Hey All!
First off, I apologize that this is a day late. My companion and I were down with a pretty bad case of 24 hour flu yesterday. We basically called into to Sister Beck letting her know that we weren’t going to be able to work and then slept ALL day trying to kick the thing. When we woke up this morning we were still a little achy but are doing a lot better. I hope you forgive me for the delay ☺
I hope that you all had a fantastic Christmas! Mine was pretty awesome. Christmas Eve we went over to a members house and spent a couple hours over there eating beans, menudo, pretzels, candy…all sorts of stuff. Christmas Day was pretty awesome. Early in the morning our whole zone came down to our area and we climbed South Mountain. It took us about 45 minutes to climb up and about 15 to “walk” down. There were actually three of us (Elder Huston, Elder Sieber, and myself) that decided to run the trail on the way down so we cut down a lot of travel time. After our venture up the mountain the elders in our district got together and we played some Christmas Day Shackball that was pretty intense ☺. I’ll attach a picture next week of the event. After Shackball we spent the afternoon with Elders Parkin and Snook (two of the English elders in our district) where we went and had a real Haitian lunch at one of their Recent Converts. Afterwards we ran over to a family in one of their wards where we took the FANTASTIC opportunity to call our folks.
Being able to call home was an interesting and incredible experience. I have to be honest; about 30 minutes before we were supposed to call I started to get pretty nervous to call. I’m not really sure why but I did. When I finally called it was probably one of the best Christmas presents I have ever had. You really don’t realize how much you miss something until you go so long without having it. ☺ After the call home, we spent the rest of the night with the family then called it good.
Other than that, not a lot has happened. We have been fighting some annoying bike problems this past week but think we have finally fixed everything. That and this past Sunday was the last with the massive ward we were in. If you remember from one of my past posts, Montana del Sur ward was split into two and the changes go into effect the new year. So, come this Sunday, our ward will go to the size of 12 active families. Needless to say, we have a lot of work to do!
But, I am about out of time. I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and that you all have a safe and Happy New Year! For all those BYUins that will be going back to school next week, travel safe back to school and best of luck on your first week of the semester!! Know that you all are loved, missed, and are in my prayers!!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Merry Christmas!
Hey everyone!
OK, so this week was filled with changes. EVERYTHING was turned upside down basically. I'll do the 3 most important in list order:
1-I was transferred. BUT, I am still in Montana Del Sur. I will be covering a 6-9 (I can't remember) square mile area on Bike. Pretty excited there
2- I am no longer living in the Shack. Myself and my new companion became the first Spanish missionaries to live with a Spanish family EVER in the mission field. Once again, pretty pumped
3-I actually found out this fact before my last e-mail but I couldn't tell you until this week. For those who aren't familiar with mission time, a missionary's first two transfers in the field are his training transfers and the transfer following that one we call "Greenie Breaking." Afterward, you are just a straight up Jr. Comp. or Sr. Comp. Well, I have been out in the field for two transfers thus completing my training time. But, last Monday about 7:00 am I received a call for President Beck informing me that, in his words, "The Lord would have me fulfill the call as a Trainer." So, I have opened a bit of a new area, with a missionary fresh out of the MTC, on a bike. His name is Elder Giles and he is just a HUGE ball of energy. He is just ready to go, smart as a whip, and is a blast to be with.
Those are the big changes that happened within the past week. The past few days have definitely been a little overwhelming...I have definitely be kicked out of my comfort zone. I was kinda used to having someone older and smarter than me make the shots...now I'm the "older" and "smarter" one that is filling that position. Kinda weird, really stressful, but good nonetheless. I have grown an incredible amount these past few days. It has been a real testament to me that the Lord QUALIFIES who he calls. So, yeah, I'm training. Nuts.
The past few days have brought us success however. We set 2 baptismal dates within the past couple of days. The Lord has really blessed us with those things we have needed during this transition process. But, our hope is to set 2 or 3 more within the next couple of weeks so hopefully we will have a very "WHITE" January. :) We'll see what Heavenly Father has in store!
But, seeing that this is Christmas week (and that I am running out of time) I wanted to include something a little more spiritual. When I found out that I would be training this transfer I became very nervous. You could probably say I was as scared as a kid his first day of school. But, I truly know now that Heavenly Father KNOWS our needs. He KNOWS our desires. HE KNOWS US INDIVIDUALLY. Never feel like you are alone out there in the world. There is always someone there that is there...that want's to listen to you. He will put things into your path that may be difficult and will stretch you beyond what you think you are able to do. BUT, he has a plan for you individually you and, if you allow yourself to be clay in his hand he will mold you into the individual he needs you to be. With his help, we will become the best possible individual we can.
Well, sorry this is a bit short but we need to go help move a fridge into our new place. I wish you all a very safe and merry Christmas! You all are in my prayers and are missed. LOVE YOU ALL!!! :D
Elder Klemme
OK, so this week was filled with changes. EVERYTHING was turned upside down basically. I'll do the 3 most important in list order:
1-I was transferred. BUT, I am still in Montana Del Sur. I will be covering a 6-9 (I can't remember) square mile area on Bike. Pretty excited there
2- I am no longer living in the Shack. Myself and my new companion became the first Spanish missionaries to live with a Spanish family EVER in the mission field. Once again, pretty pumped
3-I actually found out this fact before my last e-mail but I couldn't tell you until this week. For those who aren't familiar with mission time, a missionary's first two transfers in the field are his training transfers and the transfer following that one we call "Greenie Breaking." Afterward, you are just a straight up Jr. Comp. or Sr. Comp. Well, I have been out in the field for two transfers thus completing my training time. But, last Monday about 7:00 am I received a call for President Beck informing me that, in his words, "The Lord would have me fulfill the call as a Trainer." So, I have opened a bit of a new area, with a missionary fresh out of the MTC, on a bike. His name is Elder Giles and he is just a HUGE ball of energy. He is just ready to go, smart as a whip, and is a blast to be with.
Those are the big changes that happened within the past week. The past few days have definitely been a little overwhelming...I have definitely be kicked out of my comfort zone. I was kinda used to having someone older and smarter than me make the shots...now I'm the "older" and "smarter" one that is filling that position. Kinda weird, really stressful, but good nonetheless. I have grown an incredible amount these past few days. It has been a real testament to me that the Lord QUALIFIES who he calls. So, yeah, I'm training. Nuts.
The past few days have brought us success however. We set 2 baptismal dates within the past couple of days. The Lord has really blessed us with those things we have needed during this transition process. But, our hope is to set 2 or 3 more within the next couple of weeks so hopefully we will have a very "WHITE" January. :) We'll see what Heavenly Father has in store!
But, seeing that this is Christmas week (and that I am running out of time) I wanted to include something a little more spiritual. When I found out that I would be training this transfer I became very nervous. You could probably say I was as scared as a kid his first day of school. But, I truly know now that Heavenly Father KNOWS our needs. He KNOWS our desires. HE KNOWS US INDIVIDUALLY. Never feel like you are alone out there in the world. There is always someone there that is there...that want's to listen to you. He will put things into your path that may be difficult and will stretch you beyond what you think you are able to do. BUT, he has a plan for you individually you and, if you allow yourself to be clay in his hand he will mold you into the individual he needs you to be. With his help, we will become the best possible individual we can.
Well, sorry this is a bit short but we need to go help move a fridge into our new place. I wish you all a very safe and merry Christmas! You all are in my prayers and are missed. LOVE YOU ALL!!! :D
Elder Klemme
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Hey Everyone!
So, this week turned out to be a pretty good week. Lots of special things happened that I am excited to tell you about.
Last Tuesday, we had the opportunity to have a special Christmas Zone Conference and do a temple session at the Mesa Temple. The Conference was really good. Sister Beck talked about the Nativity Story and how each of the characters pertain to missionary work. After Sister Beck, President spoke on the importance of the Book of Mormon in missionary work and especially now during the Christmas season. After the talks we had a very nice lunch prepared by some members of the Glendale stake and watched a slide show of pictures from the past year.
After the Conference, we ran over to Mesa and did a session in the temple and walked amongst all the Christmas lights they had set up. I'm sending some pictures that I hope all of you will enjoy. The Temple was incredible. I love the powerful spirit that resides within it's walls. You can just feeling it succoring and lifting you up. A type of healing effect to sort of explain it. All in all, Tuesday was a very special day.
Wednesday and Thursday were hard working days. Tracting, teaching, contacting referrals...the works. Wednesday, we had an appointment with this New Inv. named Guerrardo. He's 23 years old, has been in some trouble in the past, and is looking for a way to change around his life. During the course of our lesson, we extended a soft baptismal commitment, to which he accepted. Also, his mom became interested in listening to us too. That evening we checked on some RC's and did some other stop by's and called it a night. Thursday was another hard working day. We actually moved our Weekly Planning to Friday because we were so busy. But, Thursday we visited with our RC's Margarita and Melissa and tracted some more. That was our day! Tracting, Tracting, Teaching! ;)
Friday was weekly planning day PLUS we had a pretty full night of appointments. I have to be honest here, it is really nice to have appointments to go to again. For a while we had a lot of empty teaching slots. But, slowly, they are starting to fill up again.
Saturday was another day of work. We set another soft baptismal commitment with a lady named Lucia, had another appointment with Guerrardo's Mom (Alicia), Knocked some doors, and met with Natanael. That night, we went over to a family in the English ward (The Aldarete's) and made tamales with them. It was a blast! I'll post some pictures so you can see the excitement!
Yesterday, everything went crazy. We had Stake Conference in the morning where they split our Spanish ward. The new ward still covers a lot of area but a lot of it is richer developments with Mexican's sprinkled in there. So, it will be a little bit harder to tract but it will be nicer to deal with a smaller ward. Then yesterday we tracted, had a couple of lessons, went to dinner, and stopped by Yolanda's and a RC family from the English ward. Last night, things went nuts. For those who know the missionary schedule, every six weeks something called Transfers is held. This is where some missionary companionships are switched up and missionaries move from one area to another. Well, I received the notification that I am being transferred to another area. I'm not sure where but I have my bets. There is actually another crucial piece of the puzzle that was added this morning but I won't divulge that until next week's post. So, it turns out I will not be having "Christmas in the Shack" this year. I am actually pretty sad but I guess if that is what the Lord sees fit for me to do then so be it.
All in all, things are going really well. Working hard and some days fighting frustration and other whatnot. I tell you what...this stuff is tough. No joke. It is SOOOO worth it but it is a daily power struggle between Satan and your will. He is VERY aware of this work, of the things that we are doing, of the people we are teaching, and the power of this message. It's an experience unlike any other and am eternally grateful for the opportunity that I have to be a part of it. But, that is about all for this week. I hope that you all enjoy the pictures this week. I hope you know that you all are loved, missed, and are in my prayers every day. Thank you for the prayers that have been offered in my behalf. Be assured, they are felt. But, I love you all and have a great week!
"Such a lovely day...": We had a pretty awesome sunrise the other day that I would like to share with you. It was REALLY cold but nice none the less. :)
“Holiness to the Lord”: A nice shot of the temple from our temple trip on Tuesday.
“Rain, Rain, Rain”: Last Monday it rained all day. Needless to say, I was EXTREMELY happy as were the others in our district. We played in it for quite a while.
“Who needs Martha Stewart?”: Our Tamale-Making Adventure with the Aldarete’s. I believe they make about 60 dozen a year. In two hours we made 16. Still got a long way to go…
So, this week turned out to be a pretty good week. Lots of special things happened that I am excited to tell you about.
Last Tuesday, we had the opportunity to have a special Christmas Zone Conference and do a temple session at the Mesa Temple. The Conference was really good. Sister Beck talked about the Nativity Story and how each of the characters pertain to missionary work. After Sister Beck, President spoke on the importance of the Book of Mormon in missionary work and especially now during the Christmas season. After the talks we had a very nice lunch prepared by some members of the Glendale stake and watched a slide show of pictures from the past year.
After the Conference, we ran over to Mesa and did a session in the temple and walked amongst all the Christmas lights they had set up. I'm sending some pictures that I hope all of you will enjoy. The Temple was incredible. I love the powerful spirit that resides within it's walls. You can just feeling it succoring and lifting you up. A type of healing effect to sort of explain it. All in all, Tuesday was a very special day.
Wednesday and Thursday were hard working days. Tracting, teaching, contacting referrals...the works. Wednesday, we had an appointment with this New Inv. named Guerrardo. He's 23 years old, has been in some trouble in the past, and is looking for a way to change around his life. During the course of our lesson, we extended a soft baptismal commitment, to which he accepted. Also, his mom became interested in listening to us too. That evening we checked on some RC's and did some other stop by's and called it a night. Thursday was another hard working day. We actually moved our Weekly Planning to Friday because we were so busy. But, Thursday we visited with our RC's Margarita and Melissa and tracted some more. That was our day! Tracting, Tracting, Teaching! ;)
Friday was weekly planning day PLUS we had a pretty full night of appointments. I have to be honest here, it is really nice to have appointments to go to again. For a while we had a lot of empty teaching slots. But, slowly, they are starting to fill up again.
Saturday was another day of work. We set another soft baptismal commitment with a lady named Lucia, had another appointment with Guerrardo's Mom (Alicia), Knocked some doors, and met with Natanael. That night, we went over to a family in the English ward (The Aldarete's) and made tamales with them. It was a blast! I'll post some pictures so you can see the excitement!
Yesterday, everything went crazy. We had Stake Conference in the morning where they split our Spanish ward. The new ward still covers a lot of area but a lot of it is richer developments with Mexican's sprinkled in there. So, it will be a little bit harder to tract but it will be nicer to deal with a smaller ward. Then yesterday we tracted, had a couple of lessons, went to dinner, and stopped by Yolanda's and a RC family from the English ward. Last night, things went nuts. For those who know the missionary schedule, every six weeks something called Transfers is held. This is where some missionary companionships are switched up and missionaries move from one area to another. Well, I received the notification that I am being transferred to another area. I'm not sure where but I have my bets. There is actually another crucial piece of the puzzle that was added this morning but I won't divulge that until next week's post. So, it turns out I will not be having "Christmas in the Shack" this year. I am actually pretty sad but I guess if that is what the Lord sees fit for me to do then so be it.
All in all, things are going really well. Working hard and some days fighting frustration and other whatnot. I tell you what...this stuff is tough. No joke. It is SOOOO worth it but it is a daily power struggle between Satan and your will. He is VERY aware of this work, of the things that we are doing, of the people we are teaching, and the power of this message. It's an experience unlike any other and am eternally grateful for the opportunity that I have to be a part of it. But, that is about all for this week. I hope that you all enjoy the pictures this week. I hope you know that you all are loved, missed, and are in my prayers every day. Thank you for the prayers that have been offered in my behalf. Be assured, they are felt. But, I love you all and have a great week!
"Such a lovely day...": We had a pretty awesome sunrise the other day that I would like to share with you. It was REALLY cold but nice none the less. :)
“Holiness to the Lord”: A nice shot of the temple from our temple trip on Tuesday.
“Rain, Rain, Rain”: Last Monday it rained all day. Needless to say, I was EXTREMELY happy as were the others in our district. We played in it for quite a while.
“Who needs Martha Stewart?”: Our Tamale-Making Adventure with the Aldarete’s. I believe they make about 60 dozen a year. In two hours we made 16. Still got a long way to go…
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Short Post
Hey everyone!
So, I realize that it has only been a couple few days since I posted last so this weeks is going to be fairly short. But, I made up for it in pictures :)
Wednesday was a pretty awesome day. It was a normal P-day so it was relaxing PLUS we had the baptism of Melissa Mendoza that night. It was pretty cool and special. We have completed the family and cannot wait to see her take off. Actually, from that baptism we found out that her cousin now wants to meet with us and be baptized as well so when we go to visit them this week we need to get her information and contact her. Who knows, we might have another baptism really soon! :)
Thursday was an interesting day. Weekly Planning for most of it and then some appointments with Hector and this little girl named Maria. Her parents are kind of less active (actually, I guess "Returning Members" is the correct term now). Anyway, we went to teach her lesson one, which we did, but also set another baptismal date for the 26th of this month! If all goes well, December will be a 3 baptism month for us! :) So, Thursday was pretty exciting. At 9:00 that evening, Elder Bingham and I met the Zone leaders and started a split that lasted all of Friday.
