Hey All!

 

Wowsers! Another P-day here already. I seriously cannot believe how fast time seems to fly out here in the mission field. I guess it's a good thing because it means I'm working but I kinda wish it willl slow down...the mission is going by too fast! :)

 

We had a good, productive week this past week. It felt a little odd but it was good. Elder Giles and I had some awesome lesson experiences and we are very excited for the progress of our investigators. We hope to continue the trend this next week. We have some pretty lofty goals but we are determined to accomplish them!!

 

I guess to start out, this past Tuesday we had Zone Conference where we discussed "The Divine Companionship". We started the conference discussing our Key Learnings from the Book of Mormom reading challenge we had a little earlier this year. I wish I could say how strong the spirit was in that room when we were discussing....It was almost tangible it was so strong. I was blessed with the opportunity, along with 3 other Elders, to do a barbershop quartet on Hymn #328 "An Angel from on High (Men's Chorus)". It was a ton of fun and I am SO thankful for the opportunity to use the small amount of talent that I have with singing. Hopefullly I'll have more chances to do it in the future! :) But, the rest of the conference was just as good as the first part. We discussed the importance of the Holy Ghost as the "Senior Companion" in our companionships then practiced on performing effective Companionship Inventories. All in all, I feel it will have a fantastic effect on the work down here in Phoenix South.

 

For the rest of the week, we had some great progress with some of our investigators. We had an investigator tell us that, because of our spirit and a message that we shared with him, he knew that he could and wanted to change his life when, before, he struggled with his past. It was an incredible experience and I wish I could share more of it. Our week was filled with tender mercies of the Lord and I am so grateful for the chance to witness them. The coolest and most amazing experience however happened Thursday night. Elder Giles and I went with our Recent Convert Carlos to go see our investigator Esperanza. We go to her house a little late but we started right away. When we checked up on her reading/praying to know she told us, "I prayed and I know that it is true. Do you want to know why? Because when you missed our appointment on Monday I thought it was a sign from God. But, I prayed really hard, pleading that Heavenly Father would tell me if the message you had was good. I wasn't going to call or try and contact or anything. Then today (Thursday) when I heard your message, I knew it was my answer. I know it is true". I WAS BLOWN AWAY!!! It's really hard to explain but we had a bit of an "emergency" lesson on Monday that prevented us from going to her house and the rest of the week something always seemed to come up right a the last minute we needed to do but I suddenly realized why everything happend the way it did. My friends, Heavenly Father hears our prayers and he gives us the answers we need to hear. I know this to be true....I KNOW this to be true! :D

 

As a result of our increase in success, the Adversary worked very hard also. The funniest example of this happend on Saturday. Elder Giles and I had planned to do some major tracting before we went to the Easter Pageant at the Mesa Temple. We went to this pretty ghetto part of town where we locked up our bikes (securely might I add) then proceeded to tract the street. We didn't really have any success but when I got back to our bikes, I noticed something to be out of place on my bike. About 5 seconds later I realized, "Where's my front tire???" YUP you guessed it! Someone had robbed my front tire right off my bike! In the process they did a little damage to the breaks but nothing that can't be fixed. I ended up carrying my bike on my shoulder for about a 1/4 of a mile to meet a couple of Elders with a spare front. I'll be getting a new tire from our Ward Mission Leader in the next couple of days so, thank goodness, I won't be out too much. However, the story is WELL worth the experience! :)

 

Well my friends, I need to depart,  I hope you all know how much you are loved. We have such a loving Heavenly Father that is always there to listen to our prayers. I know that we also have a Savior who loves us and, because of this love, gave is life for each and every one of us to repent and have the chance to live with Heavenly Father again. I hope that you all have a fantastic week. You are in my prayers every day. But, until next week, iHasta Luego! :D :D

Why, hello again!

 

Another week has come and gone and another blog post is here to be written. Truth be told there wasn't a lot of of crazy exciting things this week but, the work made great progress!

 

We were greatly blessed with the opportunity to set 3 baptismal dates this week. One of these is another little grandma named Esperanza. It was a really interesting experience really. We recieved a referral from the Sister's that this lady had taken the lessons before in Ciudad Juarez in Mexico but lost contact when she moved to the states. She has been trying for about 7 years to get in contact with missionaries, members, anything to get involved again. She is SOOO awesome and both Elder Giles and I are really excited for her.

