Tender Mercies of the Lord

This weekend was great! We were busy the whole time with teaching appointments and transfers. We got the calls, and that was a neat experience, Elder Maxfield and I will be staying here in T-stat 1. I can't believe the transfer is already over and we are beginning a new one!




We had a lesson with this really cool dude. When we first knocked on his door he kept telling us that we wouldn't convert him and he was only going to give us one chance to teach him. Well, that was like a month ago and now he wants us coming over every Saturday. He is reading the pamphlets that we have given him and he said it makes sense. He thinks the plan of salvation is the most logical thing he has heard of about. He also accepted a Book of Mormon! Haha, this guy will be baptized before he knows it.




We also gave a church tour to the funny old lady. She was going around looking at all the paintings and wishing she had a camera to take pictures of them. There was also a primary thing about to start and these kids just melted her heart. She absolutely loves them! When she is baptized she will be called straight to the primary. She also is super funny when it comes to those fireball candies. Later that night we talked to the huge football dude and he said he will be coming to church this week! Things are picking up here in T-stat 1.




Here is a really awesome story. We were super shocked how it all happened. We had just got done trying to contact a former who said that we could come back. As we biked away I had this impression, well more of I was to tell this dude something, kind of feeling. We have biked passed his house multiple times and he was either mowing his lawn or driving away. I wanted to tell him that I thought his hair was sick! It was the long mullet style and looked like this other guy I have taught. We park our bikes outside his house and go knock the door to congratulate him. His wife is actually the one who answers, with her little daughter next to her. We started to converse and I told her to complement her husband for me. She actually wants it cut but said she would pass it on. Then we get on the conversation of faith building and she expresses her feelings and a story about it. She starts to tear up and the spirit starts testifying. Now we have a new investigator! It was a super cool experience! The Lord wants individuals as his missionaries. We would have never met her if it wasn't for my weird need to complement this guy in his hair.




That was about it for the week! A lot of things are about to happen here so buckle up! I failed to mention happy birthday to my brother this last week. Stocky, I sent you a letter and a cool video so hopefully that blesses your day. I love you man! You are my number 1 homie. Also, happy birthday to Niel! He has taught me so much and has loved me as his own son and I am very grateful for that.


Love you! Have a blessed week y'all!







Love, Elder Q

Above and Beyond

This week was a blur but two instances stick out to me. The first was splits with the Linden Elders. I went with Elder Olsen all day. He loved to talk so that was sick! He lives where Napoleon Dynamite was filmed. He went to the same school and even worked at the same chicken place! Anyways, after dinner we talked to some odd people. The first person we talked to said we could come over whenever we want to for dinner (Less active member). She also said she loves the culture of the Mormons and helps wherever possible but doesn't come to church. She doesn't believe in the basic principles. I was so weirded out when she declined coming to church to take the sacrament. That is the most important part! I have been studying a lot on the Gift of the Holy Ghost and that just blew my mind that she didn't want that gift.

On to the next person, she was a new move in. The member's family was there and they are all not members. We get to talking and they have read the Book of Mormon, have felt the spirit, on track for baptism and declined. They considered themselves as "dry Mormons" or people who practice the religion but don't get baptized. I feel this huge pain inside me knowing that they are choosing not to progress. You can only go so far before you need the blessings of baptism and the the spirit then ultimately the temple. I am so grateful for the amazing gift of baptism and of the spirit! What could we ever do without it?

The next thing was Zone conference this week. This was probably one of the best Zone conferences! When zone council started (it is when the zone gets together and we discuss our baptismal dates and goals we have to reach them), we just did the normal stuff. Asked if anyone needs help with getting people to the font, how we can help, but then something came to our attention. We have this many people baptized and this many more on date. We have almost reached our goal for the month but we will exceed it with the ones on date. President said, "looks like we need to reevaluate our goal." One sister piped out some absurd number and we kinda just blew it off. Then, we all got to talking and looking for investigators coming to church but not baptized and we ended up with a goal that matched that sister's number. I learned two things, everyone's idea is worth something and we can't just settle for minimum if we are trying to improve. It reminded me of the good ol' days of football. How the coach will get in everyone's face and push us to look for more in ourselves. It was a very enlightening and spiritual experience in that meeting that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Other than those things we did service for the community. We pounded a lot of doors. Got a new ward mission leader, who is super awesome! Had fun at dinners and learning to find through members.

