November 2, 2015

So this was quite a adventurous week full of meetings and other exciting stuff.

 

So first to start off Monday we went to Lafayette because on Tuesday morning we were going to have a special Spanish Missionary Conference in Indianapolis so I figured to save miles I would just travel with the Spanish elders there (elders Ryan, Baird) and I just spent the night with them while my companion went with some of the English elders house there in Lafayette. It was a pretty awesome P-day as I just got to hang out with my two best mission friends.

 

Tuesday we woke up early because from Lafayette its about a one hour drive down to Indy where are meeting was at the Mission Presidents house. Went there had a special guest speaker who skyped us from Mexico (he is a assistant to the Seventy down there). After a few other speakers we went to a buffet for lunch. I rode with President Cleveland and we just had a long talk about the mission and future of some areas. It was pretty good. The rest of the conference was very good and inspiring. They should have pictures of the whole Spanish contingent on the face book page.

 

Wednesday we went back to work with nothing to significant going on. We did have our district meeting. Halloween themed and later the branch had its activity, a trunk or treat. It was a lot of fun. I wore my starwars shirt over my church clothes and went as a "normal person" hahahah people thought it was funny.

 

Thursday we went and visited one of the Spanish members who is fighting cancer. Its fun to talk with him in Spanish expecially since I don't get to practice it quite as much as I use to. We also got to eat at the Pughs who are a excellent older couple for dinner.

 

Friday we had several appointments fall through and we cut the night short because we here they celebrate Halloween two to three nights in different portions of the town. Weird but makes sense. As such mission president told us not to be out knocking doors after 6. But we could go visit people. And so we finished the night with a visit to one of my favorite families in the Branch the Watts. We had dinner with them and just talked for a lot longer than we should have but they love to talk and we love to listen.

 

Saturday we had various service projects and later because we had the miles we went to Monticello a town we cover to try to visit all the less actives and members. Funny enough and also a major spiritual highlight we went to a one of the less active families who were surprised to see us but also commited to come to church tomorrow. Which they did.

 

Sunday we had a stake priesthood meeting in the morning so they pushed sacrament to 1 (usually its at 9). We had to give one blessing to a older lady and then another to a Spanish lady who I made the elder quorum president do (he is Hispanic) because I felt impressed that he should do it. So he did in Spanish, I helped him with the words and such. Afterwards he told me that while he has given blessings this was the very first time he had ever given one in Spanish. Coooooool stuff right.

 

And now here we are Monday. I am writing to you and am now coming to an end to all these things. As always I want to close by saying I love you all and miss you very much. Keep partying on and having fun. I love ya guys.

 

Spiritual thought: https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/fast-offerings-a-simple-commandment-with-a-marvelous-promise?cid=HP_TH_10-29-2015_dWEL_fPROP_xLIDyL1-A_&lang=eng

October 26, 2015

Well another week bites the dust.

 

This week had quite a lot of significance. Last Thursday was my one year mark. Wow that went real fast. One year, 5 areas, and 6 companions later and now here we are. One more year. As a refresher I have look and reread my journal entries since starting, wow they are really bland probably need to write more interesting stuff in them.

 

We also had a fun birthday party with everyone at the Tinchers house who are a older member family. They have the tradition of celebrating all the missionaries birthdays on the same day. So they took us the Logansport missionaries and the Rochester missionaries to lunch, later we had cake and then they gave us presents which were gift cards to Walmart the perfect gift for missionaries.

 

We also had a small group meeting in Rochester where I had to give the closing talk. Truth was I sort of forgot about it but I didn't tell them that. It went as I talked about the book of Mormon and the history and its significance in our lifes. It went well I think.

 

As for what has been happening in the work not too much. We are still working with everyone to help them reach certain goals

 

We also have some changes to mission rules. We would usually go and play with the members during sports night, but due to missionaries getting injured so often it has now no longer allowed. Its a bummer but it happens and its what the leaders want to its what we shall do.

 

Oh almost forgot we had interviews with President Cleveland Tuesday. And that was pretty good. Mine with him was quick and he was funny enough to say that he didn't think I really need one he knows im doing ok. But he emphasized getting the area back up and running so yep.

 

Well that's all the fun and exciting stuff that is going on out here in Indy. I hope you are all doing well and are continuing to party on.

 

I love you all and miss you all. Take care and keep having fun.

 

 https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/president-monson-testifies-of-jesus-christ?cid=HP_TH_10-22-2015_dOCS_fPROP_xLIDyL1-A_&lang=eng

October 19, 2015

Another week another Monday and now another email. Boy these things are sometimes hard to write because in terms of the week it was okay but uneventful. However I will go through quickly some of the good fun things we have had.

 

This week we returned to teach a older lady we had met who is the sweetest old Grandma (she has adopted me) you could meet. I planned a lesson to give her a little gift one of the pictures of Christ you can put in a frame. I read the story of Peter declaring Jesus to be the Christ the son of the living God, and then revealed the picture and she went crazy. She loved it and started to cry, and say this was the greatest gift she could receive and how much she loved me. Boy talk about the spirit being strong in the room she was caressing it like a baby. Later after we left she gave us a call like 10 minutes after we had left to tell me she had found a frame for it. When we returned a few days later she had it right next to her bedside so she could have him watch her. That meeting I gave her a book of Mormon which she really liked. Later on she gave us a angle that sings silent night. Its pretty cute and I will have to send a picture of it. I am keeping that in my collection of random stuff.

 

We met with our main investigator Tony this week and while he is really ready, he is not committed. He missed church again this week, and this Saturday we had him schedule for baptism but now its off because of that and gahhhhhhhhh. He knows the church is true, and that he needs to be baptized. I just don't think its his priority in his life.

 

We met with a long time investigator Maggie whose parents are active members in the church up in Chicago. She is a great lady with a very dark past but that's a story for another time. She has been reading and studying the Book of Mormon for a long time. Her mind is getting blown by 1 Nephi with the visions Nephi had of the life of the Savior, the future of his people, and next time we are going over his vision of the Restoration of the Gospel which I know she will be singing her praises and hallelujahs to the heavens.

She is a funny lady.

 

We also finally got to meet several less actives this week and we are working on them to go back to being active. Several of which would boost the numbers of the branch tremendously. Honestly if ever half the less actives would return the branch could be a ward. But then there is that whole agency thing.

 

We also went to a bbq/birthday party of one of the less actives. I have a running joke with him that he always offers me the Bacardi (alcohol) to drink. So for his birthday I went to the dollar tree and bought a wine bag, along with a bottle of Sangria which is a Spanish drink that taste like wine but isn't alcohol. Oh he thought that was the funniest thing ever, and his friends who do drink alcohol were really excited, then disappointed, and then laughing cause they thought it was pretty funny for the "Mormon", they all know the missionaries very well so they got it.

 

We also had dinner with the Thomas's who the wife is a member but the husband is not. Though out of everyone me and him get along probably the best because we just talk about farming, fishing, and history. Last time me and him had a discussion about native americans and I told him about captain jacks stronghold or hideout (cant remember) that we would go to a lot (the one near the lave tubes). But we usually have dinner with them once a week and sister Thomas is the sweetest lady you can imagine. She is fantastic.

 

On a spiritual note a video was posted concerning trials, and how we react to such trials. Do we grow angry, and selfish or do we allow the light of God to penetrate us so we can overcome them. Here is the link, I really enjoyed it.

https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/reflections?cid=HP_TU_10-13-2015_dPTH_fMLIB_xLIDyL1-B_

 

But that's all folks, the work continues forward. As always I would love to hear how things are going with you all and your families and everything. I love and miss you.