is in charge and that all things are possible if we but turn to him and rely on him.  I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

4/28/2014 9:56 AM

This last week has been pretty eventful.  On Tuesday we had the opportunity to go to where the Book of Mormon play was showing in Boston and stand outside and contact everyone.  It was such a blast!  There was one man who I went and talked to that had already seen the play before and hated it because it mocks not only us as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but all religions.  He only came back to see it because his girlfriend, who hadn't seen it, really wanted to.  It was a pretty amazing experience that I was able to have to get to know him, his beliefs and then share with him the story of the Restoration and bear my testimony to him as I taught him.  There was a point where he started to get pretty teary eyed as I bore my testimony on how this has changed my life.  The Spirit that was there was so strong.  Then his girlfriend came and I started to share it with her as well.  There were so many other great conversations like this one where we were able to plant seeds and help others understand a little bit more what we actually believe.  One of my favorite parts of this night was that this elderly couple drove up and and asked for help with getting the elderly man out of the car and into his wheelchair.  I jumped on the opportunity.  His name is Al and hers is Mary.  After I got him in the wheelchair I offered to push him to their seat in the theater.  It sure was something else to see other people's reactions as they saw a real missionary pushing a man to his seat in the theater that was making fun of us.  As I was doing this I just felt this great love for Al and Mary as well as everyone else I saw. Mary and Al sure were something else, and meeting them and serving them was the highlight for me of this night.  As I left, a lot of the workers were very friendly to me thanking me for being willing to help them out.  It is cool to think about how many seeds we were able to plant this night with everyone we came in contact with. 

 

Another great thing that happened was that we were able to attend a city clean up service project with the church.  It was cold, rainy, but a blast and the mayor drove around and met with us and we got a picture with him.  Then after the service there was a huge BBQ at the City Hall in Revere.  This was another great opportunity for us to talk to people.  As I was in line I started to talk to a guy named Mike who is in his 30's and just opened up his own lawyer office. He is a very friendly guy and had a lot of really good questions for me and so it was my pleasure to answer them for him.

 

Some other really good news is that we picked up 3 new investigators this week.  One of their names is Carlos who was actually a former that we contacted again and answered a lot of his questions and taught the Restoration.  We have an appointment with him again this week and he is making us Pupusas, one of the most delicious foods from El Salvador.  The other two are Nidia and Casandra.  Nidia is one of the ladies that walked into church a few Sundays ago and we gave a blessing to and Casandra is her daughter.  It was just a "get to know you visit," where we were able to answer questions and teach part of the Restoration.  The other lady, whose name is Dunia, that we gave a blessing to, wants to come and learn as well.  So this next week we will be able to teach all three and hopefully pick one new investigator up.

 

On Saturday after the service project we met with Rosario and had a Family Home Evening with them.  Her boyfriend was not able to make it unfortunately, but that is ok because we have another one planned for this Saturday as well.

 

This past week has been an amazing week in which I have had some very wonderful spiritual experiences where they Holy Ghost has helped increase my understanding of a lot of things.  I am so grateful for the great gift of being able to have the Holy Ghost with us always.  I know that God lives, that he loves us and is aware of us and if we but seek him we can come to know Him and how great this knowledge is!  I leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Tue 4/22/2014 9:56 AM

This past week has been a pretty good one, jammed with a lot of things.  Last Monday for P-Day it was incredibly windy and we decided to go and do the Freedom Trail in Boston.  It was funny to see people leaning into the wind so they didn't fall over.  It was a lot of fun, but at the end of the day it wiped us out.  Of all the times I have done the Freedom Trail this was the first time I had actually climbed up to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument.  The 294 steps to the top were actually a bit harder than I thought it would be after doing the whole freedom trail and the other activities we did, but the reward the view gave us was well worth it.

We were able to prepare a lot of people for Easter Sunday, which I enjoyed being able to focus on the Atonement with them and especially the part of the Resurrection.

On Tuesday we had interviews with President Packard, our Mission President.  That day was very windy and rainy.  We were waiting for the bus under the bus stop shelter, but with the wind blowing at us the way it did, the shelter was pretty useless, so we got soaked. Our umbrellas got destroyed from the wind and as we were waiting, this guy pulled over and asked us where we were going.  It turns out he is a member and goes to the singles ward.  He was very friendly and gave us a ride all the way to the Stake Center for the interview.  We had great trainings from the Assistants to the President as well as our Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders on how we can accomplish Zion in our Companionships a little better.  Then the cherry on top was a package I had received from Hickory Farms full of Summer Sausage, cheese, mustard, and crackers which surprisingly I shared with everyone.