Elder Beames, Elder Bingham's step-trainer, was my companion for Friday. We worked HARD! We really didn't have any appointments to go to during the day so we ended up tracting for 4 hours, dinner, a couple of appointments with Hector and Manual ( a ninito that we have been teaching; also has a baptism date for the 26th) then did our switch back.
Saturday was filled with tracting. Elder Bingham and I tracted for 5 Hours...4 of which were straight. We were cold and TIRED after that! We didn't find a ton of people but we did find a few that we are going to check up on this week. That night we had an appointment with Natanael and Abigail, passed out some flyers for the Christmas lights at the Mesa Temple, then came in for dinner.
Yesterday was a big disappointment. Miguel and his family didn't show up...a big blow to us. They had expressed some concerns from last weeks meetings and we feel that that played a significant part of their non-attendance this week. But, we have a member present appointment scheduled for today so we are hoping to resolve the issue.
Well All, that's all for this week. This coming week is filled with all sorts of excitement so next weeks will be a tad longer :) Know that you all are loved and are in my prayers. Also, travel safe during your planned vacations and my friends who are reading this at BYU, MS&T, etc. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR FINALS. YOU ARE IN MY PRAYERS! :) Alright, love you all!
"How great shall be your joy!": The baptism of Melissa Mendoza. It was actually performed by Marco Daugherty, a 19 year old Elder preparing to put in his mission papers. It was a pretty cool experience! :)
"Mexican Hat Dance": We have about 5 or 6 sombreros lying around the shack. I had to make a posed picture with one of these guys. Viva La Shack! :)
So, I realize that it has only been a couple few days since I posted last so this weeks is going to be fairly short. But, I made up for it in pictures :)
Wednesday was a pretty awesome day. It was a normal P-day so it was relaxing PLUS we had the baptism of Melissa Mendoza that night. It was pretty cool and special. We have completed the family and cannot wait to see her take off. Actually, from that baptism we found out that her cousin now wants to meet with us and be baptized as well so when we go to visit them this week we need to get her information and contact her. Who knows, we might have another baptism really soon! :)
Thursday was an interesting day. Weekly Planning for most of it and then some appointments with Hector and this little girl named Maria. Her parents are kind of less active (actually, I guess "Returning Members" is the correct term now). Anyway, we went to teach her lesson one, which we did, but also set another baptismal date for the 26th of this month! If all goes well, December will be a 3 baptism month for us! :) So, Thursday was pretty exciting. At 9:00 that evening, Elder Bingham and I met the Zone leaders and started a split that lasted all of Friday.
Elder Beames, Elder Bingham's step-trainer, was my companion for Friday. We worked HARD! We really didn't have any appointments to go to during the day so we ended up tracting for 4 hours, dinner, a couple of appointments with Hector and Manual ( a ninito that we have been teaching; also has a baptism date for the 26th) then did our switch back.
Saturday was filled with tracting. Elder Bingham and I tracted for 5 Hours...4 of which were straight. We were cold and TIRED after that! We didn't find a ton of people but we did find a few that we are going to check up on this week. That night we had an appointment with Natanael and Abigail, passed out some flyers for the Christmas lights at the Mesa Temple, then came in for dinner.
Yesterday was a big disappointment. Miguel and his family didn't show up...a big blow to us. They had expressed some concerns from last weeks meetings and we feel that that played a significant part of their non-attendance this week. But, we have a member present appointment scheduled for today so we are hoping to resolve the issue.
Well All, that's all for this week. This coming week is filled with all sorts of excitement so next weeks will be a tad longer :) Know that you all are loved and are in my prayers. Also, travel safe during your planned vacations and my friends who are reading this at BYU, MS&T, etc. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR FINALS. YOU ARE IN MY PRAYERS! :) Alright, love you all!
"How great shall be your joy!": The baptism of Melissa Mendoza. It was actually performed by Marco Daugherty, a 19 year old Elder preparing to put in his mission papers. It was a pretty cool experience! :)
"Mexican Hat Dance": We have about 5 or 6 sombreros lying around the shack. I had to make a posed picture with one of these guys. Viva La Shack! :)
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The Weekly Post :)
Hey Everyone!
So, this week was just one huge roller coaster. To be honest, it started out pretty bad but as the week went one it got a lot better.
First off, Friday was a standard work day. We tried to find some kids that, according to our records, haven’t been baptized yet. However, we found one out of, like, 13. But, the one we did find has a lot of promise and we will try and set a baptismal date this coming week. The rest of the day was pretty slow in terms of work but in the evening we set a tentative baptismal date with a little nino we found from the aforementioned record. That was pretty nice and we are excited for that!
Then Saturday rolled around…Wow, it was a TOUGH day. I started off feeling really bad…like, really dizzy and sick to my stomach. We had taken a little bit of our morning to try think of ways to improve the work in our area. For those who are familiar with missions, it was basically a 3 hour long companionship inventory. We resolved a lot of things and came up with some pretty sweet ideas to hopefully jump start the area and pick up the pace. But, the day didn’t agree. That afternoon, we went and tried to do some stop bys on some former investigators that have been in our area book for a while. Out of all the one’s we had, we actually talked to one, and quickly discovered that they weren’t ready to have us back. This took about most of the afternoon. At 5 that evening we had an appointment with an investigator that we had recently dropped. To put it simply, it was a disaster. When we showed up to his house his “esposa” (they aren’t really married but they’ve been living together for 23 years or something like that) answered the door, invited us in and, as we walked through the door, found our investigator coming in with another women. Completely unaware of the situation that had been brewing, a bit of a verbal battle broke out between Abi (his esposa) and himself. Come to find out, the whole reason why Nato was not married and did not want to be baptized at the time is because he has been cheating for about 20 years on Abi with like…tons of different women. Now the interesting part was that he knew what he was doing was wrong and he felt extremely guilty about it but he just didn’t know how to stop. By the end of the 45 minute explanation they gave about the situation, both Nato and Abi were crying and were basically asking us to help. I can honestly say I have seldom felt the amount of disgust and distrust as I did in that room that appointment. Elder Bingham spent the next half hour acting as marriage counselors and, by the end, gave a bold proclamation of repentance to Nato. We explained the repentance process, how to change, and told him straight out that, because he has children with Abi, he has an obligation for their care and well-being. When everything was finally taken care of, we set up a return appointment then left. It was by far one of the weirdest experiences of my life. On the brighter side, we found the source of his doubts on becoming a member of the church. Now, all we need to do is rebuild them and hopefully things will finally fall into place. The rest of the night was pretty uneventful and we eventually went in to do our numbers.
Sunday was the turning point for the week but it started out pretty rough. During our weekly correlation meeting with Hno. Barrios, we came to find out that he had seen Hector, one of our recent converts, buying beer on Thanksgiving day…pretty devastating for us seeing that we have been trying our best to help prepare him receive the priesthood. After the meeting we went back to the Shack and I seriously went to my desk and started reading conference talks. I can’t remember what talk it was but it referred me to a scripture in Mosiah that really hit me hard. Basically it said that there are those who are ready to accept the gospel and there are those who are ready to accept it, but will deny it. As a result, they will be judged the same as those who accepted the gospel or now. As I pondered this idea, I had this thought come to my mind. I began to realize that, as missionaries, our purpose is to act like Christ and knock on the door and bring the message to those who are ready. We are to teach the doctrine as we have been taught, and help bring others to the fold of Christ. However, we are not able to remove the agency of others. They still have the opportunity to accept or reject what they been taught. So, judging by the way the take the message, they will receive their deserved reward. As for the missionaries, as long as they teach the message to the best of their ability, we can take comfort that we have done all that we can. From that point on, I had a very different perspective of the trials we were facing. Not too long after this, we went to the church to find that Miguel and his entire family was at the church along with 2 other of our investigators. Elder Bingham and I were just ecstatic. We had been praying for them so much to come that, to see them there, almost brought tears to my eyes. From that point on, the week has been incredible. The rest of Sunday was fairly busy which made for a fantastic night’s sleep.
Monday went very well. We went split tracting with a couple of the presbiteros in the ward and found 4 more potential investigators. Afterward, we did some tractback checks (none of them went through). At 6:00, we ran over to Melissa’s with the AP’s to have her baptismal interview. While she was having her interview, Elder Clarke (note to Ciarra Larsen, I believe Elder Clarke is VERY familiar with your family. He is a Spanish elder but he served in your ward in about May/June) and I went knocking on doors. Nothing really happened but, the best part is, Melissa passed the interview and now we are having her baptism today! We are just really excited for her. After the interview, we ran over to Miguel and His family for our lesson. It went well but we realized that we still have a lot of work with them. Miguel has some doubts about the Book of Mormon and they really didn’t have anything fantastic to say about church but, we are hoping and praying that things will go better this week. We gave a very powerful and promising commitment to him to read and follow the example of Joseph Smith and the council in Moroni and pray to know if the Book and our message is true. In the meantime, we have been praying very hard that he will receive that witness and that he will recognize it. I guess we will find out the result next week.
Yesterday was interview day with President Beck. Mine lasted a little bit longer than last time and I set some pretty good goals with him. However, the interesting part actually happened in Elder Bingham’s interview. President asked him if he felt I was ready to step train. He didn’t say when or give any idea to who but, Elder Bingham told him yes. So, there is a chance that I may be training next transfer. But, we will find out in a couple of weeks! I really don’t know how I feel about it. It’s an honor to train but…I just don’t quite feel ready yet. But, if Heavenly Father sees the need, I will meet the call.
Whew, there’s the low down for this last week. In other news, this part is important, we were informed yesterday that our P-day has now been CHANGED TO MONDAY! So, from now on, the days you all will receive letters will change. We will have our first Monday P-day next week so, step lightly! Also, we will be going to the Mesa Temple next week (Tuesday to be exact) to do a session at the temple! I am way excited and cannot wait to go. It’s been almost 3 months from the last time I went. Also, we will be looking at the Christmas lights they have set up so I will be sure to send some pictures out next post. But, I think that is a bit all for this week. Thank you all for the prayers you are giving for my sake. They were definitely felt this past week. Know that all of you are loved, missed, and are in my prayers. One last thing, to my dear friends at BYU, GOOD LUCK ON FINALS! I will be praying for each of you! Alright, until next week my friends, iHasta Luego!
“It’s the most Wonderful Time…”: This was Elder Bingham and I’s first present of the Christmas season. Margarita (our newest convert on the West side) bought us some mugs, hot cocoa, and cookies to keep us warm in the cold Arizona mornings. Pretty sweet huh!
“’Tis the season…”: For high electricity bills! HAHA! I’m telling you, the Mexicans go ALL OUT when it comes to Christmas lights. Here is one of the best we have seen so far. It might be a little blurry but you get the idea.
So, this week was just one huge roller coaster. To be honest, it started out pretty bad but as the week went one it got a lot better.
First off, Friday was a standard work day. We tried to find some kids that, according to our records, haven’t been baptized yet. However, we found one out of, like, 13. But, the one we did find has a lot of promise and we will try and set a baptismal date this coming week. The rest of the day was pretty slow in terms of work but in the evening we set a tentative baptismal date with a little nino we found from the aforementioned record. That was pretty nice and we are excited for that!
Then Saturday rolled around…Wow, it was a TOUGH day. I started off feeling really bad…like, really dizzy and sick to my stomach. We had taken a little bit of our morning to try think of ways to improve the work in our area. For those who are familiar with missions, it was basically a 3 hour long companionship inventory. We resolved a lot of things and came up with some pretty sweet ideas to hopefully jump start the area and pick up the pace. But, the day didn’t agree. That afternoon, we went and tried to do some stop bys on some former investigators that have been in our area book for a while. Out of all the one’s we had, we actually talked to one, and quickly discovered that they weren’t ready to have us back. This took about most of the afternoon. At 5 that evening we had an appointment with an investigator that we had recently dropped. To put it simply, it was a disaster. When we showed up to his house his “esposa” (they aren’t really married but they’ve been living together for 23 years or something like that) answered the door, invited us in and, as we walked through the door, found our investigator coming in with another women. Completely unaware of the situation that had been brewing, a bit of a verbal battle broke out between Abi (his esposa) and himself. Come to find out, the whole reason why Nato was not married and did not want to be baptized at the time is because he has been cheating for about 20 years on Abi with like…tons of different women. Now the interesting part was that he knew what he was doing was wrong and he felt extremely guilty about it but he just didn’t know how to stop. By the end of the 45 minute explanation they gave about the situation, both Nato and Abi were crying and were basically asking us to help. I can honestly say I have seldom felt the amount of disgust and distrust as I did in that room that appointment. Elder Bingham spent the next half hour acting as marriage counselors and, by the end, gave a bold proclamation of repentance to Nato. We explained the repentance process, how to change, and told him straight out that, because he has children with Abi, he has an obligation for their care and well-being. When everything was finally taken care of, we set up a return appointment then left. It was by far one of the weirdest experiences of my life. On the brighter side, we found the source of his doubts on becoming a member of the church. Now, all we need to do is rebuild them and hopefully things will finally fall into place. The rest of the night was pretty uneventful and we eventually went in to do our numbers.
Sunday was the turning point for the week but it started out pretty rough. During our weekly correlation meeting with Hno. Barrios, we came to find out that he had seen Hector, one of our recent converts, buying beer on Thanksgiving day…pretty devastating for us seeing that we have been trying our best to help prepare him receive the priesthood. After the meeting we went back to the Shack and I seriously went to my desk and started reading conference talks. I can’t remember what talk it was but it referred me to a scripture in Mosiah that really hit me hard. Basically it said that there are those who are ready to accept the gospel and there are those who are ready to accept it, but will deny it. As a result, they will be judged the same as those who accepted the gospel or now. As I pondered this idea, I had this thought come to my mind. I began to realize that, as missionaries, our purpose is to act like Christ and knock on the door and bring the message to those who are ready. We are to teach the doctrine as we have been taught, and help bring others to the fold of Christ. However, we are not able to remove the agency of others. They still have the opportunity to accept or reject what they been taught. So, judging by the way the take the message, they will receive their deserved reward. As for the missionaries, as long as they teach the message to the best of their ability, we can take comfort that we have done all that we can. From that point on, I had a very different perspective of the trials we were facing. Not too long after this, we went to the church to find that Miguel and his entire family was at the church along with 2 other of our investigators. Elder Bingham and I were just ecstatic. We had been praying for them so much to come that, to see them there, almost brought tears to my eyes. From that point on, the week has been incredible. The rest of Sunday was fairly busy which made for a fantastic night’s sleep.
Monday went very well. We went split tracting with a couple of the presbiteros in the ward and found 4 more potential investigators. Afterward, we did some tractback checks (none of them went through). At 6:00, we ran over to Melissa’s with the AP’s to have her baptismal interview. While she was having her interview, Elder Clarke (note to Ciarra Larsen, I believe Elder Clarke is VERY familiar with your family. He is a Spanish elder but he served in your ward in about May/June) and I went knocking on doors. Nothing really happened but, the best part is, Melissa passed the interview and now we are having her baptism today! We are just really excited for her. After the interview, we ran over to Miguel and His family for our lesson. It went well but we realized that we still have a lot of work with them. Miguel has some doubts about the Book of Mormon and they really didn’t have anything fantastic to say about church but, we are hoping and praying that things will go better this week. We gave a very powerful and promising commitment to him to read and follow the example of Joseph Smith and the council in Moroni and pray to know if the Book and our message is true. In the meantime, we have been praying very hard that he will receive that witness and that he will recognize it. I guess we will find out the result next week.
Yesterday was interview day with President Beck. Mine lasted a little bit longer than last time and I set some pretty good goals with him. However, the interesting part actually happened in Elder Bingham’s interview. President asked him if he felt I was ready to step train. He didn’t say when or give any idea to who but, Elder Bingham told him yes. So, there is a chance that I may be training next transfer. But, we will find out in a couple of weeks! I really don’t know how I feel about it. It’s an honor to train but…I just don’t quite feel ready yet. But, if Heavenly Father sees the need, I will meet the call.
