June 25,2013

Ya sounds like you guys are just trucking right along without me. I guess that shows how much i am missed. Just teasing sounds like you guys are doing a ton of fun things. Keep it up. It is so important to just enjoy life. I see so many people around that just seem miserable and it isn't worth it. This week has been a pretty good one. On Thursday night i went on an exchange with another set of elders i was in martinsburg it was a cool area. You probably won't like hearing this but it is super hood and filled with all kinds of drugs. They named one of the streets there high street because that is were a lot of drugs are sold and most of the people that live there are usually doing some serious drugs it was pretty cool though to see a different area. It is so different from the area that i am in and it is only 15 min. away. The rest of the week me and Elder B. just continued to try to work and build relationships with the members and the L.A. We did a lot of walking around in some neighborhoods and now have a lot of potential investigators that we are going to try and go see this week. It is pretty hot out here the rain has stopped but the humidity and the heat are still climbing. I am so glad that i have the short sleeves. The ward out here is awesome as well we are starting to know more and more people so it is fun. We got to go into teachers quorm and talk to the about the importance of going on a mission. It was really fun to talk about. I think D&C 4:4 really sums it up. The field is white already to harvest and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not but bringeth salvation to is soul. It is a great promise. The work is definitley progressing i hope a lot of our members were able to attend the fireside last night. They are truly the most essential tool that we as missionaries have besides the spirit. Try to work with the missionaries if you have the chance. If not just be a good example and don't be afraid to open you mouth and to testify. I loved when it said, "When we talk to others out of love about the gospel, it will not come across as offensive or jugdemental." If we reconize that each of us is a son and daughter of Heavenly Father it will be easy to love and want to share with the things that we know to be true and the things that have bless our lives. 

I loved the cave experience, i debated telling you because i knew that you would say that. But it was way fun. I got to see fireflies for the first time last week. I was like a kid on christmas and still am they are so cool to see. I am gald that i am out here serving there is no place i would rather be. Hopefully we can start to see more and more people finding the gospel. But by small and simple means first.

I am doing great. And i don't think that i need anything in particular at the moment. If you could send the Conference ensign we get them but we will get the one for june and we didn't get may's so if you could include that it would be awesome. I love all you guys thank you so much for the love and the support. Send me some pics if you get a chance about what is going on in your lives. And read John 14:27 together. Also keep studying the scriptures and having prayer it will bless you're lives. Love you all have a great week.

June 17, 2013

This week has still been kind of slow. We are trying to work with the members and get to know them. The focus for the mission is use members to find their friends and those they know so we can teach them with their help. So we have been trying to work with the members which has been kind of hard. The ward was told they were getting sisters. Which I forgot to tell you about last week but when we arrived at our apartment the first night we had been heart-attacked because they thought that we were going to be sisters. So all the members were way excited about that. But now that we are here they always ask every time we meet someone new, what happened to the sisters. So they obviously wanted the sister missionaries so it has been kind of hard to work with them. We were able to serve for one L.A we helped him move into his apartment which is right down the street from us. And we also helped a member do some work around his yard. Those two opportunities have given us a relationship with those members but there are still a lot more that we need to build that trust with. 

