December 26, 2011...Dear Family,
A step in the right direction. That's what last week was for Elder Mecham and I. We had some neat experiences and found some wonderful new people to teach. On Tuesday we went over to have a lesson with one of our investigators and she had two of her friends there. We taught the Plan of Salvation and it went really well. They all had some great questions and insights. We found the other investigator on Saturday while eating with a family. Their non-member mother lives with them. In the past we've taught the family and she has been there. She participates in the lessons, but didn't have any interest in learning more about the Church. Then on Saturday we taught the family and invited them to give a copy of The Book of Mormon out before the new year. They said they would and jokingly said they were going to give it to the non-member mother. Well, she said she would like that, and asked us if we would come and teach her more about what we believe. We were VERY surprised. Once again the Lord has placed people in our path to teach and people in the member's paths.
That's something I've been praying for a lot lately. I pray that we will be led to the elect, that they will be led to us, that the members will be led to the elect, and that the elect will be led to them. It has been incredible to see how the Lord has answered those prayers. There truly is great power when we pray. I've been striving to improve my prayers. Not to just say my prayers, but to actually pray...if that makes sense. At night I look back on the day and ponder what I did and what I could have done better. I think about what I need, and want, to accomplish the next day. Through this my prayers have become more meaningful. I have more faith and determination to go and work hard.
Since I have been here in St. Augustine we have been teaching a less-active young man named Chris. He is 20 and has been less-active for a long time. I have really enjoyed being able to teach him and see him progress. He has set a goal to go to the temple within the next year. He has things he must overcome, but he is determined. It's incredible to see the joy and light that has come into his life just over the short time we've been teaching him. That's what the gospel does. When people live the gospel they change. They find TRUE HAPPINESS.
I really enjoyed talking to you all, or most of you, last night.
This week is the last week of 2012. Next week is a new year. What goals do you have? I love setting goals and then making plans to achieve my goals. One thing that makes me happy is knowing that I don't have to wait for a new year to make a change in my life. I can start today. This video talks about this concept http://bcove.me/e1jzh39n
Life is all about change and growth. It's about progression.
Last week I was studying for a lesson. I was studying the kingdoms of glory. I was thinking about the celestial kingdom and the opportunity to be there as an eternal family. That possibility brings me so much happiness. That's what I am striving for. To follow God's commandments and be found worthy of the greatest gift that can ever be bestowed. Each of us has to be worthy of this. Nobody else can do it for us. Christ has made it possible. We need to choose to follow Him. We need to choose eternal life. I also read this in Preach My Gospel,
"[God's children] will live together for eternity with those of their family who qualify."
I want to be with each of you. I pray that I will qualify for this.
Love Always, Zach
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Short and sweet
December19, 2011...Dear Family,
This is probably going to be relatively short because I will be talking to most of you this Sunday. However, I will tell you a few things about last week. I feel like the week turned out rather well. At the beginning of last week just about all of our investigators were dropped. That had a big impact on the rest of the week...It was pretty shocking how quickly it all happened. I think in 3 days time we dropped about 4-5 investigators. However, we continued to have faith and work hard and the Lord blessed us for it. We were able to find some really great people to teach and saw some wonderful miracles. The members really helped us because they referred quite a few of their friends to us. One referral we received was really incredible. A little over a week ago an investigator asked us to go and see her daughter. We tried, but weren't ever able to find her. Then on Saturday we went out with a member and he referred us to the same person! Elder Mecham and I were speechless. We were stunned that we had been referred to the same person from two completely different sources. We changed our plans and went and saw her that night. We had a short powerful lesson. We told her what had happened and she was stunned too! She also said that she was having a rough day and was just about to sit down and pray...WOW! She kept saying how happy she was that we had come. The Lord definitely has been blessing us with many tender mercies.
On Thursday we had our Mission Christmas Devotional. I really enjoyed it. It's the only time of year that all the missionaries in the mission are gathered together in one place. I was able to catch up with some of my old companions. I also saw Ethan, he is the first convert baptism I had here in Florida. He was baptized in June of 2010 in Ocala. I talked to him a little and found out that he is going on a mission! Actually he flew out to Utah yesterday. He is going to the Arizona Phoenix Mission. I'm really excited for him. It was wonderful to hear that he had decided to serve the Lord. I know his mission will have a profound influence on the rest of his life.
That's about all I can think of. If you want you can mail me a letter ASAP, which means probably today, with any questions you have and we can talk about them during our call on Sunday.
I want to end with a quote that Mom sent me. It's from President Gordon B. Hinckley and says,"Christmas means giving. The Father gave His Son, and the Son gave His life. Without giving there is no true Christmas, without sacrifice there is no true worship." Giving the best gift often isn't easy and at times even requires sacrifice. The Savior gave his life that we may receive the best gift ever, eternal life. What are we willing to sacrifice for our loved ones? What are we willing to sacrifice for our Heavenly Father?
Love Always, Zach
* We are all EXCITED for Christmas day and 6:00 pm to arrive when the best gift of the day will be Zachery's phone call! Can't wait!
This is probably going to be relatively short because I will be talking to most of you this Sunday. However, I will tell you a few things about last week. I feel like the week turned out rather well. At the beginning of last week just about all of our investigators were dropped. That had a big impact on the rest of the week...It was pretty shocking how quickly it all happened. I think in 3 days time we dropped about 4-5 investigators. However, we continued to have faith and work hard and the Lord blessed us for it. We were able to find some really great people to teach and saw some wonderful miracles. The members really helped us because they referred quite a few of their friends to us. One referral we received was really incredible. A little over a week ago an investigator asked us to go and see her daughter. We tried, but weren't ever able to find her. Then on Saturday we went out with a member and he referred us to the same person! Elder Mecham and I were speechless. We were stunned that we had been referred to the same person from two completely different sources. We changed our plans and went and saw her that night. We had a short powerful lesson. We told her what had happened and she was stunned too! She also said that she was having a rough day and was just about to sit down and pray...WOW! She kept saying how happy she was that we had come. The Lord definitely has been blessing us with many tender mercies.
On Thursday we had our Mission Christmas Devotional. I really enjoyed it. It's the only time of year that all the missionaries in the mission are gathered together in one place. I was able to catch up with some of my old companions. I also saw Ethan, he is the first convert baptism I had here in Florida. He was baptized in June of 2010 in Ocala. I talked to him a little and found out that he is going on a mission! Actually he flew out to Utah yesterday. He is going to the Arizona Phoenix Mission. I'm really excited for him. It was wonderful to hear that he had decided to serve the Lord. I know his mission will have a profound influence on the rest of his life.
That's about all I can think of. If you want you can mail me a letter ASAP, which means probably today, with any questions you have and we can talk about them during our call on Sunday.
I want to end with a quote that Mom sent me. It's from President Gordon B. Hinckley and says,"Christmas means giving. The Father gave His Son, and the Son gave His life. Without giving there is no true Christmas, without sacrifice there is no true worship." Giving the best gift often isn't easy and at times even requires sacrifice. The Savior gave his life that we may receive the best gift ever, eternal life. What are we willing to sacrifice for our loved ones? What are we willing to sacrifice for our Heavenly Father?
Love Always, Zach
* We are all EXCITED for Christmas day and 6:00 pm to arrive when the best gift of the day will be Zachery's phone call! Can't wait!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Goals...
December 12, 2011...Dear Family,
I'm not really sure what to write about this week. This is a dilemma I have each week. It always feels like it was just yesterday that I wrote. There is a lot that happened, but most of it has become normal.
With that being said, there are a few things I will write about.
Last Tuesday I went on a tradeoff with a new missionary. I went to his area while his companion came here with Elder Mecham. While there nothing out of the ordinary happened. However, it was another eye opening experience. Through this tradeoff, and others in the past, I have been able to reflect on my growth over the last 19 months. I am frequently reminded of how much I have learned and how much stronger my testimony has gotten.
One thing I have learned is the importance of setting goals and making plans to achieve those goals. If I set a goal and don't make plans that goal is just a dream or a vain hope. When we set goals and make plans we better tap into our potential and see growth. There is a quote in Preach My Gospel which says,“I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life.” – ELDER M. RUSSELL BALLARD. I don't want to only reach a small portion of my full potential. I want to become what God wants, and expects, of me. When we reach our potential we will feel greater peace and joy in our lives. We will be able to bless the lives of others and share what we have. Reaching our potential comes a little at a time. It comes one goal at a time. That goal may be as simple as saying a prayer after waking up and before going to bed each day.
On Sunday Rachel and Zachary were confirmed! I'm really happy for them. I'm sure they don't realize how much having the gift of the Holy Ghost can impact their lives. It truly is the greatest gift we can be given in mortality. It's often a challenging thing to follow too. Learning to follow the Holy Ghost takes patience and diligence. I'm convinced that it starts with one righteous decision and that will lead to more righteous decisions. As we make those decisions we will recognize the Holy Ghost more clearly and make fewer mistakes in life. Here is a video I like that refers to the Holy Ghost...
http://bcove.me/asprlrqi
The rest of the week was normal. We found some great new investigators and were able to have wonderful lessons.
That's about all I can think of.
Love Always, Zach
I'm not really sure what to write about this week. This is a dilemma I have each week. It always feels like it was just yesterday that I wrote. There is a lot that happened, but most of it has become normal.
With that being said, there are a few things I will write about.
Last Tuesday I went on a tradeoff with a new missionary. I went to his area while his companion came here with Elder Mecham. While there nothing out of the ordinary happened. However, it was another eye opening experience. Through this tradeoff, and others in the past, I have been able to reflect on my growth over the last 19 months. I am frequently reminded of how much I have learned and how much stronger my testimony has gotten.
One thing I have learned is the importance of setting goals and making plans to achieve those goals. If I set a goal and don't make plans that goal is just a dream or a vain hope. When we set goals and make plans we better tap into our potential and see growth. There is a quote in Preach My Gospel which says,“I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life.” – ELDER M. RUSSELL BALLARD. I don't want to only reach a small portion of my full potential. I want to become what God wants, and expects, of me. When we reach our potential we will feel greater peace and joy in our lives. We will be able to bless the lives of others and share what we have. Reaching our potential comes a little at a time. It comes one goal at a time. That goal may be as simple as saying a prayer after waking up and before going to bed each day.
On Sunday Rachel and Zachary were confirmed! I'm really happy for them. I'm sure they don't realize how much having the gift of the Holy Ghost can impact their lives. It truly is the greatest gift we can be given in mortality. It's often a challenging thing to follow too. Learning to follow the Holy Ghost takes patience and diligence. I'm convinced that it starts with one righteous decision and that will lead to more righteous decisions. As we make those decisions we will recognize the Holy Ghost more clearly and make fewer mistakes in life. Here is a video I like that refers to the Holy Ghost...
http://bcove.me/asprlrqi
The rest of the week was normal. We found some great new investigators and were able to have wonderful lessons.
That's about all I can think of.
Love Always, Zach
Monday, December 5, 2011
December Already!
December 5, 2011...Dear Family,
This past week went really well. The people we recently baptized are all doing really well. Chris and Shelly were both confirmed. Rachel and Zachary will be confirmed this next Sunday. It's been really wonderful seeing the changes in each of them. The gospel really does bring a new light to people's lives. It is so wonderful.
It was a relatively busy week...which is normal. I was just thinking about it and it is amazing how we adapt to our environment and situations. We had a trade-off on Monday. Wednesday we were in Jacksonville for Zone Leader Council. Thursday we had a zone meeting. Then we had another trade-off which ended Friday. In the past that would have felt like a ridiculously busy week. However, it felt really normal. It felt like we had more time to do things. I remember when I first became a zone leader things seemed to be moving a mile a minute. Now it all is normal. Again, it really amazes me how we can adapt. I know that I was only able to adapt because the Lord blessed me, and as I continue to trust Him all will be well.
Yesterday we were able to watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. It was really wonderful! We watched it at a member's home. Rachel and Zachary were able to be there. It's the first time I can remember watching it. I really enjoyed everything. This is such a wonderful time to remember our Savior and look to those things that really matter most. http://bcove.me/k0hjuvd2
I'm still striving to read the Book of Mormon daily. Over the last week, with how busy things were, I didn't get the chance to have personal study so I didn't get to read in the morning. However, I made sure I read each day. The only time I had was after I had gotten ready for bed. I had a few minutes each night to sit down and read. For the most part I didn't get to read much. Five to seven minutes is all. However, I noticed a change in myself as I read. Before reading my mind would be racing as I tried to focus on everything that I had done that day, and what still needed to be done the next day. Each night, as I read, my thoughts would calm down. I would feel the presence of the Spirit more abundantly and be at ease. I would then be ready to go to bed and sleep better. This experience has helped me remember that I am truly a child of God. That He loves me and wants me to have peace. He wants this for all of us. It has strengthened my testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know it will bring peace to all those who apply the principles taught within.
Love Always, Zach
This past week went really well. The people we recently baptized are all doing really well. Chris and Shelly were both confirmed. Rachel and Zachary will be confirmed this next Sunday. It's been really wonderful seeing the changes in each of them. The gospel really does bring a new light to people's lives. It is so wonderful.
