WEEK 11 WYOMING (WEEK 47 OF MISSION)

hey everyone! 

 

its been another great week here in wyoming!! we had stake conference this week, which was wonderful. so many people were there and there were some wonderful talks given! 

one quick miracle from this week that shows that our Heavenly Father is hastening His work! one of the first weeks i was here in wyoming, we were driving out of sister pawson's neighborhood and there was a car stuck idle in the middle of the road. elder pena and i jumped out of the truck and started talking to the lady who's car it was. she didnt know what had happened but her car had stopped running right there and she had her 4 year old son in the backseat. as elder pena and i pushed her car to the side of the road, sister pawson talked to her, got her name, phone number and address and said we would check up on her to make sure her car got fixed and things. 

well weeks went by, sister pawson talked to her maybe once on the phone for a brief moment and hannah (the girl who's car was stuck) was very busy and couldnt meet with us. two weeks ago we stopped by her house randomly to see if she was home. her mother answered the door and told us hannah would be moving the following day. we got in contact with hannah and helped her move. as we moved her things, sister pawson talked to her and hannah had questions about mormons. at the end of the move, we talked to her for a little and before we could even invite her to learn, she said she wanted to know more. her roommate and roommate's boyfriend also wanted to know more. we have now taught hannah two times and she wants to be baptized on the 31st of may! she is incredible. what a wonderful example of elder ballard's general conference invitation to “follow up!”

one quick self-inquisitive question. would you want to marry yourself? 

this is something president hess has been focusing on lately. it is a great motivational tool becuase as we think about who we hope to be associated with (whether as a spouse, coworkers, or friends) we want to be around people who are hard working, happy and obedient. but we cannot be associated with thsoe poeople if we ourselves are not those types of people. we are all trying to be like jesus, and one day (judgement day or much sooner perhaps at your wedding, around your children, or around your friends) we will all want to be around people who are like Jesus. The only sure way to make sure we ourselves can keep that company is by being those types of people ourselves. we ought to strive to be more like our Savior every day and always remember to keep our eyes on the company we keep. if we want better company and better influences, then we must also be willing to be a better influence and to be the type of person that we want to spend our time around. never forget that! the age-old question of what would Jesus do still applies today!

have a great week!

elder green

WEEK 10 WYOMING (WEEK 46 OF MISSION)

another great week!! dont have a ton of time though!! sorry!!

what a wonderful easter weekend! jontae is doing incredibly. he is really looking forward to being a home teacher and he has come out with us a few times as well. he is on fire with the gospel, now we just gotta commit him to serve a mission! haha 

 

Easter Dinner at Sister Pawson's
How do you even thank her for her kindness to all these Missionaries!!!

 

we are teaching a lot of people right now, so it is hard to give updates on all of them! we met a lady some weeks back named Lisette. she is from chicago. she and her husband have 3 boys. her husband only speaks spanish, but she and her kids speak spanish and english. we have chatted with them all a few times, but never taught them because they have been busy and so have we. well, last week lisette was sick and we went to give her a blessing, but her son told us the wrong hospital haha so we just called her on the phone and managed to get a time to go see her. she has been so hard to meet with so that was a miracle by itself. well we got out to her house and started talking to her and they have just had some terrible times lately! things have been really tough for them. as we started talking about her trials, she began to cry. she said she was a cry baby haha her 14 year old son, adam, was sitting in on the lesson as well and was very solemn and focused on what we were saying. we watched a mormon message entitled Mountains to Climb, and then offered her a priesthood blessing. it was a great experience. afterward we watched the church's easter video they produced and it was great. we will be back to see them this week. 

i am so thankful for the Savior. He is the life and the light of the world. Strive to emulate Him. I love the lyrics of the song, "Lord, I would follow thee." “who am i to judge another, when i walk imperfectly? in the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye cant see.” be loving to others. be charitable. give them the benefit of the doubt. we never know what someone else is passing through or where they are coming from. Our Savior knows, that is why we must leave the final judgment to Him. What made the Savior so merciful? He knew where everyone had been and the intent of their heart. We may not always be able to know those things, but we ought to be forgiving and loving of those around us. "wherefore i say unto you: that ye ought to forgive one another. for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord.. and there remaineth in him the greater sin. I the Lord will forgive whom I will forgive but of you it is required to forgive all men and ye ought to say in your heart let God judge between me and thee. and reward thee according to thy deeds." thats in section 64 of the doctrine and covenants, i cant rmember the verses right now. sorry. i know it is hard to love others because i have been very rash and quick to judge throughout my life. i am striving to overcome those tendencies though. if we could all pacify our tendency to react quickly and often with exaggerated emotion to the actions of others, our world would be a better place. let us all do our best to forgive others, to love others, and to always remember that we dont know what they are dealing with. remember, in the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye cant see. the Savior is the way, the truth and the light. look to Him in every thought, doubt not, fear not. Through Him, despair becomes hope. Through Him, we have second chances and clean slates; because of Him there is no such thing as the end. 

have a great week!

