Elder Brandon Wallis

                                            Elder Wallis on the Reservation!

July 23, 2014

Hey family! There's tarantulas out here! Lots of snakes too. I killed one by our trailer. I'm working on getting a rabbit... and catching a lizard. Some of the lizards get up to a foot or longer! We also had a calf get into the church lot. It snuck around the cattle guard! So me and Elder Ah Loy went and cornered it and tackled it to the ground and walked it out of the lot. That was an adventure!

                                               Cows come to the Church on the Reservation

There's a Womanhood Ceremony this week, and the Navajo's are wanting the belegaana gamalii's (white Mormons) to slaughter the sheep for the event on Saturday!  Apparently its quite an honor to do it for a big event like this. They don't use guns to slaughter sheep out here though... They slit their throats and rip the head off... I'll admit I'm a little nervous.

                                           Baptisms on the Reservation

Julia, Lyn, and Suzie Johnson were baptized and confirmed this last weekend! It's a really cool story of how we found this family. At the beginning of the transfer our Stake President called us and told us that we needed to have a goal of getting three baptisms this transfer. We thought it was a good goal, and started fasting and praying that we would find three people that were prepared to enter the waters of baptism this transfer. Later on, we went teaching with a member of the branch and he brought us to this family's home. Just like everyone on the Reservation, he was related to them somehow! We taught them the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and invited them to baptism. We set a goal with them for about 3 weeks out, and they kept all their commitments to make that date. This family was prepared and willing to make changes to allow God's influence into their lives. I'm so happy that I've been able to be a part of all of that! There is a brighter spirit about their home now. They are happier. Everyone wants to be happy in this life, and it's great to see people figure out that through Jesus Christ is how we can be the happiest. I know this Church is true. I know that in this Church, Jesus Christ's Church, we have the fullness of His Gospel restored again. This came about by people just like you and me that were willing to act on promptings and commandments of the Lord. People that asked questions and sought diligently for answers. I have had some incredible tender mercies as I have dedicated myself more and more fully to this Gospel. Faith is a verb. We act using our faith, to repent and make covenants with our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. We are blessed to have the immeasurable power of the Atonement at our disposal when we come short. Jesus Christ doesn't make up the difference. He makes ALL the difference. We don't push through life on our own until we're tired and worn down and then pass off our load to the Savior. He is there the entire time pulling with us. IF we are willing to humble ourselves and ACT on our faith and USE the Atonement. I'm now down to 6 months left on my mission. It's a real bummer! I feel like I have finally figured it out, and it's coming to a close. The people here on Alamo need this light in their life. I am called as a messenger to bring them that light and invite them to plug in their faith so it can illuminate their lives with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So this is what I will do. Until my Stake President takes my tag off I will serve as a called representative of our Savior. However, it doesn't stop there. Those of us who have taken upon ourselves the Covenant of Baptism have a solemn and sacred responsibility to take this light into the lives of our fellow brothers and sisters. Every member a missionary. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I love you all! I hope you enjoy your week and have some opportunities to share this light with our brothers and sisters! If you aren't already, pray for missionary experiences, and your testimony will grow as you open your mouth and share this wonderful message.