It was a relatively busy week...which is normal. I was just thinking about it and it is amazing how we adapt to our environment and situations. We had a trade-off on Monday. Wednesday we were in Jacksonville for Zone Leader Council. Thursday we had a zone meeting. Then we had another trade-off which ended Friday. In the past that would have felt like a ridiculously busy week. However, it felt really normal. It felt like we had more time to do things. I remember when I first became a zone leader things seemed to be moving a mile a minute. Now it all is normal. Again, it really amazes me how we can adapt. I know that I was only able to adapt because the Lord blessed me, and as I continue to trust Him all will be well.
Yesterday we were able to watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. It was really wonderful! We watched it at a member's home. Rachel and Zachary were able to be there. It's the first time I can remember watching it. I really enjoyed everything. This is such a wonderful time to remember our Savior and look to those things that really matter most. http://bcove.me/k0hjuvd2
I'm still striving to read the Book of Mormon daily. Over the last week, with how busy things were, I didn't get the chance to have personal study so I didn't get to read in the morning. However, I made sure I read each day. The only time I had was after I had gotten ready for bed. I had a few minutes each night to sit down and read. For the most part I didn't get to read much. Five to seven minutes is all. However, I noticed a change in myself as I read. Before reading my mind would be racing as I tried to focus on everything that I had done that day, and what still needed to be done the next day. Each night, as I read, my thoughts would calm down. I would feel the presence of the Spirit more abundantly and be at ease. I would then be ready to go to bed and sleep better. This experience has helped me remember that I am truly a child of God. That He loves me and wants me to have peace. He wants this for all of us. It has strengthened my testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know it will bring peace to all those who apply the principles taught within.
Love Always, Zach
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| Elder Barnes, Elder Tenney, Elder Crosby, Elder Mecham, Sister Shirley, Elder Snow http://floridajacksonvillemissionnews.blogspot.com/ |
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Stuffed...
November 28, 2011...My Family,
This is going to be very short because of time constraints.
With that being said it was an okay week. Elder Mecham and I were very busy. We drove a lot. We had a lot of different meetings to go to. This week we have a few, but thankfully it won't be as bad.
For Thanksgiving we had three different meals to go to. The first one started at noon and the last one started at five...we were really stuffed! I did pretty well with managing my portions so I didn't get too full, but by time we got to the last meal I needed a break from eating. Overall it was an okay day. Not much really happened.
The best news from the past week is that Rachel and her son Zachary were baptized yesterday! It was a really wonderful baptism. A lot of people from the ward showed up.
Well, that's all I've got this week.
Sorry it's so short.
Love Always, Zach
This is going to be very short because of time constraints.
With that being said it was an okay week. Elder Mecham and I were very busy. We drove a lot. We had a lot of different meetings to go to. This week we have a few, but thankfully it won't be as bad.
For Thanksgiving we had three different meals to go to. The first one started at noon and the last one started at five...we were really stuffed! I did pretty well with managing my portions so I didn't get too full, but by time we got to the last meal I needed a break from eating. Overall it was an okay day. Not much really happened.
The best news from the past week is that Rachel and her son Zachary were baptized yesterday! It was a really wonderful baptism. A lot of people from the ward showed up.
Well, that's all I've got this week.
Sorry it's so short.
Love Always, Zach
Monday, November 21, 2011
Tender Mercies
November 21, 2011...Dear Family,
Wow! What a busy week it was! Elder Mecham and I had a lot of things going on. I would love to be able to write about all the miracles the Lord provided for us, but it would take a long time. Needless to say we were very blessed. The week started off really well. We were able to set a date for the 27th with a mom and her son. It's really exciting because the mom is engaged to a member. Their names are Rachel and Zachary. They're both really wonderful. Rachel has been incredible! She originally was going to wait until February to get baptized, but during the lesson on Monday night the Spirit really worked on her and she set a date for the 27th of this month. I would love to share it all, but it's so hard to describe the Spirit that was there. We did share some scriptures about procrastinating repentance. I shared Alma 34:33 and shared my testimony about that scripture and what it meant to me. Then we watched her as the Spirit helped her decide to get baptized. It was such a powerful lesson!
We also had a miracle baptism. We have been teaching a part-member family and the wife had a date for the 20th, but as of Tuesday we didn't think it would be happening because they got some really hard news as a family. They cancelled their appointment with us and it looked like she wouldn't be able to be baptized until December. However, we taught them on Friday and the Spirit had once again been working on her and right at the beginning of the lesson she told us she had made up her mind and was going to be baptized on the 20th. Her name is Shelly and she had to overcome a lot. She has an extreme fear of going under water. However she was able to overcome that fear and was baptized yesterday!
The other baptism we had was also wonderful. It was another part-member family. They originally were going to get married in April, but over the last few weeks they have been moving the date closer and closer. Well, they decided to do it on Saturday. When we found out they were getting married a few weeks ago we invited Chris, the now husband, to be baptized on the 20th. I'm happy to say that all went wonderfully. They were married Saturday night and he was baptized yesterday.
The rest of the week was really busy! On Wednesday we went to a leadership meeting and that took from 9-4. It was a long day. One thing that was really emphasized is using mormon.org more often. There are so many wonderful ways to learn about our beliefs on there. It is a great tool to share the gospel with EVERYONE! I really like all the videos. One video that I like talks about the Book of Mormon. This is the link http://bcove.me/92yzr7u4 there are many other good videos. Also on Tuesday and Thursday we went to some district meetings. It felt like we were running all over the place for most of the week. The Lord really did provide many miracles though.
http://floridajacksonvillemissionnews.blogspot.com/
That's our week in a nutshell.
I really can't think of anything else to share. My mind needs a rest from writing emails...
Love Always, Zach
Wow! What a busy week it was! Elder Mecham and I had a lot of things going on. I would love to be able to write about all the miracles the Lord provided for us, but it would take a long time. Needless to say we were very blessed. The week started off really well. We were able to set a date for the 27th with a mom and her son. It's really exciting because the mom is engaged to a member. Their names are Rachel and Zachary. They're both really wonderful. Rachel has been incredible! She originally was going to wait until February to get baptized, but during the lesson on Monday night the Spirit really worked on her and she set a date for the 27th of this month. I would love to share it all, but it's so hard to describe the Spirit that was there. We did share some scriptures about procrastinating repentance. I shared Alma 34:33 and shared my testimony about that scripture and what it meant to me. Then we watched her as the Spirit helped her decide to get baptized. It was such a powerful lesson!
We also had a miracle baptism. We have been teaching a part-member family and the wife had a date for the 20th, but as of Tuesday we didn't think it would be happening because they got some really hard news as a family. They cancelled their appointment with us and it looked like she wouldn't be able to be baptized until December. However, we taught them on Friday and the Spirit had once again been working on her and right at the beginning of the lesson she told us she had made up her mind and was going to be baptized on the 20th. Her name is Shelly and she had to overcome a lot. She has an extreme fear of going under water. However she was able to overcome that fear and was baptized yesterday!
The other baptism we had was also wonderful. It was another part-member family. They originally were going to get married in April, but over the last few weeks they have been moving the date closer and closer. Well, they decided to do it on Saturday. When we found out they were getting married a few weeks ago we invited Chris, the now husband, to be baptized on the 20th. I'm happy to say that all went wonderfully. They were married Saturday night and he was baptized yesterday.
The rest of the week was really busy! On Wednesday we went to a leadership meeting and that took from 9-4. It was a long day. One thing that was really emphasized is using mormon.org more often. There are so many wonderful ways to learn about our beliefs on there. It is a great tool to share the gospel with EVERYONE! I really like all the videos. One video that I like talks about the Book of Mormon. This is the link http://bcove.me/92yzr7u4 there are many other good videos. Also on Tuesday and Thursday we went to some district meetings. It felt like we were running all over the place for most of the week. The Lord really did provide many miracles though.
http://floridajacksonvillemissionnews.blogspot.com/
That's our week in a nutshell.
I really can't think of anything else to share. My mind needs a rest from writing emails...
Love Always, Zach
Monday, November 14, 2011
Oldest town in the United States...?
November 14, 2011...Dear Family,
I'm officially out of Lake City! Wednesday was transfer meeting and I am now in St. Augustine, Florida. If I remember correctly it is the oldest town in the United States. It was founded around 1585...I'm probably a little off though. I'm still a zone leader, but now I am a zone leader for the Jax South Zone. It has a few more companionships than the Lake City Zone. My new companion is Elder Mecham and he is from Folsom, California. He has been out for about 14 months.
I really have enjoyed it here so far. The people are nice. This place has a much faster pace than Lake City. The last few days have been packed with things to do, and this week is filling up fast. The members have been really great.
The Ward didn't waste any time putting me to work. They had Elder Mecham and I talk in sacrament meeting yesterday. There are also Sister missionaries in our ward and one of them spoke too. I talked about the gift of the Holy Ghost. It was a short talk because of time, but it went really well. Elder Mecham talked about enduring to the end and he did really well too.
We had a few interesting experiences last week. On Thursday night we went to teach a potential investigator that a member referred us to. Elder Mecham had met her before. The lady used to be homeless, but now has a single wide trailer. That was a really interesting experience. We went in and it was just us, her, and another guy. We started talking to her and next thing we know there are two other guys there with us. I'm pretty sure they were all homeless. They were really friendly, but it was clear that they weren't all there mentally. They kept asking us questions and we shared some things with them. It didn't really go anywhere so we were working on leaving and offered to have a prayer with them. So we all knelt on the floor, held hands, and I said the prayer. Just as we were walking out the door another lady showed up. She mentioned that she was having a really difficult time right now and needed us to pray with her. So, we gathered around, held hands, and she said the prayer. She started her prayer, but said she wasn't sure what to pray for. So, the other lady started praying. She had said a few things, then one of the men started praying. By time we were done it was Elder Mecham and I standing in a circle with four of five homeless people holding hands. It's one of those moments where I wish I could have recorded all I saw and heard and sent it home. It has been a pretty long time since I've had anything like that happen.
On a more normal note, we're having a baptism this Sunday. We're baptizing a man named Chris. He has been taught for awhile, but when we went and saw him and his family on Saturday we set a date with him. We just pulled out a baptism record and asked him if he was ready to fill it out and be baptized. It went really well! He is going to be a really solid member!
That's all I can think of now.
Love Always, Zach
Introduction to St. AugustineAmerica's oldest permanent European settlement, St. Augustine draws history buffs and romantics to its Colonial Spanish Quarter and 18th-century buildings. It's a city that's been on travelers' itineraries for ages. Unlike other tourist hotspots, St. Augustine actually lives up to its romantic hype. With its coquina buildings and sprawling, moss-draped live oaks, visitors can do more than just museum hop. St. Augustine encourages guests to sit down for a while, and to drink in scenes from the past.
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/staugustine/0409010001.html
I'm officially out of Lake City! Wednesday was transfer meeting and I am now in St. Augustine, Florida. If I remember correctly it is the oldest town in the United States. It was founded around 1585...I'm probably a little off though. I'm still a zone leader, but now I am a zone leader for the Jax South Zone. It has a few more companionships than the Lake City Zone. My new companion is Elder Mecham and he is from Folsom, California. He has been out for about 14 months.
I really have enjoyed it here so far. The people are nice. This place has a much faster pace than Lake City. The last few days have been packed with things to do, and this week is filling up fast. The members have been really great.
The Ward didn't waste any time putting me to work. They had Elder Mecham and I talk in sacrament meeting yesterday. There are also Sister missionaries in our ward and one of them spoke too. I talked about the gift of the Holy Ghost. It was a short talk because of time, but it went really well. Elder Mecham talked about enduring to the end and he did really well too.
We had a few interesting experiences last week. On Thursday night we went to teach a potential investigator that a member referred us to. Elder Mecham had met her before. The lady used to be homeless, but now has a single wide trailer. That was a really interesting experience. We went in and it was just us, her, and another guy. We started talking to her and next thing we know there are two other guys there with us. I'm pretty sure they were all homeless. They were really friendly, but it was clear that they weren't all there mentally. They kept asking us questions and we shared some things with them. It didn't really go anywhere so we were working on leaving and offered to have a prayer with them. So we all knelt on the floor, held hands, and I said the prayer. Just as we were walking out the door another lady showed up. She mentioned that she was having a really difficult time right now and needed us to pray with her. So, we gathered around, held hands, and she said the prayer. She started her prayer, but said she wasn't sure what to pray for. So, the other lady started praying. She had said a few things, then one of the men started praying. By time we were done it was Elder Mecham and I standing in a circle with four of five homeless people holding hands. It's one of those moments where I wish I could have recorded all I saw and heard and sent it home. It has been a pretty long time since I've had anything like that happen.
On a more normal note, we're having a baptism this Sunday. We're baptizing a man named Chris. He has been taught for awhile, but when we went and saw him and his family on Saturday we set a date with him. We just pulled out a baptism record and asked him if he was ready to fill it out and be baptized. It went really well! He is going to be a really solid member!
That's all I can think of now.