Whew, there’s the low down for this last week. In other news, this part is important, we were informed yesterday that our P-day has now been CHANGED TO MONDAY! So, from now on, the days you all will receive letters will change. We will have our first Monday P-day next week so, step lightly! Also, we will be going to the Mesa Temple next week (Tuesday to be exact) to do a session at the temple! I am way excited and cannot wait to go. It’s been almost 3 months from the last time I went. Also, we will be looking at the Christmas lights they have set up so I will be sure to send some pictures out next post. But, I think that is a bit all for this week. Thank you all for the prayers you are giving for my sake. They were definitely felt this past week. Know that all of you are loved, missed, and are in my prayers. One last thing, to my dear friends at BYU, GOOD LUCK ON FINALS! I will be praying for each of you! Alright, until next week my friends, iHasta Luego!
“It’s the most Wonderful Time…”: This was Elder Bingham and I’s first present of the Christmas season. Margarita (our newest convert on the West side) bought us some mugs, hot cocoa, and cookies to keep us warm in the cold Arizona mornings. Pretty sweet huh!
“’Tis the season…”: For high electricity bills! HAHA! I’m telling you, the Mexicans go ALL OUT when it comes to Christmas lights. Here is one of the best we have seen so far. It might be a little blurry but you get the idea.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Hey Everyone!
So, I want to apologize for not making a blog for last week. There were some problems with the loan I took out for school that I had to get resolved and I didn't NEARLY have the time to write a post up. All in all, that week was pretty slow. My comp. had his toenail taken care of and we had an amazing zone conference but, really, that was about it.
This week on the other hand was fantastic! Last Friday, we took a bunch of our Recent Converts and some of our Investigators to the Mesa Temple Visitor's Center and watched the Joseph Smith movie (in Spanish of course). It was the sweetest thing ever! All of the people we took just loved it and I believe that some of the investigators the other Elders have are now really thinking about a baptismal date. All in all, it was one of the coolest experiences of my mission so far.
Saturday was a normal working day but with awesome results. Elder Bingham and I tracted into this guy named Juan and shared a scripture with him from the Book of Mormon. To fill those in who don't know, our Zone recently started a new type of tracting that has just shown a lot of success. When ever we go tocar a las puertas all we take is a copy of the Book of Mormon and some Book of Mormon pass along cards. Whenever we talk to someone, we turn to the first scripture that comes to our mind, share it, talk about it, and invite them to learn more. So far it has shown incredible results! It really has a way of sifting through those who are ready to hear and those who aren't. Alright, so back to Juan. After we shared the scripture we set up a return appointment for Monday. Not a few doors down, we did the same thing with this little black lady. She was English speaking so we referred the English elders over there and I'm not really sure how it turned out but she showed a lot of promise. That afternoon the other elders had a baptism that we went to and that night we had a dinner for El dia de accion de gracias at the church. We didn't really have any new investigators there but we did have one of our formers attend. All in all, Saturday was a very good day.
This past Sunday was by far one of the best I've had while on my mission (or at least in the mission field). We had 2 of our investigators at church, I visited with a new potential investigator for the other elders that is showing a lot of interest, and all of the classes were just really good. One of the coolest things of the day though was PEC. I took Elder Holden (he's been in the field for about a month now) to the church for him to do his first PEC. I could tell he was a bit nervous. Anyway, being the senior companion for the time I knew that I really didn't have anyone else to rely on for help if I got into a Spanish jam. When we went in for the meeting, everything just came out smoothly. It was a complete turnaround from the week before. I spoke smoothly, clearly, and I could understand virtually everything that the members of the council asked me. After myself Elder Holden gave his report and he did really well for his first time. He was a little frustrated coming out but I just simply told him not to worry about it, keep working hard, keep praying for help, and to stay confident. He is coming along really well.
Monday was a fantastic day. Elder Bingham and I did some tracting in the morning and went on splits with the Spanish AP's in the afternoon (around 4 or so). We knocked for a little bit longer and went and had dinner with Obispo and his family. After dinner, we ran over to Juan's for our lesson. I can honestly say I have never had a lesson as good as that one. Both he and his wife (and their 3 year old "jamelas") were just into the lesson. They asked questions, were excited for the Book of Mormon, and are very much set on coming to church this week (if they get back from their vacation on time). The spirit was so powerful in that living room and when we left, I felt so....indescribably happy! :) Lots of promise with them that is for sure. The rest of the night we visited with a couple of recent converts and called it good for the day.
Yesterday was also a very good day. We had a very good district meeting where we talked about diligence and our tracting techniques. We came to find out from Elder Bingham (he heard this from President) that the area that we serve in is "One area in the mission, Arizona, and in the whole United States with the most people ready to hear the gospel." This statement just pumped us up like nothing else. Right after the meeting we went a had a lesson with one of our recent converts, had lunch, then went out and tracted most of the afternoon. In the evening we met with Melissa (a fifteen year old whose mom has been kind of less active in the past but has been coming to church pretty consistently now) and taught her some of the commandments. She actually has a baptismal date next week. Her mom made us Mole, which is like a chocolate chicken stew type dish (it's pretty delicious honestly :)) After which we ran over to the ward building and had a couple of baptismal interviews for the English Elders. Needless to say, things have been going really well!
Well all, that's about it for this week. If there is one piece of advice I can give is to persevere through the rough and slow times. Don't get frustrated. Things will work out in the best way it is for us. We are promised that if we endure hard times well, Heavenly Father will bless us with innumerable blessings. I know this to be true! But, I hope that you all have a safe and fun Thanksgiving. Know that you all are always in my prayers and are loved! Hasta proximo semana, Adios!
"Fivel went west...": But didn't make it. We waged more on the mice in the Shack. We are winning to say the least. We named this little guy Fivel and buried him by Jim the Squirrel. :D
"And it came to pass..": Elder Bingham has some serious art skills so, one P-day, he decided to decorate his chair. Pretty amazing huh? I love the coming of Christ to the Nephites he drew on the side. :)
So, I want to apologize for not making a blog for last week. There were some problems with the loan I took out for school that I had to get resolved and I didn't NEARLY have the time to write a post up. All in all, that week was pretty slow. My comp. had his toenail taken care of and we had an amazing zone conference but, really, that was about it.
This week on the other hand was fantastic! Last Friday, we took a bunch of our Recent Converts and some of our Investigators to the Mesa Temple Visitor's Center and watched the Joseph Smith movie (in Spanish of course). It was the sweetest thing ever! All of the people we took just loved it and I believe that some of the investigators the other Elders have are now really thinking about a baptismal date. All in all, it was one of the coolest experiences of my mission so far.
Saturday was a normal working day but with awesome results. Elder Bingham and I tracted into this guy named Juan and shared a scripture with him from the Book of Mormon. To fill those in who don't know, our Zone recently started a new type of tracting that has just shown a lot of success. When ever we go tocar a las puertas all we take is a copy of the Book of Mormon and some Book of Mormon pass along cards. Whenever we talk to someone, we turn to the first scripture that comes to our mind, share it, talk about it, and invite them to learn more. So far it has shown incredible results! It really has a way of sifting through those who are ready to hear and those who aren't. Alright, so back to Juan. After we shared the scripture we set up a return appointment for Monday. Not a few doors down, we did the same thing with this little black lady. She was English speaking so we referred the English elders over there and I'm not really sure how it turned out but she showed a lot of promise. That afternoon the other elders had a baptism that we went to and that night we had a dinner for El dia de accion de gracias at the church. We didn't really have any new investigators there but we did have one of our formers attend. All in all, Saturday was a very good day.
This past Sunday was by far one of the best I've had while on my mission (or at least in the mission field). We had 2 of our investigators at church, I visited with a new potential investigator for the other elders that is showing a lot of interest, and all of the classes were just really good. One of the coolest things of the day though was PEC. I took Elder Holden (he's been in the field for about a month now) to the church for him to do his first PEC. I could tell he was a bit nervous. Anyway, being the senior companion for the time I knew that I really didn't have anyone else to rely on for help if I got into a Spanish jam. When we went in for the meeting, everything just came out smoothly. It was a complete turnaround from the week before. I spoke smoothly, clearly, and I could understand virtually everything that the members of the council asked me. After myself Elder Holden gave his report and he did really well for his first time. He was a little frustrated coming out but I just simply told him not to worry about it, keep working hard, keep praying for help, and to stay confident. He is coming along really well.
Monday was a fantastic day. Elder Bingham and I did some tracting in the morning and went on splits with the Spanish AP's in the afternoon (around 4 or so). We knocked for a little bit longer and went and had dinner with Obispo and his family. After dinner, we ran over to Juan's for our lesson. I can honestly say I have never had a lesson as good as that one. Both he and his wife (and their 3 year old "jamelas") were just into the lesson. They asked questions, were excited for the Book of Mormon, and are very much set on coming to church this week (if they get back from their vacation on time). The spirit was so powerful in that living room and when we left, I felt so....indescribably happy! :) Lots of promise with them that is for sure. The rest of the night we visited with a couple of recent converts and called it good for the day.
Yesterday was also a very good day. We had a very good district meeting where we talked about diligence and our tracting techniques. We came to find out from Elder Bingham (he heard this from President) that the area that we serve in is "One area in the mission, Arizona, and in the whole United States with the most people ready to hear the gospel." This statement just pumped us up like nothing else. Right after the meeting we went a had a lesson with one of our recent converts, had lunch, then went out and tracted most of the afternoon. In the evening we met with Melissa (a fifteen year old whose mom has been kind of less active in the past but has been coming to church pretty consistently now) and taught her some of the commandments. She actually has a baptismal date next week. Her mom made us Mole, which is like a chocolate chicken stew type dish (it's pretty delicious honestly :)) After which we ran over to the ward building and had a couple of baptismal interviews for the English Elders. Needless to say, things have been going really well!
Well all, that's about it for this week. If there is one piece of advice I can give is to persevere through the rough and slow times. Don't get frustrated. Things will work out in the best way it is for us. We are promised that if we endure hard times well, Heavenly Father will bless us with innumerable blessings. I know this to be true! But, I hope that you all have a safe and fun Thanksgiving. Know that you all are always in my prayers and are loved! Hasta proximo semana, Adios!
"Fivel went west...": But didn't make it. We waged more on the mice in the Shack. We are winning to say the least. We named this little guy Fivel and buried him by Jim the Squirrel. :D
"And it came to pass..": Elder Bingham has some serious art skills so, one P-day, he decided to decorate his chair. Pretty amazing huh? I love the coming of Christ to the Nephites he drew on the side. :)
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Hey Everybody!
So we had a pretty kicking week this week besides our big “0” on investigators at church. That will remain the biggest struggle we will face as spanish missionaries. It’s funny because our investigators mean well but…I don’t know how to explain it. They want to be there but they kind of wig out over something else and want to get that done before they go to church…then the next thing they know they are late…then they decide that they can’t come because they are late…then they don’t come. BUT, a lot of them are still progressing minus that one problem.
Last week, being transfer week, was incredibly busy. For one, Elder Bingham and I are no longer covering our half of the Spanish ward and an English ward. They brought down a new set of English missionaries to take control of the 2 English wards in our area. So, now we can JUST focus on Hispanics…which is incredibly nice. But, because of the new Elders, we had to spend some time orienting them to the area, the people we taught, etc. Plus, it was good for them (our investigators, RC’s, etc.) to have a little bit of closure seeing that they did become a little fond of us. :)
Even with the new area and the loss of some really good people to teach, we made up for it by finding more and progressing farther with the people we have in the spanish ward. Last Friday, Elder Bingham and I spent all day tracting…5 hours of hard core fishing. By the end of the day, we ended up teaching 18 lessons and finding 8 new investigators. One of which we stopped by to visit yesterday and his whole family became involved. Needless to say, we are pretty excited for them and are hoping that we will be able to help them come into the fold of Christ. Speaking of coming unto fold, the highlight of our week was our baptism on Saturday of Hna. Margarita Coronado-Leon. She has a pretty cool story actually. She had been coming to church 2 months before we even met her, have been teaching her for about 3 weeks, and she was baptized this past weekend. It it such a testimony to meet and teach people like her because it shows that there are those people who Heavenly Father has prepared to hear about the gospel. And, sometimes, when they aren’t found in a timely manner, Heavenly Father puts them where they can be found. I had the privileged to baptize her so….It was pretty special to me. I’m sending a couple pictures that I hope you enjoy :)
In other news, we will be having a marriage for one of our investigators either at the end of this week or at the beginning of next. For those future missionaries who are out there, MAKE SURE your investigators are married before you have the baptismal interview. AND, don’t ever assume someone is married even if they have been living together for 23 years…just saying :) But, we are pretty excited for that. However, on a sadder note, our numbers are going to take a pretty big hit this week. My companion, Elder Bingham, has had this ingrown toenail for, like, the past 10 weeks. He has been performing surgery on it for about the same amount of time (his choice of tools? Box cutter, Q-tips, some cheap manicure kit from the dollar store, and band-aids…I’m being 100% serious and have the pictures to prove it :) ) Well, it’s now bad enough that he has to have the nail removed and we are going to be in The Shack for the next 6 days or so trying to get him all healed up. Our numbers/lessons/ everything is going to be a little low this week. But, hopefully the problem will be taken care of and we can hit the ground sprinting once he is healed. Until then, it’s appointment only visits.
But, that’s all for now! I wish I had more time to write but…sadly it is gone! Know that you are all in my prayers and that your prayers offered for me are felt every day. Love you all and enjoy the pictures!
“How great shall be your joy!”-The baptism of Margarita Coronado-Leon…This was right before we performed the ordinance. I don’t think I have ever seen somebody so excited for baptism in my life :)
“The devil can appear in many forms”- Okay, so this cat is by far the most annoying animal on the face of the earth. Every morning when I am stretching and what not it trys all sorts of junk to get me to pet it…well, we got our revenge...:P
So we had a pretty kicking week this week besides our big “0” on investigators at church. That will remain the biggest struggle we will face as spanish missionaries. It’s funny because our investigators mean well but…I don’t know how to explain it. They want to be there but they kind of wig out over something else and want to get that done before they go to church…then the next thing they know they are late…then they decide that they can’t come because they are late…then they don’t come. BUT, a lot of them are still progressing minus that one problem.
Last week, being transfer week, was incredibly busy. For one, Elder Bingham and I are no longer covering our half of the Spanish ward and an English ward. They brought down a new set of English missionaries to take control of the 2 English wards in our area. So, now we can JUST focus on Hispanics…which is incredibly nice. But, because of the new Elders, we had to spend some time orienting them to the area, the people we taught, etc. Plus, it was good for them (our investigators, RC’s, etc.) to have a little bit of closure seeing that they did become a little fond of us. :)
Even with the new area and the loss of some really good people to teach, we made up for it by finding more and progressing farther with the people we have in the spanish ward. Last Friday, Elder Bingham and I spent all day tracting…5 hours of hard core fishing. By the end of the day, we ended up teaching 18 lessons and finding 8 new investigators. One of which we stopped by to visit yesterday and his whole family became involved. Needless to say, we are pretty excited for them and are hoping that we will be able to help them come into the fold of Christ. Speaking of coming unto fold, the highlight of our week was our baptism on Saturday of Hna. Margarita Coronado-Leon. She has a pretty cool story actually. She had been coming to church 2 months before we even met her, have been teaching her for about 3 weeks, and she was baptized this past weekend. It it such a testimony to meet and teach people like her because it shows that there are those people who Heavenly Father has prepared to hear about the gospel. And, sometimes, when they aren’t found in a timely manner, Heavenly Father puts them where they can be found. I had the privileged to baptize her so….It was pretty special to me. I’m sending a couple pictures that I hope you enjoy :)
In other news, we will be having a marriage for one of our investigators either at the end of this week or at the beginning of next. For those future missionaries who are out there, MAKE SURE your investigators are married before you have the baptismal interview. AND, don’t ever assume someone is married even if they have been living together for 23 years…just saying :) But, we are pretty excited for that. However, on a sadder note, our numbers are going to take a pretty big hit this week. My companion, Elder Bingham, has had this ingrown toenail for, like, the past 10 weeks. He has been performing surgery on it for about the same amount of time (his choice of tools? Box cutter, Q-tips, some cheap manicure kit from the dollar store, and band-aids…I’m being 100% serious and have the pictures to prove it :) ) Well, it’s now bad enough that he has to have the nail removed and we are going to be in The Shack for the next 6 days or so trying to get him all healed up. Our numbers/lessons/ everything is going to be a little low this week. But, hopefully the problem will be taken care of and we can hit the ground sprinting once he is healed. Until then, it’s appointment only visits.