Love,

Elder Wallis

Elder Dallin Stout

Mon, Jul 28, 2014 at 1:57 PM

Another week

We had a good week, there is a lot happening. Here is a quick summary of how the work is going.
Tuesday
     We talked with Brother Nolan about getting him to the temple and reviewed eternal marriage. Then we went to see Zeny and Elder Martin brought his hair cutting kit. Zeny cut his hair and gave him a mohawk! We gelled it up, got some pictures, and shaved it off with a #2 instead of a #4 by accident! So now his hair is really short. Then the rest of the Goyeneche family came home and we had dinner with them. That night we started exchanges, I went with Elder Fridal in his area.
Wednesday
     We had a good lesson with a less active guy named Mike. Brother White from my ward came over during the lesson and is a friend of Mike's. We biked around all day and Elder Fridal almost crashed a few times on busy streets. I was able to learn some good things from him throughout the day.
Thursday
     We saw the Gonzalez family, we had a good lesson with them. They were giving us throughout the visit a 5 lb bag of cherries, Bacon Ritz crackers and home made salsa. Of course this was just before our dinner appointment!  Later we saw the Goyeneche family, Johnny got his cast off his leg today but still can't walk.
Friday
     We went to visit Brother Brodbeck, he has been sick and doesn't look very good. His son is helping him at home and is taking good care of him. Then we contacted all 3 referals that we received from the zone leaders a few days ago. The first was Benjamin, we got to know him and teach the Restoration lesson to him. He took a Book Of Mormon and said that we can see him again. The second was Stella, she is Lori's room mate and was happy to see us. She was busy, but we will try by again.  The third was Teresa, she is younger and married, we set up a time to see her on Monday.
Saturday
     We had a Blitz, I went with Elder Lee, the Assistant to the President. We spent our time walking around and talking, we had a few good lessons and declared to lots of people. There was a dog event for agility going on at the park and we learned a few things about it from some people that we met.
Sunday
     After church we saw the Goyeneche's, they had some questions about the 40 day fast that we are starting in the ward for missionary work. Which is that we are having 1 family fasting for 1 day, continuing every day, for 40 days. The members sign up on a calendar that is sent around Priesthood and Relief Society. We discussed how fasting works and how it helps us get closer to Heavenly Father. They also had questions about the Word of Wisdom that we talked about.

Love,
Elder Stout
Mon, Jul 21, 2014 at 1:13 PM

Awesome week!

Tuesday
     We had a good lesson with Dan, he asked us what else he could do to have the spirit. We told him that he'd have to stop drinking coffee and smoking. We talked about it and he set a date to quit Tuesday 22nd! Then we had a lesson with Brother Noland and read Alma 40, which is about the spirit world. At dinner with the Hernandez family, Veronica and Nancy requested blessings of comfort and counsel. Elder Martin gave one to Veronica and I to Nancy. We then discussed patriarchal blessings and how they can help us because Nancy is nervous to receive one.
Wednesday
     We met the Herr's at 8:30 and made our way to the LA temple on the PCH (pacific coast highway) it was the first time I have seen the ocean since my first day in the field. We saw the new movie that just came out this week! I also saw in that session Sister Olsen and Sister Ludlow from my last ward in Thousand Oaks! They were able to update me on what is going on with the missionary work. Elder Martin bought the Doctrine and Covenants DVD's and we watched a movie about Wilford Woodruff telling the story of the construction of the Salt lake temple. It was a very celestial day and I am very thankful for the blessings of the temple.
Thursday
     Last night at 4 am we got a 3 page text referal from the MTC. We got to visit Brother Sherman for a little while. We had a good lesson with Richard and Sister Perry later. We brought Brother Maddux, at the end Elder Martin and I bore testimony and the spirit was there. But we don't know how Richard received it, we brought the spirit unto his heart but I don't know if he let it in.
Friday
     We went on a blitz, Elder Martin with Elder Watts and I with Elder Bate. We met a few people walking around, one guy named Edward wanted to share something with us from his phone. So he read a few chapters to us from some version of the Bible. Eventually their was a nearby group of high school kids and one girl started towards us. She waited until Edward was done and left to ask a question. "I saw you guys and I really like your ties, can I have one of them?" she asked. We were both fine with that but we didn't have an extra to wear ourselves, so Elder Bate got her phone number and said that he'd bring her one. We also gave her a card before she left. Elder Martin had a lesson with Bob and he dropped us because he is comfortable being Catholic. Elder Martin taught the POS and fought hard for him. 
Saturday
     We went to see if Juan needed help fixing his truck but instead we found Zeny at home alone. She hates to be alone and said God sent us to comfort her. We talked for a while, she opened up to us and told us her fears about marriage. We talked about praying for strength and for God to help our weaknesses become strengths. We were there for 4 hours reassuring her and helping her understand. It was the best lesson we have had with her. We didn't have a dinner assignment so she offered to feed us and we came back later with the whole Goyeneche family there.

