Its funny that you ran into Marley. A sister missionary came out that reminds me a ton of her and ever since she came out (about 7 months ago) I've been thinking, I need to get Marley's address somehow. So if somehow your able to get hold of her address I'd love to send her a letter sometime to see how she's doing. Also a sidebar to that, I wrote Kaylee Stephens a letter and she hasn't replied yet, so now she owes me a letter, and she doesn't have any excuses of not having my address!
The traveling was way fun. All the assistants went together and it felt like a road trip. I always kept in mind where I was but its weird because you get the feeling that you don't have a home. That feeling is probably going to be more familiar soon because Elder Hansen and I got reassigned this transfer to be traveling assistants. So now we go on two exchanges a week with all the Zone Leaders in the mission. That'll be really fun because we get to proselyte more but I'll miss the training opportunities. By the way I taught Path to Action at ZLC and spent most of the time having a discussion on mastering our stories, I used the example of the epistles between Moroni and Pahoran where Moroni where Moroni gets way mad at Pahoran and Pahoran didn't do anything in fact he's been run out of town. Moroni didn't have malicious intent though, he just didn't have all the data to formulate the proper story.
The weeks of war went good. They boosted the numbers really well, but not quite as much as we had hoped. Well I've got an hour to get the interviews schedule worked out before 6, but I love you and hope your week is great!!!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
March 1, 2010
Hey, sorry this is coming in so late. We've been doing what we're calling the weeks of war. We're focusing on the war chapters and all the assistants are traveling around the mission and doing exchanges for all last week and all this week. Its about 6:15 now and we'll be leaving at 7 for the McMinnville zone, I'll be going to Manchester till Wednesday morning and then I'll be going to Franklin and from there we'll head back to the mission home for ZLC on Friday and then Saturday we're off to the Nashville zone. We've set some crazy high goals like 2000 potential investigators and 840 new investigators 80 dates set etc. Most of these goals are double our normal averages so we're really pushing for them but its been really fun.
I'm glad to hear that Grandma is doing better and that she can get out. Its a bummer that Ali is going to have to do more physical therapy. What you said about her curfews reminded me of something that happened last night. It was about 8:00 and some missionaries gave me a call to ask if they could go over to a neighboring area and spend the night so that they were all there on the morning of P-day. However in the handbook it says that P-day doesnt start till 10 so I talked with them about it and told them no. They kept pushing and I asked, "well why do you want to have a sleep over so bad?" and they responded, "Just for fun." and I said that it was not an adequate reason and they'd just have to leave their apartment after 10 a.m. the next day. Then I thought to myself, wow, Mom and Dad said that exact same thing to me all the time. But when I did it it wasn't breaking mission rules :).
Anyhow nothing too crazy has gone on this week and I've still got to write an article and make some spreadsheets before we leave in 30 min. But I love you and hope your week is fantastic.
I'm glad to hear that Grandma is doing better and that she can get out. Its a bummer that Ali is going to have to do more physical therapy. What you said about her curfews reminded me of something that happened last night. It was about 8:00 and some missionaries gave me a call to ask if they could go over to a neighboring area and spend the night so that they were all there on the morning of P-day. However in the handbook it says that P-day doesnt start till 10 so I talked with them about it and told them no. They kept pushing and I asked, "well why do you want to have a sleep over so bad?" and they responded, "Just for fun." and I said that it was not an adequate reason and they'd just have to leave their apartment after 10 a.m. the next day. Then I thought to myself, wow, Mom and Dad said that exact same thing to me all the time. But when I did it it wasn't breaking mission rules :).
Anyhow nothing too crazy has gone on this week and I've still got to write an article and make some spreadsheets before we leave in 30 min. But I love you and hope your week is fantastic.
Feb. 15, 2010
So our trip down to Tullahoma and Fairview was crazier then anticipated. Some of the crazy stuff that you would normally see down there are just crazy southern homes and all the redneck stuff. What we actually saw was a crazy big snow storm! About when we got to Murfreesboro it started to snow way hard and huge flakes like you'd see in the mountains. Totally out of the norm here. It continued to snow like that all night.
