This week we had the incredible experience of making contact and then having an appointment with a couple, one is from Thailand and the other is Laotian. We watched Finding Faith in Christ in Thai. That was an interesting experience. When we were talking to them they were so excited and they want the Book of Mormon in Thai. We had to contact the mission office to request some copies of it. She used to be Buddhist and then 11 years ago became Christian. She is now trying to work with her friend to show her about Christ, so that is why she wanted the movie from us, and she was so excited that we had it in Thai as well. We are going to be meeting with them again. Also she had been on the Church website and was so excited about all of the things we had on there. She said there is so much. “It’s so koo!” she would say. She really is excited about General Conference and we told her that hopefully she will be able to hear it in Thai online. She speaks English fairly decent, but Thai is better for her. Reading Thai is deffinately easier for her. I told her Troy, my uncles brother, was a missionary like me in Thailand and speaks Thai. I told her I’d give him her email address and then he can email her and then get phone numbers and then be able to contact her and talk to her more and help her understand, because there isn’t anyone in the area anywhere who speaks Thai. So tell Troy it’s time to bust out his missionary lessons and his Thai again so we can help this lady and her husband see how this Church is different and help them accept baptism. Here’s her email: nok1219@yahoo.com . Her name is Jenny and his name is Sommay. Her Thai name is Sasithorn. Their last name is Keobouavanh. This is so cool!!!!!! We even started talking about Thai food, and I remembered a couple names. Then surprisingly enough, last night a member took us out to a Thai restaurant!!!
Anyway, Helen Lockett is continuing toward baptism. We taught the Word of Wisdom to her and follow the Prophet and she’s also learned the Plan of Salvation. She has no problem with the Word of Wisdom. She also came to Church her first time this Sunday, and I was so relieved and my heart just jumped to see her come out of her apartment building in her purple dress when we went with our ward mission leader and another member to pick her up. We taught her after Church and she said, “ I love it there… I want to be there, you like to feel like you’re welcome.” She said, “I don’t never miss church (she said she always went to some kind of church on Sunday) I just had to find the right one.” Her testimony is growing and she is having good feelings. She added, “I never felt relaxed, but I felt that today I want to make this my home….Everybody has God in their heart.” I love being around this woman she’s incredible.
We've began working closely with the Composano's a part member family. Art, the father is a member, but his daughter Alicia and his wife Kathy are not members. So we have taught them twice already and will teach them today and Friday as well. They come to church as well and Alicia attends young womens. A lot of progress here as well. The father of the Ortiz family has accepted to read the Book of Mormon, so progress going forward here as well. We have a baptismal date set for April 10 with Helen Lockett, which we set in a first lesson when Mike was with us. This is going really well. She came to Church on Sunday and met a lot of the members and participated in Relief society. She loved it. So far she has 100 percent attendance for church. She is excited and is planning on coming to all the sessions of conference with us. We taught her the Word of Wisdom and she doesn't have any problems with it. She loves it, especially the Book of Mormon. She said, "I believe this book is right just like I believe this Bible." She's great, and we've had several different members over to her home to teach her. She's just soaking everything up. The only question bishop Gardner has is if she will have made enough friends and be fellowshipped by April 10 with conference being right in the middle. He's thinking we might have to push it back, but we haven't told Helen yet. I'm sure she'll understand. She has it marked on her calendar though. Will and all our other investigators are doing great as well. There's just so many to talk about now. These are the highlights.
There's just so many things that I want to and need to study that there isn't enough study hours in the week. Especially with studying to prepare for lessons and the needs of investigators. I'm thinking I'll make a list of the things that I want to study but can't right now and have a lot to then work on after my mission.
So Mom, I had interviews with President yesterday and he said that you had called the mission office and had been talking about plans to come and pick me up or something, and he asked me and I had no idea. He said that I need to find out what the plans are. I was thinking that it would be better to be able to plan this out after the mission and not have to think about it now. Also if you come out here before I’m released then that means I’m still a missionary I’m not going to be able to go to all the places in the city you’ll want to go in and see, all the same rules apply. I think it’s important to have the whole missionary experience of the plane and everything. At first President Doll was indifferent as to what I did, but then today he sent me this email.
Elder Adams – After we spoke on Tuesday about your plans for going home, Sister Doll reminded me that both the Mission President’s Handbook and the Church Handbook of Instructions (your bishop and stake president have copies) strongly advise against parents travelling to pick up their missionary. It tends to be a disruption to the other missionaries in the mission and to the group of missionaries going home. And, I’m sure you’ll be anxious to get home and report to your stake president and be released. You and your family may find that you would have more time to see the mission if you were to return to the Chicago area at another time.
So I don’t think that you are going to be coming out and picking me up. I’ll have to go home like all the other missionaries the normal way and then we can come back out later. It will have more meaning that way as well to be able to see people again. Ward members here already want Elder Layton and I come back and see them. Elder Layton’s parents wanted to do the same as you, but he has told them to wait and that he’ll go home first. So that’s what my companion is doing. I need you to write me back on this. So I can report back to President.
Also my slip on black shoes they have stretched and so I have to wear ski socks so that my feet don’t slosh in them. Even still I don’t like to wear them. So I was wondering if You want to give me a Happy Easter to me present and I can go out and buy some new shoes here. I was going to go and try Burlington coat factory today because I saw they had some. I don’t want to get a Wal-mart special but at the same time I don’t want to spend a lot, but I do want a decent pair that I can wear, because lately I’ve just been wearing my boots or on Sunday or Wednesday I’ll wear my brown ones, but I only have my one brown suit. Anyway is that ok for a Happy Easter day Present from you to me. Let me know if that is ok.
I love you all and I look forward to hearing from you.
Love Elder Adams
P.S-Our numbers this week were incredible, the success we are having!!!! BLessings from the Lord!!!!! I couldn't believe it when we tallied up things.
Yes I'm on have you read my letter?? Maybe jump to the End and read some of the things. I need to know your thoughts. Especially on the Flight plans. I hope you understand. We will just have to postpone it looks like.
I hope you're still online but I don't have a lot of time we have T time at a golf course today. My comp is going to play. A member got us into a golf course.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
March 24, 2010
You'd have to send the bleach as well otherwise there would be no purpose in sending the trays. If you send it on a monday so that it doesn't get stuck in an airport over the weekend then it should be ok. I think it should be fine, don't you. See what you can do.
