Week 18...General Conference Weekend

Monday, October 7, 2013

Hello to all, hope you are all well.  It was amazing to watch & participate in conference as a missionary.  It’s so crazy to think that I am part of the 80,000 + missionaries that are serving and thinking that I'm being prayed for in General Conference.  The work is moving forward and I’m blessed to be part of it.

1. Where did you watch General Conference (Saturday/Priesthood/Sunday)? Well Saturday we went to Bro M’s house (Little Ricky) and watched both of the sessions.  He streamed it off of the BYU tv website.  For priesthood we went to the church building and watched it there, getting done with priesthood session at 10 pm was new for me.  Before the priesthood session we had pie and ice cream at the church.  Sunday we watched all of the sessions at the church.  There weren’t very many people there and we just stayed at the church in between sessions.  Let’s just say PJs and the couch is the best way to watch conference :) 
2. What were your favorite parts/talks of General Conference?  I really liked Elder Holland’s talk.  He’s always an amazing speaker and I loved how his talk gave each of us hope.  The story he related about Stephanie Nielsen touched me and I liked how he talked about how in her darkest moments and her wanting to give up because she would never look the same that her Heavenly Father still loved her more than she could comprehend.  Even though her life is different she is learning to adapt and make the most of what God has given her and He is still mending her.  https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/like-a-broken-vessel?lang=eng  Also, I like Pres. Uchtdorf’s talk about how we as members of the church are just normal people, we all make mistakes and our doubts about things we don’t know shouldn’t shake what we do know (reminded me of Elder Holland’s April 2013 talk).  Loved the quote, “doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith”.  https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/come-join-with-us?lang=eng Another talk that impressed me was Elder Mayne’s.  I liked how he used the analogy of a testimony and cross country training & basketball.  He said, “a testimony, like your body, needs to be in shape if you want it to endure”.  I loved how he compared it to enduring to the end and how we need to press forward with faith and as we build our endurance towards eternal life so we will receive the great reward in the end.  https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/the-strength-to-endure?lang=eng
3. What were your highs/lows for the week?  High was definitely conference.  Also, last night we were able to go over to our investigator, Sister S’s (we ate dinner with her Tuesday night, she is the neighbor to Bro. M) and give her a blessing.  She was able to watch conference at her home J She is having surgery today on a cancer spot on her nose. We were also able to give her friend a blessing.  It was awesome that all of the M family was able to watch conference.  I was very glad to hear that they were able to see it.  Unfortunately we have not been able to see the M family in a while because they are only around at night. We sometimes have a hard time making it up there at night.  A low was on exchanges we had to use the crappy bikes again, like I said last time they are not the greatest (but I guess it beats walking).  The gears are all jacked up so it makes it very hard to peddle and change into a decent gear.  Another low was we almost started the “stop smoking” lesson with Franky & Sally but they totally flaked out on us.  However, on a high note, Bro. M has given Franky & Sally an incentive to get them to start the “stop smoking” lesson and continue taking the lessons.  The deal is this…Freddy and his friend want to start their own business but they don't have money to do it.  Bro M is willing to invest money in their business and give them money to help them out with food & expenses if they take the lessons from us.  He is so generous with them and is a great example of how members & missionaries can work together.  It’s sad, they are so poor and he is helping them with food because they are starving.  So luckily they are still a work in progress. 
4. What are 5 positive things this week?  Obviously conference.  I had another exchange.  Also, I forgot mention last week that we now have one bike.  We got it from a less active member in another ward.  We are working on getting a second bike. 
5. When is the next transfer? I have a Halloween package to send but want to make sure you are still there.  Next transfer is Oct. 22,  but I won't know until the 19th if I will get transferred.  So I will keep you posted on what happens.  Next week I am going to have the same rule as before, everything needs to be sent by Thursday before transfers.
6. Did you do anything about the shoes? Just get what you need at Jo Banks and let me know so I can pay the VISA. Hopefully I'm going to go over today and buy some.  We are not going to the church today so we have all afternoon. 
7. Did the SD card ever get back to you? I still haven't received it...bummer :(  No I have not gotten it back yet.  No clue what happened to it.  Let’s pray that it  makes it back eventually.  Luckily I had already emailed all of the pictures on it so you have seen most of them.  I still have the other SD card so I will just resend the video when I send this card home. 
8. How's it going with Little Ricky's neighbor? Have you been back to teach her? How was the dinner with them?  We have not been back to teach her yet and she went in for surgery today so it may be a while before we teach her again.  Dinner was good, we had spaghetti.  We had a good lesson with her so hopefully it will go somewhere when she recovers. 
9. Is your weather still nice? Well, as we speak it is pouring rain right now. This past week has been in the 80's and very hot (unseasonably hot) but most of September was very nice, in the high 60's to mid 70's with not a lot of humidity. I'm just waiting for winter to arrive and not rebound until summer again.
10. Any update on the guy in jail?  None
11. What about the referral that you got from the other missionaries?  We have door talked to him but have not had a lesson yet.  We are going back tomorrow. 
12. Were you able to make contact/teach Franky & Sally?  I already explained about them above.  We have talked with them but we have not really taught them.  An Elder in the district who met them on exchanges thought it would be a good idea to put them on the temple prayer roll.  If you could do that it would be fab. 
13. Any new investigators or contacts?  No, not really

 

My time is up so I'll write later.  Love you and miss you!

Elder Muir



 August bday missionaries (taken from the mission president's (MP) blog)
 



September 2013 Harrisburg, Lancaster & Chambersburg zones (taken from MP blog)