 

The other two dates came from Damar and Marcos, our black cancer patient and our 100% pure bred Mexican cowboy. We set the date for the 2nd weekend in April but, in all honesty, this is going to be a really hard fight. I will not go into details but Elder Giles have been prayerfully studying how we can most effectively teach them. It is pretty incredible really. Both of them have true desires to change but aren't quite confident if or how they can do it. It's a good thing we have a little experience in this. :D But, It is going to be a good experience because neither Elder Giles or I have faced an experience like this. It is quite a powerful thing to see the Atonement of Jesus Christ working right before your eyes as you take the time, energy, and pour out love to your investigators...Pretty special :)

 

Also this week we had our transferly Zone Meeting. It was AWESOME! The Zone Leaders presented us a plan called "The Plan" (Really original I know :)) that, seriously, is going to take our Zone to a whole new level of work. I am SUPER stoked about it. We actually went home and took lunch right afterwards where we both read through the binder and discussed where we needed to start companionship wise. Now, it has only been 5 or so days and the ball has already began to roll. We may not see the full results in our missionary lifetime but we are convinced that it will have an awesome effect on our ward.

 

Apart from these three things, the rest of the week was pretty normal. I actually did my first split on Friday with an English Missionary called Elder Parkin. It was an awesome experience and I can't wait to go out and do some more. I actually have a split set up for this Friday that I am really looking forward to. I'll be working in the other side of my ward with Elder Holden who, some of my readers, know quite well :). It is going to be an awesome experience and I cannot wait to see how things will play out!!

 

In other news, we have Zone Conference tomorrow where I will be participating in a barbershop quartet to sing Hymn #13 in the English Hymnal. It is going to be super cool! The best way to describe it is the MoTab version on their "Praise to the Man" album. Check it out!!

 

Alrighty all, sorry this is a little bit shorter. I know next weeks will be a little bit longer because I will be submitting a "report" on tomorrow's Zone Conference. I hope that you all had a fantastic and productive week this past week and that Heavenly Father will continue to shower his tender mercies upon you this coming week. Know that you all are loved, missed and are in my prayers. Hope to hear from you soon!! iiHasta luego mis amigos!! :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"When Can We Start?!": This would be Elder Hair (Encanto North).He became SOO excited about "The Plan" at Zone Meeting that he went to the front of the room ripped off his pocket, sleaves, and basically all his buttons. The catch: The Zone Leaders planned it all out from the beginning to get us pumped...It was hilarious but the shirt was toast. :)

Hey Everybody!

 

WOWSERS! What a crazy awesome week! I don't have a lot of time so I'll do my best to highlight the awesome things that happened this week. Bear with me, it's going to be fast! :D

 

Alright, starting with last Monday...actually Sunday night. We received our transfer news...I found out that I would be staying here in Montana del Sur for my 5th transfer with my hijo Elder Giles. I was pretty excited but, honestly, seriously shocked that I would be staying another transfer...I thought for sure I was a goner. But, Monday just threw a huge twist into the situation. In our district, we refer to Leadership calls/Tranining calls as "The Suspicious Phonecall" from President Beck. Well, at about 10:30 in the AM, I received the "Suspicious Phonecall" when President extended me the call as the District Leader of the Phoenix District, in the Phoenix Zone, in the Arizona Phoenix mission (We take pride in our Phoenix....ness :D) I was...Surprised, scared, but a little excited seeing that it was something that I have never done before. I accepted the call and, as always, kept it quite until the Wednesday transfer meeting.

 

Tuesday was a bittersweet day. We had our last District Meeting with Elder Bingham. We took pictures and worked hard the rest of the day.

 

Then, Wednesday, Transfer Day, came. And, Holy Cow! The best way to explain what happened is to put it into a list:

 

1-Elder Grayson, the old Spanish Assistant, was replaced by Elder Crandall, our old Zone Leader and he (Elder Grayson) took Elder Bingham's place in Aguila (East...wait, there was a split?)

2-Myself as District Leader

3-Elder Bingham (my dad) as our new Zone Leader and

4-Check this out...SISTER MISSIONARIES IN PHOENIX SOUTH!! We have 3 Hermana's coving the West half of the Aguila ward thus breaking history for the Phoenix district. My mind was BLOWN AWAY!!!