So when we got to Fairview it was about 10:00 PM and Elder Hansen and I wanted to go home. However President said that we shouldn't drive anymore in the snow and just stay the night with Fairview. Having intended on going home we didn't have anything to stay the night, such as blankets a change of clothes toiletries, contacts solution, etc. So we found some extra blankets and slept on the floor for the night hoping that in the morning the storm would've passed and we'd be able to drive home.
Upon waking up our hopes were quickly dashed to pieces. It had snowed most of the night and was still snowing. So we had our studies there while Elder Smith was unpacking his stuff and getting ready for the day and then we decided to throw the clothes that we had in the washer and dryer so we wouldn't shower and then put back on dirty clothes. We didn't know at the time that the slowest dryer in the world resides at their house. P.S. they live in a two bedroom house that is the most rickety place I have ever seen. When we turned on the washer one of the pegs is missing so it rocks back and forth when it washes. That motion literally causes the entire house to shake.
Also their shower is what has been dubbed "the croucher" because it doesn't have a place for a shower-head so what they've done is attach a hose to the faucet and a shower-head to the end of the hose. The hose is attached via tape, lots of tape. So you get in and turn the water on and it comes out this nice little hose/shower-head but if you pull the shower head above the faucet you lose all water pressure and it all comes through the tape at the faucet. Also the drain in the tub doesn't work unless you hold it down. So you have to crouch down in order to get any water on you and you have to hold down the drain or the tub starts filling with water. So I found the best way to bathe is to hold the taped faucet with one hand to get better water pressure, hold the hose with the other hand, stand on one foot and hold the drain down with the other foot. It was quite an experience.
Then after we got out of the shower we were still left without any clothes for round about an hour. So we continued to study wearing bedsheets until we got dry clothes. Then President called and approved us to drive and right as we hung up the phone the dryer finished. It was a crazy experience. That was pretty much the highlight of the week as far as excitement goes. I took a video of the house so you can see it when I send of this next card it was really fun because it was totally off the wall.
Then just normal work. The two Sr. couples who work in the office are going home and their replacements just got here today so thats going to be a little chaotic in the switch-off but probably fun, the new Sr.s are really excited to be here and they'll do awesome. Well I love ya and have a great week.
So when we got to Fairview it was about 10:00 PM and Elder Hansen and I wanted to go home. However President said that we shouldn't drive anymore in the snow and just stay the night with Fairview. Having intended on going home we didn't have anything to stay the night, such as blankets a change of clothes toiletries, contacts solution, etc. So we found some extra blankets and slept on the floor for the night hoping that in the morning the storm would've passed and we'd be able to drive home.
Upon waking up our hopes were quickly dashed to pieces. It had snowed most of the night and was still snowing. So we had our studies there while Elder Smith was unpacking his stuff and getting ready for the day and then we decided to throw the clothes that we had in the washer and dryer so we wouldn't shower and then put back on dirty clothes. We didn't know at the time that the slowest dryer in the world resides at their house. P.S. they live in a two bedroom house that is the most rickety place I have ever seen. When we turned on the washer one of the pegs is missing so it rocks back and forth when it washes. That motion literally causes the entire house to shake.
Also their shower is what has been dubbed "the croucher" because it doesn't have a place for a shower-head so what they've done is attach a hose to the faucet and a shower-head to the end of the hose. The hose is attached via tape, lots of tape. So you get in and turn the water on and it comes out this nice little hose/shower-head but if you pull the shower head above the faucet you lose all water pressure and it all comes through the tape at the faucet. Also the drain in the tub doesn't work unless you hold it down. So you have to crouch down in order to get any water on you and you have to hold down the drain or the tub starts filling with water. So I found the best way to bathe is to hold the taped faucet with one hand to get better water pressure, hold the hose with the other hand, stand on one foot and hold the drain down with the other foot. It was quite an experience.
Then after we got out of the shower we were still left without any clothes for round about an hour. So we continued to study wearing bedsheets until we got dry clothes. Then President called and approved us to drive and right as we hung up the phone the dryer finished. It was a crazy experience. That was pretty much the highlight of the week as far as excitement goes. I took a video of the house so you can see it when I send of this next card it was really fun because it was totally off the wall.
