Week 58 - Congrats Jolie on your engagement!

#workhardprayhard

The Lord has been blessing us and it's been the coolest experience to see why, more and more, Elder Simpson and I are here in Sierra Vista to meet God's elect ready for us.

 Chillin' and waiting for office missionaries to come by.

Last Monday, the start of the week. A member had called us up from another ward and gave us a non-member referral! Whaa? It was for a co-worker who has cancer and wanted a Priesthood blessing because of the struggles he was going through. The member gave the blessing and it was pretty cool. The investigator's name is Jerico - one of the most humble and nicest guys out there. He was very accepting of what we taught him about the Book of Mormon and apparently has been reading it every single night last week! After the blessing, he jumped up and was so happy and said he feel a burden had been taken off his shoulders. We'll probably set a date with him tonight and see how he's going. He definitely seemed prepared. Too cool.

Another investigator of ours received a blessing this past week...Ashely! One lesson we taught about blessing along with her husband who has a very strong testimony and is being reactivated. It was so cool to give the blessing. My heart started pounded pretty hardcore before hand and then a blessing came to mind. I asked her about it and then she gets to choose who gives it since it's inspired of her who gives it. She told us to pick a number between 1 and 10...we looked at each other, and said "Okay! If that's how you feel it should be." Elder Simpson picked 7 which was the exact number I was thinking of, but then '3' came to mind right after he said 7, and 3 was the number Ashley picked. Wow. Inspired? Crazy. I was fortunate enough to give the blessing. The post-blessing silence is one of the coolest things to be apart of, especially with non-members. Ashley sat in her chair with tears coming down. Her husband came over and hugged her along with his tears. She said she felt peace and was calm. Ashley is definitely prepared. She understands the BOM better than anyone I've met their first time through. Saturday she accepted a date for MARCH 29TH! Two weeks and she was interviewed yesterday with no problems. It's crazy that she is a former JEHOVAH'S WITNESS. Our Bishop says, "They make great members." That they will.

My comp. could do this a lot better than I could....but the pic. looks sweet! Awe yeah. My comp. was trying to power-clean other missionaries haha. This is all I did.

This Wednesday, Elder Simpson and I will be training at Zone Conference about church and repentance for investigators. We'll train 3 zones in a workshop thing with the AP's and someone else for the other workshop....not too sure. I'm stoked! I love being able to train.

 I told my companion my mom wanted more pics....so he always takes my camera and goes maddd with pictures haha. It's awesome.

This past week we've been really trying to use analogies more in lessons. In a lesson last night, we were teaching Aaron who should have come to church (for multiple weeks now) and Elder Simpson said, "You know, going to church is sort of like...welding! Elder Hales was talking about this the other day and has a great way how it applies to the Gospel!..." *looks at me* Yup. So it keeps things really fun and on your toes to do that haha. The lesson actually went well and we related it to being 'welded with your family and God while going to church'. It was pretty rad. I heard of a missionary using a shoe for the law of chastity...not too sure how he did it though. haha. Another time I used an iphone for an analogy and Elder Simpson laughed pretty hard about it after the lesson hahah. Got to love the mission life!

Teaching one of our recent converts with the ANALOGY of rugby. It went well!

While street contacted the few people that walk the streets of Sierra Vista, a guy named Kent just got off the bus and so we offered him if he needed help carrying his bag. My companion, being larger in stature, took the bag and we walked almost a mile. I would have died haha. Kent became a new investigator and has talked with missionaries before. Too cool. Afterwards, President and Sister Killpack drove by and we talked with for a few mins while walking around. They are so awesome and we truly are blessed to have them.

For some reason, kids love missionaries! I can't wait to be an uncle (whenever that may be........ahem) so I can chill with some lil ninos. 

As you can see in the picture, we taught Jefferey, a recent convert of December, the Gospel of Jesus Christ using the analogy of football..made up on the spot. It went pretty well too! 

Jeffrey - has a hard home life, but was baptized in December and loves the Gospel.

Other investigators we're working with are Maddi and Kendall, and now their mom too. We taught them the Plan of Salvation last week and it went reeeeeally well as they had lots of good questions. Maddi had answers that literally left Elder Simpson and myself speechless. She talked about how baptism will help you feel the spirit more because of the Holy Ghost you receive after...ughh..wow. We haven't even gone over that with them yet. So, from that point, we were able to set a date with them for April. YES!! They fed us dinner, gave us ties, and are awesome people to be around. (Mom - Kendall still wears the 'CTR' bracelets you send me :D)

There's been a few disappointing moments on my mission with working with people. One morning after talking with some members we're working with, we walked into their room in the morning to go to the gym to find a 30 pack of beer empty on the table...and this was 1 day after the member had talked with the Stake President. It was awful. You get very connected and become friends with many people, so it's hard to see them make these decisions sometimes...

One night, my comp. woke me (and the missionaries living with us due to bed bugs) up because he yelled, "UGHH. THIS IS SO MISERABLE!!" Hmm..Hopefully it didn't have a relation to SV haha. 

The joys of missionaries in our zone getting bed bugs. #livingwithusnow

 ....just throwing the infested mattresses...NBD

A missionary in our zone gave us all animals. Elder Simpson is a black bear, and I am a jackrabbit. soo...that's what they're thinking haha. What the.

Last Monday at the Great clips haircut place, I talked with a lady who was waiting for her husband. They had just recently moved to Sierra Vista and had very little furniture. An invest. and member offered us a couch and desk if we wanted, so we arranged to go down and give it to the new people! I called the new family along with another lady who offered to give us something for them. We brought them a couch, desk, pots and pans, and $100 all given to us from people. They became new investigators for the missionaries down there after we taught them about the Book of Mormon and they came to church! YES! We MUST talk with everyone.

Out contacting anyone we can! 

Elder Wardell needed some service clothes...haha. Thanks Braun family!

"I be rockin' and rollin' on both sides of the veil.." - our ward mission leader haha. He's getting married 4/4/14 at 4pm. 

CONGRATS JOLIE ON YOUR ENGAGEMENT! Who else wants to get married while I'm serving. :D

Philippians 3:13 "Bretheren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before."

3Nephi27:20-21 -  a big focus of our training this WEdnesday.

Well I love you all so much. We're going on the military post today for pday sports for capture the flag, and other sports. Good things are happening out here and every week we have more baptism dates than the previous. "Sierra Vista is changing." It's a blessing to be out here and I'm grateful to be here in Sierra Vista for 4 1/2 months and possibly even 6 months. I've learned so much and becoming (slowly because I'm stubborn) who Heavenly Father wants me to be, and for that I'm grateful. I often think of friends and family and hope they're doing alright. One of the coolest opportunities is to see how blessed and happy my family is at home. I love y'all. 

Wow my fingers are tired. Times up yo. 

#workhard #destroysatan