If you don't read anything else in this email, at least read the last paragraph. (Alma 42)
I finally made it up to the most northern part of the mission! I went all the way up to Illinois this week! The land of Lincoln. We got invited to the Coakley's house and they are just way to funny! I haven't had that good of a time for a while. They have four daughters, so it was a lot like my family but reversed. Four girls isn't that much different from four boys. There was plenty of laughing and fighting! Sister Coakley is the mom out here to all the missionaries. She is so kind and loving, but she also knows how to put her foot down.... ha!
I feel like our Tuesday's are like our power days. For the past couple of Tuesday's we have gotten to teach like mad. I experienced my very first three a days. A three a day is when you teach a other lesson, RCLA, and have a member present. Having members there makes it so much better. The members here are so good at making friends with the non-members and baring their testimonies with so much spirit!! I wish we could have members with us all the time! We do well at teaching with the spirit but members add so much more.
It is crazy how the Lord will put me into places I need to be or send me people that need to hear. We did a little service by playing bingo at the old folks home and this man started to talk with us. He is blind and he asked us what church we were from. We proudly told him we were from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He then put his hand in a fist to give a fist bump and said, "Ah Mormons!" We found out that he is Mormon and wanted to take the sacrament again so badly. It is so great when we are trying to find people to bring in the church, but than other times I think it is just as great to help reactivate someone. They almost need it more because they already have accepted the gospel so they are held more accountable than someone who doesn't know it.
I got to go to Metropolis to do some service for a bed and breakfast in a mansion. This is not a hug mansion but it's pretty old. I could film such a good scary movie in there .... haha! I would love to stay there one night just to feel like I am royalty. Metropolis is the same city where Superman is from. I got to be superman for a day and see some awesome things up there. I think my Grandpa Dean would be jealous. He loves Superman so much! It also rained like crazy so I broke a mission rule and swam.... haha!! I just jumped into a puddle of water.
One of the days here this week I think I was going to literally melt. It was a day where I didn't feel like tracting but I knew the Lord would help us. It reminded me of CEU football camp when I just got done with the afternoon practice and my coach would get all mad and make me run ...with pads on and everything! I would get pretty sweaty and drenched. I feel like that here, but somehow I get even more sweaty. I looked like I just got done swimming. Also, the worst part is I don't dry out. So I am drenched all day!!!
We had Zone conference this week and it is actually pretty cool! What I got out of it was that we need to teach repentance by using the Book of Mormon. Repent shows up in the Book of Mormon like 20 more times than the bible. I also learned how to be most effective in ward council. Like I said the best converters are the members. Oh, I also won the Golden Hubcap. That is awarded to the best looking car in the zone! Thanks mom for teaching me to be clean! Apparently not many missionaries win that award. There are 7 zones in the mission so that means our car was top 7!
We went over to see Van yesterday He wasn't there, but his brother was. We talked with his brother, Tom, for a bit. He has a little kid that he loves so much and he is married too!! I have been praying for a family to teach and I hope that Tom lets us teach him. He already loves and believes in God and Jesus Christ, so it's hard to find a way to tell them that there is way more to that. People around here don't like to change but the Lord will prepare those who are ready to receive the message. What struck me the most was at the end of our discussion, Tom said that I should smile more and not look so nervous. I was surprised at this because I have never really be one to be frowning and nervous. I laughed it off because I know that I am not nervous at all. I am mostly just trying to think what to say. I learned that I just need to listen and the words I need to say will come.
I learned something else super important this week that I want to share with all those who want to go on a mission. Or really anyone that wants to get closer to Heavenly Father. I will be like all the prophets in the Book of Mormon and say, make sure you repent. You can not expect to come on a mission without being fully repentant. The Spirit will not reside in you and you will not be able to speak with power. I have made a promise to myself that I will do whatever it takes to live with Heavenly Father again and to live with my family forever. If you are scared to repent because it's embarrassing, or if it will make others think of you as a bad person, don't listen to those fears. They are from Lucifer, he wants you to stay in your sins so he can have power over you. Let your guilt lead you to repentance and when you do repent, and you confess, you will feel like your spirit wants to fly. I literally can't put into words my joy. I know the atonement is real and it is for everyone. It takes a lot of humility to repent and become clean, but you wont regret it when you do use the atonement.
