HE IS THE GIFT!!!!!

12/22/2014..Lots of Missionaries

 

Christmas Zone Conference!!!

 

A GIANT missionary right outside Missionary Mall!

12/22/2014.. Patience and Planning

12/22/2014

This past week was wonderful! This month really has been interesting overall. November was an explosion of success and miracles and ya know, December really hasn't been that way. It's been a month of patience and planning. I've learned a good deal though. I've learned to rely on my faith more. Also, God always provides a way! The thing is, is that His time table and priority list is often very different than ours. In order for us to find happiness, all we need to do is making sure we are united with Him! :) December has been wonderful and Christmas is going to be the best! :)

We were able to teach a wonderful lady!We went over with a wonderful couple from the ward and taught the first lesson, The Restoration of the Gospel. Man... it was wonderful. Sister Smith, the member that was there with us was incredible! Her comments were spot on and she was very engaged, even though there were little kids crying and a crazy dog running all over the place! She said that she would be baptized if she knew it was true! We have another lesson with her tonight! 

Also, an amazing family in our area are doing really well! For the longest time, they were working on getting their daughter from Montana to come down and live with them  BUT she is officially down here! We are very much looking forward to teaching the WHOLE family! Man.... it's gonna be great. :) 

Also, we got to go to the Visitors Center and teach a lesson to one of our great investigators. He knows the Book of Mormon is true and LOVES the Gospel. He is very passionate about it as well and often argues with us! Haha! Hopefully, we'll be able to help him progress quickly! :)

Overall, Idaho Falls is wonderful. We don't have any snow but things are going really well!

Love you all!

12/15/2014..Great days

Spud Alley, a tiny street in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere

Right after Brother and Sister Axline were sealed for time and all eternity. :) Best day EVER. :)

12/15/2015..Last minute miracles

12/15/2014

This past week really was a wonderful experience! I have learned a lot about diligence. Several times this past week, it was roughly 8:30ish, we were gonna go home soon and it would have been SO easy to just clock out mentally and just go through the motions..... BUT...... Not us! We saw so many last minute miracles if you will! We've been able to receive several wonderful referrals, go out in the cold and talk to those wonderful people! This past week we were able to find 3 new investigators and start teaching a family that fell off the map for a little while again! The father is a member of the church but his wife and their 2 kids are not. They are very open to coming to church and the father and son came to church and the ward Christmas party! At that same Christmas party, I had the opportunity to sit by a family that has just started coming back to church and they, being the amazing missionaries they are, brought their neighbor with them! He, his father and their roomate, are not members of the church BUT missionaries have stopped by in the past and they LOVED it! Rest assured, we are stopping by VERY soon! Also, we had our Zone Conference/talent show/ Christmas program! I got to lead 3 different numbers and sing twice! Elder Rash, a previous companion of mine, and I got to perform a super goofy song of ours for the talent show and Elder Downey and I, a good friend, got to sing "Guard Him Joseph" during the Christmas Program. Being so involved was SO amazing and so fun! I absolutely love our Mission President and his wife. Throughout the process I had the opportunity to associate often with them and it was such a pleasure. They are just great people. :) we also got snow! WHOO! Hopefully it'll stick because for our Zone P Day Activity, we want to have a snowball fight, build snowmen and do other awesome things!Also, we had an amazing district meeting this past week! There was a practice that we did where we all had 4 or 5 questions (What's your favorite hobby? Do you like football, things like that) that we had to ask others. Our goal was to ask all the questions, teach them, invite them to be baptized and ask if they knew anybody else who would be interested! Talk about pressure! It was an amazing learning experience though!!! :) Overall though, the Christmas spirit is abundant, the work is going well and I'm happy. :) Love you all!!!

#Heisthegift

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!

12/8/2014..Parties and the Temple

12/8/2014
My week was AMAZING! Stressful but amazing! We had our zone training which was so absolutely incredible. It was so much fun to rejoice with the zone and set forth wonderful goals for the month of December. It is gong to be a white Christmas, That's for sure! On top of that, I found out that I get to perform a lot in this upcoming Christmas Zone Conference! I get to lead two songs and perform twice! I get to sing with Elder Rash, my previous a companion, a super funny song for the talent show and play the guitar and during the spiritual side of the meeting, I get to sing "Guard Him Joseph" with Elder Downey, another elder serving in Idaho Falls. It is going to be a busy day! Also, one of our investigators is strongly considering being baptized on December 27th! We had a wonderful lesson with him and his family yesterday, he's been reading the scriptures we leave with him and also, he's come to church 2 times in a row! HE"S ON FIRE! We believe with all our hearts that he can be baptized on that day! Aside from that, I got to go to the temple with Brother Axline. :) Words cannot describe how beautiful and amazing it was. The joy grew and grew as the day went on. :) We started out by going over to a church building and setting up chairs and tables for a dinner later that day after their sealing. Then, they showed up a little later on! It was SO good to see them. :) Then, we went and got some lunch and then went to the temple. Man oh man, it was truly celestial. :) Heaven came down for a time and settled on us. It was a beautiful experience to be able to go through a session with him and then witness their sealing. :) The Gospel is so beautiful, so perfect, so hopeful and SO AMAZING. My testimony of the Gospel grew 10 fold on Tuesday and it will always be a memory that I can look back on and gain strength from. :) Other than that, it was just an amazing week. Lots of success, lots of running around and lots of good stuff going on in our zone!! 

