I’m so thankful for all the people in my life who have been good role models and have had positive impacts on my life.

Somehow we are already to the last week of another transfer. I can’t believe how fast time seems to be going by. Already halfway through the month of March as well. The weather has been absolutely crazy this last week. Monday and Tuesday it was beautiful and about 65 degrees and then on Wednesday it got cold and rained all day and then while Elder O’Neal were out knocking doors it started to hail really bad and so we decided to try and get inside but we were almost a 20 minute walk away from the closest church building and even farther from our apartment so we got soaked. And then it snowed on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Utah weather is pretty crazy. But it was a great week. We had some really awesome lessons. The one that stood out the most was with a boy named Khoen. He is 9 years old and really wants to get baptized and at first his parents were really friendly but didn’t really want us to teach them. But this past Friday at the end of the lesson his mom asked us to stick behind and she started asking us a ton of questions about what she had been reading in her scriptures. It was so cool. We had no idea that she had started reading her scriptures but it was a really cool experience. There have been countless experiences that I’ve had on my mission where my actions have influenced other people and I haven’t really realized it. Serving my mission has definitely taught me how important it is to be kind to people and to not be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. It makes a big difference in your life as well as in others around you. We never really realize how much impact we can have on other people. I’m so thankful for all the people in my life who have been good role models and have had positive impacts on my life. Again it just testifies to me that God knows us and is aware of us and our needs at all times. Hope everyone has another great week!

He then invited me to pray and ask if God was really there and if He loved me and so I did. The answer came so strong and so powerfully and that moment really changed my life.

This week went by so fast. It seemed like I blinked and it was over but it was again a pretty good week. We had some really good lessons this week but nothing from our lessons really stood out to me to share this week. However, Elder O’Neal and I were asked to speak in church this past Sunday and I wanted to share part of what I spoke on. So I was asked to speak about the importance of teaching the truths of eternity. Kind of a weird thing to speak on but the more I thought about it the more I just kept coming back to a few main things that we believe in and I want to share two of them. The first is that God is real and He loves us and the second is that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and He suffered and died for us. I know without a doubt that both of those statements are true. As I was reflecting on these statements it made me think of the moment where I came to know that God loved me. It was the summer right before we moved up to Goshen and I was really struggling with a lot of things at the time. I was really weak. I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to take on everything I was going through at the time by myself and I needed help. I went to EFY in Texas that summer and my counselor came up to me while I was trying to read the scriptures and we started talking and I opened up to him a little about some of the things I was going through at the time. He asked me if I knew if God loved me and I said I don’t know. He then invited me to pray and ask if God was really there and if He loved me and so I did. The answer came so strong and so powerfully and that moment really changed my life. Knowing that God is there and cares about me and is apart of my life makes me want to be better and helps me to have hope for the future. I know God lives and that He loves us. I know he is a part of our everyday lives. So if you haven’t prayed and asked God if he loves you, I wanna invite you to do that. And even if you have sometimes it is nice to have some reassurance. Hope y’all have a great week! Thanks for your prayers!

I have such a strong testimony about God being a part of our every day lives.

This week was another really successful week. We had some really cool lessons and met some really cool people this past week. I always struggle to find just one cool experience to share because there are so many. The one I wanted to share this week was from contacting a guy named Craig. One of our bishops asked us to stop by and visit a guy named Craig and we weren’t exactly sure why or what he wanted us to talk with him about. So on Saturday night we were trying to figure out who we should go by and see and we remembered Craig and so we thought we should stop by. I have such a strong testimony about God being a part of our every day lives. He knows us and He knows what we need, when we need it. It had turned out that Craig’s dad had just passed away a few days earlier from a stroke. We had actually met Craig a few weeks ago when we went around shoveling driveways and we helped him and he told us his dad had just had a stroke. So apparently the next day his dad passed away. So Craig was obviously struggling and we were able to come into his home and share a message with him about trials. I got to share one of my favorite scriptures from Romans 5:3-5 which I think I’ve shared before. In the verses it talks about how going through trials will help us to have more hope in our life and I love that and know that that is true. I know that God knew that Craig needed someone to talk to that night and he needed to hear how God has a plan and everything will work out in the end. God is aware of each and every single one of us. In other exciting news, we got to go to the temple today which is always amazing. I really felt the spirit so strongly there today. Afterwards we went and just walked around temple square and went and watched some videos and took a couple of tours. It was Elder O’Neal’s first time there so it was pretty cool. I always love going to temple square. I hope everyone has a good week. Thanks for all of your prayers!

When we are obedient to the commandments of God then He has no other choice than to bless us and He wants to bless us because He loves us.

This week went by so fast. We got a lot of snow this week which meant we got to spend a lot of time shoveling driveways. On Tuesday, I was on exchanges with Elder Burner and we spent all afternoon shoveling. In total I think we did either 4 or 5 driveways so that was pretty cool. I hate shoveling but I love serving others and seeing how it makes their day. Logan and Bowen also got baptized this Saturday and it was a really special day. I’ve never really seen two kids so excited to get baptized and the spirit was so strong at the service. It was pretty cool. We had Zone Conference this week as well and we talked a lot about the commandments and why God gives us commandments and why He wants us to follow them. They aren’t to restrict us in anyway. Commandments are there to bring us joy and blessings. When we are obedient to the commandments of God then He has no other choice than to bless us and He wants to bless us because He loves us. Blessings bring us happiness. In the scriptures it teaches us that “Wickedness never was happiness” and that’s so true. If you look in the world you’ll notice that most of the people who are unhappy are those who aren’t doing the things that God has asked us to do. I know that if we follow the commandments of God that our lives will be filled with joy. I’m excited to keep working hard these last 5 months to help people find the joy of living the gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope everyone has a great week!

