Merry Christmas

The work is progressing.  Saturday (Christmas eve was a very eventful day)  Elder W (who is from New Zeland) visited with a member from New Zeland who has lost his way.  They had a great visit and they took time to talk to him about his testimony of the Book of Mormon.  This gentleman does believe the Book of Mormon, but not so much the prophet.  Elder M challenged him to ask the Lord if President Monson is a prophet.  This was a good visit and hopefully with all your prayers he will find his way again.

Also, the elders have a few baptisms lined up for the near future and they just found a new investigator to teach.  When they told me this I told them that that was a wonderful Christmas Eve gift (meaning for the new investigator).  Since it was Christmas Eve, the mission got together for the evening where they heard a christmas message and got to watch a Christmas video.  Then they got  their mail and some gifts.  Elder M. commented that he got like 3 tubes of toothpaste and 4 toothbrushes from various people.  He wonders if people are trying to tell him something.
We have been trying to get the Christmas spirit here for the elders.  We put a Nativity Set up in the apartment, and a small Christmas tree too.  We also filled some Christmas Stockings for them.  It's hard to decide what get for them, because they need to keep their belongings light enough to fit in their suitcases.  We just got silly stuff like deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste and stuff like that.  Yea, I was one of those multiple toothbrush sources.
For Christmas the Elder W and Elder M were invited to lunch at the Stake President's home and dinner at another member's home, so they are being well taken care of.  They also get to call home and talk with their family.

Christmas evening was wonderful, we got a visit from Elder U and had a great visit.  He is doing well (of course) and it was awesome to see him again.

That's about it for now.  Be awesome this week. 
It's the Christmas season so give a gift which can last through the eternities, give the gift of the gospel.  Have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy new year!

No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing. -Joseph Smith

You may recall that I told you last week that we have a brand new elder, Elder M here who is waiting for a visa so that he can go to Brazil.  Well since he is brand new, the mission president has to get a copy of his driving record before he is allowed to drive and his companion Elder W is from New Zealand so he doesn't have a U.S. driving license, so they are on foot or on bike.  They have a pretty big area to cover just on bicycles, so they are depending on members to give them rides to their appointments.  That doesn't seem to slow them down much; neither does the waiting for a visa, Elder M is just like any new missionary working hard and totally motivated to share the gospel with anyone willing to listen.  One might think that waiting for a visa gives you permission to slack off a bit while you wait, well that is not at all the case with Elder M; he is a worker. 

Yesterday they told us about knocking on a lady's door.  When she answered she was a bit gruff with her greeting (I guess in an attempt to get rid of them quickly).  But these elders didn't give up.  They asked her if there was some kind of service they could provide for her and so they helped her by fixing a light.  Her goodbye was a lot warmer than her greeting.  The next time missionaries knock on her door she might be a little more open to listening to what they have to say.

Speaking of light, I have a story about light that involves my nephews (again with the nephews!).  We were at Walmart this week and my nephew B. asked if I would buy a playground ball - this was not your ordinary red rubber playground ball, it was a glow-in-the-dark ball.  I bought it and of course, we had to play with it.  So we went into the laundry room and closed all the doors and turned off the lights and covered all the cracks to get it as dark as we could get it.  We had lots of fun playing with the ball.  We all noticed that as time went on, our eyes got more used to the dark and we could see the ball better and better, we even got to where we could make out the outline of each other as the ball passed by. 

Okay, now for the principle I am trying to get to.  When we opened the door the light that flooded in made our eyes hurt, and it chased away all the darkness and then when we closed the door again, we found that it was hard to see the ball again. 

The spirit of the Lord is like this, if we are immersed in the spirit, like me and my nephews were while in the dark room, we are more sensitive to the subtleties of the spirit and more aware of where you need to be.  (Aha, I bet you thought I was going a different way with my light metaphor!)  These elders are a great example of this.  It's interesting that when I offer them rides they ask me to turn off the radio, they don't want secular and possibly inappropriate music to dull their sensitivity to the spirit.

Time for my, it's all about ME story.  Today marks the tenth anniversary of the day my Dad passed away.  In some ways it seems like yesterday and at other times it seems like forever.  My whole family is very supportive of missionaries, my dad served a full-time mission in the southwest U.S. speaking Spanish.  This was right after being released from his duties as a radioman in the Navy in World War II.  Later he worked with the missionary program in ward and stake positions most of his adult life, and now I am sure he is sharing gospel truths with those who died without the opportunity of hearing the gospel message while they were alive on the Earth.  I like to think that he is pleased with my decision to allow the missionaries to live in my home.  Not long after my dad died my mom served a full-time mission in Oklahoma City and spent most of her time in the mission office as the secretary to the mission president.  She loved the experience and fell in love with the young missionaries who served there.  Now she spends her time trying to help the missionaries living in my home by doing their laundry, baking them bread and making sure that missionary birthdays are not forgotten.  My parents are great examples for my nieces and nephews and I am confident they will be blessed for it.

Life is great!  To paraphrase a previous post "The Gospel is true, may God bless YOU".  It is the Christmas season, share what you know to those who have lost their way and are just focused on all the shopping, rushing and stressing.  Christ is what CHRISTmas is all about, may we share our Savior's love with everyone we meet.

Keep praying for our missionaries and for those who are trying to get the opportunity to serve as missionaries.  God loves them all. 

Be Awesome this week!

Waiting on Visa

I think that I mentioned that Wednesday was transfer day.  Well Elder U was transferred out and we will miss him.  He is going to be a Zone Leader again.  He will be awesome as a zone leader, he is such a great trainer that his trainee is now a trainer, so I have no doubt that he will do awesome in his new assignment.  Elder M is the new elder and he just got here Friday fresh from the Missionary Training Center.  Elder M is from California and is here temporarilly while he waits for his visa to come through.  He has been assigned to go to Brazil, so he will not be here very long. 

The holidays are coming and so we are decorating our house for Christmas.  I have a Christmas Village set up in my entry way and have been doing it for a few years now, but this year I found some small missionaries that are almost the right size to go in it.  I set them up high so that they look like they are looking over the village and to me it looks like they are planning how best to bring the spirit of Christ to my Christmas Village.  I thought it was kind of a nice thing to do.  Fun for me anyway.

I don't have much to report for this week.  I guess that is because of transfers, so I haven't had much chance of hearing what is going on with the missionaries.  Elder W spent a couple days in a trio of missionaries while he waited for his new companion to arrive, so nothing really to report. 

Well it took me 3 paragraphs to say pretty much nothing, so I guess I will close this one.
Remember to be awesome this week.  Do something special for your missionaries this holiday season. 
As always keep on praying for our missionaries.

Squirrel

Last week came and went without me posting anything to my blog.  I really don't have a reasonable excuse except to blame the squirrels.  Explaination time...  Saturday night my sister's family was here and my niece turned on the television. She loves to watch the Disney Channel.  The movie UP was on, so I started watching it.  My sister's family went home and the movie was still on, so I finished watching it.  I can't help it.  I love that movie.  Anyway if you have ever seen the movie, you will probably remember the dog Dug.  He and all the other dogs in the movie were very loyal dogs except when they got distracted by squirrels.  So I guess that movie was a squirrel for me, because I was distracted and didn't post on my blog.

I guess there can be many squirrels that take our attention away from what is important (no my blog isn't really important, but it kind of makes the point).  Thursday was Thanksgiving and we invited the missionaries to share our dinner with our family.  We had eighteen people here for dinner and it was a wonderful time.  Elder W. shared a wonderful message with us and showed a brief video on being thankful.  It was the perfect ending to a Thanksgiving dinner.  Now for the squirrel...  Black Friday! (du du dunnnnnn!)  I have never been black Friday shopping before so this was a new experience for me, except this year it actually started at 10pm Thursday night.  The shoppers all fighting (in the most literal way)  shocked me.  All those good feelings about what I am thankful for went out the window as I watched people act like animals.  Christmas should be all about the miracle of Christ's birth, but the squirrels are getting to that too.  Please remember the meaning of the holidays we are celebrating and don't let the squirrels get in the way.

Elder W. and Elder U. are doing great, the gentleman they found who was very eager to hear their message was recently baptized.  The elders are working hard and are having little miracles happen all the time.  An example would be this week they happened to visit a family whom the previous missionaries dropped because the family wasn't interested, but now they are ready to listen.  Elder W and Elder U are going back for another appointment.  Thank you for your prayers in their behalf.

Transfers are this week and I am almost certain that one of the elders will be moving on, they have been here together for two transfers, and that will probably be all they get together.  But it is pretty close to the holidays, so the mission president might be nice and leave them here, who knows?

Why do these missionaries leave their families and miss 2 sets of holidays?  Here's a hint, it comes from Mosiah chapter 27 verse 3 in the Book of Mormon:

Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.

