June 12, 2017

Hey guys!

Crazy week. We have been working hard on trying to get everything
ready for the merge tomorrow and I'm just excited to get it rolling.
We've had a crazy amount of meetings with both mission's leadership and
also had a meeting with President Holland. Jeffrey's son. He is a
profound man like his dad. Definitely intimidating but way cool guy. I
went to a Boston Leadership meeting and it was really good, but I
realized how grateful I am to be serving in the Manchester mission.
I'm just really grateful for President Blair and Sister Blair and all
that they do and the way they do things. It's been a crazy couple
weeks but I have really learned a lot here.

I've been working on this idea since I've been here in Nashua and the
ball is finally starting to roll. So a lot of baseball parks have
"Mormon Night" where the baseball game is kind of themed that way and
they give a lot of tickets to the members and a famous Mormon will
throw out the first pitch and there are some other things too. I think
the Red Sox do it, I know the Dodgers do it, etc. So the Lowell
Spinners are in our zone, and we got their phone number and set up a
meeting to schedule a Mormon night at the baseball team's stadium in
July or August! It will most likely be a family night activity for the
stake and we will try to get our investigators and less actives to
come and have a good experience at the game especially being
surrounded by so many members and it being church-themed. And a good
thing to help member trust, too, hopefully. Our meeting is in about a
week and a half and it will hopefully go well. They seemed excited to
have us come to theme a game of theirs. We are coming up with other
ideas too but I guess we will see first with how the meeting goes.

Ok I really don't have a ton of time which is why I've been really
vague I'm sorry I'm just running out of time but I love you guys and
am excited to update you next week on our investigators! We found a
really cool girl that was fellowshipped by a member and she wants to
learn and to be a part of the church because she is realizing the
truth behind her studies of the Book of Mormon. Really excited to try
to set something up this week with her and the member. To be
continued! Sorry again, I'll be better! Love you guys!

June 5, 2017

Hey!!

This week was once again interesting. To sum it up I saw a dead guy, I
felt a dented head plate on a drunk guy, and I had a burrito that
tasted just like cafe rio❤️

Nashua is an interesting place, but I really like it a lot! It's so fun
to find people here because it reminds me so much of Manchester, you
just never know what you're going to find.

I went on exchange with a missionary from my mission which was cool
because I felt like I was with someone that understands missionary
work the same way I do haha. It's been very interesting being with the
Boston missionaries but it's been good. It was cool though, and we
found some really cool people! It was too bad because they all
committed to come to church and none of them did. Nothing to update
with them just yet, but there will be soon. For lunch we went to this
Mexican place and it was crazy because it was like the first time I
had real Mexican food on my mission❤️❤️❤️❤️ and it actually had
flavor❤️❤️❤️ I love New England but their food could use some spice.
Also on exchange we were walking the street and saw 2 cop cars. All
of a sudden they opened the door of the apartment that they were
parked in front of, and they were carrying a dead guy to this
van.....so we panicked and did the classic missionary thing and asked
if there was anything we could do to help. Pretty embarrassing moment.
They said "no", if you couldn't guess.

I met Aunt Miriam's sister and wow they look so similar haha-it was
funny to run into her. Miriam's parents were in town this week too! We
ran into them at 5 guys today also. It is weird seeing people that
know me. I'm so used to being unknown to everyone so when I see people
I have met or that I know, I get really awkward and I hate it haha but
whatever.

Gary S.  got baptized this last weekend and it went so well.
He's such a cool guy. He bore his testimony at the end of the baptism,
and it honestly was one of the best testimonies I've heard. Good week
for sure.

I like the challenge to read the Book of Mormon by then! I'll follow
up with you when I get back and see how it went! Love you guys!

May 29, 2017

Hey everyone!

This week has been soooo crazy, really full of miracles and a bunch of
new things learned. The Boston missionaries definitely have a
different mission culture and way of doing things, so it's been really
interesting to see and learn how I can improve. My companion Elder
Woodward is a really good missionary--it's been really fun! With our
area book and transferring it over and trying to learn the area and
stuff....it's really hard. But I'll get there.