11/27/2014 HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

11/17/2014..Winter begins!!!

 SNOW!!!

We got the chance to take one of our investigators to the visitors center! Whoo!

11/17/2014...Miracles!!

11/17/2014

This past week was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
Miracle #1- I'm not sure if I mentioned this in a previous email but one of our investigators, the Brown's youngest daughter, was not able to be baptized because her father said no BUT after a very determined Brother Brown whittling away at him, she will be baptized this coming Saturday at 6! We have a lesson with the family this evening and her birth father is going to be there to "see what it is all about." I'm SO excited!
Miracle #2- Our other investigators are doing SO good! The ward support has been amazing and they have been coffee and smoke free for quite some time!! They will be baptized on November 29th at 1 o clock! On top of that, Thanksgiving is going to be amazing! :) Also, if I didn't already mention is before, Brother and Sister Axline are going to be sealed this coming December 2nd at 3:30! Elder Abbott and I get to go!
Miracle #3- Our zone is doing SO AMAZING! We even got a call from our Mission President this morning and we talked about the outstanding work that the zone is doing! We are on track to baptize 18 INCREDIBLE individuals this month and many more people will have the opportunity to enter into the fold of the good shepherd this coming month! :)
Miracle #4- SNOW! It has been snowing SO much! :) Also, the other night, we acquired many boxes of raspberries and took them to our investigator's houses and gave them out to random people. It was FANTASTIC! ON top of that, we had our Missionary Leadership Counsel with President and Sister Brinkerhoff, the Assistants, and Elder Martino of the Quorum of 70! It was phenomenal! I learned more fully that if we have the right vision and the right motivation, nothing can stop us. All it takes is an attitude change and we WILL be able to get to where we want to go! We also got to have our Zone Training which was a phenomenal experience! :) These missionaries are incredible!!!
Miracle #5- I got to go on exchanges in the Spanish Branch with Elder Ibarra! We got to teach an amazing family in English and the I got to be part of a lesson in all Spanish! As you can expect, I didn't say much! Haha! Elder Ibarra would ask me questions, I would answer and he would translate though! That was pretty cool!
Overall, it was an amazing, snowy, up and down, roller coaster of pure amazingness kind of week! I love you all! Be safe and have a fantastic week before Thanksgiving! :)

11/10/2014..Short and sweet

11/10/2014

It was an absolutely incredible week!!!
Highlight 1- We had our Zone Training! It was so good! The Zone was so excited about everything we were able to achieve in October and we are all very excited to see what can be done in November. God is blessing us!
Highlight 2- We were able to meet the son of one of our investigators. We hadn't been able to ever really talk to him but Saturday evening he let us in and we had a fantastic conversation with him! After sharing a message, we invited him to be baptized and he said he yes! WHOO! Also, we invited him to church and he said he'd go! He was there! Dressed up in a shirt and tie and everything! Also, we have an appointment with him this evening. This guy is awesome!
Highlight 3- We hadn't been able to meet with some other investigators for quite some time BUT we got to see them yesterday! We were worried that some of the opposition that they've been facing had gotten to them and they were starting to question everything BUT, when I saw her on Sunday, she walked up to me and said, "Guess who is smoke free!" AHHHH!!! It was awesome! Her and her daughter and son are set and ready to go for the 29th of November! We are starting to get everything set up. Truly, this will be the gift of Thanksgiving. :)
Highlight 4- I got all the info for Brother Axline! He will be taking out his endowments on December 2nd at 1 o clock and will be sealed to his wife at 3:30. A dinner will be held at 4:30 as well! AHHHH!!! I'm SO excited! :)
Highlight 5- It's a highlight just to be on a mission! Idaho is SO beautiful, the Gospel is INCREDIBLE and as a missionary, I'm immersed in both! Whoo!

11/3/2014...Baptisms and 'awesomeness'

The whole group at our P Day birthday party!

The whole gang! Elder Abbott was my trainer, I trained Elder Bertoch and Elder Bertoch is now training Elder Green! It's a 4 part line of pure awesomeness! :)

Bryan and his daughter were baptized Oct 29th after an amazing adventure of faith! there baptism was such a wonderful experience!!! I

11/3/2014..BAPTISMS and a hurt back!!!

11/3/2014

This past week has been a crazy blur of awesomeness! I experienced something I've never experienced before too! Turns out, I have a stretched nerve in my lower back! It isn't correlated with any sort of strenuous activity I did, just that I slept on it wrong! But, overall, it's doing some crazy things to my right leg. On the plus side, I got to visit with a Physical Therapist and he basically turned me into a pretzel! It worked though! It was SO cool! Physical Therapy is incredible!!!! :) I should be healed up soon! Cross your fingers! Also, I got to take a nap this past P Day. Up to this point in my mission I hadn't really ever slept on a P Day. My goodness...... it was Heaven! It was SO nice! Also, one of our wards had a Chili Night Halloween Party this past Tuesday! It was SO much fun! I met some amazing people and we were led to 2 or 3 more families to start visiting. The members are absolutely incredible! They are so supportive and they make you feel like a celebrity as a missionary! Haha!

10/27/2014..The Tin Man and Our church is so cool!!