Then just normal work. The two Sr. couples who work in the office are going home and their replacements just got here today so thats going to be a little chaotic in the switch-off but probably fun, the new Sr.s are really excited to be here and they'll do awesome. Well I love ya and have a great week.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Feb. 8, 2010
Sorry that it's taken me a while to get to writing you. We had a bunch of visa waiters leave last week and we're having three more come in today and we're doing two emergency transfers today as well. Along with the normal Monday stuff. Things are going really well though. Tonight we'll be driving out to Tullahoma to do a transfer of a visa waiter and then out to Fairview and then back to Brentwood and I'm looking forward to that. I've not been out to Tullahoma yet, and both Tullahoma and Fairview are way out in the country and you see the crazy stuff out there so I'm kinda excited.
The weather here has snowed a little bit, but not enough to stick at all. Mostly its just been darn cold. It's different here too, the mornings are warmer then the afternoons. This morning I went outside to see how cold it was and it wasn't that bad so I didn't grab my coat and now its freezing cold outside! Learned my lesson, just grab a coat anyways. The forecast says that its supposed to snow tomorrow but its probably nothing too big.
Sorry I couldn't give more details but we've gotta get rolling so we can grab some grub and get on the road for tonight. Love ya and have a great week!!
The weather here has snowed a little bit, but not enough to stick at all. Mostly its just been darn cold. It's different here too, the mornings are warmer then the afternoons. This morning I went outside to see how cold it was and it wasn't that bad so I didn't grab my coat and now its freezing cold outside! Learned my lesson, just grab a coat anyways. The forecast says that its supposed to snow tomorrow but its probably nothing too big.
Sorry I couldn't give more details but we've gotta get rolling so we can grab some grub and get on the road for tonight. Love ya and have a great week!!
Feb. 1, 2010
Hey, this week's been a grand week. First, to answer your questions, we use the trailer about 3 times a transfer. We use it to move missionaries into new apartments and to close old apartments. When visa waiters come in and they need a third bed at the apartment we sometimes use the trailer or we'll just take the seats out of the van and use the back of the van. We don't use it too often, mostly its just used as extra storage :) but it's always nice to have just in case.
I put my memory card into its labeled and addressed package. Now all it needs is postage and it'll be on its way tomorrow. I had to wait for tonight because tonight we burned the altar that we used at zone conference where everyone put the things that they were going to sacrifice. We'll be collecting the ashes and putting them into little bottles and distributing them throughout the mission so everyone can have one as a reminder of their sacrifice.
So this weekend it snowed!! Lots!! This is the worst storm that Tennessee has seen in about 15 years! It snowed straight all day Saturday and a little bit Friday night we got about 2 inches. I know 2 inches sounds pretty weak, but for Tennessee its insane. Everything shut down, fast food places (including Subway the national chain,) grocery stores, our office building sent everyone home (not us of course), it was insane. We had all of the cars parked in the mission and it was one of the best weeks we've had number wise. It was a fun weekend.
Over the past year and over the next year the number of missionaries in our mission is being reduced. We've already lost 12 missionaries from this year to last. So in order to combat having to close areas down President Hutchings has become very good friends with the lady in Salt Lake who is over deciding where missionaries who are waiting for visas go. We currently have about 14 companionships that are sustained by visa waiters. This Friday we got a call from Salt Lake informing us that 7 of the visa waiters are flying out over today and tomorrow. Usually when they go they go one at a time, but this group is going together. So we've had to realign a few companionships and we're hoping to get some new visa waiters in next week. It was kind of funny because that same day Elder Hansen and I talked about how if all the visa waiters got called to their missions then pretty much an entire zone would be completely gone!
That's pretty much what's been happening since last Wednesday. Zone conference and ZLC are this week. We're focusing on understanding the Holy Ghost and receiving revelation. Elder Hansen and I are training on asking the right questions in order to receive revelation. It'll be fun. That's about it though. Hope everyone has a great week!
I put my memory card into its labeled and addressed package. Now all it needs is postage and it'll be on its way tomorrow. I had to wait for tonight because tonight we burned the altar that we used at zone conference where everyone put the things that they were going to sacrifice. We'll be collecting the ashes and putting them into little bottles and distributing them throughout the mission so everyone can have one as a reminder of their sacrifice.