Love Always, Zach
Introduction to St. AugustineAmerica's oldest permanent European settlement, St. Augustine draws history buffs and romantics to its Colonial Spanish Quarter and 18th-century buildings. It's a city that's been on travelers' itineraries for ages. Unlike other tourist hotspots, St. Augustine actually lives up to its romantic hype. With its coquina buildings and sprawling, moss-draped live oaks, visitors can do more than just museum hop. St. Augustine encourages guests to sit down for a while, and to drink in scenes from the past.
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/staugustine/0409010001.html
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
On the road again...
November 7, 2011... Dear Family,
Transfer calls came on Saturday night and I am being transferred. The actual transfer meeting is this Wednesday. I will find out where I am going at the meeting. I'm excited to find out where I'll be living for at least the next six weeks and who I will be living with.
I do have to say though, that I have really loved it here in Lake City. There are so many wonderful people and I have learned a lot! I definitely feel like I have become a better missionary and person. I am very thankful for the time I have been able to serve here.
My last week in the Cannon Creek Ward went well. For the most part it was normal. Unfortunately we weren't able to find any new investigators. It's been getting increasingly harder to find people the last few weeks. However, we have some great prospects.
We were able to teach quite a few of the members and help them out with their missionary efforts. I really enjoy teaching members...come to think of it I just enjoy teaching and helping people. It's fun to teach individuals, and families, that want to learn and do things.
The highlight of the week was yesterday. Weston was baptized and confirmed!! It was the least stressful baptism I have ever had! His grandma set up the program and the ward took care of the rest. There were a lot of people there yesterday. We almost didn't all fit in the room. Some people were Weston's family from out of town, but most of the people were members from the ward. Teaching Weston and his family over the last few weeks has been like a dream. It has been so smooth and easy. They were all really well prepared and had a ton of member support. It made it all so easy. That's the ideal situation. Now when I go, and when Elder Maxfield eventually goes, Weston and his family will have great friends and be an integral part of the ward.
We taught Lin again today. It was the first time we've taught him in the last two weeks. He is still doing really well. We were able to give him a copy of the Book of Mormon in Chinese a few weeks ago and it has helped him a lot. Today he was as humble and happy as ever. He is wonderful. He has a lot of hope and has gained a belief in God. Today when we got there he said we should have a prayer as soon as we sat down. I was so happy when he said that. He is going to take longer to teach, due to how little he understands, but it is going to be wonderful to see his understanding grow and his life change. Obviously I won't be here for the rest of it, but I'm excited for Elder Maxfield and his new companion.
Yesterday Elder Maxfield and I had an eye opening experience. We taught a recent convert and he really opened up to us. To make a long story short, he has been struggling with his testimony over the last few months. He comes to church occasionally but that's all. As we talked to him it became very clear that he doesn't have a testimony of the Book of Mormon. He has read it all the way through once and hasn't read it much since. He said he can't deny it's changed him because before he read it he wasn't even sure there was a God. However, because he hasn't been reading it since that first time it has been a very challenging road. It made it so clear that everyone, whether they're a convert or raised in the Church, needs to be reading the Book of Mormon DAILY! When we read daily it blesses our lives in so many wonderful ways. I really want to focus on reading it everyday for the rest of my life. Even if it's just a little bit, I know it will greatly help me and all those people I interact with. I'm definitely going to study other scriptures and things, but reading the Book of Mormon daily is going to be a part of who I am. I also want to make sure when I teach people they are doing their reading and have a good testimony of the Book of Mormon.
That's about all for this week. I love you all and will let you know where I am next week when I write.
Love Always, Zach
Transfer calls came on Saturday night and I am being transferred. The actual transfer meeting is this Wednesday. I will find out where I am going at the meeting. I'm excited to find out where I'll be living for at least the next six weeks and who I will be living with.
I do have to say though, that I have really loved it here in Lake City. There are so many wonderful people and I have learned a lot! I definitely feel like I have become a better missionary and person. I am very thankful for the time I have been able to serve here.
My last week in the Cannon Creek Ward went well. For the most part it was normal. Unfortunately we weren't able to find any new investigators. It's been getting increasingly harder to find people the last few weeks. However, we have some great prospects.
We were able to teach quite a few of the members and help them out with their missionary efforts. I really enjoy teaching members...come to think of it I just enjoy teaching and helping people. It's fun to teach individuals, and families, that want to learn and do things.
The highlight of the week was yesterday. Weston was baptized and confirmed!! It was the least stressful baptism I have ever had! His grandma set up the program and the ward took care of the rest. There were a lot of people there yesterday. We almost didn't all fit in the room. Some people were Weston's family from out of town, but most of the people were members from the ward. Teaching Weston and his family over the last few weeks has been like a dream. It has been so smooth and easy. They were all really well prepared and had a ton of member support. It made it all so easy. That's the ideal situation. Now when I go, and when Elder Maxfield eventually goes, Weston and his family will have great friends and be an integral part of the ward.
We taught Lin again today. It was the first time we've taught him in the last two weeks. He is still doing really well. We were able to give him a copy of the Book of Mormon in Chinese a few weeks ago and it has helped him a lot. Today he was as humble and happy as ever. He is wonderful. He has a lot of hope and has gained a belief in God. Today when we got there he said we should have a prayer as soon as we sat down. I was so happy when he said that. He is going to take longer to teach, due to how little he understands, but it is going to be wonderful to see his understanding grow and his life change. Obviously I won't be here for the rest of it, but I'm excited for Elder Maxfield and his new companion.
Yesterday Elder Maxfield and I had an eye opening experience. We taught a recent convert and he really opened up to us. To make a long story short, he has been struggling with his testimony over the last few months. He comes to church occasionally but that's all. As we talked to him it became very clear that he doesn't have a testimony of the Book of Mormon. He has read it all the way through once and hasn't read it much since. He said he can't deny it's changed him because before he read it he wasn't even sure there was a God. However, because he hasn't been reading it since that first time it has been a very challenging road. It made it so clear that everyone, whether they're a convert or raised in the Church, needs to be reading the Book of Mormon DAILY! When we read daily it blesses our lives in so many wonderful ways. I really want to focus on reading it everyday for the rest of my life. Even if it's just a little bit, I know it will greatly help me and all those people I interact with. I'm definitely going to study other scriptures and things, but reading the Book of Mormon daily is going to be a part of who I am. I also want to make sure when I teach people they are doing their reading and have a good testimony of the Book of Mormon.
That's about all for this week. I love you all and will let you know where I am next week when I write.
Love Always, Zach
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
On the edge of my seat!!
October 31, 2011…Hello Family,
Another 1% of my mission gone by. It was a relatively good 1% at that.
We're still teaching Weston and his family. I really love teaching them. They're a relatively sarcastic bunch, so I feel right at home. I always feel so great when we teach them. They're one of those families you pray to find. Even though his mom and sister are members I know the lessons have really helped them out a lot. Their testimonies have really been strengthened in the last few weeks. This week we taught them at another member’s home. They've been able to build a great friendship. Having that friendship will really help them stay active once Elder Maxfield and I are gone. Weston is going to be baptized this Sunday. I'm really excited for him.
We haven't taught Lin lately. He went out of town because his brother is getting married. We were able to give him a Chinese copy of the Book of Mormon before he left though. His reading should be more productive now that he has that.
That's about all the news as far as investigators go. The rest have been really hard to get in contact with. David, the man we taught on the porch, has been completely off the radar. It's always strange when that kind of thing happens. It's pretty much the story of my time here in Lake City. We find investigators and have really powerful lessons with them, then they disappear. We're going to keep trying to get in touch with him again for a little while longer. On a good note, we have some pretty good potentials in the mix. We'll see how it goes.
On Saturday our ward had their trunk-or-treat. I enjoyed it. We were there for a little while. They had deep fried hot dogs! In all honesty they weren't as good as the barbecued hot dogs.
Wednesday was a pretty intense day. We went to Jacksonville for a Zone Leader Council. I really loved it. We talked a lot about the Book of Mormon. We got back to Lake City at about 5:15. We worked for awhile then had our monthly meeting with the stake president. It all went really well.
Mom told me that you all had a family Halloween party last week. That's wonderful!! I heard it went really well. I look forward to being there next year....wow that's strange to say.
Thursday morning we went and did service for a less-active man. He is 85! We worked in his yard and he was right with us the whole time. It's incredible that he's so active and able to do all he does. When we left he thanked us for helping him and the look in his eyes was priceless. He had a lot of love and gratitude in his eyes.
While working with him we somehow got talking about butter. By the end of the conversation Elder Maxfield had decided that he wanted to make his own butter today. I think that's what we'll be attempting later today. Either that or go to the driving range.
So, transfer calls come this Saturday. That's the reason for the title of the email. I've been here almost six months so I'm really wondering if I will stay. I think it's unlikely, but you never know. I've learned a lot out here. I really love it here. There are so many wonderful people and it's a great little town.
Since I've been out here I have really developed a desire to have a garden. So many people grow their own stuff! I want to as well. It's all about being self sufficient. I also think that's a big reason the less-active man we helped is still so healthy. He grows a lot of his own stuff and stays active. So, I'm going to have a garden when I get home...maybe I'll be a farmer.
I've especially seen my testimony grow stronger in my time here. I have become a much more powerful teacher too.
Well, as I mentioned earlier we talked a lot about the Book of Mormon in Zone Leader Council. I really love the Book of Mormon. It has played such a vital role in my life. It has been the catalyst of my conversion. I love being able to sit down and read it each day. It opens up the lines of revelation. I pray that I can read it everyday for the rest of my life. That's the goal. I know if I were to stop reading daily then my testimony would weaken and I would not be as happy. Please make it a point to read your Book of Mormon daily.
Love Always, Zach
Another 1% of my mission gone by. It was a relatively good 1% at that.
We're still teaching Weston and his family. I really love teaching them. They're a relatively sarcastic bunch, so I feel right at home. I always feel so great when we teach them. They're one of those families you pray to find. Even though his mom and sister are members I know the lessons have really helped them out a lot. Their testimonies have really been strengthened in the last few weeks. This week we taught them at another member’s home. They've been able to build a great friendship. Having that friendship will really help them stay active once Elder Maxfield and I are gone. Weston is going to be baptized this Sunday. I'm really excited for him.
We haven't taught Lin lately. He went out of town because his brother is getting married. We were able to give him a Chinese copy of the Book of Mormon before he left though. His reading should be more productive now that he has that.
That's about all the news as far as investigators go. The rest have been really hard to get in contact with. David, the man we taught on the porch, has been completely off the radar. It's always strange when that kind of thing happens. It's pretty much the story of my time here in Lake City. We find investigators and have really powerful lessons with them, then they disappear. We're going to keep trying to get in touch with him again for a little while longer. On a good note, we have some pretty good potentials in the mix. We'll see how it goes.
On Saturday our ward had their trunk-or-treat. I enjoyed it. We were there for a little while. They had deep fried hot dogs! In all honesty they weren't as good as the barbecued hot dogs.
Wednesday was a pretty intense day. We went to Jacksonville for a Zone Leader Council. I really loved it. We talked a lot about the Book of Mormon. We got back to Lake City at about 5:15. We worked for awhile then had our monthly meeting with the stake president. It all went really well.
Mom told me that you all had a family Halloween party last week. That's wonderful!! I heard it went really well. I look forward to being there next year....wow that's strange to say.
Thursday morning we went and did service for a less-active man. He is 85! We worked in his yard and he was right with us the whole time. It's incredible that he's so active and able to do all he does. When we left he thanked us for helping him and the look in his eyes was priceless. He had a lot of love and gratitude in his eyes.
While working with him we somehow got talking about butter. By the end of the conversation Elder Maxfield had decided that he wanted to make his own butter today. I think that's what we'll be attempting later today. Either that or go to the driving range.
So, transfer calls come this Saturday. That's the reason for the title of the email. I've been here almost six months so I'm really wondering if I will stay. I think it's unlikely, but you never know. I've learned a lot out here. I really love it here. There are so many wonderful people and it's a great little town.
Since I've been out here I have really developed a desire to have a garden. So many people grow their own stuff! I want to as well. It's all about being self sufficient. I also think that's a big reason the less-active man we helped is still so healthy. He grows a lot of his own stuff and stays active. So, I'm going to have a garden when I get home...maybe I'll be a farmer.
I've especially seen my testimony grow stronger in my time here. I have become a much more powerful teacher too.
Well, as I mentioned earlier we talked a lot about the Book of Mormon in Zone Leader Council. I really love the Book of Mormon. It has played such a vital role in my life. It has been the catalyst of my conversion. I love being able to sit down and read it each day. It opens up the lines of revelation. I pray that I can read it everyday for the rest of my life. That's the goal. I know if I were to stop reading daily then my testimony would weaken and I would not be as happy. Please make it a point to read your Book of Mormon daily.
Love Always, Zach
Monday, October 24, 2011
Priorities...
October 24, 2011...Dear Family,
This is probably going to be shorter than usual because I don't have much time.
