And it's time to return to the world

Dear Family & Friends,

General Conference, Mission Leadership Council... Spiritually fed. I loved Elder Nielson and Elder Ballard's talks on missionary work in the Saturday afternoon session. President Eyring's opening words on Sunday as well as President Monson's in the morning session were great.

At MLC, we were counselled to expect more urgency of the Hastening of Salvation at conference and so it was.

Next week, I am going home. I will be arriving at around 1 pm on October 15th in Utah. I am excited to meet my family, maybe I'll go to the temple to be endowed with power to return home.

I will then turn right back around and drive up to Oregon with my family on the 16th of October. We will be traveling around visiting people and places until Sunday 20 October afternoon when we will travel home. If you would like to meet up with me and my family at some point please call my parents at (801) 265-1103. I'm not sure whether I will be able to check my email next week, so keep that in mind.

I look forward to my next stage in life. I am grateful for these last two years. Thank you all for making me who I am today. I love you.

"And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!"

This last week was a blur

Last p-day, we hung out and played a couple games of bowling with our investigator who is soon not to be our investigator... for a good reason, too: He's getting baptized on Saturday 12 October at 11am in the Grand Prairie YSA ward! WOOH! The last Saturday before I go home, I will be able to witness one more person enter into a covenant with God and be endowed with the Holy Ghost. What a blessing and miracles. Surely there is no better way to end full-time service of the Lord.

Wednesday also brought extra blessings - I was on exchanges down in Lebanon with an Elder from Snow Peak ward. First off, before I talk about the blessings - here's a little about what I had to go through in order to receive those blessings:

Their apartment was freezing and small. Their shower even got the infamous name in the mission, "Shower of Humility" because it was so small - the roof was angled in on it, forcing you to crouch down and use the shower hose to rinse off your body. I ended up getting to tired of hunching after a minute or two and ended up just sitting down. It definitely earned it's name. Haha. It was a fun experience.

Then came the blessings - we met up with one of their investigators who hardly spoke any english and had a thick spanish accent. We taught her a brief lesson on her porch (for who knows why cause it was chilly outside!), and then I interviewed her for baptism. Although I had to strain to hear what she was saying, I felt the Spirit testify that she was ready to make her first covenant with God. It was a sweet experience.

Thursday our blessings increased ten fold as we went to the Portland Temple for an endowment session. It was an amazing new experience even though I have been so many times before. I felt God's love in the things I learned and was taught by the Spirit. I am so grateful for the temple and I hope I can meet each of you there, one day.

Yesterday, Sunday, I bore my testimony for the first and last times in the Oak Creek Ward and Grand Prairie YSA Branch. I didn't let on that I would be leaving anytime soon, but said that I hoped that someday I can stand before God and say as Paul did:

"6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

 7 I have fought a good ^afight, I have ^bfinished my course, I have kept the faith"

I have loved my mission and as it draws to a close, I have been reflecting on all the blessings I have received over the course of my mission. No pages of any book can contain what miracles I have seen and the blessings I have been given. It will in no doubt bless me and my family for the rest of eternity. After all, that's what the family was created for - eternity.

A last exchange

Yet another week has flown by. It was a good one too.

This last week we went on a couple exchanges with some elders in our zone. The first one was from Tuesday night to Wednesday night with our district leader. I went with the district leader's companion into his area. Boy oh boy did my feet get a workout that day. "The [missionary] children [talked] as they walked and walked and walked and walked and walked...." Haha. One of the elder's bike was broken and we didn't have a car, so we walked all day long from house to house and from one side of town to the next. We did talk to quite a bit of people and were able to teach a few here and there too. The elders lived in a little "hobbit hole" of an apartment. The ceilings were just a few inches taller than me and if you weren't careful, you'd bump your head -- and I did a few times.

I was not surprised to be taught more from the elder I was with on both exchanges, than I felt I taught him. I'm sure that the Spirit can teach all of us regardless of our age or position, and I'm confident that I still have much to learn from the missionaries I serve around. They are a strength and inspiration to me.

The second exchange we went on was from Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon with a missionary who was training. This time I stayed in my area. No matter how many times you move into a new area and get used to the transitions of missionary work, I still end up being clueless a few times after exhausting a list of probably 5-10 people I actually know in the area. When you run out of those options, the only thing left to do since you don't really know where you are or who lives nearby, is pray and go tracting. Haha. It is quite the humbling experience being reminded time and again that you know very little about your area, regardless of the experience you've had on your mission as a whole. We will always have to rely on the Spirit.