Love,
Elder Stout


Mon, Jul 14, 2014 at 1:12 PM

Another week

     Tuesday

We were able to finally see Bro Linberg and have a lesson at the church with him. He has been reading a little out of the Book Of Mormon and just got to 1 Nephi 8, which is about Lehi's dream. So we read that with him and he had some great questions for us and was really involved. We also talked about 1 Nephi 3:7 and Ether 12:6. We discussed how when we have the desire to do good God will prepare a way for us to do those things and help us keep the commandments. We later met with Bro Nolan and answered his questions about the Plan of Salvation (POS).  We read from Alma 40 which talks all about it.

     Wednesday

We went to see Bob, while we were waiting at his front door there were 2 people in his garage talking that didn't know we were there. We waited for a total of 20 seconds for someone to answer the door before we realized that we were listening in on the wrong conversation. This girl was telling this guy about stuff that was terrible and the last thing that we wanted to hear! We quickly walked off hoping they didn't think we were trying to eavesdrop. That was the most awkward moment I have had so far. We got another referal from the MTC about this guy named Zeke. We went by and talked with who we assumed was his mom and she said he was Catholic and would never request a visit from us. So we sent him a text and found out that he didn't. We think there is a member in high school who is trying to refer their friends through mormon.org and putting down their personal info, but that just makes it awkward for us.

     Thursday

We had lots of meetings, first we had zone meeting that was really good and inspiring. We also had President interviews that went well. Later we saw Bro and Sister Gonzales. He obviously has a lot of time on his hands so he made me a cross bow that shoots tomato plant stakes! (now Elder Martin and I both have one so we later had fun with those) We were able to have a really good lesson with them.  They are having a grand baby soon and want to be temple worthy by then.  We encouraged them that through Christ all things are possible, and they are really doing their best.

     Saturday

We got a refferal from a member who was doing pest control work for this lady named Barbara. We later went to see her and had a short lesson on her porch while getting to know her. Then we walked to the Goyeneche's for dinner and a lesson. Juan has a new car, its a Ford explorer! So now he has a way to get around since his truck has broken down. He says the Lord is really blessing them this week and soon he will be able to go to LA to get his passport so that he can be baptized!

     Sunday

We had 3 people ask us to teach at church! One for Elders quorum and Gospel Essentials. The other we already planned on doing in Sunday School with the 17 yr olds. In sacrament meeting Jessie (a blind man) passed the sacrament for the first time. He had an Elder guide him around, he had a huge smile the whole time and I could tell that he was really happy to be helping out.

The Goyeneche's are from Argentina so they were not to happy about the world cup finals. We went to console them later near the end of the day. I didn't realize though that I was wearing a tie with Germany's colors and Elder Martin had Argentina's on his tie! So that was kinda funny, they thought I did it on purpose to tease them!

Love,

Elder Stout


Mon, Jul 7, 2014 at 1:55 PM

I got a letter from John and Mary in thousand Oaks that Millie has a baptismal date for the 27th!! Here is how the week went for us.

     Monday
Debrist called us and wanted help moving a bed frame with drawers into her spare room. Well it was huge and bulky but we eventually were able to get it in there. Since she is still recovering from foot surgery we did some other things for her. She isn't supposed to walk on her foot but she does anyway, so we did as much stuff as we could so that she would just stay sitting down.
     Tuesday
So we found out that in the back of the hymn book there is a section called meters. That's where songs that are similar are listed, so you can sing the tune of one song to the words of another and it works out perfectly. My favorite so far is singing "The time is far spent" to the tune of "As Sisters in Zion"!
     We had a lesson with Brother Nolan, we read about the story of Ammon defending the kings flocks. We also met with the Logans and shared the story in Moses 1. Its about how Moses is tempted by Satan and he calls upon the Lord for strength to cast him out.
     Wednesday
In the middle of the day our district leader called for an immediate meeting with the district. He quickly updated and instructed us about the 4th of July and about a zone conference with the new mission President! Later we had a lesson with Debbie, she read the POS pamplet and she liked it. We talked about prophets today and gave her a Restoration pamphlet to read.
     Thursday
We saw Richard Perry and talked with him for a while. We also saw Sister Madsen's van and realized that she was back in town after being gone for a month and we went to see her. We had an awesome lesson with the Gonzales's! We had them look up and listen to songs by Micheal McClain which are were all messages about Jesus and related to the atonement. We told them to start calling us whenever they are tempted so that we can come over. Brother Gonzales has a lot of down time so he made Elder Martin a little cross bow out of paper and popsicle sticks and made me a little catapult! 
     Friday
At 8:30 we had a ward breakfast at church. Right after we had zone conference and met President and Sister Felix! They are awesome, they told us about themselves and shared a story just 6 weeks before they entered the MTC. So President Felix was feeling severe chest pains, they explained how they had little miracles throughout the day that made it possible to eventually get him to the ER and immediately he had a heart attack. They were able to give him instant attention and revived him. President was able to make a full recovery before they were to enter the MTC. He told us that he was definitely supposed to be here and that he was just "dying to get here!"
     Sunday 
After church Juan gave us a call and needed help with his truck because he thought the battery was dead. We tried to give him a jump but it didn't work. He had to leave it at church and got a ride home. We went to dinner at the Morris's home, When they found out I went to Layton High school they asked if I knew Annie Cook! I told them yes and that she is a good friend of mine and they said that they are really good friends with her too. Later we saw Debrist and met a new friend of hers who is not a church member. 

