Well, yesterday was Christmas, just so you all know.  I am a fan of Christmas, it was fun this year!  It made for a really slow week though!

 

This week... we had a surprising amount of door slams this week! but no worries, I don't get many of those, so it was kinda fun.  I wish I could have a lot to report.  In fact I don't really know WHAT to report!

 

Christmas eve we drove through almost our entire Zone! we had a lot of presents to deliver and it was really nice to see the zone, we have definitely the most beautiful zone in the mission! We got to travel through almost all of Sedona! it is gorgeous! I've been there many times, but the other day I saw more than I have ever seen of it, got to go through the Village of Oak Creek for those who know Sedona. 

 

We've been having an influx of success! and we are going to have to start praying very hard to keep Satan at bay! by now he has heard word that the Cottonwood Arizona Zone is on fire and as we know, he likes fire so he is going to be sending a few of his friends here for sure.

 

Good news though, one of our investigators who moved to Connecticut is moving back! he's already back and wants to be baptized! that was very unexpected!! so we are very excited about that. 

 

I'm having a lot of desires to go into the field of Archaeology when I get home.  I don't know what I will do.  But I don't have much time to think!!

 

My spirits are high, my mood is set to "Ecstatic" I love being a missionary, I love this beautiful area, I love the missionaries, and I love most of the people.  Just kidding, I love them all.... well... no yeah I do.

 

Elder Martin

Pictures from the December Zone Conference

 You're never too old for Santa...

 Dinner at the President's house.

All the zones at the conference.

 Looks like he did a musical number.

 At the Mesa temple. Isn't it pretty.

I think this is the Cottonwood Zone.

Week 76

Well, I again forgot my planner this week.  But its been a great week.  I'm super tired though and I hope I can remember things, and have the patience to write them.  Ha. 

 

This transfer is going way too fast, I am having so much fun! We play basketball every morning for morning exercise, we wake up a little bit early even, its a lot of fun. 

 

Tuesday was a bust! we were supposed to have the best day ever, but it didn't turn out so well.  One lady we went back to visit turned out to be CRAZY! it was weird, a very interesting appointment.  We were talking about the Book of Mormon, and she says "Oh yeah, I know that book is true." "well have you read it?" "No, I just know its true.  Everything is true." ... hmmm... "Well, everything can't be true! because things differ so greatly." "Why does there have to be one true church, why can't just 'church' be true? and everyone be right?" We get that a lot up here... but she was moving around all crazy like, not sure if she was trying to cast a spell on us or not! her sister was really cool though, and we gave her a book of Mormon.

 

Wednesday was incredible! we went to the temple.  I learned SO much this time through, it was incredible.  I did a lot more preparing this time before I went in.  Went with questions, and I got answers.  It's incredible!!! We got a lot of pictures... and by a lot, I mean just a few.  I saw a lot of old missionary friends, it was a really good day! We didn't get back home until around midnight though!

 

Thursday was awesome, we went to an apartment complex to talk to an old investigator Meghan, but she didn't live there any longer, instead we met Deanna who is almost a golden investigator.  We set up a church tour with her that night, and she actually showed up!!! and it turns out she was super prepared, and wants to be baptized.  Oh it was great.

 

Again, I wish I had more time to write, but I don't.  I will have to end this one here.

 

Elder Martin

Week 75

uh....... ... mmm... I love being a missionary!!! its pretty awesome!

What a wonderful week, full of ups and downs, but mostly ups.  Things really start on Wednesday, tuesday was meetings most of the day, the meetings are in phoenix so a lot of our day is spent traveling.

Wednesday we were tracting and ran into a girl named Rose.  She was not very well dressed and had a lot of metal in her face, but we taught her anyway, she seemed embarrassed, but she said we could come back, so we set a time to come back.  We came back the next day, and she wasn't there, but her mom answered the door, and we talked to her mom.  Her husband is studying to be a pastor, but is currently... uhh... in jail... so no worries there, yet.  She has 3 kids, and we are going to be teaching them tomorrow!

I love being with Elder Davenport, we are getting so much done! We've been visiting potential investigators all week! in other words, people who missionaries in the past had been unable to teach for one reason or another, generally the reason being lack of effort.  Over the course of the week, we have set up appointments with 10 people! which is incredible.  since Elder Davenport got here we went from having 1 - 3 people to teach, to having hopefully by the end of this week having close to 25, not including the people we are going to meet this week.  One of the people was a former investigator named Nick.  He's awesome, we went and talked to him about the church, he said he felt the spirit very strong at a baptism one time, and at church, but wasn't sure if it was true.  We explained that was the spirit telling him it was true, and testified of many other things, the spirit was very strong.  He told us that the reason he stopped meeting with the missionaries is because one of them kept pestering him about baptism in a non-loving way "Soo... when you gettin' baptized man?" ugh, some missionaries just don't know how to be missionaries.  Anyway, we're excited to be teaching him.

