Ultimate Frisbee, Salad, and Baptisms

May 23, 2016

We had a fun pday to start the week off right--always a necessity. Played some ultimate frisbee. That night not much happened... All our lessons canceled. But of course to make up for it the lord put many people in our path who we were able to talk to.


Tuesday was pretty good. Picked up two new investigators--one of which is a girl we have been trying to get baptized forever. She is on date for June 15th now. We had real time correlation (where we split up and go on visits with Ward mission leaders and talk about what's going on in the ward) Tuesday night, and we have one Ward mission leader that is really slackin at his calling (don't slack at your calling) but he found a guy to go out with us for the night. This dude was crazy. He dominated all the lessons... Haha. We had appointments with two of our newer less than solid investigators and we just get in there and he instantly starts talking about whatever he wants and trying to tell his conversion story to try and convert them. While telling jokes to try and make them laugh. He was THAT kind of a guy. Haha. Luckily the investigators said we can come back, and we will NOT be bringing him again.

Wednesday we ate lunch with a Ward mission leader like we always do. He never fails to satisfy. In fact he was the one, out of all my 19 years of my parents trying-sorry Mom- to get me to enjoy salads. That night K. got interviewed for baptism and is ready to go!


Thursday was pretty lame, I don't think a single person answered the door. Haha. But that night we had a meeting with the high counselor over missionary work and all the Ward mission leaders. Only half of them showed up tho. Pretty disappointing. But it was a good meeting nonetheless, and this stake is well on its way to running very smoothly in the missionary efforts.


Friday, after weekly planning elder Fehoko had a Temple trip at the Salt lake Temple with all the missionaries going home this transfer. Our ride was supposed to pick him up at 11:30, but he got lost. And has no cell phone. So at 11:50 we called the District Leader and had him come pick us up, he got into the Trax station the same time as the train and barely made it. Haha. Then I went to elder and sister block's house to have lunch and correlate as usual, and make baptism programs for K. and T.'s Baptism. When I was done there, I had a kid who is getting ready to serve a mission be my companion for a few hours while we waited for elder Fehoko to get back. We went out and worked, it was a cool experience for him.


Saturday was great. Right after studies we went to have breakfast with our Stake President, which is awesome. He is really involved with the work and always wants to help in any way he can, and it makes a huge difference. After that we worked a bit then went to lunch with Tina and Philippe since elder Fehoko is goin home. Then K. and T. got baptized! This was the last baptism of someone elder Brink took part in teaching, he was able to come back for it and T. (K.'s 8yo bro) asked him to baptize him. K. asked me to baptize her so I got to do that. Due to the circumstances of the mom's health being a burn victim and all, she would not have been able to come to the confirmation had it been Sunday. So we were able to get permission to confirm K. with her brother right after the baptism. Which is not an easy thing to get permission for, it comes from pretty high up. Right after the baptism we got a call from a random lady... When I answered she just said 'oh my goodness, I've been trying to get ahold of missionaries for about 10 days now!' She is not a member and said she just doesn't feel right at the churches she has been going to and she wants to learn more about the LDS church. Long story short I taught her a bit about the restoration over the phone and told her that she feels the way she does at those churches because they do not have the fullness of the gospel. I invited her to baptism, she accepted, and so I put her on date for June 11th. Sadly she does not live in our area, she lives just barely outside of our mission (yet in West Jordan still, haha) but I was able to get her in contact with the missionaries in her area and she is getting taught by them now. Little miracles everywhere. I'm sure those missionaries were excited when I called and said "hey, I'm from the south mission, I have someone in your area that wants to get baptized on June 11th and wants to meet with you tonight." Ha.


Sunday was good too. Good week all in all. We realized that in order to hit a goal that the mission sets-standards of excellence-we needed to have one more lesson with a member present. So we spent a bit of time thinking of who we could teach that wasn't a member that would have a member in the house, and a family came to mind that was exactly that, the wife wasn't a member but the husband was. So we went over and shared a message, picked her up as a new investigator, and set up a return appointment. She doesn't seem all that interested right now but miracles happen, and even if nothing comes of it, the lord helped us achieve our goal. All in all we found 5 new investigators this week. Pretty good.


