3/28/11...Hello Family,
It has been a good week. It had a good mix of tracting, lessons, service, and other activities. It's really nice when a week is well balanced.
We taught Lily, Devon, and Dillon twice last week. It was great. The first lesson we had with her went well. It got to a point where we were talking about prayer and bearing testimony about the power it has. Lily was even testifying to her boys about how much it has helped her. Then we asked her to say the closing prayer and she got choked up. I think she really felt the Spirit powerfully in that moment. I know I did. The other lesson we had was at a member's home. We watched The Restoration DVD. It went really well too. The ward has being doing a great job of welcoming her and her boys in. We set a baptismal date with them for the 16th of April. I really hope they will be baptized on that day. The sad thing is I don't know if I will be there. We have transfers on the 13th and I find it hard to believe that I would be staying.
We did some service for a few people. Nothing too crazy or hard, but it was a good. We did help some elderly people in our ward move stuff, and also helped Pete Zek with his yard some more. I really enjoy doing service. It's a good feeling.
Now for the reason I titled this "Cops..." Last Monday night we went to an apartment complex to see some potential investigators. When we got there a man and a lady were arguing in the parking lot where we were talking to some people. It got really ugly for a few minutes. They were hitting each other and screaming at each other. Honestly I didn't know what to do. It was really shocking. There were a bunch of other people standing around watching too. It got to a point where the man's friends came to pick him up, but the lady was trying to get him out of the car and was screaming, "You're not going anywhere but back to jail!" She was hanging part way out of the car, but the man yelled at the driver to, "JUST DRIVE!" They didn't listen at first, but he kept yelling it. They finally did and the lady was hanging on and trying to run with the car. She ended up getting out and not getting hurt or anything, but it was a really crazy experience. The cops were called and Elder Hammond and I filled out statements. We're the only two who did. All the other people ran off as soon as they saw the cops coming. That definitely says something about the neighborhood we were in. No need to worry though. All the people really respect us. They know we're "Jesus people." So they're pretty cool with us.
Other than that the week was pretty normal. We found some new people, but they haven't really progressed thus far.
Well, I can't think of anything else.
Love Always, Zach
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
A peek at Zach's place... NICE!?!
President and Sister Barry are in "The Zone", sorta. They are out and about introducing us to the Jacksonville Florida Mission area and sharing pictures of the Sister's and Elder's serving in the different zone's. Just thought I'd share a little bit of their info and picture's with you.
Meet the Gainesville Zone. This is the largest in numbers and area of the mission. It covers the southwest area and has the furthest point south of the mission.
These are great picture's. (Okay, so I'm a little boastful making Zach's pic so big).
Meet the Gainesville Zone. This is the largest in numbers and area of the mission. It covers the southwest area and has the furthest point south of the mission.
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| There are 5 elders that live in this apartment in Gainesville. Elder Hammond and Elder Snow serve in the Gainesville 3rd Ward. |
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| These are the other 3 elders in this apartment. Elder Baker and Elder Johnson are the zone leaders in the Gainesville Zone. They are training Elder Mendez. They live in Gainesville and serve in the Gainesville 1st Ward Spanish speaking. http://floridajacksonvillemissionnews.blogspot.com/ |
Another Week Down
3/21/11...Hello Family,
This last week was pretty busy. Elder Hammond and I had a lot going on. We did some service on Tuesday, and it was a really nice change of pace. I really enjoy doing service. We did it for a former investigator named Pete. He's a really nice guy and truly appreciated our help. We're not actively teaching him right now. We help him and share scriptures with him, but he's not that interested at the moment. We'll keep working on him though.
We taught Lily on Wednesday, and it went pretty well. The lesson wasn't as good as I would have liked it to be, but we were able to set a new baptism date with her AND with her boys. However, they didn't make it to church yesterday so, we're going to have to move their date back now. Investigators have to come to church three times before they can be baptized. Lily has been once and her boys haven't been at all yet.
I went on a trade-off with one of the Elders in my district. That's where I go and spend 24 hours with a missionary working with them. It's an opportunity for me to see how they work and how their area is doing. It gives me a chance to help them improve on certain things all depending on what I see and what I feel they can do better. While I'm with them their companion goes and works with my companion. I went with Elder Goodman. The trade-off went really well. We did service too. I enjoyed it a lot. We helped a less-active lady in their ward to yard work. Elder Goodman and his companion don't have a car, so I got to ride a bike that day. I really enjoyed it! Being on bike is actually pretty nice. At least for now it is. In the summer it wouldn't be as enjoyable. Another good thing about being on bike is that we can talk to a lot of people.
