Week #77 - Memorial Day & other Random things

Well this week has been really awesome! I would say some of the coolest things that happen this week truly was that I was able to see how much we change peoples lives. We talk to Louis active and she said that every time we come over her kid runs to the front of the door and yells, "It's the mishowaries, it's the mishowaries!!" Then another family is getting prepared to get married  and then got to the temple in a year to be sealed together as a family for time and all Eternity (different family than last week). When the bishop came over to their house he said, "Elder there is a really wonderful spirit in our home." I almost cried because I knew that we were able to bring that spirit into their home and allow them to want to bring it into their home as well. The Lord truly trusts us and has given us a sacred responsibility to do this marvelous work.

It's amazing to see the person I become and the future just gets clearer and clearer everyday. I love seeing the fears that I've had in the past completely vanish, I love being able to see the transgressions I've made be washed away, and the wounds to be healed.

We had a wonderful Memorial Day picnic today and played a lot of sports so that was dope. Thank you to all those that serve to protect our country. Oh, it was interesting as well because I said the pledge of allegiance for the first time today in 18 months or longer haha it was so weird, I didn't even remember the words.

Sorry that was all over the place, but I love you guys and I'm on all day if you have any questions or anything, I love you and sorry I'm so bad at emailing haha it's super hard for me on the mission. :) 

Exchanges with Elder Coon

A family we met :)

Exchanges with Elder hale (Hale has glasses) 

Some Japanese treats

Week 76 - 3 People on date this month!

Hey everybody!!

Its been a really great week, we are preparing to put 3 people on date for this month and so that is super awesome! we need to get one couple married and the other ones to start coming to church! I have a zone conference training tomorrow so i am excited for that! We got new shoes from one of our investigators and they are so sick. We will take some pictures with our mission president and send it next week, they're dope. I do not know what to email this week so i am so sorry, but im looking at what college to go to so hit me up with what you think would be good!

OH AND CONGRATULATIONS TO TANYA BALLARD FOR GETTING ENGAGED AND PREPARING AGAIN TO BE BAPTIZED!! SO MANY GREAT LESSONS AND THE TIME IS COMING, I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!

Week #75 - This week is a pretty great email

Well this week was pretty sweet! we were able to see a lot of really really great miracles in our area. we were able to start working with some really awesome people and aas of now have 5 people on date to be baptized. :) Its been pretty awesome seeing how much its changed peoples lives and i specifically want to talk about one instance. So my companion and I were talking about how its really hard to make a super huge and lasting difference in an area on exchanges when we only go for a day. Trust me, i was reminded very much so that, that is false doctrine haha So, a couple weeks ago i went on exchanges with a companionship and went to their area with a new missionary. He is a very timid and shy missionary so i led out pretty much everything. What was cool is we were able to meet with a member and as we went over we saw her son sitting out side and started talking to him and he invited us in. He offered us water and was just super awesome to us in all ways. Then he continues to tell us that he used to be a member but got his record removed and now was no longer a member but then he said he had intentions on coming back...so that was confusing and it could have just been a slip up on his part. Then, we started the lesson and the missionary i was with was sharing a simple scripture and was struggling so i pulled an ensign off of their table and started reading something from it about building our temples. Then as we were talking i felt like i needed to invite him to church. So, i started by talking about how much God loves us and that he is always waiting for us to come back to him. I said, "You know Gary (Gary Mclendon is his name) you said you wanted to come back to church and..." he laughs and acts like *what are you talking about i never said that* and i just stopped him and said "The lord will always take you back with open arms, there is nothing we cant come back from and thats what the atonement is for and he loves us!" we finished our lesson and i invited him to church and he said, "we will see" and then i said we will see you in church ;) then we left and I told his sister that is in our ward that i invited him to church and she just was like ya whatever, if he is that would be aweomse or a miracle one or the other i dont remember but in short he came to church and i said hi and we laughed and it was awesome and then this last week he was at church again and i was super stoked and said hi and stuff and then he said i wanted to tell you that im being baptized again on june 25th I was so pumped and screamed and gave him a hug and he said, "its all your fault" :) i was incredibly happy and almost cried. All it took was once little invited to spark this mans fire once more, and now he is preparing again for the celestial kingdom. Please open you mouths and help those around you.