Elder Green 

WEEK 9 WYOMING (WEEK 45 OF MISSION)

hey everyone! another great week in wyoming! 

Jontae's Baptism

jontae's baptism was on saturday and it was soo great! he is such an incredible young man and will be very influential in bringing many others to follow Jesus Christ and to join the church. the hot water ran out like 2 minutes into filling the font, so it was a cold water baptism haha elder pena baptized him and I confirmed him yesterday. then, in elders quorum, he was given the aaronic priesthood and ordained to the office of priest. wayy cool!! he is such a boss.

there are many miracles that happen every day out here. it is hard to narrow it down to just a few! but we picked up this really cool new family from burma. the children speak english, so their 13 year old daughter translates for us and their 21 year old son too. it is very cool! they are incredible and will do really well! 

also this week, while we were teaching patty dudicz (wife of a member) we followed up on her book of mormon reading and she hadnt read that week. so we began to read with her in 1 ne 2. it was great. the spirit is always so strong when we read the book of mormon with investigators. as we finished the chapter and continued discussing what it meant to us, she said something like, "this is weird, i know, but i just realized something. i have always wondered like why the book of mormon? why do we need it? why did it come forth now instead of earlier? and it just kinda came over me and hit me how necessary it is." she went on to elaborate and basically we watched her gain a spiritual witness of the book of mormon right in her own home that day!! soo cool!!! 

the church is selling out this Easter season. they are purchasing banners and ads on major websites including youtube to help promulgate the message of the Restoration. each of us should support the church by posting the videos and inviting everyone we can to check them out. the newest one is called "because of Him" it can be found on lds. org. it is INCREDIBLE!! watch it, please. Joseph Smith said that we could build all the chapels we want, but eventually we would not be able to contain the Latter-Day Saints. We are witnessing this promise unfold before our very eyes.

I know the Savior lives. I know He is the Son of God. I know He fulfilled His divine mission and made it possible for each of us to return and live with our Heavenly Father in the family unit for eternity. As we follow the gospel He taught by having faith in Him, repenting of our sins, making covenants and receiving the Holy Ghost, our lives will be filled with joy and peace. Because of Him death loses its sting. Because of Him, I know that I can be united with my family for eternity. It's all because of Him. If this church isn't true, and Jesus is not the Christ, then we have no hope. But I know He is, and that this is His church. These things I know are true. 

Have a great week!

Elder Green 

WEEK 8 WYOMING (WEEK 44 OF MISSION)

Hey everyone!! 

Missionary Leader Conference

what a great week! i hope you all enjoyed conference. it was truly incredible. We are so blessed to be able to be led by prophets of God. As i listened, i couldnt help but get an overwhelming feeling that these talks had so much substance to them. they are really able to teach us and show us the way to eternal life. in none of those talks did they ever tell you to do something like “be happy and feel peace” and not tell you how. they never shy away from telling the truth. i could not be more thankful for modern prophets. when so much of the world looks for a God who will speak, "smooth things" unto them (isaiah. 30:10)  we are blessed to be able to know the truth!

Jontay's baptism is this next saturday! it will be a great day, i am so excited for him. he is a great young man. we are really looking forward to that experience. hopefully we can get all of our other investigators there so they can feel the spirit and see a baptism! 

we are so blessed in this area to teach so many great people! I am so thankful to be here. 

everyone in life seeks 3 things: peace, purpose and a way to come closer to God. the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only thing in the world that will bring eternal answers to all 3. occupation, family, and love can bring temporary satisfaction to those 3 natural desires, but only the gospel can fill that void eternally. Share it with everyone. it is simple. everyone wants those things, we have them to give. please listen to the words of the prophets. fill your prayers with gratitude and repentance. never procrastinate changing our lives to conform to God's will. that is what we are here to do! I love you all, I love the Savior, I love my Heavenly Father, I love the Holy Ghost, and I love Joseph Smith.

have a great week!