November 12, 2018

Fam, 

Saturday we had a great baptismal service for two people Elder Magalei and Elder Tilley have been working with. The service was nice and simple. The highlight easily was at the end when Brother Montigny, the second counselor in the branch presidency, stood up and in front of everyone and addressed the non-member husband. I'll quote as best as I can from memory. He said at the end of his testimony, "We're really grateful for the wonderful service of the baptism of your two children. We now challenge you to do the same (insert a long pause). Take these missionaries seriously and be baptized. The invitation doesn't stop there. Be baptized and prepare, as the plan of salvation teaches us we must, to enter into the holy temple in one year to receive your endowments and then be sealed to your wife for time and eternity." It was pretty bold. He didn't seem offended but it definitely surprised me that the Presidency called him out like that in front of everyone. Bold is good sometimes. On another note we woke up to four inches of snow!

We have a cool family we are working with. We met with them this last Thursday and taught a fairly good lesson on the Plan of Salvation. It went well and we had our Branch Mission Leader with us and his wife. It's really nice to have capable native speakers with us. I still am a very imperfect teacher but team work helps a lot. The restoration of truth that began with Joseph Smith really has allowed us much greater understanding of the truth. Greater peace and direction is found as we find the answers of where did we come from, why are we here and where are we going. Those truths are able to be felt by anyone which is why it's so fun to teach. As an example, yesterday we taught a lesson with a 7th day Adventist who wasn't understanding authority. We invited him to be baptized but said he already had after we had explained authority extensively. We explained why the Book of Mormon is important and he said he already knew it was true because it's the word of God, something he did not actually know for himself. We responded explaining the importance of the spirit and that if he knew the Book of Mormon was true he would first know that its message is true: that being the divinity of Jesus Christ. He would also know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet called by God, that we had authority to baptize him, and that he would then desire to be baptized. I think it caught him off guard slightly because he asked if we meant be baptized at that moment but the end result was that the doctrines we had shared finally clicked into place. The Spirit was able to at least say something that caught his attention and made him more serious about what we were proposing. There is no need to fear in this gospel because it is resoundingly true. I used to be worried when people would say, "oh well I've been baptized before," but all I know is that true doctrine carries power. 

-eric

November 6, 2018 Last "Transfer"

(For those of you who have been reading this blog, you'll catch the irony of this being his "last transfer".  Eric has had the unique mission experience of serving in the same branch during his entire mission. He completes his mission in December)


Fam, 

It's weird to know that this is my last transfer. The last transfer went by incredibly fast. We were busy and Elder Wiseman is pretty awesome so it was all a blast.

Saturday we translated for a women's conference. They fed us and sent us home with cookies. So worth it. 

Friday we received our transfer calls, but it's never a surprise. There was some chance I would get moved out of the Branch for my last transfer but after counseling with the President over the phone about the needs of the district a few times, I luckily got to stay. Down below is a picture of the new Elder, named Elder Sheffield. Elder Wilkins and Elder Berry are going to trio train the new missionary. 










Thursday we met with someone who professed to understand the scriptures but unfortunately did not. It was the classic Revelations 22:18-19 misinterpretation. He wasn't listening and kept insisting we were wrong. I'm really grateful for the words of modern prophets and I asked if we could watch a short video. I opened up "My Words Never Cease" by Jeffery R. Holland. In the talk, Elder Holland outlines an important truth: our scriptural supported claim of an open canon. The topic is extensive and not terribly important, but in my own New Testament reading (which coincidentally just finished reading the Revelation of John) I found something interesting. 


Revelation 1:3
3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand

Revelation 22:18-19
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Looking beyond the chronological order of the Bible, this demonstrates to me the continuity and self-contained nature of the Book of Revelation. Clearly this statement cannot be extended to validate a complete cessation of God's revealed word.

October 29, 2018

Section 111 in the Doctrine and Covenants is a pretty obscure section but this week we had an interesting experience that highlighted a principle found recorded there. 

Verse 8 of the revelation states, 

"8 And the place where it is my will that you should tarry, for the main, shall be signaled unto you by the peace and power of my Spirit, that shall flow unto you"

In the dark of Monday night at around 8:30 we were driving to an appointment and took a turn onto a side street on our way. As we drove down I felt a resounding impression from the Holy Ghost that prompted me to stop the car. We didn't have very much time at that moment but we felt prompted to knock the only house with a light on. We talked for a few minutes with the guy there an left a copy of the Book of Mormon. We planned to come back and knock the street, a finding technique I haven't really used since before Christmas last year, the next day. We were busy but had a few minutes at 7pm the next day to do some knocking. We taught the first door we knocked on for a few minutes and set a return appointment. Our second door we meet Delfino and had an awesome lesson. We knocked his door and he invited us in. As we taught him about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ you could just see the gears turning in his mind. We invited him to be baptized and he said he would have to talk to his wife, who wasn't present at the time. We asked him if he knew anyone who might be interested in learning more and he said his whole family lives next door and that he would invite them over next week! 