Love,

Elder Stout

Sister Sydney Burningham

We went on a hike this morning SUPER early and did our studies on the riverside, Sister Whatcott and Ellis's idea, brilliant, I will sent pictures of the sunrise, BEAUTIFUL.

                     The sunrise over the river, Tennessee is beyond beautiful, this is the river boardwalk.


Mon, Jul 21, 2014 at 11:43 AM

Captain Kenny.


Family and Friends,

My goodness the time is still flying, in fact I think it's going even faster now.  In about a week I will be heading home to good old Centerville, Utah.  It's hard to think about, and I'm not quite sure how to prepare for it, so I've given it to the Lord.  But our week has been wonderful, filled with exchanges, miracles and so much joy and happiness in the Lord's work.

The BEST thing happened this morning.  So us four sisters got up early to head out on a little walk/hike up to the river boardwalk near our house to do studies and sing songs and just really take in what God has given us.  So as we are singing,"Nearer My God to Thee." watching the sunrise (It was really cool because Sister Whatcott and Sister Ellis can harmonize like you wouldn't believe) we just couldn't believe how lucky we are.  A few minutes later as we are singing a man drives by in his fishing boat and hears us, so he turns around and comes back, called himself Captain Kenny said he has church on the river every morning before he goes fishin' reminded me a lot of our next door neighbor Mike back in Chilhowee, told us his favorite scripture is Matthew 4:19 you know "Follow me and I will make you Fishers of men." Well he stood up and he starting preaching to us, straight up asking if he can get an "AMEN" so we just kept saying "AMEN" and he wanted us to sing how great thou art, so we did with him and it was so great, He seriously loves the Lord and does what he can to serve others, we learned so much from him and I just have to say that is something I am going to miss about the South is these preachers and ministers and people we meet who get so excited and enthusiastic about Jesus and his word and his life. Just the five of us on the river boardwalk having a morning sermon.  Made my week.  I LOVE TENNESSEE.

I was thinking a lot about what it means to be a "Finisher"  I was reading in the Book of Mormon this week in Moroni 6:4 it says:

"And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith."

Christ is the author and the finisher of our faith.  He came to Earth he performed his miracles, he set up his church and had an incredible ministry, he performed the single most important act in the history of all existence even the Atonement, for each one of us.  He finished his mission, we need to finish strong.

I was reading a talk by President Thomas S. Monson called "Finishers Wanted".

He says:

" There has always been a need for those persons who could be called finishers. Their ranks are few, their opportunities many, their contributions great.  From the very beginning to the present time, a fundamental question remains to be answered by each who runs the race of life. Shall I falter or shall I finish? On the answer await the blessings of joy and happiness here in mortality and eternal life in the world to come." 

It is what we become when all is said and done, I have learned what it means to become something I never thought I could become.  I have learned how the Atonement changes people and how it has changed me forever.  I'm excited for the next week here in this part of the Lord's vineyard and I hope and pray that we can all be finishers for the Lord, He loves us and He trusts us, He will always make more out of us than we could ourselves.

I have never been more tired and more happy in my entire life! I love you all, have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Burningham.

