Happy Birthday Jesus

I was told by a member with missionaries out that the family likes reading long emails so here you go.

I have to start out with Christmas. Yesterday was such a blessing. Not only was it the day that we celebrate the Savior but I also got to talk to my family. My mom knows it but I just love spending quality time with those I love. So Christmas Day I woke up, said my prayers, and opened my presents. Thank you to all who made Christmas morning a delight! I loved getting all the goodies and the wonderful presents. I added up the gift cards and let's just say I will be good for the next couple of months. We went to church after studies and did our last practice for the choir (obviously I wasn't gonna pass up the opportunity to sing praises)! We then had to greet people at the door and hand out the program. Brother Newsham showed up this a Roudolgh tie and overalls. He always wears overalls. My favorite was brother Gonzales because he showed up in shorts, an un-tucked green dress shirt, a loose tie, and sunglasses. He said it was a south Florida Christmas because it was 73 degrees outside. During the ward business we had Jerry Evans get confirmed a member of the church. The bishop was the one who was giving the blessing and I had my hand on top of his and he was shaking like a freezing child. Either the Spirit was really coursing through him or he was cold. Poor Jerry probably almost got a concussion. We had the Christmas program and it felt so good singing for Jesus Christ and the Spirit was prominent!!  Afterword a great sacrament meeting we rushed to get a member to come with us to our dinner appointment at a sweet old ladies home. We got two of the young men in the ward and had a great time driving over to the ladies house. The food was wonderful and had a good conversation with her. She is like 90 years old and still kicking. She was a 2nd and 3rd grade teacher for most of her life so that make sense why she is so sweet. We had to rush back to the church so I could call my family. I was shaking trying to open the door to the church and when I was about to call, I was actually pretty nervous. I have no idea why I was so nervous but once I saw my mom answer the call I had to push back tears as the butterflies flew away. It felt like only an hour I talked to them but when I realized the time it had almost been 3 hours! I was so happy to see them and talk to them all. I love my family and I am so glad that Heavenly Father has put me in this one. I then got to talk to my dad and my brothers. I was shocked at both Zander's and Garrett's voices when they came on. They are getting lower and I still see them as my little bros. It is weird to realize Stocky is only 2 years of school behind me and Gman is almost as tall as me if not the same height. Their interactions with each other has not changed much! I am just so proud of them and honored to call them brothers. After all of that Elder Ledbetter and I were driving home and I just felt this weird feeling. It was a mixture of satisfaction, emptiness, longing, happy, love, and lost. I don't know why but then I started to read the book I was handed from brother Davis to do my talk on. It is titled "Believing Christ" by Stephen E Robinson. I have read it before but it didn't click or hit me as hard as it did last night. I am so grateful for Christ and his atonement. Mom, if you want to know how to really become "perfect" read that book and check out Moroni 10: 32-34. That is what the true meaning of perfection and whatever struggle we may have about not feeling "good enough" or I have sinned too horrible to be forgiven. Think again because that is exactly why we need a savior. He is a coach, cheerleader, advisor, teacher but he is mainly a Savior. Isaiah 1:18, he wants to help you and he can save you now not later. You can't just believe in him you had to believe him. Believe what he says can apply to you and all mankind. (Article of Faith 3)

Another great thing happened this week. Jerry was baptized and it was the first time I got to actually be there for an investigator to see be baptized!! As a missionary I was  running around and making sure things are going as planned. I was making sure everyone who has a part in the program is there. Making sure the water is just right. Making sure everyone is comfortable. Making sure I had the right people skyping in. Making sure I had the baptismal record filled out correctly. Making sure those speaking had their message ....  and so forth. It was a really good spiritual meeting and it was interesting seeing how everything works behind the scenes. Jerry is a super positive guy and really wants to do all he can to serve the Lord.

We got the opportunity to celebrate Chanukah (Hanukkah) on Christmas Eve. In a part member family the man of the house is Jewish. He read the Hebrew prayers and wore the yamikka and everything. He made us some potato pancakes which is mashed potatoes fried in oil. Anything cooked in oil during Chanukah symbolizes the miracles that god performed. They do not believe that Jesus has come yet so therefore they don't believe in the New Testament. I felt like that is how things were celebrated around Moses's time. It was pretty cool!

That is most of what I can remember of the week besides the normal missionary stuff. I love y'all and I hope you had a very merry Christmas! Have a blessed 2017!

Love, Elder Q

 

 

'Twas the week before Christmas

''Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the mission not a missionary was homesick not even the president. I don't really remember the rest but hopefully y'all can come up with your own lines ... haha!

This week was awesome! We are getting our baptismal candidate ready and he is doing well. He has his interview and he passed with flying colors! Yesterday we went and taught this other guy and now we have another date for January 14! Whoot! He is already being a member missionary and is talking about what he learns with his family. Over here in Linden the family all live either really close to each other or at least in the same county. There is ups and downs to this but so far it has been an up for us! We are gonna be teaching his whole family!

We got the task from the ward council to deliver fruit baskets to less active members in the word. Mind you we have about 350 members in this ward but only about 120 are active. So we go to this one lady's house to deliver a fruit basket. She lets us come in and we get to talking. I have come to be much more bold in my conversations. I straight out asked what keeps her from church and she all of a sudden asked us for a blessing. Apparently she has been going through a lot of tough emotional problems and other things. I was the one who gave the blessing and again I just love the priesthood so much! The spirit was strong and I don't even remember what I was saying but scriptures kept popping up in my head so that was awesome!

