Week 73

Oh blast, once again it is transfers and I have forgotten my old planner with all the events of the past week!

Okay so here's the news.  I am staying, and I am getting a new companion! we will find out who it is tomorrow.  In fact, almost half of our zone is being transferred, so its going to be very interesting to see what happens.

Last monday was wonderful! President Taylor came up to Cottonwood to go hiking with us in Sedona, we hiked Bell Rock and had a blast! My feet are still not in perfect condition, and hikes always destroy them! this was no exception.  We had a lot of fun, and no one died.  After the hike, we took President and Sister Taylor to one of the host families in our area and we had breakfast but just with our district.  They had a little basketball hoop on the roof, probably about 8 feet up, and we had a great time playing some basketball before lunch with President, then we had Navajo tacos.  Delicious.  This took most of the day.

Things are really starting to look up here! we are teaching more people than ever.  We had an appointment with one guy John, who is CRAZY, he's so awesome though, he knows everything there is to know about guns, and he never ever ever has visitors, so he really likes us, but he's very interesting... and kinda harsh sometimes.  He came in with an M3 (a gun) and handed it to me... it was very awkward, cause we aren't allowed to handle weapons, I showed hesitation, and he shoved it at me angrily and said "Take it!!" good thing for him it wasn't loaded! just kidding... relax relax it was a joke.

We have another investigator Steve who is very intelligent religiously, its great teaching him.  Very open, very friendly. 

Then there is Brian, the 18 year old.  He is awesome! We had such a great lesson with him yesterday, we were talking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or Lesson 3, and talking about Baptism, and he said "Ya know how you wanted me to pray about this? well I did, and I didn't hear any voice or anything, but I think I got my answer, it was more in how I felt about it, I just felt real good and happy and peaceful" SWEET!!! so we set a baptism date of January 7th, but hopefully we can move it forward.  Brian is the man! we invited him to a family home evening with a family in the ward he knows, who are less active, and also recent converts... we had a really fun time, it was good for him, for the family, and for us!

Yesterday we taught the dunbar family, its going to be a bit of a struggle probably with them, but they seem to have great potential, I think they will come around, they have one very rotten little boy though who would not listen to his parents, and kept trying to tear my scriptures!!!

Well, there is more that happened, and more to come next week, I know this will be a great week.

Elder Martin

Week 72

Oh man, I haven't even thought about what I will put in this letter yet.  I hope something comes to me!

Well, the Gospel is truth, this much I know.  I love studying the scriptures, and I love studying from the general conference talks.  Elder Scott talked about how scriptures can become our friends, I love that.  I love learning new insights from the scriptures, or having questions answered by going to the scriptures.  There are some real gems. 

I had a lot of exchanges this week.  It was a good week.  I went with one of the district leaders on Tuesday - Wednesday, always love going with him, Elder Malmberg, he's awesome.  I got sick though, I was reading while in the truck and got real sick. 

On Tuesday, before the exchange, we went to visit an investigator, and she wasn't home... but we did see her car parked on another street... avoiding us... we knocked on THAT door, and no one answered.  We kept knocking, and talked to this guy lewis, I thought he was so promising, he was all tattooed and bearded, he talked to us for a long time, about how he had sold his soul to the devil by ritual and thought he had no hope, and that some churches were showing him how to be helped, but he didn't like everything they were saying... he ended up not wanting us to come back though... dang it! He had a large family too, I've never taught a family.

When I was on exchanges with E. Malmberg, we talked to this small family, just a mom and two boys, one boy is 10, and is super smart and wants to be baptized SO bad, his mom is less active, and doesn't want him to be baptized cause he's too young she says.  He begs and begs her to let him, its really sad, and missionaries in the past were really stupid and ruined some things, so we tried to repair the damage done by dumb missionaries.  We made some progress, she wants to learn more herself, and when she becomes converted, he will be baptized.

We had dinner with a family in our ward of recent converts last week, it was a lot of fun, I love that family they are very humorous.  They love to make fun of Elder Geren for being so short, its great.  We had ham and mashed potatoes and stuffing, oh it was good! I'm going to get so fat this week I know it! we have dinners scheduled almost every night.

Well I wish I had some more time, but alas I do not.

I hope you all have a wonderful thanksgiving, and you should probably save some leftovers for me if you could.  Thanks,

Elder Martin

Week 71

I feel drained! But I'm pretty sure its because I just ate macaroni and cheese, and I always feel really tired and groggy after eating that 'food'.  But in life, I am happy.  It's been a good week.  I think I have some answering to do...

