Hi Everyone,
Well we have some exciting news, and some boring news. The boring news is that I'm e-mailing you today. Elder Bell and I have everything all planned for Monday and Tuesday when we got a text from our District Leader that we should be taking P-Day on Tuesday instead of Monday. That would be fine, but our Tuesday is completely full. We are taking this time to e-mail, when we would have had District Meeting. Then later today we have about 5 different lessons and people we need to visit. We have become very busy in Niceville as of late. It has been fantastic.
Yesterday we got some really exciting news, but before I give it to you I'd better explain what is going on. We have been working with the Chabots for what seems like forever. Ever since I got here in October I have been teaching and working with the Chabots. Last Sunday Seth went the the Fireside with us and was taken home by a priesthood adviser. That was huge for us and for Seth. He has been having trust issues and we have been slowly helping break them down so he can trust us and others. The younger boys, Zack and Matt are fantastic and love their teachers and leaders. Alisha is the hard one. Mostly because she has no one to really talk too. I can't do it because I'm impatient and I'm a missionary. Feelings shared always results in bad experiences. So naturally as a missionary I just smile and wave. We have been trying to turn her to the scriptures, but we're as bad as her mom she says. We have been trying to turn her to the young women's leaders, but there hasn't been a connection, until now.
Sis Hendricks was called to be the new young women's president last week and everything has changed because of it. Sis Hendricks will go WAAAAAAY out of her way to make everyone feel welcomed and loved. She has all of the young women's phone numbers and text's them constantly, but appropriately too. (not during church, or school) She has come to a lesson with us at the Chabots and just dived in asking questions and getting to know them better. At first Alisha was hesitant with Sis Hendricks, but she got used to her quickly. The youth were preparing to go on a temple trip to Alabama this last weekend. Oh how I wish I could have gone, but oh well. Sis Hendricks was working with all of the youth and trying to get the girls to come. To do that Sis Hendricks had a big sleep over with all the Young women. They would be in a fantastic environment and it would be easier to get them to the church by 4:30am, or whenever they were planning on leaving. Well Friday night Alisha texted Sis Hendricks that Kelsey and her were bored. Well, Sis Hendricks invited them to come over to be with all the Young Women. As they were there Sis Hendricks had a great idea. Why don't you girls come with us to the temple? After a few phone calls to the parents and a quick drive over to get some clothes, Alisha and Kelsey were going up to Alabama to go to the temple. While at the temple something interesting happened. Alisha and Kelsey couldn't go into the temple obviously, they waited in the small visitors center. The youth and the leaders went to go do baptisms for the dead. While checking everyone's recommend, Sis Hendricks realized that her's had expired and that she couldn't get a temporary one from bishop. Bishop Walker turned to her as tears filled her eyes and said, "There are no such things and coincidences. There are two young women who can't be here right now who need your help." Sis Hendricks spent the rest of the time with Alisha and Kelsey. Talking with them and building the relationship that they needed that I couldn't provide.
After we found out about the awesome temple trip we went to visit the Chabots on Sunday. Elder Bell was distracting the boys while I talked to Alisha and then the Sis Chabot. Both promised that they would talk about being baptized with each other and Sis Chabot with the boys too. Well yesterday while we were out working we got a call from Sis Chabot. She asked to talk to me and then said that I would be really happy about what she had to say. She told me that Alisha wants to get baptized in two weeks, and that she wants me to perform the baptism. Once I heard her say that I shouted for joy. I was so happy I felt like nothing could tear me down.
I am so thankful for all the prayers that have been said in my behalf and in their's too. I felt as if my rope had ran short with the Chabots. I didn't know what else to do. However, I am grateful that other people have stepped up here in the ward and I'm so grateful for the prayers to my heavenly father. Without him there is no way that Alisha would have listened to me or to anyone else. That I know, but her heart has been softened and I have been given another chance to prepare them for the blessings of the gospel. I love it.