 

The rest of Wednesday just went by like a blur....I was seriously in shock the whole day. Sisters, old Assistant, District leader stuff.....Man it is crazy AWESOME!!

 

But, to tone things down a little bit, we had some incredible things happen in the work the past few days. Elder Giles and I checked 2 referrals we received only to find out that ALL 4 people involved are right ready for baptism. It was pretty...incredible to say the least. We should be setting their baptismal dates this week so we will see how things go!

 

I'm sorry I've got to cut this a little short but, I just want to add a small spiritual thought to close off this post. My last transfer was really rough for me...for a lot of different reasons but, I seriously felt like I was fighting the powers of Satan every day. Discouragement, disappointment, sometimes just 100% consuming frustration with everything. I want to say to all of you, maybe there is someone that regularly reads my posts that needs to hear this, to NEVER give up. I was reading a conference talk by Elder Kevin W. Pearson of the Seventy the other day. He talked about Faith in Jesus Christ. There was one thing he said that really stuck out to me. It was, "If you want to have more faith, be more obedient". From the moment I read that line something clicked in my head. My goal setting changed, my studies changed, even my shear desire for talking to people changed. I want to testify that Obedience is the first law of heaven. But, more than that, I want to tell all of you that we have a loving Heavenly Father. He wants us to succeed, he wants us to be happy, but he also recognizes that we need to taste the bitter in order to appreciate the sweet. I know God lives, that Jesus is the Christ. I know the great Plan of God is in affect and is for every person that has, is, and will walk the face of this earth. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. It testifies of the divinity of Jesus Christ and I know that when a person reads it words, they draw them self closer to God.

 

Alrighty my friends, know that I love you all very much and I hope that you are all safe and sound. I pray that Heavenly Father blesses you and keeps you in your endeavors this week. Remember, there isn't any challenge that we can't over come. But, I hope you enjoy the pictures and, until next week, Nos Vemos!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"So Long, Farewell": Our last district picture with Elder Bingham. However sad it was, it was still a great experience to work and serve with him, especially as his companion. But, I got to be honest, this next transfer is going to rock!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Lesson Time": We watched Finding Faith in Christ with one of our investigators. Well, long story short, they had this awesome remote that they called "Tiny" that we just had to get a picture of. It was pretty sick :)

 

Hey Everyone!

 

So this may be a little bit shorter than usual... I only have about 10-15 minutes to write it before we need to go. We got to e-mail a little later than usual because of appointments so...bear with me! :)

 

First and foremost, we recieved our transfer news last night and I will be staying in Montana del Sur with Elder Giles for at least one more transfer. I am really excited for this prospect and feel like there is still work for me to do down here. I just hope that it will stop raining and the sun will come out! :) Along with transfer news, my daddy Elder Bingham recieved that call last night of "Transferred". He will finally be leaving the area after a faithful 10.5 months in the area and as District Leader. I'm pretty sad to see my dad leave but I know that I will see him again! :)

 

As for the week, for the most part it was pretty good. We had a baptism on Saturday for our little grandma that we have been teaching for about a month. The service was a little bit smaller than usual but it was still pretty special. I was blessed with the opportunity to perform the ordinance...All in all it was a very special experience and a spectacular way to end off the transfer.

 

On a bit of a sadder note, I believe I mentioned the awesome family I found with Elder Bingham when we were on splits...well, we called to wake them up for church on Sunday (yesterday) where they informed us that they were moving and would no longer be living in the appartments of which we found them. The catch? They will now be living in the Mesa mission... thus losing the two baptismal dates they had with us. It was pretty heartbreaking for Elder Giles and I but we are now really excited to get to work and try and find the others that Heavenly Father has prepared for us.

 

As for the rest of the work down here, it is going really well. We are staying busy and are looking forward to next transfer. Our ward is continuing to grow in leaps and bounds and are trying very hard to include the members more. A problem that can be found in most any ward. But, I feel confident that with the ideas brewing in Elder Giles and my head, I feel like things will begin to take off fairly quickly.

 

In other news, I would like to thank all of you who wrote me this past week. For a missionary to recieve letters is cooler than....I don't even know what...but some pretty cool stuff :). I will try and get off responses to you all within the next couple of weeks.