Today is elder Fehoko's last Pday of his mission. Gonna miss him a ton. It's been a blast with him, his spirit is so strong and he's always laughing, either at you or himself. Tomorrow I will have a new companion, and he will be in the mission home getting ready to leave, Wednesday he flies to LAX, then to New Zealand, then to Tonga. 19 hours of total flight time, plus about 12 hours of layovers. I'm grateful it's an hour flight home when it's my time.

Love
-Elder Ray

T., Elder Ray, Elder Brink, K., and Elder Fehoko

Elder ?, Elder Ray, Elder Fehoko, and Elder Brink

Ultimate Frisbee on P-Day

End of mission shopping for Elder Fehoko

"It's time to leave, guys."

May 16, 2016

It was a great week. Monday started with a hike (sprint) up Bells Canyon. We wanted to get to the top to see the waterfall but wanted to be able to get back to work on time... So we ran up and down. I'm barely recovering. But it was a blast.

Tuesday we taught E. which went really well, then visited a cool less active-H.-that wants to start coming back so he can baptize his son when he turns 8 in August.

Wednesday was a killer day, we taught K. and T. and found out their mom just got moved to a rehabilitation center so she will be able to leave for a few hours to come to the baptism. So K. and T. are getting baptized this Saturday! Then we taught B. and D. We talked a lot about desire and how sacred the covenants we make at baptism are. She really understood and told us she had repented and truly did feel sorry for drinking. It was a really spiritual lesson and at the end we asked her to pray and ask if she should be baptized on the 14th or not. During the prayer we all had a really good feeling that she was ready for the 14th. 

Thursday after lunch we started exchanges, I stayed in my area and the DL elder Stout came here with me. We taught E. about tithing which she seemed a little nervous about... And then just as we were finishing up she said she didn't feel well and needed to leave, and she left. The relief society president who has been in on lots of lessons and has been reading the Book of Mormon with her on her own time said that E. had expressed some concern over tithing and not being able to pay it. I think tithing will be a big struggle for her. Later that evening we were in the apartments and I was trying to think of someone new who was not a member who we could go by, and I remembered a lady-C.- we had talked to who was super nice and said come by any time. So we went by, and taught her and her husband S. She wasn't ready to accept a baptismal date but they both seemed prepared to progress. They had been attending with his parents every now and then and she was eager to learn, and they expressed desire to one day be sealed together for eternity! We are teaching them again on Wednesday and we will see how it goes! Then we taught D. and B., and because we had elder Stout there we had him interview one of them while I taught the other. Both passed and he said that the interview he had with B. was the most spiritual interview he had ever done, just another confirmation she is ready. 

Friday was a little hectic but it was good. We taught B., C., and D. one last time before they were baptized, it went great. Saturday morning, B. and D. were baptized! I was able to baptize D., and their neighbors son, Hunter, who had come to a lot of lessons and is just getting ready to submit his mission papers was able to baptize B. which was awesome for him! It was such an awesome baptismal service. The rest of the day we didn't teach anyone, all our appointments fell through. But we talked to a ton of people, as per the usual on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Sunday was kinda disappointing. E. didn't show up for church, and neither we nor the relief society president have been able to get ahold of her since the last lesson.  Because she didn't come we will have to move the baptism again but more importantly we need to make sure she isn't afraid of any of the new principles of the gospel. But on the contrary, D. and B. got confirmed members of the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints and received the gift of the Holy Ghost! B.'s husband C. even came to church and stayed the whole time. Sunday night We got a text from B. saying he even confessed to enjoy it! Haha. The rest of the day was kinda crazy. Haha, we went to the apartment where Br., an investigator we picked up a couple weeks ago lives with her less active dad L. and less active recently baptized brother J. Br. wasn't there, she had already left to go back to her mom's, but we asked if we could come in and share a message. L. said sure, then mumbled something else and walked back into his room, leaving us with J. who is about 16. So we shared a little message with J. about the importance of having the gospel in our lives to catch us when we fall, and then asked him what some things were that he could do to build up that safety net. We taught him that he needs to attend church so he can keep his covenants, and just as we invited him to church L. walks out of his room and goes "alright, time to leave" haha and so we get up and ask if we can share a prayer before we leave and he just says "it's time to leave, guys" so we start walking out the door and I hold out my hand to shake his before we leave and he just says it again "it's time to leave." Hahaha. So we left. We couldn't stop laughing about it the rest of the night because it's not too often someone kindly invites you in then makes you leave like that. Crazy dude haha. 