Well that's about all for this week.  May the Lord bless all our missionaries.  All the best to you this holiday season.  Be awesome this week. 
Share your love for the Gospel with someone you know.
Until next time,

Keep the battery charged

This week was disapointing for me, but seems to be going well for the elders.  I guess the reason I say disappointing for me is because I forgot to charge my phone Wednesday night and so it died while I was at work on Thursday.  When I turned my phone back on there was a message from the missionaries asking if I could go with them that night.  By the time I was able to call them back they were at their dinner appointment and they had made other arrangements.  I missed out on a great opportunity to feel of their testimony and the spirit they bring to their investigators.  Sad for me.  There must be some gosple principle that can be taught about being spiritually prepared by keeping my battery charged, so that I don't miss out on blessings.  - No, I still won't get a new phone, it's too much fun to have Elder U. and my nephews tease me about my old phone.

Great things are happening here, Elder U and Elder W were able to witness a baptism of one of their investigators and they have three other baptisms lined up in the next month or so.  They are working hard and they are being blessed for their work. 

I can't believe how fast time is going by, November is almost half over.  Before we know it, it will be Christmastime.  Which brings up a problem, I need ideas on what I can do special for the Elders this Christmas.  I would love any suggestions anyone might have.

Embarrassing story for the week... This p-day the elders came up to pick up their launndry and as they were going back down, one of the elders lost his footing and slid half-way down the stairs.  I guess he bruised his tailbone a bit, but nothing too bad, just a little hard to sit during their study time.  After he fell, he kind of laughed and said something like he liked our slide. 

That's about all for this week.
Remember to mention your missionaries in your prayers, pray for them by name.  I love our elders and will continue to pray for all of them.  The Lord is waiting to bless you, share your testimony with someone who needs to hear it.

Birthdays and Holidays

This week we celebrated a birthday for Elder U.  It's rare that we get to celebrate a birthday for an elder staying in our home, we are usually off by a few months or so, but this month the timing worked out and we were able to celebrate.  We invited them to dinner and then gave Elder U a tie tack, nothing much, just something to let him know that we care and that his birthday was not forgotten. 

This week was also Halloween and in this mission the elders don't proselyte the night of Halloween.  Instead they had a mission-wide conference with a speaker and then some activities to keep them out of the way of the trick-or-treaters.  It was also the end of the month and they were out of miles, so it was my pleasure to drive them to the conference.  I love it when I get to drive them around, then I can get an update on what they are doing in our area.  It sounds like they are working hard and having some success.  There is a gentleman they are teaching and it looks promising for his progress and they are teaching an investigator who is quite young, and so they are having fun coming up with little object lessons to make their point.

Life as a missionary is not always spirituality and preaching the gospel, there are challenges for the missionaries too.  Yesterday Elder W started having some ear pain or throat pain.  It seems like something that should be checked out, so I encouraged him to call the mission doctor to see what they recommend for him.  It is probably something as simple as strep throat, but even that would need antibiotics.  Anyway it wouldn't hurt if some extra prayers went out for him.  I'm sure everything will be fine, I will keep you informed.

So, this wasn't one of my best efforts.  It seems like time is just flying by faster and faster and so I run out of time to come up with things to write every week.  I am thinking about doing this on a monthly basis instead, but then I would probably forget and the blog would end.  Not the best option I think.

Okay, so enough rambling.  Time to end this.  As always, please keep (y)our missionaries in your prayers.  (To my friend the "Stealth Elder" - if you are reading this, please know that I am still praying for you by name and always will.  The church is true, God bless you).
Share your testimony with someone you love this week, and stay awesome.

Lord, How Is It Done?

We have had missionaries staying in our home for about 15 months now.  I find it very interesting to get to know the different personalities.  We have had elders who are a bit less motivated and are quite content to go to their appointments and meetings and not much more.  We have had some elders who are so driven that they get frustrated with themselves for not working hard enough even though every minute of their day is involved in missionary work.  I think I want to talk about the second type this week.

It is amazing to see how serious some elders are, even to the point of using their p-day to study the gospel and do missionary work, and then they get down on themselves for not doing enough.  They want perfection for themselves.  I admire their motivation, but it kind of makes me question their testimony.  I don’t mean this in a bad way, but do they really understand what they are teaching?  You can’t do it on your own!  Second Nephi chapter 31 verses 20-21 teaches that there is no other way except through Jesus Christ that we can be saved – you can’t save yourself.

I recently read in Enos of his “wrestle” with the spirit and how he cried in mighty prayer for his own soul.  The Lord forgave him of his sins and Enos’ guilt was swept away.  Enos was amazed and asked “Lord how is it Done?” -Enos1:7  The answer came that it was because of his faith in Christ.  Maybe this type of missionary needs to put a little more trust in the Lord and not put it all on themselves.

Wow, that was kind of heavy stuff…

Here’s what’s happening with our current elders.  It looks like there will soon be a baptism in our stake, a young person from a “counterculture” group in the area has accepted the challenge to be baptized, that is a happy event, and they will invite their whole family to the baptism so there will be lots of missionary opportunities there. 

The Elders have a new person whom they have been teaching the past two nights and all seems to be going well with that too. 

It looks like the hard work is paying its dividends and the drought of missionary opportunities is easing up a bit.

Sorry for missing last week, I was on vacation and had nothing to report.  Slightly amusing story for this week:  While I was on vacation, I asked the elders to feed the birds and fish.  All went well except that this time of year seems to be a great time for moss to build up in the pond, so the pump was draining small amounts of water over the edge and so I got a text asking what they should do.  I just asked them to keep refilling the pond.  I think they felt like it was their fault that the moss built up, but that’s not the case. 

Thank you for reading my blog.  Be awesome this week and share your faith with others.  As always pray for your missionary.

The Church is true, God Loves You!

This weekend has been spent with my sisters' families.  It is great to be a part of a wonderful extended family.  This morning my 14 year old nephew tells me about his experiences in seminary class.  He was challenged by his teacher to be friendly to people and so he told me about how he was trying to shake a girl's hand as she left the building, but she tried to avoid him.  He thought that she had actually left, but then he saw her, so he ran after her and shook her hand and said "the church is true,  God loves you!  So are they making the youth of today stronger in the faith, or was I just clueless when I was fourteen? 

I am shocked whenever I hear that some people actually believe that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not christians.  Here we have all these missionaries all over the world and each one of them has a nametag which clearly states their name, and then the name Jesus Christ in bold letters right below it.  That is a small part of what it means to take upon you the name of Christ. 
We truly believe that there is NO OTHER name nor any other way whereby man can be saved, except by Jesus Christ.  Really, who could be more christian than a young man or woman who carries on their chest the name of Jesus Christ.

More Gratitude Give Me

I know it's too early to be talking about Thanksgiving and that is not really the topic of this weeks entry, but I am so very thankful for the experiences and friendships I have gained by inviting the missionaries to stay in my home.  I sometimes feel like a parent to these fine young men and, yes I do have my favorites.  I have recently heard of or from a couple of the missionaries who have lived in my home.  I couldn't be more proud of the fine examples they are.  Had I been as strong in the faith and honest with myself and the Lord as these missionaries are,  I would have been a much better missionary when I served.  Dear Elders who might be reading this blog, please know that I am praying for you right now by name and I ask the Lord's richest blessings to be upon you.

Humorous story for this week.  I went out to the back yard to feed the fish just as the elders drove up, that was my first mistake.  The second mistake was to ask them how their day was.  They responded that it was a great day and then Elder U. handed me a bag and said that they had a surprise for me.  As soon as I took the bag, I realized that it was a plate of cookies and told Elder U. that the cookies were for him and Elder W.  I tried to refuse the cookies, but then Elder U began reading Doctrine and Covenants 88:33 which states:  

For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.

So I ended up taking the cookies.  Oh, brother!  Next time my hands stay in my pockets!

Thank you for reading my blog.  Please continue to pray for all of our missionaries, and pray for missionary opportunities.  Share your testimony with someone who needs to hear it.  You will be blessed.  OYM (Open Your Mouth) and it shall be filled...

Don't be afraid to invite your friends to meet with the missionaries.  Missionaries have a sacred calling and they won't let you down.

Until next week...

With Blessings Unnumbered

This week my mom called me at work.  I wondered what was the matter?  She said, "I hope I'm not in trouble."  Then she proceeded to tell me that the housing coordinator for the missionaries had just called.  The sister on the phone told her that our committment would be up in December of this year and asked if we want them to find another place for the missionaries to live.  Mom's answer was very quick in comming and told the sister on the phone that the missionaries were welcome to stay in our home for as long as they need a place to stay.  The sister asked, for how long, six more months?  Mom just said, that they could stay for as long as they need us. 

