HEY sorry it's been so long since I have sent one of these! Let's see where to start!
The transfer started slow but now time is flying by! It's already been a month, and we are planning for week 5 (of 6) tomorrow! Time really does fly by.
We currently have 3 people set with a baptismal date, and a forth one soon to come. we also have about 4 people who are progressing towards baptism! This area is on fire!
Elder S. (new companion) and I are working really well together and finding great joy in this work. I cannot think of a better time that I have had on my mission than right now.
What I really love the most is that I'm trying my hardest and the Lord is opening doors that previously were closed. I know that this is his work because the blessings I am experiencing are not things I could make happen on my own.
I want to share a couple stories about member missionary work.
we are teaching a lady named N. who is progressing towards baptism. a few years ago she was in a very bad car accident and she woke up only remembering her name. Now she is doing much better, but she is still trying to find peace and happiness. Here's something that really struck me, she said, "All the happy people I know are mormons!" And I thought about it, Why? Because we have the gospel and we know who we are and who our Heavenly Father is! She's beginning to know and understand that, and it's because her Physical Therapist (who is a member) helped her to open her eyes to the truthfulness of the gospel.
The other example is D. I don't know to much about her, other than she lives with a member, but she was invited to take the missionary lessons. She loves the church so much and wants to embrace the gospel, and it's all because of the example that the members set.
Example, more powerful than what you say, is who you are (*note from the sister: Russell didn't put that in bold type-it just really stuck out to me and made me think about the kind of example I am setting for others. ). I know that this is true and that people notice everything about "the mormons."
I also had a really neat experience. I have a friend who is going to BYU and works at the bike shop who is in the same position I was in last year (trying to go back on his mission.) I had the awesome opportunity to have him join us for a few hours last night and to go and teach some lessons. Something that I learned last night is that Heavenly Father provides a way for us to embrace the gospel and have spiritual experiences. How grateful I am for that, and I hope my friend had as good as an experience as I did!
I love being a missionary, and doing this work!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Russell's Email 8-13-09
This week has been nuts.
Saturday we baptized our last investigator. Tragic experience because now we have no one to teach. Elder s. and I have been trying to come up with different ideas to help us find some more people and guess what?! We have gotten no where! Of course that hasn't discourages us, we are still working hard. We have been using Preach My Gospel to try to find those things that will help us, and one of the things we are doing is fasting! Now, recently I learned that I'm not supposed to ask you to join in special fasts, so I won't! But I do ask that you remember this in your prayers! If you can be really specific, we are fasting to find new investigators that we can teach, who will progress and that we can baptize!
The Lord knows our hearts, and I know that. Yesterday we had the zone leaders down from Elko and we went on splits. Because of our lack of investigators, we did a lot of finding, and we even did some stuff that was totally foreign to the Las Vegas mission. WE WENT TRACTING!
All I hear is about ineffictive tracting is. It's no fun, it's hard, no one gets baptized as a result, blah blah blah. Tracting is awesome! We found three new investigators (but we need more!) and taught several lessons yesterday! I wouldn't want to tract all day every day, but I really enjoyed myself!
Saturday we baptized our last investigator. Tragic experience because now we have no one to teach. Elder s. and I have been trying to come up with different ideas to help us find some more people and guess what?! We have gotten no where! Of course that hasn't discourages us, we are still working hard. We have been using Preach My Gospel to try to find those things that will help us, and one of the things we are doing is fasting! Now, recently I learned that I'm not supposed to ask you to join in special fasts, so I won't! But I do ask that you remember this in your prayers! If you can be really specific, we are fasting to find new investigators that we can teach, who will progress and that we can baptize!
The Lord knows our hearts, and I know that. Yesterday we had the zone leaders down from Elko and we went on splits. Because of our lack of investigators, we did a lot of finding, and we even did some stuff that was totally foreign to the Las Vegas mission. WE WENT TRACTING!