This week went really well. Elder Maxfield and I were blessed to find more people to teach. It's so wonderful to help others come unto Christ! We taught Lin again. He is really wonderful. I am always so happy when I leave his house. He is so sincere in his desires and is willing to do those things we invite him to do. It's really incredible. He knows very little English, but has still been diligent in studying the Book of Mormon. He studies about 30 minutes each night. Through his studies he has been able to read 4 pages of the Book of Mormon. It's incredible that he hasn't gotten frustrated with it. That shows how much desire he has. Today after we taught him he thanked us for, "bringing him the truth." He also said that he knows God will help him learn as he continues to study.
On Saturday we had a wonderful experience. We felt like there was a certain street we should tract while planning the night before. When we got to the street we parked and after we had gotten out of the car we noticed a man outside sweeping his porch. We talked to him and ended up teaching him on his porch! It was a powerful lesson and he is really great.
I know that we can all see great miracles as we are humble and follow those subtle promptings we receive. They happen to us every day, but it's so easy to get caught up in the distractions of the world that we don't even notice them.
While at church the topic of technology came up. With it we started talking about the Internet and how it can be used for good or evil. The evil that inevitably came up was pornography. It truly is disgusting and destroys us if we indulge in it. However, there are many other "evils" on the Internet that aren't so clear. One of the biggest things is the simple fact that we waste so much time doing unimportant things. There are hours spent on Facebook, games, and other websites that waste our time. We get so occupied with these things that we let the most important aspects of life fall by the wayside! Satan truly is diabolical! He gets us through his cunning little traps. That's why we need to be diligent in all things. We need to focus on the best things and hold tight to them. This includes reading the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, praying, and going to church. If we're not reading the Book of Mormon daily and praying daily then we have our priorities in the wrong place!
I've got to go now.
Love Always, Zach
This is probably going to be shorter than usual because I don't have much time.
This week went really well. Elder Maxfield and I were blessed to find more people to teach. It's so wonderful to help others come unto Christ! We taught Lin again. He is really wonderful. I am always so happy when I leave his house. He is so sincere in his desires and is willing to do those things we invite him to do. It's really incredible. He knows very little English, but has still been diligent in studying the Book of Mormon. He studies about 30 minutes each night. Through his studies he has been able to read 4 pages of the Book of Mormon. It's incredible that he hasn't gotten frustrated with it. That shows how much desire he has. Today after we taught him he thanked us for, "bringing him the truth." He also said that he knows God will help him learn as he continues to study.
On Saturday we had a wonderful experience. We felt like there was a certain street we should tract while planning the night before. When we got to the street we parked and after we had gotten out of the car we noticed a man outside sweeping his porch. We talked to him and ended up teaching him on his porch! It was a powerful lesson and he is really great.
I know that we can all see great miracles as we are humble and follow those subtle promptings we receive. They happen to us every day, but it's so easy to get caught up in the distractions of the world that we don't even notice them.
While at church the topic of technology came up. With it we started talking about the Internet and how it can be used for good or evil. The evil that inevitably came up was pornography. It truly is disgusting and destroys us if we indulge in it. However, there are many other "evils" on the Internet that aren't so clear. One of the biggest things is the simple fact that we waste so much time doing unimportant things. There are hours spent on Facebook, games, and other websites that waste our time. We get so occupied with these things that we let the most important aspects of life fall by the wayside! Satan truly is diabolical! He gets us through his cunning little traps. That's why we need to be diligent in all things. We need to focus on the best things and hold tight to them. This includes reading the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, praying, and going to church. If we're not reading the Book of Mormon daily and praying daily then we have our priorities in the wrong place!
I've got to go now.
Love Always, Zach
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Random man in the parking lot...
October 17, 2011...Dear Family,
Progress really is made in small and often simple steps. Elder Maxfield and I had a better week. We did some little things better and were blessed in ways I did not expect. There wasn't any one thing that stands out that we did differently. I think we simply did things better.
On Thursday we went and did some service for a member. We helped him split logs for firewood. I really enjoyed it. I loved being able to get out and do some physical labor and most importantly to offer service. It was a nice change of pace. We helped for a few hours then they fed us lunch. It was a wonderful way to start the day.
We've been getting fed really well lately. There have been several times where a member will randomly call us and tell us that they made us some food and to come pick it up. It's been so great that over the last few weeks I've spent very little money on groceries. Last Monday we saw a member and after the lesson he went to his freezer and got out a bunch of steaks for us to cook! I've attributed this influx of food to paying fast offerings. The Lord blesses us when we do what He asks of us.
One great thing that happened this last week is that we started teaching an unbaptized child in the ward. The family was less-active for a long time, but recently started coming. The youngest son is eight and not yet baptized, but turns nine this Friday. So we went with our high priest group leader and taught the family and are helping them continue to get active and preparing the youngest boy for baptism. Right now he has a date for November 6. It really is a miracle because we didn't set any of it up. The mom expressed the desire to have her son learn from the missionaries to the bishop and our high priest group leader set up an appointment and then told us about it. Another miracle was what happened yesterday. We got out of a meeting before church and were in the foyer when some members walked in and told us there was a guy wandering around in the parking lot. We went out and talked to him. He is from China and said that he simply wants someone to come and teach him about God....WOW!! I was, and still am, amazed! The Lord placed this man in our path. All we had to do was go out and ask him if he needed any help. We got permission to teach him this morning. His name in Lin and he is very humble. He will take longer to teach because of the language barrier, he speaks very little English. Also because he has no religious background at all. This morning we taught primarily about God, prayer, and the scriptures. It went really well! I'm really excited to teach him. I'm also humbled by these experiences. The Lord definitely blessed us for our work, and He did it in ways I never would have expected.
It all goes back to grace. Elder Maxfield and I had to do all we could and then the grace of the Lord made up the rest and brought about the miracle.
Other than that things are relatively normal.
I'll talk to you all again next week.
Love Always, Zach
Progress really is made in small and often simple steps. Elder Maxfield and I had a better week. We did some little things better and were blessed in ways I did not expect. There wasn't any one thing that stands out that we did differently. I think we simply did things better.
On Thursday we went and did some service for a member. We helped him split logs for firewood. I really enjoyed it. I loved being able to get out and do some physical labor and most importantly to offer service. It was a nice change of pace. We helped for a few hours then they fed us lunch. It was a wonderful way to start the day.
We've been getting fed really well lately. There have been several times where a member will randomly call us and tell us that they made us some food and to come pick it up. It's been so great that over the last few weeks I've spent very little money on groceries. Last Monday we saw a member and after the lesson he went to his freezer and got out a bunch of steaks for us to cook! I've attributed this influx of food to paying fast offerings. The Lord blesses us when we do what He asks of us.
One great thing that happened this last week is that we started teaching an unbaptized child in the ward. The family was less-active for a long time, but recently started coming. The youngest son is eight and not yet baptized, but turns nine this Friday. So we went with our high priest group leader and taught the family and are helping them continue to get active and preparing the youngest boy for baptism. Right now he has a date for November 6. It really is a miracle because we didn't set any of it up. The mom expressed the desire to have her son learn from the missionaries to the bishop and our high priest group leader set up an appointment and then told us about it. Another miracle was what happened yesterday. We got out of a meeting before church and were in the foyer when some members walked in and told us there was a guy wandering around in the parking lot. We went out and talked to him. He is from China and said that he simply wants someone to come and teach him about God....WOW!! I was, and still am, amazed! The Lord placed this man in our path. All we had to do was go out and ask him if he needed any help. We got permission to teach him this morning. His name in Lin and he is very humble. He will take longer to teach because of the language barrier, he speaks very little English. Also because he has no religious background at all. This morning we taught primarily about God, prayer, and the scriptures. It went really well! I'm really excited to teach him. I'm also humbled by these experiences. The Lord definitely blessed us for our work, and He did it in ways I never would have expected.
It all goes back to grace. Elder Maxfield and I had to do all we could and then the grace of the Lord made up the rest and brought about the miracle.
Other than that things are relatively normal.
I'll talk to you all again next week.
Love Always, Zach
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Another busy week
October 10, 2011…Dear Family,
Like the title says, it was another busy week. We were in Macclenny for a trade-off on Tuesday and then Wednesday we went to Jacksonville for another Zone Leader Council. They were both enjoyable experiences! I learned a lot at both of them. Whenever we have stuff like that it makes the week fly by!
Elder Maxfield and I are in an interesting position right now. We don't have any investigators. We started last week with about five and by Saturday afternoon we didn't have any. I can't remember if I have ever been in a position like this before. It's strange. Usually whenever we have people stop investigating we at least find one person. However we didn't this last week.
With that being said I'm not feeling down about it. I'm not quite sure why. Other weeks when we haven't found anyone I've been really devastated, but this week I'm not. I think part of it is because we have some really great potential investigators. Also because we have really been focusing on finding more through the members. Whenever you try to change something like that there are going to be struggles and setbacks. Another part of it is because I think we realized why we haven't been finding and know what we need to do. We were focusing too much on the members and weren't having a balanced approach. That's one thing I've really learned on my mission. Is that there is a balance in all things. I think the Lord is trying to teach me this to prepare me for the rest of life. I know for myself I can get too focused on somethings and not spend time I need on other things. I think that's the perfectionist is me. All this makes me think of a scripture. It's Mosiah 4:27. It says, "And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order." When I keep the big picture in mind and do things this way I know I will find more success now and in the future. It's a wonderful principle that we can all apply and learn from. There are a lot of other thoughts that come to mind, but I don't have time to write them all...I don't know if they would make much sense anyway.
Overall I am feeling very happy. Months ago we were taught something called C.O.N.T.A.C.T. and it basically is a way to talk to people without being rote, or saying the same thing each time. The first "C" stands for clues and connect. That's where the variety really comes from. We look for clues and connect with people. We find common ground to gain their trust. We had some really great experiences with this last week. One guy we tracted into had a shirt that said something about cave diving. We asked about it and he told us that he is a cave diver. That in the caves there is a line so that if silt is kicked up and you can't see you can hold to the line and be able to find your way out safely. Does that sound familiar at all? It did to us and we connected it to Lehi's vision of the tree of life and the iron rod (see 1 Nephi chapter 8). It was so perfect!
I also studied about hope. It was really wonderful. While studying I noticed how hope and faith are so similar that at times it's hard to tell them apart. Then I found this quote, "faith is rooted in Jesus Christ. Hope centers in the Atonement. Charity is manifest in the ‘pure love of Christ.’ These three attributes are intertwined like strands in a cable and may not always be precisely distinguished. Together they become our tether to the celestial kingdom" (“A More Excellent Hope,” Ensign, Feb. 1997, 61). WOW! There is also a wonderful video that talks about hope. If you go to "mormon messages" on youtube you should be able to find it...I can't find a link from lds.org. Regardless it is really good and worth looking for.
Also, THANK YOU for the card!! Elder Maxfield and I got a good laugh out of it. It's nice to know I'm missed at least a little.
Well, I've got to go now.
Love Always, Zach
Like the title says, it was another busy week. We were in Macclenny for a trade-off on Tuesday and then Wednesday we went to Jacksonville for another Zone Leader Council. They were both enjoyable experiences! I learned a lot at both of them. Whenever we have stuff like that it makes the week fly by!
Elder Maxfield and I are in an interesting position right now. We don't have any investigators. We started last week with about five and by Saturday afternoon we didn't have any. I can't remember if I have ever been in a position like this before. It's strange. Usually whenever we have people stop investigating we at least find one person. However we didn't this last week.
With that being said I'm not feeling down about it. I'm not quite sure why. Other weeks when we haven't found anyone I've been really devastated, but this week I'm not. I think part of it is because we have some really great potential investigators. Also because we have really been focusing on finding more through the members. Whenever you try to change something like that there are going to be struggles and setbacks. Another part of it is because I think we realized why we haven't been finding and know what we need to do. We were focusing too much on the members and weren't having a balanced approach. That's one thing I've really learned on my mission. Is that there is a balance in all things. I think the Lord is trying to teach me this to prepare me for the rest of life. I know for myself I can get too focused on somethings and not spend time I need on other things. I think that's the perfectionist is me. All this makes me think of a scripture. It's Mosiah 4:27. It says, "And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order." When I keep the big picture in mind and do things this way I know I will find more success now and in the future. It's a wonderful principle that we can all apply and learn from. There are a lot of other thoughts that come to mind, but I don't have time to write them all...I don't know if they would make much sense anyway.
Overall I am feeling very happy. Months ago we were taught something called C.O.N.T.A.C.T. and it basically is a way to talk to people without being rote, or saying the same thing each time. The first "C" stands for clues and connect. That's where the variety really comes from. We look for clues and connect with people. We find common ground to gain their trust. We had some really great experiences with this last week. One guy we tracted into had a shirt that said something about cave diving. We asked about it and he told us that he is a cave diver. That in the caves there is a line so that if silt is kicked up and you can't see you can hold to the line and be able to find your way out safely. Does that sound familiar at all? It did to us and we connected it to Lehi's vision of the tree of life and the iron rod (see 1 Nephi chapter 8). It was so perfect!