There is no expiration date to our committment to serving the Lord or His missionaries.  I think that mom is afraid that they might take "her boys" away from her.  She has grown to love each one of these fine young men staying in our home.  I jokingly told her that it was my home and she couldn't commit me to such an obligation.  She knew that I was joking and that I love these choice servants of the Lord as much as she does.

The opportunity to house the missionaries brings with it many blessings.  The spirit of the Lord is strong in my home and the motivation for me to be a better person is also a great blessing.  We have made some great friends through all of this. 

Last night Elder K. stopped by to visit.  It was great to talk with him and hear that he is still strong in the gospel.  He finished his full-time service as a missionary in August and now he is going to college.  What is really cool is that he has been called to be the executive secretary to the Bishop in his student ward.  That calling has great responsibility and requires a lot of time away from studies, and yet he is doing better in school than before.  The Lord truly blesses those who serve.

I remember another great blessing which comes from having the elders live in my home.  I was given the very sacred and precious privilege to give a blessing to one of our elders.  (Nothing bad was happening- If you have ever been a full-time missionary you know that sometimes you just need a blessing).  What a wonderful honor it was for me to lay my hands on the head of one of Heavenly Father's chosen servants.  (These guys have the same charge as the members of the quorum of the twelve apostles).  The feeling of love in the room was so strong.  I feel like I was the one receiving the blessing and not the elder.  I thank him for that solemn privilege.

I loved the words of Elder Jeffery R. Holland of the Twelve Apostles in his talk to the priesthood last night.  What is really great is that he spoke of the importance of being worthy to serve.  He "got in the face" of the young men of the Aaronic priesthood, and then he told the older men that they are not exempt from the challenge either.  If you are a parent of a young man make sure that he understands the importance of being ready in ALL ways to serve the Lord.  Who knows, maybe one day I will be talking about YOUR son and how he sneaks around the house at 10:00pm to come to the laundry room to get his clothes without waking mom. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true!  You have a testimony, why not share it?  It won't diminish when you share it, instead it will grow, and so will your love for your neighbor.

Please pray for our missionaries.  Mention them by name when you pray to Our Heavenly Father and He will bless them. 

Thanks to all who share their sons and daughters and grandpas and grandmas with the work of the Lord.

Precious Resources

When a missionary receives his or her missionary call letter it says:  "You will also be expected to devote all your time and attention to serving the Lord, leaving behind all other personal affairs.."  Elder U. and Elder W. are perfect examples of this challenge.  They spend all their time dedicated to missionary work.  Everything they do has as its purpose to serve the Lord.  Last week the district had an exchange where Elder W. went to work with another elder in the district and a different elder came to work with Elder U.  Well, during this exchange, the phone ended up with the wrong elder and so Elder U. borrowed my phone to arrange to get their phone back.  What I found interesting was that Elder U. worked hard to waste as little time and car mileage as possible.  It seems he consider these as precious resources of the Lord.  They don't want to waste time that should be spent studying or preaching the gospel and they don't want to waste gas that has been purchased for the sacred work of preaching the gospel on something like this.  It is awesome to see how serious some of our missionaries are about the work of the Lord.

Okay, now for the funny part of this story.  I was working in the garage and Elder U. came in and asked if he could borrow my phone, I asked if he wanted to use the landline or just use my cell phone?  I warned him that my cell phone is kind of old (my nephews are always teasing me that I need to get a new phone -and Elder U. knows about the teasing), so I gave him my cell phone and he kind of laughed about the phone, but what really made him laugh was when I pulled out the antenna for him (yes, my phone is so old that it still has an extendable antenna).  So, he uses the phone and makes the proper arrangements, and when he hands me the phone back, he said "wait" and makes a point to show me that he has to push the antenna back down.  I accused him of mocking me.  But, it's all good, he meant it in a good way and I am glad that he feels comfortable enough to tease me.  He is only about three years older than one my nephews and so I am glad that for the teasing.

Pretty quiet week otherwise. 

The Gospel is true and what these missionaries are doing is important.  The Atonement of Christ is real.  If I could just understand how important the Atonement of Christ really is, I would probably be more motivated to do missionary work like Elder U. and Elder W.
Stay awesome this week.  Share your testimony with someone you love.  I am so very motivated to hear the words of our prophet next Saturday and Sunday.  Don't forget to listen to General Conference.  That recharges me like nothing else. 
May the Lord bless all of our missionaries.

Matthew, remember what I said about being nice to the Elders in your area.  They probably have a little brother at home they miss too.

Quiet Week

Nothing of note to report this week.  I haven't had much time to talk with the missionaries, so there isn't really anything to say. 

Time seems to be flying by and I have little time to compose something to write.  One thing funny that happened this week was when Elder U was getting out of the car and asked me if I wanted some cookies.  I said no, thanks.  He said that they were very good, but he couldn't eat them.  He said he was "allergic" to things with sugar in them, that they "caused his abdomen to swell up".  Pretty funny, and I thought this guy was all serious about the work, yet every once in a while he will suprise me with something that proves he is still a real person, who is just very serious about the work.

Sad story from yesterday...  So we are on the way home from church when mom gets this panicked look on her face.  She had forgotten to turn the oven on before leaving, so dinner was not cooked when we got home.  We had 21 people over for dinner and so there was a lot of food.  Sadly it was not cooked.  My niece rescued her by getting something else, but that left mom with uneaten food from what she had planned.  Lucky missionaries, they get leftovers today. 

Sorry for the short note this week.  I hope you read my entry from two weeks ago, it was much better but I messed up and it didn't post for some reason and so it was about a week late. 

Be Awesome this week.  Take good care of the missionaries in your area.  They are worth it.  Share your love, share your testimony. 
Continue to pray for your missionaries.

Surprising events?

I just noticed that last week's posting didn't make it to the blog for some reason.  I just posted it yesterday.  Sorry for that error.

Two weeks ago I told you about the elders surprising me one night while I was finishing up on the walls in the apartment.  So as a kind of payback I set up a little surprise for them and I guess it startled them a bit.  That's good, they deserved it.  So Monday night as usual Elder U and Elder B2 came up to get their laundry from the laundry room.  What was unusual is they snuck up very quietly.  I was sitting on the family room couch, reading and all of a sudden I hear this voice, right in my ear asking me "how's it going?"  I jumped out of the couch rather quickly.  That was pretty funny.  I guess they are getting to feel more at home here.  That's good I want them to feel at home, they work very hard all week long, so they need a place where they feel safe to just be themselves.

It seems like just when we are feeling comfortable with the elders living here, there is a change, and that's what happened this week.  Elder U is staying and Elder B2 is moving on to another area.  I am getting better at letting go of my missionaries, but it is still hard to say goodbye.

Wednesday Elder U got a new companion.  Again we get a brand new elder fresh from the MTC.  (I think this is the fifth brand new elder we have had in our home).  I guess this must be a good area to train new missionaries.  The new missionary is Elder W and he is from New Zealand.  My nephew likes him, he said to my mom "Grandma, he has the coolest accent."  If he passes the nephew test, then he must be okay. 

The Elders have been visitiing a family whose mother is a member of the church but does not actively attend church, so she has been very resistant to having her children be baptized.  This week the elders visited the family and they were allowed to teach a lesson to the family.  The teenager was especially interested in what they had to say and the mom allowed the missionaries to come back.  This is great progress.

There are over 50,000 full-time missionaries out spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, you likely know one of them.  Pray for that missionary, mention him or her by name in your prayers to our Heavenly Father, He will bless them.

Take good care of the missionaries in your area, they deserve it.  Share your love, share the Gospel, invite the missionaries to teach your friends.
Be awesome this week.

Sowing and Reaping

I just learned of a lady that Elder U. and Elder B2. are teaching who is just waiting for a baptismal interview before she can be baptized.  So finally they are getting to see some of the fruits of their labor.  These guys work hard, I am glad to see that they are seeing the joy of another child of God finding the right path.

This past P-day Elder U and Elder B2 joined us for a "scone party"  we played a game and it was a great time to visit with our missionaries (a very rare treat for us), and I love to see them be a little less serious.  It has always been a tradition in our home to have the missionaries leave us with a message after dinner.  This time, instead of reading a scripture or a spiritual thought, they sang "I Know That My Redeemer Lives".  Wow! could I feel the spirit of that hymn, their voices blended beautifully.  They tell me that there are a few families that they are working with who are not comfortable with a formal missionary lesson, so instead these elders have a prayer and sing a hymn for these families.  These families need to be careful, because the spirit of the message of the hymns and their testimony is very strong.  If the families don't watch out they will be converted just through the music.  If nothing else the spirit (through music) the elders leave in the homes of these people will plant the beginnings of a testimony, and eventually there will be success for future missionaries.  Elder U and Elder B2 are sowing so hard they will need thimbles (okay, lame joke - get it sew, sow, thimble - lame I know).  But truly they are doing good and we are blessed for their work.