The rest of the week wasn't as busy, but on Sunday we had Stake Conference. The crazy thing is that it was my third Stake Conference in the Gainesville Stake. I guess that's what happens when you spend the first year of your mission in the same stake. I know a lot of missionaries who have been out for a long time that haven't even been to a stake conference. I was really looking forward to it because I was hoping that I would be able to see all of my recent converts from Ocala. I didn't see very many of them unfortunately, but I did see Tommy and Ethan. That was really cool! Also Tommy is going to be getting the Melchezidek Priesthood! I'm so happy for him. It's too bad that I wasn't able to see everyone else. I also got to see a lot of great people from the Ocala 1st and 2nd wards. It was fantastic. I really love them all. They also called a new Stake President. It's amazing how that works. The Church sends some General Authorities in to interview potential candidates. Then they prayerfully select one and call them. That's basically it. There is more to it, but that's pretty much what happens. Then they leave and the stake continues on.
That's my week in a nutshell. Oh, there were a couple questions that Mom had. The weather out here is okay. It's starting to get more humid and hotter. It's not yet really bad, but it's only a matter of time. The bugs are coming out more too. Florida has a gross amount of nasty bugs. It has been nice having the car back. We drive a 2010 Toyota Corolla. It's a pretty good little car. I sent my memory card home on Saturday. Hopefully it makes it in one piece. I think that's it....
Anyway, I'll write again next week.
Love Always, Zach
This last week was pretty busy. Elder Hammond and I had a lot going on. We did some service on Tuesday, and it was a really nice change of pace. I really enjoy doing service. We did it for a former investigator named Pete. He's a really nice guy and truly appreciated our help. We're not actively teaching him right now. We help him and share scriptures with him, but he's not that interested at the moment. We'll keep working on him though.
We taught Lily on Wednesday, and it went pretty well. The lesson wasn't as good as I would have liked it to be, but we were able to set a new baptism date with her AND with her boys. However, they didn't make it to church yesterday so, we're going to have to move their date back now. Investigators have to come to church three times before they can be baptized. Lily has been once and her boys haven't been at all yet.
I went on a trade-off with one of the Elders in my district. That's where I go and spend 24 hours with a missionary working with them. It's an opportunity for me to see how they work and how their area is doing. It gives me a chance to help them improve on certain things all depending on what I see and what I feel they can do better. While I'm with them their companion goes and works with my companion. I went with Elder Goodman. The trade-off went really well. We did service too. I enjoyed it a lot. We helped a less-active lady in their ward to yard work. Elder Goodman and his companion don't have a car, so I got to ride a bike that day. I really enjoyed it! Being on bike is actually pretty nice. At least for now it is. In the summer it wouldn't be as enjoyable. Another good thing about being on bike is that we can talk to a lot of people.
The rest of the week wasn't as busy, but on Sunday we had Stake Conference. The crazy thing is that it was my third Stake Conference in the Gainesville Stake. I guess that's what happens when you spend the first year of your mission in the same stake. I know a lot of missionaries who have been out for a long time that haven't even been to a stake conference. I was really looking forward to it because I was hoping that I would be able to see all of my recent converts from Ocala. I didn't see very many of them unfortunately, but I did see Tommy and Ethan. That was really cool! Also Tommy is going to be getting the Melchezidek Priesthood! I'm so happy for him. It's too bad that I wasn't able to see everyone else. I also got to see a lot of great people from the Ocala 1st and 2nd wards. It was fantastic. I really love them all. They also called a new Stake President. It's amazing how that works. The Church sends some General Authorities in to interview potential candidates. Then they prayerfully select one and call them. That's basically it. There is more to it, but that's pretty much what happens. Then they leave and the stake continues on.
That's my week in a nutshell. Oh, there were a couple questions that Mom had. The weather out here is okay. It's starting to get more humid and hotter. It's not yet really bad, but it's only a matter of time. The bugs are coming out more too. Florida has a gross amount of nasty bugs. It has been nice having the car back. We drive a 2010 Toyota Corolla. It's a pretty good little car. I sent my memory card home on Saturday. Hopefully it makes it in one piece. I think that's it....