I also studied about hope. It was really wonderful. While studying I noticed how hope and faith are so similar that at times it's hard to tell them apart. Then I found this quote, "faith is rooted in Jesus Christ. Hope centers in the Atonement. Charity is manifest in the ‘pure love of Christ.’ These three attributes are intertwined like strands in a cable and may not always be precisely distinguished. Together they become our tether to the celestial kingdom" (“A More Excellent Hope,” Ensign, Feb. 1997, 61). WOW! There is also a wonderful video that talks about hope. If you go to "mormon messages" on youtube you should be able to find it...I can't find a link from lds.org. Regardless it is really good and worth looking for.
Also, THANK YOU for the card!! Elder Maxfield and I got a good laugh out of it. It's nice to know I'm missed at least a little.
Well, I've got to go now.
Love Always, Zach
Monday, October 3, 2011
Good Weekend!
October 3, 2011…Dear Family,
I hope that all of you are doing well. I am doing okay here in Lake City. Last week was a decent week. Some of our investigators made good progress. One of which is Josh. We've been teaching him for about two weeks now. He is really great! We were able to teach him in a member's home on Thursday night. It was a powerful lesson. We taught him the importance of living the law of chastity and then the members bore their testimonies about how much living the law of chastity has blessed their lives. They talked about the added trust it has brought to their relationship. The greatest blessing it has brought to them is the privilege of being worthy to enter into the temple and be sealed for time and all eternity. What a wonderful blessing!! Then we left and Josh spent about an hour at the members home hanging out with them. I was really excited when I heard that.
I got my new companion on Wednesday. He is Elder Maxfield. He is from Murray Utah and has been out for about 15 months. It's funny because he was transferred from the Gainesville 3rd Ward. Which if you remember is where I used to be. He actually went there when I left. It's been good talking to him and finding out how the ward is doing there. Apparently things are going well. I think we're going to do well here this transfer. I'm happy I get to stay and work here a little longer. There must be something I still haven't done yet.
We had a neat experience the other day. We went to see a less active man and when we got there his dogs were out in the yard. One was chained up and the other wasn't. As soon as we looked I noticed that the one which wasn't chained up wasn't a dog, but it was a wolf! We walked up anyway because there were some people in the yard. We talked to them and were petting the wolf. It was really big! The guy we were talking to also said it was only one year old and would grow even more. I now can say that I have pet a wolf....part of me wants to get one someday.
General Conference was wonderful! I think that's what made last week good. It's such a wonderful experience! I love going with questions and then having them answered through the Holy Ghost. It really is a revelatory experience. I hope that you all got a chance to watch it ALL. If you didn't I would recommend doing it. There were so many wonderful talks. One thing that stood out to me is how important it is to read, study, and PONDER the Book of Mormon EVERYDAY. Also the importance of prayer and the amazing things that come through that divine gift of being able to communicate with our Heavenly Father. I feel like my prayers are pretty decent, but I am going to work on them more. I also am going to put more effort into pondering the Book of Mormon. I read it every day, but I want to really study and ponder more. I did better with it this morning and I really loved it. I slowed down when I was reading to let my mind think about what was being said. I "likened" it to myself and the world today. It was a wonderful experience. I know that if we all do this every day we will receive answers to our questions and greater guidance. The path that leads to eternal life can and will be illuminated. We will be able to walk the road of life with more certainty and confidence. We will be able to understand our true identity and understand all that our Savior went through for us. I love the scriptures and know the Book of Mormon is the word of God.
Love Always, Elder Zachery Snow
I hope that all of you are doing well. I am doing okay here in Lake City. Last week was a decent week. Some of our investigators made good progress. One of which is Josh. We've been teaching him for about two weeks now. He is really great! We were able to teach him in a member's home on Thursday night. It was a powerful lesson. We taught him the importance of living the law of chastity and then the members bore their testimonies about how much living the law of chastity has blessed their lives. They talked about the added trust it has brought to their relationship. The greatest blessing it has brought to them is the privilege of being worthy to enter into the temple and be sealed for time and all eternity. What a wonderful blessing!! Then we left and Josh spent about an hour at the members home hanging out with them. I was really excited when I heard that.
I got my new companion on Wednesday. He is Elder Maxfield. He is from Murray Utah and has been out for about 15 months. It's funny because he was transferred from the Gainesville 3rd Ward. Which if you remember is where I used to be. He actually went there when I left. It's been good talking to him and finding out how the ward is doing there. Apparently things are going well. I think we're going to do well here this transfer. I'm happy I get to stay and work here a little longer. There must be something I still haven't done yet.
We had a neat experience the other day. We went to see a less active man and when we got there his dogs were out in the yard. One was chained up and the other wasn't. As soon as we looked I noticed that the one which wasn't chained up wasn't a dog, but it was a wolf! We walked up anyway because there were some people in the yard. We talked to them and were petting the wolf. It was really big! The guy we were talking to also said it was only one year old and would grow even more. I now can say that I have pet a wolf....part of me wants to get one someday.
General Conference was wonderful! I think that's what made last week good. It's such a wonderful experience! I love going with questions and then having them answered through the Holy Ghost. It really is a revelatory experience. I hope that you all got a chance to watch it ALL. If you didn't I would recommend doing it. There were so many wonderful talks. One thing that stood out to me is how important it is to read, study, and PONDER the Book of Mormon EVERYDAY. Also the importance of prayer and the amazing things that come through that divine gift of being able to communicate with our Heavenly Father. I feel like my prayers are pretty decent, but I am going to work on them more. I also am going to put more effort into pondering the Book of Mormon. I read it every day, but I want to really study and ponder more. I did better with it this morning and I really loved it. I slowed down when I was reading to let my mind think about what was being said. I "likened" it to myself and the world today. It was a wonderful experience. I know that if we all do this every day we will receive answers to our questions and greater guidance. The path that leads to eternal life can and will be illuminated. We will be able to walk the road of life with more certainty and confidence. We will be able to understand our true identity and understand all that our Savior went through for us. I love the scriptures and know the Book of Mormon is the word of God.
Love Always, Elder Zachery Snow
Monday, September 26, 2011
Staying Put...
September 26, 2011...Dear Family,
Well, transfer calls came and I'm not going anywhere. That means I will be here for about six months. That's three areas I've had that are six months! I was pretty surprised to find out I'm staying. I was even more surprised to hear that Elder Jacobs is being transferred. He was only here for six weeks. He seemed really surprised too. We get along really well too. I will meet my new companion on Wednesday. As of right now I'm staying a zone leader.
The last week was the best week that Elder Jacobs and I had together. We had some great lessons and found some really fantastic new investigators. They are Mike and Josh. Both of them were able to make it to church yesterday too!
On Saturday we had an open house at our chapel. It went pretty well. The building has been there for almost two years now, but a lot of people still call it the "new church." A lot of them know about it so we figured we would have an open house. We have been planning it with the ward for about two months now. We had a good turn out and I really enjoyed it.
The rest of the week went well too. Nothing else really stands out right now.
While I was reading in the Book of Mormon last week and I read Mosiah chapter 14. Wow! That is an incredible chapter! It's talking about Christ and I especially like verses 5-7. It's powerful when it says, "...with his stripes we are healed." It's true! I felt so much love when I read that and I continue to feel it. I also like verse seven when it says, "...yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb so he opened not his mouth." I thought about this more during the week. The thought came that He didn't complain even with all He went through. I've been working on being more positive and looking for the good. It's been really helpful. Mom said something to me once in a letter. She said, "Not everyday is good, but there is good in everyday."
When we look for the good in each day we can see how much the Lord has blessed us. Our days will go better and we will be able to share that joy with those around us. We can share that joy with our fellow children of God. Our Heavenly Father wants all of us to be able to return to be with Him someday, and I know that it's through simple things, like looking for the good in each day and the good in everyone, that we can make this happen.
Love Always, Elder Zachery Snow
Well, transfer calls came and I'm not going anywhere. That means I will be here for about six months. That's three areas I've had that are six months! I was pretty surprised to find out I'm staying. I was even more surprised to hear that Elder Jacobs is being transferred. He was only here for six weeks. He seemed really surprised too. We get along really well too. I will meet my new companion on Wednesday. As of right now I'm staying a zone leader.
The last week was the best week that Elder Jacobs and I had together. We had some great lessons and found some really fantastic new investigators. They are Mike and Josh. Both of them were able to make it to church yesterday too!
On Saturday we had an open house at our chapel. It went pretty well. The building has been there for almost two years now, but a lot of people still call it the "new church." A lot of them know about it so we figured we would have an open house. We have been planning it with the ward for about two months now. We had a good turn out and I really enjoyed it.
The rest of the week went well too. Nothing else really stands out right now.
While I was reading in the Book of Mormon last week and I read Mosiah chapter 14. Wow! That is an incredible chapter! It's talking about Christ and I especially like verses 5-7. It's powerful when it says, "...with his stripes we are healed." It's true! I felt so much love when I read that and I continue to feel it. I also like verse seven when it says, "...yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb so he opened not his mouth." I thought about this more during the week. The thought came that He didn't complain even with all He went through. I've been working on being more positive and looking for the good. It's been really helpful. Mom said something to me once in a letter. She said, "Not everyday is good, but there is good in everyday."
When we look for the good in each day we can see how much the Lord has blessed us. Our days will go better and we will be able to share that joy with those around us. We can share that joy with our fellow children of God. Our Heavenly Father wants all of us to be able to return to be with Him someday, and I know that it's through simple things, like looking for the good in each day and the good in everyone, that we can make this happen.
Love Always, Elder Zachery Snow
Monday, September 19, 2011
Quick week...
September 19, 2011... Dear Family,
The week went by really quick. I didn't say anything, but preparation day was on Tuesday because Elder Per G. Malm of the Second Quorum of the Seventy came and talked to us at a zone conference on Monday. It was really fantastic! I love seeing the General Authorities. They always have so much energy and joy. It's true that living the gospel brings true joy and happiness. Nothing else can even come close.
There isn't anything else really big to write about. Last week went much better than the previous week. I realized that was being too hard on myself. My inner perfectionist had surfaced and it wasn't doing me any good. It's all about balance. About pushing myself to grow and learn while not pushing too hard or expecting too much. It goes back to the scripture in 2NE 28:30 where it talks about how we grow and learn "line upon line, precept upon precept..." Also in Alma 37:6-7 which says, "..that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass..." It's about being patient with myself and with others. We all need to look at our mistakes and weaknesses and work on improving them, but also on being patient and trusting the Lord. Forgiving ourselves and remembering that we aren't prefect. Life is about change and growth. I am thankful for the experience. While it wasn't easy, many good things were brought to my remembrance. I know it's truly only through the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ that a true and lasting change can take place.
That's about all for now. Transfer calls come this Saturday. I'll let you know what is happening next week when I write.
Love Always, Elder Zachery Snow
The week went by really quick. I didn't say anything, but preparation day was on Tuesday because Elder Per G. Malm of the Second Quorum of the Seventy came and talked to us at a zone conference on Monday. It was really fantastic! I love seeing the General Authorities. They always have so much energy and joy. It's true that living the gospel brings true joy and happiness. Nothing else can even come close.
There isn't anything else really big to write about. Last week went much better than the previous week. I realized that was being too hard on myself. My inner perfectionist had surfaced and it wasn't doing me any good. It's all about balance. About pushing myself to grow and learn while not pushing too hard or expecting too much. It goes back to the scripture in 2NE 28:30 where it talks about how we grow and learn "line upon line, precept upon precept..." Also in Alma 37:6-7 which says, "..that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass..." It's about being patient with myself and with others. We all need to look at our mistakes and weaknesses and work on improving them, but also on being patient and trusting the Lord. Forgiving ourselves and remembering that we aren't prefect. Life is about change and growth. I am thankful for the experience. While it wasn't easy, many good things were brought to my remembrance. I know it's truly only through the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ that a true and lasting change can take place.
That's about all for now. Transfer calls come this Saturday. I'll let you know what is happening next week when I write.
Love Always, Elder Zachery Snow
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| LAKE CITY ZONE Back Row: Elder Baczuk, Elder Hinton, Elder Drake, Elder Thygerson, Elder Jacobs, Elder Tenney, Elder Wilcox, Elder Knudsen, Elder Lewis Middle Row: Elder Barnes, Elder Snow, Elder Cox, Sister Mathis, Sister Surtees, Elder Robinson, Elder Suttner Sitting: Sister and President Barry, Elder and Sister Malm Elder Malm’s observation about the missionaries of FJM: “ I have been to many other missions and I have to say from my heart, I am impressed. The missionaries have righteous desires. They are good.” http://floridajacksonvillemissionnews.blogspot.com/ |
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Sacrament...
September 13, 2011...Dear Family,
How is everyone doing? I hope all is going well out there. Things here are continuing to move along. Last week was on the rough side again. It was busy too!
On Tuesday Elder Jacobs and I held a zone meeting with the missionaries in the zone. It went pretty well. I feel like I did a good job in my training. I trained the missionaries on how to extend a commitment invitation and why we extend them. I really enjoyed it. I love studying for and giving trainings! It's an enjoyable experience. I always learn so much more than I can teach. It's really a fantastic experience. When preparing I always learn so many new things. The rest of Tuesday went well.