Wow!!!! I don't even know where to start this week. This Friday we had the opportunity to have a missionary in training come out with us from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. The stake put on a mini mission for priest age boys. There were only about 10 boys who did it. We were chosen as two of the missionaries who would have one of these boys stay with us for the weekend. We got Mike Hobbs from the Beloit ward where I once served. He stayed at our apartment, ate with us, studied with us, did everything. What an experience to have. Especially on this weekend because, let me tell you this was miracle and blessing weekend. We told Mike he was our little blessing basket of faith that was with us because so many incredible things were happening, and we met so many people. (For instance we were out tracting in the snow storm on Saturday and I saw this house with a lot of cars at it. Usually this means a gathering and people will quickly dismiss you and say they are busy. I thought we’ll go there anyway. We knocked on that door and this guy in a black shirt and pants lets us in. There is a BIG party going on, lots of people. He quickly invites us in. He tells us he’s a Catholic priest and asks if we want some food. Now it’s a St. Patricks party and there is a house full of Catholics, everybody but the priest is in matching green shirts. They are having corned beef and cabbage and traditional irish dish and they take us over to the food and help us get some food. Then we go and sit down in a side room with the priest and this other lady. This priest actually knew a lot about the church and had a lot of good to say about us. We taught a few things and explained things. Especially to the lady. At times other ‘partiers’ would overhear us or would pause and listen. One guy sat down at the table for a while. What a meeting. There’s no converting here, but we were able to explain a few things and then we were on our way, maybe it’s a seed planted. How incredible though. You’re never let in and asked if you want food and then sit down and teach a Catholic Priest.) This is only part of what I mean by Mike being a little added blessing to bring the blessings down from heaven for us this weekend. We have had several new investigators that we have met and began teaching. One of which has a baptismal date set for April 10. Her name is Helen Lockett. This is truly one of those elect who hear the Lord's voice that are spoken of in section 29 of the Doctrine and Covenants. I wish I could write and tell you every incredible miracle and story that we've had this last week. I wish I could recount to you every lesson that we've had and the experiences we've had with investigators and the incredible things they've said and the truths they've recognized. That would take pages and hours as it has in my journal. Elder Layton and I were extatic to have our first investigator, that we had found, at church this Sunday. It was a monumental marker. Tonya was our investigator that came and she had a great time. She was moved to tears in gospel principles. I don't know if her coming to Church had anything to do with having our missionary in training with us. Mike was great. Our Sunday got even better when we went to stop by some of the potentials we'd met while tracting on Saturday, who had said we could come back Sunday. We were let in to teach Helen Lockett, and it was in this incredible first lesson where she exclaimed how she just knew what we were saying is right. She had questions about which church to join. She told us she had been praying for a church and for someone to come, and now she recognizes that this is the one. She said that she had learned more from us in the time we met than she had in the whole 60 plus years of her life. When the commitment to be baptized was extended to her, she paused for a moment and said, "Well,.... I've been baptized before..., but I know that this one is different." She accepted!!!! She went over and marked it on her calendar. Mike, Elder Layton, and I all looked at each other. This lesson had just gone incredible, and the spirit was there helping us. We've taught her a second time since, about the plan of salvation, and she had read everything we had given her and was ready for more. This woman is incredible, I'm telling you. The things she says: "If something doesn't make sense it doesn't feel right....You've taught me so much of the truth you can just feel it's the truth without even questioning it....This church is the one I've been praying for." She's already recognizing the spirit telling her of truth. She felt good when she met with us and she felt good when she read from the Book of Mormon. It's been incredible. I hope Mike had a great weekend with us, because we were worried about what we were going to do with him. Originally we had nothing lined up, and so we had to make a lot of phone calls. We did set some things up, but ultimately the Lord blessed us with those to teach. We were able to line up an appointment with the husband of a part member family whom we are teaching the son Noah Dutcher, and preparing for baptism. This lesson was incredible. He accepted to take the lessons like his son who is preparing for baptism. This was such a powerful lesson, where we taught the Plan of Salvation. His wife who is a member began to cry during the lesson, and Mike told us even he was crying during the lesson. It was really incredible. I love teaching this lesson to families. There is just so much happiness and purpose, you feel like you are fulfilling God's purpose. When you teach a family it's just so much different.
Monday we were out tracting and I had to go to the bathroom so we asked this guy that answered his door. He let us in and after I went to the bathroom we started to talk to him. He survived cancer 8 years ago in which a large portion of his pectoral muscle was taken out. He decided life was short and at this point 40 or 41 he decided to have the 4 kids he has now, all of them under the age of 4. We told him a little about the Church and explained some things to him. We told him about what we do as missionaries and how the 2 year program works. He laughed as he said, “ You’re a better man than I am.” He had a lot of respect for us. We invited him to the ward easter egg hunt this week, and he has to work but he wants his wife and kids to go. He wants to meet with us again and have us over, so he’s going to talk to his wife about it. This was such an incredible meeting. Then he took us downstairs and just said, I want to show you something. We had no idea….if we weren’t in such a nice house I would have been worried. He showed us his sound recording studio in his basement with guitars all over the walls. He has a voice booth and tons of equipment. He produced, wrote, and played all the music for a cd that he made. It’s called Sunday Morning, and on the back is a picture of the old Methodist church where his dad preached when he was a kid. It has religious songs on it, but it has to do with his journey through cancer. His name is Andy Potts. He pulled out two copies of the cd still in the wrapping and gave them to us. We won’t be able to listen to them until we get home, because it is guitar, but how incredible. This was just one of the many incredible meetings we had this week.
We also met this guy who was a Vietnam Vetran. He’s and Italian Catholic named Mario. He flew in a helicopter over opium and cocaine fields spraying a chemical that would mark and make snipers visible under infrared. This chemical though has gotten into his pours and he now shakes sometimes. This war was no glamour for this man. He has to sleep in a separate room from his wife, because he sometimes wakes up in the night screaming. He said that he was sent over there to help refugees especially children, but he would round them up and he saw as they were put on ships that they were blown up by our own US fire. He said his brother was one of the commanders and he and his brother would fight because he would try to save as many of the children as possible and he didn’t want to send them to his brother because he knew he would kill them. He told us of these horrors. He said though that he had seen Christ saving those little kids. This man was moved to tears, he was very emotional about this. We are going to meet with him again on Saturday.
This week were led to new people, people we are teaching were accepting and keeping commitments, and people we met were accepting commitments and becoming new investigators. There's a hundred incredibles stories and experiences to be told. I'll give you the names of our new investigators that we have this week. Helen Lockett, Tynika, Doug, Mario, Alicia and Kathy Composano (part of a part member family), Jose Ortiz (father of a part member family), Maria Ratigo. These are the New investigators since last Wednesday. Jay and Della who are investigators are now praying about baptism. This has just been pinnacle week.
As for my studies. I'm almost finished with my topical study of parables of Christ. I did one this past few days that I'd never read or heard of before. It's incredible how much I'm learning. Then the lessons that Elder Layton and I are coming up with to teach and how we teach them. We teach things in a new way, or phrase it in a new way. It can only be the Spirit guiding our words. I love it. I love being a missionary. This is the greatest time in my life!!!! I can't wait for you to meet Helen Lockett, she is a gem. On my planner I have "Miracles" and then below that "A season of Opportunity" , and a picture of Christ healing a blind man. This truly has been a time of miracles, and I have no doubt that this is a season of Opportunity. The work and the ward and the members and the investigators and Elder Layton and I we are surging forward. This is the sprint at the end of the race, you give it your all. I love it, it's exhilarating.