So this weekend it snowed!! Lots!! This is the worst storm that Tennessee has seen in about 15 years! It snowed straight all day Saturday and a little bit Friday night we got about 2 inches. I know 2 inches sounds pretty weak, but for Tennessee its insane. Everything shut down, fast food places (including Subway the national chain,) grocery stores, our office building sent everyone home (not us of course), it was insane. We had all of the cars parked in the mission and it was one of the best weeks we've had number wise. It was a fun weekend.
Over the past year and over the next year the number of missionaries in our mission is being reduced. We've already lost 12 missionaries from this year to last. So in order to combat having to close areas down President Hutchings has become very good friends with the lady in Salt Lake who is over deciding where missionaries who are waiting for visas go. We currently have about 14 companionships that are sustained by visa waiters. This Friday we got a call from Salt Lake informing us that 7 of the visa waiters are flying out over today and tomorrow. Usually when they go they go one at a time, but this group is going together. So we've had to realign a few companionships and we're hoping to get some new visa waiters in next week. It was kind of funny because that same day Elder Hansen and I talked about how if all the visa waiters got called to their missions then pretty much an entire zone would be completely gone!
That's pretty much what's been happening since last Wednesday. Zone conference and ZLC are this week. We're focusing on understanding the Holy Ghost and receiving revelation. Elder Hansen and I are training on asking the right questions in order to receive revelation. It'll be fun. That's about it though. Hope everyone has a great week!
Jan. 27, 2010
Hey, sorry I couldn't e-mail on Monday. Things just got pretty busy with the new arrivals. We had nine new ones coming in. One of the missionaries mentioned the first night in conversation that his mom was obsessed with the Tennessee Nashville Mission now and was looking up people's blogs and was talking with someone's dad, then I remembered what you had written me about someone contacting you about it and it made me smile and then I let him know that it was my Dad.
Another thing we did last week is a member visit with the Tolk family. She is a professional pianist and he is a chemist for Vanderbilt, and their son is a professional painter. We talked about how the gospel has blessed each of our lives and Brother Tolk talked about how he was never very mentally active in the church and never intended on going on a mission. Then when he was in college he had 2 very influential institute instructors whom he visited with one-on-one quite often and they eventually influenced him to go on a mission. Those two teachers were Henry B. Eyring and Truman G. Madsen!! They're older and very successful; just to judge what kind of home they live in, Garth Brooks was their next door neighbor a few years back. Brentwood's crazy!
Today was a little weird. We took the departing missionaries to the airport and in the group was Elder Calkins and Elder Cornado, who were both in my district back in Hendersonville. It was really weird to drive them to the airport and watch them go through security. It wasn't really sad for me or anything else, it was just really bizzare. In the back of my mind I know that they're going home and they're going to resume life as normal, but it just seems like we're sending them on a really long transfer or that we're sending them through this gate but no one really knows what happens on the other side. I don't know how to explain it but it was a strange feeling. We took them to the airport this morning at 5 a.m., so we were loading up their stuff at 4:30 a.m. then at 8ish I did my trailer certification, where we hook up the trailer to the van and I drive it around. For the certification it only requires a half hour, but we don't like using the trailer unless it's really needed. So we loaded it up with old furniture and took it down winding country roads to the dump and then drove out to Linden to help a senior couple move, then back to Brentwood to pick up more stuff then out to Lebenon, so we got back home about 7. So now I feel alright about driving with the trailer.
I'm really sorry about the memory card, I have an envelope addressed and ready to go, but my original plan was to wait until I got the pictures from this Saturday on it because we were planning on burning the altar from zone conference and roasting hot dogs. However with some situations that came up, President couldn't be there and Elder Cornish of the 70 came for a regional meeting and was staying at the mission home, so we thought it not wise to start a fire in the back yard until a later time.
I think that's pretty much all. I love you and hope that your having a wonderful week.