Hope all your weeks are just as crazy!
Love
-Elder Ray

Elder Fehoko, B., Hunter, D., Elder Ray, and Elder Brink

Hiking Bell's Canyon

The meaning of this TBD...

Elders, Ray, Fehoko, Brink, and ??

Bingham Creek Rules

May 2, 2016

I love this area so much.
Monday night we taught A., who is living with his girlfriend. We taught him about the plan that God has for him, and that Heavenly Father wants him to have an eternal family. We taught him that by living with his girlfriend he was breaking the commandments of God and might not receive an answer to his prayers till they stop living together. They said they would discuss it together, hopefully tonight we can get some good news from that.

Tuesday we taught N., who did great and was still looking good for Saturday. Wednesday we took E. a large print bible. She didn't have time to meet because all her extended family is in town for a funeral, but she was very excited to get another book of scripture she can read. She is struggling with her life right now, and the gospel is what she needs, and she knows it. We taught a couple less actives , then taught N. again. We had found out on the Sunday before that she wanted to get baptized, and Wednesday she told us what helped her make that decision. She had taken our invitation and was praying about a date to be baptized. She works at a restaurant as a waitress, and at a calm time of the day, a group of guys were seated in an area that was not currently in use due to the calm time of day. She thought it was weird... But went over and did her job anyway. She started talking to them, and it turns out all three of them were returned missionaries that served where she was from in the Philippines. They told her that if she found what she believes to be the true religion, why wait, don't postpone salvation. So she decided to get baptized as soon as possible.

Thursday we started exchanges, and elder A., the District leader's companion, came to my area with me. It was a good day, we talked to a lot of people. Thursday night N. got interviewed for baptism and we showed her the font and told her and her husband R. everything that would happen. Then we taught D. B. and C.. D. and B. are doing great. B. has stopped drinking alcohol, coffee, and smoking cigarettes. They are both looking solid for the 14th! C. does not have the priesthood yet so he won't be able to baptize them but we want to get them all to the point at which they can be sealed in the temple for time and all eternity 

Friday we ended exchanges early so we could get back together for weekly planning. After planning we had lunch with our MLS couple, then put together the baptismal Program for N.'s baptism. Then we taught N. about a couple more things to get her completely ready, which she was! Friday night we swung by a less active who apparently has a a non member daughter that lives with him every other weekend. We taught her and put her on date. Not sure how solid she will be just because she is one of those people with an "I don't know" "I don't care" attitudes about everything. But we do our best to teach her.

Saturday N. got baptized! It was neat to see not only her joy but the joy of her husband R. in coming back to the gospel and being able to perform that ordinance for her. It was also great to see all the ward members that showed up to support them. It's such an important thing. After dinner we taught KD and T. They have now been taught everything and we are just still waiting to get news in whether or not the mom can leave the new hospital to come to the baptism. After that we went to B.'s house to share a message but when we got there he said they didn't have time for a message cuz he had a friend over, but he asked if we could leave them with a prayer. We said we could but we wanted to share a quick video with them first. We shared a video and then found out that B.'s friend C. wasn't a member. So we taught him a bit about the restoration, invited him to be baptized, set a date, and invited him to come to church. He said he would if B. went, and B. said he would like to go.