10/27/2014

My week in review: Oh man...... picture the best week EVER and place that week in Idaho and you will get a good feel for what my week was like! P-Day was AMAZING! We had a surprise birthday party for one of the Sisters in our zone! We had donuts, played basketball, soccer and wrote letters! It was SO much fun! On Tuesday, we had an absolutely incredible meeting with the other Zone Leaders in Idaho Falls and the Assistants. It was an emergency COUNCIL OF WAR as Moroni would say. We talked a lot about the mission, where we are at and what we are going to DO to grow and grow and GROW! Overall, it was an amazing and very inspiring discussion. A lot of ideas were thrown around and I feel very strongly that we can expect more amazing things here in Idaho in the coming months. Also, on Tuesday, Elder Olson and I were privileged to conduct 2 baptismal interviews for a boy and girl getting baptized Saturday1 They passed with flying colors! Then, we RACED back to Idaho Falls because we had previously been asked to speak in one of our wards Young Woman and Excellence thing. Basically, the theme was the Wizard of Oz so I got to dress up as the Tin Man and we talked about charity and love and tied it back to our Savior. It was pretty much the best experience ever but don't worry! I put my tag on the outside. ;) Also, we got to teach the Browns another lesson! They are AMAZING! :) On Wednesday we had Elder Eldredge, one of the Assistants to the President with us!! AHHHHHHH! It was so wonderful! He had previously served in this area so it was a joy for him to come back and see what was going on first hand! We were able to teach a LOT and have a fantastic discussion about the zone and the mission, where we are at and SPECIFIC things that we are going to do to grow and achieve our goals. It was SO inspiring and a wonderful thing to be a part of. Man, I love being a missionary and being able to do so many cool things. :) There was an elder a little while ago, Elder Gulisane that after he watched Meet the Mormons made the statement, "why is our church so cool?!" He is so right!!!! ;) Basically, it was an AWESOME day for the three of us! Elder Eldredge himself said it was one of the best days of his mission! WHOO! :) Thursday was awesome as well! We were able to teach a bunch of great people and also weekly plan! Whoo! Also, we found a new family to start teaching! :) Friday was CRAZY! So, we taught our investigator family every night this past week I believe. We got through all the lessons and made it to tithing. We expected a little hesitancy just because they don't make a lot of money as it is. And, we were right. We walked out of the lesson openly accepting the possibility that they weren't going to be baptized this month. BUT, the next day we brought the Bishop with us and he promised them that the FLOODGATES would open if they paid their tithing, not just the windows but the floodgates. It was an amazing thing to be a part of. The spirit was tangible and they are getting baptized this coming Wednesday! They passed their interviews and it was announced in Sacrament meeting! :) ALSO! The father has asked me to baptize him and Elder Olson is going to baptize  one of the daughters! Sigh.... best thing ever. :) We also took a Preach My Gospel questionnaire this past week! PMG is the best! :) Also, we had to give a bunch of missionary information! I have had 12 companions and been in 5 areas! WOW! Basically, the whole day was great! On Saturday we went to a baptism in our zone which was wonderful1 Also, we were able to meet with one of our investigators. She is gearing up to be baptized in November! She has so much faith and wants to change SO bad. Her determination is very admirable! Sunday was great too! We were able to teach a recent convert . We watched Finding Faith in Christ with him. It was awesome! Also, we met with 2 of our investigators. They are progressing well! She even performed in the Primary Program and he came to church for the first time in quite some time! Everything is just falling into place and we are standing in the middle of it dancing in the miracles! It's the BEST! :) God is so good and is so kind and loving. :) This upcoming week, we have baptisms as well as Halloween and our Missionary Leadership Counsel! It is going to be the best week ever as well! :) I love you all! Be safe, listen to the spirit, laugh and have fun! :)

10/20/2014..Companions..Elder Olson

10/20/2014..baptisms ahead!!

10/20/2014

My week in review: This past week was absolutely incredible! It was so BUSY and SO long in the best possible way!!!
Highlight 1- We took a family on a church tour and they are progressing well towards their baptism on Oct 29th @ 4 o clock! The father was not able to come to church this past week because of some very serious sickness BUT they've been reading the Book of Mormon and praying as a family! SO GOOD! Also, his wife and their two daughters came to church this past week and took notes for him! The Church Tour was SO powerful though! We walked through the chapel, showed them the Relief Society Room, the Primary Room AND the baptismal font! It's gonna happen and it is going to be incredible! This is just the beginning though! Our Zone is ON FIRE! Everyone is working hard and miracles are EVERYWHERE! These missionaries are incredible and I appreciate them so much! Missionary work is a work that brings SO much joy, fulfillment and happiness! To EVERYONE I invite them to help others find the light of the Gospel! There is not work as rewarding! It is beautiful and celestial and worth every minute of fear and or doubt! Please go forward with faith!!!!

Highlight 2- We were able to meet with another family! We asked them how church was and the mother said that it was long overdue and she is ready. The very next moment, the son asked about his baptism and when it was going to happen! WOW! They are so ready and so excited! It broke my heart to visit with them. They have had such a hard life, they NEED this so bad. I pray that nothing gets in their way. They will be baptized on Nov 30th! :)

Highlight 3- I invite everyone in the whole wide world to take notes during Sacrament meeting! Record the impressions that come to your mind and your heart! I did that during 3 wards this past Sunday and it was AMAZING. So many beautiful and personal things came to mind. I was able to find solace, comfort and answers. :) It may not always be easy but it is ALWAYS worth it!