This week has taken a lot in my journal. For one thing that I can tell you, we have our first baptismal date for April 10. We set it in a first lesson on Sunday with a lady we'd tracted into on Saturday. This was incredible. This doesn't happen often, in fact it hasn't ever happened. We've met with her again since then. Everything is finally starting to click here after the many weeks and months of knockings doors for days straight. The Lord is blessing us immensely. It's just been the most incredible week every. This is the happiest time of my life, I love it. I love you dad. Have and awesome week and keep this lady Helen Lockett in your prayers for April 10.
I don’t know what else to write, there’s just so much. This is probably all a little jumbled, but I’ve tried to capture most of it in my journal. Just know that there is a God and he is blessing us. There are so many incredible stories and people to tell you about just from this past couple of days, it would take eons. I wish I could tell them all in detail and have recorded the dialogue. Wow the life of a missionary what an incredible blessing. How incredible to be a part of this and to have these past couple days as a part of my life experiences. You can’t put a price on that, nor how it has strengthened my testimony of the love of Heavenly Father and the Truthfulness of this work. I love you all and onward we go!!!!
Love Elder Adams
Wow!!!! I don't even know where to start this week. This Friday we had the opportunity to have a missionary in training come out with us from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. The stake put on a mini mission for priest age boys. There were only about 10 boys who did it. We were chosen as two of the missionaries who would have one of these boys stay with us for the weekend. We got Mike Hobbs from the Beloit ward where I once served. He stayed at our apartment, ate with us, studied with us, did everything. What an experience to have. Especially on this weekend because, let me tell you this was miracle and blessing weekend. We told Mike he was our little blessing basket of faith that was with us because so many incredible things were happening, and we met so many people. (For instance we were out tracting in the snow storm on Saturday and I saw this house with a lot of cars at it. Usually this means a gathering and people will quickly dismiss you and say they are busy. I thought we’ll go there anyway. We knocked on that door and this guy in a black shirt and pants lets us in. There is a BIG party going on, lots of people. He quickly invites us in. He tells us he’s a Catholic priest and asks if we want some food. Now it’s a St. Patricks party and there is a house full of Catholics, everybody but the priest is in matching green shirts. They are having corned beef and cabbage and traditional irish dish and they take us over to the food and help us get some food. Then we go and sit down in a side room with the priest and this other lady. This priest actually knew a lot about the church and had a lot of good to say about us. We taught a few things and explained things. Especially to the lady. At times other ‘partiers’ would overhear us or would pause and listen. One guy sat down at the table for a while. What a meeting. There’s no converting here, but we were able to explain a few things and then we were on our way, maybe it’s a seed planted. How incredible though. You’re never let in and asked if you want food and then sit down and teach a Catholic Priest.) This is only part of what I mean by Mike being a little added blessing to bring the blessings down from heaven for us this weekend. We have had several new investigators that we have met and began teaching. One of which has a baptismal date set for April 10. Her name is Helen Lockett. This is truly one of those elect who hear the Lord's voice that are spoken of in section 29 of the Doctrine and Covenants. I wish I could write and tell you every incredible miracle and story that we've had this last week. I wish I could recount to you every lesson that we've had and the experiences we've had with investigators and the incredible things they've said and the truths they've recognized. That would take pages and hours as it has in my journal. Elder Layton and I were extatic to have our first investigator, that we had found, at church this Sunday. It was a monumental marker. Tonya was our investigator that came and she had a great time. She was moved to tears in gospel principles. I don't know if her coming to Church had anything to do with having our missionary in training with us. Mike was great. Our Sunday got even better when we went to stop by some of the potentials we'd met while tracting on Saturday, who had said we could come back Sunday. We were let in to teach Helen Lockett, and it was in this incredible first lesson where she exclaimed how she just knew what we were saying is right. She had questions about which church to join. She told us she had been praying for a church and for someone to come, and now she recognizes that this is the one. She said that she had learned more from us in the time we met than she had in the whole 60 plus years of her life. When the commitment to be baptized was extended to her, she paused for a moment and said, "Well,.... I've been baptized before..., but I know that this one is different." She accepted!!!! She went over and marked it on her calendar. Mike, Elder Layton, and I all looked at each other. This lesson had just gone incredible, and the spirit was there helping us. We've taught her a second time since, about the plan of salvation, and she had read everything we had given her and was ready for more. This woman is incredible, I'm telling you. The things she says: "If something doesn't make sense it doesn't feel right....You've taught me so much of the truth you can just feel it's the truth without even questioning it....This church is the one I've been praying for." She's already recognizing the spirit telling her of truth. She felt good when she met with us and she felt good when she read from the Book of Mormon. It's been incredible. I hope Mike had a great weekend with us, because we were worried about what we were going to do with him. Originally we had nothing lined up, and so we had to make a lot of phone calls. We did set some things up, but ultimately the Lord blessed us with those to teach. We were able to line up an appointment with the husband of a part member family whom we are teaching the son Noah Dutcher, and preparing for baptism. This lesson was incredible. He accepted to take the lessons like his son who is preparing for baptism. This was such a powerful lesson, where we taught the Plan of Salvation. His wife who is a member began to cry during the lesson, and Mike told us even he was crying during the lesson. It was really incredible. I love teaching this lesson to families. There is just so much happiness and purpose, you feel like you are fulfilling God's purpose. When you teach a family it's just so much different.
Monday we were out tracting and I had to go to the bathroom so we asked this guy that answered his door. He let us in and after I went to the bathroom we started to talk to him. He survived cancer 8 years ago in which a large portion of his pectoral muscle was taken out. He decided life was short and at this point 40 or 41 he decided to have the 4 kids he has now, all of them under the age of 4. We told him a little about the Church and explained some things to him. We told him about what we do as missionaries and how the 2 year program works. He laughed as he said, “ You’re a better man than I am.” He had a lot of respect for us. We invited him to the ward easter egg hunt this week, and he has to work but he wants his wife and kids to go. He wants to meet with us again and have us over, so he’s going to talk to his wife about it. This was such an incredible meeting. Then he took us downstairs and just said, I want to show you something. We had no idea….if we weren’t in such a nice house I would have been worried. He showed us his sound recording studio in his basement with guitars all over the walls. He has a voice booth and tons of equipment. He produced, wrote, and played all the music for a cd that he made. It’s called Sunday Morning, and on the back is a picture of the old Methodist church where his dad preached when he was a kid. It has religious songs on it, but it has to do with his journey through cancer. His name is Andy Potts. He pulled out two copies of the cd still in the wrapping and gave them to us. We won’t be able to listen to them until we get home, because it is guitar, but how incredible. This was just one of the many incredible meetings we had this week.
We also met this guy who was a Vietnam Vetran. He’s and Italian Catholic named Mario. He flew in a helicopter over opium and cocaine fields spraying a chemical that would mark and make snipers visible under infrared. This chemical though has gotten into his pours and he now shakes sometimes. This war was no glamour for this man. He has to sleep in a separate room from his wife, because he sometimes wakes up in the night screaming. He said that he was sent over there to help refugees especially children, but he would round them up and he saw as they were put on ships that they were blown up by our own US fire. He said his brother was one of the commanders and he and his brother would fight because he would try to save as many of the children as possible and he didn’t want to send them to his brother because he knew he would kill them. He told us of these horrors. He said though that he had seen Christ saving those little kids. This man was moved to tears, he was very emotional about this. We are going to meet with him again on Saturday.