This church is true and peace and happiness is promised to those who find it. Stress and great anxiety is promised to those who work in the vineyard. haha. It's true, but it's worth every minute of it.
Elder Call
Elder Call
Off to the MTC
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
New Goals
Hey Everyone,
I'm really glad you got my package. It took a lot of work, sweat and blood to get those. :) I need to thank all of you for your prayers. Especially you mom. Ever since you sent that e-mail saying that you were going to start praying for me to find people things have changed. Our District Leader, Elder Barlow, mentioned to us that our district found 29 new investigators last transfer and we had one baptism as a district. He also told us that the statistic that President Jensen gave us is that in every 29 new investigators found, we have one baptism. That night Elder Bell and I made a goal to find 29 new investigators by the end of this transfer. We had only four weeks left and only three weeks left now. We made this goal on Monday night and everyday since then we have been out trying to reach our goal. We have met some interesting people. One lady kept asking us why we don't believe in the same Jesus Christ she did? Another guy kept trying to convince us that we were not going to ever become god's. We have met people door after door. Most of the time we are left just talking to the door, but we have been richly blessed this week, because of your prayers.
We have found 9 new investigators this week. All of which have been prepared in some way to receive the gospel. We have also received many referrals. In the time that I have been serving here in Niceville we have found about 20 new investigators. That's about 1-2 per week, but somehow, through some miraculous way, we found ourselves at the end of the week with 9. I am still puzzled as to how we were so blessed to receive such a blessing from the Lord, but I have come to think of two ideas.
1. Your prayers in my behalf and the people I have been chosen to serve. Your love and care and worry for me has carried me more times than I could ever know. It's only now, as I look back on different parts of my mission do I see those blessings. Unique and powerful, each coming from unknown sources. I have made an unusual hypothesis. When a missionary first leaves his home he has usually found himself with rich blessings all around. This is because of ferverant prayer, both by himself and his family members. I remember some of the blessings that I received when I was on campus and in Ozark, AL. They came so powerfully and at the perfect timing. Then as the mission goes on those miracles slowly distance themselves. I think that is because when the missionary first leaves, his family has a void in it. The only thing they can do to fill the void is to pray. However, after a while, lets say six months, the void becomes common and the family adjusts themselves to it no longer relying heavily on prayer. So the missionary in the mission field is left without those blessings. Every missionary you will ever talk to goes through this time, regardless of who the missionary is. In our mission it is called the Black Hole. haha. It is a time when the blessings are not as common and when you 'feel' forgotten. This time usually lasts until about the missionary's 18th month mark, when everybody realizes that there missionary is in fact going to come home. They remember him and the remember to pray for him. That is where I am at right now. I have received some crazy blessings from unknown sources. These blessings can only compare to when I was on Campus. Don't think of this paragraph as criticism toward anyone, think of it as a funny human thing we do, because it happens to everyone.
2. Our new goal. We have a focus, a direction. If you don't have a goal, you will find yourself running around doing good things not getting anywhere. With out an end zone in football, or a goal in soccer, or a hoop in basketball, you will exhausted yourself without ever accomplishing anything. Elder Bell and I now have a goal. A big one. This is a goal that we cannot fulfill on our own. We cannot force anyone to be interested in the gospel. As much as we know, we know that everyone has there agency, the ability to choose. And if they don't choose this, there is nothing we can do. However, with every goal requires work. Elder Bell and I leave every morning with a purpose, to find as many people as we can. To talk and testify to as many people possible to give ourselves the best chance to receive our goal. As much as we try though, we cannot accomplish our goal without the Lords help. He is the gift giver and every blessing that will ever come to us will come by obedience. Its so hard to understand. No matter how hard I work, how much I study, how many times I try to convince someone that this is true, I, me myself and I, will never be able to accomplish my goal. Never. BUT, these are the only things I've been asked to do. I've been asked to work, to study, and to bear my testimony to everyone. I believe it is for two reasons. One, to build myself and my own conversion. I am pushing a rock that will never move, budge or flinch, but as I push I am getting stronger. Two, to please the Gift Giver. He is the one who will bless Elder Bell and I with people to teach. As I do the things that he asks me, he will bless me. Everything will be restored back to me.