Anyway, I'll write again next week.
Love Always, Zach
Monday, March 14, 2011
Short on time....
3/14/11...Dear Family,
My time is short so, this email may be a little short. First I'll answer some questions from Mom's last letter. Yes we did get the car back. We didn't have it for one week. It's been nice having it back. My shoes are doing good. They've held up pretty well. I have been eating better...for the most part. I definitely still have my weak moments, but overall it's better. My head has healed up really well. I don't really notice the scar most of the time.
This last week was up and down. Monday was a pretty cool day. We had a lesson/dinner with a less active family and the husband really opened up to us. we taught him the Restoration, and there were some things he had never heard before. He told us stuff that he said he's never told anyone before. It's very humbling when people open up to us. We had the same thing happen on Wednesday night. It was a similar situation. A dinner/lesson with a less active family, but this time the wife really opened up to us. She has been struggling with coming to church. She changed her work schedule so she could go to church, but when Sunday rolls around she has a hard time finding the motivation to get up and go. We talked to her about it and helped her see the great benefits of coming to church and what she can do to help herself.
On Tuesday we had a lesson and dinner with Lily at a member's home. It was fantastic too! We taught the Plan of Salvation and the Spirit could be felt really powerfully. I know it really helped Lily. She was able to make some new friends in the ward, and was able to learn more about the gospel. She has been progressing really well. She has been sick the last few days, so she wasn't able to make it to church yesterday. It's too bad. However, we're going to see her tomorrow and have a lesson with her. We also have been planning on involving her sons in the lessons too so they can be baptized if they want to.
Also on Wednesday I went to Jacksonville for a Leadership Training Meeting. It was fantastic! I really enjoy those meetings. There are a lot of great leaders in this mission. It's really refreshing to be around so many motivated and dedicated missionaries. I feel like it was something I really needed.
After Wednesday the week got a little rough. Not a whole lot happened. We couldn't find any solid investigators. That's the biggest problem we've been having the last few weeks. We haven't been able to find people who are really solid and interested. Yesterday we spent a lot of time tracting in hopes of finding some new investigators. We didn't find any. There were a few potential investigators. Nothing worth mentioning at this time.
Lately I've been thinking about what really kept me interested in the Church and led to me being truly converted. I've basically narrowed it down to the Plan of Salvation, and the fact that we can be families forever. I remember during those years when I wasn't going to church I would think that if I want to be with Dad and Rachel again, not to mention all our other relatives, then I had better do my part. The thought of not being able to be together forever really worried me. I would think what it would be like to be at the judgement bar and being told I can't go to the Celestial Kingdom with the rest of the family. It would be terrible. That truly would be hell. The idea of spending eternity all alone is not one I could find happiness in. That single thought is what really made me realize that I would have to get my act together. I then would find myself saying,"Someday I'll go back to church." I always felt pretty guilty saying it too, because I know it was the wrong attitude. Thankfully I had, and still have, people around me who helped me see that true happiness only comes from living the gospel. I remember the first time I went to church when I was getting active again. Bishop Maxfield came into the Gospel Principles class and read Alma 32:33-35. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I had been procrastinating the day of my repentance. I remember going home and just reading that scripture over and over again. I wanted to share it will everyone. It was powerful. I'm really thankful that Heavenly Father put those people in my life to help guide me back. I hope that I can be an instrument in His hands to help guide His children back too.
Love Always, Zach
My time is short so, this email may be a little short. First I'll answer some questions from Mom's last letter. Yes we did get the car back. We didn't have it for one week. It's been nice having it back. My shoes are doing good. They've held up pretty well. I have been eating better...for the most part. I definitely still have my weak moments, but overall it's better. My head has healed up really well. I don't really notice the scar most of the time.
This last week was up and down. Monday was a pretty cool day. We had a lesson/dinner with a less active family and the husband really opened up to us. we taught him the Restoration, and there were some things he had never heard before. He told us stuff that he said he's never told anyone before. It's very humbling when people open up to us. We had the same thing happen on Wednesday night. It was a similar situation. A dinner/lesson with a less active family, but this time the wife really opened up to us. She has been struggling with coming to church. She changed her work schedule so she could go to church, but when Sunday rolls around she has a hard time finding the motivation to get up and go. We talked to her about it and helped her see the great benefits of coming to church and what she can do to help herself.