Wednesday was a good day. We went to a Leadership Training Meeting in Jacksonville. It was a really good meeting. I was able to see quite a few missionaries that I haven't seen in a long time. Elder Morris and Elder Failner were there. It was good to see them and catch up a little bit. Elder Morris is actually a district leader in the Ocala 1st Ward. Right where I started my mission. After the meeting I stayed in Jacksonville and went on a tradeoff with one of the assistants while Elder Jacobs went back to Lake City to work in our area with the other assistant. I stayed out there the rest of the night and came home Thursday afternoon. I really enjoyed it out there. It's definitely different than Lake City. It made me realize how small Lake City really is and how slow things are out here. Don't get me wrong though, I love it out here!
Thursday and Friday were relatively normal...so was Saturday.
Sunday was really good! At least church was really good. Like I said this last week was a little bit rough. We're still having a hard time to find people to teach and we weren't able to see those people we are teaching much at all. However, for the most part they are progressing. Anyway, President Barry had us study about obedience every day of the week last week, and had us be more obedient than ever before. Elder Jacobs and I are very obedient, but we found a few areas where we can do better. Whenever we try to get better, to be more obedient, more diligent, and have greater faith there are greater trials and challenges. Just in general we couldn't get things to go the way we wanted. On Friday we had three appointments scheduled with our investigators and all of them cancelled. We were shocked because the people have been doing so well and are so reliable. That among other things were making it more difficult. Now, the purpose of me telling you all this is not to complain. There is a good reason and I'm about to get to it.
So, Sunday morning came around and we were looking forward to having our investigators at church. Nobody came. We didn't hear from any of them either. It was disappointing that they didn't come. It was the icing on the cake of a rough week. We were in sacrament and while they were passing the sacrament I was reflecting on the last few weeks because they've all been more difficult. Something very comforting came to my mind. As I reflected I recognized that each Sunday had gone better than the other days of the week and that as I had come to church and partaken of the sacrament I was filled with peace and comfort. That peace and comfort had lasted with me throughout the day and that's why they had been better. The thing that really hit me is how lousy I would have felt if I hadn't come and taken the sacrament each week. All that weight and disappointment wouldn't have been relieved. It would have built up and compounded. I realized with greater assurance how much taking the sacrament blesses us if we really reflect and focus on it's meaning and importance. I felt so much love in that moment, and throughout the rest of church. Once again I had a greater determination to go out and do all that is required of me.
That determination has been with me throughout this week so far too. I know that as long as I give my total effort that all will be okay. Also that giving my total effort isn't as difficult as I sometimes make it out to be. The gospel is really simple and living it should be too. We only make it more difficult on ourselves. We worry and make things complicated. We need to remember that only the adversary loves complexity because it brings us to a halt.
Love Always, Elder Zachery Snow
How is everyone doing? I hope all is going well out there. Things here are continuing to move along. Last week was on the rough side again. It was busy too!
On Tuesday Elder Jacobs and I held a zone meeting with the missionaries in the zone. It went pretty well. I feel like I did a good job in my training. I trained the missionaries on how to extend a commitment invitation and why we extend them. I really enjoyed it. I love studying for and giving trainings! It's an enjoyable experience. I always learn so much more than I can teach. It's really a fantastic experience. When preparing I always learn so many new things. The rest of Tuesday went well.
Wednesday was a good day. We went to a Leadership Training Meeting in Jacksonville. It was a really good meeting. I was able to see quite a few missionaries that I haven't seen in a long time. Elder Morris and Elder Failner were there. It was good to see them and catch up a little bit. Elder Morris is actually a district leader in the Ocala 1st Ward. Right where I started my mission. After the meeting I stayed in Jacksonville and went on a tradeoff with one of the assistants while Elder Jacobs went back to Lake City to work in our area with the other assistant. I stayed out there the rest of the night and came home Thursday afternoon. I really enjoyed it out there. It's definitely different than Lake City. It made me realize how small Lake City really is and how slow things are out here. Don't get me wrong though, I love it out here!
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| Elder Lisman, Elder Craig, Elder Wadsworth, Elder Summers, Elder DiCristofano, Elder Jacobs, Elder Snow |
Thursday and Friday were relatively normal...so was Saturday.
Sunday was really good! At least church was really good. Like I said this last week was a little bit rough. We're still having a hard time to find people to teach and we weren't able to see those people we are teaching much at all. However, for the most part they are progressing. Anyway, President Barry had us study about obedience every day of the week last week, and had us be more obedient than ever before. Elder Jacobs and I are very obedient, but we found a few areas where we can do better. Whenever we try to get better, to be more obedient, more diligent, and have greater faith there are greater trials and challenges. Just in general we couldn't get things to go the way we wanted. On Friday we had three appointments scheduled with our investigators and all of them cancelled. We were shocked because the people have been doing so well and are so reliable. That among other things were making it more difficult. Now, the purpose of me telling you all this is not to complain. There is a good reason and I'm about to get to it.
So, Sunday morning came around and we were looking forward to having our investigators at church. Nobody came. We didn't hear from any of them either. It was disappointing that they didn't come. It was the icing on the cake of a rough week. We were in sacrament and while they were passing the sacrament I was reflecting on the last few weeks because they've all been more difficult. Something very comforting came to my mind. As I reflected I recognized that each Sunday had gone better than the other days of the week and that as I had come to church and partaken of the sacrament I was filled with peace and comfort. That peace and comfort had lasted with me throughout the day and that's why they had been better. The thing that really hit me is how lousy I would have felt if I hadn't come and taken the sacrament each week. All that weight and disappointment wouldn't have been relieved. It would have built up and compounded. I realized with greater assurance how much taking the sacrament blesses us if we really reflect and focus on it's meaning and importance. I felt so much love in that moment, and throughout the rest of church. Once again I had a greater determination to go out and do all that is required of me.
That determination has been with me throughout this week so far too. I know that as long as I give my total effort that all will be okay. Also that giving my total effort isn't as difficult as I sometimes make it out to be. The gospel is really simple and living it should be too. We only make it more difficult on ourselves. We worry and make things complicated. We need to remember that only the adversary loves complexity because it brings us to a halt.
Love Always, Elder Zachery Snow
Monday, September 5, 2011
...
September 5, 2011...Dear Family,
It was a very busy week! On Tuesday we went to Macclenny to do a tradeoff with the Elders out there. It went pretty well. I went with a new missionary and he did really well.
It's good to go out with new missionaries. It helps me see all the progress that I have actually made while on my mission. More importantly I get to help the new missionary progress. It's a great experience.
Wednesday was a busy day too. We went to Jacksonville for a Zone Leader Council. It went really well. We were there for most of the day. We got back to Lake City around 5:30 that night.
Our investigators are still doing well. On Wednesday night we got Verndale to the church and taught him a little of the Plan of Salvation. After the lesson we all went and played basketball with the members. That's something I haven't done in a long time. We got permission from President Barry to play basketball on Wednesday nights with the members if an investigator is there. We also have to play in our proselyting clothes. It was a lot of fun. I was so tired afterwards! Luis is doing really well too. He's probably progressing the most. We had two lessons at a member’s home and they both were great! The members were such a great help in the lessons. Their testimonies were powerful and really invited in the Spirit. We've talked about baptism a lot with Luis. He said he'll do it he just has to feel that it is the right choice. He wants to know this is the true church. We talked a lot about how he can find out through reading and sincerely praying. After we taught him on Friday he said he had a lot to go and think/pray about. Karen and her kids are doing well too. We had a couple of lessons with them last week. They were both really good. We've talked a lot about baptism with her too. The biggest hurdle is that she still hasn't gotten her car fixed. Actually she might have by now, but we haven't seen her since Thursday. She's really hard to get a hold of too. We were able to find a new investigator last week too. It was still really slow in this aspect though.
One thing that was a bit out of the ordinary is that we rode our bikes on Thursday. We had to take our car to get fixed from the small wreck we were in about a month ago. Thankfully the damage wasn't very bad. They said they might have to keep the car for the whole weekend. However, they got it fixed really quickly. I did like riding my bike for the the day I did it. It's a great way to get some exercise! Before my mission I didn't think I would like riding a bike so much.
The week overall went relatively well. While I was in Macclenny on the tradeoff I saw a quote that I really like. It says, "One of the great tragedies we witness almost daily is the tragedy of men of high aim and low achievement. Their motives are noble, their proclaimed ambition is praiseworthy, their capacity is great, but their discipline is weak. They succumb to indolence. Appetite robs them of will." -President Gordon B. Hinckley. I really love this quote! It's so true. I think this quote sums up why we often struggle. We may know what to do and how to do it, but we don't have the discipline to follow through. We let other things pull our focus away and don't use time to its fullest. I know I've had this problem. I have definitely felt like I have more self-control since I came on my mission. I also look forward to still improving in this area.
Yesterday church was really good. I love going to church. There is always something new to learn. It's such a great opportunity to reflect and change. I feel so much peace after church.
Got to go now.
Love Always, Elder Zachery Snow
It was a very busy week! On Tuesday we went to Macclenny to do a tradeoff with the Elders out there. It went pretty well. I went with a new missionary and he did really well.
It's good to go out with new missionaries. It helps me see all the progress that I have actually made while on my mission. More importantly I get to help the new missionary progress. It's a great experience.
Wednesday was a busy day too. We went to Jacksonville for a Zone Leader Council. It went really well. We were there for most of the day. We got back to Lake City around 5:30 that night.
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| Back: Pres. Barry, Elder Aiono, Elder Bass, Elder Johnson, Elder Summers, Elder Crosby, Elder Snow, Elder Jacobs, Elder Wadsworth, Elder Grant, Elder Kelley, Elder Allred, Elder Taft Kneeling: Elder Reid, Elder McArthur, Elder Todd, Elder Graham |
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| I like to take pictures during the candid part of gathering for pictures. It shows their personalities more. http://floridajacksonvillemissionnews.blogspot.com/ |
One thing that was a bit out of the ordinary is that we rode our bikes on Thursday. We had to take our car to get fixed from the small wreck we were in about a month ago. Thankfully the damage wasn't very bad. They said they might have to keep the car for the whole weekend. However, they got it fixed really quickly. I did like riding my bike for the the day I did it. It's a great way to get some exercise! Before my mission I didn't think I would like riding a bike so much.
The week overall went relatively well. While I was in Macclenny on the tradeoff I saw a quote that I really like. It says, "One of the great tragedies we witness almost daily is the tragedy of men of high aim and low achievement. Their motives are noble, their proclaimed ambition is praiseworthy, their capacity is great, but their discipline is weak. They succumb to indolence. Appetite robs them of will." -President Gordon B. Hinckley. I really love this quote! It's so true. I think this quote sums up why we often struggle. We may know what to do and how to do it, but we don't have the discipline to follow through. We let other things pull our focus away and don't use time to its fullest. I know I've had this problem. I have definitely felt like I have more self-control since I came on my mission. I also look forward to still improving in this area.
Yesterday church was really good. I love going to church. There is always something new to learn. It's such a great opportunity to reflect and change. I feel so much peace after church.
Got to go now.
Love Always, Elder Zachery Snow
Monday, August 29, 2011
Progress...
August 29, 2011...Dear Family,
It was another fast week! Time just seems to fly by. We had some really great experiences this last week.
Our investigators are still all doing really well. Verndale was at church for the third time, and Luis was able to make it. Verndale is doing really well. Last week we went to follow up with him on his reading and it was great! He had read something like 26 pages, but said he didn't remember much about them. We continued to talk about his reading and next thing we know he's telling about all the different things that had happened so far in the Book of Mormon. He talked about Nephi having to get the brass plates from Laban, and about them having to go back to get Ishmael and his family. He had remembered far more than I would have ever expected. Luis is a guy we found the last day Elder Fallen and Elder Wise were here. He is a really great guy. He understands everything we teach him really well. The first time we taught him he said he had been praying for guidance and for the truth for sometime. Then we showed up and he's not even sure why he let us in, but he did. We're also teaching a family. They are Karen (mom), Kayla (daughter), Garrett (son), and Colt (son). Karen, Kayla, and Garrett could all be baptized sometime in September as long as we get them to church. Colt isn't old enough yet. They're a great little family. They weren't able to make it to church because their car is in the shop. Karen was trying to get a ride, but wasn't able to. That's about it as far as our investigators go. We've had some limited contact with Bridget, but not much. Also Steffan has essentially disappeared on us. It's really too bad. We also weren't able to find any new investigators. I honestly can't remember the last time that happened. That was the hardest part about last week.
I don't know if I mentioned it, but over the last two weeks I had felt like something was missing. I couldn't quite put my finger on it though. Well, Saturday was a rough day and I was really trying to figure things out. I couldn't come up with anything. I went to pray before going to bed, and it honestly was one of the most sincere prayers I've said in a while. I feel like I put a lot into all my prayers, but that one was especially powerful. I felt like Enos, " I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul..." Enos 1:4. I remember just pouring out all I had. Then when I was done I felt so much better. I felt so much peace and I knew that things were going to work out. I knew what had been missing. I had received an answer to my prayers. I slept so well that night! It also helped me have a much better day on Sunday. I really know that I am a child of God, and that He listens to all of our prayers. While they often aren't answered as quickly as mine was this time, they will be answered.