I hit my 6 month mark this last week and now my mission begins! Elders have that 6 month grace period to catch up with the sisters haha! I now have 18 months and the time is going by! My mom has raised me to be huge with traditions and celebrations so obviously I burned a tie. Don't worry, it wasn't a tie that anyone got me. I found an ugly one for free.

Thank you so much for everyone who has sent me a gift! I am feeling very blessed and so thankful for all the family members who are support my me. I love all of you!

Some random tidbits of info. I am now the driver, which is awesome! I also built shelf stopper things for the library.

That about sums up the week. Have a blessed week and remember the Lord is always there for you. I see my family in 6ish days! Whoot!

Love, Elder Q

 

Hope you Brought Sunscreen

The call came in and I am staying with Elder Ledbetter in Linden. Our whole district stayed the same except for Sister Orchard is going home. Sister Allred (came out with me) will be training. That also means that we can do exchanges with Elder Doman and Elder K again! This transfer will be for 7 weeks .... so get your popcorn ready!

We had a mission tour by Elder Klebingat this week. He is one of the 70 and totally awesome! He taught us so much that I had like no time to write anything down. We would get off into gospel tangents because the spirit was going that way. I think he has all the scriptures memorized because he was pulling them out left and right. When he talked, the spirit would testify so strongly of everything he taught us. I think he had to be a baptist minister or a Pentecostal preacher by how much he just told us how it is. He did not hold anything back and reminded me of Elder Holland when he talks. He literally called us to repentance and talked about the second coming and the gathering of Israel. I learned from Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5: 1-4 that we need to lay it all on he alter and hold nothing back. He challenged us that if there is something we are holding back from the lord we need to give it up. He also said that silence is a sin. Now I have to talk to everyone I meet but it has to be out of love not fear. I am now trying to do everything out of love not fear. It is so hard! But I know that the lord gives us things so we can be tested and strengthened.

The teaching this week has been with the same people but they are all progressing so that is good. Oh! We taught this dude who is super funny and very interested. He has only one leg and one eye. He served in the military and has crazy stories. The reason I mention him is because we taught him and all he had on was pretty much a loin cloth... got to love the southerners!

There are so many miracles that happen that I forget to write about some. Well he is one, so we just got done with a member teaching some peeps, we decide to go to eat. We go to Prater's Taters (because a less active works there) and when we got there another member was struggling with some bags. We helped him out and he insisted on buying us food. Yay, a free meal! While ordering an investigator came in and was super happy to see us! Plus, the whole family was there! Then after we just got done eating, the less active came out and wanted our help
with teaching her family. Oh, and it doesn't stop there. Then the husband of the less active walked in and we taught him! They are so down with us coming over and teaching (the husband is not a member). This all happened with in an hour. It was absolutely nuts!

As missionaries we are encouraged to participate in Light the World! I love those things we can do everyday to spread The Light. I would
like to share just a little bit about what I have learned from my parents. First I am going to start off with my dad. He has been the ultimate guide in my life. He has taught me about what to do and what not to do to have a successful life. The one teaching I fall back on is this simple phrase "Fortune Favors the Bold!" This phrase has helped me in all aspects of life. Niel has taught me all the things that are necessary for a happy life like fishing, driving, cooking, shooting, and the best way to make a fire is with a flair. My mom has taught me the most by example and instruction. I have been with her all my life and I can say I am super lucky for that. She has ultimately taught me how to work hard and to never give up. She has the task of raising four boys, in a world of sin, to men. I think she is doing a great job! I would put her among the moms mentioned with the 2,000 stripping warriors.

That is all folks and we will see ya next week! Have a blessed week!

Elder Conner Quiring

Bull Manure

So this week I had a lot of firsts. I saw my first Amish dude with a horse drawn buggy. I am now in possession of rebel flag. I ate sorghum (tastes like baby food). Also, had this amazing pumpkin role thing and much more interesting desserts. We went to a parade, which is weird being December and all. This week was a long one but also went by fast.

We have this amazing couple in our word that are both in there late 80's but are still moving around and talking like they are 50. They are so funny! If I could make a reality tv show, I would hire them and the Newsham's and through them in a house and see what happens. I think I would make millions! They are just so funny and straight southern. The cute old couple's name is the Alleys and sister alley makes us bread every week. Not only that but she likes to make us so much sweets! I don't think I can eat dessert the same now if I don't have her sweets.

The work here is going pretty well. We still have the "white wash fire" so that has been nice. We get a lot of new investigators and are
now weeding them out to progressing investigators. Meaning, they are reading the BoM and repenting. Repenting means a fresh view of god and
ones self. So repentance is a change. You can look it up in the Bible dictionary. The people here are so nice! Well, like 95% of them are.

We have been doing most of our service hours in libraries. I really know how straighten and dust books ha! I would have never thought that
books would be a temptation for me. There are times where I just so badly want to read a book but I know if I am exact obedient to the mission rules, I will be blessed.

Well sorry that this week was very jumbled but I would like to close with the Christmas devotional in mind. If you didn't watch it, watch
it. It gets you so excited for Christmas! Christmas is a time to remember Jesus Christ and his earthly ministry. We are trying everyday
to become like him and as we pursue this course, we will find peace in this life. I will echo President Eyrings message and the scripture he used. John 14: 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. I would just like to leave my testimony that only the Lord can bring real peace to your heart. He can heal any wound and save any soul.

That is it folks! I love y'all and I am down to like 20 days until I can call family! Whoot! Have a blessed week!

Love, Elder Q