We got a very special treat this week.  The mom of one of the missionaries stopped by to meet the family who was blessed enough to have her son stay in their home.  We had a wonderful visit and it was great to learn more about the family life of such a great servant of the Lord.  If any mission leaders are reading this, don't worry, she didn't see her son, that is just too much of a distraction from the work and we don't want that.

So now I have a shout out to someone very special.  "Hey, Matthew!"  Thank you for sharing your very special brother with the people of this mission.  Your sacrifice is great and there are two years that you will be separated from your brother that you will never get back.  Please remember that missionaries leave their families for two years in order to bring families together for eternity.  Your brother is right where he needs to be and we love him very much, and I promise we will take good care of him.  Thank you for your sacrifice.  Oh, and be nice to the missionaries out there.

Here's something that just came to me last night as I was reading in the Book of Mormon.  1 Nephi 3:8 after Nephi commits to go and do what he is commanded to do it says

"And it came to pass that when my father had heard these words he was exceedingly glad, for he knew that I had been blessed of the Lord."

To me this compares to our great missionaries out serving the Lord.  There are at two Fathers who are very proud (pleased, or glad if you prefer) of their sons and daughters who sacrifice everything for one and a half to two years, totally devoted to the service of God and His children.  The Lord blesses these fine missionaries, and the people the missionaries serve are blessed too!

Thank you for reading my blog. 
God loves you. 
Stay awesome! 
The Lord loves missionaries, and missionaries love referrals. 
Please share that love by sharing the message of the Gospel with your friends and invite them to meet with the missionaries in your area.

Keep On the Path

Last night I was finishing up on the apartment (replacing the wall plates and hanging a picture) and while I was doing so, I hear this little rattle on the door.  I didn't think much about it, so I continued on with what I was doing.  When all at once two elders sprang into the apartment yelling.  No they weren't angry, they were scaring me.  I was apropriately startled and they had fun.  What's funny is that I totally didn't expect that from these elders.  They are very serious about everything they do, and so seeing them in that light last night was great. 

Elder U. and Elder B2 are doing very well and continue working hard.  They have a family they are teaching and all is going well there, but there is not a whole lot of success lately.  Some days I get a little frustrated when I see how dedicated these guys are and the hard work they put in studying and praying and seeking people to teach.  One day there will be the reward for their hard work, but today is not yet the day.

Late summer is a great time of year.  The garden is producing well and I have more tomatoes than I can handle.  I have a couple grape tomato bushes and they are really tasty.  I have been giving some to the missionaries and they act like I am giving them candy.  I am trying to get them to give some away to some of the people they are visiting, but so far it hasn't happened.  They are better missionaries than produce guys, and that is as it should be.

Sorry to have so little to say this week, but not much is happening lately.
 
Keep yourselves awesome.
Pray for the missionaries (mention them by name). 
Best wishes to all.  May God bless you this week.  Open you mouth and share the message with someone.  Keep our missionaries busy.

Amazing Love

You know the song Amazing Grace.  Well this isn't about that song.  There is a song And Can It Be where in the chorus it says "Amazing love, how can it be?  That Thou My Lord, would die for me."  This isn't about that song either, at least not really. 

So why did I title this week's blog "Amazing Love?"  I guess because I am kind of weird.  But here is an explanation of why I thought of the phrase amazing love:

Tuesday night I was outside feeding the fish in the pond and as I walked back to the house, I glanced down toward the basement and the blinds were not yet shut.  (Don't worry, the apartment is in the back of the house and the only ones who could see them would be me and the occasional raccoon that gets in the trash).  The elders had just arrived home and I could see them both, next to their desks, on their knees praying.  I couldn't hear the words of the prayer, but I have no doubt that part of that prayer was a blessing on the people who live in this area.  I'm sure they were praying for those they are trying to teach, and those who would be taught, if only someone would invite them to hear the words of these fine missionaries.  Anyway, it brought my mind to the question "Why would two nineteen year old young men (heck they are still boys) leave the fun of youth and school and home and girls and everything else, just to preach the gospel? 

JUST to preach the gospel???  No, I would say it is because of that gospel that they are out here.  Most missionaries today are serving because they can, not because they have to.  They feel the love of our Savior and want to share that love.  That's pretty amazing to me, isn't it to you?

My sisters decorated the apartment before the missionaries moved in a year ago.  One of the things they did was to put up a stencil on the wall of their bedroom that says "A man stands tallest when he starts the day on his knees."  These elders stand pretty tall! 

The progress in our area is slow.  I don't know what happened - just a few months ago there was a baptism almost every week, now they are struggling to find people to teach.  That's rough to take, but Elder U and Elder B2 are not letting it get them discouraged.  They are out there every day making appointments and pleading for referrals.  One day their hard work will pay off.  I'm sure you remember the story of Abinadai in the Book of Mormon.  He didn't do so well with the people he was teaching (understatement).  But he did touch the heart of one person and that was Alma and that one conversion resulted in thousands of people joining the church. 

That's about all for this week.  I wasn't home much so not a lot to report on.  The work continues and the Gospel is true!

I just want to throw out a question for everyone.  Do you love Jesus Christ?  How Much?  Enough to leave your home?
Kenneth Cope sings a song in his album A Prayer Unto Thee called "Because I Have Been Given Much" but he adds a verse:

Because of Thy Life's mission Lord, I too must serve.  I'll leave the comfort of my home to teach Thy Word. I'll seek Thy sheep who've gone astray, and those who've never known the way.  I will make Thy work, my work today.  I shall give love to those in need and show that love by word and deed. Thus, shall my thanks be thanks indeed.

You don't have to leave the comfort of your home, but you do need to leave your comfort zone and open your mouth.  Invite your friends to hear the message that is so important that tens of thousands of latter-day saint young men and women do leave the comfort of their homes to teach.  It's that important.

The Lord does have AMAZING love for all of us.  May we share that with others.
The Lord loves missionaries and missionaries love referrals.  DO IT.
Be amazing this week.
Don't forget to pray for the missionaries.  If you know a missionary who is out serving now, mention them in your prayers by name.  Be specific about the blessings you would have them receive.
Love to all.
Thanks for reading my blog.

Goals and Progression

Last week was fast Sunday and it was fantastic.  I was able to witness the miracle of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in action on the life of a member of our Ward.  (No specifics, but it was inspirational).  While I was sitting in Fast and Testimony meeting I felt the need to look up a scripture, so I found the reference and read it.  I didn't understand at all why I needed to look it up.  I didn't plan on talking in the meeting or anything, but I found it just the same.

After Sunday meetings, the missionaries texted me and asked if I could go on splits with them.  Well I couldn't pass up a chance like that, so I said yes.  That evening I went with Elder B2 and we were headed to visit another person's home, but stopped a lady on the street and started talking to her.  She wasn't very receptive, but her husband came out and started talking with us.  We sat out on his patio and talked with him for over an hour.  During the visit I felt impressed to read the scripture I looked up earlier, to this man.  It was the perfect scripture and caused him to think deeply about his relationship with Christ.  The spirit was there and I know that that man felt it.  I was very blessed to be able to witness that great visit.  Thanks Elder B2 for letting me go with you!

Also during this week, I finally accomplished a goal I set for myself earlier this summer.  I don't remember if I mentioned that I was inspired by one of the previous elders to try to get in shape,so I have been swimming fairly regularly this summer.  It's not to lose weight, I don't have that problem, it's more to gain better cardiovascular fitness.  So I set a goal to swim a mile, well Wednesday I went for it.  I actually swam a mile, and then did it again on Friday.  (This doesn't have anything to do with missionaries staying in my home, except that they are the ones to inspired me to do it. Elder B challenged me to swim more, so I did it.  Thanks Elder B).  Okay, so I am entitled to brag every once in a while, after all it's my blog.

Anyway, there's not much else to report on this week.  Sorry for the bragging, I will try to do better next week.

Be awesome this week!
Take care of the missionaries in your area.  Make it your goal to invite a family you know to have the missionaries teach them.  Share those referrals.

Payoffs and Previews of Future Fruition

Last Monday I talked with a coworker who lives in a neighboring town.  He had the missionaries over to his home for dinner.  One of the elders said that one of his previous areas was my town.  My coworker asked if the elder knew me and he said yes.  It was Elder M from Mexico.  What makes this worth mentioning is that last December Elder M was a brand new missionary and this was his first area and today he has a brand new missionary fresh from the MTC himself.  He has only been out seven and a half months and he is already a trainer.  Well he had Elder K as his trainer and Elder K is the best.  (Elder K completed his mission in July and is now probably out in North Carolina trying to follow the prophet's counsel to find an eternal companion).  Anyway it is wonderful to see the great progress in our elders.