This week were led to new people, people we are teaching were accepting and keeping commitments, and people we met were accepting commitments and becoming new investigators. There's a hundred incredibles stories and experiences to be told. I'll give you the names of our new investigators that we have this week. Helen Lockett, Tynika, Doug, Mario, Alicia and Kathy Composano (part of a part member family), Jose Ortiz (father of a part member family), Maria Ratigo. These are the New investigators since last Wednesday. Jay and Della who are investigators are now praying about baptism. This has just been pinnacle week.
As for my studies. I'm almost finished with my topical study of parables of Christ. I did one this past few days that I'd never read or heard of before. It's incredible how much I'm learning. Then the lessons that Elder Layton and I are coming up with to teach and how we teach them. We teach things in a new way, or phrase it in a new way. It can only be the Spirit guiding our words. I love it. I love being a missionary. This is the greatest time in my life!!!! I can't wait for you to meet Helen Lockett, she is a gem. On my planner I have "Miracles" and then below that "A season of Opportunity" , and a picture of Christ healing a blind man. This truly has been a time of miracles, and I have no doubt that this is a season of Opportunity. The work and the ward and the members and the investigators and Elder Layton and I we are surging forward. This is the sprint at the end of the race, you give it your all. I love it, it's exhilarating.
This week has taken a lot in my journal. For one thing that I can tell you, we have our first baptismal date for April 10. We set it in a first lesson on Sunday with a lady we'd tracted into on Saturday. This was incredible. This doesn't happen often, in fact it hasn't ever happened. We've met with her again since then. Everything is finally starting to click here after the many weeks and months of knockings doors for days straight. The Lord is blessing us immensely. It's just been the most incredible week every. This is the happiest time of my life, I love it. I love you dad. Have and awesome week and keep this lady Helen Lockett in your prayers for April 10.
I don’t know what else to write, there’s just so much. This is probably all a little jumbled, but I’ve tried to capture most of it in my journal. Just know that there is a God and he is blessing us. There are so many incredible stories and people to tell you about just from this past couple of days, it would take eons. I wish I could tell them all in detail and have recorded the dialogue. Wow the life of a missionary what an incredible blessing. How incredible to be a part of this and to have these past couple days as a part of my life experiences. You can’t put a price on that, nor how it has strengthened my testimony of the love of Heavenly Father and the Truthfulness of this work. I love you all and onward we go!!!!
Love Elder Adams
Sunday, March 21, 2010
March 17, 2010
Can I say the weather yesterday and today has been BEAUTIFUL!!!! For the first time yesterday, in I don’t know how long, I was tracting outside without my big winter coat on and just my suit jacket. SPRING IS IN THE AIR. I think it’s finally here. I think I made it through my 2 Chicago winters. I think I made it through my fear that I had from the day that I opened my call letter. I think winter is behind me and I am loving this warm weather, to feel the sun on my face again, ahhhh, it’s invigoration to body and spirit. Speaking of call letter, it was two years today that I opened my call letter and found that I was to serve here in Chicago. It doesn’t seem like it’s been two years, it seems like it was yesterday. I still remember that day perfectly. I remember coming home and dad was there and told me that my call had come. I remember going with mom to Maggie moos ice cream to get some gift cards for the teachers at school. Then we went and picked up a carrot cake at costco. We opened the call at the Church and all of my friends had on my brothers scout shirts. I stood at the podium in the nursery room and the refreshments were on my left and the board with the map was on my right. I can picture everything of that day. It doesn’t seem like it’s been two years, it’s incredible how fast time has gone by. Nonetheless, warm weather is here and that is reason to be happy and to celebrate.
We have been able to implement Elder Perry's council to begin teaching less active and part member families as part of the finding approach. We have began to teach a 9 year old boy, Noah Dutcher. His mother and brother are members but the father is not and the family is less active. We have began teaching them with the help of the home teachers. The bishop will allow Noah to get baptized once the mother becomes active, and Noah wants to be baptized and his mother wants him to as well. We had sad news this week from the Mengel Family. Rebecca has broken some of the house rules and so her aunt and uncle have taken her to stay at a shelter. We are no longer going to be able to teach her. I can’t help but think that it was bound to happen because her aunt had blocked her from being able to contact people on the internet or meet people at school, they were smothering her and so she had no friends except people at church, which no one was her age. So we were really the only people her age that she knew. They said that they found a lighter in her room and so they thought she was smoking. They also said that she lied about staying after school to do school work and was hanging out with friends and getting on different web sites. It was a frustrating situation. I let it get to me a little bit. This news came during our planning session on Thursday just after we had discussed extending a baptismal invitation to her that night. They called though and told us the appointment would be canceled and they would probably be taking her to live at a shelter. Elder Layton and I decided to hold a special fast for Rebecca and the Mengel family, that hopefully hearts would be softened. Even though we had just had fast Sunday. We went to eat and then fasted. Hopefully Rebecca is ok, but we aren’t teaching her anymore. Maybe we can find out where the shelter is and have the missionaries there get in contact with her.
This Sunday was invitation Sunday. We had been inviting people ourselves and encouraging members to invite their friends. This was something that the North and South mission was doing on this same day at every meeting house in these two missions. We’ve been prepping for the pas 2 months. Invitation Sunday was great. We had 14 nonmembers there!!!! That was the tally from our ward mission leader!!!! We also had a number of less active members, and a couple showed up that had not been to church in 20 years. They will now hopefully be coming back. This was just a good spark. I hope members realize how easy inviting can be now. Really there wasn't anything different about services or classes. We just gave this Sunday a special name and had some refreshments at the end. If this is all that it takes to give added gusto to invite maybe we should do it every week. That was Elder Layton and my thoughts. Hopefully members realized this and will want to invite every week. I had to think I don’t know why it’s so hard to invite your friends to church every week, but then some treats and a different name for the day and now people will invite. I don’t know??
With less active work we taught the quit smoking program to an inactive father of a very active family. They were so thankful for our help. We really have the trust and friendship of this family and we hope to use it to fellowship another less active family.
So here is the scriptures for enduring a trial well. I call this my little dose of how to get through a trial, a little spiritual medicine. It’s a streamline of scriptures to teach and remind me what I need to do in a trial and how trials work. Start in DC 121:7-8 and then read 122:7 (focusing on the last line in 122:7). Notice in verse 8 of section 121 that it says IF thou endure it well. In other words the promised blessings from this chapter of have our trials be brief, exaltation, and added experience from the trial, is dependent upon IF we endure it well. So what does it mean to endure a trial well. This is found in DC 103:36. The victory over the trial will come because of our diligence, faithfulness, and prayers of faith. There is a scripture for each of these principles:
Diligence- DC 76:5- we must continue to serve and keep going, we cannot give up in our trials. Continue to be diligent in working and in doing.
