December 12, 2016

Hello everyone! We had a lot of success this week. Elder Denton and I are starting to really work well together. We went tracting in the rain on Saturday, it wasn't the most enjoyable experience, but we were able to find a couple new potential investigators and even a part member family that wasn't on our records! I have to admit, I wasn't so excited about tracting at first, but once I bit the bullet I determined that I wasn't going to complain, and that brought miracles! Clara is still going strong, she wasn't able to come to church this week because she was busy, but she's already come like 4 or 5 times, so I'm not worried about her. She is still struggling with understanding what she reads, she reads every day, but we want to help her understand more of what she reads, so every other lesson we'll read with her to help her understand better.

This transfer is going to be awesome, because my district leader is elder Hadley, a.k.a. my MTC companion! This is the 4th transfer we've been in the same zone together, so our exchange is going to be a party! But this week I went on exchanges with his companion Elder Sorochan. He's from Canada, so I definitely had fun with that, Eh? We went on splits with some of the priests in the Red Hawk ward. Talking with them about it yesterday it seemed they really enjoyed it! I hope Elder Sorochan and I were able to get them a little more excited about going on missions through it.

I honestly can't say how much my mission is changing me, and how much I love being a missionary. I get to see so many miracles, and countless tender mercies every day! I love it!

The new Sparks Zone

December 5, 2016

Hello everyone! This week was pretty crazy, with elder Carpenter packing on Monday and then Elder Denton coming from Elko on the transfer van, I was in a temporary companionship with Elder Tolbert who was also waiting for his companion who was coming from Winnemucca. While we were together we taught Clara the plan of salvation. She's super solid, and even got up to bear her testimony yesterday! She’s going to be baptized on January 14th (she has a rodeo workshop thing for two weeks otherwise she'd be baptized this month.) Elder Denton and I had another lesson with her on Friday. While I was with elder Tolbert, we got a care package full of cereal from a member in the ward. When I say care package, think Huge Costco bag full of cereal! We're pretty happy...

A little bit about Elder Denton. He's from Texas, but not Denton, Texas, from a town in east Texas, I don't know how to spell it, but it sounds like Nackidoshus. He's got 11 weeks left! So that means I'm probably going to be his last companion! He’s also a Spanish missionary, so that means I don't have to walk away awkwardly from Hispanic people because I can't speak to them, Elder Denton can handle that!

I hope you guys have a great week! Keep me updated with what's happening out in the real world! I'd love to hear from you!

Stay Righteous Y'all!

P.S. Being righteous includes writing the missionaries... ;)

November 28, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope all you guys had as good a thanksgiving as I did! On Thursday we were able to have a zone activity so we had a nerf war/capture the flag war. We took a lot of the removable furniture from the church and made fortifications and places of retreat and then split up senior companions vs. junior companions and had a blast! We then had cake for elder Carpenter's birthday which we made that morning. It was a red velvet vanilla marble cake. I think we did a pretty good job. I'll probably eat some of it for lunch today. 

Elder carpenter and I also got matching ties from our moms! I don't think they meant to do that though, but hey! It came in clutch!

Unfortunately Transfer calls came yesterday, and elder carpenter will be transferred to Spring Creek... )': My new companion is going to be elder Denton, I don't know much about him, But I'm super excited!

BIG NEWS!!! We had a Lesson with Clara yesterday during 2nd hour at church. She is SUPER prepared, She has been pushing her mom to go to church for awhile, and then she became friends with a girl in Spanish Springs and asked her if she could come to church with her. AND then she went to a baptism and decided she wanted to get baptized too! isn't that awesome! as members of the church we really do have a light about us, people feel the spirit when they're with us. Be sure to always be that example to others! Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary use words. The members truly are the best finding technique possible. As we show forth good examples to them, people will be prompted to ask questions, and then we will help them find the greatest joy possible through the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Until next week, Stay righteous Y'all!