Another vision of future greatness is the young man (Joseph) that Elder K and Elder B(the first one) baptized while they were here.  This young man is a from another country and English is not his primary language.  Just after his baptism, he was ordained a Priest in the Aaronic Priesthood.  It is wonderful to hear him blessing the sacrament.  When he prays, you listen more intently to the words of the sacrament prayer.  Last week was youth conference and our ward's youth were able to go to Salt Lake's Temple Square for their youth conference.  This Sunday in Sacrament Meeting Joseph was asked to report on his youth conference experiences.  He couldn't stop talking about how great the missionaries were and how he was excited to be able to serve a full-time mission.  This young man will be an awesome missionary, you can see his testimony of the Savior in his eyes, in his smile, and you can feel the spirit around him.  It may be difficult to understand his words at times, but it is easy to know that he Loves God.  Yesterday was our ward's day of service and Joseph was out there working the whole time, even when some of the older men were standing around leaning on their shovels, he was out there working.  He has a lot to give this world.  Thank You to Elder K and Elder B for helping him learn the gospel.

Funny (at least to me) story for the week.  I have had this house for almost five years now, so now it's time to do some touch-up work on the walls in the apartment.  I warned Elder B2 and Elder U that I would be working on the walls.  Yesterday I started on the job of patching and sanding, and just in case they came home to see me in the apartment, I sent them a text to warn them.  The text said - "I'm working on the walls, your apartment is kinda messy".  I got this text back saying "yeah, sorry - we will try to clean it up a little tonight."  They thought I was complaining about how messy they left the apartment.  If you could see their apartment, you would not believe that two 19-20 year old men were living there.  The place is spotless, nothing is out of place!  I sent a reply telling them that I meant that I was the one who left the place messy, not them.  Boy, do I owe them a serious deep cleaning of the apartment once I am finished!

Anyway, that's about all for now.  Remember to keep smiling and BE AWESOME this week. 
The Lord loves missionaries, missionaries love referrals.  Share the love, share a referral. 
The Lord loves you too!

Witnessing Greatness

So This week I got the opportunity to give Elder U and Elder B2 a ride to an appointment (since their area doubled they are frequently short of miles).  I am VERY impressed with Elder U as a trainer.  Here he has a brand new training elder in Elder B2 who has been out five and a half weeks and already Elder B2 is making all the calls and running the show.

As we arrived at the appointment Elder U offered a wonderful prayer (before we left the car) and when we went in to the appointment Elder B2 did all the talking.  He presented a wonderful message and worked hard to bring the spirit into that home.  After the message the person we were visiting asked for a blessing.  I don't recall all of the words of the blessing which Elder B2 spoke, but it really touched her feelings.  She committed to attend church this Sunday and the spirit was very strong there.  I am truly blessed for being able to witness a small part of what these elders do!

This opportunity to go with the missionaries brought back lots of memories (both good and not so good).  I remembered the stress I would feel wondering what I should say - if anything.  But I remember the feeling you get when testimony of the love of our Savior is being shared.  That wonderful, sweet, peaceful assurance that the gospel is true, that God lives and that Jesus Christ is indeed our Savior.  What these missionaries are doing is good!  The work is important.  The Lord has reserved His most precious children for this time and I have had the opportunity to witness greatness. 

May the Lord bless each who reads this blog.  BE AWESOME this week.  Always remember, the Lord loves missionaries, missionaries love referrals.  Share the love-  share your testimony- give a missionary a referral.

Smile at someone you don't know.

Challenges and Blessings

I'm late posting this week's entry.  I just haven't had much to report on.  I am struggling with what to say, so this will be a rather odd posting.

Friday I learned that Elder U and B2 had 4 lessons to teach and that there was a possibility to maybe commit two people to baptism.  Well three of the four appointments cancelled.  That's kind of a let down, but that will not deter these fine young men in their efforts to share the important message of truth they are offering.  Saturday was a much better day, they even taught an entire family.  A few weeks ago when they came up to visit, the elders asked me if I was able to teach any families while I was a missionary.  That brought back some very fond memories and almost immediately my memory went back to Potosi, Bolivia and the wonderful family that my companion and I were blessed to teach.  It was difficult at first, but they finally listened with the desire to learn and they were baptized.  That is a very fond memory, even in spite of the fact that the baptismal font there was a concrete box that we filled with water that we had to put a rag over the faucet so that it would filter out the little red worms.  It was all worth it just for the memory of that family accepting the gospel.  That family was a great strength to the branch of the church in Potosi.  I certainly hope that they are still active in the church, but they were so strong, that I can't imagine that they would be anything else.

I tell this story because we get challenges all the time, especially as missionaries, but the blessings will come.

Doctrine and Covenants 95:1 "Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I ^alove I also chasten that their sins may be ^bforgiven, for with the ^cchastisement I prepare a way for their ^ddeliverance in all things out of ^etemptation, and I have loved you—"

I'm not saying that there is any sin involved with what the Elder U and Elder B2 are doing. Rather it feels like there is something big in store for these two servants of the Lord.  They are doing everything right.  They study the gospel like hebrew scholars, they search for opportunities to teach in everything they do - even to the point of stopping at a yard sale and finding a new person to teach.  They spend their free time in planning how best to serve the people in this area.  The apartment is spotless, it has never been cleaner!  There is nothing amiss in their situation, yet they are being tried. 

The deliverance will come, and they will be blessed for their sacrifices.  It may be other elders who benefit from their hard work, but that isn't the point, they aren't here for their glory, they are here to serve the Lord and bring souls to Him, what does it matter who does the actual ordinances, it is the people who are brought back to God that matter.  We are all children of our Heavenly Father and if we can help one another get in a better position to return to Him then it is our responsibility to do just that.  I challenge each of you to do as these missionaries are doing and take the challenge to OYM  - Open Your Mouth.  I first heard that challenge from Hartman Rector Jr. of the Seventy when I lived in San Diego and his challenge was to not miss the opportunity to share the gospel with everyone and anyone.  He quoted the scripture that says to "open your mouths and they shall be filled."  That takes a GREAT deal of faith, but if you do it, the Holy Ghost will help you know what to say.  I put that challenge to the test years ago, on an airplane heading to Salt Lake City of all places,  I brought up the topic of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the person I was sitting next to.  As we got off the airplane I offered a Book of Mormon and he accepted it - he even said that he would read it. 

The Gospel is true, it is the most important thing on this earth.  You have IT, you need to share it.  The gospel is something that you can give away and still keep.  Do IT.

Remember, the Lord loves missionaries (even the armchair quarterback type) and missionaries love referrals.  Share the love share a referral.  Help your friends find the most important thing they can find in this life.

Do you have comments for me?  e-mail me eldersinmyhome@gmail.com
Have a wonderful week.

Progressing

It's kind of hard to get much to put on this blog when I rarely get to talk to the elders.  This week I did get to talk with them and it was nice to spend a few minutes with them.  I was sitting on the front porch, studying for a class I had to take for work and Elder U. and Elder B2 had just come home for the evening.  I was just expecting them to go down to their apartment, but instead they came around to the front and talked with me for a minute.  They asked if they could come by the next p-day and maybe play a game or something so that we could get to know them a little better.  Wow, I would think that they would rather spend their p-day doing other things, but I'm not complaining.  I love spending time talking with the missionaries, it builds me up.  So the next p-day we played Chicken Foot (you play it with dominoes) and had a lot of fun.  It was nice to hear more about them and the work they are doing, and it was fun to see them a little less serious.

I did learn that their area about doubled in size during this last transfer.  They now cover 2 stakes instead of just one.  That explains why they were teaching a family from outside our area- (at least I thought it was outside our area.)  They are getting lots of referrals and having trouble following up on all of them in a timely manner.  Last night I asked them about one referral our bishop got from our ward and they said that they haven't been able to make contact with them.  I asked if it would help to have Priests (16-18 year old priesthood holders) split up with them so that they could do double the work.  My nephew went out on splits with Elder K. and had a wonderful experience.   They said that last night it would have made it easier to make all of their appointments.  I kind of chewed them out and said that if they needed help and they were desperate they could ask me to go with one of them.  They actually said they would think about it. (I would still love to have that opportunity).   Our ward executive secretary spent a few days in Texas last month and didn't have anything to do, so he went on splits with the missionaries down there, he had a great experience and spoke very fondly about it.

