Wednesday, July 30, 2014

July 28, 2014

The computer just erased my email so I will write what I can. This week was another really good week. More miracles! You were on roller coasters this last week, while being a missionary is that same way every day! Here is an update on some of the people we have been working with: The ward, we started our FHE missionary training's at the church every Monday night last Monday night. It went really well. We focused around the 7 lessons of sharing the gospel by Clayton Christensen, I will send it home. I talked about how we can't predict who is or isn't ready for the gospel. Something it sounds like some of you also learned firsthand this week! It was great, every week we have a few families in the ward signed up to come and tonight I think there is 6 families’ coming, it should go good again. One of the important things that I have mentioned before is when we invite, we succeed. Dad, that is awesome you were able to give out a book of Mormon, and everyone else who tried, good job as well! One of the 7 steps! We had some really good lessons this week with Victor; he accepted the law of chastity and the word of wisdom with no problem! We also talked about prophets this week and showed him scriptures out of the bible we got him. When we gave him the bible he held it up and kissed it! It was funny! We had planned to teach him thru the weekend and have his baptismal interview, but he unexpectedly went out of town so his baptism will be pushed back a week. He is really excited though! Ann had her interview planned for Saturday and on her way out the door her son Kegan threw a tantrum and wouldn't leave to go to the church for her interview... It was chaos, but luckily yesterday evening Kegan was staying with someone and she could come and have her interview. She passed!! She is ready to covenant and live the gospel! I am excited for this weekend. A really cool thing happened we were going to Julies to have a 'recent convert' lesson with her and the member we invited to have come and be our 3rd male got sick and couldn't make it and her husband wasn't there so she went to the next door neighbors and asked if he could come over and help so we could go in and he ended sitting in on the lesson and it was really cool!! People need to be needed- another one of the 7 steps! So we talked and he said we could meet again Friday and when we went back he wasn't home.. But we still had a good lesson with Julie- She needed help preparing a talk on baptism! Her nephew was baptized in another stake on Saturday! Her mom and another nephew were baptized a couple weeks ago. She also mentioned her brother has been looking into the church recently; it's amazing the whole family is finding the truth! Hopefully Everett isn't too far away. I wish I could share more, thanks for the socks!! Thanks for your letters sorry I couldn't write you each back. Love Elder Stevenson

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

July 14, 2014

This week was good. First off, Mom, please stop worrying and telling others to worry about me. I appreciated all the letters from everyone at the reunion. But I am not going thru a hard time and I'm not worried about my back so you shouldn't be either; I will be fine. Just a little update, the doctor’s appointment was fine, I have to do more pee tests and stuff and see if when he does it it's different or not.. Yesterday we had a fireside with the ward; we talked about the ward mission plan. It went great, we had 100+ people, I was happy, especially for this ward. There was a lot musical numbers so that helped get the ward out as well. The ward mission plan includes finding, sharing, inviting, serving and fellow shipping. I talked about Inviting. It was only about 5 minutes and I would send you a copy of my talk... But I just wrote down a few bullet points right before and expounded on them. When I started I had everyone stand up and sing a song with me "Invite, Invite, morning noon and night!" 3 times so inviting won't be forgotten. We have been doing a lot of finding this last week, we got one referral from a MEMBER for a guy named Victor, I guess they have been talking at work and talking with other missionaries a little before and he is from Nigeria! Maybe Grammy and papa met him! We met a guy named Jesus from Columbia on the street one day he was pretty cool and invited us over but then when we went over he was preaching to us about how Pentecostal is right and we are wrong. It sure was interesting to hear someone speak in "tongues" or gibberish.. The philosophy was that they if couldn't understand themselves then Satan can't understand them either or any evil spirits... But God can understand them... Well I'm still lost! We found a native family, or rather they found us! Walking down the street and they asked if we can teach them, that was really cool but being able to make an appointment with them has been more difficult. On an exchange on Saturday we taught a man who is agnostic. It was really cool he is very willing to learn and try to get an answer, we talked about the creation with him and how we were alive before this life. It made a lot more sense to him than the other religions he has looked into. It's funny to me even though I was called to English work there is so many people whose native tongue isn't English we get to work with. Ann is still coming along, slowly but surely. On Friday when we usually have sport night she met with bishop and Elder Hinds and had a lesson and I played ball with Keegan. The lesson went great, I was just sad I wasn't a part of it, but that's alright. Sunday we went to the Veterans Hospital to help give people the sacrament. It was sad to see what some of those people’s lives has become. 2Nephi 4:19-21 I know in whom I have trusted. My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep. He hath filled me with his love. Have a good week! Love, Elder Stevenson

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

July 7, 2014

This week was good, on Saturday we had Julie's baptism! Throughout the week we went and saw her lots, she doing awesome! She is already a better member missionary then most of the members. One day we were there and after we left the member who we had brought said "that's not a baptism, that's a conversion", it was really cool. Another day we were with her talking about repentance and she asked about if it was ok to take diapers from Walmart for her kids and we explained it out to her, she broke down and it was really neat to have her promise to not doing it anymore and repent. Also one day we watched finding faith in Christ and Everett watched, then we were able to actually talk religion, he said he has a faith and used to go to church until he was divorced, then he said he's not ready now but he will be 'sometime' so that is a good sign! Elder Hinds baptized her; it was his first one so that was really cool! I gave a talk on the Holy Ghost, used my Holy Ghost box of course and it went really, really well! There was a lot of family and friends at the baptism so that was awesome for them to go in a Mormon church see a baptism and hopefully have been touched by the spirit! This week we had a Ha-boob! It was really cool, at first the clouds were brown in the distance then they got really cool looking and all the sudden dust was flying and stuff was in the air. We were locked in the church since we’re not supposed to drive the power was going in and out. The best part was the rain storm after, rain felt so good! There was a really cool lightning storm so Elder Hinds and I decided to plan on the top of the parking garage and enjoy the storm! This morning we and hiked camelback mountain as a zone, that was fun, except getting up super early to beat the sun! There is a French lady we were able to teach a lesson to this week and a French speaking missionary just got sent here from temple square so it shouldn't be too hard, the bad part was not knowing anything about the conversation, next time should be better. I broke my bike trying to show off! I was going to ride the street and put my front tire on the side walk but it screwed up my gears! At least now I can have some fun trying to fix it. Have a good week, I am out of time! Love, Elder Stevenson

Monday, July 7, 2014

June 29, 2014

Short week, but a good week. The highlight was Friday! Julie's wedding!! It was about 6:02 and we were all really worried, where are they at?? Finally they got there and all was well. The wedding went good, afterward one of the members in the ward started talking to them and somehow got talking about how they didn't have rings, right then he said he didn't have very much money but they could go to Walmart and look for something that would work. It was really cool. Everett opened up to us at the wedding then Sunday when we saw him he was really nice too, I think it might take a little while but he will come around. I think he sees the change in his wife's life that has been happening but right now he's not ready to give up some worldly things. Sunday was rough, Ann didn't come to church because her foot is infected and she can barely even walk on it. Julie worked from like 2-6:30, she does a paper route. Thought she had time to nap for an hour-ish so she would be quite so tired at work then slept right thru church! But she did pass her baptismal interview and is all set for this weekend, I am really excited! Have a great week! 1 John 4: 7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19 We love him, because he first loved us. Love, Elder Stevenson