The elder I was with helped me think quite a bit about what I've learned over the course of my mission. At one point, he asked me what was one or two of the most important things I've learned on my mission. It was a very deep question and I realized I hadn't really taken the time to list out only a few things, despite the many things I have learned. There's just so much. But as we talked, I came up with a few of the following:

--Hard work and diligence: whether you were a hard worker before your mission or not, I have learned that the mission helps you become one. It will either make or break you, so it's up to you, but when I'm doing all I can to do the right thing, it's inevitable. You figure out the secret to missionary work.

“I have often said one of the greatest secrets of missionary work is work! If a missionary works, he will get the Spirit; if he gets the Spirit, he will teach by the Spirit; and if he teaches by the Spirit, he will touch the hearts of the people and he will be happy. There will be no homesickness, no worrying about families, for all time and talents and interests are centered on the work of the ministry. Work, work, work—there is no satisfactory substitute, especially in missionary work.” - President Ezra Taft Benson
I know it, I hope you do too! I love each of you.
I know it, I hope you do too! I love each of you.

--Patience: No matter what your situation or circumstance is, you'll learn patience. Whether it's through the frustration of an investigator not coming to church week after week, or a less-active member not coming to church for years even though they have a testimony, or even if you and your companion disagree on what the definition is of obedience and disobedience is -- you will either learn patience or just become frustrated with the lack of it.

--Love: Everything will boil down to how much you love the Lord, how much you love the people you teach, serve, and serve with. What are you willing to do in the long run? Are you willing to thrust in your sickle with all your heart, might, mind, and strength? If you do, God will bless you with that love. It's not easy, but what more could someone want than the love of God and fellowman? Everything else seems a little trivial.

I could go on for days about the things that I've learned on my mission, but these are just a few. And the beautiful thing is - I've still got three weeks to learn more, love more, serve more, and become more! I am grateful for this wonderful opportunity. Everyone asks me how long I've been out, and I just say... a long time. When they pursue it further, I change the subject. I want to use all that I can to focus and serve with all my might, mind, and strength. The time is nigh at hand, no doubt. But I want to be able to say that I've "fought the good fight." I know that this gospel is true, and it only becomes more true in my mind as the days go by.

Confidence

This week I've learned a lot about confidence. Confidence in myself. Confidence in my companion. And most of all confidence in the Lord. I have sought earnestly to become unified and spiritually-guided with Elder Tandy and we've hit a few bumps along the way. As I was praying one night, however, the thought came to me - seek to control what's in your control. You can't change other's agency, so do everything you can to be the best you can be and leave the rest to the Lord.

I strove to follow this counsel and was given strength as we learned about our strengths from Paul Wyn at MLC. The counsel of how to acquire the Healer's art from President and Sister Samuelian was a blessing as well and helped me see that it is mostly my responsibility to turn my companion, investigators, members, and myself over to the Lord to receive guidance and correction.

I have sought to serve my companion this week by complimenting him on his strengths and yielding to him in lessons and finding opportunities. The Lord has consecrated my efforts and shown love to me and Elder Tandy.

We saw this as we spent a good chunk of time on Thursday preparing for our zone meeting. Our efforts were blessed and we had super spiritual meeting. We testified of the Atonement in ways I had never thought of before. We led our zone through a barefoot, silent walk through the church halls. We walked in and through the baptismal font, pausing to look at "Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ..." and then walked in the Spirit back to the chapel where many members of the zone bore powerful testimony of the things the Spirit had taught them. It was such a neat experience.

Since then, Elder Tandy and I have taught many powerful lessons and have given a few blessings of comfort to help some of our investigators in their repentance process. Last night we gave one of our investigator's a blessing after he made a mistake and was set back a little on his progression. It was amazing to feel of the love God had for him and I felt it as I shared testimony of Christ and His atonement.

I am loving serving the Lord these extra weeks in the field. I pray that the things I am learning will always be brought to my remembrance.

Here's a talk I came across this week, here's just an excerpt (from Elder Holland):

For that reason I don’t believe missionary work has ever been easy, nor that conversion is, nor that retention is, nor that continued faithfulness is. I believe it is supposed to require some effort, something from the depths of our soul.

If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face, bleed from every pore, and cry, “Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup can pass, let it pass,” ¹⁶ then little wonder that salvation is not a whimsical or easy thing for us. If you wonder if there isn’t an easier way, you should remember you are not the first one to ask that. Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn’t an easier way.