Another thing we did last week is a member visit with the Tolk family. She is a professional pianist and he is a chemist for Vanderbilt, and their son is a professional painter. We talked about how the gospel has blessed each of our lives and Brother Tolk talked about how he was never very mentally active in the church and never intended on going on a mission. Then when he was in college he had 2 very influential institute instructors whom he visited with one-on-one quite often and they eventually influenced him to go on a mission. Those two teachers were Henry B. Eyring and Truman G. Madsen!! They're older and very successful; just to judge what kind of home they live in, Garth Brooks was their next door neighbor a few years back. Brentwood's crazy!
Today was a little weird. We took the departing missionaries to the airport and in the group was Elder Calkins and Elder Cornado, who were both in my district back in Hendersonville. It was really weird to drive them to the airport and watch them go through security. It wasn't really sad for me or anything else, it was just really bizzare. In the back of my mind I know that they're going home and they're going to resume life as normal, but it just seems like we're sending them on a really long transfer or that we're sending them through this gate but no one really knows what happens on the other side. I don't know how to explain it but it was a strange feeling. We took them to the airport this morning at 5 a.m., so we were loading up their stuff at 4:30 a.m. then at 8ish I did my trailer certification, where we hook up the trailer to the van and I drive it around. For the certification it only requires a half hour, but we don't like using the trailer unless it's really needed. So we loaded it up with old furniture and took it down winding country roads to the dump and then drove out to Linden to help a senior couple move, then back to Brentwood to pick up more stuff then out to Lebenon, so we got back home about 7. So now I feel alright about driving with the trailer.
I'm really sorry about the memory card, I have an envelope addressed and ready to go, but my original plan was to wait until I got the pictures from this Saturday on it because we were planning on burning the altar from zone conference and roasting hot dogs. However with some situations that came up, President couldn't be there and Elder Cornish of the 70 came for a regional meeting and was staying at the mission home, so we thought it not wise to start a fire in the back yard until a later time.
I think that's pretty much all. I love you and hope that your having a wonderful week.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Jan. 18, 2010
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This week was a fun but interesting week. President Hutchings family went home last Monday, so he's back in full force. However Elder Hansen's grandma died on Tuesday and it was really hard on him. He was having a really rough time and he just wanted to be preoccupied with investigators and other people to work with, so he asked to go on an exchange for the rest of the week. President let him, so I was companions with President Hutchings for a few days. It was a lot harder because there were times when I needed to do some things in the office and he needed to be elsewhere or on a private phone call or what have you and I still needed to be with someone, so it was a little trying, but it was all in all a good experience.
We started this round of interviews. We have all the local missionaries congregate to a central church and President interviews them one by one, and while he does that I present a training to the group. I really like this training I'm doing. It's about getting stronger commitments out of our investigators by using the language of faith. I focus on two types of faith that investigators need to have to keep commitments faith in the principle, and faith that they can do what they've been asked of Heavenly Father to do. Then I taught about hte creation and how in Hebrews it says that the worlds were framed by faith, and in Moses it talks about how God created the worlds by the power of his word. Using the example of "Let there be light." Then to quote Joseph Smith, "God spoke, chaos heard, and by reason of the faith he had, matter was organized." Then I make the connection that the words that we use in our commitments make a big difference when we use the language of faith. For example "When you come to know that these things are true you will have a desire to change things in your life to bring them in harmony with our Heavenly Fathers plan and be baptized by His priesthood authority." As opposed to, "If you come to know these things are true, you may want to be baptized." Something along those lines.
As for crucial conversations I remember almost a year ago (it's really weird to say that) I read over the crucial conversations packet and then read Preach My Gospel and they teach almost the same concepts, just with the gospel spin on it. The numbers are coming in now so I got to run. Love you and Happy Birthday Mom!!
This week was a fun but interesting week. President Hutchings family went home last Monday, so he's back in full force. However Elder Hansen's grandma died on Tuesday and it was really hard on him. He was having a really rough time and he just wanted to be preoccupied with investigators and other people to work with, so he asked to go on an exchange for the rest of the week. President let him, so I was companions with President Hutchings for a few days. It was a lot harder because there were times when I needed to do some things in the office and he needed to be elsewhere or on a private phone call or what have you and I still needed to be with someone, so it was a little trying, but it was all in all a good experience.