Highlight 4- We had a really cool experience with another family! We were at our WML's home eating dinner and afterward, we went to contact him. He wasn't there but there were some guys on the other side of the street. So, we went and talked to them! They were everything but receptive and it was not an enjoyable experience. BUT! It was what we needed because right after that, because we spent 5 to 10 minutes talking to them, it gave the other Brother time to bike up and we started talking with them, eventually his wife and kids got home, and we shared a message with them! Through adversity comes the beauty of miracles!!! :)

Cool quotes that I recorded this past week:

"A necessary and wonderful principle of God's plan is progression. That's why we need to come to church so that we can receive a weekly catalyst furthering our progression. Change, righteous change, is impossible without the spirit."

"a cool and calm demeanor in times of panic and stress is the functional equivalent or a spirit filled state of mind."

'Honest and righteous laughter amidst struggles is a symbol of tremendous spiritual strength."

"Deep and abiding love for oneself stems from a sincere love of God and fellow men."

Missionary work is the best!!! Life is so GOOD! LOVE YOU ALL! :)

10/13/2014..Awesome Elders!!

10/13/2014

10/13/2014

Things are going absolutely unbelievably amazing!!

1- We are teaching a wonderful family. They came to church this past week actually! It's a family of 4, a mother, a father and two daughters. We got to meet with them afterward and Brother B especially was VERY impacted by church. He felt that every word and testimony was exactly for him. All in all, he loved it! He and his daughter are going to be baptized on Oct 28th! :) We have a church tour with them this week! He has a fear of water so he wants to see the font beforehand. Cross you fingers all goes well! :)

2-So, the spanish elders were tracting and found a family/set up an appointment with them for us! We went over and they were so nice! A 14 year old boy, a 16 year old girl, and their mother! We were able to take them on a Church Tour the next day with the Bishop and one of the Priests and then, they came to church on Sunday! The mother said that "this is where they belong!" :D The ward has been so wonderful too! They've absolutely wrapped their arms around them. THAT is what makes all the difference. The love and care that the wards give. :)

3-I also got to go on an exchange this past week! It was AWESOME! We did a lot of contacting former investigators/randomly knocking on doors and everything went AMAZING! We found 4 or so potential people we could start teaching and were able to meet all of our goals and exceed some! :) Heavenly Father has been blessing us SO abundantly! :)

4- Transfers happened! :) Not a lot of stuff is changing in our zone. We have a sister leaving, an elder leaving and we are receiving another district. We will have 3 districts in our zone!! WHOO! :) Also, Elder Olson and I are staying! We are going to get to spend Halloween and Thanksgiving with these AMAZING people! We are beyond excited! :) Now, we just need to survive one more and we'll have Christmas here as well! Also, the Axlines are getting sealed in December. :) It is going to be SO WONDERFUL. :)

Overall, those are the highlights for the week!

10/6/2014..Testimony

10/6/2014

Elder Olson and I have been able to see the hand of the Lord. Without a doubt, He never leaves us hanging. People often say, "why has God walked away from me?" I believe that when the proper reflection and perspective is applied, we quickly find that it is not God who has walked away but we have instead closed the door. He loves us and walks with us! He loves us with a perfect love that cannot be understood right now.
"He loves us enough to give us what we need, not what we want. :)"

My exchange in Shelley, ID was wonderful! We taught many wonderful people, played some soccer and I got to experience a much more rural area! :) I went with Elder Sincere and Elder Ledbetter and had a grand time. I learned much about the importance of humility and the role is plays in our being in tune with the spirit. It is impossible to be in tune with the spirit to the extent that God would like us to if humility is not in our hearts. :)

We had Zone Training as well! It was so crazy! We were so busy earlier that morning and weren't entirely prepared BUT it turned out well. :) A wonderful spirit of love and care was there and that's what we were going for. :) Also, we got to watch Meet the Mormons earlier that morning. It. Was. AMAZING! Please tell everyone about it! Make sure all your friends go! Not only does it answer questions but the spirit is SO strong. The lives of those people will take your breath away. It is well worth a visit to the theaters. :)

Also, Conference was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I loved President Callister, Elder Christofferson, and Jorg Klebingat's talks. They were amazing! And of course, Elder Holland's was fantastic. ;) I loved the messages that were given about how decisions determine destiny and that we NEED to sustain our prophet in word, conversation and action! It is such a gift to have one upon the earth and I need to better FOLLOW the prophet everyday. :)

Overall, it was an absolutely amazing week! I know with all my heart that the Gospel is true and that the church is true. :) It has been such a beautiful thing to see the blessings of the Gospel flow into my life and the life of others. :) I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that through it we can come closer to Christ everyday. :) Read it! Study it! Live it! :)

9/29/2014

Elder Dart and Elder Olson!!!! 

9/29/2014

My week: Things have been so amazing!!! We found a new investigator yesterday! We had just gotten out of a stake meeting and we went to go and contact somebody and they were home! They invited us in and after talking to them, we found out that he was baptized about a month ago and his wife, wasn't! BUT, she's taken the lessons and wants to get baptized! Also, they have 2 kids! It really was a miracle. :) Also, we got to walk around in the rain!!! ;) Mmmm... also! Yesterday evening, we had the chance to go and visit a family we have been visiting for a while. Everyone is active in the family except a step son they have, who is not baptized. We've been teaching the whole family the lessons and yesterday, we had a breakthrough moment with them! We got to give him a blessing. We talked a lot about the priesthood and he expressed how in the past he has been in environments where he felt evil spirits. After talking a little bit more, like I said, we gave him a blessing and it was absolutely incredible. :) Elder Olson gave a powerful blessing. The spirit in the room was tangible. :) We are looking forward to more amazing things moving forward! Also, we had the chance to meet with our Mission President and the other Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders around the mission! It was FANTASTIC! We talked about a lot of different things and of course, where we are at with our goals and what we can do to move forward with even more direction! Overal, it was SUPER inspiring and we can expect great things! :) Also, we met two AMAZING women! Both of them are very well versed in the Bible and we have had some very lively discussions with them! We are looking forward to teaching them! :) Overall, I love it here. With all my heart and soul! AND I just saw and talked to Elder Dart again! It is so good having him here!I love you guys so much!!! Have a fantastic week!!! :)