Isay is infuriating! we gave him a gospel principles book to read, and he said it was the stupidest thing he's ever read.  He said the Book of Mormon is the best book ever, but everything in this other book was bologna and false.  I said there is nothing in that book that is not true.  he argued, so I said 'show me anything, and we'll talk about how its true.'  I've gotten to the point where I don't use tact with him anymore, I know him real well, and to be tactful doesn't work.  So he brought up the priesthood, and would say things like "The Book of Mormon and Bible don't teach about a priesthood, it just separates everyone." so I said "Do you want to go through this? I can show you where it talks about it in both books if you'd like." He didn't believe me, so we did it.  Then he changed subjects, and went to "graven images".  Ugh, it was the most frustrating lesson I've ever had!!!! I finally just said "Read Alma 13, we gotta go."

I've been playing basketball every morning for exercise, its a lot of fun and a great workout.  I'm so sore and tired though! but its good.  My knee is doing very good, but I worry that its just a missionary blessing and that as soon as I get home it will fail on me.

In the zone we went from 3 with a date for baptism, up to 9, and then mid week we had 16!! then it dropped back to 9.  Kind of a hard thing when it dropped, that was 7 people who said no after having set a date.  They should all still be baptized though.  We're going to be going through a lot of trials, or rather, we're going to encounter a lot of opposition, but we can overcome it as long as we put our faith in Jesus Christ who overcame all things.  I love this gospel! It's a gospel of excitement, its a gospel of truth! I love having the truth, and being able to feel that its true, not just know.

Elder Martin

The Haka

Pictures of a haboob. A big dust storm.

Week 74

Wow what a week! one of the best ever, I am so excited.  So new companions are in, we have five new missionaries in our zone, two are brand new being trained and are one fire! We had a record month in the Cottonwood stake of 9 baptisms, and we are going to have even more in December, and twice that in January! I am on fire right now with excitement and energy and the Spirit.  My new companion is Elder Davenport, he interestingly enough just came from being companions with Elder Pryor.  Elder Davenport is awesome.  He's significantly taller than my last companion, a bit taller than me.  We have had such a good week.

Monday we finally met with the Dunbar family, we had a great lesson with them, and on Friday a second lesson.  It's a struggle right now, the wife is catholic and doesn't see a need for baptism, and doesn't want to come to church, but she gave the closing prayer, and kind of asked a question and started crying, and the spirit was real strong! it was wonderful.

That monday night we had an FHE activity with the fosters, and it was a lot of fun! oh wait... I think I already mentioned this last week, cause last week I e-mailed on tuesday, I forgot... okay, on to tuesday.  Tuesday night I went and met with a guy named Jason who has been investigating the church for numerous years, he has read Jesus the Christ twice, and read all the standard works, but has a few problems still, he wouldn't tell me, and the guy I brought with me as a member someone who tried to keep us off track it seemed! he did a good job. 

Tuesday morning we had a wonderful breakfast with our stake president, all the missionaries in our stake were there, it was a lot of fun, a few missionaries were a little immature, but its okay cause they got transferred =] ha. 

Wednesday, Transfer day! beautiful day.  We were in a meeting before the main meeting, and I came to the realization that there were two possibilities to be my companion, Elder Davenport and Elder ---- I'll leave it blank.  Well the second elder gave a talk in this meeting, and I just thought "Ugh, he's prideful, he wont do.  I need Davenport" I had heard a lot of good things about Elder Davenport before I ever met him, so I really wanted it to be him.  There were two places where these two missionaries could go.  Surprise Zone, and Cottonwood Zone.  So the surprise guy stands up and is awaiting to hear who his companion was, and I was praying so hard! just knowing that he would get Elder Davenport, but to my great pleasure, he did not! which meant that I would be getting him.  Hurray, it did in fact happen.  Things have been so nice lately, I am loving it.

Thursday we met this wonderful lady named Helen.  I'm trying to be more bold in tracting, so we start talking to her at the doorstep, and I invite us in to talk to her, she's about 90 years old, she said okay but just for a few minutes.  We started teaching her the Restoration.  At first she seemed very hesitant, and not wanting to answer questions, but then the Spirit really came in, Elder Davenport is an awesome teacher, and asked some great questions, we told her the story of Joseph Smith and bore our testimonies, and the Spirit was really strong.  We asked if she believed what we were saying was true, she said she did, and that she wanted to be baptized.  She said that she really wished that her family was there to hear what we had to say.  We set up an appointment to teach her, her daughter, and grand daughter on Saturday, we were so excited.  We got a call friday night, it was helen's daughter saying she wanted us to come pick up the book of mormon and that her mom wouldn't be available for the appointment.  NO!!!! I am a big despiser of Satan!

Thursday we met with a guy named art, that isn't going to go anywhere, but we have had more appointments this week than I ever had up here in cottonwood, Elder Davenport is a man of faith!

Well, its been such a good week, I'll have more to tell next week.

Elder Martin