If you are struggling to get along with someone or love someone in your life, serve them.

Well we finally got snow this week. It has been a very mild winter with most days being in the 40s all winter and especially this past week until Sunday and Monday. We got quite a bit of snow and it is supposed to keep snowing on and off for the rest of the week. I was hoping we could just skip winter this year but it decided to just come really late. It was still a really good week though and this week should be a great week too. Logan and Bowen are both going to be getting baptized this coming Saturday and Elder O’Neal and I are both really excited about that. It has been so fun to get to teach and to get to know these kids. They both are just so excited about getting baptized and about reading their scriptures and doing their very best to follow Jesus. After being on my mission for this long and working with so many young kids, I definitely understand why Jesus in the scriptures says to become like a little child to be worthy to enter the kingdom of God. They are so humble and ready and willing to learn. Logan and Bowen are definitely great examples to me. It was a pretty typical week for the most part. We had some lessons and spent a lot of time contacting but Saturday was a really fun day. We got to play basketball in the morning with some people in our area and it was a lot of fun and then we spent the rest of the day doing service. We spent most of the afternoon helping unload a moving truck and there weren’t very many of us there to help and a lot of stuff so it took us a while. When we finished that we went and helped a guy in our area build a gardening box for his wife and we helped dig up some pretty big roots as well. And after we finished that we spent the rest of our night helping the same people from earlier in the day unload a second load in their moving truck. And this time Elder O’Neal and I were the only ones there to help. I definitely slept well that night and woke up pretty sore on Sunday. I’m so thankful for the opportunity I have to get to serve others. I love the people here so much. If you are struggling to get along with someone or love someone in your life, serve them. By serving them you will set aside your pride and your differences and be able to see them the way God sees us and it will completely change the way you look at them. I’ve got to do that for the last 19 months and it has truly changed my life and I’m so grateful for that. Until next week!

Tony got baptized on Saturday and it was such a cool thing to witness.

We got transfer calls this week and found out that Elder O’Neal and i would both be staying together another transfer so I’m super excited for that. I’ve loved getting to serve with him these past 6 weeks and look forward to the next 6 weeks. We had a pretty exciting week. Tony got baptized on Saturday and it was such a cool thing to witness. The Spirit was so strong there and it was pretty evident how excited Tony was to get baptized. I’m so happy for him and for his family. We also had some pretty cool lessons this week. For whatever reason it seemed like all of our lessons this week seemed to be on a lesson we call the Plan of Salvation. I love teaching this lesson. This lesson teaches us about our relationship with our Heavenly Father, where we were before we came to Earth, where we go after we die, and what our purpose is here on Earth. This lesson gives me so much hope. I’m so thankful for the knowledge that I have to know that I’ll be able to see my family and loved ones again even after death. We have a loving Heavenly Father so why would he make it so after our life on Earth there is nothing else? To me that just doesn’t make sense, and I know God loves us and wants all of His children to return and live with him again some day. God is going to do everything He can to help us return and live with him and that is why he sent Jesus Christ to suffer and die for us. Jesus came to help us overcome both physical and spiritual death and it is only possible through Him. I love a scripture that talks about this. It says, “And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also.” I’m so thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ and for His suffering and sacrifice for me. 

I feel so blessed to have the knowledge that I have a loving Heavenly Father who was willing to send His son to die for me. That is so powerful!

Week 5 of the transfer was another great week. The Lord was so awesome towards us and we received so many miracles this week. We got 4 new investigators this week which was awesome. When we got to the area we really only had one investigator that was committed to meeting with us and learning and the more time and work we have put into this area the more we are being blessed. We are now up to 8 and have the potential of getting at least 4 more people to teach this week if our lessons don’t fall through. God is so good. First of, Tony is getting baptized this Saturday which is going to be so exciting! I’m pumped for him to take this big step in his relationship with God and it’s a big step for his family too. Hopefully all will go well with that. So I wanted to share a really cool miracle that happened this week. We had a lesson at one of our church buildings with Logan and Bowen, who are both also doing so good, and we walked out of this classroom and this guy says to us, “Hey I think you guys were looking for me.” We had no idea who it was so I was like, “ Ummmm I don’t know, what’s your name?” And so he told us his name and then it clicked. One of the families we are with said that this guy’s family would be really good for us to visit and so we had tried knocking on their door a few times and hadn’t had any luck but I know it wasn’t a coincidence that he happened to be at the same church building as us standing right outside of a classroom we happened to be teaching a lesson in. We set up a lesson with him and his family and will have our first lesson with them this week. That was a really cool miracle. We also had a great first lesson with this kid named, Kohen and I’m excited to keep working with him. He basically came to us and told us he wants to be baptized so that was also pretty cool. God is so so so good. I feel so blessed to have the knowledge that I have a loving Heavenly Father who was willing to send His son to die for me. That is so powerful! It means so much to me and I will always cherish that and hopefully allow that knowledge to lead me to do good. Also I know God is blessing me for serving because the Patriots lost in the Super Bowl! Another blessing! Here is to another good week!