Hi once again!
Well family! How's it going? Now that everyone is back in Iowa (and Ryan now knows that I have in fact been writing home...), hopefully everything is falling back into order after the chaos of the holiday season. DAD DIDN'T BLOW ANYTHING UP!? QUESTION MARK!? I'm ashamed.
Well! This week was a very unique one, being that our goals for the week were to have one baptism and one confirmation, but we in were blessed enough to have two! The first one we had was the 11-year-old girl. She was baptized and confirmed by her GREAT GRANDPA!! That's how less-active her family is. But it was a special day for her and her family nonetheless. We were having problems keeping the font filled (the drain leaks and doesn't hold water very well..) and it turned out that she got baptized in a half-full font. Which was interesting.. Considering she's a fairly tall 11 year old. But it all worked out!
The second baptism we had I talked a little bit about last week. Remember when I told you that a guy came up to church and said we needed to baptize his 9 year old son they just adopted? Well.. We committed him to be baptized on January 21st initially. And then, jokingly, we said "We can do the baptism this Saturday if you REALLY want to, since he's been going to Primary for 6 months." I was expecting them to kind of laugh and shrug it off. But instead they said the dreaded words: "Actually.. We'll pray about it." Cue another crazy week. Except this time, unlike Jeremy, Joseph hadn't been taught all the lessons before. So we frantically set up a few more lessons, they went through fine, got him interviewed, and lo and behold - we had another baptism last Saturday. It was so awesome and the Spirit there was just incredible. We're hoping to be able to go to the temple with them to see when they get Joseph sealed to their family, which will be happening soon!
I think one of my favorite parts about being a missionary is seeing what you teach make an immediate impact on those who you're talking to. Last Wednesday we were teaching a less active family with an 8 year old son that Brother McNally wants to be able to baptize. After the lesson, the 8 year old, Mason, said the closing prayer. And in the prayer he said "Please bless me that I can be a missionary someday!" It was so awesome.
Another sweet thing about being a missionary in a place where we have 14 wards is that we get to go to a lot of testimony meetings on fast Sunday! We went to 4, actually.. Oh! So a few weeks ago, we ate at the Rupp family's home for dinner. They have a 32 year old daughter living with them who's autistic, and she looks like shes 18. But she was telling us that she's been volunteering at the Seminary and Institute building for the past few months/years/i don't remember and she's been waiting to get her name tag saying that she's a missionary serving there. She was so excited when she was telling us about the "mission" she was on. Well! We were in their ward for sacrament meeting, and when testimony meeting started, people started getting up. In the middle of someone's testimony, I saw someone stand up and go sit on the front pew to wait in line to go next. I recognized her as the autistic girl who we had talked to, and I thought I saw her wearing something. Sure enough, she walked up to the pulpit and said, very slowly, "Well! I have a few things that I'd like to share with you today, but most importantly, I got my name tag!!" She then bore her testimony very simply and how grateful she was to be serving her mission for Heavenly Father and now she's got a badge to prove it! It was just so sweet.
Guess what? I finished the Book of Mormon for the first time for sure! I've read it for class and for seminary, but I've never taken my own time to just read through it. I've been told it's true for my entire life, but there's just the amazing feeling that Moroni's promise gives us when we read it and pray to know if its true. I felt the Spirit confirm to me that it was true. It was like no other feeling I've ever had, and it was something that I definitely couldn't deny.
Umm.. I've sent many letters off! I have not received any back though! So hopefully I'm not mailing them wrong.. Me and the post office just don't get along...
In short, the Book of Mormon is now OFFICIALLY true, there's lots of work to be done, and I'm happily doing it! That's SO sick that Cody got called to London! I've been told it's a tough mission and a hard area to serve, but I know without a doubt that Elder Pond will be able to go forth and conquer! Haha.. SO sweet! And Ben will be leaving in like a month! Finally! Goodness.. I'll have baptized half of the state before he gets to Australia! Well.. I shouldn't say that. Pride is a dangerous thing.. :P
Umm.. Oh yeah! Questions!
I have not gotten mom's package from Canada yet. Jeremy's ward is actively looking for accommodations for him to live, but hopefully and ultimately he'll move back in with his wife. Waking up is tough! But I have definitely found that sleeping in is much harder... The Lord has promised to bless us with strength if we follow his commandments, so if we follow the schedule, we'll be good for the day! My passport did arrive! I'm planning on taking it to the mission office whenever we head there next, which probably won't be till March at the VERY earliest. Since I'm technically still training, they keep you in your first area with your trainer for a full 12 weeks, and there's no need to waste miles going to Ogden just to drop off a passport! Elder Scoggin may get transferred at the beginning of March, but I'm pretty darn sure I still get him for next transfer. He's been in Tremonton for a month and a half longer than I have. The Kelly's are gone! No! I sent them a letter nonetheless.. At least Kim and Kristian will be there, right? Dad - 15 pounds? That's like.. almost 16 pounds! Hahaha.. :P We go out with the ward mission leaders a lot, so don't get any misconceptions about us making them do our work for us or anything.. For the record - I did get some new music! The NEWEST OWL CITY CD!! Which is inspiring, uplifting, and .. uhh.. inspiring! DOUBLE inspiring..
Is that all the questions? I don't care! I'm done answering questions today! So be it! I'm hopefully gonna send a few more pictures your way, this stupid e-mail doesn't seem to send them half the time.. But! Be patient....
I love you all!