But, that’s all for now! I wish I had more time to write but…sadly it is gone! Know that you are all in my prayers and that your prayers offered for me are felt every day. Love you all and enjoy the pictures!
“How great shall be your joy!”-The baptism of Margarita Coronado-Leon…This was right before we performed the ordinance. I don’t think I have ever seen somebody so excited for baptism in my life :)
“The devil can appear in many forms”- Okay, so this cat is by far the most annoying animal on the face of the earth. Every morning when I am stretching and what not it trys all sorts of junk to get me to pet it…well, we got our revenge...:P
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Hey Everyone!
So, I want to start out by saying this week has been really really odd. We had a really bad week for numbers, some of our investigators have just really slowed down, some have disappeared, and we are really struggling to find new people to teach. It’s been really tough. We had a whole list of referrals that we checked this past week to which none of them were interested. Our tracting has been fruitless at best and we have gotten no member referrals for the past month. The work has really slowed down here I feel. It’s kind of interesting to look back on things. For example, when we are busy with a whole lot of work we come home at the end of the day and still not be tired. It’s nice to be home but you aren’t feeling exhausted. BUT, when you are constantly struggling to find people to teach, having to hunt down investigators and, all in all, spend a lot of your time trying to do things other than teach you come home at the end of the day and feel beat on so many levels because you feel like nothing was accomplished. Things have been a little rough recently…
On a bit of a more spiritual note, I was reading in the Book of Mormon this morning before we came to e-mail. I was reading in Alma chapter 43 (I’m pretty sure) which basically starts the war chapters in Alma. I was thinking about the Nephites and how different their purpose was to that of the Lamanites. I thought about myself and started thinking about where I was and, really, where the church was in the fight against Satan. I really enjoy studying the scriptures in the morning…they give you a lot of insight on the problems that you are facing and give you a major spiritual boost during the day.
This past week, like I said was a little off it seemed like but there were definitely some good points in there. We went to go visit one of our investigators that had been struggling with reading and praying since we started teaching him. When we started talking to him about it, he said that he had been reading a little bit everyday and had been praying to know what he should do. To make a long story short, we are going to push his baptismal date back a couple of weeks but we feel that he is doing really well and will be ready when his day comes. In other good news, we found out a couple of days ago that one of our recent converts (her name is Gina and she’s about 22) has decided to start saving up for a mission and is hoping that she’ll be able to go on one in the near future. Last big piece of good news, we have a baptism this coming Saturday of a sister in our spanish ward. I’ll actually be the one performing the baptism so I’m a little nervous but am really excited none the less! I’ll be sure to post some pictures for everyone to see.
In other news, transfers are this week but I will be staying in my area for another 6 weeks. I was a little nervous that I would be leaving but am relieved to know that I’ll be here for a little bit longer. We do have 3 or 4 investigators that are close to baptism right now and I would like to see them before I leave. But, that’s really about it for this week. Thank you for all the prayers you all have offered in my behalf. They have really been felt these past couple of weeks and have been giving more some strength and support…especially on the most difficult days. Your love and support mean a lot to me! Well, until next week my friends. Know that YOU all are in my prayers and that you are loved!
“Tractin’ in a dry and barren land”- I shined all of my shoes a couple of weeks ago (right before interviews I think). This was one of my tracting shoes right before I polished it. The picture doesn’t do it justice…This guy was full of dust, dirt, little rocks, the WORKS!
“This is how they roll”- The Mexican people (some at least) are real big pack rats. We followed this guy and were a little afraid that that bed was going to fall and just kill us dead. We survived!
So, I want to start out by saying this week has been really really odd. We had a really bad week for numbers, some of our investigators have just really slowed down, some have disappeared, and we are really struggling to find new people to teach. It’s been really tough. We had a whole list of referrals that we checked this past week to which none of them were interested. Our tracting has been fruitless at best and we have gotten no member referrals for the past month. The work has really slowed down here I feel. It’s kind of interesting to look back on things. For example, when we are busy with a whole lot of work we come home at the end of the day and still not be tired. It’s nice to be home but you aren’t feeling exhausted. BUT, when you are constantly struggling to find people to teach, having to hunt down investigators and, all in all, spend a lot of your time trying to do things other than teach you come home at the end of the day and feel beat on so many levels because you feel like nothing was accomplished. Things have been a little rough recently…
On a bit of a more spiritual note, I was reading in the Book of Mormon this morning before we came to e-mail. I was reading in Alma chapter 43 (I’m pretty sure) which basically starts the war chapters in Alma. I was thinking about the Nephites and how different their purpose was to that of the Lamanites. I thought about myself and started thinking about where I was and, really, where the church was in the fight against Satan. I really enjoy studying the scriptures in the morning…they give you a lot of insight on the problems that you are facing and give you a major spiritual boost during the day.
This past week, like I said was a little off it seemed like but there were definitely some good points in there. We went to go visit one of our investigators that had been struggling with reading and praying since we started teaching him. When we started talking to him about it, he said that he had been reading a little bit everyday and had been praying to know what he should do. To make a long story short, we are going to push his baptismal date back a couple of weeks but we feel that he is doing really well and will be ready when his day comes. In other good news, we found out a couple of days ago that one of our recent converts (her name is Gina and she’s about 22) has decided to start saving up for a mission and is hoping that she’ll be able to go on one in the near future. Last big piece of good news, we have a baptism this coming Saturday of a sister in our spanish ward. I’ll actually be the one performing the baptism so I’m a little nervous but am really excited none the less! I’ll be sure to post some pictures for everyone to see.
In other news, transfers are this week but I will be staying in my area for another 6 weeks. I was a little nervous that I would be leaving but am relieved to know that I’ll be here for a little bit longer. We do have 3 or 4 investigators that are close to baptism right now and I would like to see them before I leave. But, that’s really about it for this week. Thank you for all the prayers you all have offered in my behalf. They have really been felt these past couple of weeks and have been giving more some strength and support…especially on the most difficult days. Your love and support mean a lot to me! Well, until next week my friends. Know that YOU all are in my prayers and that you are loved!
“Tractin’ in a dry and barren land”- I shined all of my shoes a couple of weeks ago (right before interviews I think). This was one of my tracting shoes right before I polished it. The picture doesn’t do it justice…This guy was full of dust, dirt, little rocks, the WORKS!
“This is how they roll”- The Mexican people (some at least) are real big pack rats. We followed this guy and were a little afraid that that bed was going to fall and just kill us dead. We survived!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Hey Everyone!
So, once again, another week has come and gone. It seems like a day ago when I was here writing last weeks blog. I’m pleased to say that I have a little more time that last week so I’ll try and update a little more on what’s been going on.
This week was a very interesting one. For the most part it was really good but I definitely had one of the lowest points of my mission so far. Starting off with last Thursday. Elder Bingham and I got a phone call from Obispo Rivera (our Spanish ward) in which he had asked one of us to speak. Me, being the Junior Companion and the one with the phone, talked to him, got the topic and hung up thinking that I’ll let Elder Bingham know that HE was going to be the one speaking. Little to my knowledge, the moment I said “Obispo wants one of us to speak on Sunday” I get Elder Bingham’s “Sounds to me like you are going to do a great job” smile. I’ll admit, I was a little upset mainly because I already felt weighed down with about 8 million other things I wanted to get done and also I didn’t feel that my language abilities would permit me to do such a “hard” task (the funny thing is, I’m one of those people that likes to speak and really don’t get nervous but, this would be the first time I would have to give a talk in spanish). So, I called Obispo back, let him know that I was going to be the one speaking, then got to work on preparing the beast. I took 2 days of Personal study then about an hour Sunday morning to put the finishing touches to get it done. Sunday when I was called to the stand to speak, I seriously got hard-core SCARED! However, when I got up to the podium, I did my little introduction then started speaking. I think I used a third of what I had planned to say and looked at my paper maybe 3 or 4 times during the whole thing. It was such a powerful testimony to me that I am on the Lord’s errand and that, if I simply exercise my faith in him, he is going to sustain me when I need it the most. The talk went well and I sat down just feeling really relieved that it was over. The best part of it was Hector, one of our Recent Converts, looked at me, stuck his hand out and said “Muy bien mi amigo. Muy Bien.” That was something really special.
It’s interesting how the gospel works. Really, the principles that we teach as missionaries are quite simple. In fact, most EVERY aspect of the gospel is really simple. The trick is to not be like the children of Isreal and lose our faith because a solution is so simple. Really, if we need guidance all we need to do is pray then search the scriptures for the answer. If we are trying to help someone, we can pray and fast for them. If we are in need of help, all it takes is exercising our faith in Heavenly Father, being obedient to the covenants that we’ve made, and he will bless us with what we need. It may not come in the time frame we think it needs to come but it will come when Heavenly Father sees fit for him to give it to us.
I hit a really low point this past Saturday. We had gone over to one of the Spanish members homes for dinner (to which we were on time) and had dinner. Afterward, we were talking and she had brought up that we were really early to dinner. We told her that we were there on time. We then got into a little bit of a “discussion” about Hispanic time (to which I was well aware that in the Hispanic culture, there really are no set appointments) and I made the comment that we are missionaries and that we are supposed to be punctual. Anyway, as we were leaving she came right up to me and said “You need to stop being so prideful. You are a missionary and you are supposed to be humble.” She turned to Elder Bingham and said (in Spanish as if I wouldn’t understand) and said “You need to pray to have a lot of patience with him.” After which, she turned to me and said “Just remember that you are here to learn from him, to learn from the people, and that, right now, you don’t know anything.” Elder Bingham jumped in and mentioned that I was speaking in church on Sunday to which she responded by patting me on the back and telling me again that “I didn’t know anything.” This was extremely hard for me to face, especially at the moment that I was facing it. I have tried not to make too much of a mention of this in my blogs because I’ve wanted to keep them filled with all the positive experiences I’ve had but I had really been struggling with myself for the past couple of weeks leading up to this point. And, at that moment, the camel’s back broke and I just broke down. I had felt like I was failing. I was losing the trust of the members, I just…I was really low. That night we got back to the shack and I went outside and just sat and thought for about 45 minutes. I can’t really explain what happened but, when I got up I felt so much better. I was at peace about the whole situation and I had honestly forgiven her for the things that she had said. Since then, I have had a much more positive outlook on the things that I do know and know that, with time, I will be able to speak fluently, understand what people are saying to me, and will be able to teach in a way that Heavenly Father needs me to. So, there’s the experience of the week for you.
In other news, we have a baptism scheduled for Next Saturday, for which Elder Bingham and I are really excited for. We are continually being blessed down here and are doing our best to keep up with the work that we have. That and Halloween is this week so, whatever your plans maybe, please be safe and smart!
Well, my time is up for the week. Thank you again for all the prayers and support. They are felt Know that you all are loved, missed, and are always in my prayers. So, until next week, ADIOS! :D
So, once again, another week has come and gone. It seems like a day ago when I was here writing last weeks blog. I’m pleased to say that I have a little more time that last week so I’ll try and update a little more on what’s been going on.
This week was a very interesting one. For the most part it was really good but I definitely had one of the lowest points of my mission so far. Starting off with last Thursday. Elder Bingham and I got a phone call from Obispo Rivera (our Spanish ward) in which he had asked one of us to speak. Me, being the Junior Companion and the one with the phone, talked to him, got the topic and hung up thinking that I’ll let Elder Bingham know that HE was going to be the one speaking. Little to my knowledge, the moment I said “Obispo wants one of us to speak on Sunday” I get Elder Bingham’s “Sounds to me like you are going to do a great job” smile. I’ll admit, I was a little upset mainly because I already felt weighed down with about 8 million other things I wanted to get done and also I didn’t feel that my language abilities would permit me to do such a “hard” task (the funny thing is, I’m one of those people that likes to speak and really don’t get nervous but, this would be the first time I would have to give a talk in spanish). So, I called Obispo back, let him know that I was going to be the one speaking, then got to work on preparing the beast. I took 2 days of Personal study then about an hour Sunday morning to put the finishing touches to get it done. Sunday when I was called to the stand to speak, I seriously got hard-core SCARED! However, when I got up to the podium, I did my little introduction then started speaking. I think I used a third of what I had planned to say and looked at my paper maybe 3 or 4 times during the whole thing. It was such a powerful testimony to me that I am on the Lord’s errand and that, if I simply exercise my faith in him, he is going to sustain me when I need it the most. The talk went well and I sat down just feeling really relieved that it was over. The best part of it was Hector, one of our Recent Converts, looked at me, stuck his hand out and said “Muy bien mi amigo. Muy Bien.” That was something really special.
It’s interesting how the gospel works. Really, the principles that we teach as missionaries are quite simple. In fact, most EVERY aspect of the gospel is really simple. The trick is to not be like the children of Isreal and lose our faith because a solution is so simple. Really, if we need guidance all we need to do is pray then search the scriptures for the answer. If we are trying to help someone, we can pray and fast for them. If we are in need of help, all it takes is exercising our faith in Heavenly Father, being obedient to the covenants that we’ve made, and he will bless us with what we need. It may not come in the time frame we think it needs to come but it will come when Heavenly Father sees fit for him to give it to us.
I hit a really low point this past Saturday. We had gone over to one of the Spanish members homes for dinner (to which we were on time) and had dinner. Afterward, we were talking and she had brought up that we were really early to dinner. We told her that we were there on time. We then got into a little bit of a “discussion” about Hispanic time (to which I was well aware that in the Hispanic culture, there really are no set appointments) and I made the comment that we are missionaries and that we are supposed to be punctual. Anyway, as we were leaving she came right up to me and said “You need to stop being so prideful. You are a missionary and you are supposed to be humble.” She turned to Elder Bingham and said (in Spanish as if I wouldn’t understand) and said “You need to pray to have a lot of patience with him.” After which, she turned to me and said “Just remember that you are here to learn from him, to learn from the people, and that, right now, you don’t know anything.” Elder Bingham jumped in and mentioned that I was speaking in church on Sunday to which she responded by patting me on the back and telling me again that “I didn’t know anything.” This was extremely hard for me to face, especially at the moment that I was facing it. I have tried not to make too much of a mention of this in my blogs because I’ve wanted to keep them filled with all the positive experiences I’ve had but I had really been struggling with myself for the past couple of weeks leading up to this point. And, at that moment, the camel’s back broke and I just broke down. I had felt like I was failing. I was losing the trust of the members, I just…I was really low. That night we got back to the shack and I went outside and just sat and thought for about 45 minutes. I can’t really explain what happened but, when I got up I felt so much better. I was at peace about the whole situation and I had honestly forgiven her for the things that she had said. Since then, I have had a much more positive outlook on the things that I do know and know that, with time, I will be able to speak fluently, understand what people are saying to me, and will be able to teach in a way that Heavenly Father needs me to. So, there’s the experience of the week for you.
In other news, we have a baptism scheduled for Next Saturday, for which Elder Bingham and I are really excited for. We are continually being blessed down here and are doing our best to keep up with the work that we have. That and Halloween is this week so, whatever your plans maybe, please be safe and smart!
Well, my time is up for the week. Thank you again for all the prayers and support. They are felt Know that you all are loved, missed, and are always in my prayers. So, until next week, ADIOS! :D
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Blog Post
Hey Everybody!
So, this week was full of ups and downs. Last week we met our 20 lessons taught-10 tracting hours-2 Recent Convert/Less Active lessons which is always nice to meet. But, we had 3 of our investigators come to church out of the 10 we have been teaching. It’s really interesting how Sunday’s change over time. In high school Sunday’s were a day that were kind of dreaded because there was school the next day but it was way nice because you didn’t really do anything but go to church. In college, Sundays were filled with meetings (at least for me) but were incredibly good to have. In the mission it is completely different. Sunday’s are by far the most frustrating and hardest working day of the week. Frustrating because, more often than not, your investigators find some excuse not to come to church so then you have to go find out what happened, talk to them about it..It goes on. It’s the hardest working day because it starts an extra ½ hour early, church meetings from 7 am to about 4:30 pm then you spend the rest of the day tracking down investigators and teaching until about 9:00 pm. Needless to say, it isn’t hard to fall asleep on a Sunday night.