9/22/2014.. A baptism

 Lisbeth got baptized! It was AMAZING! Elder Olson performed the baptism

9/15/2014..New Companion and a face from home!!!

Everyone at the transfer site and heading out!

A face from HOME...Elder Dart

My new companion! Elder Olson!!! :)

9/15/2014..Bike rides and Member missionaries!!

My week in review: This past week was AMAZING. We were able to have a Zone Training with our 18 missionaries that we serve. Every companionship except one changed so it is practically a different Zone! Overall, it went really well. :) Also, we have a baptism this coming Tuesday! Her name is LIzbeth . She is about 15 and she's excited! Also, Elder Olson and I have really been able to hit the ground running! We have seen So much ward support which really has made the difference. I think that is going to be my number on favorite thing about serving here, THE PEOPLE. They are SO incredible and excited to do missionary work! We had a lesson last night with a LA man and his soon to be wife who is not a member and Brother and Sister Thorne, who came with us were SO wonderful! Bearing testimony, sharing personal experiences. It was a great thing to see! Everyone should do that! ;) Overall though, our WMLs are great, the wards are vibrant and wonderful and thee work is very prosperous, here and in the rest of our zone. It's a win win! I can't imagine leaving! It is going to be a sad day when that does happen. ;) For now though, I'm working on instilling LOTS of new habits and working as hard as I can! It's always fun going to a new area and especially for me, going to a new city! I feel like it is a fresh start and I am VERY motivated to do my absolute best and see all the amazing things happen here in our area. :)

We've got a car too which is pretty fun but we rode our bikes the other day which was INCREDIBLE! :) We were riding along and rode up next to this guy, probably early 20s, Andrew was his name. We started to talk to him and we ended up riding with him for about 2 to 3 miles. He asked all sorts of questions and we answered and taught him about Joseph Smith, our central beliefs and the Book of Mormon. Keep in mind that all of this was done while riding a bike, 3 of us on somewhat of a narrow sidewalk. Achievement? Most definitely! In the end, he told us how to get to his house and we are gonna visit him soon

It's starting to get a little chilly here as well! Hopefully, I can stay close to this car!!!! ;) Other than that, we have some wonderful investigators, there is a potato bar this Thursday in one of our wards, I had some fantastic waffles this past Saturday, Raspberry pie with the members we live with, I vacuumed a little bit this morning, and we are playing basketball, volleyball and all sorts of fun stuff with our Zone today!

9/8/2014..Amazing people and view of Pocatello!!

Everything that the light touches is our area! Except for a whole bunch of it! Haha! This is an amazing view of Pocatello from our area! :)

Myles' Baptism! It was AMAZING! :) Everything went smoothly and he is one is way! This guy really does have a bright future ahead of him! He has a lot of ward support, an awesome dad and a fantastic attitude! GO MYLES!

This is a picture of us and the Borgholthaus', an absolutely AMAZING family here in Pocatello. I love them so much! She has a daughter serving a mission right now and Justin, the one in the second picture holding his brother, Ryan, is leaving in 2 weeks for his mission in Wisconsin! He comes out teaching with us along with his brother, Nathan! They are INCREDIBLE! :D

9/8/2014 Moving to I.F. and record commitments!!!

9/8/2014

We actually are having transfers this coming week and guess what!!! I'M LEAVING POCATELLO! I'm not exactly sure how I feel.......... I've made INCREDIBLE memories here but I am very excited for the growth that God has in store for me this coming transfer in........ IDAHO FALLS! AND Elder Abbott is in my zone AND Elder Olson, who I served around for about 5 months is now my companion!! I am UNBELIEVABLY excited!!! I got to see him this past week at a meeting in Idaho Falls! MAN! I'm beyond excited to be his companion. I'm gonna learn so much and we are gonna work so hard! I can just feel the miracles that are out there! Also, I'm close to the temple! Whoo! :)

It really was a wonderful last week in Pocatello though. We are taking a hike for Pday today! AND last week, we played woofleball and volleyball! Also, this past Wednesday was the mission's day to set baptismal dates! Every single companionship! 125! AND we, as a mission set 95! It was INCREDIBLE! 95 more souls on their way to the waters of baptism! Elder Rash and I hadn't committed any of our investigators ALL day and we were on splits pretty much all night, for 3 hrs AND we were both able to commit an investigators of ours, at about 9 o clock to be baptized! Chae and Harmony are their names! We are so excited for them! God is so good. :) Fasting really does work! When we are willing to put in the work, God always rewards us. Also! this past Saturday, we had a baptism! Myles got baptized! He is 11 yrs old, incredible, and it was such a joy to teach him! Pictures will be sent! ;) Also, Sunday was the best! We had 4 of our investigators in one sacrament meeting, Myles got confirmed AND Yvonne, one of our investigators, bore her testimony! She talked about how to her, the church was home and will ALWAYS be home. It was beautiful, simple and amazing. :) That's the way all of our testimonies should be! Simple, heartfelt and meaningful! I love it! :) Other than that, it really was an incredible week. I am SO excited for Idaho Falls! I'm pretty much all packed and ready to go to for once! Whoo! ;)

8/25/2014

My picture with Elder Godoy, of the Quorum of the 70! He visited our mission! He is from Brazil and is an incredible man!!