On Tuesday we had a lesson and dinner with Lily at a member's home. It was fantastic too! We taught the Plan of Salvation and the Spirit could be felt really powerfully. I know it really helped Lily. She was able to make some new friends in the ward, and was able to learn more about the gospel. She has been progressing really well. She has been sick the last few days, so she wasn't able to make it to church yesterday. It's too bad. However, we're going to see her tomorrow and have a lesson with her. We also have been planning on involving her sons in the lessons too so they can be baptized if they want to.
Also on Wednesday I went to Jacksonville for a Leadership Training Meeting. It was fantastic! I really enjoy those meetings. There are a lot of great leaders in this mission. It's really refreshing to be around so many motivated and dedicated missionaries. I feel like it was something I really needed.
After Wednesday the week got a little rough. Not a whole lot happened. We couldn't find any solid investigators. That's the biggest problem we've been having the last few weeks. We haven't been able to find people who are really solid and interested. Yesterday we spent a lot of time tracting in hopes of finding some new investigators. We didn't find any. There were a few potential investigators. Nothing worth mentioning at this time.
Lately I've been thinking about what really kept me interested in the Church and led to me being truly converted. I've basically narrowed it down to the Plan of Salvation, and the fact that we can be families forever. I remember during those years when I wasn't going to church I would think that if I want to be with Dad and Rachel again, not to mention all our other relatives, then I had better do my part. The thought of not being able to be together forever really worried me. I would think what it would be like to be at the judgement bar and being told I can't go to the Celestial Kingdom with the rest of the family. It would be terrible. That truly would be hell. The idea of spending eternity all alone is not one I could find happiness in. That single thought is what really made me realize that I would have to get my act together. I then would find myself saying,"Someday I'll go back to church." I always felt pretty guilty saying it too, because I know it was the wrong attitude. Thankfully I had, and still have, people around me who helped me see that true happiness only comes from living the gospel. I remember the first time I went to church when I was getting active again. Bishop Maxfield came into the Gospel Principles class and read Alma 32:33-35. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I had been procrastinating the day of my repentance. I remember going home and just reading that scripture over and over again. I wanted to share it will everyone. It was powerful. I'm really thankful that Heavenly Father put those people in my life to help guide me back. I hope that I can be an instrument in His hands to help guide His children back too.
Love Always, Zach
Short
3/7/11...Dear Family,
How are you doing? The last week was okay. We had some good days and some not-so-good days. As far as investigators go we are only teaching Lily right now. She is doing really well though. We taught her twice last week and each time was really great! She is really progressing. It's so wonderful when investigators do what they say they will. We haven't been able to teach her two sons yet, but we area going to tomorrow night. We are actually going to have dinner and a lesson with Lily and her boys at a members home. It should be a fantastic night! We are no longer teaching Bobby. We tried seeing him a few times this weekend and he was never home. One of his neighbors said he thinks he left town. We'll probably try stopping by a few more time this week but there's not much hope.
While we don't have a lot of investigators we're teaching we have been teaching a lot of lessons to the members. We are really focusing on helping them share the gospel with their friends and getting investigators into their homes. We have seen some definite progress over this last week. I'm hopeful that they will continue to look for opportunities to do missionary work in their own lives.
That's all. I don't really feel like writing right now. Sorry.
Love Always, Zach
How are you doing? The last week was okay. We had some good days and some not-so-good days. As far as investigators go we are only teaching Lily right now. She is doing really well though. We taught her twice last week and each time was really great! She is really progressing. It's so wonderful when investigators do what they say they will. We haven't been able to teach her two sons yet, but we area going to tomorrow night. We are actually going to have dinner and a lesson with Lily and her boys at a members home. It should be a fantastic night! We are no longer teaching Bobby. We tried seeing him a few times this weekend and he was never home. One of his neighbors said he thinks he left town. We'll probably try stopping by a few more time this week but there's not much hope.
While we don't have a lot of investigators we're teaching we have been teaching a lot of lessons to the members. We are really focusing on helping them share the gospel with their friends and getting investigators into their homes. We have seen some definite progress over this last week. I'm hopeful that they will continue to look for opportunities to do missionary work in their own lives.
That's all. I don't really feel like writing right now. Sorry.
Love Always, Zach
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