Faithfulness- DC 136:42- Remain faithful in keeping the commandments. Don’t get frustrated and sin. We must continue to keep the commandments throughout our trial even though this may be the hardest time to do so. Be faithful.
Prayers of Faith- Alma 31:38- We receive blessings and help and strength so that our afflictions are swallowed up in the joy of Christ, because of our prayers of faith. Pray. Now notice it doesn’t say that the trial or the affliction is taken away, but swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Think of it like a horse with blinders on at a race track. Lots of hectic stuff going on around but the horse doesn’t get spooked and is able to continue on walking and is calm. Christ can give us spiritual blinders so that all the hard things of life are still going on but we don’t notice it or feel it and we are happy. Prayers of faith is what we must do.
These are principles that teach us to have a good attitude and to endure a trial well. There’s going through a trial with pessimism and resentment towards the Lord and others and then there is enduring a trial WELL. This is how we can go through a trial well. Both ways of going through a trial you may still make it out alive, but the blessings you will have and what you will learn will be greater if you have “Endured it well.”
I put in a few other scriptures here that are in a chain that can give added insight about trials:
DC 58:2-4, DC 24:1, 8, Romans 5:3-6, DC 98:3, 2 Corinthians 12:8-10
I’d love to be able to teach this to you all in words some time because (2Nephi 33:1,4). Save this I like what I put down, maybe I’ll use it someday for a talk.
Love Elder Adams,
P.S.- President changed his mind about being able to go down to the city today for St. Pattricks day, maybe another day we can go though. They dyed the river green on Saturday as well.
Sounds like a week. I was going to have you send out my bleaching trays and bleach for me if you could. My comp bought some whitening strips at the store and that made me think I haven't bleached in a while. Also I should be sending some pictures home here pretty soon.
I love you all and have a good one. Josh what temperature does it have to be in your mission before you can take your jacket off. Mark Whitsitt said that they didn't have that rule and they could take their jackets off whenever they wanted to. He said it would be winter and they'd be with President and not have their suit jacket on. In our mission I think it's 70 degrees.
If you could please send out my bleaching trays that would be nice.
We have been able to implement Elder Perry's council to begin teaching less active and part member families as part of the finding approach. We have began to teach a 9 year old boy, Noah Dutcher. His mother and brother are members but the father is not and the family is less active. We have began teaching them with the help of the home teachers. The bishop will allow Noah to get baptized once the mother becomes active, and Noah wants to be baptized and his mother wants him to as well. We had sad news this week from the Mengel Family. Rebecca has broken some of the house rules and so her aunt and uncle have taken her to stay at a shelter. We are no longer going to be able to teach her. I can’t help but think that it was bound to happen because her aunt had blocked her from being able to contact people on the internet or meet people at school, they were smothering her and so she had no friends except people at church, which no one was her age. So we were really the only people her age that she knew. They said that they found a lighter in her room and so they thought she was smoking. They also said that she lied about staying after school to do school work and was hanging out with friends and getting on different web sites. It was a frustrating situation. I let it get to me a little bit. This news came during our planning session on Thursday just after we had discussed extending a baptismal invitation to her that night. They called though and told us the appointment would be canceled and they would probably be taking her to live at a shelter. Elder Layton and I decided to hold a special fast for Rebecca and the Mengel family, that hopefully hearts would be softened. Even though we had just had fast Sunday. We went to eat and then fasted. Hopefully Rebecca is ok, but we aren’t teaching her anymore. Maybe we can find out where the shelter is and have the missionaries there get in contact with her.
This Sunday was invitation Sunday. We had been inviting people ourselves and encouraging members to invite their friends. This was something that the North and South mission was doing on this same day at every meeting house in these two missions. We’ve been prepping for the pas 2 months. Invitation Sunday was great. We had 14 nonmembers there!!!! That was the tally from our ward mission leader!!!! We also had a number of less active members, and a couple showed up that had not been to church in 20 years. They will now hopefully be coming back. This was just a good spark. I hope members realize how easy inviting can be now. Really there wasn't anything different about services or classes. We just gave this Sunday a special name and had some refreshments at the end. If this is all that it takes to give added gusto to invite maybe we should do it every week. That was Elder Layton and my thoughts. Hopefully members realized this and will want to invite every week. I had to think I don’t know why it’s so hard to invite your friends to church every week, but then some treats and a different name for the day and now people will invite. I don’t know??
With less active work we taught the quit smoking program to an inactive father of a very active family. They were so thankful for our help. We really have the trust and friendship of this family and we hope to use it to fellowship another less active family.
So here is the scriptures for enduring a trial well. I call this my little dose of how to get through a trial, a little spiritual medicine. It’s a streamline of scriptures to teach and remind me what I need to do in a trial and how trials work. Start in DC 121:7-8 and then read 122:7 (focusing on the last line in 122:7). Notice in verse 8 of section 121 that it says IF thou endure it well. In other words the promised blessings from this chapter of have our trials be brief, exaltation, and added experience from the trial, is dependent upon IF we endure it well. So what does it mean to endure a trial well. This is found in DC 103:36. The victory over the trial will come because of our diligence, faithfulness, and prayers of faith. There is a scripture for each of these principles:
Diligence- DC 76:5- we must continue to serve and keep going, we cannot give up in our trials. Continue to be diligent in working and in doing.
Faithfulness- DC 136:42- Remain faithful in keeping the commandments. Don’t get frustrated and sin. We must continue to keep the commandments throughout our trial even though this may be the hardest time to do so. Be faithful.
Prayers of Faith- Alma 31:38- We receive blessings and help and strength so that our afflictions are swallowed up in the joy of Christ, because of our prayers of faith. Pray. Now notice it doesn’t say that the trial or the affliction is taken away, but swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Think of it like a horse with blinders on at a race track. Lots of hectic stuff going on around but the horse doesn’t get spooked and is able to continue on walking and is calm. Christ can give us spiritual blinders so that all the hard things of life are still going on but we don’t notice it or feel it and we are happy. Prayers of faith is what we must do.
These are principles that teach us to have a good attitude and to endure a trial well. There’s going through a trial with pessimism and resentment towards the Lord and others and then there is enduring a trial WELL. This is how we can go through a trial well. Both ways of going through a trial you may still make it out alive, but the blessings you will have and what you will learn will be greater if you have “Endured it well.”
I put in a few other scriptures here that are in a chain that can give added insight about trials:
DC 58:2-4, DC 24:1, 8, Romans 5:3-6, DC 98:3, 2 Corinthians 12:8-10
I’d love to be able to teach this to you all in words some time because (2Nephi 33:1,4). Save this I like what I put down, maybe I’ll use it someday for a talk.
Love Elder Adams,
P.S.- President changed his mind about being able to go down to the city today for St. Pattricks day, maybe another day we can go though. They dyed the river green on Saturday as well.
Sounds like a week. I was going to have you send out my bleaching trays and bleach for me if you could. My comp bought some whitening strips at the store and that made me think I haven't bleached in a while. Also I should be sending some pictures home here pretty soon.