We found a lot of success this week going around Nashua and just
talking with people on the streets. We had some really cool lessons on
the streets! We found a guy named M-- and his girlfriend who have met
with the missionaries before and knew who we were, so he let us teach
him on the spot and it was really cool! We gave him a Book of Mormon
at the end of teaching the restoration and he was like, "I'm really
searching, guys, like I won't let anyone's opinion get in the way
because I know that I need to know for myself" it was really cool to
hear--he seemed really excited to find out if it's true. And like 5
minutes after the lesson we were walking and came across a couple and
talked with them.  The lady was faking a phone call and kind of
dodging haha but she heard us talking to her boyfriend and just
put her phone down and came and listened. She was like "wow ok this is
awesome!" And we taught the restoration and they thought it was really
interesting. I feel like we had a lot of contacts this week where
people were really hesitant but they felt the spirit of the message
and it softened their hearts. You could like see it on their face--it
was really neat to see.

One of the coolest contacts we had was this lady named A--. She was
coming back from the bus stop with her daughter and we asked some
simple questions about her religious background and she said lately
she has been reading the Bible and felt like it had helped her a lot.
So we gave her a Book of Mormon and told her it would add to her
blessings as she came to know this is true, and set up an appointment
for a couple days later. So 2 days later we go back and she had read
half of the Book of Mormon and was really sincere in letting us know
how grateful she was for stopping her and giving her this book. We are
seeing her again tomorrow! She is so cool.

We are teaching this guy that will get baptized this upcoming weekend
and he's so cool. Brother S--. Everytime we go over there to talk to him 
he's so sincere and soaks up the
gospel and loves to bear his testimony about how he came to know it's
true. He is like a crazy successful and smart guy too, he is married
to a returning less active member and he is so cool to teach. This
area is a really great place! I'm really excited to serve here. I'm
excited for the craziness of this merge to finally stop and go back to
my mission haha rather than being in the Boston mission (no offense)
but it's just bizarre. I'm like cut off from my world aka my mission.
Like I don't have a ton of contact with them ha but it's been a good
experience for me.

Love you guys! This gospel is really powerful, I felt it this morning
really hit me because I was able to go to the Boston temple and do a
session and I was able to reflect on what the gospel has done for me
and the miracles we were blessed to see this week.

Have a good week!

May 22, 2017

Hey guys!

Well, this week was good! Sad news, but I'm getting transferred. I'mexcited though! It will be a whole new adventure for me. 

Our mission boundaries are changing and we are getting a new stake here, and
President said I will be the zone leader to open it up! No one really
knows anything about it, even President said I'm basically on my own
so.....cool! I am getting a Boston missionary as my companion for 3
weeks and technically getting mission transferred but then I'll be
back lol,  I have the 3 weeks to transfer our area book
electronically and then to learn my area and zone and then I'll get a
new companion. President said I will become his new best friend so I'm
guessing I'll be talking with him a lot ha it is going to get crazy
but it's ok-- it's good for me, I'm glad I'll be kept on my toes for my
last 2 transfers.

Not a ton happened this week, the JSM was unreal with A—though, he
loved it so much! That place is so cool to go to, I'll definitely miss
being in Vermont. 

We met with T-- again.  She is just about to finish 2 Nephi.  She
will be baptized, just not sure when. Hopefully soon! Man I have no
idea what to write about haha I'm sure I'll have a lot to write about
next week.

Love you guys! I'd love some prayers, too! Have a good week!

 The Bishop's family

 Horrible!

Ben and Jerry's!

Aunt Miriam's brother-in-law who

used to be Bishop in the ward Cam was sent

to in New Hampshire!  He went looking for Cam

when he found out he was in the Nashua area!

May 18, 2017

Hey! It was good to talk to you guys too! I liked that it was a little

more casual ha rather than all of these pre written questions or stuff
like that but it was mostly just a conversation. I'm fine with pre
written questions! But it left a good feeling with me to just have a
normal conversation with people haha.

