September 30, 2013
I've been doing really well! This past week was a really good one with a lot of different surprises! We've been able to stay fairly busy this past week with teaching a lot of good people and meeting a whole bunch more with great opportunities for unplanned service for others.
We just hit a cold spell for the last couple days but later this week we'll be back up to the mid 80's for a little while, but it's all good hopefully we'll be inside a lot teaching people during the warmest parts of the day.
Trent got BAPTIZED LAST SATURDAY!!!!! We texted him on Tuesday and asked when a good time to meet him this week would be and his response shocked both Elder Gallagher and I, he told us that he would like to meet on Friday and then get baptized on Saturday! The rest of the week just seemed like a blur as we met with people just wanting Friday and Saturday to come a little bit faster, yes he came to church and was confirmed but had to leave after sacrament because he wasn't feeling well but he did come to the fireside last night and almost stayed for the whole time but had to leave early. Our only other progressing is Donald Morris, we've been meeting with him regularly for the past little while and we've set a baptismal month for him in February and we'll be meeting with him tonight to see what his answer was for a specific date in February.
A spiritual experience that I had this past week was when we were meeting with Donald on Thursday night, and we had just gotten done reading 3 Nephi 18-19, as we were discussing things Donald had to get up and take care of a few things around the house and I got the prompting to invite him to be baptized but I didn't know specifically when. So I thought about it more and more, my first thought was December but nothing came, then January and that was a little iffy, finally a feeling came over me that possibly could have knocked me down, if I were standing, for February. I didn't get a specific date but I knew that he is supposed to get baptized in February, we'll be meeting with him tonight to see what his answer is and hopefully he received an answer as we have been praying for one for a long time.
High - Having Trent be baptized this past Saturday and having him confirmed on Sunday, he'll definitely be a strong member of the Branch.
Low - Not meeting with as many people this week as we have in the past
It was really awesome for Trent to get baptized last week, and we've been able to stay relatively busy this past week. Yeah, on the 20th it'll be a full year since I opened my call and it really doesn't seem like it's been a full year since that time. It's almost a sure thing that I'll be transferred because after talking with President Woodbury at interviews I know that he's gonna transfer me and I know that because the last few transfers I've asked him if I could stay for another transfer and I did. So I know my time in Shively is drawing to a close soon. It's been a short 7 months of a mission, and I kinda feel like an old dog at this but I still know that I have a lot of work to do and a lot more things to learn.
Conference was a really great experience and I loved every talk but my favorite one was President Uchtdorf's in Priesthood session and rising up and doing it now! It was a good thing to hear and it motivated me to work a lot harder than I have been the past little bit.
We had one to conference, which is a new investigator and a friend of Joshs' that he brought.
High - Hearing all the wonderful talks and being part of a missionary force that tops 80,000 now.
Low - I fell off my bike on Friday night and got a little bruised and banged up, and my first thought was of both Dallin and Grandpa and their situations.
I learned that I cannot get frustrated with others because they don't learn things as quickly as I do.
October 14, 2013
This week has been really fun and interesting at the same time. The start of the week went really fast, and as it got into the end of the week it started to slow down a little bit so I was able to really take it all in and so I could remember the feelings that I've had in this area. Hopefully, the members of the branch get going after I shared my testimony for the last time in the branch. And it seemed to work because a few of them were talking to Elder Gallagher about a few appointments next week.
High - Getting a few new investigators from the former's that were taught about 5 years ago!
Low - Having to say good bye to all the people that I've grown really close to and gotten to work with over these past 7 months, and just about everyone can't believe that it's already been 7 months and they think that I just barley arrived.
I learned that not only did I notice the change in myself, but also many of the members and people that I've worked with. Many of the members said that they remembered when I first arrived and I was so shy, timid and I didn't want to talk to anyone. Now, I've completely changed from who I was 7 months ago! They also see the confidence in me, and how I've really grown to who I am now. They all told me that no matter where I'm sent to next that who ever I talk to will be very lucky to have me, that really ment a lot to me to know that everyone there cares about me so much! Before priesthood started, President Russell told me that at least one of the bricks that will be laid, as they try to move to a ward, is mine because of the time and effort that I've put into this branch.
The first one is a woman named Felicia that we were teaching a little while ago, third is a woman named Joyce that we've been teaching for about 5 months.
October 21, 2013
I've been transferred! Well, I'm pretty far out of Louisville in a small place called Owensboro and I'm still in Kentucky! My comp is named Elder Stoddard and he has been here for about 5 months and he's from Ogden, UT. He's also been out on his mission for about 14 months already. Also, some really cool news..... I get to drive now! We are definitely in a car area and both he and I have the privilege to drive the car :) it's gonna be really fun!
High - meeting more amazing members of the Church, I also spoke yesterday in Sacrament which was a really great experience because I was able to follow the Spirit in what I needed to say and I talked about Missionary work, and I related to the story of Alma in Alma 8 and how he went about things a different way to have success in the city of Ammoniha, you should definitely read it and see if we come up with the same answer in what it's letting the members of the Church know how to help move the work forward.
Low - not getting any of our investigators, that told us they'd come to Church, to Church yesterday.
The area is a branch, but it's a much bigger branch than Shawnee, they're much closer to becoming a small ward and the Branch President issued a challenge to all the members to invite someone into their homes to start things rolling so that early next year they may take the discussions and we'll be able to become a ward by next year!
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