Referrals are fun. I've recently learned you just have to be terribly persistent. We meet with William and Carolina and the last four or five visits we've asked for referrals and have always got the, "we don't know anyone." Our last visit they said that they had asked a few people but they all said no. Persistence brings actions, eventually action brings results. 

October 22, 2018

This week we got wrecked, near absolute rejection. We had two trade-offs planned which went well but the result was Elder Wiseman's week was a lot better than mine. Elder Wiseman picked up 4 new people to teach (which is really good) and had a few teaching opportunities but I only taught one lesson this entire week. It also didn't help that zone conference was this week but still. So many lessons fell through, a few people dropped us, and nearly everyone we spoke with was super not interested. 

The week wasn't all that bad though. Some really important things happened. Bertha, the old lady who was baptized my first few weeks (March 2017) was endowed on Friday in the temple. This is huge for more than just one reason. The first reason is that the temple endowment is a saving ordinance. Second, it represents the progress that has been made in the branch the last two or three years. There has been substantially progress in the few months I've spent here. I'm not even sure who the last convert to be endowed was. The Olguin family may have been the most recent, having taken place around 9 years ago. A lot of work has gone into this progress, thankfully we've had nothing but great missionaries the last three years. 

Darylle our friend we taught last week had a very successful pass off to the English Sisters in Grand Rapids. It's a little painful passing off someone as funny and prepared as Darylle seems. Hopefully December 15 will be his baptism! I'll definitely be attending if it happens. 

October 15, 2018

fam,

Welcome to Michigan where the typical weather this time of year ranges from 90 degrees on Wednesday to 40 degrees on Thursday. 

Thursday we had a hilarious lesson with someone named Darryle. I found him a few weeks ago when I was on trade-offs with Elder Wilkins. I didn't even see him in his car but he rolled down the window as we walked by and yelled out to us. He made me jump pretty badly but thankfully we were able to set up an appointment. After some scheduling issues we were finally able to meet with him. We taught a decent lesson on the restoration and he received it hilariously well. We taught about the apostasy of truth that followed the death of Jesus Christ and his apostles and then shared how after the first vision of Jesus Christ angelic messengers restored the priesthood authority by the laying on of hands by those in authority to Joseph Smith. After briefly outlining the priesthood he asked energetically about all the other churches that baptize. We told him that none had the necessary authority. You could say that blew his mind.   

Saturday we had the great opportunity to participate in the baptism of Mercedes. Road work has clogged the entrance to the chapel for the last few months and apparently the workers had temporarily shut off the gas line but it hadn't been put back on. Elder Magalei performed the baptism and said the baptismal font was so terribly cold. During the actual baptism, the doors to the font were shut waiting for them to get in the water. I could hear a slight whimpering and figured it was either a good moment where the spirit was very strong or else  she had some last minute doubts. After the baptism I approached Elder Magalei and asked what had happened. He responded explaining that she was not crying or having last minute doubts but trying very hard not to scream as she very slowly entered the water. Aside from no heat, the service was nice and we had a good turn out. 

Are there prints available of the painting, "The Savior with a lamb" or "the Good Shepherd with His sheep" in the talk "Becoming a shepherd" by Bonnie H Cordon and "Our campfire of Faith" by Elder Gerrit W. Gong? They're fantastic.  

-eric 

October 8, 2018

Fam, 

One thing I've begun to notice recently is that the people we are working with seem more prepared and willing to even just hear us than ever before. Discussing this with Elder Wiseman I think it has to do in part with my own level of conversion  to the Gospel of Jesus Christ between now and when I started the mission. I think as I've striven to dedicate each day to the service of others and spiritually preparing for each day I've been able to grow the trust the Savior has in me allowing me to be guided to people who we could influence for good. 

Carlos, our friend in Lansing, met with us on Tuesday. We hadn't really involved the sisters in the area very much, due to the obvious language barrier, but we've had consistent contact with the members who speak Spanish there. Much to our surprise as we started our video call the sisters were present with the members we had invited to join. What I first thought was weird actually turned out into a really positive moment. We involved the sisters and translated their responses and that really invited the spirit into the lesson. Language is a small barrier which the spirit can cross. In 2 Nephi 31:4 I like when it says that, "For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding." The spirit brings an understandable force or enlightenment that can be felt regardless of someone's language because the spirit always speaks according to our understanding. Though the sisters testimonies were shared in English it was their testimonies that invited the spirit and not directly from my translation. 

Wednesday we had Trade-offs with the Zone-Leaders. It was enjoyable. I went with Elder Cloward. He was a blast to be with, just a ball of energy. 