P.S. the church is doing a Light the World thing, y'all should check it out! 

https://www.mormon.org/?cid=HP_FR_25-11-2016_dMIS_fmorg_xLIDyL1-A_

November 21, 2016

Hello Everyone! So Elder Carpenter's birthday is actually on thanksgiving, so y'all should send him something! Other than that, We had 3 lessons set up for friday, and all of them fell through... one of them, their kids were throwing up, another, he was throwing up, and the third one had a baby! So they all had pretty legit reasons for cancelling. We met this one guy on exchanges, Lenn, he grew up going to religious private schools, and through some bad experiences has grown to distrust organized religion, but he's moving to Utah in May. Almost all of his friends are LDS, and he doesn't know too much about the church, and so in order to understand his neighbors better, he invited us over to teach him a little. We had a really awesome lesson in which we dispelled many of his concerns, we invited him to hear the rest of the lessons and he accepted! So we may just be preparing him and his family for future missionaries, especially since he is going to get his son involved in scouting when he get's to Utah. We also got in contact with Larry, a guy who owns a karate dojo and so he is super busy, but he is super prepared and knows everything we teach him is true. Clara does barrel racing which has made her very busy, but her last rodeo was yesterday, so that means she'll have more time to meet with us now.

That's an update of my life this week! I'm sorry I forgot my camera today, so no pictures ):

November 14, 2016

We had Zone conference on Friday! I always love when  zone conference rolls around. We were combined with the sparks west and Quincy zones (I'm in the Sparks East zone) and so I got to see a bunch of missionaries that I haven't seen for awhile. 

We had a really cool experience this week! We felt prompted to visit this one family right after Zone conference, the dad, Joey, is a member, his wife and two daughters are not. because zone conference always goes long, we didn't get there when we planned, but when we got there, the dad had just gotten off one of his jobs and had literally walked into the door 5 minutes before. We had a nice little visit and brought the spirit into their home.  We feel that the wife has a lot of potential, but they are really hard to get in contact with, so it was a huge miracle that we met them at the perfect time. Missionary work is awesome!

We also did service for a food drive, and I made a throne out of the boxes. 

Til next week!

My box throne

November 7, 2016

Hello once again from the glorious land of Sparks! We didn't have much happen this week lesson-wise, but we did a lot of cleaning up of the Red Hawk area book. It's kinda disappointing when people leave the church because someone offended them... but hey, it happens, just don't let it happen to you, ok? Matt 13:21

On a much more positive note, Ed E. blessed the sacrament yesterday! I don't think I told you much about Ed and Dee E. They were the baptism that I stumbled into my first week, so I didn't really help prepare them for baptism, but I'm helping them get used to church life, so far so good! they love it. Ed was ordained a priest last week, and yesterday was his first time blessing the sacrament. they are doing awesome!

It's always intrigued me how Alma uses the same wording in Alma 32, talking about the fruits of a testimony as Christ does, talking about the waters of life in John 4.

• 
  

• John 4:14

  14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water "springing up" into "everlasting" life.

• Alma 32:41

• 41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree "springing up" unto "everlasting" life.

Well, I said it was a pretty slow week. See you next week!

A few weeks ago, we sent Elder Stotts a package, but it got there right after his transfer.  He just got it and he put it to good use.  We included a store bought pizza crust and all the fixings for pizza plus some Halloween candy.

I got the package! it was on a day that I was going on exchanges and they didn't have a dinner appointment, so we had Pizza! I also made one for lunch and had it with Elder Carpenter.

October 31, 2016

Happy Halloween!!!

We went to the temple this week! But elder carpenter wrecked his ankle... But there is a girl who wants to be baptized! AND her mom is good with it! AND our zone leader (he's a solo zl) and his greenie got famous for dressing up as the Book of Mormon and the bible!

So yeah, It's been a pretty good week...