Tonight the elders came home and said that they just found a new investigator.  They happened by a yard sale and the lady there told them that she had received the missionary lessons and she wants to continue learning, so could they please start teaching her.  What do you say to that?  Well duh, yeah!  Well be right over.  So they are pretty stoked about that.  I am so very happy that all the hard work they have been putting into this area is finally paying off for them, the Lord is blessing them.  Thank all of you for your prayers in their behalf.

Please continue to pray for all of our missionaries.  They need the blessings, they deserve the blessings and the people they will teach because of your prayers need the blessings. 

Remember, the Lord loves missionaries.  Missionaries love referrals.  Share the love, give a missionary a referral.

May God bless you this week.

Very Pleasant Surprise

Yesterday the district had missionary exchanges.  That's where one missionary goes and spends a day or so with another missionary and so forth, so that the companionships get split up and can learn from other elders.  Well, yesterday when the missionaries drove up, I was didn't really see who was there, but when he got out of the car, I saw Elder M. (from Mexico) he was staying with us in the November-December time frame.  Wow was it good to see him.  He was brand new when he was with us.  It was great to catch up on what he is up to.  He was one that was hard for my mom to say good bye to also. 

They only visited for a few minutes, but it gave us a chance to hear about what is happening with the missionary work in our area. (Elder U. is afraid to visit with us, he is all about work, work, work).  Anyway, we found out that they are getting lots of referrals from the leaders in the area and have about 35-45 referrals to follow up on.  That will keep them busy for a while.  They are checking back on a family that stopped getting taught and think that this family might be receptive to their message, that is great.
 
Elder U. and Elder B2 spent a week mainly riding around on their bikes, instead of traveling by car.  That gave them the opportunity to be more visible to the people in the area.  As they were out, they stopped people on the street and asked them about the church and if they were members they asked for referrals.  That helped them to get some more possibilities for people to teach.  So I guess their hard work is paying off.

Whenever we do get to talk with Elder U. and Elder B2. (they are never separated- that's the way it is supposed to be) they are always asking if there is anything they can do for us and I always say no, but last night when Elder U. and Elder M. were up, I first said no, but later thought how nice it would be for them to leave us with an evening prayer before going to bed.  What a wonderful blessing Elder U. left on our home and family.  I won't miss that opportunity again. 

It really is a blessing to have the missionaries live in my home.  I love having them here and it really brings the spirit.  If any of you readers are given the opportunity to have the missionaries stay with you, take the opportunity, you will be blessed.

I pray the Lord's choicest blessing on all of you.  Keep praying for our missionaries everywhere.  Remember: The Lord loves missionaries, missionaries love referrals.  Show the love, share a referral.  MAKE IT A GREAT WEEK.

We finally got Elder U. to use the piano this week.  He is practicing so that he can help the elders in the mission choir learn their part for a musical number they are doing.  They are singing the Battle Hymn of the Republic.  I asked what I had to do to get invited to hear this performance, but got nowhere with that request.  I did find out that it is for the mission conference this week. 

We didn't leave Elder B2 out of the musical stuff.  This past p-day he went up and borrowed a guitar from my nephew just for fun.  (I was begining to wonder if these elders know how to have fun, it's all work for them).  I wasn't home for the piano or guitar playing, so I feel really left out, but that's okay, these elders are finally starting to open up just a little. 

I don't normally go down to "inspect" the apartment, so when Elder U told me about a leaky faucet in the kitchen in their apartment, I went down to look at it.  We tightened up a fitting and that fixed the leak, but it must have been leaking for a little time because it looked like there was some deterioration of the caulking around the sink.  So on my next day available I went down and recaulked their sink.  We planned it so that they wouldn't be home when I worked on their sink so that I wouldn't get in their way.  Anyway when I got down there the sink was full of dirty dishes.  (When you recaulk a sink you are supposed to keep it dry for 24 hours).  Well I couldn't just leave them with dirty dishes that they couldn't wash, so I washed their dishes.  When they got home and discovered the washed dishes of course they thanked me and asked if there wasn't something they could do to get back at me for doing their dishes.  Of course I refused anything, (What I would really like is what I posted on an earlier blog and that is to spend time with them either in companion study or go on splits with them to hear their testimony and hear them teach.  That would be pay above an beyond anything I could provide for them.)

It seems like these Elder U. and Elder B2 are being challenged more than most.  They appear to be working very hard, at least that's what I see, but they aren't having much success finding people to teach.  I don't know how all this stuff works, so I am trying to be patient but sometimes you wonder why the blessings don't come.  I have been reading the mission president's blog and he keeps promising blessings.  This weekend the mission president has called for a mission wide fast and I love the way he words his request, he said: 

I am calling upon all missionaries to join this Sunday in a special fast to call down the blessings of heaven.  Pray for the Lord to forgive us of our short comings and to purify us. 
     Pray to help us rededicate our lives to the work we have covenanted to do.  Pray that He will then pour down His blessings so we can enjoy the success that we yearn for.

Some may think that the president is calling his missionaries to repentance, but I don't think so.  To me it seems that he is asking the missionaries to pray for and then receive a miracle from Heaven.  I hope you can all join with me in echoing those prayers of our missionaries.  May the Lord open the Heavens and pour down blessings on our missionaries.

Always remember:  The Lord loves missionaries and missionaries love referrals.  Share the love.

The Lord Loves His Servants

This new guy is intense (one elder said "uptight"), but that is NOT a bad thing.  This p-day they went to another missionary apartment and studied for the morning (can you say missionary geek squad? -STILL not a bad thing!)  I am amazed at how much hard work is going into the missionary effort in our area.  There is not much of a teaching pool right now, so the elders are meeting with bishops and other leaders in the area.  Their area comprises 13 wards (one stake), so they have plenty of people to work with to get help finding people to teach.  But right now there isn't much teaching happening (at least that is what I understand).

One of the previous elders inspired me to try to get in shape.  I have been a couch potato for too long, so I have been swimming twice a week to try to build up my cardiovascular system.  (Yeah, boring background stuff)  Anyway this week I got on the scale at the recreation center and it showed that I have lost some weight, not enough to be scared, but it could be a little concerning if it keeps going down.  (Still background)  So, when I got home I went down to the apartment and asked to elders to borrow the scale they keep in the apartment.  It confirmed the weight loss.  I told the elders about it and I didn't think much more about the subject.  Well that evening when they drove up Elder B2 offered to help with my weight loss problem, I looked confused and he pulled out a plate of brownies and offered me one.  Too funny!  (Of course I didn't take one, those were made special for the elders.) 


Motivation to exercise is not the only thing that has changed in me since the missionaries have come to live in my home.  Two days ago I went up to watch a movie at my sister's house.  It wasn't a bad movie, but as I was watching it I became very uncomfortable with some of the things said and implied in the movie.  I was very glad that we weren't watching the movie at my house.  I have noticed that my music choices and television programs have changed too.  I just don't want to do anything to offend the wonderful spirit that the missionaries bring into my home.  It really is special.


These elders haven't settled in yet.  This past P-day mom did their laundry, as usual, but because they waited so long to pick it up mom had already gone to bed.  I texted them and told them they could come up and get their laundry, but they said that they would wait until the morning. (Both Elders' sheets were in the laundry so I don't know how they slept.)   The previous guys knew that this is their home and they were welcome to come up at any time of the day or night.

I think we might make a little breakthrough some day.  I asked about music, (because Elder U.'s mother is a very accomplished violinist) and Elder U. said that he plays the piano.  I told him that he is welcome to play our piano anytime.  He said that he might on one P-day.  I think he doesn't yet feel like this is home.  I guess because he and Elder B2. are both here for less than 1/2 month they don't yet feel comfortable.  I am working on that.

Elder B2. plays guitar, so I told him that my nephew plays and they should have a family home evening with my sister's family so they can play guitar.  Hopefully that will happen too.  Hey, if the members aren't comfortable with who the missionaries are, they aren't going to be comfortable introducing their non-member friends to them.  (did that last sentence make sense?)

Prospective missionaries who might be reading this, please be seen by the members of your area.  They need to know you care (and that you exist).  The better they like you, the better success you will have getting them to provide referrals.

Have a great week.  As always, PRAY for our missionaries.  The Lord loves missionaries and missionaries love referrals.
 
Love to you all.

Not an easy transition

So I told you that Elder B. got transferred Wednesday.  It is good that he gets new opportunities and new challenges.  I hope that things go better for him in his new area.  I do have a few regrets, one was pure selfishness on my part.  I told him that I wanted to go on splits with him so that he could get a ride in the Crossfire (that's a two-seater sports car), but the real reason was that I wanted to hear his testimony and listen to him teach.  He said that he was sorry that I didn't get to go mountain biking with him.  I would have loved to do either of those activities, but that's the way things go.
 

(This part in a different font is not important so skip it).