So the yellow shoes.  It's a good story don't worry.  They are not mine.  End of story.  Okay I'll tell more.  We had to come down to Cottonwood early for those meetings, and I forgot my shoes up here in cottonwood, so I borrowed the shoes of Elder Buttars a missionary we stayed with.  I'm not sure which picture of me made it look like I was up instructing... so I am not sure what to say about that.  Maybe in Zone Leader Council, but I wasn't instructing, I was singing.  Was it in a church? was I with my companion? in that case, it was during a role play that Elder Duncan called me up for.

We finally found a new investigator! hurray, he's a great guy, not sure how it will go.  He believes the story of Joseph Smith, but I'm not sure he see's its significance.  But I'm really excited to teach him! We've been meeting with another person, Betty, who says she knows me from somewhere... I suggested the pre-earth life.  She doesn't believe in that.  She's very much a seventh day adventist, and its going to be a struggle to get her over some of those things.  She's a sweet lady though and really enjoys us coming over.

I am so much out of time on the computer today... I don't really know what else to write.  Life is good, The church is True! if you don't believe me, just ask me, and I'll tell you it is.

That's all for this week, sorry for a boring letter! I wish I could include more.

Elder Martin

Week 70

Wow, what a week and a half! sorry the e-mail is late, we couldn't e-mail on monday, and we were busy tuesday (you'll understand) and today is the soonest I could do it.

 

So Monday we left to Phoenix and stayed the night with some other Zone Leaders who are AWESOME, I loved being there with them, it was a great time, and tuesday morning at 7 AM we started a hike for Zone Leader Council.  My foot was doing so well at the beginning of the hike, but that did me in.  I couldn't walk by the end (Update, I have a damaged nerve in my foot for those who don't know) so its back to where it was before I saw the doctor, and as even worse for a few days.  Anyway, ZLC was awesome, the spirit was strong and we had some great things to learn.  I sang a musical number of O My Father.  The next day we had leadership training meeting for the full day (ZLC was all day as well) so it was a LOT of meetings! but they were SO good! I learned so much, and we got this new talk from Elder Bednar about being a Preach my Gospel missionary, it was so good and will change my mission.  Then we had a Zone Meeting on Friday to bring all this goodness to the rest of the zone.  It was a week of meetings, and not much missionary work, but that's okay, cause you gotta sharpen the blades.

 

Now the best part of the whole week + is that we had a visit from Kevin R. Duncan of the Seventy! Wow, what a powerful day that was! We had to wake up at 4:45 so we could get down to phoenix by 7:30.  We had a leadership meeting at 8 with him, and he asked me specifically many questions, and then he asked Elder Pierson my District Leader even MORE questions... Elder Pierson is such an awesome missionary, Elder Duncan asked him something to prove a point.  He asked "How many progressing Investigators do you have right now?" most missionaries probably have between 2 - 6, a few 8-10.  Elder Pierson has 12-13.  Elder Duncan was not expecting that answer, but praised Elder Pierson for his hard work.  It was a really good meeting and I took tons of notes.  Then we went to the bulk of the meeting.  The Spirit was so strong throughout! just little things would bring the spirit in abundance.  At one point he called me and my companion to the front to do a little role play! That was fun... I guess... He talked a lot about how to do things, and then a lot about Faith to do things.  I am so on fire with missionary work right now, I am ready to baptize all of cottonwood! I know that good things are coming, we just need an increase of faith.  All things are possible, I know it! Faith is powerful, it is incredible! One of his big things that he talked about was just loving everyone, loving our investigators, and moving from "Non-members coming to church = converts to anyone we get to come to church = converts" We are here to lift everyone we can.  I am so excited for the gospel, I am so excited to be a missionary right now! My faith has been lacking, but this has been such a huge boost for me, its time to baptize thousands! and bring back thousands as well.  Sheesh, there aren't even that many people in cottonwood... more will have to move in so we can baptize more!

 

Elder Martin

Leadership meetings

There were a couple events that Elder Martin went to recently, that the mission president's wife blogged about. I stole pictures from her blog again.
From a leadership training, Elder Martin, with his companion, Elder Geran, and the other leaders of their the Cottonwood zone. (I think.)

I think it was November 1st that there was a zone leader conference thingy, where they hiked Sunrise mountain. Here are some pictures from that. Jason in the guy in the black shirt, wearing the bright yellow shoes. 

 

 I take it they then went to the presidents house, or somewhere, for food and lessons. And it looks like Jason taught.

So there you go! It's a good thing the president and wife take pictures, otherwise we'd never see any!

Stay tuned...there should be a letter from him coming today.