8/25/2014....Visit from Elder Godoy

8/25/2014
My week in review: This past week was SO incredible! Our investigators are doing SO well! We had a great turnout this past week at church, were able to teach and commit many of them, and also were able to witness a baptism in our Zone! Whoo!

Also, we were able to meet with Elder Carlos A. Godoy of the Quorum of the 70. It was mind-blowingly amazing. We were able to have an early morning meeting with him, including him, President and Sister Brinkerhoff and probably 15 missionaries or so. It was very personal and the spirit was strong. We discussed the work in the IPM, how we can do better and what we are going to do to get where we need to be. Elder Godoy is so funny! He is from Brazil too! After our meeting, I was able to speak a little Portuguese with him, explain my situation and receive some council from him. He is a great man. :) Also, in the evening we had a fireside with him! Also, Elder Rash, two other elders and myself were able to sing a 4 part version of "Brightly Beams our Father's Mercy." It was AMAZING! We also have a Zone Conference tomorrow and will be singing there as well. :)

Also, Elder Rash and I have been able to do a lot of thinking, discussing and pondering about how we can better help the zone. We have come up with some great ideas and are very much looking forward to meeting with them after Zone Conference and counseling together!

We were able to come together this past Friday as well and have a Zone Companionship Study. The study went wonderfully! AND THEN! Elder Rash and I were able to sing a song that we prepared. ;) It was a spin on Five for Fightings, "Superman." We changed the lyrics so as to apply it to a new missionaries journey through his mission. What his priorities were like when he started out and what he became when the end came. ;) It was HILARIOUS and SOOOOO fun!!!!

Mmm.... what else.... oh! It's been raining a lot! Also! Elder Rash and I were both able to go on exchanges this past week! It was an incredible experience. I learned that I need to do better at not being afraid but instead, moving forward in the direction that God wants me to. Also, I LOVE the missionaries in this Zone! They are all so amazing and have such great desires to move forward and make miracles of their missions.

We also were able to go out teaching with our mission president! He came to 2 of our appointments during the evening of Wednesday. It was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! The spirit that man brings is unreal. I love him so much! He was able to give us some great feedback as well and we are looking forward to more fully enhancing our teaching. :)

it was just SUCH a busy week and such an incredible week. :) Thank you all for your amazing support and for everything you are doing! Please keep sharing the Gospel and brightening other's lives! I Know that Heavenly Father smiles down when we take care of those around us. :) We are all His children. :) He loves us all and wants to see all of us again. If our joy will be great with one soul that we have helped, how great shall be our joy if we should bring many souls unto God! Love you all!!!! :)

8/18/2014...Farm animals and the rain!!!

 SPENCER AND NATANIEL!! 

SO! It POORED rain while we were walking down the hill. Even though I had my super fancy brazillian rain jacket on, it didn't keep the rain away. BUT what it did do is keep me somewhat dry but the rest of my pants got SOAKED

8/18/2014..Chicken, ducks and cooking shoes

Our week indeed was AMAZING and the success was PLENTIFUl. Every week feels so LONG! In the best possible way! When Monday rolls around, we look back at the past week and we feel like the memories are SO old because there are so many of them! Here are a few! ;)

1-We got to go do some awesome service for the family in the Highland Stake! We helped them lay a TON of sod! Also, I got to hold a chicken and a duck! Man... that was scary. BUT it was super cool! Haha! They also gave us cookies and lemonade! Also, Elder Rash hit me in the head with a football! So, there was this swing that I was on. I was spinning around and he threw a football from about 25 yards away, it hit the pole that was holding the swing up and bounced off and hit me in the head. Even though it was VERY impressive, I chased after him and jumped on his back. He is a lot bigger than me though so it didn't do much! Haha! Overall, it was a wonderful opportunity to get the blue jeans on and go to work!

2-We are having SO much success and wonderful things happening in our zone right now! The work is hastening here in Pocatello, that's for sure! August is going to be GREAT and September is going to be INCREDIBLE! We are working on increasing the personal and effective follow up we have with our Zone. Elder Rash has come up with TONS of amazing ideas that are helping to push the Zone forward and give them everything they need to grow and prosper in this portion of the Lord's vineyard! We are the ZONE OF CHANGE! We are dedicated to becoming someone different, someone closer to God, every single day. We are going to invite those around us to come closer to Christ and nothing is going to stop us!

3-We also got to perform our musical number! The whole event was a HUGE success. The spirit was strong and without a doubt, Jesus Christ is the Savior. :) Also, our # went well! We are also performing for Zone Conference. We are performing a 4 part arrangement of 'Brightly Beams our Father's Mercy" with a narrative that I get to read in the middle, D&C 18:10-16. It's going to be incredible!