When my nephew was born and I met him for the first time, we bonded INSTANTLY.  I don't know what it was, but there was an instant connection that hasn't been broken.  I joke with my nephew that we are twins from different generations.  Well, when I first met Elder B.  I had that same feeling, he is like an "old soul" in a young body.  I will really miss him.

I am going to do things a little different from now on (if I can) and that is to try not to get too personal.  When Elder B. came he was fresh from the MTC and this was his first area, we tried to make things comfortable for him and make him feel at home.  That hurts too much.

One of the things am trying to do that is taught in Preach My Gospel is to have the Holy Ghost guide me in what to pray for.  I have been trying to let the spirit guide my prayers but it is harder than it sounds.  As I have been feeling maybe a little bittter about this change, I have felt the need to pray for the new elders and hold no resentment towards any anyone for any part of this change.  I even put some of their names on the temple rolls.  That's okay, isn't it? 

Elder U. is still here (he has only been here a week) and he got a brand new elder fresh from the MTC.  The new elder is from Arizona (another Elder B.  maybe I can call him Elder B2).   These guys are very busy and never seem to be home.  No chance to get to know these elders, I never see them.  They are very polite and respectful and I will love them like all the rest, just a little more distant. 

I did learn that these new guys are human.  P-day came and went and they might not have planned very well, so they ran out of toilet paper.  They came upstairs to borrow a roll, they promised to go to the convenience store and replace it, mom would have nothing of it.  She gave them a six-roll package and said to keep it.

I lied about never seeing them.  As I was on my way in to work Saturday at 6:30am I did see them, they were running in the neighborhood for their morning exercise.  I waved to them and they waved back, I doubt they recognized me, but that's okay.

The Lord loves all his missionaries!  May we pray for all of them, and especially for those that you care about.  Life is good!  Time is short.  Smile at the next person you see.  Hug someone you care about.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is restored on the earth and He leads his church.  Be thankful for an inspired prophet who is President Monson.

Thanks for reading my blog.  May the Lord bless your efforts to support the missionaries and their work (oops, the Lord's work).  Keep those missionary referrals coming.

Noooooooo!!!!!

I got home from work tonight and the dryer is running, that's funny I think, so I ask why there is laundry being done on a Tuesday.  Mom tells me that Elder B. is being transferred tomorrow.  Wait!  Not Fair! We just had an unscheduled transfer last week.  So mom tells me that Elder U. will be getting a brand new missionary tomorrow.

Like I said a while back, the parents of these awesome young men get to have their missionaries for 19 years, give them up for 2 years and then they come back home.  For us, we get them for just a few very short months and then we will probably not see them again.  Mom was almost in tears when she was telling me.  I asked her if she cried and she said "What do you think?"  Yeah, she cried.

If Elder B. ever reads this, I want him to know that he will always have a home with us. 

I know that the mission president is inspired in what he does and I am sure that this transfer is in the best interest of the people who need to hear Elder B. and for Elder B. himself, but I can't help but be selfish and want him to stay.  Of course it was the same when Elder K. left and also when Elder M etc. etc.

May the Lord bless you all.  Always remember to pray for our missionaries. 

Expectations of Greatness

I just reread my last post and now I have to apoligize for making it sound so bad here.  It wasn't as bad as I made it sound and I am sorry to anyone I may have upset with my negative post. 

As expected there was a change in elders here, the unexpected part was that transfers came to our home a week early.  Elder L. is now in a different area of the mission and Elder B has a new companion, Elder U. who is fresh off serving as a zone leader.  Elder U. jokingly said that he was getting demoted from zone leader, I told him that I thought that getting Elder B. as a companion is anything but a demotion!  I told him that he better get ready to work hard, because Elder B. is used to getting baptisms, there were 4 baptisms in 5 weeks, a week off and then 3 more baptisms.  Then I said that he would have big shoes to fill here (Elder B. said "yeah, size twelve" - what a goofball). 

Elder U. is making a great impression; yesterday as they were on their way out my mom was on the back deck reading. She stopped them and asked where they were headed,  He said "we're going out to preach the gospel valiantly!"  Now that's what I call expectations of greatness. 

I am more than a little afraid of this companionship.  So now we have two Polish elders serving together.  The similarities don't end there, they are both oldest sons each with one older sister.  And they are both from the South.  What was the mission president thinking???  (okay, just kidding about being worried.  I am totally excited to see how well the work will progress with this "super-power companionship").  I only hope they can stay together for a long time.

I can already tell there is a difference in the spirit in my home.  I don't know how to explain it, except to try to describe it like there is a kind of missionary work "hunger" in their eyes.  On the day I met Elder U. he was already asking me for referrals and Elder B. is there writing their information down, they are serious about this work.

As I told you on Tuesday, I have been reading about trying to learn better how to pray with the spirit.  Well, I can tell you with total confidence that the Lord does hear prayers and He answers them too.  Thank you to all for your prayers for my missionaries.  The Lord guides His work, and nothing can stop the gospel  work from progressing, not even a discouraged blogger.

Oh, by way of tying up loose ends:  The heavy bag never came to be.  The story of the birds is even more tragic.  There were some pretty heavy wind gusts the other evening and the bike and helmet with the nest in it went down. Two casualties immediately occurred and despite our attempts (my sister and her kids rescued the nest and the baby chicks) the mother robin had trouble finding the nest after it got moved out of the wind, so the next day the other chicks died too.  We are all very sad about that, but that's nature.  Next year I will put up some baskets (or bike helmets) in a better location so that it doesn't happen again.

Thanks for reading my blog. 
As always, keep praying for our missionaries wherever they might be serving.  May the Lord bless you and strengthen your testimony.  What these missionaries do is of great worth, help keep them busy wherever you are.  Do something good for your missionaries, give them a referral (that's a recommendation you give to them for someone they can teach), now that's spoiling the missionaries.

Pray Always

I have been struggling lately with a little discouragement.  I usually try to post on Sunday, but this week I'm mixing things up and will take a break for the weekend.  Last night I went to a dance recital for my niece.  I hate going to those things they are noisy and the music is offensive, but I go to support my family.  Anyway I have a copy of Preach My Gospel on my i pod, so I decided to read from that on the times while my niece wasn't dancing.  The subject I was reading was on how do I recognize and understand the spirit.  The section I read was on using the spirit to pray with faith.  What a POWERFUL lesson.  There was a quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley:

Every morning ... missionaries should get on their knees and plead with the Lord to loosen their tongues and speak through them to the blessing of those they will be teaching.  If they will do this, a new light will come into their lives.  There will be greater enthusiasm for the work.  They will come to know that in a very real sense, they are servants of the Lord speaking in His behalf.  They will find a different response from those they teach.  As they do so by the Spriit, their investigators will respond under the influence of the same Spirit.

I have been a bit concerned that Satan is working overtime to slow down the work in our area.  I would ask all of you to please pray on your knees for our missionaries and then while you are out and about during your daily activities, keep a prayer in your heart for the missionaries, they need the extra protection. 

If you know a missionary, pray for him or her.  Pray for them individually mention their name, ask for specific blessings.  They need the help.

That's about all for now.  I might write something next Tuesday night.  Transfers are the fifteenth - (sad to say, I am kind of looking forward to that). 

Sorry for the negative post, I promise the next one will be more upbeat.

The Lord loves all of us.  Keep praying. 

What to write today?

I don't have anyting even close to a theme today.  So I will just put down a few odds and ends from the past week or so.

While I was at work one day this week, the missionaries came up to borrow the DVD player and TV.  Mom was just fine with that, (what's she going to miss, reruns of old game shows?)  So the missionaries put in a dvd that the church puts out for training missionaries, I don't know what it was, but I must admit that I am a bit jealous that mom got to participate in that.  After the dvd was over, they told mom about some of their plans for finding and teaching new people.  I just love the spirit that these elders bring into my home, it is a great blessing to me and my family.

Elder L. borrowed the hose and washed their truck this week, when mom asked why he wasn't getting any help washing the truck, he said that he is the driver so he should clean it, and besides his companion was in the apartment cleaning.  I think Elder B. likes to keep the apartment cleaner than some of the other missionaries we have had.  Good on him.

I learned that there must be guardian angels out there watching over the missionaries.  This past p-day one of the elders went with a few other elders and a priest from the ward to go mountain biking.  I was not expecting what I saw when they got home, one of the elders kind of crashed on his bike and scraped up his shin and hands, he looked pretty beat up.  We got him all cleaned up and there seems to be no serious damage.  What got me thinking about guardian angels was that yesterday, when I was at work, we had a guy come into the emergency department who had run into a tree while mountain biking and flipped over the handle bars and seriously bruised his thigh requiring surgery.  I told our elder about it and said that there must be some extra protection out there for the Lord's missionaries. 