I also had another great experience. On Tuesday we scheduled for a member to go with us to teach Verndale. About 20 minutes before the lesson the member had to cancel. We tried to think of someone else, but we couldn't think of anyone who would be able to go on such short notice. We thought we might just have to go without a member. On the way there we stopped to use the restroom at a gas station. When we were getting back into the car a members name popped in my head. He was on the way to Verndale's so I thought we would drop by. This is where it gets good. We knocked on his door and he answers right away and is dressed in his church clothes. We were a little surprised. Then he said, " I didn't know I was going to meet you here." We didn't know what he was talking about. Turns out he had been scheduled by someone else to go out with us that night and nobody had told us. We were so shocked! It was really incredible! We were totally led by the Spirit to go ask him if he could go out with us. I'm so thankful I followed the prompting to go see him. It made a great difference.
That's all for now. I hope all is going well back home.
Love Always, Elder Zachery Snow
It was another fast week! Time just seems to fly by. We had some really great experiences this last week.
Our investigators are still all doing really well. Verndale was at church for the third time, and Luis was able to make it. Verndale is doing really well. Last week we went to follow up with him on his reading and it was great! He had read something like 26 pages, but said he didn't remember much about them. We continued to talk about his reading and next thing we know he's telling about all the different things that had happened so far in the Book of Mormon. He talked about Nephi having to get the brass plates from Laban, and about them having to go back to get Ishmael and his family. He had remembered far more than I would have ever expected. Luis is a guy we found the last day Elder Fallen and Elder Wise were here. He is a really great guy. He understands everything we teach him really well. The first time we taught him he said he had been praying for guidance and for the truth for sometime. Then we showed up and he's not even sure why he let us in, but he did. We're also teaching a family. They are Karen (mom), Kayla (daughter), Garrett (son), and Colt (son). Karen, Kayla, and Garrett could all be baptized sometime in September as long as we get them to church. Colt isn't old enough yet. They're a great little family. They weren't able to make it to church because their car is in the shop. Karen was trying to get a ride, but wasn't able to. That's about it as far as our investigators go. We've had some limited contact with Bridget, but not much. Also Steffan has essentially disappeared on us. It's really too bad. We also weren't able to find any new investigators. I honestly can't remember the last time that happened. That was the hardest part about last week.
I don't know if I mentioned it, but over the last two weeks I had felt like something was missing. I couldn't quite put my finger on it though. Well, Saturday was a rough day and I was really trying to figure things out. I couldn't come up with anything. I went to pray before going to bed, and it honestly was one of the most sincere prayers I've said in a while. I feel like I put a lot into all my prayers, but that one was especially powerful. I felt like Enos, " I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul..." Enos 1:4. I remember just pouring out all I had. Then when I was done I felt so much better. I felt so much peace and I knew that things were going to work out. I knew what had been missing. I had received an answer to my prayers. I slept so well that night! It also helped me have a much better day on Sunday. I really know that I am a child of God, and that He listens to all of our prayers. While they often aren't answered as quickly as mine was this time, they will be answered.
I also had another great experience. On Tuesday we scheduled for a member to go with us to teach Verndale. About 20 minutes before the lesson the member had to cancel. We tried to think of someone else, but we couldn't think of anyone who would be able to go on such short notice. We thought we might just have to go without a member. On the way there we stopped to use the restroom at a gas station. When we were getting back into the car a members name popped in my head. He was on the way to Verndale's so I thought we would drop by. This is where it gets good. We knocked on his door and he answers right away and is dressed in his church clothes. We were a little surprised. Then he said, " I didn't know I was going to meet you here." We didn't know what he was talking about. Turns out he had been scheduled by someone else to go out with us that night and nobody had told us. We were so shocked! It was really incredible! We were totally led by the Spirit to go ask him if he could go out with us. I'm so thankful I followed the prompting to go see him. It made a great difference.
That's all for now. I hope all is going well back home.
Love Always, Elder Zachery Snow
Monday, August 22, 2011
Pray!
Aug. 22, 2011...Dear Family,
I got my new companion on Wednesday. He is Elder Jacobs from Cedar Hills, UT. He has been out for almost 19 months. He actually came out with Elder Failner. Speaking of which, Elder Failner got transferred to Kingsland, GA and Elder Wise got transferred to Palatka, FL. The last few days I was with Elder Failner and Elder Wise went really well. We found four new investigators, three are in the same family, on Tuesday! It was really great finding and teaching them. Looking back over the time I have been with each of them, three months with Elder Failner and six weeks with Elder Wise, I have learned a lot and seen some great growth in my testimony. I really appreciate all the things each of them taught me.
My time with Elder Jacobs started off well. We've been able to have some great lessons and do some really good things. We're still the zone leaders here in the Lake City Zone. Elder Jacobs was actually an Assistant to the President just before he got here. It's been fun picking his brain. The first few days were definitely different. It's a big change adjusting to a new companion and also having to get used to having only one companion again. When there were three of us we had a lot more opportunities to teach people. However, one of the good things about having one companion is that there is more opportunities for each of us to teach. There are just different challenges associated with each situation. I'm happy to say though that we've been able to continue to have success. Again that's one things I really like about being a zone leader. Whomever I get as a companion is going to be a good missionary.
Verndale is doing well still. He has made quite a bit of progress, and he came to church yesterday. That makes it two weeks in a row! He's been welcomed into the ward really well too. It's strange to think that we've only been teaching him for about two weeks. It feels like it has been much longer. That's probably because we see him for at least a few minutes just about every day. The other investigators we have are coming along too. Unfortunately Bridget is still M.I.A. I continue to pray that she will show up one of these days. Yesterday Elder Jacobs and I had a great faith building experience. Lately we have been praying to be led to the elect and to find them in pretty much every prayer. Well yesterday Elder Jacobs felt like we should go and see a member in the ward. He felt like they might know someone who is elect. We followed the prompting and went to see the member. We were only able to talk to them at the door, but they didn't have much for us. For the backup plan we were going to tract around that member. We were going and about to head down a street, but then I felt a prompting to go down a different street. We followed it and we found a really great investigator named Jason. He is a single father of two, and loves Christ and God. He's been active in his faith for about three years, but is very open and willing to find out if what we share is true. He is even related to a member in our ward! He's going out of town for a few weeks, but he committed to read each day from the Book of Mormon. We're really excited to be able to teach him. If he keeps his commitment to read every day then it's going to be great to see what happens.
Lately I've been thinking/studying more about prayer. I started doing this because over the last week and a half or so it seems like prayer comes up more than it ever has for me. Many of the scriptures I read end up talking about prayer. I figured that was a sign that I need to study prayer and improve my prayers. I've really enjoyed studying it so far. For part of my study I read a talk titled, Using the Supernal Gift of Prayer, and it's by Elder Richard G. Scott. It's a really amazing talk. I will put a link to it at the bottom of this email. Read it!
That's all for now. I hope everything is going really well for all of you!
Love Always, Elder Zachery Snow
https://lds.org/general-conference/2007/04/using-the-supernal-gift-of-prayer?lang=eng
I got my new companion on Wednesday. He is Elder Jacobs from Cedar Hills, UT. He has been out for almost 19 months. He actually came out with Elder Failner. Speaking of which, Elder Failner got transferred to Kingsland, GA and Elder Wise got transferred to Palatka, FL. The last few days I was with Elder Failner and Elder Wise went really well. We found four new investigators, three are in the same family, on Tuesday! It was really great finding and teaching them. Looking back over the time I have been with each of them, three months with Elder Failner and six weeks with Elder Wise, I have learned a lot and seen some great growth in my testimony. I really appreciate all the things each of them taught me.
My time with Elder Jacobs started off well. We've been able to have some great lessons and do some really good things. We're still the zone leaders here in the Lake City Zone. Elder Jacobs was actually an Assistant to the President just before he got here. It's been fun picking his brain. The first few days were definitely different. It's a big change adjusting to a new companion and also having to get used to having only one companion again. When there were three of us we had a lot more opportunities to teach people. However, one of the good things about having one companion is that there is more opportunities for each of us to teach. There are just different challenges associated with each situation. I'm happy to say though that we've been able to continue to have success. Again that's one things I really like about being a zone leader. Whomever I get as a companion is going to be a good missionary.
Verndale is doing well still. He has made quite a bit of progress, and he came to church yesterday. That makes it two weeks in a row! He's been welcomed into the ward really well too. It's strange to think that we've only been teaching him for about two weeks. It feels like it has been much longer. That's probably because we see him for at least a few minutes just about every day. The other investigators we have are coming along too. Unfortunately Bridget is still M.I.A. I continue to pray that she will show up one of these days. Yesterday Elder Jacobs and I had a great faith building experience. Lately we have been praying to be led to the elect and to find them in pretty much every prayer. Well yesterday Elder Jacobs felt like we should go and see a member in the ward. He felt like they might know someone who is elect. We followed the prompting and went to see the member. We were only able to talk to them at the door, but they didn't have much for us. For the backup plan we were going to tract around that member. We were going and about to head down a street, but then I felt a prompting to go down a different street. We followed it and we found a really great investigator named Jason. He is a single father of two, and loves Christ and God. He's been active in his faith for about three years, but is very open and willing to find out if what we share is true. He is even related to a member in our ward! He's going out of town for a few weeks, but he committed to read each day from the Book of Mormon. We're really excited to be able to teach him. If he keeps his commitment to read every day then it's going to be great to see what happens.
Lately I've been thinking/studying more about prayer. I started doing this because over the last week and a half or so it seems like prayer comes up more than it ever has for me. Many of the scriptures I read end up talking about prayer. I figured that was a sign that I need to study prayer and improve my prayers. I've really enjoyed studying it so far. For part of my study I read a talk titled, Using the Supernal Gift of Prayer, and it's by Elder Richard G. Scott. It's a really amazing talk. I will put a link to it at the bottom of this email. Read it!
That's all for now. I hope everything is going really well for all of you!
Love Always, Elder Zachery Snow
https://lds.org/general-conference/2007/04/using-the-supernal-gift-of-prayer?lang=eng
Monday, August 15, 2011
Going Nowhere…
Aug 15, 2011...Dear Family,
The last week was similar to the week before. We had some really great experiences and some things that just didn't work out like we wanted at all.
As far as transfers go I am staying here in Lake City. Elder Failner and Elder Wise are being transferred. Transfer meeting is on Wednesday. That's when I will get my new companion. I'm not at all surprised that I am staying. We pretty much knew what was going to happen with our companionship. Within the zone there are a pretty good amount of missionaries that are being transferred. Almost half of them.
We still haven't gotten our car fixed yet. We're waiting on some things. It will most likely happen this week, and I'll have to be on a bike for a few days. It will be a little strange, but it will also be a humbling experience.
As far as investigators go things with Bridget were going really well. Then last week she just disappeared on us. We've tried stopping by her house, calling, texting, and having a member call and text her. We still haven't heard anything back. It would be nice to know what's going on with her. Shawn still is struggling with coming to church. It makes me sad. On the good side we found two really great new investigators. One is Steffan and the other Vern Dale. They are both really great! Steffan might get baptized in the beginning of September. He was going to be baptized on the 28th, but was really sick. He is going to do a lot of great things once he is baptized. He says some great things. He really wants to serve the Lord and I could see him serving a mission within the next year or so. Vern Dale is also really great. We don't have a baptismal date with him yet, but he was at church yesterday and really enjoyed it. He wasn't going to come earlier in the week, but on Friday we took him on a tour of the church and he loved it! At the end we asked him to offer the prayer and he said a really powerful, heartfelt prayer. I'm excited to continue to teach him.
I think that's about all for now.
Love Always, Zach
The last week was similar to the week before. We had some really great experiences and some things that just didn't work out like we wanted at all.
As far as transfers go I am staying here in Lake City. Elder Failner and Elder Wise are being transferred. Transfer meeting is on Wednesday. That's when I will get my new companion. I'm not at all surprised that I am staying. We pretty much knew what was going to happen with our companionship. Within the zone there are a pretty good amount of missionaries that are being transferred. Almost half of them.
We still haven't gotten our car fixed yet. We're waiting on some things. It will most likely happen this week, and I'll have to be on a bike for a few days. It will be a little strange, but it will also be a humbling experience.
As far as investigators go things with Bridget were going really well. Then last week she just disappeared on us. We've tried stopping by her house, calling, texting, and having a member call and text her. We still haven't heard anything back. It would be nice to know what's going on with her. Shawn still is struggling with coming to church. It makes me sad. On the good side we found two really great new investigators. One is Steffan and the other Vern Dale. They are both really great! Steffan might get baptized in the beginning of September. He was going to be baptized on the 28th, but was really sick. He is going to do a lot of great things once he is baptized. He says some great things. He really wants to serve the Lord and I could see him serving a mission within the next year or so. Vern Dale is also really great. We don't have a baptismal date with him yet, but he was at church yesterday and really enjoyed it. He wasn't going to come earlier in the week, but on Friday we took him on a tour of the church and he loved it! At the end we asked him to offer the prayer and he said a really powerful, heartfelt prayer. I'm excited to continue to teach him.