We were able to meet with a youth, who on Sunday was set apart for his calling as secretary.  That Sunday was pretty cool, the Young Men's leaders let the youth do the setting apart.  The youth that had the opportunity to do that talked about how they felt the Spirit so strongly, but in a different way as they used their Priesthood.  It was a great opportunity we had with this youth to follow up on the Priesthood and what it means to hold it.  Later on that same evening, we met with Jose, and shared with him the Mormon message, "He Wants to Forgive," since it fit his situations perfectly.  It went really well.  Afterwards, we were blessed with the opportunity to go to the Temple with our Ward for a session.  It was a whole lot easier to do this second time in Spanish =D. 

As for the work as a whole, we are still working to get everything really going.  We are working with Auxiliary Leaders and brainstorming ideas on how we can get everyone to start doing their Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching.  I have come to realize while on my mission that this is of huge importance to missionary work since when Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching don't get done, people fall away.  Even more than that, we are not keeping our baptismal covenant completely if we are not fulfilling the obligation, responsibility and opportunity of Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching.  We are now going to be implementing a split calendar to help people do their Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching.

After all these weird weather changes and getting exhausted I  have gotten a bit sick starting on Friday.  But, the work still moves forward =D.  On Saturday we walked a few miles to the Young Men's President's home and expressed how we are here to help them accomplish their righteous desires and also callings in any way we can.  We will now be helping a lot with mutual since he has been having difficulties with getting it going again.

On Sunday we had a great Stake Conference as we celebrated the power and meaning behind the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  I love those special times of the year when we can really focus on what he has done for us, but really, we should be remembering ALWAYS the significance of those things every day of our lives not only on those special days.

I have been recuperating pretty quickly and yesterday we had a great P-Day that started at 3 a.m.  We were allowed to go to the Battle of Lexington Re-Enactment, which was awesome!  After that we met with a lot of missionaries and went to the Cambridge Stake Center and played Ultimate Frisbee and then to Boston for the Boston Marathon.  We had a great time.  Then to finish off the P-Day, well we ate at this buffet place called "Fire and Ice."  Let's just say after eating there, I do not think any other buffet can ever come close to take top of the list over this one!  It was fantastic!  Some of the best food I have ever tasted.

I want to leave you all with my testimony that I do know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Church of Jesus Christ restored on the earth today.  That He is at its' head guiding and directing us today through our Prophet Thomas S. Monson.

If we strive to love one another and serve one another we can come even closer to him.  For as we do as he himself did, we will come to know him even more than we do now.  I know that we can do this through our Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching as members, and through seeking to give service to others whether we are a member or not.  I leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Mon 4/14/2014 9:51 AM

On Wednesday I came back down to Revere and it has been great.  A little weird though since Elder Wenner went up with Elder Cole, so it was just a swap.  Elder Hunter and I have had a great time though and have been getting a lot done. 

 

Last Monday we went rock climbing at a gym with a non-member (we got approval btw =D).  It was so much fun and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed going to the rock climbing gym before the mission.  I was pretty sore for the next four days though.

 

We had an amazing correlation with our ward mission leader, Hermano Paula and all the ward missionaries as well.  It was powerful and we are working hard here in the Revere 1st ward!  We had a great meeting with him and his family this week as well, just to let them know we are here for them and didn't want to focus on missionary work with them since they do so much already, but rather just on their family and their goals.  Out of the love that we had for them and the guidance from the Holy Ghost we were able to share with them scriptures that fit their unique circumstances.  It was a beautiful visit.

 

We had a lot of things cancel on us this week as well, unfortunately, but it was a blessing in disguise because it finally allowed us some time to get organized a little bit more.

 

On Friday we had Rosario and had set up an amazing Family Home Evening at a members house.  It ended up not being able to work out and all the people we tried to call to come with us couldn't.  So, being without a man to come with us as chaperone, and doing all we could we headed over there letting her know the situation.  We ended up having Family Home Evening on the front porch, using a i-phone flashlight app for light and then finally getting a lamp out on the porch.  We watched the new mormom message video about how Christ wants to forgive; we ate pizza; had cookies and ice cream and played a little bit of monopoly.  It was a great experience and what the family needed with all that is going on in their lives right now.  We were also able to talk to Stephanie and John about their parents divorce; how it has affected them and it was a good little talk; just letting them know we understand, love them and are there for them.  I love that family so much.

 

On Sunday we had 2 non-members walk into the church building who stayed for sacrament.  A member just so happened to run into them, invited them to sit with her and after sacrament we started to get to know them.  The older lady was a little sick and the member previously explained to them how if they wanted, we could give them blessings of health, so we did =D.  It was a very special experience.  I was able to give both of them blessings.  One to the older lady and the second to the the little boy they brought with them who is about 4 and deaf.  That was such a beautiful experience where the Spirit just came in and overwhelmed me. When we as priesthood holders put our hands on someone's head to give a blessing, they are truly no longer ours, but rather Christ's whose name we are doing it in.  As a result of this experience they want us to come by this Friday, in the evening, and meet with them.  I am really looking forward to that.