So here's a kind of cute story... my sister's family came down today to help me pull weeds.  One of my nephews asked me if I knew that there was a bird's nest on the patio outside the apartment.  I said no, so he showed it to me.  There in one of the bike helmets hanging on one of the bikes is a robin's nest with five eggs in it.  So I guess there won't be much proselyting on bikes for a while.  -It's kind of interesting, one bike is covered in mud and the other has a bird's nest on it.  It just goes to show you how different two companions can be and yet they still keep the work going.  The Lord loves His missionaries.

Also today the missionaries had just driven into the driveway and were waiting for two other elders to come for an appointment the all had for dinner.  While they waited they came out and talked with me.  Elder L. grabbed the shovel and helped me dig out a dead rose bush and plant a new one.  These guys are great!  While we were talking, Elder B. mentioned how appreciative they were for such great "land..." he just couldn't say landlords, he said that just didn't sound right.  I told him, that he could just call us family, that works for me.

That's enough randomness for this week, I hope I can give a better report next week.

May our Heavenly Father bless your missionary wherever he or she is serving.  If you get a chance to spoil a missionary, DO IT.  It will make your day. 

As always, keep praying for our missionaries and I will do the same. 
All the best, as you try to get closer to the Lord.

Beautiful

Romans 10:15 says:

And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

A few weeks ago there was an extended exchange with the district leader so there was a different elder staying with Elder B.  As I was out working in the backyard I saw these two elders walk out of the apartment with book bags over their shoulders wearing white shirts and ties.  They walked right past their truck and headed down the street on foot.  The above scripture popped into my head and was a witness to me that what these young men are doing is good.  They are called of God, by an inspired prophet and they are showing their faith in the Savior Jesus Christ.  It really was a beautiful sight.

I didn't get much opportunity to visit with the missionaries this week.  Either they weren't home, or I wasn't home, so I don't have much to report this week.  It was kind of disappointing for me, I guess, because I am getting too used visiting with them when they have a spare moment, so when I don't get to visit with them I kind of miss the feeling of the spirit they bring into my home. 

I did get a short visit with Elder B. on P-day, he had gone out to get a couple pair of pants that can be washed - I guess it is hard to get to the dry cleaner too often, so it is easier to have some pants that can be washed.  Anyway... he came up to borrow the iron to get some of the wrinkles out of the new shirts and pants that he got.  So it was good for even just a short visit.

It's interesting how different the missionaries can be.  When Elder K. was here, they would play soccer, basketball, trampoline or some other physically active types of P-day acitivities.  These missionaries seem to go shopping or just hanging around.  Neither one is bad, just different.  Don't worry that they are going to get fat though,  remember on one of my earlier posts, I said that their daily schedule includes daily exercise.  Well I have some really stinky dumbells (no the ones you do arm curls with not the not smart people dumbells) out in the garage, I offered them to the elders and the dumbells (the arm curl kind -my elders are not dumb!) are now down in the apartment and the elders are using them.  I guess both missionaries have boxed prior to the mission and Elder L. found a heavy bag, so now they are wondering if they can get it and hang it up somewhere...  Hey, why not?  I have an unfinished basement with a large beam that they can hook it up to, so I said go for it.  I don't know how serious they are, but I will let you all know if it happens or not.  What am I running here, a missionary apartment or a gym?  (Really, I'm good with making their home as much like home as possible, so if I can help out, without creating a distraction, I am all for it). 

Memorial day is this weekend I am out of town, so I left the elders in charge of feeding the fish in my backyard  pond.  How awesome is it to have guys around to help out?  I promise not to abuse that convenience too much.
Thanks again to all the missionary moms and dads who are sharing your missionaries with me, and the rest of the world.  I pray the Lord's blessings on you for your sacrifice and generosity.  I love you for it, and I love your missionaries. 

Remeber to always carry a prayer in your heart for our missionaries.  Share your love for the Lord with someone this week, and I will try to do the same.

Blessings always

Last week I posted a request for information on favorite foods, I got a response on Monday morning and I told my mom about it and that very day she went down and invited the elders to dinner (she loves the missionaries).  As it turned out they had a cancellation for Tuesday night's dinner appointment and so they came to dinner Tuesday.  That is a rare privilege for us because the Relief Societies in the stake are pretty good at getting dinner appointments for the missionaries.  Mom teaches the 11 year old girls, so she doesn't make it to Relief Society and it probably isn't fair that we should get to have the missionaries live in our home and take up all the prime dinner appointments, so we let other members have the missionaries visit their homes for dinner.  Anyway we had a great visit and they were very complimentary about the dinner and everything.  They left us with a great spiritual message which was about service and they thanked us for the service we give them.  Every time I interact with them I feel like the small sacrifice we make for them is more than fully compensated by blessings from the Lord.  I can truly say that "I feel my Savior's love" in everything around me.

The Elders went to Zone conference Thursday and left home around 8 or so and didn't get home until 4:30 or later, I'm not sure.  Anyway, I took the opportunity to ask them how it went, and they said that it was a very spiritual meeting.  They said that they were really tired - it's interesting how spiritual experiences can take so much out of you.  Even being so tired, they still had 4 hours of missionary work left to do for that night.  Again, I am so very jealous of all the great motivation and spiritual growth they are experiencing.  Oh, to be able to hide in their pocket and gain from what they are going through; but it doesn't work that way, they have to work very hard to get the great blessings they are enjoying - sadly, my time is past for that.

On a more secular note, Elder L. just lost MEGA points with me.  I was wearing a San Diego Chargers t-shirt and he asked me if it was my junk shirt and something to the effect of "You can't seriously be a Charger's fan?"  I almost kicked him out of the house right then.  Well, we love all of God's children, even non-Chargers fans.  May the Lord bless Elder L. to see the light and cheer for Philip Rivers and the Chargers - Hey Rivers played college ball at North Carolina State, didn't he, so that should cover both coasts, no???  Only a Hawaiian would put the hate on San Diego.  (Just kidding on this paragraph).

As always, keep a prayer in your heart for all of our elders and sister missionaries I know that I do and I always will.  May the Lord bless our dedicated missionaries everywhere and especially YOUR missionary wherever they are serving.  Thank You to all the missionary moms and dads for the sacrifice you make to keep the Lord's work moving forward.  If you happen to stumble onto this blog and realize that I am talking about your missionary send me a message, I'd love to hear from you, the offer goes out to all missionary moms and dads.  If I can do anything to help make your missionary's experience better, please let me know what it is. email is eldersinmyhome@gmail.com
May the Lord bless you and your missionary this week and may you feel the love of Christ for you.

Family

Another pretty quiet week, but not without rewards.  So one of the elders came up to get his laundry on P-day and visited with us for a few minutes.  He said a few things that made my mom say "we're learning your secrets,"  his response, was "I can tell you guys this stuff, you're family."  That really made me feel good.  I mean, I feel like they are family, but for him to come out and say we are family is a great reward for what little I do for the missionaries.  I found a missionay's blog on the internet (written by his mother) and really enjoy reading it.  She mentioned the sacrifice that families make to send their son or daughter out and how they miss them.  I thank those moms and dads for the sacrifice they are making, but I sometimes don't like the sacrifice I have to make.  Here the missionaries stay for a few months and we get attached to them only to have them leave.  Some of the missionaries don't seem to get so attached, but others really become part of the family and it's sad to see them go.
My nephew is also getting into the family stuff too.  We had like five elders here one day (district leader meeting and somehow there were 5 elders from different zones).  As they were talking it came up that as one of the elders drove by the school bus stop a young boy yelled out, "Hey elder, why aren't you driving?"  I didn't know this, but it turns out that there are some missionaries who don't have driver licenses so they can't drive.  It turned out that it was my nephew who called the elder out.  Pretty funny, but a bit embarassing if you have a potential teaching candidate in the car with you.  So, the next time my nephew and his family were here for dinner, we kind of asked him about it and said that maybe he shouldn't have said that.  He has such tender feelings for the missionaries that he got a bit teary over the "reprimand."  As it turns out the elder called out to the boys at the bus stop teasing them for having to 'ride the bus'.   So, I guess it's just like family for my nephew, he teases the elders, just like he would a member of the family.  I know for me the teasing from my nephew would have been the same. 

For our elders we have now, we are getting used to the new elder, my nephews were in the back yard playing hacky sac and the missionaries drove up to pick something up from the apartment, and Elder L. took time to kick the hacky sac around a bit.  My nephew couldn't stop talking about how good Elder L. is and bragged about how he (my nephew) was able to do better than his cousin and Elder L.  I'm pretty sure the elders had some place to be, so the game ended with the perception of victory for my nephew.

Quick note to Sis Buz. et al.  Are there any special recipes, food, mementos or anything that mom can do special for your son?