We started this round of interviews. We have all the local missionaries congregate to a central church and President interviews them one by one, and while he does that I present a training to the group. I really like this training I'm doing. It's about getting stronger commitments out of our investigators by using the language of faith. I focus on two types of faith that investigators need to have to keep commitments faith in the principle, and faith that they can do what they've been asked of Heavenly Father to do. Then I taught about hte creation and how in Hebrews it says that the worlds were framed by faith, and in Moses it talks about how God created the worlds by the power of his word. Using the example of "Let there be light." Then to quote Joseph Smith, "God spoke, chaos heard, and by reason of the faith he had, matter was organized." Then I make the connection that the words that we use in our commitments make a big difference when we use the language of faith. For example "When you come to know that these things are true you will have a desire to change things in your life to bring them in harmony with our Heavenly Fathers plan and be baptized by His priesthood authority." As opposed to, "If you come to know these things are true, you may want to be baptized." Something along those lines.
As for crucial conversations I remember almost a year ago (it's really weird to say that) I read over the crucial conversations packet and then read Preach My Gospel and they teach almost the same concepts, just with the gospel spin on it. The numbers are coming in now so I got to run. Love you and Happy Birthday Mom!!
Jan. 11, 2010
As for things to cover for President, he assigned us to do some baptismal interviews for people who have had problems with question 4, if anyone has an issue with question 4 they need to be interviewed by the President or someone he assigns. People who had issues with abortion, homosexuality, and serious crimes. It was interesting but a neat experience to see the atonement work with people. He told me something interesting that I hadn't realized before. When you're doing a worthiness interview your role is not to play FBI and figure out exactly whats been going on in their life but your job is to witness that this person has declared themselves worthy and that they understand what covenant their making with our Heavenly Father. Of course you need to follow the promptings of the Spirit and if you feel something is amiss ask more questions but a lot of its really in the hands of the person being interviewed.
Other then that this week has been pretty slow, we had some zone conferences, we're finishing them up this week. We're training on the doctrine of sacrifice, I may have already told you about it, but we had the idea of doing another visual aid so we build out of some goodwill supplies a sacrificial altar and spray painted it gold. At the beginning of the conference we pass out little square pieces of paper that have a clip art lamb on them and ask everyone to write down the things that they want to sacrifice this year in order to help them fulfill their calling. Then we teach about sacrifice and at the end of the conference we bring in this altar and have everyone lay their sacrifices on the altar. At the end of the round of zone conferences we're going to burn all the papers in the back of the mission home.
Well, number reports are now in so I've gotta run, but I love everyone and have a great week!!
Other then that this week has been pretty slow, we had some zone conferences, we're finishing them up this week. We're training on the doctrine of sacrifice, I may have already told you about it, but we had the idea of doing another visual aid so we build out of some goodwill supplies a sacrificial altar and spray painted it gold. At the beginning of the conference we pass out little square pieces of paper that have a clip art lamb on them and ask everyone to write down the things that they want to sacrifice this year in order to help them fulfill their calling. Then we teach about sacrifice and at the end of the conference we bring in this altar and have everyone lay their sacrifices on the altar. At the end of the round of zone conferences we're going to burn all the papers in the back of the mission home.
Well, number reports are now in so I've gotta run, but I love everyone and have a great week!!
Jan. 5, 2010
Hey, sorry I'm getting this in later then usual, with the new year we had to reformat all of our spreadsheets and what not for the weekly call in summary report, so our morning was packed with tedious computer work that I never ever want to do ever again.
Anyways the magnets thing worked out so well. They we're in teams of 3 one person with the compass, one with the directions, and another one who counts the paces, the only person allowed to speak was the directions person. Three of the teams had a magnet and it totally confused them, they had no idea what was going on. The Spanish missionary whose from Brazil Elder Martins had a magnet in his pocket and he was so mad at us, he was sure that we had written the directions wrong or had totally deceived him with the course somehow (and we did). After they all made it back we had them stand up and check their pockets and then we taught the principles about the Liahona. Elder Martins had a great insight he said something to the effect of, "When the compass was pointing the wrong direction my initial reaction was to aggressively blame my leaders who set me out on the task, when really the problem was with me the entire time." It was so cool to see him really grasp that principle on his own, often times when things aren't going well especially in the gospel we blame our leaders, it's the bishop's fault, or that's terrible advice why would I bathe in the river Jordan 7 times to heal my leprosy. It worked out perfectly.