 

Later that night, with our friend Jack, we went to this musical event where Jenny Oaks Baker performed.  It was amazing!  She is very talented, as well as her little children who also performed.  They are between the ages of  9 and 12 and they played like pros.  Also, the guy who plays Hyram Smith in the Joseph Smith Prophet of the Restoration was there and sang Tenor.  He is incredibly good.  It was a great experience and I got to see my dear friends Elder Lefthand and Nordin again.

 

I just want to express how grateful I am for a loving Father in Heave who knows all of us perfectly and our unique situations.  I have been feeling of his love, mercy and power in my life so much lately as I am striving my best to fulfill the plan that he has for me.

 

The greatest thing I could ever share with any of you is my testimony that I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he loves us, knows how to help us in our unique circumstance, because he went through them himself, and last of all that he lives. I know this because I have felt his presence in my life, I have seen his hands guiding me lovingly and have experienced the miraculous power of his atoning sacrifice.

I invite all of you reading this to strive to put coming to know him at the top of your list.  You can do this by studying the scriptures, praying and doing the best you can to live as he lived.  I leave these things with you in his name, even the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Mon 4/7/2014 1:48 PM

This last week has been a bit interesting =D.  We had a lot of appointments where we were able to continue to help people prep for the amazing conference we had.  Our Ward Mission Leader is setting up appointments for us left and right and is so dedicated to his calling.  It is a huge blessing.  He will text us every day and let us know that he is there for us and if we need ANYTHING, he and his wife want to help.  They are great!

 

On Thursday I got a call from Elder Cole asking me if I would be his companion up in Lynnefield for a few days.  His companion - Elder Bushnell (the new one), just got transferred out, so that left us short one Zone Leader.  Elder Tate will be our new one with Elder Cole, but is currently doing some pretty important stuff in his area, so that means I will be here in Lynnefield until he gets here.  It is great and weird being in an English area, but I love it.  It has been a great opportunity to learn how I can become a more effective District Leader and get all the supplies I need as well.  I say Lynnefield, but our area is actually Lynnefield and Salem, so it has definitely been a little interesting.  I got to meet their investigator, Mary, who is a older Catholic lady who is amazing.  She is studying the scriptures so much and is taking some awesome notes! The only issue is she is a die hard Catholic and doesn't really want to change.  She has an assignment in nursery every Sunday that she loves to do.  She is a member of the Church of Latter- Day Saints and doesn't even realize it.... lol!

 

Elder Cole and I got a media referral that we went and contacted.  It was quite interesting.  We got to the address and as we were running up to the door the dad ran into us.  We started to talk to him and let him know why we where there and so he ran inside and got his son.  He is 14 and when he came out was incredibly scared not knowing what was going on, so we started to talk to them a little bit about how we receive referrals when people go online and fill out information.  Well, the dad was very nice, not interested, but polite.  We gave them a card and then took off.  Well as we got to the van I felt horrible.  I realized I didn't bear my testimony to him at all.  Out of practice I guess.  Well, we saw his truck go by and I felt so horrible after feeling it was over.  On Sunday during General Conference this man kept coming to mind. After the session was over I told Elder Cole that we needed to go back.  I had no idea why, but I knew that the Spirit was telling me that we needed to, so we went back; very nervously and having no idea what to expect or what to say.  We saw his son playing basketball, and as we walked up and he saw us he started to get really nervous again.  We asked him if we could talk to his dad (the look on his face was priceless).  Well, the dad came out and we said something along the lines of sorry to bother you again, as the dad said well, you guys are bothering me again.  I have no idea what transpired after that.  I opened my mouth and shared with him why we came back and he shot us down.  It was really interesting because after that he started to walk us down his driveway to get us off his property, but the Lord started to soften his heart.  He started to ask a lot of questions, give us pointers how we can be more successful and many many more things.  We had a great visit with him.  We talked at the end of his driveway for 30-40 minutes and I looked him straight in the eyes and shared with him my testimony as I gave him a Book of Mormon.  I have no idea why we went back or what will happen.  This much I do know, I had received a prompting to go back and we did go back.  As a result of us opening our mouths, the Lord filled them in his own way.  Because of the way the Lord filled our mouths, it opened an opportunity to talk to him longer and as we did I saw him as a member of the church working with the missionaries as a ward mission leader and doing a lot of good.  It was a cool little experience.  Afterward, because of following that prompting, a great peace and gratitude flooded my heart.  I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ who will not leave us alone.  Rather, if we but turn to them, recognizing our dependence on them, truly they will be there helping us along.

 

I know that this church is true.  That Christ is at the head of it and that he speaks to us today through Thomas S. Monson and the other church leaders. I know if we but ask what he will have us do and then go and do it, we will receive a peace and joy that we never before thought was possible.  I leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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.