On the brighter side though, Sunday’s are really rewarding because even one investigator at church is a success. It’s one of the coolest feelings seeing someone you are teaching, not a member of the church, go to church and just love it. Gosh it’s AWESOME!
This week has also been filled with lots of progress with our investigators. We are just so blessed down here in Montana Del Sur. There are so many people that are just waiting to have what we teach. Elder Bingham and I almost don’t have enough “good” time (I’ll explain what I mean) in the day to visit everyone. Now, “Good” Time is the time that we teach from about 11:00 am to about 5:00 p.m. (About dinner time) Anytime from about 6:00 is a pretty good time too. But, the time from 7:00 to 9:00 is just a devil to fill up. Mostly because people don’t want to be taught that late, we can’t go tracting ANYWHERE because it’s dark and late, and we can’t really visit anyone without an appointment. So, we’ve really been struggling to find a way to fill that last bit of time. We’ll figure it out eventually but for now it’s just a real pain. But for now we’ll take what we have. Elder Bingham and I have 6 baptisms planned for next month so we’ll see what happens!
In other news, we had interviews yesterday with President Beck. Mine lasted about a minute and a half. Just really fast. But, it’s probably a good thing that it is short and not have any problems than have it be long and have things to discuss. I don’t know, they will probably get longer as my time here grows. Oh, and I feel I need to clarify the picture of my shower. That shower is not in the house but is outside in a little shed. We don’t use the shower in the house for 2 reasons: 1) The drain doesn’t work really well and; 2) It’s more disgusting looking than the one outside. The outside shower is made out of concrete with gray paint over it. There is no mold, there are leaves, scorpions, and spiders sometimes, and YES I do wear sandals. So, no worries. In all honesty, I have had some of the best showers in that thing (Better than the MTC showers I think). But, just to clarify any concerns that you all may have.
But, that’s it for this week! I’ll try and send some pictures next week. I hope that all is well and remember that you all are loved and are in my prayers!
So, this week was full of ups and downs. Last week we met our 20 lessons taught-10 tracting hours-2 Recent Convert/Less Active lessons which is always nice to meet. But, we had 3 of our investigators come to church out of the 10 we have been teaching. It’s really interesting how Sunday’s change over time. In high school Sunday’s were a day that were kind of dreaded because there was school the next day but it was way nice because you didn’t really do anything but go to church. In college, Sundays were filled with meetings (at least for me) but were incredibly good to have. In the mission it is completely different. Sunday’s are by far the most frustrating and hardest working day of the week. Frustrating because, more often than not, your investigators find some excuse not to come to church so then you have to go find out what happened, talk to them about it..It goes on. It’s the hardest working day because it starts an extra ½ hour early, church meetings from 7 am to about 4:30 pm then you spend the rest of the day tracking down investigators and teaching until about 9:00 pm. Needless to say, it isn’t hard to fall asleep on a Sunday night.
On the brighter side though, Sunday’s are really rewarding because even one investigator at church is a success. It’s one of the coolest feelings seeing someone you are teaching, not a member of the church, go to church and just love it. Gosh it’s AWESOME!
This week has also been filled with lots of progress with our investigators. We are just so blessed down here in Montana Del Sur. There are so many people that are just waiting to have what we teach. Elder Bingham and I almost don’t have enough “good” time (I’ll explain what I mean) in the day to visit everyone. Now, “Good” Time is the time that we teach from about 11:00 am to about 5:00 p.m. (About dinner time) Anytime from about 6:00 is a pretty good time too. But, the time from 7:00 to 9:00 is just a devil to fill up. Mostly because people don’t want to be taught that late, we can’t go tracting ANYWHERE because it’s dark and late, and we can’t really visit anyone without an appointment. So, we’ve really been struggling to find a way to fill that last bit of time. We’ll figure it out eventually but for now it’s just a real pain. But for now we’ll take what we have. Elder Bingham and I have 6 baptisms planned for next month so we’ll see what happens!
In other news, we had interviews yesterday with President Beck. Mine lasted about a minute and a half. Just really fast. But, it’s probably a good thing that it is short and not have any problems than have it be long and have things to discuss. I don’t know, they will probably get longer as my time here grows. Oh, and I feel I need to clarify the picture of my shower. That shower is not in the house but is outside in a little shed. We don’t use the shower in the house for 2 reasons: 1) The drain doesn’t work really well and; 2) It’s more disgusting looking than the one outside. The outside shower is made out of concrete with gray paint over it. There is no mold, there are leaves, scorpions, and spiders sometimes, and YES I do wear sandals. So, no worries. In all honesty, I have had some of the best showers in that thing (Better than the MTC showers I think). But, just to clarify any concerns that you all may have.
But, that’s it for this week! I’ll try and send some pictures next week. I hope that all is well and remember that you all are loved and are in my prayers!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Hey All!
So, the week…It was rough. It just kind of seemed that all the investigators we had just hit a HUGE wall and slowed WAY down. Two investigators we were going to commit to baptism are now on the verge of being dropped. Another investigator with a baptismal date wants to move it back another 3 weeks. One investigator that we thought was REALLY ready didn’t come to church so now we have to move her date back. Our recent convert of a month is struggling with the “church is more important than work” thing (at least that is what it seems like)…So, it was a tough struggle. To add to the mix, my companion and I only had, like, 2 or so hours of tracting for the whole week last week (our goal was 10) so, yeah, pretty crazy. It’s interesting though because it really humbles you and makes you realize that there is more that you can be doing. Plus, it really makes you remember that this is Heavenly Father’s work and you simply have to follow the guidelines and schedule he has set for your investigators and for you. The important thing (and the hardest thing I fought this week) is to not get discouraged because that is exactly what Satan needs us to do before he can work is magic. My companion said something pretty profound on Sunday when we were trying to contact all of our investigators. He said, “Satan works EXTRA hard on Sundays to try and prevent our investigators from progressing. So, that just means that we need to work even harder.” It’s simple but, really means a lot when referring to missionary work. Satan knows that the message we have will bring massive amounts of blessings into the lives of those who accept it. He is going to do everything in his power to make sure that our investigators will never achieve them. All we can do is be strictly obedient, exercise our faith in Heavenly Father, and keep pressing forward (even when you feel like nothing is going right).
On a happier note however, it is possible to overcome Satan’s “darts”. I actually had the opportunity to witness that this past Saturday. I had my first baptism of the mission! It was a little girl named Jackie (she was about 9) and the service was something really special. Pretty much her WHOLE family was there, I was able to speak on the Holy Ghost, and Elder Bingham and I sang “Senor, Te Necesito” as a special musical number. One of the best parts of the whole thing was we had one of our investigators there at the baptism. He liked it a lot and I am pretty sure that he is pretty excited for his own on the 7th of next month. This was a huge milestone for us…especially in such a tough week.
In other news, we went on splits with our Zone Leaders yesterday, so that was pretty fun (and extremely tiring) and the weather is just fantastic. We hit about 90 degrees on average with a cool 75 or so in the mornings (which makes running really nice ). That and we have collected enough change off the sidewalk from tracting to go get a pair of socks from the dollar store (which are pretty nice if I do say so myself). So, there are some exciting things going down in South Phoenix!! But, I am out of time for this week. Remember that you all are always in my prayers and I hope that you enjoy the pictures!!
“The Shack”-Complete with scorpions, Black widows, and numerous “hormigas”, the shack is my home for this transfer (the place rocks)
“Weekly Planning”-After a hard days work…Weekly planning just ended in song lyrics.
“Sunsets and long walks on the…streets”-We were tracting a couple of days ago and this is what we saw. Pretty tight right?
“I will go the distance”-Last P-day, Elder Bingham and I went on a hike up South Mountain in South Phoenix. We stopped to get a couple of snapshots.
“Yum”- We were really busy one day but our dinner appointment decided to feed us anyway. It definitely beats cereal!
“Fruits of our Labors”-This is Jackie and some of her family. My companion performed the baptism and I spoke. This was a special day…People are ready so let’s go out and find them!
So, the week…It was rough. It just kind of seemed that all the investigators we had just hit a HUGE wall and slowed WAY down. Two investigators we were going to commit to baptism are now on the verge of being dropped. Another investigator with a baptismal date wants to move it back another 3 weeks. One investigator that we thought was REALLY ready didn’t come to church so now we have to move her date back. Our recent convert of a month is struggling with the “church is more important than work” thing (at least that is what it seems like)…So, it was a tough struggle. To add to the mix, my companion and I only had, like, 2 or so hours of tracting for the whole week last week (our goal was 10) so, yeah, pretty crazy. It’s interesting though because it really humbles you and makes you realize that there is more that you can be doing. Plus, it really makes you remember that this is Heavenly Father’s work and you simply have to follow the guidelines and schedule he has set for your investigators and for you. The important thing (and the hardest thing I fought this week) is to not get discouraged because that is exactly what Satan needs us to do before he can work is magic. My companion said something pretty profound on Sunday when we were trying to contact all of our investigators. He said, “Satan works EXTRA hard on Sundays to try and prevent our investigators from progressing. So, that just means that we need to work even harder.” It’s simple but, really means a lot when referring to missionary work. Satan knows that the message we have will bring massive amounts of blessings into the lives of those who accept it. He is going to do everything in his power to make sure that our investigators will never achieve them. All we can do is be strictly obedient, exercise our faith in Heavenly Father, and keep pressing forward (even when you feel like nothing is going right).
On a happier note however, it is possible to overcome Satan’s “darts”. I actually had the opportunity to witness that this past Saturday. I had my first baptism of the mission! It was a little girl named Jackie (she was about 9) and the service was something really special. Pretty much her WHOLE family was there, I was able to speak on the Holy Ghost, and Elder Bingham and I sang “Senor, Te Necesito” as a special musical number. One of the best parts of the whole thing was we had one of our investigators there at the baptism. He liked it a lot and I am pretty sure that he is pretty excited for his own on the 7th of next month. This was a huge milestone for us…especially in such a tough week.
In other news, we went on splits with our Zone Leaders yesterday, so that was pretty fun (and extremely tiring) and the weather is just fantastic. We hit about 90 degrees on average with a cool 75 or so in the mornings (which makes running really nice ). That and we have collected enough change off the sidewalk from tracting to go get a pair of socks from the dollar store (which are pretty nice if I do say so myself). So, there are some exciting things going down in South Phoenix!! But, I am out of time for this week. Remember that you all are always in my prayers and I hope that you enjoy the pictures!!
“The Shack”-Complete with scorpions, Black widows, and numerous “hormigas”, the shack is my home for this transfer (the place rocks)
“Weekly Planning”-After a hard days work…Weekly planning just ended in song lyrics.
“Sunsets and long walks on the…streets”-We were tracting a couple of days ago and this is what we saw. Pretty tight right?
“I will go the distance”-Last P-day, Elder Bingham and I went on a hike up South Mountain in South Phoenix. We stopped to get a couple of snapshots.
“Yum”- We were really busy one day but our dinner appointment decided to feed us anyway. It definitely beats cereal!
“Fruits of our Labors”-This is Jackie and some of her family. My companion performed the baptism and I spoke. This was a special day…People are ready so let’s go out and find them!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Past Week
Hey everybody!
So, this week has just been a fantastic week. The area I am in is just on fire! Heavenly Father has really blessed us this week. As of now, we have 3 investigators with a baptismal date, hopefully 8 or so more by the end of this week, and we are finding someone new every day. One of our baptismal date investigators actually has a cool story I want to share. Last Monday, Elder Bingham and I were tracting on a road named Romely Ave. when we came across this lady working in her flower beds. We offered to help her (which she kindly declined) but then started doing the missionary thing and talked to her a little bit about the church. During the course of our discussion (which lasted about 25 minutes or so) she had said that she was really at a point in her life that she was questioning the Catholic faith and wasn't really sure what to make of her life any more. She said that everything just seemed like so lost and there really wasn't any guidance anymore. So, we told her what we had to offer her, set up a return appointment, and went on our merry way, just excited for the future. At our next appointment, we taught her about the Restoration of the Gospel, told her about baptism, and asked her if that was something that she would be interested in, to which she excitedly replied "Yes" and set a date for the 24th of this month! It was such a testimony to me that there are definitely the Elect out there, waiting for this message and waiting for the hope it can bring into our lives. It's so awesome to be a missionary and see how Heavenly Father puts you in the path of those that need this message. I just love it!!
On other news, General Conference was just amazing this past weekend!!! I loved Elder Holland's talk and would encourage anyone who hasn't watched it to watch it when it comes available. It will strengthen anyones testimony of the gospel, hands down. We also had Zone conference yesterday (which was uplifting) and got new cell phones!! Woot Woot!! :) It was really exciting.
Lastly, P-day today...It Was AWESOME!!! Elder Bingham and I decided to take a hike up South Mountain (just a mountain on the southern part of Phoenix) to the look out point and check out the valley. We started about 11:30, made it to the top at about noon 30, then started to walk down. Well, we actually wandered from the trail to walk down this cool dry creek bed thing. To make a long story short, instead of hiking the trail, we trailblazed and climbed down the mountain. Boulders, cactus, lizards, sand, you name it, we went through it. It was awesome.
But, my friends, I need to head out. Groceries are calling. I'll send pictures of my endeavors next week so they can go up. Remember that I love you all and hope to hear from you all in the near future. The mailbox has been a little empty for the past while :( Love you all and take care!!
Elder Andrew Bryce Klemme
18001 N. 79th Ave Ste. C50
Glendale, AZ 85308
So, this week has just been a fantastic week. The area I am in is just on fire! Heavenly Father has really blessed us this week. As of now, we have 3 investigators with a baptismal date, hopefully 8 or so more by the end of this week, and we are finding someone new every day. One of our baptismal date investigators actually has a cool story I want to share. Last Monday, Elder Bingham and I were tracting on a road named Romely Ave. when we came across this lady working in her flower beds. We offered to help her (which she kindly declined) but then started doing the missionary thing and talked to her a little bit about the church. During the course of our discussion (which lasted about 25 minutes or so) she had said that she was really at a point in her life that she was questioning the Catholic faith and wasn't really sure what to make of her life any more. She said that everything just seemed like so lost and there really wasn't any guidance anymore. So, we told her what we had to offer her, set up a return appointment, and went on our merry way, just excited for the future. At our next appointment, we taught her about the Restoration of the Gospel, told her about baptism, and asked her if that was something that she would be interested in, to which she excitedly replied "Yes" and set a date for the 24th of this month! It was such a testimony to me that there are definitely the Elect out there, waiting for this message and waiting for the hope it can bring into our lives. It's so awesome to be a missionary and see how Heavenly Father puts you in the path of those that need this message. I just love it!!
On other news, General Conference was just amazing this past weekend!!! I loved Elder Holland's talk and would encourage anyone who hasn't watched it to watch it when it comes available. It will strengthen anyones testimony of the gospel, hands down. We also had Zone conference yesterday (which was uplifting) and got new cell phones!! Woot Woot!! :) It was really exciting.
Lastly, P-day today...It Was AWESOME!!! Elder Bingham and I decided to take a hike up South Mountain (just a mountain on the southern part of Phoenix) to the look out point and check out the valley. We started about 11:30, made it to the top at about noon 30, then started to walk down. Well, we actually wandered from the trail to walk down this cool dry creek bed thing. To make a long story short, instead of hiking the trail, we trailblazed and climbed down the mountain. Boulders, cactus, lizards, sand, you name it, we went through it. It was awesome.
But, my friends, I need to head out. Groceries are calling. I'll send pictures of my endeavors next week so they can go up. Remember that I love you all and hope to hear from you all in the near future. The mailbox has been a little empty for the past while :( Love you all and take care!!
Elder Andrew Bryce Klemme
18001 N. 79th Ave Ste. C50
Glendale, AZ 85308
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
I'm alive!
Hola Everybody!
Here it is! My first blog post while in Arizona! Seeing that I wasn’t able to write a post for last week, I figured I would just go in order of events starting with my final week in the MTC.