I love you all and have a good one. Josh what temperature does it have to be in your mission before you can take your jacket off. Mark Whitsitt said that they didn't have that rule and they could take their jackets off whenever they wanted to. He said it would be winter and they'd be with President and not have their suit jacket on. In our mission I think it's 70 degrees.
If you could please send out my bleaching trays that would be nice.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
March 10, 2010
I wish I did have a scripture for you. I didn't bring my scriptures with me to the Library, so sorry. Read alma 37 especially the part about the easiness of the way. That is the scriptures that guide us, but because it's such a simple thing to read daily, many do not, just as sometimes Lehi and his family did not give head and diligence to the Liahona. Check it out. I haven't read the letter yet, but you say josh is training??!!!??? A New missionary and he's a native German!!!??? Well thanks for the words you wrote, it's good to hear from you.
LOve Elder ADams, Read my email I sent to mom, I wrote a lot, so I'm done writing. Big PLans as well for next wednesday ST. Patty's day. HINT: IN THE CITY!!!!!!!!!
This has been a great first week for us. We had a great lesson with Rebecca Gianpiccolo, and she has really been reading a lot in the Book of Mormon. She also fasted for her first time this Sunday. We also met with will Rios, the father in a part-member family. He as well is now 2 weeks keeping the Word of Wisdom, and he fasted for his first time this Sunday. In our meeting with him on Monday we did try to extend a baptismal commitment, which he turned down. He feels he's not quite there yet. He says that he wants to feel it, but he feels like he is blocking the spirit in some way. He wants it though, I can tell he has true desire. He says he has small reservations and holdbacks as to living the word of Wisdom. He says that he can do it, but he doesn't see what's wrong with going out with friends once in a while. For now though he's living it on faith. We have a number of other potential investigators and investigators that we are struggling to get in contact with though. That's the difficult part of this work is that people have their agency. We continue to find though, and to work hard to find more people. We just need to get in contact with a lot of people.
I had the most amazing day every, from start to finish on Sunday. Sunday it was fast Sunday, and we had designated the last hour and a half of our fast (Where we would be out tracting as usual) to be our power hour. All our faith everything to finding. We drove to the area we had planned and as we were about to park I saw man washing his red Corvette and I said we’ll be by to talk to you Corvette man. We offered a prayer to begin and then started. I got out and put a Book of Mormon in my backpack and told Elder Layton we are teaching. The man with the red Corvette was about 5 doors in. I walked straight up his driveway and I began to teach. He stopped wiping down his car and just listened, he seemed captivated. He listened as I taught and bore testimony. When I finished he said, you really know your stuff. I told him I have my testimony and I’ve learned as I’ve been out. I asked him if he’d accept a copy of the Book of Mormon and he said he would. This guy was incredible. We might be able to contact him again. This was a prayer and a miracle answered by the Lord. I didn’t care if he did have a nice car and house I was going to teach him. After our tracting we went to dinner at the Qualls where our day of the Spirit continued.
We had an incredible experience with some members in their home on Sunday. It was the Qualls family. Husband and wife and their 11 or 12 year old boy Connor. Instead of a message out of the scriptures we ended up sharing our personal experiences and conversion experiences. Somehow I was sharing advice with Connor to find out the Church is true for himself and then to serve a mission for him and for the Lord, not because his parents or anyone else said to. I must have said something about how I changed or hadn’t always planned to serve, because Brother Quall asked me what made me change. Something in the way he asked must have done it, because at first I gave my usual response of prayer. Then it made me reflect back to an experience I had in my apartment at college. The spirit hit me, I got so choked up and I started to cry right there at the dinner table, and I had to appologize, and then it came out. I related the part of my life, what I was going through, and the whole experience or that night with them and the feelings I had. I shared things I've only shared with a handful of people, and I don't know why I shared them with this family and with Elder Layton. I’ve never shared it with members before. This family is really great to us and they really love us. They too shared their experiences and personal lives with us. This was a very spiritual night, and there were a lot of tears as we sat around the dinner table. It was an experience unlike anything I've ever had at a members home. Deffinately one of the most powerful of my mission for that matter. It is a very personal experience and so I told them afterwards to not share with anyone else.
This whole Sunday was incredible. From the moment I woke up, I felt incredible, so refreshed and so happy all day. I WAS SO HAPPY. The testimonies in sacrament were incredible and I felt the spirit there. Our ward mission leader and other members were bearing testimony and expressing thanks for missionaries. It was like missionary appreciation day at the pulpit. Our ward mission leader gave his testimony and mentioned us by name, and how he has heard us teach and bear testimony. There wasn’t a pause the whole meeting, people just kept getting up. The meeting went 15 minutes over and probably would have gone longer, but bishop ended it. I felt the spirit here, I felt so incredibly happy all day. The happiness I felt Sunday, it was one of the best days, it can’t be described. I just felt so good. It was a fast Sunday as well so maybe that had something to do with it. I can’t count the number of times I felt the spirit. It was probably felt in different ways all day. There were just so many experiences. Especially that ending to the night at the Qualls when we all shared personal experiences including Brother and Sister Quall. What a Sunday, so happy, so spiritual. OH the happiness I felt all that day, WOW. This is why I can’t give up being a missionary. I love it too much, I don’t think that’s possible. I just love these experiences, these feelings. It truly is the work of God. The greatest calling and time, and place to be in life. I love it. This is Christ’s Church and I’m sharing it with everyone. I’m so happy. I love you all. I would pay money to have a day like Sunday once a month, once a year. I know you would too, to just have those feelings to have one day like that, money can’t buy it, but I would pay to have a day like that even once a year. I love you all Family, as our ward mission leader says “Be good and do good.”
Love Elder Adams
So sorry I forgot to bring my scriptures to the library today I will make a note of it in my planner for next week. One of the principles of enduring a trial well is just that "enduring" and waiting patiently. So you will have to practice that aspect right now. I'm so sorry, I will get it for you next week. However next week we are going down to the city to see the St. Patricks day parade. We are going to ride the metra train and see the river dyed green for the festival. The river runs all through the city. How blessed are we that our p-day lands on St. Patty's day.
LOve Elder ADams, Read my email I sent to mom, I wrote a lot, so I'm done writing. Big PLans as well for next wednesday ST. Patty's day. HINT: IN THE CITY!!!!!!!!!
This has been a great first week for us. We had a great lesson with Rebecca Gianpiccolo, and she has really been reading a lot in the Book of Mormon. She also fasted for her first time this Sunday. We also met with will Rios, the father in a part-member family. He as well is now 2 weeks keeping the Word of Wisdom, and he fasted for his first time this Sunday. In our meeting with him on Monday we did try to extend a baptismal commitment, which he turned down. He feels he's not quite there yet. He says that he wants to feel it, but he feels like he is blocking the spirit in some way. He wants it though, I can tell he has true desire. He says he has small reservations and holdbacks as to living the word of Wisdom. He says that he can do it, but he doesn't see what's wrong with going out with friends once in a while. For now though he's living it on faith. We have a number of other potential investigators and investigators that we are struggling to get in contact with though. That's the difficult part of this work is that people have their agency. We continue to find though, and to work hard to find more people. We just need to get in contact with a lot of people.