Sunday N. was confirmed a member and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. We weren't able to make it to B.'s Ward because of the confirmation, but we had texted the ward mission leader and told him to look out for B. and C. He texted us after church and said that B. never showed up, but C. came on his own and stayed for all three hours! Impressive. We taught him Sunday night and he said he loved the feeling there and that's why he stayed the whole time. He said he had been to a bunch of different churches, but only in the LDS church had he felt the spirit, and not just feelings of 'excitement' with the pastor shouting at you and with rock bands playing. We finished teaching him about the restoration, and he said he believes it and they it makes sense. He's at a time in his life where he needs the gospel to change his life and turn it in the right direction. Elaine didn't make it to church. We are always disappointed when that happens, cuz we will have to push the date back to the 21st. All in all it was a good day and a stellar week.


Hope erryone has a good one.

Love
-Elder Ray

Elder Fehoko and Seth, Richard, Nancy, Elder Manarin who got to help
teach Nancy cuz he speaks Tagalog, and Elder Brink got to come to the
baptism because he taught her once.

We Have Seen Miracles...

April 25, 2016

It's been a pretty good week. We have seen miracles, the Lord has helped us as we strive to achieve a hefty goal. Tuesday after district meeting we went to a meeting with the missionary technology department that we were invited to a couple weeks ago. We were the first of about 5 companionships that got to see a new app that they are working on to make our proselyting and planning more efficient. It was really neat to see this team of guys and all the hard work they put in to help the work of salvation. I can't think of a cooler job to have than the one they do (except maybe missionary work itself).


Wednesday elder Fehoko broke his bike. His legs are too big... He sheared the spindle between the cranks in half. Luckily our landlords are awesome enough to risk letting him ride theirs for the last 4 weeks of his mission.


Thursday we walked most of the day because we hadn't got the bike yet, and we taught C., a less active whose wife is due to have a baby in a couple months. The bishop wants C. to be able to bless the baby when she is born, and we are going to try and help get him there. The lesson with him went really well, we talked and got to know him, and set the expectation that we will meet with him once a week and he needs to do what we ask to get to the point at which he can meet with the bishop. He's got a lot to do... He opened up to us and told us the
reason he is unable to bless his baby at the moment-on top of being inactive-is that he robbed a bank. Wow. Haha, he is the nicest guy ever, you couldn't have guessed. I'm excited to be working with him and ultimately want him to get to where he can be sealed to his wife.


Friday we had a font side  lesson with E. and set the time for her baptism to 12:00 on the 14th, and she is so excited to take this step in her life. Last week we taught her about the word of wisdom and she agreed to live it, she's doing great! Hasn't slipped up yet! We swung by N. and were able to teach her a lesson and re-invite her to baptism. We told her to pray and ask God if she should get baptized April 23rd, April 30th, May 7, or May 14. She said she would!


Saturday it rained all day, and we didn't teach any lessons. But it was still good! We tried hard to find more people to teach, and met lots of potential.


Sunday morning we split, I went to Ward council with a ward Mission leader and elder Fehoko went to church with a different ward mission leader to be with E. She stayed for sacrament but wasn't feeling good so she was going to leave after that, but the bishop offered a priesthood blessing, to which she accepted. So elder Fehoko and the bishop gave her a blessing and were able to teach her about the priesthood a bit before she went home. During priesthood meeting, N.'s husband sat down next to us and said that N. prayed and got an answer and wants to get baptized this Saturday! Such a great miracle.  After that we went to a different sacrament meeting, and C. kept his word and came to church! That is always the best. After that we taught KD and got great news that her mom, who we were waiting for to get out of the hospital so she can be at KDs baptism, got transferred to a different hospital  which should allow her to come to the baptism! So she should be getting baptized soon. We had an awesome lesson with D. B. and C., in which they agreed to stop drinking coffee, beer, and smoking so they can be baptized the 14th! It is very exciting to see the people you are working with progress so well. The lord really has prepared so many people to progress in the gospel in this area.


Hope everyone has a killer week!

Love
-Elder Ray

BBQ'ing

Elder Fehoko