Thursday, April 17, 2014

2014 Apr 14

Nothing new, except...We have Tim on date to be baptized! :3 Yaaay
I finally finished the book of Mormon and I'm starting it again.
ALSO I am doing great out here as usual. I am excited for mothers day especially as we call.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

2014 Apr 7

General Conference

Wasn't it a great general conference? I enjoyed all ten hours of it! Every session was wonderful and full of the spirit. I took various notes but sadly forgot to bring them with me. I am staying in republic again for six weeks! we have quite a few people closer to baptism now. I hope to share with them what a wonderful time it was and how great the words were. Tim graves was taught about the importance of the priesthood me with a member. His one thing holding him back from being baptised is the one thing i tire of out here. "I've already been baptised so can't i just be mormon?" He comes to church, he believes the book of mormon is true, but that one thing is holding him back. So we talked about how the priesthood is that authority to bind in heaven and on earth, how it helps complete many different things and how the keys are what you need. His wife Joann is very interested and is wanting to be baptized because she is interested in eternal marriage, but we are going to keep working with them, slowly putting aside any worries they have. Bruce Wills is doing good, we helped him chop wood. I broke a post hole digger working with a member, but me and Braman were able to fix it(one handle is a little smaller now though, but it still works.) We are making their fence so they can try and sell there house. XD he broke a crowbar when we were working for another member too. We are destructive little hooligans.

Me and Braman with our working hats
me and the tiniest car i've ever seen. It was SO tiny!
The one with the forest in the back is the Hagels.
Grand forks elders at Cascade Falls.
The lady in pink with me on the right is the Wills family, he isn't a member she is.
I got the Easter wig, mom sent me...:-)

2014 Mar 31

It's going by too fast! I am now at my nine month mark and already im thinking "what will i do next?" Still seeing the same people, and today we're hiking up a mountain and dumping all there beer off a fire tower to help them stop there word of wisdom problem, which is good, but also hilarious because these are the same people i had a lesson at a bar with. Dont worry i wasnt drinking they said they'd buy us some food and we got a table further fromt he actual bar but yeah it was an interesting lesson with bruce and lloyd herndon to say the least. So that's all from me!

Saturday, April 5, 2014

2014 Feb 24

New transfer!

I am staying here with Elder Braman!

Sooo in Republic there are 900 people, and two nuts (me and Braman.) We live above a bar in a small apartment, a brewing company beneath and to the right, a drug store to the left. it is by far the smallest place I've been to(the town not the  apartment.)

So me and braman are doing alright, although i suspect if we were not in the mission we would have nothing to do with each other. Braman is a rough piece of coal and I'm a lump of dough, we're both going through a process to become something better but together it's just weird and not working out properly.

Another transfer isn't bad we just grind on each others gears sometimes.

We don't have a lot of people to teach we have three(yes you read that right three) and those have only one progressing right now, so needless to say my time is spent with a LOT of service as well.

The members here are around fifty but everyone i can think of is trying to move away. The family of the Rodachs was who we helped move away this past transfer, as well as move there Camaro into a garage(a dilapidated Camaro, with no motor, and missing many other things that would be nice in a car like it) I remember the joke that was made by Jeff Foxworthy "you might be a redneck if you have ten cars in the front yard and only two work" yep that matches up here Pretty well.

I hope this transfer goes smoothly however, snow is kicking up something fierce outside.

 

2014 Feb 18

End of fifth transfer!
Wow! this is so fast!

Soooo this week has been lots of driving and lots of helping. it's been only that really but we have had a few good lessons...

SECRET EMAIIL

GASP! a secret word out!? heaven forbid, is Elder P going rogue!?

 NOPE! i just thought that since you wanted one of my spiritual experiences I'll give you one.

Although this will NOT go out to all the family as i find it a wonderful treasure and a repeated thing almost. I will share it with who i think will enjoy it.

The book of Mormon sweeps away doubts and confusion.


We are currently teaching a man called Tim Graves. He came to our church on a whim since he is searching around and getting what he can out of each church. He has been giving us...things to read. Odd things that are out of the scriptures which do not invite the spirit. He also does not believe in water baptism, although we shared with him when Christ proclaims and commands in Nephi 3 that all should be baptised by water.(He believes the day of pentacost got us all around that somehow. I usually am not paying the best attention at the point he argues against us, i give him my ear, just not my heart.)

ANYWAYS, with the spirit there off and on telling what's true and what's not in the lesson the best way to keep us on track and show the repeated evidence of Christs teachings we use the book of Mormon, and its hard to argue against it when you've given its word room in your heart. Reading it helps wonderfully.


 WELP! that's what i got for now, hope you all are doing well.

2014 Mar 24

Pictures

This is not from today, this is from when we had district meeting on the top of the mountain(kinda mountain anyways) we hiked up there and it was safe and we had some cake and some mug root beer. :D(in these pictures)
Today we had all the zone elders with us running up and hiking up with us




2014 Mar 17

wwwoohhhhooooo!

yeah so last week you know what happened? 21 ET's! it was...wow, just wow....I don't even know what went on but apparently it was just that way. I know two of the guys who got moved around but it wasn't there doing thankfully.

SOOOOO aside from the drama, we didn't have much else go on except me being a cake judge at the relief society anniversary. XD

I gave each one a ribbon saying something nice about there decorating technique but i think the one me and another gentleman worked on looked the best. red velvet with strawberry gummy snacks bordering the bottom layer, the top having icing flowers and a strawberry marshmallow. :P yeah i didn't know I'd do that on my mission either.
John 8
12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”

I've been using these two scriptures to tell people to follow christ's example and his words. it's said quite clearly that if we follow these that we shall not suffer and shall have an easier time with our trials

2014 Mar 10

middle of the transfer...again.

 WOW that's amazingly fast!

Never before has time moved so quickly. I was looking at the time and it's been going so well!

how's everyone else been? I've finished the bible once through and have to say it's such an interesting book i wonder why we don't use it more. Well we use it often but why people think we're not Christians is beyond me now.

well soon the man we've been teaching will go into the army...for eight years.

I have no clue how to take that. in part im kind of rooting for him but at the same time all i think is...."is he really ready for that?"
 I looove hiking...NOT. I hiked up a bluff with the other elders basically and hated every moment.

 well i didn't hate it, i just didn't enjoy it a lot.

2014 Mar 3

Second week already!

SO! this week went fast and since i have a cold we only do service for a temporary time. This week was moving around wood and we also helped prepare and work on a funeral. 

Life is so full and rich out here, which is odd because before coming to republic it seemed kind of dull out in the mission field. maybe just sitting down and being thankful is the best way to look at it.

We do many different activities here on pday, all of them numbering up and well. I've played cultural hall hockey(with a white board eraser and plastic hockey sticks), I've played basketball, football, and soccer. I also get to shop today for my food and other necessities which is always fantastic. me and Braman hope to cook something superb.

YEEP!