I had the most amazing day every, from start to finish on Sunday. Sunday it was fast Sunday, and we had designated the last hour and a half of our fast (Where we would be out tracting as usual) to be our power hour. All our faith everything to finding. We drove to the area we had planned and as we were about to park I saw man washing his red Corvette and I said we’ll be by to talk to you Corvette man. We offered a prayer to begin and then started. I got out and put a Book of Mormon in my backpack and told Elder Layton we are teaching. The man with the red Corvette was about 5 doors in. I walked straight up his driveway and I began to teach. He stopped wiping down his car and just listened, he seemed captivated. He listened as I taught and bore testimony. When I finished he said, you really know your stuff. I told him I have my testimony and I’ve learned as I’ve been out. I asked him if he’d accept a copy of the Book of Mormon and he said he would. This guy was incredible. We might be able to contact him again. This was a prayer and a miracle answered by the Lord. I didn’t care if he did have a nice car and house I was going to teach him. After our tracting we went to dinner at the Qualls where our day of the Spirit continued.
We had an incredible experience with some members in their home on Sunday. It was the Qualls family. Husband and wife and their 11 or 12 year old boy Connor. Instead of a message out of the scriptures we ended up sharing our personal experiences and conversion experiences. Somehow I was sharing advice with Connor to find out the Church is true for himself and then to serve a mission for him and for the Lord, not because his parents or anyone else said to. I must have said something about how I changed or hadn’t always planned to serve, because Brother Quall asked me what made me change. Something in the way he asked must have done it, because at first I gave my usual response of prayer. Then it made me reflect back to an experience I had in my apartment at college. The spirit hit me, I got so choked up and I started to cry right there at the dinner table, and I had to appologize, and then it came out. I related the part of my life, what I was going through, and the whole experience or that night with them and the feelings I had. I shared things I've only shared with a handful of people, and I don't know why I shared them with this family and with Elder Layton. I’ve never shared it with members before. This family is really great to us and they really love us. They too shared their experiences and personal lives with us. This was a very spiritual night, and there were a lot of tears as we sat around the dinner table. It was an experience unlike anything I've ever had at a members home. Deffinately one of the most powerful of my mission for that matter. It is a very personal experience and so I told them afterwards to not share with anyone else.
This whole Sunday was incredible. From the moment I woke up, I felt incredible, so refreshed and so happy all day. I WAS SO HAPPY. The testimonies in sacrament were incredible and I felt the spirit there. Our ward mission leader and other members were bearing testimony and expressing thanks for missionaries. It was like missionary appreciation day at the pulpit. Our ward mission leader gave his testimony and mentioned us by name, and how he has heard us teach and bear testimony. There wasn’t a pause the whole meeting, people just kept getting up. The meeting went 15 minutes over and probably would have gone longer, but bishop ended it. I felt the spirit here, I felt so incredibly happy all day. The happiness I felt Sunday, it was one of the best days, it can’t be described. I just felt so good. It was a fast Sunday as well so maybe that had something to do with it. I can’t count the number of times I felt the spirit. It was probably felt in different ways all day. There were just so many experiences. Especially that ending to the night at the Qualls when we all shared personal experiences including Brother and Sister Quall. What a Sunday, so happy, so spiritual. OH the happiness I felt all that day, WOW. This is why I can’t give up being a missionary. I love it too much, I don’t think that’s possible. I just love these experiences, these feelings. It truly is the work of God. The greatest calling and time, and place to be in life. I love it. This is Christ’s Church and I’m sharing it with everyone. I’m so happy. I love you all. I would pay money to have a day like Sunday once a month, once a year. I know you would too, to just have those feelings to have one day like that, money can’t buy it, but I would pay to have a day like that even once a year. I love you all Family, as our ward mission leader says “Be good and do good.”
Love Elder Adams
So sorry I forgot to bring my scriptures to the library today I will make a note of it in my planner for next week. One of the principles of enduring a trial well is just that "enduring" and waiting patiently. So you will have to practice that aspect right now. I'm so sorry, I will get it for you next week. However next week we are going down to the city to see the St. Patricks day parade. We are going to ride the metra train and see the river dyed green for the festival. The river runs all through the city. How blessed are we that our p-day lands on St. Patty's day.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
March 3, 2010
Good to hear from you. I'm going to be here in Elgin for another transfer with my favorite companion, Elder Layton. It's going awesome. We hope to baptize together. I'm hoping spring will come and melt away the cold. On the brightside I think I've seen the last of the negatives so that's hopeful. Keep encouraging spencer with tryouts this week, I know your encouragement always meant a lot to me. I love you dad, and hope to hear from you next week.
Love Elder Adams
What is this ganster talk? Good to see your face again though. My companion and I will have to buy something. We had transfers today and I'm staying here in Elgin with Elder Layton. I'm way excited!!!! I love you so much Bro. Hang in there and stay strong. Mark Whitsitt, formerly Elder Whitsitt of your mission spoke on Sunday. He told us how he had set baptismal dates all throughout his mission, but they kept falling through, and the work was tough. He said that they even had one man at the edge of the baptismal font and then he changed his mind and decided he did not want to get baptised. This happened all the way through his mission. He committed himself to remain faithfull. He prayed asking what he needed to do, he wanted to be better, he didn't know if he was doing something wrong. Then he just committed himself to remain faithful and trust that the Lord would reward him and that he would be able to baptize. So he continued onward. He didn't understand why baptisms kept falling through. Then the last transfer of his mission in his last area he had a baptism. Those are promises of the Lord being fulfilled. With faith miracles can happen, I've seen it happen in my mission. We are witnessing the Lords blessings here in Elgin. Remain faithful Elder Josh Adams and I know that you will baptize and bring souls unto Christ, through the which you will have joy with them in the kingdom of our Father in Heaven. Success will come. I give you this as my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
Love Elder Adams
Hang in there mom, I know that you can do it. It sounds like you had an awesome week. I don't know how Josh is doing it, I would have lost it a while ago. It would bug me just sitting there, I would feel like I was wasting time, so Josh is a better man than me. Maybe there's a purpose that the Lord has in all of this, only time can tell, and for that we must wait out our trials faithfully and endure it well. If you remind me next week I did a study once on what it means to endure a trial well, and I can give you the scriptures for Josh and you.
So we had transfers today. Elder Layton and I are both staying here in Elgin another transfer. I'm so excited for another transfer with Elder Layton. Things have began to click and we hope to see the fruits of our labors. The ward trusts us and loves us. Our ward mission leader, I feel really likes us, and we have the trust of the bishop. We are moving forward and looking forward to our March 14 Sunday invitational, and it looks to be a success.