 

Well, I wish I had more time to write but we need to get going to our appointment. I hope you enjoy the pictures! Also, I hope you all know that you are loved, missed, and are in my prayers. But, until next week, love you all and have a fantastic week!! :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"To complete all righteousness": The baptism of Ofilia "Norma" Piedra Niebla. It was an incredible opportunity to teach this 73 year old grandma of 55 :) The Lord truly prepares...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Blue Birds Fly": A rare occurance to see a rainbow in Phoenix but...then again....maybe not. It's been raining a lot recently but...This one was extra bright and super sweet. So, I snapped a picture of it! :)

 

Why, hello again!

Well, here I am again, writing another post, the last full week of the transfer. We should be receiving transfer news next Sunday so I'll be sure to mention if I'll be staying here or going in my next post. I hope that I stay here to be quite honest but, I'll go where Heavenly Father needs me!

We had a very successful week this past week despite some hurdles we had to jump. The end of P-day last week was a bit slow. The appointments that we set fell through so we spent the rest of the night trying to contact potential investigators we found. In the end we just ended up dropping most of the ones we contact due to lack of interest OR they didn't live there anymore.

Tuesday was our interview day with President. It went VERY well. A little bit longer than usual but we were able to get a lot of necessary things accomplished. My interview with President was fairly short again but it was still very good. I feel like I set some very promising goals with him that will really push me hard this next transfer. But, I'm really looking forward to it. The rest of the night we tried to salvage some of the plans that we had. We ended up having an extremely good lesson with our abuelita Norma and are 1000% excited for her baptism next week.

Wednesday was a very interesting day. We had a district meeting in the morning that, like interviews, went a little bit longer than usual. As a result we had to change around our schedule. We ended up doing the same thing we did Monday night but experienced quite a bit success. We have some people that we feel are ready and willing to listen to the gospel and, this week, we will find out how ready they are to accept it. We took a late lunch at about 3 or so then went and helped the Zamora kids with their homework. We rode out a ways to dinner that night but it was definitely worth it. The hermana that we had REALLY knows how to cook. After dinner we rode to our new investigators house for the lesson we missed earlier in the day. Their names are Jorge and Maria Hernandez. We planned the night before to teach them lesson 1 and brought a Book of Mormon along to give to them to read. I won't go into specific details but I will say that the lesson we taught was one of the best lessons I have taken part of. The spirit was so present in the lesson. Both Jorge and Maria recognized it and were just so excited for us to come back. We set up our return appointment then got out of there as soon as we could so they could feel the difference in spirit.

Thursday was a pretty normal day, we went and visited Norma again with Obispo Rivera and finished teaching her lesson 2. With this we completed all of the pre-baptism lessons. It has been a really cool experience to teach her because we have seen such a change of light in her eyes from the first time we met her. And honestly, she feels like one of my family! :)

Friday was an awesome day. I actually went on a split with Elder Grayson (one of the Spanish Assistants) and served in his area in (I believe) Phoenix North. They are part of the Monte Vista ward of their and, honestly, have an awesome area. My day with him really opened my eyes to the blessings that I have down here in South Phoenix. I really came to appreciate just how many Hispanics there are down here and, really, how many of them are ready to accept the gospel. I loved serving with Elder Grayson for the day and learned an incredible amount. However, while I was up there, Elder Giles and Elder Clarke (the other Assistant) had an awesome meeting with a referral named Francisco where they taught all of lesson one and left a Book of Mormon. His story is so big I'm going to have to share it another time. The craziest thing though happened that night when, once again, we went to see Jorge and Maria. Long story short, they have a baptismal date set for the 20 of March. When I heard this I felt so incredible...that really when the spirit bears testimony of the veracity of the gospel, people will have a desire to change.

This week was filled with incredible experiences that really changed my perspective as my purpose as a missionary. Our ward is starting to take control of our recent converts which has allowed us to use more of our efforts towards finding, teaching, and baptizing. The work has just taken off here recently and we are looking forward to the future.

Well, I know this is a bit shorter than usual but I'm about out of time. I wish I could write all the experiences we had but, I guess that will just have to wait for another few months :). Thank you (yes all of you!) for the prayers that you offer in behalf of the missionaries. I wish I was able to express how much they are felt and appreciated. But, I hope that you all are alive and well. Know that you are in my prayers. But, until next week, Hasta Luego! :)

PS. Sorry...no pictures this week. I should have more next Monday. Nos Vemos!