The temple was awesome! We went with the other Sparks zone on Thursday. I'm so happy I'm in a zone that is able to go to the temple! Those 4 months in Fallon were awesome, but I wasn't able to go to the temple, but oh how I longed to go back...

For whatever reason, I had a super strong desire on Sunday to testify to someone about the Book of Mormon (man, I must be a missionary... :) and so I prayed that I would have the opportunity to testify to someone at church about the Book of Mormon. Well it turns out that there was a missionary farewell at church, and during the announcements, NOT EVEN BEFORE CHURCH, the first councilor in the bishopric asked me to bear my testimony... So I got up there and testified of the book of Mormon and the Prophet Joseph Smith and challenged everyone there to pray for someone to share a copy with. Guys... God answers prayers!! It's true! Even though I had no expectation of being asked to share my testimony in sacrament meeting, I was still able to testify of the Book of Mormon.

Dang what a rush! Well that's about it!

God be with you 'til we meet again!

My Zone Leader and his companion

October 24, 2016

What's up everybody! First week in sparks and I stumbled into a baptism! So that's a total of 4 baptism just this week! Their names were Ed and Dee E., they had been taking the lessons for 6 years on and off, and they just got baptized on saturday! So, needless to say, this has been an awesome week.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!!

We had one of the members bring their friend to the baptism and feeling the spirit so strong, she decided she wants to be baptized as well!!!!

I love Sparks...

Other than that, my new area is a lot like South Meadows and Foothill, with sort of an upper middle class feel to it. one of the biggest differences is that a couple months ago, the Sparks stake was split, and all the wards were realigned. so both wards are really new with completely different leadership and everything, so both are awesome and excited wards in regard to missionary work. Once again, my Sundays are super long, with Red Hawk meeting at 9 in one building, and then Spanish Springs meets at 1 in another building across town, neither of which are in the east stake... But having gone to church with them, I can say that these wards are super awesome! When the split happened I swear they took the most awesome members in the area and stuck them in these two wards.

Well that's about it! Until next week!

Stay Obedient Y'all!

When I asked if he had received the package we sent the week before transfers, this is the reply he sent:

No, I didn't get it, so I'll probably see it sometime next month... Sparks is awesome! Elder Carpenter and I were both trained by Elder Corry, so that means we're Half brothers! 

Just for future notice, transfers are every 6 weeks on a Tuesday, so six weeks from six days ago will be another transfer, just for future notice that is a hazardous time to send stuff.

As for Christmas? I've been needing a new watch ever since mine lost the thing that holds the flappy thing broke...

It only ever feels like spring here, it gets "chilly" but never cold, not like MN anyway.

Here's some pictures from my week!

Last picture with Elder Sorenson with Mimi and Aniah who were baptized.

First picture with new companion Elder Carpenter? He didn't label it.

Last photo with the Fallon missionaries

October 17, 2016

Reno is so close to Hell, you can see Sparks...

What's up everybody! I got Transferred! If you can't tell by the title I'm headed to Sparks! I will be covering the Red Hawk and the Spanish Springs wards. I don't know too much, but it's northern sparks. I'm super Excited!

Here's my new address:

6717 Rolling Meadows Dr. #916

Sparks, NV 89436

Well, It's been fun here in Fallon. I've been companions with a district leader for the last five transfers, and it doesn't seem like this next one will be any different. 

This last week has been an awesome one to finish out my time in fallon. First, and most important, We realized that the two little girls we were helping get ready for baptism, Mimi and Aniah (Ah-Nye-Ah) will actually be CONVERT baptisms! their "grandparents" (long story, the girls are cousins, one of them is sister to a girl who is the grandaughter of a semi-active member of our ward. long story, but it makes sense... trust me) so they are going to be baptized tomorrow! I will just miss it, as their baptism will be at 5, and I have to report to the prater bldg at 4... so that's gonna be great! oh well, thus is missionary life.