So, my last week at the MTC was sort of crazy (in all honesty). I really realized how much I still had to learn before I left for the mission field but ALSO realized that I no longer had the time to do it. Most of the week was spent teaching lessons, reviewing grammer, asking crazy questions, and packing. The members of my zone sang “Hasta Ver” on Sunday night for those of us who were leaving and I was blessed to spend my last night in the MTC with Elder’s Barton and Fife. It was incredibly nice. Then, last Tuesday at 6:00 AM, we departed from the MTC and were out in the real world for the first time in 2 months. It was a little weird but incredibly awesome at the same time. Our plane flew out of Salt Lake at 9:30 and we landed in Phoenix at around 11 AM Arizona Time. From there, my life as a full time missionary really hit the ground running.
We were greeted by President and Sister Beck, the 2 English speaking AP’s and the 2 Spanish Speaking AP’s. It was so crazy to see President and Sister Beck in person!! We snapped pictures, grabbed our luggage, then headed off to the mission home. IMMEDIATELY we knew we weren’t in Utah anymore. There was no grass, cactus’ everywhere, and it was warm! Anyway, the rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Spent the night there in the mission home and had a fun filled afternoon filled with Orientation presentations (vehicles, finances, health…all that smooth jazz.) The following day, we went to the transfer building and were FINALLY assigned to our trainers and areas. My trainer happened to be Elder Bingham. He’s been out in the field for about 4 months now and is our district leader. Together, he and I cover the Montana del Sur (Oeste)/Vineyard areas. This happens to be the southernmost area in our mission and one of the most “on fire” according to President Beck.
As for the past week…well, we’ve been incredibly busy. We have about 12 investigators that we are currently teaching 5 that are really close to a baptismal date, 2 with a baptismal date and, just in the few days we’ve been here, have found about 8 NEW investigators, a couple of which Elder Bingham and I are really excited about. Things here are just going fantastically. The work is on fire, our investigators are just incredible, and the 2 wards we cover are just great. I feel so blessed to be in this area at this time and to have the companion that I have. I really could NEVER ask for more.
But, on a more spiritual note, this week has definitely been a struggle, especially with the language. I have discovered 2 consistent qualities with the people here:
1-They talk about 5,000 words a minute
2-They talk everyone of those words with the mouths half or a fourth open, making it really difficult to understand.
But, Heavenly Father has really helped and supported me this past week. I’m blessed enough to have a companion that knows the area really well, has really good spanish, and is extremely patient and encouraging. Heavenly Father gives us so many incredible blessings in our life. I’ve really seen the influencing power of the Holy Ghost since I’ve been here. In the lessons that we’ve taught to our investigators, I see a fire and a hunger in their eyes for the knowledge that we have. They are all trying so hard to obtain the happiness that this gospel brings. I also see that same happiness in the 3 recent converts that we have. They just…Are so POWERFUL!! Their testimony is so strong and their desire to learn more is just fantastic. There are people out there in the world that are truly ready for this message and for the blessings it brings. I know it will change peoples lives if they choose to follow it’s principles. Christ is our Savior, they Holy Ghost is real, the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and if we decide to follow the Savior’s example and accept this gospel, we will be blessed beyond measure.
Well, that’s it for this week. Hope everyone is ok. As for my address, ALL mail is to go to the mission home where it will be forwarded to us so, here’s the address:
Elder Andrew Bryce Klemme
18001 N. 79th Ave Ste. C50
Glendale, AZ 85308
If by chance you are sending a package, DON’T send it via UPS, Fedex, etc. because they can’t be forwarded to us. Hope to hear from you all soon. Remember that I love you all and you are always in my prayers!
BYU 94th Elders (We got all the Elders from the BYU 94th ward that were in the MTC to get a picture together. It was pretty sweet! )
“Be Clean” (Our shower…that happens to be outside. Tight right? :D)
Here it is! My first blog post while in Arizona! Seeing that I wasn’t able to write a post for last week, I figured I would just go in order of events starting with my final week in the MTC.
So, my last week at the MTC was sort of crazy (in all honesty). I really realized how much I still had to learn before I left for the mission field but ALSO realized that I no longer had the time to do it. Most of the week was spent teaching lessons, reviewing grammer, asking crazy questions, and packing. The members of my zone sang “Hasta Ver” on Sunday night for those of us who were leaving and I was blessed to spend my last night in the MTC with Elder’s Barton and Fife. It was incredibly nice. Then, last Tuesday at 6:00 AM, we departed from the MTC and were out in the real world for the first time in 2 months. It was a little weird but incredibly awesome at the same time. Our plane flew out of Salt Lake at 9:30 and we landed in Phoenix at around 11 AM Arizona Time. From there, my life as a full time missionary really hit the ground running.
We were greeted by President and Sister Beck, the 2 English speaking AP’s and the 2 Spanish Speaking AP’s. It was so crazy to see President and Sister Beck in person!! We snapped pictures, grabbed our luggage, then headed off to the mission home. IMMEDIATELY we knew we weren’t in Utah anymore. There was no grass, cactus’ everywhere, and it was warm! Anyway, the rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Spent the night there in the mission home and had a fun filled afternoon filled with Orientation presentations (vehicles, finances, health…all that smooth jazz.) The following day, we went to the transfer building and were FINALLY assigned to our trainers and areas. My trainer happened to be Elder Bingham. He’s been out in the field for about 4 months now and is our district leader. Together, he and I cover the Montana del Sur (Oeste)/Vineyard areas. This happens to be the southernmost area in our mission and one of the most “on fire” according to President Beck.
As for the past week…well, we’ve been incredibly busy. We have about 12 investigators that we are currently teaching 5 that are really close to a baptismal date, 2 with a baptismal date and, just in the few days we’ve been here, have found about 8 NEW investigators, a couple of which Elder Bingham and I are really excited about. Things here are just going fantastically. The work is on fire, our investigators are just incredible, and the 2 wards we cover are just great. I feel so blessed to be in this area at this time and to have the companion that I have. I really could NEVER ask for more.
But, on a more spiritual note, this week has definitely been a struggle, especially with the language. I have discovered 2 consistent qualities with the people here:
1-They talk about 5,000 words a minute
2-They talk everyone of those words with the mouths half or a fourth open, making it really difficult to understand.
But, Heavenly Father has really helped and supported me this past week. I’m blessed enough to have a companion that knows the area really well, has really good spanish, and is extremely patient and encouraging. Heavenly Father gives us so many incredible blessings in our life. I’ve really seen the influencing power of the Holy Ghost since I’ve been here. In the lessons that we’ve taught to our investigators, I see a fire and a hunger in their eyes for the knowledge that we have. They are all trying so hard to obtain the happiness that this gospel brings. I also see that same happiness in the 3 recent converts that we have. They just…Are so POWERFUL!! Their testimony is so strong and their desire to learn more is just fantastic. There are people out there in the world that are truly ready for this message and for the blessings it brings. I know it will change peoples lives if they choose to follow it’s principles. Christ is our Savior, they Holy Ghost is real, the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and if we decide to follow the Savior’s example and accept this gospel, we will be blessed beyond measure.
Well, that’s it for this week. Hope everyone is ok. As for my address, ALL mail is to go to the mission home where it will be forwarded to us so, here’s the address:
Elder Andrew Bryce Klemme
18001 N. 79th Ave Ste. C50
Glendale, AZ 85308
If by chance you are sending a package, DON’T send it via UPS, Fedex, etc. because they can’t be forwarded to us. Hope to hear from you all soon. Remember that I love you all and you are always in my prayers!
BYU 94th Elders (We got all the Elders from the BYU 94th ward that were in the MTC to get a picture together. It was pretty sweet! )
“Be Clean” (Our shower…that happens to be outside. Tight right? :D)
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Final MTC Blog!!
So, everybody, my time at the MTC has finally come to an end. As of last Thursday, I am scheduled to leave for Phoenix on TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 22ND 2009 @ 9:30 AM!!! I'm so incredibly excited to be heading out. Goodness, time has gone by so fast and I've learned so much while I've been here. I can't believe that I'm about to do the real thing. I was talking to the other elders in my room going to Arizona and we all thought it was way weird that, in one week, we'll be in the mission home or on our way to our new area with our training senior companion! CRAZY!!!
As this was our last week, it was also filled with many "Lasts". Our district did our last TRC appointment yesterday where we taught the Plan of Salvation and the Law of Tithing in Spanish. Sunday was our last District Temple walk. Today was our last time to do a Session in the Provo Temple for 2 years. This is our LAST P-DAY!! And really, this will be probably the last time you hear from me for a couple of weeks. I can't promise that I will get a chance to do a post next week BUT I promise that I will write everything that happens in my journal so I can give a detailed account of my first week or so in the mission field!
Also, seeing that I am about to leave, my address will be changing. For those of you who are my friends on facebook, I believe my mission home address is still there under my profile picture. For those who aren't, following is the Address to my mission home. You can send a letter here anytime and I will be sure to get it. Once the mission home gets the letter, they simply forward it to my area or hold on to it if I'm about to be transferred. The address is:
Elder Andrew Bryce Klemme
18001 N 74th Ave Ste.C50
Glendale, AZ 85308
If you still want to send dear elders, Sunday is the last day to send them. If you want to send other mail. If you are going to send it past Thursday, just send it to the above address. THANK YOU!! I have really enjoyed those letters that I have received. Keep it up!! :)
As this is my last blog post in the MTC, I wanted to say a few words about this work. I can honestly say there is no other place or doing any other thing than serving a mission right now. I really have realized over the past couple of months that the field is indeed white, ready for harvest. The other day I was reading in Alma 29 and came across verses 9-10. If you get a chance, read them. They are powerful. I know that the Lord truly calls us in our weakness and makes us stronger through our humility and diligence in following his commandments. I know that the Holy Ghost is a comforter, for I have felt that presence every day since I've entered here. I know that the Gift of Tongues is real. Two months ago, I would have thought you were crazy if you told me that I would be teaching in Spanish. Now, I realize that, once again, the Lord helps those he calls. The Power of the Priesthood is real. Most importantly, I know Jesus Christ lives. He is our Savior. Through his loving Atonement, we all have the chance to return to him, to be made clean of our sins, and obtain our eternal reward. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that we have a prophet today, Thomas S. Monson, who leads and guides this church. There is no other church on the earth today who has the fullness of the Gospel. I know that the message I now am called to share is real and it CAN AND WILL change the lives of those who accept it. In the wonderful name of our Loving Lord and Savior, The Son of God, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Love you all and hope to hear from you soon!!!
As this was our last week, it was also filled with many "Lasts". Our district did our last TRC appointment yesterday where we taught the Plan of Salvation and the Law of Tithing in Spanish. Sunday was our last District Temple walk. Today was our last time to do a Session in the Provo Temple for 2 years. This is our LAST P-DAY!! And really, this will be probably the last time you hear from me for a couple of weeks. I can't promise that I will get a chance to do a post next week BUT I promise that I will write everything that happens in my journal so I can give a detailed account of my first week or so in the mission field!
Also, seeing that I am about to leave, my address will be changing. For those of you who are my friends on facebook, I believe my mission home address is still there under my profile picture. For those who aren't, following is the Address to my mission home. You can send a letter here anytime and I will be sure to get it. Once the mission home gets the letter, they simply forward it to my area or hold on to it if I'm about to be transferred. The address is:
Elder Andrew Bryce Klemme
18001 N 74th Ave Ste.C50
Glendale, AZ 85308
If you still want to send dear elders, Sunday is the last day to send them. If you want to send other mail. If you are going to send it past Thursday, just send it to the above address. THANK YOU!! I have really enjoyed those letters that I have received. Keep it up!! :)
As this is my last blog post in the MTC, I wanted to say a few words about this work. I can honestly say there is no other place or doing any other thing than serving a mission right now. I really have realized over the past couple of months that the field is indeed white, ready for harvest. The other day I was reading in Alma 29 and came across verses 9-10. If you get a chance, read them. They are powerful. I know that the Lord truly calls us in our weakness and makes us stronger through our humility and diligence in following his commandments. I know that the Holy Ghost is a comforter, for I have felt that presence every day since I've entered here. I know that the Gift of Tongues is real. Two months ago, I would have thought you were crazy if you told me that I would be teaching in Spanish. Now, I realize that, once again, the Lord helps those he calls. The Power of the Priesthood is real. Most importantly, I know Jesus Christ lives. He is our Savior. Through his loving Atonement, we all have the chance to return to him, to be made clean of our sins, and obtain our eternal reward. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that we have a prophet today, Thomas S. Monson, who leads and guides this church. There is no other church on the earth today who has the fullness of the Gospel. I know that the message I now am called to share is real and it CAN AND WILL change the lives of those who accept it. In the wonderful name of our Loving Lord and Savior, The Son of God, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Love you all and hope to hear from you soon!!!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Another Week!
¡Hola Everyone!
Another week has come and gone and to be honest, not a lot has really happened. Elder Harker and I are still excelling in the language and taught Lesson 2 (Plan of Salvation) and the Palabra de Sabiduria at the TRC yesterday and received our highest spiritual rating yet (9 out of 10). It is so nice to know enough of the language so that you don't need to worry about how to say things. Rather, you can just focus on the points you want to teach. Our district has really been working hard to learn the language and all this last week we have been reviewing spanish grammer, vocab, and other crazy stuff to finish our CCM experience and prepare to head to the field. I can honestly say I have been truly blessed by Heavenly Father in this calling because I know I would never be able to speak as well as I can now (mind, it's still really rough but enough to be able to teach, read, and listen and know what I'm saying, reading, or hearing) without his help. This IS and inspired work! I have been able to pretty much convert to reading Predicad Mi Evangelio and no have to use Preach My Gospel. It's pretty amazing! :)
This week has been one of my hardest weeks here. There has been an Elder in my district that...To say the least...I really didn't understand why he came. He has been vulgar, aggressive, intimidating other elders (or the whole district for that matter), obnoxious, rude,...etc. Anyway, For the entirety of my time here in the MTC I have been trying to help him improve. Encouraging, correcting when needed, and sometimes just sitting down and listening. But, this week I hit the end of my patience rope. The vulgarity, rudeness, and blatant disrespect had hit an all time high and there was nothing I could do to bring it down. I eventually talked to my instructor during my weekly interview about it and, apparently, I wasn't the only one who had been struggling with the feelings I had. Hno. Kress sat down and talked to Elder Ray about it and...Well, the fire just got out of control. Elder Ray was mad...he became really aggressive and defensive at the same time and hit a point where he really shouldn't have gone. He confronted me in the dorm room that night and we talked about what was going on. I told him my feelings, he explained to me different things that were going on in his life, and for the first time since I have been here, I understood him. We were on the same page for the most part. Since that night, that night where I just sat and listened for most of the conversation, we haven't had any real problems. Sure there are still times where things happen and I think (C'Mon....) but the change that I have seen in him is remarkable. The downside of it is, his level of respect for our instructor is non-existent...He downright hates him. With time I know things will change, that his attitude will change. But in all truth and honesty, he should have allowed himself to change while he was here in the CCM where it is easier than in the field where the level of difficulty grows exponentially. But, I'm not one to judge. This was one of my coolest experiences here and am so glad I was able to go through it. I learned a lot (to say the very least :) ).
On another note, my district is officially the oldest district in the Zone! The district above us left over the last couple of days. We also have a new district coming in tomorrow. This will be the last district that we see while here in the MTC! It's so weird to think that... Anyway, we are also expecting our FLIGHT PLANS in the next couple of days!!! We are all super excited and crazy nervous. The amount of study and lesson teaching has gone up and our goals for Contacting Individuals and Teaching Lessons grew by huge numbers. It's fantastic here!!! And, on another happy note, the Zone presidency called Elder Harker and my shadow zone leaders on Sunday. We have about 5 days left and then we are officially released from our calling. It will be nice to have our last week here without any responsibility so we can just focus on studying and teaching as much as we can. It's crazy to think that, In 2 weeks, I'll be on a plane to the mission field...To preach this wonderful gospel to those who have been waiting for it. Waiting to receive the happiness it brings into their life.
But, my time is almost up. Just to mention a couple of things...well, just one mostly. I understand that there was a "Marvelous Cultural Event" this weekend with BYU's fabulous victory over OU!!! Here's to a hope that BYU can finish the season on fire!!!
Alrighty, I need to head. Know that I love you all, you are always in my prayers, and really enjoy getting your letters. Keep it up and I hope to hear from you all soon!!