Thursday was filled with two miracles. We have not been meeting with David as much due to lack of progression but we decided to stop by him after a short absence of visits. Before the visit I had explained to Elder Wiseman a portion the situation, one of the issues being his aversion to prayer. During the visit we invited him to attend General conference and shared a talk we had felt he might like. It was a good visit and we even ended the visit with him offering the final prayer. As we walked out I smiled knowing that that was a big step for David and that Elder Wiseman wouldn't appreciate it, only due to not having known the entire situation. It was slightly funny to watch the visit unfold differently than expected after outlining what I thought would most likely happen. 

The story continues. 

Later on that same evening I felt we needed to stop by a specific family that has faced some challenges with the church and because of that has shown some animosity towards us. In the dark we sat in the car and I gave him a warning that we've never really had a positive contact with this specific family and that he should be aware. We knocked the door and were very warmly welcomed in to their home. It was late already so we didn't get to stay as long as we might have liked but we had a very good conversation with them, shared a brief message and planned a return appointment. We walked out and I explained the extent of that miracle to Elder Wiseman. I'm grateful that the spirit was able inspired us at the opportune moment to be able to meet on good terms with the people.

Friday nights we've started an activity night for the branch. It's been an great success. It's not a super formal activity, but we share a spiritual thought and then have some form of activity. This week we opted to play volleyball again. We were happily surprised to have two completely inactive members join us, and a few less active members come out, some even brought friends. The late President Hinckley said once that, "activity is the genius of this church." Growing in fellowship and unity comes by these activities, they also allow people to serve in capacities within the church which then lead to deeper and stronger conversion to the Gospel. Activity helps congregations have their, "hearts knit together in unity" (Mosiah 18:21).

General Conference was great. Not sure how I feel about two hour church but the new "Come Follow Me"  curriculum looks fantastic. I skimmed through the entire booklet on Gospel Library and am impressed. I'm excited to go through it starting in January. 

Here's an introduction video if you'd like to know more:
Video

October 1, 2018

(no letter last week)

Fam, 

After 9 months, it's really weird not being Elder Magalei's companion. Outside of that change this week was awesome. 

Tuesday was our last P-day together. We drove to one of the bridges on the Grand River to take some pictures that turned out pretty good. We drove over the bridge on Anne Street (Near the corner of Ann St NW and Monroe Ave NW) and stopped at the red. It's a fairly busy intersection and I noticed a small kitten stroll across the crosswalk as I was stopped at the red. It came by our car and got spooked by on-coming traffic and chose to hide under the relative safety of our car. Jumping out to grab the kitten to insure it didn't die, I glimpsed its tail as it climbed under the hood of the car into a small nook. Definitely out of reach and only slightly in view Elder Magalei I moved the wheels while I stood outside to make sure the movement wouldn't harm the cat. Once we were sure we could move slowly without causing harm we pulled into a nearby gas station. Once safely out of traffic we popped the hood and a kind stranger helped pull the kitten out from behind the engine. Definitely a first for me. 

That darn kitten

Thursday Elder Magalei and I drove in the morning to Lansing to pick up our promised trainees. Elder Wiseman and Elder Tilley are the two new members of the Grandville Spanish Mission. The training meeting was so fun. When I trained Elder Magalei there were 25 other trainers, the group was massive. This time there were only 3 other trainers. We met our new companions, had lunch, and immediately President sent us out onto MSU campus to proselyte. They gave us 45 minutes to make a few contacts and it was insane. We struggled a little bit only because we got dropped off 15 minutes away from the mission office and everyone we talked with was walking in the opposite direction. As the time we needed to be back in the mission office grew closer we found ourselves further and further away. We were easily the last ones back, but we made a bunch of good contacts. Thankfully I grabbed more copies of the Book of Mormon on the way out because the Assistants only gave us two but we passed out four. 

Grand  Rapids

Elder Magalei and yo

On our way home our 6pm appointment canceled and we got approval to stop by our friend Carlos who lives in Lansing. We met his whole family and shared a short message on family history. In-person teaching is so much better than video conferences.

Training is pretty fun. Elder Wiseman has a lot of enthusiasm and is talented. The last few days have been exceedingly filled to capacity. Last transfer likely was our most productive transfer yet, at least numerically and our daily schedule is feeling the heat because of it. As part of the consequences of that, we haven't had complete study times yet but we've been running around like crazy. Truly there just isn't enough time to do what we want. For the most part it's a decent impression to lead off with, though it leaves him exhausted. It takes a few weeks to adjust to the missionary schedule. 

Saturday was spent running around as well. We had a successful branch picnic which was our only "down time." We had by far the best carne-asada I have ever had. I ate so much carne-asada. It was so good. I do not think there are words that can describe how good it was. 

Picnic and games

Sunday we had a very very good lesson with Edin in the afternoon. We brought our new branch mission leader and his wife over. We made a few ministering visits with them and ended with Edin. We read a few scriptures on the atonement of Jesus Christ and shared our testimonies of Jesus. The Spirit was strong and it was a great moment for everyone involved. In the traditional manner, we couldn't leave the Duran home without food. They gave us two plates of delicious pupusas. 

Elder Wiseman and Elder Johnson

This week flew by so fast. 

-eric