Until next week....I finally made it up to the most northern part of the mission! I went all the way up to Illinois this week! The land of Lincoln. We got invited to the Coakley's house and they are just way to funny! I haven't had that good of a time for a while. They have four daughters, so it was a lot like my family but reversed. Four girls isn't that much different from four boys. There was plenty of laughing and fighting! Sister Coakley is the mom out here to all the missionaries. She is so kind and loving, but she also knows how to put her foot down.... ha!
I feel like our Tuesday's are like our power days. For the past couple of Tuesday's we have gotten to teach like mad. I experienced my very first three a days. A three a day is when you teach a other lesson, RCLA, and have a member present. Having members there makes it so much better. The members here are so good at making friends with the non-members and baring their testimonies with so much spirit!! I wish we could have members with us all the time! We do well at teaching with the spirit but members add so much more.
It is crazy how the Lord will put me into places I need to be or send me people that need to hear. We did a little service by playing bingo at the old folks home and this man started to talk with us. He is blind and he asked us what church we were from. We proudly told him we were from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He then put his hand in a fist to give a fist bump and said, "Ah Mormons!" We found out that he is Mormon and wanted to take the sacrament again so badly. It is so great when we are trying to find people to bring in the church, but than other times I think it is just as great to help reactivate someone. They almost need it more because they already have accepted the gospel so they are held more accountable than someone who doesn't know it.
I got to go to Metropolis to do some service for a bed and breakfast in a mansion. This is not a hug mansion but it's pretty old. I could film such a good scary movie in there .... haha! I would love to stay there one night just to feel like I am royalty. Metropolis is the same city where Superman is from. I got to be superman for a day and see some awesome things up there. I think my Grandpa Dean would be jealous. He loves Superman so much! It also rained like crazy so I broke a mission rule and swam.... haha!! I just jumped into a puddle of water.
One of the days here this week I think I was going to literally melt. It was a day where I didn't feel like tracting but I knew the Lord would help us. It reminded me of CEU football camp when I just got done with the afternoon practice and my coach would get all mad and make me run ...with pads on and everything! I would get pretty sweaty and drenched. I feel like that here, but somehow I get even more sweaty. I looked like I just got done swimming. Also, the worst part is I don't dry out. So I am drenched all day!!!
We had Zone conference this week and it is actually pretty cool! What I got out of it was that we need to teach repentance by using the Book of Mormon. Repent shows up in the Book of Mormon like 20 more times than the bible. I also learned how to be most effective in ward council. Like I said the best converters are the members. Oh, I also won the Golden Hubcap. That is awarded to the best looking car in the zone! Thanks mom for teaching me to be clean! Apparently not many missionaries win that award. There are 7 zones in the mission so that means our car was top 7!
We went over to see Van yesterday He wasn't there, but his brother was. We talked with his brother, Tom, for a bit. He has a little kid that he loves so much and he is married too!! I have been praying for a family to teach and I hope that Tom lets us teach him. He already loves and believes in God and Jesus Christ, so it's hard to find a way to tell them that there is way more to that. People around here don't like to change but the Lord will prepare those who are ready to receive the message. What struck me the most was at the end of our discussion, Tom said that I should smile more and not look so nervous. I was surprised at this because I have never really be one to be frowning and nervous. I laughed it off because I know that I am not nervous at all. I am mostly just trying to think what to say. I learned that I just need to listen and the words I need to say will come.
I learned something else super important this week that I want to share with all those who want to go on a mission. Or really anyone that wants to get closer to Heavenly Father. I will be like all the prophets in the Book of Mormon and say, make sure you repent. You can not expect to come on a mission without being fully repentant. The Spirit will not reside in you and you will not be able to speak with power. I have made a promise to myself that I will do whatever it takes to live with Heavenly Father again and to live with my family forever. If you are scared to repent because it's embarrassing, or if it will make others think of you as a bad person, don't listen to those fears. They are from Lucifer, he wants you to stay in your sins so he can have power over you. Let your guilt lead you to repentance and when you do repent, and you confess, you will feel like your spirit wants to fly. I literally can't put into words my joy. I know the atonement is real and it is for everyone. It takes a lot of humility to repent and become clean, but you wont regret it when you do use the atonement.
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