We've acquired some new investigators this week. The Lord is continuing to bless us. We've deffinately met some interesting people, and had some great lessons. Our teaching has continued to improve, and we continue to teach better and better together. The spirit is deffinately in our lessons and giving us the words to speak, it's incredible. We met a lady the other day, and the feelings that I got and the things that came out of my mouth as I unfolded the doctrine to her, and taught and testified and answered her questions. Then as my companion bore such solemn testimony. It was incredible. This lady has a lot of concerns but is willing to meet with us and to read the The Book of Mormon. We were both ranting and raving about this lesson that we taught and it came about as we were out tracting. It wasn't even a set appointment or one that we had planned for or prepared for. That's the spirit giving us what we need to say!!!! As for our teaching pool this is who we have: Jeanne Anderson, Jay and Della Babek, Noah Dutcher, Rich Enriquez (difficulty getting in contact with him), Rebecca Gianpiccolo, Amy S, Will Rios, and a couple others. A few of these are doing really well in keeping commitments such as reading and praying and meeting with us regularly. We hope to have around 4 of these baptized this transfer, they are doing so well right now. We pray for them daily by name that they will be able to keep the commitments we give them.
This week I did something really great. We had a special meeting called by the bishop on Sunday, to discuss the Elder Perry conference. It started at 7:00. Now this week was my companion’s 21birthday and I had planned to make him breakfast on Sunday. At first I thought that my plans would have to change. I determined that I would tell him that I was going to get up early and shower first. I did so and hurried and got ready. Then when he was in the shower I set to cooking. I made him scrambled eggs and chocolate chip pancakes. He was so surprised when he came out and saw what I was doing! He was way excited. Inside I thought, "YES, success!!!" I felt so good. He said that none of his other companions had ever done anything like this. I told him he deserved it because it was his birthday this week and he has been such a great companion. I felt so good all throughout the day. Elder Layton really liked my breakfast and was really thankful, he said it meant a lot to him.
The Elder Perry conference was great. I met a lot of missionaries from the South mission. What a privilege to be at the feet of an apostle. I realize the gravity of having a man like Paul or Peter in our presence and on this earth. How incredible. I found how important it is that we inform people, boldly of what it is that makes us unique. Tell the message of the apostasy, and the glorious reality of the restoration. We have to tell them that apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ again walk the earth. Elder Perry speaks with such power and conviction, and that's how we need to do it. I love this gospel and teaching this message. It's incredible the feelings you get.
Elder Layton and I are both looking forward to another transfer, and we are excited. Here we go!!
Love Elder Adams
P.S.-Good Job on your lesson, it sounds like it was a success!!!
Love Elder Adams
What is this ganster talk? Good to see your face again though. My companion and I will have to buy something. We had transfers today and I'm staying here in Elgin with Elder Layton. I'm way excited!!!! I love you so much Bro. Hang in there and stay strong. Mark Whitsitt, formerly Elder Whitsitt of your mission spoke on Sunday. He told us how he had set baptismal dates all throughout his mission, but they kept falling through, and the work was tough. He said that they even had one man at the edge of the baptismal font and then he changed his mind and decided he did not want to get baptised. This happened all the way through his mission. He committed himself to remain faithfull. He prayed asking what he needed to do, he wanted to be better, he didn't know if he was doing something wrong. Then he just committed himself to remain faithful and trust that the Lord would reward him and that he would be able to baptize. So he continued onward. He didn't understand why baptisms kept falling through. Then the last transfer of his mission in his last area he had a baptism. Those are promises of the Lord being fulfilled. With faith miracles can happen, I've seen it happen in my mission. We are witnessing the Lords blessings here in Elgin. Remain faithful Elder Josh Adams and I know that you will baptize and bring souls unto Christ, through the which you will have joy with them in the kingdom of our Father in Heaven. Success will come. I give you this as my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
Love Elder Adams
Hang in there mom, I know that you can do it. It sounds like you had an awesome week. I don't know how Josh is doing it, I would have lost it a while ago. It would bug me just sitting there, I would feel like I was wasting time, so Josh is a better man than me. Maybe there's a purpose that the Lord has in all of this, only time can tell, and for that we must wait out our trials faithfully and endure it well. If you remind me next week I did a study once on what it means to endure a trial well, and I can give you the scriptures for Josh and you.
So we had transfers today. Elder Layton and I are both staying here in Elgin another transfer. I'm so excited for another transfer with Elder Layton. Things have began to click and we hope to see the fruits of our labors. The ward trusts us and loves us. Our ward mission leader, I feel really likes us, and we have the trust of the bishop. We are moving forward and looking forward to our March 14 Sunday invitational, and it looks to be a success.
We've acquired some new investigators this week. The Lord is continuing to bless us. We've deffinately met some interesting people, and had some great lessons. Our teaching has continued to improve, and we continue to teach better and better together. The spirit is deffinately in our lessons and giving us the words to speak, it's incredible. We met a lady the other day, and the feelings that I got and the things that came out of my mouth as I unfolded the doctrine to her, and taught and testified and answered her questions. Then as my companion bore such solemn testimony. It was incredible. This lady has a lot of concerns but is willing to meet with us and to read the The Book of Mormon. We were both ranting and raving about this lesson that we taught and it came about as we were out tracting. It wasn't even a set appointment or one that we had planned for or prepared for. That's the spirit giving us what we need to say!!!! As for our teaching pool this is who we have: Jeanne Anderson, Jay and Della Babek, Noah Dutcher, Rich Enriquez (difficulty getting in contact with him), Rebecca Gianpiccolo, Amy S, Will Rios, and a couple others. A few of these are doing really well in keeping commitments such as reading and praying and meeting with us regularly. We hope to have around 4 of these baptized this transfer, they are doing so well right now. We pray for them daily by name that they will be able to keep the commitments we give them.
This week I did something really great. We had a special meeting called by the bishop on Sunday, to discuss the Elder Perry conference. It started at 7:00. Now this week was my companion’s 21birthday and I had planned to make him breakfast on Sunday. At first I thought that my plans would have to change. I determined that I would tell him that I was going to get up early and shower first. I did so and hurried and got ready. Then when he was in the shower I set to cooking. I made him scrambled eggs and chocolate chip pancakes. He was so surprised when he came out and saw what I was doing! He was way excited. Inside I thought, "YES, success!!!" I felt so good. He said that none of his other companions had ever done anything like this. I told him he deserved it because it was his birthday this week and he has been such a great companion. I felt so good all throughout the day. Elder Layton really liked my breakfast and was really thankful, he said it meant a lot to him.
The Elder Perry conference was great. I met a lot of missionaries from the South mission. What a privilege to be at the feet of an apostle. I realize the gravity of having a man like Paul or Peter in our presence and on this earth. How incredible. I found how important it is that we inform people, boldly of what it is that makes us unique. Tell the message of the apostasy, and the glorious reality of the restoration. We have to tell them that apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ again walk the earth. Elder Perry speaks with such power and conviction, and that's how we need to do it. I love this gospel and teaching this message. It's incredible the feelings you get.
Elder Layton and I are both looking forward to another transfer, and we are excited. Here we go!!
Love Elder Adams
P.S.-Good Job on your lesson, it sounds like it was a success!!!
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