Well family! How's it going? Now that everyone is back in Iowa (and Ryan now knows that I have in fact been writing home...), hopefully everything is falling back into order after the chaos of the holiday season. DAD DIDN'T BLOW ANYTHING UP!? QUESTION MARK!? I'm ashamed.
Well! This week was a very unique one, being that our goals for the week were to have one baptism and one confirmation, but we in were blessed enough to have two! The first one we had was the 11-year-old girl. She was baptized and confirmed by her GREAT GRANDPA!! That's how less-active her family is. But it was a special day for her and her family nonetheless. We were having problems keeping the font filled (the drain leaks and doesn't hold water very well..) and it turned out that she got baptized in a half-full font. Which was interesting.. Considering she's a fairly tall 11 year old. But it all worked out!
The second baptism we had I talked a little bit about last week. Remember when I told you that a guy came up to church and said we needed to baptize his 9 year old son they just adopted? Well.. We committed him to be baptized on January 21st initially. And then, jokingly, we said "We can do the baptism this Saturday if you REALLY want to, since he's been going to Primary for 6 months." I was expecting them to kind of laugh and shrug it off. But instead they said the dreaded words: "Actually.. We'll pray about it." Cue another crazy week. Except this time, unlike Jeremy, Joseph hadn't been taught all the lessons before. So we frantically set up a few more lessons, they went through fine, got him interviewed, and lo and behold - we had another baptism last Saturday. It was so awesome and the Spirit there was just incredible. We're hoping to be able to go to the temple with them to see when they get Joseph sealed to their family, which will be happening soon!
I think one of my favorite parts about being a missionary is seeing what you teach make an immediate impact on those who you're talking to. Last Wednesday we were teaching a less active family with an 8 year old son that Brother McNally wants to be able to baptize. After the lesson, the 8 year old, Mason, said the closing prayer. And in the prayer he said "Please bless me that I can be a missionary someday!" It was so awesome.
Another sweet thing about being a missionary in a place where we have 14 wards is that we get to go to a lot of testimony meetings on fast Sunday! We went to 4, actually.. Oh! So a few weeks ago, we ate at the Rupp family's home for dinner. They have a 32 year old daughter living with them who's autistic, and she looks like shes 18. But she was telling us that she's been volunteering at the Seminary and Institute building for the past few months/years/i don't remember and she's been waiting to get her name tag saying that she's a missionary serving there. She was so excited when she was telling us about the "mission" she was on. Well! We were in their ward for sacrament meeting, and when testimony meeting started, people started getting up. In the middle of someone's testimony, I saw someone stand up and go sit on the front pew to wait in line to go next. I recognized her as the autistic girl who we had talked to, and I thought I saw her wearing something. Sure enough, she walked up to the pulpit and said, very slowly, "Well! I have a few things that I'd like to share with you today, but most importantly, I got my name tag!!" She then bore her testimony very simply and how grateful she was to be serving her mission for Heavenly Father and now she's got a badge to prove it! It was just so sweet.
Guess what? I finished the Book of Mormon for the first time for sure! I've read it for class and for seminary, but I've never taken my own time to just read through it. I've been told it's true for my entire life, but there's just the amazing feeling that Moroni's promise gives us when we read it and pray to know if its true. I felt the Spirit confirm to me that it was true. It was like no other feeling I've ever had, and it was something that I definitely couldn't deny.
Umm.. I've sent many letters off! I have not received any back though! So hopefully I'm not mailing them wrong.. Me and the post office just don't get along...
In short, the Book of Mormon is now OFFICIALLY true, there's lots of work to be done, and I'm happily doing it! That's SO sick that Cody got called to London! I've been told it's a tough mission and a hard area to serve, but I know without a doubt that Elder Pond will be able to go forth and conquer! Haha.. SO sweet! And Ben will be leaving in like a month! Finally! Goodness.. I'll have baptized half of the state before he gets to Australia! Well.. I shouldn't say that. Pride is a dangerous thing.. :P
Umm.. Oh yeah! Questions!
I have not gotten mom's package from Canada yet. Jeremy's ward is actively looking for accommodations for him to live, but hopefully and ultimately he'll move back in with his wife. Waking up is tough! But I have definitely found that sleeping in is much harder... The Lord has promised to bless us with strength if we follow his commandments, so if we follow the schedule, we'll be good for the day! My passport did arrive! I'm planning on taking it to the mission office whenever we head there next, which probably won't be till March at the VERY earliest. Since I'm technically still training, they keep you in your first area with your trainer for a full 12 weeks, and there's no need to waste miles going to Ogden just to drop off a passport! Elder Scoggin may get transferred at the beginning of March, but I'm pretty darn sure I still get him for next transfer. He's been in Tremonton for a month and a half longer than I have. The Kelly's are gone! No! I sent them a letter nonetheless.. At least Kim and Kristian will be there, right? Dad - 15 pounds? That's like.. almost 16 pounds! Hahaha.. :P We go out with the ward mission leaders a lot, so don't get any misconceptions about us making them do our work for us or anything.. For the record - I did get some new music! The NEWEST OWL CITY CD!! Which is inspiring, uplifting, and .. uhh.. inspiring! DOUBLE inspiring..
Is that all the questions? I don't care! I'm done answering questions today! So be it! I'm hopefully gonna send a few more pictures your way, this stupid e-mail doesn't seem to send them half the time.. But! Be patient....
I love you all!
- Elder Tyler Grant
No comments:
Post a Comment