Good luck y'all with school starting! Let me know how football is going and the team here lost last week by a missed field goal... so don't miss your field goals! The should be automatic! (football quote) love y'all! Keep up the good work! Have a blessed week! Don't burn out your eyes looking at the eclipse.

Love, Elder Q

Age of Destruction

Thank you everyone who made my birthday super awesome! I absolutely loved the cards and especially the videos. I will talk about my birthday first. It was a pretty normal missionary day. We helped this woman weed her garden in our church clothes so that was awesome! Most people when you ask to help them say no but she was willing to let us help. For lunch all the missionaries in the area ate at Buffalo Wild Wings! We then had a little celebration. We went tracting and found this super funny yet crazy black lady. She yelled at us and told us to go to the side door. We got there and she opened it up and had this crazy fro going and a come was in it! Haha man! She gave us some water that came in a glass bottle and told us to come back everyday. We told her we will come back once a week. Man she is so funny! I had dinner with a super cool family! They hooked it up big time. We had burgers and did cake with ice cream! Afterwords we had free sweet cici's (like orange leaf)!

The rest of my week was sick! We started off the week going on splits with Fairview! I went with a new missionary who has been out for three weeks. His name is Elder Neuenschwander, ten points for whoever can pronounce that right. Man was it interesting introducing ourselves when talking with people. Both of us had just a strange name and that through people for a loop! He has so much fire! It was refreshing being with him all day. I also got my iPad fixed.

We had district meeting in Fairview and got some sick pics! On the way back we were with the STLs and sister Coates said something so funny! First off we all want to be like her when we grow up, second off, we were talking about what fruit each of us would be. She said, " I would be a blueberry because I am sometimes sweet and sometimes tart but always round." I cried by​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ laughed so hard! I ate at a families house who has horses and the daughter barrel races! We got to feed the horses and I just felt at home. I think I want to own land and have a horse.

The spiritual side of my week is we had a very good lesson with a recent covert. Her mom was down listening and had committed to read the Book of Mormon! Only a matter of time now. We also had a missionary return home this week and she was like Elder Holland in female form. She went ham up there pounding the pulpit telling the memebers to do missionary work. Man was my hand up in the air, shaking it side to side and saying "Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!" Not literally so don't freak out. I did learn that I need to be more dedicated to missionary service. Not just do what is right because I have to but actually just love the work. I need to apply the atonement more into my missionary service and not rely on my own strength.

Thank y'all again for the gifts! I love you and hope y'all have a blessed week!

Love, Elder Q

 

 

The Franklin Flood

We got blessed with 2 more baptisms! These two kids that are 13 and 12 are legit baptized converts. Their knowledge of Jesus is basic but there attitudes and testimonies are solid! They were confirmed yesterday and I felt so much love for them especially when I was standing in the circle. I can see them be very effective missionaries plus they remind me of my little brothers. We have such a good time teaching them and just being friends with them. The youth here in this ward are legit! The past like 5 baptisms have come from the youth. I encourage all youth from 12 and older to read the lessons in preach my gospel and practice teaching them. We did that in young men's on Sunday and man was it cool! I have been teaching these principles for over a year but sitting in that class I learned more about each one. The youth of this church are very powerful teachers.

We also did a lot of knocking this week like always but we found a lot of success! We decided to stop using a route way of talking and tried to mix it up. Ummm, it worked! We ran into this guy who is just massive. He played for the Jaguars and some arena football. The best part is that he works for John Rich from Big and Rich. He is Rich's body guard! So he is up in Canada so he couldn't come to church yesterday but we are going back over this week. We also just found this lady yesterday who is coming to take a church tour this week! Man this week has been text book. We even had investigators and dinners and a dinner at just an investigators house. Man I absolutely love this place!

I went on exchanges again this week (a go on one at least once a week) I went with Elder Persons. He is so cool! We had a blast just hitting the pavement and working hard. He is a lot like me in the fact that welike to have deep conversations and I learned something from him. I learned that I need to give someone the best opportunity that they can. What I mean by this is that a lot of people reject us but did I really bare testimony? Did I really try to love them? Did I give them a spiritually enticing experience? Or did I just accept the rejection and go to the next door? Were they rejecting me of God? True there are some who see us and run but most around here at least give us 2 minutes. I learned to feel those 2 minutes with the spirit as best as possible.

For pday this last week I went to a trampoline place called "above all" it was so sick! Man was I sore for a bit but it was way fun. Anyways, I love y'all and hope y'all have a blessed week! Next time I write you I won't be a teenager anymore

Love, Elder Q