Then today we started zone conferences. We taught about the law of sacrifice based on the talk given by Elder Ballard in the 1998 October Ensign. We built out of cardboard some 2x4s a goodwill picture frame and a can of gold spray paint an alter. At the beginning of the conference we gave out little paper squares with lambs on them that they were supposed to write down the things that they felt they needed to be sacrificed in order for us to progress. Then at the end we carried in the altar and had them place their sacrifices on the altar. After we do all of the zone conferences we'll take the sacrifices out behind the mission home and we'll burn them and collect the ashes and use them as a visual reminder that they've sacrificed the things that are holding them back. It was really fun today.
Tomorrow President Hutchings' family is coming into town, all of his kids and their spouses are coming so he's going to be tied up for the next week or so and we cover for all the things that he can't, so we'll be busy too. That's about it. I love you and we'll talk next week.
Anyways the magnets thing worked out so well. They we're in teams of 3 one person with the compass, one with the directions, and another one who counts the paces, the only person allowed to speak was the directions person. Three of the teams had a magnet and it totally confused them, they had no idea what was going on. The Spanish missionary whose from Brazil Elder Martins had a magnet in his pocket and he was so mad at us, he was sure that we had written the directions wrong or had totally deceived him with the course somehow (and we did). After they all made it back we had them stand up and check their pockets and then we taught the principles about the Liahona. Elder Martins had a great insight he said something to the effect of, "When the compass was pointing the wrong direction my initial reaction was to aggressively blame my leaders who set me out on the task, when really the problem was with me the entire time." It was so cool to see him really grasp that principle on his own, often times when things aren't going well especially in the gospel we blame our leaders, it's the bishop's fault, or that's terrible advice why would I bathe in the river Jordan 7 times to heal my leprosy. It worked out perfectly.
Then today we started zone conferences. We taught about the law of sacrifice based on the talk given by Elder Ballard in the 1998 October Ensign. We built out of cardboard some 2x4s a goodwill picture frame and a can of gold spray paint an alter. At the beginning of the conference we gave out little paper squares with lambs on them that they were supposed to write down the things that they felt they needed to be sacrificed in order for us to progress. Then at the end we carried in the altar and had them place their sacrifices on the altar. After we do all of the zone conferences we'll take the sacrifices out behind the mission home and we'll burn them and collect the ashes and use them as a visual reminder that they've sacrificed the things that are holding them back. It was really fun today.
Tomorrow President Hutchings' family is coming into town, all of his kids and their spouses are coming so he's going to be tied up for the next week or so and we cover for all the things that he can't, so we'll be busy too. That's about it. I love you and we'll talk next week.
Dec. 27, 2009
I don't really have a whole lot to talk about either. Not much has happened since Christmas. We had a few planning meetings with President Hutchings and I'm really excited for a few things that we're going to be doing in January for ZLC and Zone Conference. For the ZLC we're setting up an orienteering course for after lunch, during lunch we all take off our suit jackets and leave them downstairs, so during lunch we're going to slip some magnets into the pockets of their suit coats to mess with the compass and then afterward we're going to teach a lesson on the Liahona and how it worked according to their faith, heed, and diligence. For Zone conference we're going to be making an alter and teach about sacrifice. Throughout the conference we'll have everyone write down on paper some things that they feel they need to sacrifice in order to be more at-one with Heavenly Father and then at then end they come up and place these things on the alter. Then after the round of zone conferences we'll take it back to the mission home and burn the alter and send pictures of it to everyone along with a vial of the ashes. It should be fun and a memorable teaching moment. Anywho that's about it. Love ya and we'll talk later!
Parent's note: We had a great talk with Bryan on Christmas for about 75 minutes. He sounds great and is happy. One year down; one more to go!
Parent's note: We had a great talk with Bryan on Christmas for about 75 minutes. He sounds great and is happy. One year down; one more to go!
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