    We have been trying to focus a lot on get L.A. back to church as well there are a ton of them out here. So we are just trying to befriend them and give them a reason to come back. A lot of them were at one time very strong and active members that have just fallen away for one reason or another. Funny thing happened this week. We went to a guys house, who we had stopped by last week and set up an appointment with, when we went there this week though we talked to him and shared a brief message. We thought that his name was Bro Allen and that he was a member of the ward that was just L.A. Well when we were trying to update our teaching records on him we found that he wasn't on the ward roster and we have no idea were we got his address from or what his name even is. We called him what we thought his name was and he didn't correct us but he might have also been drunk at the time so we aren't sure where he came from or who he is. So it is pretty crazy. Hopefully we will figure it out. We don't have any investigator right now. There were a couple that were already found but one can't meet for 2-3 more weeks and the other will be gone from this area til August. There are a few people that we have met that might have some potential. We walked by some apartments and there was a guy that yelled at us to come and talk to him. He told us the first time we walked by he felt like the spirit told him he needed to talk to us (he is a pretty spiritual guy) but he ignored it well then we walked by and he stopped us. He has some strong beliefs in God and Jesus Christ so hopefully we can go back and teach him. Other than that not a whole lot has happened just slowly trying to get to know the members better so they can do the finding for us so we don't have to spend all of our time tracting. So we have just been trying to visit them and the L.A. families and help strengthen their testimony and their desire to come back to church. That is the goal in working with members is finding those who are ready to teach and having them get them in contact with us. I do love the work though it is awesome to get to know these people. Hopefully we can get to that point were they trust us and know that we are here for them. It will make things go more smoothly. I love getting to study the gospel more as well. There are such wonderful things written in the scripture and I encourage you guys to keep reading them. 

 

I love you all a ton. Thanks for all your love and prayers know that you are always in mine. Have a great week.

Falling Waters, West Virginia

June 10, 2013

Hey everyone time is kind of short today. So I will try to do my best. The falling waters area is small and very rural. We are mostly focusing on working with Less actives right now. We had to start brand new because, they had just split the area so we haven't had a lot going on just visiting some members and a few less actives. Today we went caving which is why I don't have a lot of time to email. I will make sure to write more next week. But the ward was very small. They had their seminary graduation in sacrament it was kind of weird. A small miracle did kind of occur. We had a less active come to church that we had been stopping by his house to see but he was never home. He has to daughters that are of age to be baptized but haven't been yet so he invited us over for dinner hopefully that will open the door for the opportunity to get his children baptized. My comp. is great it is Elder Benedict. He knows a ton of stuff about the gospel which is way cool. The humidity is a little rough but I am getting used to it. It has been raining for the past 4 days which is really nuts. I wish there was more spiritual stuff to write about. Not much has happened though as we did just open the area so the work is slow. I don't need a gps right now but I will probably in a month or so. Just wanted to give you a heads up. I am loving the work though and the people are so nice. Yesterday we had two dinners which was crazy and this week we have a dinner every night but tonight and sat. we also have a lunch as well. The people are really friendly once they get to know you. Thank you for all of the love and support from everyone. . I love the gospel. My testimony has already grown so much. This really is the true church. Hopefully I will have more to write next week. But just to mention I did get my bikes it works well but we have a pretty nice car so most of our time is spent in that. I hope everyone is doing well. I am going to try and write some letters tonight. There just isn't a ton of stuff happening yet worth mentioning. The caving was a blast though I have a ton of pictures I'll send home when I get a new memory card. I love you all. Thanks for all of your prayer. Thank you also for continuing to study the gospel. I love everyone of you.


So I ended up having some extra time. Yes I still want that scripture it is Alma 17:2-3. And E. Benedict is from long beach cali. The area is pretty cool the weather right now is perfect for a tornado and there is a tornado warning for tonight til 10. Don't worry though everything will be just fine. The area out here kind of reminds me of the south. We went into some way rural areas. Where people just live in  mobile homes up on the hill and they are hard to find. It is a great area I sent a letter though today with a bunch a details about the area. I wish I had some more to share about my work as a missionary but our focus has just mostly been on the L.A (less active) and member. They are big on working with the members to get referrals. So if this week we do get some investigators ill be sure to let you know. Tonight we are going to do a service project we are helping a less active member move so that will be fun and hopefully get him back to church. We haven't had the opportunity to teach any lessons yet. There is one lady that was taking the discussions from Elder Park but he got transferred we went and visited her but she has a bunch of stuff going on and she is leaving town so we won't be able to see her for a while. That is all that has really happened thus far. I have seen quite a few rednecks and hillbillies. Hopefully I can get some squirrel. Love you all a lot. Tell everyone thanks for the emails and letters I will try to respond if I have time next week.