4-Mmm... it rained a LOT this past week as well! We got very wet and we even tried putting our jackets and in Elder Rash's case, his shoes and in my case, my planner, into the oven! We put it on low and tried to dry them off! It kind of worked! Haha! It made them really warm but they were still pretty wet. ;)

5-Also, Elder Rash and myself wrote a song!!! It is about a missionaries journey through the mission. It is pretty darn awesome. ;) We are gonna play it for Zone Companionship Study sometime. ;)

6-We are going mini golfing today! Whoo!

7-Oh! We got to play basketball with 2 of our investigators and a bunch of priests from the wards that we cover. We are trying to turn it into a weekly thing! We have been seeing a lot of success come from it and it has been SO fun!

8-We set a baptismal date with one of our investigators! He is awesome! He has read the Book of Mormon 2 times, the D&C once and the bible who knows how many times! He is going to be baptized on Sept 13th! He is working on overcoming smoking right now! He can do it!!!

9-Also, we got to go to the hospital to give a woman a blessing! When we got there, she had already received one BUT it was still an amazing experience! We got to have a prayer with her and I've decided I LOVE hospitals. Man! It was so AWESOME in there! It just felt like such an incredible environment! The work of salvation is done there, in a sense that people are either moving forward to learn more about the gospel on the other side or they are hopefully having experiences that will eventually bring them closer to Christ in this life!! Neurosurgery here we come!!! ;)

Overall, it was an AMAZING week! Man.... and we've got another one coming! I love you all!

Keep doing good member missionary work! Invite someone to hear from the missionaries TODAY and THIS WEEK!

Elder Merkley

8/11/2014..Visit from home and Great Missionaires

 A visit from Shani Law..dropping off some goodies from home!!!

Working in the FIELD!!!

8/11/2014..Speaking Portuguese and great experiences!!

Cool experience #1- We were driving down the road and we noticed this homeless man who was sitting on some bleachers. We initially drove by him and then felt the need to turn around and go talk to him. Boy oh boy, I had no idea what we were getting into. ;) So, he spoke NO English. It was AWESOME! I decided that some Portuguese was needed! ;) So, I got to talk to him for about 5 min in Portuguese. We gave him our number, talked to him about what religion he is, found out he didn't have a home AND had a prayer with him. It was such an incredible experience. :)

Cool experience #2- We found this amazing boy named Jessie! He is 9, his parents are LA members and he wants to be baptized! We got to teach him the Restoration and take him on a Church Tour. He absolutely loved it AND he came to church! :)

Cool experience #3- We have been able to make some GREAT progress with an amazing family that we have started teaching. We got to talk about eternal marriage quite a bit yesterday and share a video about how families can be together forever with them. We also gave them videos about the Restoration and Jesus Christ. It was fantastic! :)

Cool Experience 4- We got to talk in 2 of our 3 wards that we went to this past Sunday! I spoke on overcoming fear and covenants. It went REALLY well and it was such a good experience!!!

Other than that, it's been very rainy, Elder Rash is SO AWESOME and life is just great!!!!

To everyone else, I love you as well! Be safe and share the Gospel with EVERYONE! :)

Elder Merkley

8/4/2014..Having fun on pday!!

8/4/2014...New Companion!!

We don't have a lot of time..... BUT! This past week was incredible! Elder Rash, my new companion, is INCREDIBLE! He is very obedient, a super hard worker, diligent and very patient as well! There's a lot I could learn from him! ;) Also, we found a new family to start teaching!  She is a LA member, he is a non member and their 11 year old son is baptized Episcipalian. They are so great! They're eager to go to church, read the Book of Mormon and we are going back Wednesday! Boom! Also, we had a meeting to go to in Idaho Falls, which was FANTASTIC! This mission is SO great and President Brinkerhoff i s INCREDIBLE! :) Also, we have a meeting with the whole Zone this coming Tuesday! It's gonna be fantastic to see everyone together! Overall, I promise I'm doing great. :) Life is fantastic, the weather has been nice and we have some great stuff going on. I love you so much! :) Have a fantastic day and week!!!!!! :)

7/28/2014..Rain Selfie and great guys!!

 It rained SO hard one day! AND I realize that the first picture is a selfie but I had to capture the moment. 

 Seth got baptized! It was a very simple and a very wonderful service. He was super excited! He's got a bright and beautiful future ahead of him! 

 Elder Beebee and Elder Palfreyman! I'm gonna miss them! :)

7/28/2014...Hard at work and play

My week in review: Man.... there is too much to talk about..... well, to start off..... I got a waterballoon thrown at me by a little girl. I won't lie.... I was a LITTLE angry BUT I got over it. ;) It was at a youth activity by the way and we were trying to find someone to come to a lesson with us. ;) Oh! This past P Day we got to go to a place called Randy's Extreme! It was.... EXTREME! It was full of dodgeballs, trampolines, foam pits and everything fun that anybody would want to enjoy. ;) ALSO, we got to help a lady move on Tuesday! She was very grateful. It was a testimony to me of how much service really does help soften people's hearts and help move the work forward. :) Also, this has been the BEST week of my whole mission in terms of eating healthy and working out! It was FANTASTIC and as a result, I feel.... FANTASTIC! ;) Also, we got to see the Axlines this past week! They took us to Pizza Pie Cafe which is INCREDIBLE!