Chris STILL hasn't come to church, He seems to just disappear on the weekends... We were so sure that he would come, but he didn't... sometimes you really, really want to take away others' agency and just make them be good, but you know who wanted to do that first right? I'm beginning to realize how Heavenly Father feels when I do things that I KNOW I shouldn't. I don't think I'm  a horrible person, but I'm definitely not perfect. I think missionary work is one of the best ways to learn what Our Father in Heaven feels, When our friends make the decision to accept the gospel, we rejoice and Incredibly Happy for them, but when they decide not to, we are sad, because of what might've been. I know, and have experienced that the good feelings of someone accepting the gospel FAR outweigh the bad feelings of someone rejecting, so we shouldn't be worried about if our friends accept the gospel or not, because if they do, it will all be worth it. I promise all of you, as a representative of Jesus Christ, that If you don't hold back from sharing the gospel in ANY way that you are prompted to, you WILL see at least one person join the church and then, You will be able to have an eternal friendship with them, and they will be forever grateful to you for opening your mouth and sharing the gospel with them.

The next time you hear from me I'll be in making Sparks fly!

Stay Righteous Y'all!!!

-A cool moonshot

-The one and only Elder Clark (lol there's 2 of them in the mission)

-I love my companion...

-The Johnson Squad

Random pictures from October

 The Johnson Family

Corn maze

Writing to his Momma!

Excerpt from Elder and Sister Southam's Newsletter, a Senior missionary couple serving with Elder Stotts

Sept. 3 Sat. –When Elders Stotts and Sorenson did their laundry the other day Elder Sorenson had a blue gel pen in his hand. When he threw the shirts in the washer, the pen went in also. When they took the shirts out of the dryer, they found blue spots all over their shirts and under clothes. Elders Sorenson and Stotts spent the morning and early afternoon removing stains with the help of Sister Southam’s idea to use some bleach and Qtips. It took a little elbow grease but they look good as new now!!! We also ate breakfast together and had waffles, hash browns and eggs. We LOVE our missionaries!

Inky shirts!

Good as new!

Forgot some pictures! October 10, 2016

The Milky Way lol (:

-Chickens!

-I FINALLY MADE PIZZA, but we ate some of it before I had the chance to take a picture... Oh well...

-A classy Book of Mormon I found

October 10, 2017

Hello everybody! I'm glad that Hurricane Matthew wasn't as bad as it could've been. Out here the weather was basically the same as it always is. But something interesting about the high desert is that there really isn't a spring or fall, it's like someone just flips a switch and It's summer/winter. That hasn't happened quite yet, but I can see it coming, the days are still hot, but the nights are getting colder.

The car was in the shop for a little longer that we first thought, hopefully we'll be able to get it back before Thursday. On the bright side, even though we can't go to morning program with the rest of the zone anymore, we've been getting plenty of exercise! Living 4 miles out of town and biking it 4-6 times a day in addition to all the biking we do in town, my Quads are feeling great! We also have been making some really good contacts while we're walking around in town. Handing out Copies of the Book of Mormon left and Right!

Chris has been going to church in Sun Valley for awhile because he drops off his son with his mother on Sundays, so he hasn't been able to come to our ward yet. He should be coming this Sunday though. I'm really grateful for this opportunity I have to teach him. I know he will get baptized soon.

That's our highlight reel for this week! I'm loving the book of Mormon more and more all the time, I can feel my testimony of it growing stronger and stronger every time I testify of it. Read it, then read it again, ponder it, Then Pray about it. It's true, it's the word of God! I feel it every time I read it!

Have a fantastic week!

October 3, 2016

Hello everyone! I hope you conference weekend was awesome! Elder Sorenson and I watched it at one of the Sorensens, The family that we live by. I loved so many talks so much, I am especially grateful that our car has a usb drive and I can listen to them all over again, along with like 800 other talks I have collected over the weeks... although that will have to wait a couple days since right after this we are taking our car into the shop. A couple months ago, Elder Sorenson accidentally gouged the side of the car against a low hanging wall about shin high. Our vehicle coordinator Elder Hammond (Who's super awesome btw) told us we need to get it fixed, so we are going to be on bikes for the next 3-4 days! Hooray!!