All I hear is about ineffictive tracting is. It's no fun, it's hard, no one gets baptized as a result, blah blah blah. Tracting is awesome! We found three new investigators (but we need more!) and taught several lessons yesterday! I wouldn't want to tract all day every day, but I really enjoyed myself!
Russell's Email 8-6-09
HEY!
Things in Ely are kickin'! We have almost no one to teach, but some how we have mangage to still do awesome work!
Last weekend we had a baptism in Lund NV, their second baptism this month. We had the baptism at the "Waters of Lund" aka, the most beautiful spring in the world. It looks about a foot deep, but where the baptism took place was about 3.5 feet deep. It reminded me of Mosiah 18:30. I think about this because, no one has been baptized in the spring in years, but many people came and it stirred a lot of tender memories. It really was a beautiful place and an awesome baptism.
This weekend we have another baptism, this one is equally awesome. This lady has been working to this point for over 6 months and finally she will be able to enter the waters. I'm so excited, especially to be the missionary that sees her to this point because so many have crossed her path.
My other huge excitment is this. (Hold onto your hat Dad) I love doing service. This morning for our preperation day exercise, Elder Swank and I went and cut firewood for a recent convert. I love cutting wood! I don't know if I would enjoy it as much if I always had to do it, but I really have fun cutting it for service!
I also got to go out to the Church Ranch in Garrison NV. We had our district meeting out there, had fresh steaks and corn on the cob, went driving around and took lots of pictures (I'll send those next week too.) Our last stop was a really neat creek. Story has it that a man from the south didn't want to give up his slaves so they up and left to NV and this was the settlement they established. It's a really neat little place but the spirit there was awesome. While we were there it just felt like paradise. So pretty... I'll send pictures.
I love serving my mission and having fun here. When you serve the Lord with the right attitude, and the best obedience you can, you really feel the Spirit and enjoy the work. I know that this is the best decision I've ever made, and to live this gospel is the best thing you can do. I love being here and, despite the difficulties, it's the greatest experience in my life. I hope that everyone who reads these can feel the spirit in their hearts, for I know this message is true!
Elder Hitchcock
Things in Ely are kickin'! We have almost no one to teach, but some how we have mangage to still do awesome work!
Last weekend we had a baptism in Lund NV, their second baptism this month. We had the baptism at the "Waters of Lund" aka, the most beautiful spring in the world. It looks about a foot deep, but where the baptism took place was about 3.5 feet deep. It reminded me of Mosiah 18:30. I think about this because, no one has been baptized in the spring in years, but many people came and it stirred a lot of tender memories. It really was a beautiful place and an awesome baptism.
This weekend we have another baptism, this one is equally awesome. This lady has been working to this point for over 6 months and finally she will be able to enter the waters. I'm so excited, especially to be the missionary that sees her to this point because so many have crossed her path.
My other huge excitment is this. (Hold onto your hat Dad) I love doing service. This morning for our preperation day exercise, Elder Swank and I went and cut firewood for a recent convert. I love cutting wood! I don't know if I would enjoy it as much if I always had to do it, but I really have fun cutting it for service!
I also got to go out to the Church Ranch in Garrison NV. We had our district meeting out there, had fresh steaks and corn on the cob, went driving around and took lots of pictures (I'll send those next week too.) Our last stop was a really neat creek. Story has it that a man from the south didn't want to give up his slaves so they up and left to NV and this was the settlement they established. It's a really neat little place but the spirit there was awesome. While we were there it just felt like paradise. So pretty... I'll send pictures.
I love serving my mission and having fun here. When you serve the Lord with the right attitude, and the best obedience you can, you really feel the Spirit and enjoy the work. I know that this is the best decision I've ever made, and to live this gospel is the best thing you can do. I love being here and, despite the difficulties, it's the greatest experience in my life. I hope that everyone who reads these can feel the spirit in their hearts, for I know this message is true!
Elder Hitchcock
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