I think that this is why we were able to find 9 new investigators. We have 20 more to go until we reach our goal, but I know we can to it.
I love all of you and thank you for your support. I got so many great letters for Christmas. Thank you.
Elder Call
I'm really glad you got my package. It took a lot of work, sweat and blood to get those. :) I need to thank all of you for your prayers. Especially you mom. Ever since you sent that e-mail saying that you were going to start praying for me to find people things have changed. Our District Leader, Elder Barlow, mentioned to us that our district found 29 new investigators last transfer and we had one baptism as a district. He also told us that the statistic that President Jensen gave us is that in every 29 new investigators found, we have one baptism. That night Elder Bell and I made a goal to find 29 new investigators by the end of this transfer. We had only four weeks left and only three weeks left now. We made this goal on Monday night and everyday since then we have been out trying to reach our goal. We have met some interesting people. One lady kept asking us why we don't believe in the same Jesus Christ she did? Another guy kept trying to convince us that we were not going to ever become god's. We have met people door after door. Most of the time we are left just talking to the door, but we have been richly blessed this week, because of your prayers.
We have found 9 new investigators this week. All of which have been prepared in some way to receive the gospel. We have also received many referrals. In the time that I have been serving here in Niceville we have found about 20 new investigators. That's about 1-2 per week, but somehow, through some miraculous way, we found ourselves at the end of the week with 9. I am still puzzled as to how we were so blessed to receive such a blessing from the Lord, but I have come to think of two ideas.
1. Your prayers in my behalf and the people I have been chosen to serve. Your love and care and worry for me has carried me more times than I could ever know. It's only now, as I look back on different parts of my mission do I see those blessings. Unique and powerful, each coming from unknown sources. I have made an unusual hypothesis. When a missionary first leaves his home he has usually found himself with rich blessings all around. This is because of ferverant prayer, both by himself and his family members. I remember some of the blessings that I received when I was on campus and in Ozark, AL. They came so powerfully and at the perfect timing. Then as the mission goes on those miracles slowly distance themselves. I think that is because when the missionary first leaves, his family has a void in it. The only thing they can do to fill the void is to pray. However, after a while, lets say six months, the void becomes common and the family adjusts themselves to it no longer relying heavily on prayer. So the missionary in the mission field is left without those blessings. Every missionary you will ever talk to goes through this time, regardless of who the missionary is. In our mission it is called the Black Hole. haha. It is a time when the blessings are not as common and when you 'feel' forgotten. This time usually lasts until about the missionary's 18th month mark, when everybody realizes that there missionary is in fact going to come home. They remember him and the remember to pray for him. That is where I am at right now. I have received some crazy blessings from unknown sources. These blessings can only compare to when I was on Campus. Don't think of this paragraph as criticism toward anyone, think of it as a funny human thing we do, because it happens to everyone.
2. Our new goal. We have a focus, a direction. If you don't have a goal, you will find yourself running around doing good things not getting anywhere. With out an end zone in football, or a goal in soccer, or a hoop in basketball, you will exhausted yourself without ever accomplishing anything. Elder Bell and I now have a goal. A big one. This is a goal that we cannot fulfill on our own. We cannot force anyone to be interested in the gospel. As much as we know, we know that everyone has there agency, the ability to choose. And if they don't choose this, there is nothing we can do. However, with every goal requires work. Elder Bell and I leave every morning with a purpose, to find as many people as we can. To talk and testify to as many people possible to give ourselves the best chance to receive our goal. As much as we try though, we cannot accomplish our goal without the Lords help. He is the gift giver and every blessing that will ever come to us will come by obedience. Its so hard to understand. No matter how hard I work, how much I study, how many times I try to convince someone that this is true, I, me myself and I, will never be able to accomplish my goal. Never. BUT, these are the only things I've been asked to do. I've been asked to work, to study, and to bear my testimony to everyone. I believe it is for two reasons. One, to build myself and my own conversion. I am pushing a rock that will never move, budge or flinch, but as I push I am getting stronger. Two, to please the Gift Giver. He is the one who will bless Elder Bell and I with people to teach. As I do the things that he asks me, he will bless me. Everything will be restored back to me.