Chris wasn't able to come to conference, which is sad, but we'll be working with him. He had a seizure from withdrawal from chew tobacco (he gets those every so often, Cerebral palsy) so his doctor said to cut down slowly, so he got some different chew which is better for you, but he won't go through withdrawal pains as bad.

This week was a week of service, we had 9 hours this week, the most I've ever had in one week yet. We helped someone move, waxed and buffed a car, bucked hay, and got a Papa Murphy’s pizza we ate before priesthood session on Saturday (which was awesome!)

That's about it for this week! Stay righteous Y'all!

Random pictures sent to us from ward members. I love it!

September 26, 2016

What's up everyone? This week was fun. We met this one guy named Shawn, He had been taking the missionary lessons out in Reno, but for whatever reason he and the missionaries lost contact. He just moved out here to Fallon with his mom and brother. Quick aside, The water here in Fallon is questionable. It comes out the faucet slightly yellow and smells a little weird. Many years ago Fallon was a place where there was a high amount of cancer diagnoses (my guess is that everyone smokes here but whatever) they weren't sure what was causing the cancer on such a widespread scale, so they questioned the water (as does everybody), they couldn't figure out what was in the water that was causing it but they blamed it anyway (because there wasn't really anything else that they knew that could be the culprit), Because of that, the church doesn't want to take any chances and so they get bottled water to all the missionaries. That's a little bit about the water in Fallon. Because of that, Shawn didn't have any water and no money with which to buy it. Due to a shortage of missionaries there is an apartment that is usually filled that doesn't have any missionaries currently living in it, (it's in our area, so we go there for pit stops a lot) and they have like 15 5 gallon water bottles for the  (normally with missionaries living there you only have 3 or 4 spare and that's PLENTY), so we grabbed some and gave them to him. 

We also got a new bishopric yesterday, the new bishop, Bishop Skabelund, was in the stake presidency that just got released (the reason we need a new bishop) so he's awesome! I know him as one of the most missionary minded people on the planet, he was ward mission leader for a year before he was called to the stake presidency where he served for a year. So it's gonna be fun!

We're excited to start teaching Shawn and his family and Chris is doing good with quitting tobacco! It's gonna be a fun week!

Here's a couple random pictures 

-

RAINBOW!!!

I love Fallon sunsets, they look like sunrises in Africa

When your meat won't thaw...

Part 2 (We got 2 letters today, since we didn't get one last week!)

Hello everyone! Sorry for not sending anything last week, I dun messed up and forgot to hit send, So now you get 2 this week! 

I love being a missionary, although sometimes it's terribly frustrating when you have to sort through tons of people who are definitely NOT interested in order to find the 2 or 3 "pineapples" as the assistants called them last zone conference. Being the most visible part of the church is awesome and slightly less awesome at the same time. You get members honking at you when you're riding a bike, and you get anti's yelling profanity and other undesirable comments at you as they drive by. Ahh missionary work, gotta love it!!! But you also get to see people change and start to accept the gospel, and when that happens, the spirit is so strong! Such an experience is happening with Chris. He loves coming to lessons, but for the last couple weeks he hasn't been able to come to church for one reason or another, and all the reasons have to do with someone going to the hospital. The first week his boss got sick and so he had to cover all the work on the farm where he works. The next week his son did something to his knee and he stayed up with him almost all night. Satan's working hard to keep him from coming, but he'll pull through. I know he will. Chris has also said that he's trying to figure out which path on this "Crossroads" as he put it. Whether he wants to do the Indian thin, or the Normal Christian thing, or the Mormon thing. The spirit is definitely working super hard on him, he feels the spirit every time we meet. I think we're going to be focusing on the book of Mormon a lot, specifically what it means for him. 

That's an update from this last week. 

Till next week!