January 13, 2014
Howdy…
I just saw this new Mormon
message that I really liked. It just
came out. You may have already seen it, but I'm not sure. http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=3019287996001
I think it’s really cool in regards to
how thoughts of the Savior and the gospel can bring peace into our lives
even in the crazy world that we live in today. Speaking of crazy, I heard
about how Utah is in the limelight (or lowlight) regarding gay marriage and how
it is sort of legal right now. It is quite crazy to see the craziness of
the world and how the world tries to change the simple doctrines of Christ. It seems the end is coming to a close faster and faster and we are right in the middle of it, seeing all of the prophecies being fulfilled. Hence the work is and needs to be hastening
at a faster speed. Thankfully, God has a plan for us all and He knows that
we can make it through it all. A funny side note is if you look closely
at the video, it is filmed in the KSL news room. I just had to add that info
to show you that I am still a news junky :)
- So...what about transfers? Are you staying or going? We are both staying in Lititz. Elder S is going back to Ephrata (his old area) so no more trio. Also the B’s (mission office couple) are leaving this transfer and I was sad to read that in President’s email this morning. But they and President are in the same ward at home (Utah) so he said it was not really a goodbye for them, just a see you in a few months.
- Is Elder B staying or going? He is staying.
- What happened with the trio and Elder S? He is going back to his area in Ephrata.
- What are the highs/lows for the week? Well, obviously a low was the freezing cold Polar Vortex and our investigators still have not really been moving along like we would like them to. Highs are that the ward is good and missionary work is really trying to be pushed from the ward council so hopefully things will start picking up really soon. I liked getting your package (food & coat) with all of the fun filled surprises stuffed in the jacket pockets, Thanks!
- How did you survive the "Polar Vortex"? Did you go out on Tuesday? Yes, we went out on Tuesday, but we used the car all day long, no walking. We went to Elder S’s area in Ephrata and did some work there and saw some of the people that he was teaching. It was fun and tell Teresa that we drove through good ole’ Intercourse, PA, but we didn’t stop at the “Good & Plenty”. Back to the main point of the Polar Vortex, it was FREEZING!!! We literally ran from the car into peoples’ houses because it was so windy and cold. Yes, I have stayed warm or at least tried to stay warm. When I wrote you on Tuesday (coldest day) it was 5 °, but with the howling winds it got to -26!!! So I survived the Polar Vortex, but at times it was downright awful. However, the church building did not fare the cold so well. Monday night a fire sprinkler froze and exploded on the stage. It put 2 inches of water on the gym wood floor and the back half of the building flooded as well. To say it is a mess would be an understatement. They have a huge plastic bubble over the floor and de-humidifiers and fans trying to dry it out. There is a high possibility that they will have to rip it out and put in a new floor because of the wood warping. Basically the church is no bueno right now.
- How's the weather been this week? Well after the cold snap it warmed right up into the 50's and was rainy on Friday and Saturday.
- What are 5 positive things from this week? I have about 50 pages left in the BOM. This morning on the way to the library we got a media referral (a referral from Mormon.org) so hopefully that will turn into something good.
- I loved, loved, loved the pics you sent last week of New Year's eve. Next year I'm going to send mini Martinelli's. I've examined the pictures several times and have a few questions. 1) What's the deal with the pictures of the "trojan horse" on the wall (that's what it looks like)? Not really sure, we found it and decided to put it up. 2) Love the flower basket and plastic box with candy up on the shelf. Do you get lots of candy or is that just were you put all the extra candy that no one ever eats and it's been left there from companions past? Well the reason the flowers are there is because this used to be a sisters’ apartment. So the Elders threw the flowers up on the shelf until they're needed again. Yes, the candy box is left over candy from random people that have been in the apartment that never gets eaten. It’s been there a while and probably should be thrown out. Just thought it was funny :) 3) There were 2 pictures of houses/farm/silos in a field...one from you and one from Sis. Thatcher. They look like similar pictures but one had snow. Is there significance of the picture? What or who's farmhouse is it? No significance, you just wanted pics of scenery so that is what I took a picture of.
- How's the missionary work coming along? It is sort of slow, but the ward is really starting to push member missionary work and they’re looking for opportunities to share the gospel. So hopefully people will start thinking of missionary work since it is the new year and maybe they'll make some goals for sharing the gospel. We’re hoping things will start picking up.
- How are the investigators?
1. TP, Mandy & Lee? Still
same old, same old. We have not seen any of them lately. We were
going to see TP yesterday but apparently a relative got in a really bad car
accident so she is going to visit him in Ohio.
2. D… He is another we have not seen in a while because he is in still in NC
visiting his dad and we have no idea when he gets back. We can’t get his
number from him so it makes hard to contact him.
3. W… Well we had a couple lessons set up with him this weekend
but he kept cancelling.
4. The I family, how did the FHE go with
them last week? It was kind crazy because the family
that hosted the FHE has a lot of younger kids so it was kind of chaotic. But at least we had a message and we
are going back again tonight.
5. Claude He is doing well. We are
still trying to beat him in pool each week.
6. Anyone new... Unfortunately no
- How are the members? Who do you enjoy being with? They are doing good. The F family is fun to be with and have dinner with (had Christmas breakfast & dinner with them). The V family is also a fun family to be with (gave me the black ski jacket).
- Any good dinner appt. stories? No dinner appointment stories, but I do have a funny story. So we have a less active guy we are teaching and he is kind of crazy, but super nice. He is really, really loud. He has had a rough life. He was a heavy drug and alcohol user back in the 80's. In our lesson he had to go to the bathroom so he goes up to use the bathroom and proceeds to carry on the conversation while screaming down the stairs from the bathroom. We were like “what the heck” and it was really funny to us.
- Any zone conferences/interviews with MP coming up? I have interviews on January 24th and on this Thursday we have zone training. The zone leaders will teach the training that they learned at the monthly leadership council meeting.
- Anything new that you haven't told me? No
- Are you happy & healthy? Yes
- Can we do anything for you? No, but in answer to your question about the black coat that I requested… I don’t need it anymore (but thanks for sending it anyway, not enough time for proper communication). We were at a member’s house, the V family’s house, and the dad said that he was getting rid of a nice Columbia ski jacket. He asked if it would fit either of us and it fit me so I took it and have been using it. It’s nice and warm. So I will probably send my black jacket back home at some point so I don’t have to pack it around. Also, I took a suit and my black Old Navy coat to the dry cleaners and put that on my debit card (so watch for that please).
- What happened with the sisters this transfer? What about your district? It’s pretty much staying the same besides one sister leaving from the other ward in our district.
- Any spiritual experiences that you'd like to share? Ether has been a fun book to read and I’ve come across some cool insights. I’m on tract to finish the BOM here soon. Also I was reading in the Old Testament about the tabernacles and how they compare to modern day temples. We have an Old Testament study guide in our apartment and it was cool reading the comparisons between then and now. I loved learning about the symbolism that it uses and how similar the two really are.
Well I love and miss all of you!!!
Love
Elder Muir
No comments:
Post a Comment