We went bowling with the Griffin's! Our mission president and his wife have three daughters that came with them, this is Olivia on the right and Izzy on the left, they're darling.

Some of the missionaries went bowling last week, Elder Hancock, Sister Spencer, Elder Sinks and Elder Edwards.

Elder Justin Thiel

July 20, 2014

Man this week has been pretty good.  We had an awesome lesson this week with Anna and her sister!  We watched "Special Witnesses of Christ," with her and talked about living apostles and prophets.  At the end of the lesson we bore powerful testimony and after the lesson, Anna said "I want to be able to say that I know that this is true just like you guys, and I think that the path that I'm on will lead me to that."  That was super exciting for us, but, she didn't end up coming to church this week.  We also had a lesson with a man who has been named an eternal investigator ( someone who will keep investigating the church but will not join).  We also watched "Special Witnesses of Christ," with him and after the lesson we began to ask him some questions.  We found out that he had been going to church for 3 years straight, but what we got out of it is the biggest reason that he hasn't joined the church is because of sweet tea.  He doesn't want to give it up, but he would if he found a replacement.  There is a man in the ward who had that same problem so we will be taking him with us to we can resolve his concern and just get him baptized so he can go to the temple.  We had a lesson with a woman named Esther.  She is about 70 (we think anyways) and we have been teaching her for a couple of weeks now. She has never been baptized and the reason for that is because she is afraid of the water.. me and Elder Hunsicker will help her get over that!  We are going to try and do more finding this week to find some more great investigators.

Around the end of the week, some of the members of the ward took us out to dinner.  On Friday, we went to this southern barbecue place which had all you can eat ribs, so we of course all got that!  We had a little contest to see who could eat the most and I won!! haha.  It was delicious!  On Saturday, after my eye doctor appointment, the member that took us to Macon, also took us out to eat at Ihop, and then later that day the Ramsey family (one of our recent converts) took us to an all you can eat Chinese buffet.  Needless to say, that we ate way too much food this week and by the end, I was sick of going to restaurants, but I am grateful that they fed us!  On Sunday, we ate at another members house and we had some grilled salmon.  It was my second time eating fish and I have decided that I don't really like it.  It just has like a fishy taste to the meat that I don't like.

We found out that I-pads are going to be officially released to all of the missions in the United States and that they estimate that all will have them before the end of the year.  They have also given out the cost of them and it's $400.. that was more then I expected it to be, so please make sure that you guys are able to do that.  We don't know when they will be available to us.  The things that will be available to us when we have I-pads are amazing though.  They will be a big help to missionary work.

I hope that you all have a great week!  I will keep dad in my prayers as well as the rest of you!

Love,
Elder Thiel

For those of you interested in viewing the video mentioned above, "Special Witnesses of Christ,"
please go to:
https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/jesus-christ-ushered-in-the-restoration?lang=eng

Elder Seth Garner

Tue, 15 Jul 2014 12:55

 All is well in San Diego!

Alright! Time to get out of this awful spell of being the worst person at emailing! If you have emailed me or written me a letter, I apologize for being such a slacker and not responding in a timely manner.

Well, the only way I can think to treat this email is like a letter to the mission president. That way, I can get you somewhat up to speed with all of the things that are going on!

How is the mission?

The mission is in excellent shape! Although we have a new mission president, things haven't been turned upside down. Things just keep moving forward as they should! All of the rules are still the same, but I am sure that President Schmitt will change things over time. Maybe some trips to Sea World are in the future? Haha! We have been helping President Schmitt mostly with this upcoming transfer. We got a good head start on it yesterday. We will be losing twenty-five missionaries and getting eighteen new ones. So, Elder Myler and I have essentially been choosing trainers and zone leaders for this next transfer, since President Schmitt is not too aware of who is who yet... Kind of crazy for us! I'll tell you, it is cool to see the revelation flow from him, even though he has only been here just a few weeks. The more information he has though, the better the revelation comes, which is where Elder Myler and I step in. We know just about everything there is to know about every missionary. It has been one wild ride!

How is my area?