The Atonement will carry the missionaries perhaps even more importantly than it will carry the investigators. When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him—the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

I testify that the living God is our Eternal Father and that Jesus Christ is His living and Only Begotten Son in the flesh. I testify that this Jesus, who was slain and hanged on a tree, ¹⁷ was the chief Apostle then and is the chief Apostle now, the Great High Priest, the chief cornerstone of His Church in this last and greatest of all dispensations. I testify that He lives, that the whole triumph of the gospel is that He lives, and because He does, so will we.

On that first Resurrection Sunday, Mary Magdalene first thought she saw a gardener. Well, she did—the Gardener who cultivated Eden and who endured Gethsemane. The Gardener who gave us the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley, the cedars of Lebanon, the tree of life.

Called to serve one last time

I have been transferred one last time. I am now in Albany Oregon. I am in my last transfer before going home.

My mission is technically through and I am now in a bonus 6 weeks. Woo!

My last week and time with Elder Hatch was great. We got a chance to see many miracles as we served together as leaders, adjoining missionary areas, and as companions. I will truly miss him... until next week when I see him at MLC. Haha.

Unfortunately I do not have enough time to talk about last week too much because I wanted to fill you in on where I am and what happened within the last three days.

I have been transferred to another zone leader area, serving with Elder Colin Tandy-Trammell, who hails from Provo, UT and has been on his mission for roughly 18 months or so and will return home in February. He has three younger brothers and loves sports. His companion that I replaced just went home, so he will be killing off two missionaries in a row.

I am now serving in the Oak Creek and Grand Prairie YSA wards in the Lebanon Zone, which was formerly a part of the Eugene mission. I guess the Lord had to split the missions and combine some in order for me to come down here and serve His children here.

I love all of you, alas I have less time on this computer in this library than I have before, so hopefully more news will be delivered next week!

An inspiring opportunity and more hard work

On Tuesday and Wednesday last week, we had the opportunity of meeting Elder Kent F. Richards of the Seventy. He taught us about the plain and precious truths of living by the Law of God, receiving and heeding the Spirit, and key principles of good leadership:

1. Teach truth (law)
2. Invite to live the truth (law)
3. Minister

I quite enjoyed Elder Richard's visit and I was honored to be able to visit personally with Elder Richards and his wife. President Samuelian selected 5-10 people to be personally interviewed and I was blessed to be one of them. What a blessing that was. He helped me see some things about my future that I had not considered and helped me feel good about the things that I had considered thanks to President Samuelian's training he's been giving us on vision and true conversion. I am eternally grateful that President and Sister Samuelian have been preparing me so well for my life, whereas before I don't think I would've had the same direction after my mission. I know the Lord placed me here at this time, in this setting for a reason. And that reason only becomes more and more apparent as the days go by.

Elder Hatch and I studied about charity and virtue this morning and we learned that we as missionaries must have positive and uplifting thoughts regarding the members and leaders of the ward the same way we need to do so for our investigators and nonmembers. I know I could always have more of this and so I am "praying to be filled with this love," and I know that as I do we will be able to work together with the members so much more effectively. It's been astonishing to see how as the Lord hasten's His work, the members and missionaries gradually become more unified and diligent in their efforts.

It is unusual for me to think that were I not extending my mission, I would be returning home next Tuesday (Sept 4). I am grateful that I have extended, however, and am happy that I will have so much more time to serve the Lord and help hasten the work of salvation here in Oregon. It also gives me excitement and understanding of how I can continue to serve and become more converted after I return home. The vision the Lord has revealed to me is providing so many ways for me to become better and I know this extra time will help me throughout my life.

A great meeting and final plans

We were able to set up and attend a Bishopric Training meeting in our stake all centered around missionary work. President Samuelian came personally to train and work alongside our stake president to testify as a temporary missionary companionship. It was pretty neat. We as a zone of missionaries gathered and were invited to attend. We took about 2 hours to prepare a musical number (Hymn 270 "I'll Go Where you Want Me to Go") and then prayed to ask that our efforts would be consecrated by the Spirit. And it seemed to turn out well. I have attached a file of our performance if you would like to listen to it (the first verse is the Sisters, the second the Elders, and the third verse is all of the Bishops, Stake Presidency, Mission Presidency, and us as missionaries).  Here is the link to the song:  "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go," Forest Grove Zone & the Bishops.