Another week has come and gone and to be honest, not a lot has really happened. Elder Harker and I are still excelling in the language and taught Lesson 2 (Plan of Salvation) and the Palabra de Sabiduria at the TRC yesterday and received our highest spiritual rating yet (9 out of 10). It is so nice to know enough of the language so that you don't need to worry about how to say things. Rather, you can just focus on the points you want to teach. Our district has really been working hard to learn the language and all this last week we have been reviewing spanish grammer, vocab, and other crazy stuff to finish our CCM experience and prepare to head to the field. I can honestly say I have been truly blessed by Heavenly Father in this calling because I know I would never be able to speak as well as I can now (mind, it's still really rough but enough to be able to teach, read, and listen and know what I'm saying, reading, or hearing) without his help. This IS and inspired work! I have been able to pretty much convert to reading Predicad Mi Evangelio and no have to use Preach My Gospel. It's pretty amazing! :)
This week has been one of my hardest weeks here. There has been an Elder in my district that...To say the least...I really didn't understand why he came. He has been vulgar, aggressive, intimidating other elders (or the whole district for that matter), obnoxious, rude,...etc. Anyway, For the entirety of my time here in the MTC I have been trying to help him improve. Encouraging, correcting when needed, and sometimes just sitting down and listening. But, this week I hit the end of my patience rope. The vulgarity, rudeness, and blatant disrespect had hit an all time high and there was nothing I could do to bring it down. I eventually talked to my instructor during my weekly interview about it and, apparently, I wasn't the only one who had been struggling with the feelings I had. Hno. Kress sat down and talked to Elder Ray about it and...Well, the fire just got out of control. Elder Ray was mad...he became really aggressive and defensive at the same time and hit a point where he really shouldn't have gone. He confronted me in the dorm room that night and we talked about what was going on. I told him my feelings, he explained to me different things that were going on in his life, and for the first time since I have been here, I understood him. We were on the same page for the most part. Since that night, that night where I just sat and listened for most of the conversation, we haven't had any real problems. Sure there are still times where things happen and I think (C'Mon....) but the change that I have seen in him is remarkable. The downside of it is, his level of respect for our instructor is non-existent...He downright hates him. With time I know things will change, that his attitude will change. But in all truth and honesty, he should have allowed himself to change while he was here in the CCM where it is easier than in the field where the level of difficulty grows exponentially. But, I'm not one to judge. This was one of my coolest experiences here and am so glad I was able to go through it. I learned a lot (to say the very least :) ).
On another note, my district is officially the oldest district in the Zone! The district above us left over the last couple of days. We also have a new district coming in tomorrow. This will be the last district that we see while here in the MTC! It's so weird to think that... Anyway, we are also expecting our FLIGHT PLANS in the next couple of days!!! We are all super excited and crazy nervous. The amount of study and lesson teaching has gone up and our goals for Contacting Individuals and Teaching Lessons grew by huge numbers. It's fantastic here!!! And, on another happy note, the Zone presidency called Elder Harker and my shadow zone leaders on Sunday. We have about 5 days left and then we are officially released from our calling. It will be nice to have our last week here without any responsibility so we can just focus on studying and teaching as much as we can. It's crazy to think that, In 2 weeks, I'll be on a plane to the mission field...To preach this wonderful gospel to those who have been waiting for it. Waiting to receive the happiness it brings into their life.
But, my time is almost up. Just to mention a couple of things...well, just one mostly. I understand that there was a "Marvelous Cultural Event" this weekend with BYU's fabulous victory over OU!!! Here's to a hope that BYU can finish the season on fire!!!
Alrighty, I need to head. Know that I love you all, you are always in my prayers, and really enjoy getting your letters. Keep it up and I hope to hear from you all soon!!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Semana numero siete
¡Hola mi muchas amigos! Esta semana fue muy bien. MUY Bien. Estudiamos mucho y aprender muchas coasas cada dia. Mi español es no gran pero Estoy aprendiendo. Elder Harker y yo ensansado Lección 1 in español otra vez en el TRC ayer y estamos preparando para este próxima Lunes cuando enseñaremos Lección 2 (El Plan de Salvación) con La Palabra de Sacerdocio. Estoy Ánimo acerca de este... Me Gusta MUCHO Lección 2. Pero, estoy terminado con escribiendo en español. :)
Apart from teaching and studying, which really is my life here, not a lot of stuff has happened. My district and I have been holding full day English fasts. We actually have 3 this week (Jueves a traves de Sabado). I know I'm really excited for them. They are super hard and you are exhausted by the end of the day, but the amount of spanish practice you get is priceless. I've also been able to read Predicad Mi Evangelio this week entirely in spanish. That's right. No Preach My Gospel for Help. Sure there are some words I don't know but, wow, it's been great to really read in the morning. It takes me about an hour to get through three pages but the time is well worth the practice! :)
Apart from the language, we've actually had a really good week here. Last Tuesday, Elder Richard G. Scott came and spoke to us on following the Spirit. It. was. AWESOME!!! Half way through, he just stopped his slide show presentation he was using and just followed the spirit. It was, by far, one of the most powerful experiences I have ever had. During his talk, he bestowed a couple of Apostolic Blessings on us: One for the Gift of Tongues and the other for Protection as long as we are Righteous. It was just awesome...I can't really describe it any better than that.
Also this past week, our Zone received a new district! It was great to have some new ones come in. Elder Harker and I had the chance to do about 2 hours of training with them, plus a tour, over last Wednesday and Thursday. They are a great group of missionaries. Hard working, obedient, and willing to do their best. To be honest (as bad as this may sound) I wish I could trade some of our "Lukewarm" elders for theirs. Most of them are going to California but two sisters are going to Santiago Chile and one sister is going to PROVO (this sister happens to be 29...I was a little shocked when I heard that but she is such a hard worker and it's such an opportunity to have her in our Zone). Our District acutally has the opportunity to host the new elders that come in tomorrow. Most of us are super excited for that opportunity and a lot of us can believe that we've been here long enough to have that opportunity... It's weird to think that, in less than a month I'll be in Phoenix or somewhere in AZ preaching the gospel. It's so awesome to think about!
The last bit of tidbit news I have is the opportunity I had to purchase the LDS version of the Bible in Spanish this past week. Benefits of a Missionary I guess :) It doesn't have a Bible Dictionary or a Topical Guide but it is still incredible nonetheless!
Well All, I must be going. My half hour is almost up! Remember that I love you all and that you are all in my prayers! To those who are at BYU, have a fantastic first week and I hope to hear from you all soon. Don't forget, dearelder.com is an awesome easy way for letters!! (hint, hint....:) ) Alrighty, ¡Hasta Luego y Les Amo Ustedes!
Apart from teaching and studying, which really is my life here, not a lot of stuff has happened. My district and I have been holding full day English fasts. We actually have 3 this week (Jueves a traves de Sabado). I know I'm really excited for them. They are super hard and you are exhausted by the end of the day, but the amount of spanish practice you get is priceless. I've also been able to read Predicad Mi Evangelio this week entirely in spanish. That's right. No Preach My Gospel for Help. Sure there are some words I don't know but, wow, it's been great to really read in the morning. It takes me about an hour to get through three pages but the time is well worth the practice! :)
Apart from the language, we've actually had a really good week here. Last Tuesday, Elder Richard G. Scott came and spoke to us on following the Spirit. It. was. AWESOME!!! Half way through, he just stopped his slide show presentation he was using and just followed the spirit. It was, by far, one of the most powerful experiences I have ever had. During his talk, he bestowed a couple of Apostolic Blessings on us: One for the Gift of Tongues and the other for Protection as long as we are Righteous. It was just awesome...I can't really describe it any better than that.
Also this past week, our Zone received a new district! It was great to have some new ones come in. Elder Harker and I had the chance to do about 2 hours of training with them, plus a tour, over last Wednesday and Thursday. They are a great group of missionaries. Hard working, obedient, and willing to do their best. To be honest (as bad as this may sound) I wish I could trade some of our "Lukewarm" elders for theirs. Most of them are going to California but two sisters are going to Santiago Chile and one sister is going to PROVO (this sister happens to be 29...I was a little shocked when I heard that but she is such a hard worker and it's such an opportunity to have her in our Zone). Our District acutally has the opportunity to host the new elders that come in tomorrow. Most of us are super excited for that opportunity and a lot of us can believe that we've been here long enough to have that opportunity... It's weird to think that, in less than a month I'll be in Phoenix or somewhere in AZ preaching the gospel. It's so awesome to think about!
The last bit of tidbit news I have is the opportunity I had to purchase the LDS version of the Bible in Spanish this past week. Benefits of a Missionary I guess :) It doesn't have a Bible Dictionary or a Topical Guide but it is still incredible nonetheless!
Well All, I must be going. My half hour is almost up! Remember that I love you all and that you are all in my prayers! To those who are at BYU, have a fantastic first week and I hope to hear from you all soon. Don't forget, dearelder.com is an awesome easy way for letters!! (hint, hint....:) ) Alrighty, ¡Hasta Luego y Les Amo Ustedes!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
1 Month Down!!
Oh my goodness have things been BUSY!! My companion and I taught our hearts out this past week. Everything was a little rocky...ok, it was WAY rocky and hard but way cool nonetheless. It didn't help that I was sick this past week. I came down with a really weird bout of weakness and sore throatyness last Tuesday and have been trying to get over it. It's almost gone but I didn't have a voice for a couple of days and have had a bit of a hard time sleeping.
Class every day is going really well. Our class schedule is actually going to change this next week because of school starting. This week is the last week for one of our teachers, so we will have a new one next week, and the other has classes that he is going to take. Our whole district was pretty disappointed because we love both the teachers we have. But, I completely understand. BYU is pretty tough and when you have a job like working at the MTC, it can be a huge weight tied around your shoulders. But, it's so crazy to think that I've been here for a month already...In another 4 weeks I will be on a plane to AZ, hopefully prepared to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people there. I was reading in the Doctrine and Covenenants a couple of days ago when I came across D&C 90:11. It talks about how the gospel will be heard by everyman in his own tongue. It was really powerful to me because, honestly, I feel like I have really been struggling learning this language. But, Heavenly Father knows all of our trials and thoughts and ALWAYS puts something there to show that you are ok. My experience was yesterday in the TRC. This was our first week doing everything in Spanish. It was HARD! Oh goodness it was rough. It's frustrating to not know how to say what you want to say. I was kinda disappointed, in myself mostly, until later on that evening. In my Personal and Language study yesterday I read Predicad Mi Evangelio in both Spanish and English and I really realized how much I really knew. It got to the point yesterday that I rarely looked at the English version, which happened when I really didn't have any idea what a word meant. This gospel is just so amazing!
Other than that It hasn't really been a crazy week. There were a couple of really Spiritual experiences that I don't have time to write at the moment but will try sometime. If not, then you'll just have to wait until I get back! :) We lost another District this past week but are blessed to get another one tomorrow. This will be the first district that Elder Harker and I will have a Zone leaders. We get to orient them on Wednesday for about an hour then take them on a tour and orient them some more for about an hour and a half on Thursday. I am way excited. I love Wednesdays here! :)
But, I really wish I could write more but I am running out of time really fast! The computers here only give you 30 minutes to e-mail everything you need to. But, I want you all to know that sé que este iglesia es verdadero. Yo sé que that José Smith fue un propheta de dios. Yo sé que Jesucristo es my hermano, mi Salvador y Redentor, y mi amigo. Yo sé que tenemos un profeta en la tierra hoy, Thomas S. Monson. Yo sé que las familias podemos ser eterna. Yo sé que podemos regresar a Dios si arrepentimos de nuestros pecados. Yo sé que El Libro de Mormón y la Santa Biblia son las palabras de Dios. Yo sé que este obra is verdadero y que nuestro mensaje traerá felizidad a esos personas que lo aceptan. I love you all and want you to know that I am thinking about you and that you are always in my prayers! Keep the letters coming!
¡Hasta Luego y Les Amo!
Class every day is going really well. Our class schedule is actually going to change this next week because of school starting. This week is the last week for one of our teachers, so we will have a new one next week, and the other has classes that he is going to take. Our whole district was pretty disappointed because we love both the teachers we have. But, I completely understand. BYU is pretty tough and when you have a job like working at the MTC, it can be a huge weight tied around your shoulders. But, it's so crazy to think that I've been here for a month already...In another 4 weeks I will be on a plane to AZ, hopefully prepared to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people there. I was reading in the Doctrine and Covenenants a couple of days ago when I came across D&C 90:11. It talks about how the gospel will be heard by everyman in his own tongue. It was really powerful to me because, honestly, I feel like I have really been struggling learning this language. But, Heavenly Father knows all of our trials and thoughts and ALWAYS puts something there to show that you are ok. My experience was yesterday in the TRC. This was our first week doing everything in Spanish. It was HARD! Oh goodness it was rough. It's frustrating to not know how to say what you want to say. I was kinda disappointed, in myself mostly, until later on that evening. In my Personal and Language study yesterday I read Predicad Mi Evangelio in both Spanish and English and I really realized how much I really knew. It got to the point yesterday that I rarely looked at the English version, which happened when I really didn't have any idea what a word meant. This gospel is just so amazing!
Other than that It hasn't really been a crazy week. There were a couple of really Spiritual experiences that I don't have time to write at the moment but will try sometime. If not, then you'll just have to wait until I get back! :) We lost another District this past week but are blessed to get another one tomorrow. This will be the first district that Elder Harker and I will have a Zone leaders. We get to orient them on Wednesday for about an hour then take them on a tour and orient them some more for about an hour and a half on Thursday. I am way excited. I love Wednesdays here! :)
But, I really wish I could write more but I am running out of time really fast! The computers here only give you 30 minutes to e-mail everything you need to. But, I want you all to know that sé que este iglesia es verdadero. Yo sé que that José Smith fue un propheta de dios. Yo sé que Jesucristo es my hermano, mi Salvador y Redentor, y mi amigo. Yo sé que tenemos un profeta en la tierra hoy, Thomas S. Monson. Yo sé que las familias podemos ser eterna. Yo sé que podemos regresar a Dios si arrepentimos de nuestros pecados. Yo sé que El Libro de Mormón y la Santa Biblia son las palabras de Dios. Yo sé que este obra is verdadero y que nuestro mensaje traerá felizidad a esos personas que lo aceptan. I love you all and want you to know that I am thinking about you and that you are always in my prayers! Keep the letters coming!
¡Hasta Luego y Les Amo!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Weekly Update!! :)
¡Hola a todos!
So this has been an incredibly busy and productive week. My companion and I had some rough patches but worked them out so our companionship is better than ever! We were able to do a lot this week. We had more RC chats over the past few days that have really made us work. I love the RC! It really makes you think and study on real needs that people have. Elder Harker and I also had a TRC appointment. We both thought it was really choppy and rough but the person that we taught thought otherwise. She gave us a Spirituality Rating of 8 out of 10. This completed Elder Harker's and my goal to increase our rating every time we teach. We were pretty pumped. We had devotional again on Sunday and it was INCREDIBLE! It went over time for about 45 minutes but I learned SO much from it! The speaker spoke about our purpose as missionaries and broke Our Purpose down and covered it piece by piece. It really opened up my eyes to the whole reason I'm here.
As for the language this past week, It's still been a struggle but it's coming along one day at a time. We've learned all the tenses except the Past Subjunctive tense but, we won't learn that until about the 7th or 8th week here. Last week I wrote my first talk in spanish meaning, I didn't copy ANYTHING from PME or True to the Faith. I was really proud of myself. AS I may have explained, every week at the TRC we do something in spanish. Our first week, we did really short contacts (about 3 minutes each). Our second week we did 2 longer contacts (about 7 minutes each). Last week we followed up/extended commitments for about 10 minutes. This week though, we TAUGHT the importance of prayer and how to pray for about 20 minutes. On that note, we taught our last lesson in English yesterday. Next TRC appointment, we will do our prelim. assignment then teach a 30 minute lesson in Spanish. It's going to be tough but it's going to be way cool! It's so awesome how Heavenly Father blesses us when we struggle. I wouldn't have it any other way! :)
In other news, I've been a little sick recently. Sore throat and achyness. It's been going around my district for a while now so it was only a matter of time before I got it. I've also been getting a LOT of pictures with friends that are here in the MTC. It kinda drives my companion crazy sometimes. :) HAHA. But, everything is coming along really well. They released me as District Leader this past Sunday. To explain how it works, the Zone presidency releases/calls District Leaders every four weeks. So, it was time. It was a great experience and I learned a ton! However, the fun doesn't stop there. The Zone presidency called my companion and I to be Zone leaders until we leave on the 22nd of September! We've been shadowing the old ones since Sunday and will take control of those responsibilities this Sunday. So, exciting stuff. It's going to take a bit of time but it's going to be a blast! However, I need to finish my laundry. I hope everyone is ok! I know school is starting back up really soon so those who are traveling: "BE SAFE!!" Keep the letters rolling and ¡Hasta luego! ¡Les amo mucho!