La Mesa is rocking it right now! The members here are incredible! They are super loving, they are doing some stellar missionary work... Pretty much if you were to serve a mission here in the California San Diego Mission, the La Mesa 1st ward would be where you want to serve. Man, it is great! As of right now, we have two investigators with baptismal dates: Tina Anderson and Anthony Merchison. Tina is a 90 year old lady who is the FUNNIEST person alive! Holy smokes, she is golden! She has been coming to church for awhile now with a friend, and is set to be baptized on the 26th of this month. She just needs to quit that coffee before she makes the plunge! Anthony is fourteen, his grandma is a member, and he is one of the smartest kids I know. He recently went on Trek with the stake and had a super good experience. He is stoked to be baptized! He basically teaches us every time we go over there just because he is so darn smart! His baptismal date is for the 16th of August. We also had a couple more investigators come to church last Sunday (HECK YES!). Jo Anne Brooder and her daughter Sarah came to church for the first time, which was a huge miracle since Jo Anne has been one of the most stubborn people to get to church. I think I mentioned her in a previous email, she is the one who had a daughter commit suicide a few years back. They are doing solid! The plan is to soon get them with dates to be baptized for the near future. Things are just moving right along!

How am I doing in my companionship?

We are doing great :) (By the way, I usually don't put smiley faces in my text, but this answer calls for one.) Elder Myler is one of my best buds! It's a good thing too, because he will be with me longer than any of my other companions have. I love being able to have somebody to laugh about something that would normally upset other people. This month has been pretty relaxed for us training wise, but we have managed to keep busy with training President Schmitt. So, we are mentally and spiritually preparing ourselves for this next month, which is going to involve quite a bit of training from us for the mission! As of right now, both Elder Myler and I are obsessed with Mexican candy, which comes in a wide variety of fruit flavors with chili powder... Man, it is the greatest stuff in the world! It is definitely an acquired taste. The first time I tried it, it was the worst thing in the world. Now I am so into it that we always have to stop on our road trips to buy some... I will most likely send some home soon, haha!

How am I doing personally?

FLIPPIN' FANTASTIC! My life could not be better right now! Everything is going so well, I could not ask for anything better than to be where I am at. I recently had my first interview with President Schmitt, which really helped me out and instilled a lot more drive in me to just "go go go" these upcoming months. That was something that I had decided to do even before I got in the mission field: work my very hardest every day, so that I could report to the Lord and say that I did my best. Trust me, that is a good feeling! And not being able to say that in my nightly prayers is quite the opposite feeling. I have been blessed to be with incredible companions and put in certain situations that have helped me fulfill my desire of pushing my very best. The place that I feel I have grown the most, which I admittedly wasn't specifically here to do, is my relationship with the Savior. Since even before my mission I had the desire to help people gain a relationship with Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. Who would have thought that that is one of the best ways to gain that for yourself? I have never intended my mission to be for me, but if anyone has changed the most because of it, I believe it is safe to say that I would be put in that category. My mission has changed me forever!

I hope that this email gave you a nice mental view of what my life is like. If not, I am going to try better in the future. Anywho, I have gotta jet. Just know that all is well in San Diego!

Love,

       Elder Garner

Elder Garner....somewhere in San Diego?

All is well in San Diego!!

Elder Zach Beckman

                                               Elder Price, Eddie Navone, ? and Elder Beckman

                                                      This explains the title of the letter! Mon, 14 Jul 2014 13:17

 1 YEAR DOWN!!!!

Hey Everyone so if you didn't already read the email Subject I hit my YEAR MARK on Thursday!!! It was so sweet!! We had a lot of fun that you will just have to wait till I get home to hear about ha ha ha ha!!! But just know that we had a lot of fun ;)

So this week was awesome!!  We baptized Eddie Navone!   He is a way sweet 12 year old kid who is just awesome!!  I love  him... we have been teaching him for like 4 weeks and he is just awesome!!  But, ya,  that happened Saturday and while the font was filling up for ours and Elder Seegmiller's baptisms we just played the ukulele for like 2 hours!!  It was great!!  But ya, I am so excited for August!!  We are baptizing Deanna and Anthony, this sweet couple we found, and they are just awesome!  Some way fun things are happening for us in the future!!