I am loving it out here in Forest Grove. And I just found out - the travel arrangements are being planned and I am no longer going home September 3rd. I have prayed about it and talked with President Samuelian and I am extending my mission until October 14th. It is a rare opportunity that any missionary can extend their missions because the church only allows you to extend up to 30 days and 2 years from the original date that you arrive in the MTC (I arrived September 14th 2011, so the most I can extend is to October 14th). Usually extensions are denied by Salt Lake because it causes too much inconvenience in going home halfway between a transfer (a six week period in which we switch companions and go home) but because of the mission split and the MTC change, I was set back to go home initially on September 3. So long story short, I will not be coming home until October 14th at the very earliest.

I am learning tons about what I can do and accomplish in my life just by learning more how to receive revelation and visions for my life. I know that these next few months will only help me to increase that to give me a more sturdy spiritual foundation. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve the Lord for a total of 25 months as opposed to the usual 24.

I hope everyone takes advantage of the blessings and opportunities that come inherently and instantly from serving the Lord.

Examples of how the Lord provides

It struck me as something that would clearly state the need for vision in coordination with Proverbs 29:18 - "Where there is no vision, the people perish." It has never made more sense that we each have a need for a vision. Because of that realization, we've taken the time to work with individuals and families in our ward to create their own family and personal visions so that they too can experience the blessings that have spawned from the faith-filled experiences we've been having.

This also reminded me of the talk given by Elder Gary Stevenson in the April 2009 General Conference - Sacred Homes, Sacred Temples. I'll just share an excerpt of the talk here:

"I remember a warm, sunny afternoon when spring was trying to nudge its way through a long winter in Cache Valley, Utah. My father, whose Saturdays were always filled with chores for his grandsons, stopped by our home with an offer to “go for a ride.” Always happy to ride in Grandpa’s truck, our four- and six-year-old sons scurried into the back jump seat, and I joined my father in the front. Our drive took us through the streets of downtown Logan, which wrap around the Logan Temple, prominently situated on a hill, centered beautifully in the city. As we moved further away from the city, we turned from paved, busy streets to seldom-used dirt roads, where we crossed old bridges and weaved through trees far into the country. We were far from any other traffic and all alone.

Realizing his grandsons were in a place they had not been before, my father stopped the truck. “Do

you think we are lost?” he asked the wide-eyed boys as they gazed out the windshield across the valley. Followed by a moment of silent assessment came the profound reply of a young child. “Look,” he said, pointing his finger. “Grandpa, you are never lost when you can see the temple.” Our eyes turned, focusing with his, seeing the sun glistening off the spires of the Logan Temple, far across the valley.

You are never lost when you can see the temple. The temple will provide direction for you and your family in a world filled with chaos. It is an eternal guidepost which will help you from getting lost in the “mist of darkness.”¹ "

Immediately following our district leader council, I took Elder Hales back to Dairy Creek while Elder Hatch remained in Tillamook with Elder Rock for an exchange. Elder Hales and I saw several awesome miracles during the day that we were together.

We were referred to a nonmember family, who has a foster daughter who was originally thought to be a recently converted member of the Church. Upon meeting the very kind and lovely nonmember mother, we discovered that the foster daughter was in fact unbaptized at this point. To our delight, the daughter expressed her knowledge that this Gospel is true and that she does indeed want to be baptized. What a lovely little miracle that was. She came to church yesterday with a member family and we hope to get to know the rest of the family so that they too, can experience the increased happiness and joy the gospel brings.

I know I can't share all the miracles that we witnessed this last week, but I will share but one more with you. Upon arriving back in Dairy Creek ward after zone conference on Wednesday, we went to dinner at a less-active family's home. One of the sons, had invited his nonmember girlfriend over to join us for the meal. We had a great conversation and were able to socialize in a friendly manner that allowed the girlfriend to become comfortable with us.

Following the meal, we asked if we could share a spiritual message before we left. We had not received any prior inspiration as to what we might share with the family, but given the circumstances, Elder Hatch was impressed to share 2 Nephi 32: 8-9:

"8 And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray; for the devil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.
 
 9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul."

I was guided by the Holy Ghost to teach about prayer and its purpose. We asked Madison a few questions about her background and taught about the truth we are able to receive by asking God questions in prayer. We were enthused about the lesson resulting in the girlfriend agreeing to learn more by coming to the less-active family's home for lessons, but we weren't expecting what the mother informed us of afterwards through a conversation over text:

Earlier in the week she had been discussing with her son what prayer was and he seemed to be unsettled on the subject in general. But, we, not knowing beforehand what we should say, were inspired to teach about prayer, thus helping to bring peace to the son's mind on the subject. I was astonished and grateful that the Lord could use us as an instrument to bring about great things in the whole family that day (which happened to be my birthday - what a great gift).

Many might miracles are occurring. There is no doubt or fear that can stop us now.