I think that this is why we were able to find 9 new investigators. We have 20 more to go until we reach our goal, but I know we can to it.
I love all of you and thank you for your support. I got so many great letters for Christmas. Thank you.
Elder Call
Monday, January 3, 2011
Crazy Week
Hey Everyone,
This week was a crazy one. New Years came and went just like it did last year. We didn't do much last year, this year was a little bit better, but not much either. President Jensen told us to be inside our apartments by the usual time. 9-9:30. The youth were going to have a New Year's party and we wanted to take Seth Chabot with us so he could be with the youth. We took him, after a lot of convincing, and stayed for a little bit. We got there at about 8 and had to leave by 9:30. When we got to the Kokenes' home all the youth were just sitting and talking and the parents were too. We stayed for a little bit and talked with them. Seth brought a Fog Horn and set it off in the house. It was super loud. After a while Brother Kokenes announced that it was time for the Polar Bear swim. He asked us to go light the Fire, so when the youth got back they would be able to get warm. We did so, Seth stayed with us instead of going to the Polar Bear swim. We lit the fire and had it going before they came back. When all the youth were done and back Elder Bell and I gave them a short message. Then we had to go, because of our curfew. We took Seth home and went to our apartment. There we attempted to complete a puzzle before midnight. We failed, miserably. Oh well.
Nobody came to church this week. It was a rough one. We did have some great contacts this week though. We met Anne. She had lived in Montana, grew up around members, even went to early morning seminary, went to stake and ward dances and dated a Mormon boy all while she was in High School. There was however a missionary who did some inappropriate things and she turned away from the church. Now years later here in Niceville, she has had a fall out with the Methodist church and is looking for something else. Anne was a referral from her mother when we went tracting. Her mother wasn't interested, but said that we could go meet with her Daughter, Anne. When she was telling us about her Mormon past she also mentioned things like Temples, Mormons being Christians, the Word of Wisdom and boring Sacrament Meetings. She knew everything and what we expected. We gave her a Book of Mormon and She said we could come back. So that's the plan, but we have nothing for sure.
We also met with Rob. We went to meet the Parry's on Friday. While we were talking to them and getting to know them better they got a call from their friends. They were outside shooting off fireworks. We all went outside to be with them and met Rob. He asked us so many questions. Like what a mission is about and what we do. He asked little things like how we worship and why. He asked how he should start to investigate the church. He asked for a Book of Mormon. It was really cool. We were just answering his questions and he would come up with more and more. His wife is a little bit more skeptical because of her experience with Religion in the past, but Rob is really cool. We are going to work through the Parry's to help teach them more. I am really excited for Rob.
Karen is the last person we met with, but her story is sad. Remember how I told ya'll that she didn't want to meet with us until after the New Year's? Well, Saturday was the New Year and we went over to visit her. She laughed when she opened the door and saw us. We began to talk with her and she said that she had to tell us something that we wouldn't like. With a twinge in my heart we asked her what it was. She said that she couldn't get baptized. She said that she needed to stay with her Protestant roots and that she couldn't become a Mormon. She had the Book of Mormon ready to give back to us. It was really sad. However, there is hope. Karen said that we could still come over a meet with her. It's been a few days since we've talked with her, but I'm beginning to wonder if we went too fast with Karen. She also mentioned that she felt guilty when we would come over and help her or that the members were so nice to her at church. I'm not exactly sure what to do yet, but there is hope.