So this last week me and Seegmiller were on exchange and we went down to this way sweet little town called New Richmond, Ohio, and it is a small boat town on the Ohio river!!  It was sweet they were having this huge festival there and there were hundreds of people all over the place so we were able to have a grand ole time!!  We took a lot of pictures and had fun with everyone!!  But after like 2 hours of talking to people we took a seat on this huge stair case that takes you down into the river and we just posted up and watched the sun go down!  But it was so funny when we were sitting there, we had so many people come up to us and ask what we were doing in shirt and ties and they all wanted to know more about the church and stuff so we taught like 3 people the first lesson with solid return appointments by just sitting and watching the river!! ha ha!!  The Church is True!! but it was an awesome time!

This last week was also Interviews with President and it was Great!!   I finally got to be interviewed ha ha!!!  He didn't have time the last two times so it has been 6 months since I was last interviewed, but it was sweet!!  We were able to talk about the zone and stuff and how I can be a better missionary ha ha!!  There is a lot of stuff I can work on!!  But I am excited to start and become that much better!! But ya, I am so glad to be here!!!! I love serving in the area that I am in right now!!

Well that is about it for me this week!!!  Sorry it wasn't super long, but I do want you all to know that I love it out here and I am as happy as can be!!  And you will all hear from me next week!! LOVE YA and Keep Smiling!!

LOVE

Elder Beckman

P.S. All of those who don't know my address, it is 4014 Vinings Drive Apt 126, Cincinnati, Ohio,  45240

                                    Elder Seegmiller and Elder Beckman enjoying the Ohio River

Sister Sydney Burningham

                                               She's the cutest. LOVE my companion.

 Mon, Jul 14, 2014 at 9:05 AM

 "It's LDS night at the smokies!"

Hey Everybody!

So this really cool thing is happening tonight, we're not actually attending due to the lateness of the game and things like that but they have a night at the smokies baseball where they recognize the Mormons!  They have them all like stand up and they get in for cheaper, it's so great, I thought that was way cool, all the members in our ward are going and they are all way excited about it.  Also this week, Sister Sume send me a picture of a pig on fire in the mail this week, made my day for sure, I miss her a lot.  Sister Roundy and I are doing so great!  I cannot imagine ending my mission with anyone other than her, she puts up with me and we are really unified, miracles are happening.

One such miracle I just have to share, it happened last week on Monday night.  We were at a members house having dinner and we got a call from the Hardin Valley Elders, they met this woman at Wal-Mart, she stopped them and told them that she had been a member for years and years but she wasn't going anymore and hadn't for a long time.  She needed a priesthood blessing for her son who has been having seizures, they gave us her information and we contacted her the next day.  She is the sweetest lady, they have a lot of things going on in their family right now but our ward members got on board and they had some men from the ward come give him a blessing, she has three children living in the home, all of which are not members but want to learn more, the whole time I kept having this overwhelming feeling of love for them and a vision of what their little family could become, there are two things of many that I have learned on my mission I want to share.

1. The most unexpected people are the most receptive to the gospel.

2. Anyone can change.

I feel like every time I am discouraged or worried the Lord presents me with miracles and with the love of the Savior, as I experience the Atonement work in my own life I want others to have same, that's the miracle of conversion. 

In Alma chapter 26 verse 27 it talks about Ammon and how at times he was discouraged and concerned for the work, he didn't always have a perfect trust in the Lord and his timing, we all have doubts and we all wonder if this work is worth it. 

 27 Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn‍ back, behold, the Lord comforted‍ us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience‍ thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.

It is always worth it, because this work is true, Jesus Christ leads and guides this church, He is real, He lives and He loves us.  Through His gospel is the only way we can receive the peace we need and the confirmation that we are doing the right thing. 

We are singing with the youth in our sacrament meeting this sunday, so wish us luck, haha, we are excited they are all so pumped about missionary work, it's contagious. 

Thank you for the love, emails, letters and support.  It means the world to me, really I still have two weeks left out here, the things that can be accomplished in two weeks, endless possibilities!

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Burningham.

So mission rules are we can't eat in the car, and I couldn't wait because I LOVE publix cookies, it's a Tennessee thing I think, so Sister Roundy took a picture of me not being able to wait, it's fine.