So this has been an incredibly busy and productive week. My companion and I had some rough patches but worked them out so our companionship is better than ever! We were able to do a lot this week. We had more RC chats over the past few days that have really made us work. I love the RC! It really makes you think and study on real needs that people have. Elder Harker and I also had a TRC appointment. We both thought it was really choppy and rough but the person that we taught thought otherwise. She gave us a Spirituality Rating of 8 out of 10. This completed Elder Harker's and my goal to increase our rating every time we teach. We were pretty pumped. We had devotional again on Sunday and it was INCREDIBLE! It went over time for about 45 minutes but I learned SO much from it! The speaker spoke about our purpose as missionaries and broke Our Purpose down and covered it piece by piece. It really opened up my eyes to the whole reason I'm here.
As for the language this past week, It's still been a struggle but it's coming along one day at a time. We've learned all the tenses except the Past Subjunctive tense but, we won't learn that until about the 7th or 8th week here. Last week I wrote my first talk in spanish meaning, I didn't copy ANYTHING from PME or True to the Faith. I was really proud of myself. AS I may have explained, every week at the TRC we do something in spanish. Our first week, we did really short contacts (about 3 minutes each). Our second week we did 2 longer contacts (about 7 minutes each). Last week we followed up/extended commitments for about 10 minutes. This week though, we TAUGHT the importance of prayer and how to pray for about 20 minutes. On that note, we taught our last lesson in English yesterday. Next TRC appointment, we will do our prelim. assignment then teach a 30 minute lesson in Spanish. It's going to be tough but it's going to be way cool! It's so awesome how Heavenly Father blesses us when we struggle. I wouldn't have it any other way! :)
In other news, I've been a little sick recently. Sore throat and achyness. It's been going around my district for a while now so it was only a matter of time before I got it. I've also been getting a LOT of pictures with friends that are here in the MTC. It kinda drives my companion crazy sometimes. :) HAHA. But, everything is coming along really well. They released me as District Leader this past Sunday. To explain how it works, the Zone presidency releases/calls District Leaders every four weeks. So, it was time. It was a great experience and I learned a ton! However, the fun doesn't stop there. The Zone presidency called my companion and I to be Zone leaders until we leave on the 22nd of September! We've been shadowing the old ones since Sunday and will take control of those responsibilities this Sunday. So, exciting stuff. It's going to take a bit of time but it's going to be a blast! However, I need to finish my laundry. I hope everyone is ok! I know school is starting back up really soon so those who are traveling: "BE SAFE!!" Keep the letters rolling and ¡Hasta luego! ¡Les amo mucho!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Week Three
¡Hola mi amigos!
So another week has come and gone. The time schedule here is kinda weird. The days seem to take FOREVER to get over with but the weeks go by so fast. It honestly seems like yesterday when I wrote my last post! But, I guess it's better for time to go fast then to seem like it won't every end right? :)
We had a very busy week this past week. We taught our last lesson on the Restoration in ingles last week and started teaching lesson two yesterday at the TRC. We did pretty well but, once again, there is still room to improve. We start teaching in Spanish in another week and a half so my companion and I have started preparing for that. All in all, every lesson we teach helps us develop more and more! We had a couple of awesome firesides this past week. Last Tuesday, President Merrill J. Bateman came and spoke to us then this past Sunday, Brother Richard Heaton, the Administrative Director over the MTC, spoke to us. Both talks were phenomenal! Also this week, companion and I went to the RC (Referral Center) and started doing chat. We actually talked to someone that seemed really interested and we even set up a follow up appointment for yesterday but...it fell through. Instead, I was able to talk to a kid about the church. Rather...he wanted to talk about how we were wrong, that there is no such thing as revelation today, and how the scripture in Revelations about "Thou shalt not add anything to this book" verse will curse us when we die. But, it was interesting. I learned so much afterward when I did some research on the questions he asked. So, interesting week I guess you could say! :D
Spanish has been coming along great. I've kinda got to the point where I know enough to understand what I'm talking about when I contact people. The words actually have meaning instead of being just words! It's amazing! HAHA! My district and I actually did a half day English fast on Friday and have two more this week: one tomorrow and one on Friday. I'm pretty excited. We learned the Preterite (Past event) and the Imperfect (background, past detail) tenses this past week so, slowly our knowledge is growing. Some Elders are struggling more than others but, all in all, we are doing really well together. I took on the goal last week to memorize 20 new verbs a day. It's a lot of work but I've been pretty successful so far. Right now I'm at about 95 verbs out of the pool of 300 I'm drawing from. My companion and I also memorized the First Vision in spanish last week in prep for our first lesson in spanish. So, things are falling into place. It's just amazing how the spirit blesses you when you try your hardest!
In other news, this week has a bit of a rough week for me. Some of the elders in my district, to be honest, have probably never studied as much as they've studied here. As a result, the conversations in the classroom when it is our study times are slowly becoming more and more worldly and less focused on our Purpose. I've really been struggling with one particular elder, who happens to be going to my mission, who has a bit of an aggression problem. He likes to be belittling sometimes and has a very poor attitude about a lot of things. To be perfectly honest, he needs to re-read Elder Bednar's talk on being offended! :) But, I've been trying to help him with it the best I can and not create a situation where there will be contention between us. It may take until the mission field until he changes. If that's the case, it's going to be a lot harder for him to do it out there than it will be for him to do it here. But, the choice is his! I was able to go to the temple again today and, once again, it was FANTASTIC! I love the peace, joy, and increase of knowledge the temple brings when you attend. It really makes you realize the power of this work. It's just incredible! Speaking of temples, the MTC is going to get a direct connection to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple dedication next month!! I'm really excited!
And lastly, an experience that I must share with you all. This past week, my whole zone, about a total of 60 Missionaries, ate 4 cereal hoppers full of cereal this past week. That is the equivalent of 12 bags of cereal. It took us 25 minutes, 239 bowls, and 2 big milk dispensers to complete the task. I myself had 6 bowls of cereal and I tell you what, I will NEVER do that again. But the memory is great nonetheless!
But, my time is almost up! I hope everyone is okay and that things are going great for them. You all are ALWAYS in my prayers!
¡Los amos mucho y hasta luego! Don't forget to write!! :D :D
Elder Klemme
So another week has come and gone. The time schedule here is kinda weird. The days seem to take FOREVER to get over with but the weeks go by so fast. It honestly seems like yesterday when I wrote my last post! But, I guess it's better for time to go fast then to seem like it won't every end right? :)
We had a very busy week this past week. We taught our last lesson on the Restoration in ingles last week and started teaching lesson two yesterday at the TRC. We did pretty well but, once again, there is still room to improve. We start teaching in Spanish in another week and a half so my companion and I have started preparing for that. All in all, every lesson we teach helps us develop more and more! We had a couple of awesome firesides this past week. Last Tuesday, President Merrill J. Bateman came and spoke to us then this past Sunday, Brother Richard Heaton, the Administrative Director over the MTC, spoke to us. Both talks were phenomenal! Also this week, companion and I went to the RC (Referral Center) and started doing chat. We actually talked to someone that seemed really interested and we even set up a follow up appointment for yesterday but...it fell through. Instead, I was able to talk to a kid about the church. Rather...he wanted to talk about how we were wrong, that there is no such thing as revelation today, and how the scripture in Revelations about "Thou shalt not add anything to this book" verse will curse us when we die. But, it was interesting. I learned so much afterward when I did some research on the questions he asked. So, interesting week I guess you could say! :D
Spanish has been coming along great. I've kinda got to the point where I know enough to understand what I'm talking about when I contact people. The words actually have meaning instead of being just words! It's amazing! HAHA! My district and I actually did a half day English fast on Friday and have two more this week: one tomorrow and one on Friday. I'm pretty excited. We learned the Preterite (Past event) and the Imperfect (background, past detail) tenses this past week so, slowly our knowledge is growing. Some Elders are struggling more than others but, all in all, we are doing really well together. I took on the goal last week to memorize 20 new verbs a day. It's a lot of work but I've been pretty successful so far. Right now I'm at about 95 verbs out of the pool of 300 I'm drawing from. My companion and I also memorized the First Vision in spanish last week in prep for our first lesson in spanish. So, things are falling into place. It's just amazing how the spirit blesses you when you try your hardest!
In other news, this week has a bit of a rough week for me. Some of the elders in my district, to be honest, have probably never studied as much as they've studied here. As a result, the conversations in the classroom when it is our study times are slowly becoming more and more worldly and less focused on our Purpose. I've really been struggling with one particular elder, who happens to be going to my mission, who has a bit of an aggression problem. He likes to be belittling sometimes and has a very poor attitude about a lot of things. To be perfectly honest, he needs to re-read Elder Bednar's talk on being offended! :) But, I've been trying to help him with it the best I can and not create a situation where there will be contention between us. It may take until the mission field until he changes. If that's the case, it's going to be a lot harder for him to do it out there than it will be for him to do it here. But, the choice is his! I was able to go to the temple again today and, once again, it was FANTASTIC! I love the peace, joy, and increase of knowledge the temple brings when you attend. It really makes you realize the power of this work. It's just incredible! Speaking of temples, the MTC is going to get a direct connection to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple dedication next month!! I'm really excited!
And lastly, an experience that I must share with you all. This past week, my whole zone, about a total of 60 Missionaries, ate 4 cereal hoppers full of cereal this past week. That is the equivalent of 12 bags of cereal. It took us 25 minutes, 239 bowls, and 2 big milk dispensers to complete the task. I myself had 6 bowls of cereal and I tell you what, I will NEVER do that again. But the memory is great nonetheless!
But, my time is almost up! I hope everyone is okay and that things are going great for them. You all are ALWAYS in my prayers!
¡Los amos mucho y hasta luego! Don't forget to write!! :D :D
Elder Klemme
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Semana numero dos :)
¡Hola a todos!
So week number two was definitely not as crazy as the first week. Our language training has slowed a little bit and we have finally gotten into our normal schedule that we will have for the next six weeks. We have about 8 hours of class a day (4 hours or so of Spanish and about 4 hours of gospel study). It's amazing how much you can learn in a time of two weeks. My companion and I taught in the TRC yesterday and the lesson went incredibly well. We got a 7 out of 10 for the spirituality of the lesson we taught so we have some things to improve on but, that's why we are here for six more weeks :). Our entire district went to the Referral Center on Saturday and did Outbound-English Calls. What we basically do is call people who requested videos or Books of Mormon or Bibles and confirm that they received it. I can honestly say that I have received my first rejection of my mission! :) I had called this lady from...I think it was Texas... trying to see if she received her copy of the Book of Mormon. I literally got out "My name is Andrew from The Church of Jesus Christ..." when I heard an "Oh..." and a "click" on the other line. It pumped me up so much! I was so nervous because I didn't know how I would take my first rejection but it went really well! The Devotionals here are really good. This past Tuesday, Robert K. Dellenbach came and spoke on the power of the Book of Mormon. This past Sunday was not very good though...It was the Director of International MTC's and to be honest...I'm not really sure what he spoke on. The whole Fireside was really irreverent on their part and kind of inappropriate but, oh well, there were still some good points!
The language is coming along pretty well. It's a lot of information to retain and learn in such a short period of time but the Lord truly blesses those who do their best. When my companion and I taught at the TRC yesterday, we had to contact 2 people for 8 minutes each in Spanish. Let's just say, we TRULY believe in the gift of tongues. The contacting went fantastic! I understood (for the most part) what they were saying to us and we were able to respond back (even though it was a little rough). The spirit is absolutely incredible! I can honestly say I study spanish for about 5 hours a day and learn so much! I have really learned that the key is to pray for the spirit before EVERY study session, done in Spanish of course. It's so fantastic...I can even begin to explain! :)
In terms of random information. We are finally getting a new district in our Zone tomorrow so, we will no longer be the youngins in the group. All of the Elders are really excited to welcome them and to help them. During our District Planning Session yesterday, we made the goal to use them to teach to and to speak to in Spanish. We all found that when the other districts in our Zone did that when we were here, it really made us feel welcome and confident. So, it's really exciting!! On another note, I saw Elders Finley and Hanks this past week, both of which came in on Sunday. It's seriously so cool to see so many people I know here. I know I already said this but it truly is a testament of the power of this work!! But, I've gotta finish good 'ole laundry but, I'll send a new post next week, PLUS, pictures should be up by this week!! Keep the letters coming and remember, dearelder.com is a way easy to send letters!! ¡Los Amo mucho!
P.S. Hermana Larsen, I received your awesome postcard and goodies yesterday. I wanted to write and say "Thank You" but, I hope this works. Thanks again and hope to hear from you again soon!! :)
So week number two was definitely not as crazy as the first week. Our language training has slowed a little bit and we have finally gotten into our normal schedule that we will have for the next six weeks. We have about 8 hours of class a day (4 hours or so of Spanish and about 4 hours of gospel study). It's amazing how much you can learn in a time of two weeks. My companion and I taught in the TRC yesterday and the lesson went incredibly well. We got a 7 out of 10 for the spirituality of the lesson we taught so we have some things to improve on but, that's why we are here for six more weeks :). Our entire district went to the Referral Center on Saturday and did Outbound-English Calls. What we basically do is call people who requested videos or Books of Mormon or Bibles and confirm that they received it. I can honestly say that I have received my first rejection of my mission! :) I had called this lady from...I think it was Texas... trying to see if she received her copy of the Book of Mormon. I literally got out "My name is Andrew from The Church of Jesus Christ..." when I heard an "Oh..." and a "click" on the other line. It pumped me up so much! I was so nervous because I didn't know how I would take my first rejection but it went really well! The Devotionals here are really good. This past Tuesday, Robert K. Dellenbach came and spoke on the power of the Book of Mormon. This past Sunday was not very good though...It was the Director of International MTC's and to be honest...I'm not really sure what he spoke on. The whole Fireside was really irreverent on their part and kind of inappropriate but, oh well, there were still some good points!
The language is coming along pretty well. It's a lot of information to retain and learn in such a short period of time but the Lord truly blesses those who do their best. When my companion and I taught at the TRC yesterday, we had to contact 2 people for 8 minutes each in Spanish. Let's just say, we TRULY believe in the gift of tongues. The contacting went fantastic! I understood (for the most part) what they were saying to us and we were able to respond back (even though it was a little rough). The spirit is absolutely incredible! I can honestly say I study spanish for about 5 hours a day and learn so much! I have really learned that the key is to pray for the spirit before EVERY study session, done in Spanish of course. It's so fantastic...I can even begin to explain! :)
In terms of random information. We are finally getting a new district in our Zone tomorrow so, we will no longer be the youngins in the group. All of the Elders are really excited to welcome them and to help them. During our District Planning Session yesterday, we made the goal to use them to teach to and to speak to in Spanish. We all found that when the other districts in our Zone did that when we were here, it really made us feel welcome and confident. So, it's really exciting!! On another note, I saw Elders Finley and Hanks this past week, both of which came in on Sunday. It's seriously so cool to see so many people I know here. I know I already said this but it truly is a testament of the power of this work!! But, I've gotta finish good 'ole laundry but, I'll send a new post next week, PLUS, pictures should be up by this week!! Keep the letters coming and remember, dearelder.com is a way easy to send letters!! ¡Los Amo mucho!
P.S. Hermana Larsen, I received your awesome postcard and goodies yesterday. I wanted to write and say "Thank You" but, I hope this works. Thanks again and hope to hear from you again soon!! :)
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