The Chabots aren't going anywhere right now. Which is really sad. We wanted to help them begin a family scripture study, but when we brought it up last time we were over there Sis Chabot looked at us like we slapped her. :( I don't know what's going on, but I know that little things are creeping up into their life. They haven't been to church for the last two weeks and over all only once in the last five. We are still trying to stay close, but when we asked Sis Chabot when we could have a lesson she said, "I don't know." If she doesn't know, I for sure don't know.
That's it for me in Niceville. I hope this week is going to be better than last week.
Elder Call
This week was a crazy one. New Years came and went just like it did last year. We didn't do much last year, this year was a little bit better, but not much either. President Jensen told us to be inside our apartments by the usual time. 9-9:30. The youth were going to have a New Year's party and we wanted to take Seth Chabot with us so he could be with the youth. We took him, after a lot of convincing, and stayed for a little bit. We got there at about 8 and had to leave by 9:30. When we got to the Kokenes' home all the youth were just sitting and talking and the parents were too. We stayed for a little bit and talked with them. Seth brought a Fog Horn and set it off in the house. It was super loud. After a while Brother Kokenes announced that it was time for the Polar Bear swim. He asked us to go light the Fire, so when the youth got back they would be able to get warm. We did so, Seth stayed with us instead of going to the Polar Bear swim. We lit the fire and had it going before they came back. When all the youth were done and back Elder Bell and I gave them a short message. Then we had to go, because of our curfew. We took Seth home and went to our apartment. There we attempted to complete a puzzle before midnight. We failed, miserably. Oh well.
Nobody came to church this week. It was a rough one. We did have some great contacts this week though. We met Anne. She had lived in Montana, grew up around members, even went to early morning seminary, went to stake and ward dances and dated a Mormon boy all while she was in High School. There was however a missionary who did some inappropriate things and she turned away from the church. Now years later here in Niceville, she has had a fall out with the Methodist church and is looking for something else. Anne was a referral from her mother when we went tracting. Her mother wasn't interested, but said that we could go meet with her Daughter, Anne. When she was telling us about her Mormon past she also mentioned things like Temples, Mormons being Christians, the Word of Wisdom and boring Sacrament Meetings. She knew everything and what we expected. We gave her a Book of Mormon and She said we could come back. So that's the plan, but we have nothing for sure.
We also met with Rob. We went to meet the Parry's on Friday. While we were talking to them and getting to know them better they got a call from their friends. They were outside shooting off fireworks. We all went outside to be with them and met Rob. He asked us so many questions. Like what a mission is about and what we do. He asked little things like how we worship and why. He asked how he should start to investigate the church. He asked for a Book of Mormon. It was really cool. We were just answering his questions and he would come up with more and more. His wife is a little bit more skeptical because of her experience with Religion in the past, but Rob is really cool. We are going to work through the Parry's to help teach them more. I am really excited for Rob.
Karen is the last person we met with, but her story is sad. Remember how I told ya'll that she didn't want to meet with us until after the New Year's? Well, Saturday was the New Year and we went over to visit her. She laughed when she opened the door and saw us. We began to talk with her and she said that she had to tell us something that we wouldn't like. With a twinge in my heart we asked her what it was. She said that she couldn't get baptized. She said that she needed to stay with her Protestant roots and that she couldn't become a Mormon. She had the Book of Mormon ready to give back to us. It was really sad. However, there is hope. Karen said that we could still come over a meet with her. It's been a few days since we've talked with her, but I'm beginning to wonder if we went too fast with Karen. She also mentioned that she felt guilty when we would come over and help her or that the members were so nice to her at church. I'm not exactly sure what to do yet, but there is hope.
The Chabots aren't going anywhere right now. Which is really sad. We wanted to help them begin a family scripture study, but when we brought it up last time we were over there Sis Chabot looked at us like we slapped her. :( I don't know what's going on, but I know that little things are creeping up into their life. They haven't been to church for the last two weeks and over all only once in the last five. We are still trying to stay close, but when we asked Sis Chabot when we could have a lesson she said, "I don't know." If she doesn't know, I for sure don't know.
That's it for me in Niceville. I hope this week is going to be better than last week.
Elder Call
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