March 26, 2012

Hey, hey, hey, how is it going in Sulphur?

Um.....I don't want you to contact his mother, Mother.  That is weird.  I want you to ask 10 returned missionaries, male, and if you get 6 to say that it is not weird then you can proceed with contacting his parents, but if only 5 or less say it is ok.  Then no, you can't do it haha sorry.  Ms. Gwen can be one of those RMS.

Yeah, I am District Leader.  It sucks. haha (mother will be mad for that word hahahha )

Yeah, at night we had the time to play games and it was not against the rules, but this week we had a leadership meeting down in Vegas.  They had the missionary department come to the mission.  When they came there was all kind of crazy stuff they changed.  How the mission runs, basically, and added to some rules.  One of those rules is that we are now not allowed to play card or board games at all anymore.....not even on p-day. So, it is really weird to see how the mission is changing, but it will be for the best.  The biggest changes in the mission won't effect me because I am out of Vegas.  It was mostly effecting the people in the Las Vegas Valley and I have never served there before, so it is kinda weird.  But, yeah, so that is the big news for the week.

For this weekend we are planning on going to conference, but we shall see what happens because we still have a lot of work to do on Saturday.  We were able to find 5 new investigators this week and maybe a few more so I hope by the end of this week this area will be where it should be.  We are really working with the ward and are seeing the blessings of that.  So, I hope they come to work out and we can see some baptisms this transfer and a lot next transfer........so we shall see.  We used a new finding method that we were taught this week.  On Saturday we found 3 new investigators.  What you do is you offer to leave a blessing on the home of someone that you meet and explain that you are a representative of Jesus Christ and you have been sent to the area to bless them.  Then you go into the house and give the blessing and ask for there names and their needs.  In the blessing you leave the blessing for the things that they need.  Well, in this house we went in and they had a young child with a 104 temp and we asked if we could give him a blessing.  The mother said no, but I felt I should ask again so I did and she said that it would be ok.  As we gave this blessing there was a strong, strong spirit.  We blessed him that he would be made whole and continue to gain strength.  When we were done the father was crying and so was the mom.  By the time we left that house the young son was running around and had no temp anymore.  It was amazing and now we will go back next Saturday and teach them.  The Priesthood has real power to heal.

Yeah, I got your email about Bednar.  That is really cool.  It will give us all a chance to be tested and to grow.

It has been a good week.  We started going to the gym every morning at 6.  

Well, I love y'all and hope y'all are doing good.

March 19, 2012

Haha, so sorry about last week, but I was talking for like 2 hours with him(my old companion)  and I lost track of time and then we had to go to do other things.  Haha, sorry about that.

Haha, so first thing is first I really like my new comp.  He is really cool guy and he is from Washington state.  He went to BYU-I the same time that I was there.  So we didn't know each other, but he had a class with Kelsey Miller so we both know her, haha.  But, yeah, way cool guy.  He is really entergetic and that is a good thing, haha.  We were able to get 22 other lessons this week and we couldn't work on 2 days because of transfers.  So, that was awesome.  We are working hard together.  Right now he is having a hard time adjusting to not having a lot of investigators.  In his last area he was in north Las Vegas, which is on of the most geto places in Las Vegas, so haha, there you can get a lot more investigators but a lot of them are flacky.  So this work is a little different than he is used to, which by a little I mean a lot, hahha.  But it is not bad.  We are getting along great.  We have picked up a game to play together at night after we plan.  So, I am not as stir crazy any more.  Oh, and he has been out for 6 months.  This is his second area, just like mine.  So, it is kinda weird, but I guess that makes me senior comp(anion) and DL(district leader), but I have been telling everyone that he is senior comp, haha.  I don't think he likes it, but I don't want people to know I am senior, haha.  Makes me laugh haha. I only say it if someone asks, haha.