I think that's about all for now.
Love Always, Zach
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Enduring...
Aug 8, 2011...Dear Family,
This last week was a little rough in some aspects. It was really great in some other areas too! The rough part was that we dropped basically all of our investigators. There was a point last week where we had one legit investigator. Dropping our investigators was not an enjoyable experience. I think I've written about how many people we've been dropping over the last few weeks and it just continues. On the flip side, we have been directed to a lot of new people to teach. Last week we found three new investigators and they all seem like they have a lot of potential...I'm pretty sure I say that every week too.
The most promising investigator we have right now is Bridgett. She is really awesome. I probably wrote about her a few months ago, but we started teaching her again and it has gone really well this time. We actually were going to be baptizing her this Sunday, but she had a family emergency that kept her from coming to church. Tonight we're having an FHE at a members house with her. We're going to try to reset her date for the 21st. We've had some really powerful lessons with her at a member's home. There is a huge difference when we teach investigators in a members house. The Spirit is already there and can be felt very powerfully. I really enjoy it. The members also offer a lot of support. Bridgett has been making a ton of progress, and will be a great member! It also sounds like her dad might be interested sometime in the near future. The other investigators we have are all new.
Shawn is doing...okay I suppose. He has been continuing to read and pray, but missed church again yesterday. He got a new job and it's been keeping him from coming. He works nights, but the problem is that he's tired in the morning and doesn't get up. We're going to teach him about the Sabbath day again.
One interesting thing that happened last week is that we were in a car accident. It was nothing major. We were making a left hand turn and the light went red while we were in the intersection. We went to finish the turn and a lady ran the red light and hit us, but she was able to slow way down. I wasn't driving. We were all okay, but the car is going to need repairs probably sometime this week. When it does get fixed I think we're going to be on bikes for a few days. At least we won't have to walk. That would be really bad in this area!
Transfers are coming up again. They are happening next Wednesday. I don't think I'll be transferred, but it's pretty much a given that Elder Failner and Elder Wise are both going to be transferred. I'll let you all know for sure next Monday when I write.
Yesterday was a good day in church. When it started I was surprisingly in a pretty good mood even though we didn't have any investigators there, Shawn wasn't there, and the week in general had been hard. I was listening to the testimonies and thinking and writing things down in my journal I take to church, and I was thinking about how much I love being out here. To most people it would make no sense. We are out in the hot sun and ridiculous humidity all day, we constantly have people rejecting us or people who won't keep commitments they make. Missionaries go through so much, yet are so upbeat most of the time. I know it's only because this truly is the Lord's work. There is no other reason. Regardless of all that we go through it's the most rewarding thing I could be doing right now. I love all of it. Every time someone says they don't want to talk to us we get one person closer to someone who is ready to receive us. It truly helps me know that this is the true church of Jesus Christ. That through this gospel we can return to live with our Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and our families. I also studied the principle of enduring to the end this last week. I feel like last week I was tested to see how well I would endure opposition. However, amongst all the opposition there were great miracles and special moments. Those are all that really matter. I honestly don't care what the world throws at me because I know as long as I continue to live the gospel I will be okay and be able to find happiness in this life and after this life.
That's all for now. I'll let you all know what's going on with transfers next week. If you're sending anything you had better do it ASAP, or a better idea would be to send it to the mission office address. It's 8663 Baypine Rd STE 102, Jacksonville, FL 32256. You can send stuff to me at that address anytime. It just might take a little longer for me to get it.
Love Always, Zach
This last week was a little rough in some aspects. It was really great in some other areas too! The rough part was that we dropped basically all of our investigators. There was a point last week where we had one legit investigator. Dropping our investigators was not an enjoyable experience. I think I've written about how many people we've been dropping over the last few weeks and it just continues. On the flip side, we have been directed to a lot of new people to teach. Last week we found three new investigators and they all seem like they have a lot of potential...I'm pretty sure I say that every week too.
The most promising investigator we have right now is Bridgett. She is really awesome. I probably wrote about her a few months ago, but we started teaching her again and it has gone really well this time. We actually were going to be baptizing her this Sunday, but she had a family emergency that kept her from coming to church. Tonight we're having an FHE at a members house with her. We're going to try to reset her date for the 21st. We've had some really powerful lessons with her at a member's home. There is a huge difference when we teach investigators in a members house. The Spirit is already there and can be felt very powerfully. I really enjoy it. The members also offer a lot of support. Bridgett has been making a ton of progress, and will be a great member! It also sounds like her dad might be interested sometime in the near future. The other investigators we have are all new.
Shawn is doing...okay I suppose. He has been continuing to read and pray, but missed church again yesterday. He got a new job and it's been keeping him from coming. He works nights, but the problem is that he's tired in the morning and doesn't get up. We're going to teach him about the Sabbath day again.
One interesting thing that happened last week is that we were in a car accident. It was nothing major. We were making a left hand turn and the light went red while we were in the intersection. We went to finish the turn and a lady ran the red light and hit us, but she was able to slow way down. I wasn't driving. We were all okay, but the car is going to need repairs probably sometime this week. When it does get fixed I think we're going to be on bikes for a few days. At least we won't have to walk. That would be really bad in this area!
Transfers are coming up again. They are happening next Wednesday. I don't think I'll be transferred, but it's pretty much a given that Elder Failner and Elder Wise are both going to be transferred. I'll let you all know for sure next Monday when I write.
Yesterday was a good day in church. When it started I was surprisingly in a pretty good mood even though we didn't have any investigators there, Shawn wasn't there, and the week in general had been hard. I was listening to the testimonies and thinking and writing things down in my journal I take to church, and I was thinking about how much I love being out here. To most people it would make no sense. We are out in the hot sun and ridiculous humidity all day, we constantly have people rejecting us or people who won't keep commitments they make. Missionaries go through so much, yet are so upbeat most of the time. I know it's only because this truly is the Lord's work. There is no other reason. Regardless of all that we go through it's the most rewarding thing I could be doing right now. I love all of it. Every time someone says they don't want to talk to us we get one person closer to someone who is ready to receive us. It truly helps me know that this is the true church of Jesus Christ. That through this gospel we can return to live with our Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and our families. I also studied the principle of enduring to the end this last week. I feel like last week I was tested to see how well I would endure opposition. However, amongst all the opposition there were great miracles and special moments. Those are all that really matter. I honestly don't care what the world throws at me because I know as long as I continue to live the gospel I will be okay and be able to find happiness in this life and after this life.
That's all for now. I'll let you all know what's going on with transfers next week. If you're sending anything you had better do it ASAP, or a better idea would be to send it to the mission office address. It's 8663 Baypine Rd STE 102, Jacksonville, FL 32256. You can send stuff to me at that address anytime. It just might take a little longer for me to get it.
Love Always, Zach
Monday, August 1, 2011
Busy, busy, busy
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| Back Row: Elder Bass -JAX West Zone. Elder Wadsworth - Gainesville Zone. Elder Kelley and Elder Crosby - Savannah Zone. Elder Aiono and Elder Jacobs - Assistants to the President. Elder Wilkey - JAX South Zone. Elder Johnson - JAX East Zone. Elder Grant - Kingsland Zone. Elder Taft - JAX West Zone. Elder Reid - JAX South Zone Front Row: Elder Graham - Kingsland Zone. Elder Summers - Gainesville Zone. Elder Failner and Elder Snow - Lake City Zone. Elder McArthur - JAX East Zone. President Barry |
Aug. 1, 2011…Dear Family,
Last week was super busy! Elder Failner and I were out of our area a lot. We went on tradeoffs with our district leaders and their companions. It was really great going out with them. I enjoy going out with the missionaries and helping them. It's one of the things I enjoy most about being a leader. Especially being a zone leader because I go with district leaders and they are already good missionaries and I just get to help them become a little bit better. It's really fantastic.
We also were gone most of the day Wednesday because Elder Failner and I had a zone leader council. I had a good time there too. I always learn so much when I go to those.
On Saturday we were back in Jacksonville. Elder Giddens came and spoke to some of the missionaries in the mission. He is in the sixth quorum of the seventy. It was a really powerful experience. He talked about a lot of great things. The thing that really stood out to me is when he talked about desire. He specifically focused on how we should desire the salvation of others. It became clear that as we come closer to Christ and Heavenly Father our desire for others salvation will increase. We come closer to Christ and Heavenly Father by living the gospel of Jesus Christ. Which is faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. I had wondered how I could have a greater desire for other's salvation, and this made it clear.
Despite how much time we were gone we had a really good week. Well, we didn't teach as many lessons to investigators as we would have liked to, but the lessons we did teach went really well. We also didn't teach as much because we had to stop seeing quite a few investigators. It's always unfortunate when that kind of thing happens, but maybe in the future they will be ready to accept the gospel. I sure hope so!
That's about all for this week. Sorry it's so short, but I have got a lot to do today. Sorry if anything doesn't make sense!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Kudos to Q...
Greetings from Lake City…
July 25, 2011...My Family,
Hello again from Lake City Florida! It was another good week. We taught a lot of lessons and some of our investigators are coming along really well. For the most part the week was pretty normal. Which means we were constantly busy and had some strange experiences. However, I don't really remember any of them. They just blur together. Along with those strange experiences we had some really amazing experiences!
Yesterday Shawn was confirmed! He was so happy and has just been full of joy ever since his baptism. I'm excited to see how he does in the Church. Also it's cool because he can go to lessons with us. He has a really powerful testimony and will be great!
Lisa is also doing well. She's been coming along and is consistently willing to do what we ask of her. She came to church for the third week in a row now. It's really great to see how she has progressed. As of right now her baptism is scheduled for August 28th, but we're hoping we can move that forward a week or two.
One of the really cool experiences we had was yesterday. We have an investigator named Melissa. It has been nearly impossible to get her to church since we found her about a month ago. Every time she seems really solid, but something crazy comes up. So on Saturday we saw her and had a really powerful lesson. At one point she broke into tears and said how much she wants to change and come to church! It was a special moment. The lesson went really well, and she was set to come to church. Well, she didn't make it. She was all ready to go, but had some car trouble and wasn't able to be there. We were really shocked. After church we went to see her and we weren't able to have a lesson at her house so we took her to the church to have a tour. She came and again it was incredible. We showed her most of the church then went into the chapel to show her it and talk to her. The Spirit was really strong there. It was so peaceful! We talked about the Church and how we're a family and a lot of really good things. We then showed her the baptismal font and set a date with her. She is set to get baptized on August 14th. We're really excited. She is really sincere. We need to make sure she comes to church now.
On Friday the Assistants to the President came out on a tradeoff with us. It went really well. Elder Jacobs went with me and Elder Wise. I really enjoyed it. In the past that would have been nerve racking, but I've really seen my confidence grow over the last few months.
Over the last week I studied about baptism a little each day. I learned so much! Each day I would find myself studying about the sacrament. It really is such a sacred ordinance.
Gotta go.
Love Always, Zach
Hello again from Lake City Florida! It was another good week. We taught a lot of lessons and some of our investigators are coming along really well. For the most part the week was pretty normal. Which means we were constantly busy and had some strange experiences. However, I don't really remember any of them. They just blur together. Along with those strange experiences we had some really amazing experiences!
Yesterday Shawn was confirmed! He was so happy and has just been full of joy ever since his baptism. I'm excited to see how he does in the Church. Also it's cool because he can go to lessons with us. He has a really powerful testimony and will be great!
Lisa is also doing well. She's been coming along and is consistently willing to do what we ask of her. She came to church for the third week in a row now. It's really great to see how she has progressed. As of right now her baptism is scheduled for August 28th, but we're hoping we can move that forward a week or two.
One of the really cool experiences we had was yesterday. We have an investigator named Melissa. It has been nearly impossible to get her to church since we found her about a month ago. Every time she seems really solid, but something crazy comes up. So on Saturday we saw her and had a really powerful lesson. At one point she broke into tears and said how much she wants to change and come to church! It was a special moment. The lesson went really well, and she was set to come to church. Well, she didn't make it. She was all ready to go, but had some car trouble and wasn't able to be there. We were really shocked. After church we went to see her and we weren't able to have a lesson at her house so we took her to the church to have a tour. She came and again it was incredible. We showed her most of the church then went into the chapel to show her it and talk to her. The Spirit was really strong there. It was so peaceful! We talked about the Church and how we're a family and a lot of really good things. We then showed her the baptismal font and set a date with her. She is set to get baptized on August 14th. We're really excited. She is really sincere. We need to make sure she comes to church now.
On Friday the Assistants to the President came out on a tradeoff with us. It went really well. Elder Jacobs went with me and Elder Wise. I really enjoyed it. In the past that would have been nerve racking, but I've really seen my confidence grow over the last few months.
Over the last week I studied about baptism a little each day. I learned so much! Each day I would find myself studying about the sacrament. It really is such a sacred ordinance.
Gotta go.
Love Always, Zach
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