This week was really cool! A-- had his baptism on Friday and it was
way good! A lot of people came too and it was cool to see the ward
really support him. He even got up at the end to bear his testimony
and it made it really cool. We are going to the Joseph Smith Memorial
with him and some members,  so we are really excited about it.

Uhhhhhhhh well I talked with you guys yesterday so not a ton to report
on. Had interviews with President! Transfers coming up.....I think I'm
getting transferred. 2 left! Whatever happens I'll be ok with it.
Things are good!

Love you guys!

May 8, 2017

Hey everyone!

By the way, mom, I can Skype you guys at like 12:45 eastern time. Does
that work?? I can get home from church pretty quickly to do it. Or
else I can do it really early but I'd prefer to do it then if
possible.

Another crazy week here in Montpelier. We taught a lot this week and
it was a really good feeling because that doesn't happen too often,
usually the majority of the time is finding! We have been working with
A-- this week to get his baptism all organized for Friday  and it's
looking like things will work out well. He's so awesome. He told us
this week all the problems he is having with his family because they
don't approve of him getting baptized. He is very open about joining
the church and defends it and is willing to sacrifice anything to be a
part of it. It's actually pretty crazy, like a lot of his family isn't
talking to him because of it, so it's pretty sad.  But I'm telling you
A-- lives by Romans 1:16  like I've never seen. "For I am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth." Even in times of his own persecution he is
still willing to try to share the gospel. Definitely a big example to
me!

We taught our investigator B-- and he has a lot of really good
questions and has really good insights. This week he said "Well, when a
church receives persecution like Christ did, that's when I can see
truth in it." So we gave him the Prophet of the Restoration to watch
and he has already watched it at least 2 times and told us the last
time we saw him that he knows Joseph Smith is a true prophet! It was a
cool lesson to be a part of.

We went to the Joseph Smith Memorial with E-- and another member
and it was unreal. That place is the best--especially taking the entire
tour and going and seeing everything around the grounds there. E--
really enjoyed it too. It was cool because on the way home he was
talking with us about serving a mission. It's funny because he said as
long as he goes to a place without vegetables he will be
fine........we let him down gently and just said there isn't a place
like that anywhere in the world. He will be alright, if I can learn to
like tomatoes than he can learn to like vegetables. He's such a goof.

Other than that, not much too report on. We had a lot of lessons but
nothing too crazy. Things are good! Love you guys!

April 30, 2017

Hey fam! 

Wow this week was a really good week, it was definitely crazy with the weather change because so many people were outside and we were able to do a lot of finding, and I'll tell you what--the people here in Vermont are awesome. It's been a while since I have had this much variety with people, all sorts of interesting stories that maybe I'll tell another day but it's been really fun! Man I have missed my short sleeves though. It is so nice to be in them again! It definitely was a grind week though, not too many people were receptive but it definitely strengthened my faith with talking to everyone.

A while ago on an exchange we found this guy named B-- and he is atheist but as we talked, we found out he grew up in Bountiful Utah for a while, and knew quite a bit about Mormons but obviously was never interested. We talked with him about what we believe and why, and it was a really good conversation respecting each others' beliefs and we went our ways, but we kept running into him on the streets! So we would chat and say hi and go on our way and finally we ran into him again the other day and he said "Hey, I was thinking that I'd like to come check out your church", so we invited him this week and he actually came and he loved it  and wants to come next week! Our recent convert, E--, was an excellent fellowshipper too which is a big part of why I think he wants to come back. Good stuff!

Honestly don't have too much time but T-- had us over for dinner so that was cool, we taught her dad and the spirit was really strong but at the end he said, "So what about Brigham Young--where does he play into this" and gave a big grin. Definitely has heard a thing or two but that's alright--hopefully he will remember the spirit he felt. Our investigator A-- is going to be baptized this next Saturday which is way cool. He is one of the coolest people I have met on my mission. Definitely lucky to have been able to work with him. 

Sorry not too much time but I'll have more time next week! Love you guys!