We are teaching this one guy named Dennis.  He is a cool guy that has had a hard life.  In our first appointment there where many times that he was in tears and was crying.  I think he felt the spirit.  This last week we soft set him for baptism (soft set is to say as you pray and come to know of the truth of what we are teaching then will you commit to be baptized).  It was a really cool thing.  At first he said no, but as we kept teaching him we were able to explain the reason and the need to be baptized by someone with the proper authority.  It was a cool lesson, and my first lesson to lead officially.  I had taken lead before many times but not as senior.  Oh, and we have been teaching this one lady in Alamo that has had a really hard life.  She is a great lady and is a student of the Bible and loves to read about church history.  Her husband is a in-active member, alchoholic and his parents are the RSP.  (I have no idea what RSP means.....Andrea.....I will ask him in his next letter!)  Super awesome family.  Well as we have taught the lessons to her, her husband has had a change of heart and dicided to get off alcohol.  So, he did, but he was such a addict he couldn't with out his kidneys shutting down.  So, that is what happened.  So, they have been in the hospital in Vegas for the past few weeks.  It has been a real hard thing for the family.  But he is on dialisys, and it is really hard, but they are growing, i think, this whole time.

Yeah, Aunt Tara is the best of my aunts to write me.  She does, but the rest are not any good at it, haha.  JK.............kinda, haha.

I have the two coolest grandmothers in the world, haha.  One is Southwest Louisiana's biggest Saint's fan and the other is 95 with a new iPad, haha.  That cracks me up, hahah, and GranJan has her iPad.   

Well, I am kinda mad that y'all are going to DC.  That is where I want to go so bad when I get home.  We will have to go again in that month that I will be home, haha, you can't go with out me and not bring me later haha!!!!!

Oh and I got my ballot last Tuesday so I will mail it out today.

March 12, 2012

So, this week was a good week......a little slow.  My comp was really trunky(ready to go home), so we didn't do much, haha.  It was really weird.  I don't know what to think about that guy.  He is strange. But, oh well.  I am in Vegas now till tomorrow, and I am staying with Elder Clason and his comp, so that is cool.  I am so glad to be done with that comp.

So, there was a crazy week this week because we found out on Thursday that Jack had First Presidency approval to be baptized, so then he was going to be baptized on Saturday.  So, we got to go all the way up there.....well down there and do the baptism.  So, that was awesome.  Then head back up to Panaca to be there for Stake Conference and be there with Bishop Edgley from the Presiding Bishopric.  So, that was awesome.  So, I have spent all my time talking to Elder Clason and I ran out of time to email.  Sorry.  Really I am.  I will write more next week.

March 5, 2012

So, we found out yesturday that there will be some changes in the mission boundries. On July 1st, they are creating a new mission the Reno, Neveda Mission, so they will change the boundries. The Elko Zone will be moving to the new mission and the Mesquite Zone, which I am a part of, will be moving to the West Las Vegas Mission. So, if I don't leave before then I will leave this mission, which would be really wierd for me, haha. So, it should be kinda interesting to see what happens with that. I think I will leave, but I am one of the oldest missionaries that can be moved because if the missionaries have had 2 mission presidents then they will not be moved. So, that leaves one group older then me that can be moved over, and so that is the big news for the day, haha.

So, yeah, I am really excited to see what happens. I don't want to leave this mission and I was kinda mad at first, but I know if I have to leave there is a reason that i will leave for. So whatever happens then is ok with me, haha. I know that sounds corny, haha, but oh well. So, I did think that if I move then I would be in Ivy's mission and I might be able to serve in her area. So yeah, it should be fun.

Sorry, I don't have a lot to say. But yeah, oh and mom, I need a picture of the Shelby, haha. A real picture. Not one that is emailed, please and thank you. A burn-out would be nice, haha. Dad would have fun doing it too, haha.

Oh, almost forgot. This week is stake conference, and the first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric will be here. So, that is really cool. So I am kinda excited about that and each person has to prepare a talk that they will have to give if they are called on. So, that is kinda cool. But, a lot of people are really scared about it, haha.

Love y'all

I know that the work that I am doing is the work of the Lord. There is nothing better that I could be doing right now. I know that the true gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to this earth in its fullest. The Preisthood is a real power to act in the name of God. The Preisthood in the hands of a worthy Preisthood holder is the most powerful force on this earth. And because of that, Satan has no bigger target than that of a Preisthood holder. As we live a righteous life then we will be blessed. I have heard it said that if we read the Book of Mormon every day then we will make it to the Celestrial Kingdom. While I know it takes more then this, if we read it and ponder it in our hearts, then do the words that it says...... then we will make it. The Book of Mormon has such Power that when we ponder its meanings then we can not help but to change.  We will change our lives to be in harmony with the teachings of the gospel...