 Also, I know it's a little late... but I set mission goals! It feels so good to have them written down. This next year is going to be a year of accomplishment and growth. I can feel it! :) Also, we found a new investigator today!  She has a daughter, her husband is a LA member and she is so ready to learn! She has talked to missionaries in the past and has had some experience with the church. We are hoping and praying that she will be able to progress. :)  Also, we found a new family that we are hoping to teach a little more! I'm not sure what their last name is. They are INCREDIBLE. They are catholic and he is a VERY intellectual guy and likes to look at every detail. It makes for interesting discussions! Also, we got to go to Buffalo Wild Wings with some other Elders this past Thursday as part of a celebration/final outing because two of them go home today! Man.... it's so crazy. I'm gonna miss them! Their names are Elder Beebee and Elder Palfreyman. They have been amazing examples to me though.

.
Elder Merkley

7/21/2014... Baptisms and Ducks too!!

 NICK'S BAPTISM! Elder Bertoch and I got to teach him in my old area and he just got baptized! A lot of missionaries walked the journey with him and it was a wonderful thing to see! I'm so happy for him! He has got some great things coming from him and I know without a doubt, he's ready for em and ready to keep learning. :)

Elder Adkins and I's adventure to Idaho Falls!!! We got to go through the temple, then go to Olive Garden and we also saw this AWESOME SUPER HUGE DUCK! It was awesome. ;)

7/21/2014..Busy and happy!

My week in review:  2 of our investigators also committed to be baptized! One is 12, crazy and like the Broncos and the other is single, has a dog and loves the church with all her heart. I love them! It is going to be incredible to continue to work with them! Also, I got to go on exchanges with Elder Palfreyman this past week. He is going home in a week so we set after mission goals and had an absolutely amazing day!! Also, Elder Bertoch and I got to go to a baptism in Blackfoot for a man that we taught way back when. We also got sandwiches and pistachio fruit salad. 

Our zone is doing really well! I feel so gosh darn good when they succeed and when they are happy! It's wonderful to see their success. Also, I have officially hit my year mark and as a result of a new countdown beginning, I have a new found motivation to work harder, longer and smarter! Things are going awesome! Also, we have transfers this coming week so that will be exciting to see what happens.

I got to have an awesome experience. I was in Elder Bertoch's area and we went and saw this awesome lady who isn't a member that we met with quite a bit but since then had not met with them very much. We got in, had a great talk with her AND she came to church the next day! I hope and pray that she can continue to see how good the Gospel is and would be for her. She needs it. :) 

Also, we got to go to the Temple and to Olive Garden in Idaho Falls! Although Olive Garden was good, without a doubt, the Temple was better. ;) It was so beautiful, sacred and serene. It was my 2nd time going through that temple and the experience was unparalleled. :) I hope and pray that I will be able to return again and again. 

 Also, we got to play soccer and Frisbee with Elders Palfreyman and Bertoch, Jeff and Raymond (2 of our investigators), Jason Olsen and his brother (super stalwart member in Elder Bertoch's area) and two young men from our area. It was AWESOME! We even got to share a spiritual thought afterward! Overall, it was an excellent fellowshipping opportunity and a great way to let out some energy! 

 Overall, it's been very hot and this past week was INCREDIBLE! I love being a missionary! I love being a member of this church and I love everything that I am learning every single day! Hope all is well back home! 

7/14/2014..ONE YEAR MARK and lunch with the ladies!!!

This was such a tender mercy from the Lord! During my very first
exchange, close to a year ago, I took a picture RIGHT HERE and now, I
got to go back to that area for another exchange and take another
picture! Man.... life is the best! :)

When I was on exchanges we had dinner at Sizzler's with pretty much
the entire Relief Society! It was AWESOME!

7/14/2014..Be a Lion!!

This past week was so incredible! We got to have interviews with President Brinkerhoff and Sister Brinkerhoff which was the best thing ever. :) Also, we had a fantastic Zone Companionship Study this past Friday. It was great! We talked about the importance of involving the members and how NOTHING we do will truly be successful without them. CALLING ALL MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH: THE MISSIONARIES NEED YOU! PLEASE HELP! :) Great blessings in store! :) Also, I got to go on 2 exchanges this past week! One with Elder Bertoch (Which was absolutely incredible! It was so fun to be with him because we were former companions and of course, he is a great missionary and a hard worker! We made some great progress in our area!) and Elder Carter (I got to  go to his area and it was SO fun! It was an incredible growing experience for both of us. I love that Elder!). It was SUPER hot...... except, when I was with Elder Bertoch it POORED rain for about 20 min. We were absolutely soaked and it was fantastic! Also, a family let us in when we were walking around and we are going to start teaching their son! Man.... it has been such a great week! Elder Adkins and I have been having a ton of fun laughing and working hard! The Zone is doing well except we need to get more people out to church!

In the book of Proverbs it says, "The wicked flee when no man persueth but the righteous are bold as a lion." It is my invitation to all of us to be BOLD as a LION. Share the Gospel with someone this week! When we decide to share the Gospel, it isn't so much whether that person needs the missionaries but more so, does that person need more love, compassion, comfort and guidance in their lives. As soon as we ask ourselves that, we will know EXACTLY who needs the Gospel. :) The church is true. I know that with all my heart and soul. Joseph Smith was a prophet and his legacy will stand forever. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer, the one who makes change possible and the rock that will take us to God IF we let Him. It's my testimony that God loves us and as we bring that love to those around us, WE will love Him, Christ, and others more. 

7/7/2014..Enjoying the mountains and some wonderful missionaries!!

God loves us so much! Look at this beautiful Earth He has given us!

God loves us so much! Look at this beautiful Earth He has given us!

the whole gang at Idaho Falls!!!