Love you all so much :D 

Ghetto Missionary Bench

I think I'm turning Japanese, I think I'm turning Japanese, I really think so ;) 

 

Hardcore Infinity Gauntlet pic haha

 Mothers day call :)

The post man hates us because we don't have trashcans by our mail so I've been shoving junk mail into the outgoing mail slot bahaha & unfortunately one of them had our address haha #imlazy

Week #74 - Mother's Day & A Food Challenge!!!

Heyyy everyone :)

Its been a really weird week haha but my companion and i are both staying so it should be a really awesome transfer!! This is going to be a mothers day email because i love my mom so much and every other woman that is devoting themselves to help others!! I Its amazing to be able to have a day wholly sanctified to mothers now, or future mothers where we can stop and think about how much they do for us. The more we think of the roles of women i always think about the priesthood that us males hold and how worthless it would be without the women in our lives. Mainly because the very existence of us as human beings would cease to be without the mothers in our lives starting on earth with Eve and every mother afterwards. Then with our heavenly mother from which we know all of us come. Its amazing to see even the importance of the mother when in John 19. while nailed to the cross in pure agony and pain, after suffering so much pain we wouldnt even be able to keep our consciousness our brother and the savior of the world proclaimed with thee most solemn respect to his beloved apostle john... "Behold they Mother!" With John taking care of her from then on. DO SOMETHING GREAT FOR YOUR MOTHERS, THEY ARE EVERYTHING! 

Well side topic from that I did a challenge last week where I did a food challenge, where i had to eat about 3-4 pounds of food. The meal comprised of one burger with: (from bottom to top) bun, 10 ounce patty w/cheese, 2 pieces of bacon, lettuce and 2 tomatoe slices, grilled ham (like seriously a pack of lunch meat) and cheese, another 10 ounce patty w/cheese, 2 pieces of bacon, lettuce and 2 tomatoe slices, 2 onion rings,  and the bun to top it off just kidding there was still a pound and a half of fries on the side. So we had to finish it in thirty minutes and i got through all the burger but 5 ounces of meat with 18 minutes left but because i was shoving it down so fast I threw up.....and to top it off...it was on the plate so I couldn't try to finish. It was worth the memories that's for sure haha the waitress said "you are so nasty!"

Week #73 - Arnold Schwarzenegger?

So what up, what up, what up!!!! :)

This has been an awesome week!! we were able to do a lot of finding and meeting people as well we got two more people on date for baptism so we are pretty pumped about that. Devonte and Davineir, Devonte is a guy here that has lived a pretty rough life and really wants to get his life on track, and Davineir is a super awesome guy from the Bahamas. When we set Devontes date it was extremely easy he just wants it but we need to make sure he stays committed. Now, Davineir doesn't break commitments but when we invited him to be baptized he was very hesitant but we were able to ask some really great inspired questions. We asked him if he felt like God would ever lead him down the wrong path and he said no, then we asked if he felt like we were called by God, he said 50% haha so i mean it was alright ;) Then, we promised him we are called of God and that God would never lead him down a wrong path so if he truly trusts God he could make the decision to prepare to be baptized then he accepted the date it was awesome! :)

Oh, sacrament meeting was super awesome yesterday too and I was able to witness the best testimony ever from our ward missionary haha he was talking about the holy ghost and how it talks differently to each of us. He said i don't know about you guys but to me the voice of the spirit to me is Arnold Schwarzenegger. He said "I'll be sitting and listening to others bear their testimony and then I'll hear..." *in voice of Arnold Schwarzenegger. "Do it, C'mon do it, get up there and bear it, bear it all!" Then he says if he doesnt get up and bear his testimony then that is when the catch phrase comes in. "Do it....or I'll be back" bahaha i was laughing so hard in sacrament it was so hard to contain myself i just thought it was so classic haha and he didnt so calm and collected especially with the Arnold voice. In all seriousness though, follow the spirit which leadeth to do good and i can promise you will never be led astray, God does not work like that. Read Preach my Gospel chapter 4 to see how the spirit talks to you :) 

Love you all & I have a lot of pictures today!

Better pictures of the baptism (I do not have a muffin top, just the picture)

Exchanges with Elder Camp (blonde)

 Land Rover Defender, so sick! Right side steering wheel.

Exchanges with Elder Mandin

Beach P-day with cheesy tag picture ;)