November 18, 2013

 

This week was interesting since we have been in the tri-companionship it has been hard to focus on our area since half the week was spent in another ward. Tomorrow is actually the last day with elder Dunn he is getting put with another elder until transfers. So this week I and elder Armatage will be able to focus on our area. I am so excited for Isaac to be baptized this weekend! I know I've already been blessed and seen people be baptized but with Isaac I've been able to see him from the very start and with others I haven't, tonight we are actually going to the visitor center with him and that will be fun. David and Daniel got the priesthood on Sunday! It was awesome I was privileged to be the voice for Daniel and it was really cool. And this Wednesday we are going to the temple with them and their mother (Karen) to do baptisms for the dead! I guess as missionaries there are rules about missionaries performing the baptism in the temple which I don't get or something but we can go and at least watch and I think be a witness or hopefully confirm and stuff. On Saturday we chocked down a forest in a ladies back yard and there was a huge tree like 40 feet tall and 3 feet wide and the guy cutting it down let me run the chainsaw and it was a huge chainsaw-like 36 inches long and it was really cool. and we cleaned a shed that had old-old stuff in it and I found a really old book of Mormon in it and it’s got pictures and stuff and she said I could keep it but its falling apart a little. We had a training meeting and a guest speaker at it his name was Brother Ough. and it was reallllly good he talked about recognizing the spirit and he talked a lot about humility and being dignified I learned so much and either 12 with the light and barges and all that. One of the things I really liked is how humble he is. He's a multimillionaire but no one would know if they didn't see his house for example he drove a Nissan frontier and it really just showed it doesn't matter if you’re rich, poor, famous, or homeless whatever we need to give all the glory to God because without him we are nothing. Just like in Alma 26 with the story of Ammon. We had a really good lesson with Zach, and at the end of the lesson Josh (his dad, LA for long time) said yes when he was asked to give the closing prayer! And his son always asks him but this is the first time he said yes and he gave a really good prayer. Zach is basically ready for baptism he just needs to come to church and the only way he's going to come is if his dad will come, that's why we've been playing basketball. Now that he's been in the church a few times hopefully soon prayers will be answered and he will decide to come and attend sacrament. I don't get what's so hard about it! One night this week at dinner we had avocado ice cream it was really weird but it was pretty good actually. It had lime and stuff to make it better. I have actually started like guacamole since I've been here I think the Arizona people just know how to make it better and that's why it doesn't taste bad. Well I’m out of time and next week p day will be on Wednesday since transfers just so you know when to expect a letter.

Love you all,

Elder Stevenson

November 12, 2013

     Today as a zone we woke up super early and went hiking a mountain (mountains are tiny here) called camelback and started hiking at like 6 and I think it was like 1-2 miles pretty straight up. And we got to the top just in time to look at the sunrise it was pretty fun and I’ll try and send you pictures. Then everyone came over to our house and we cooked breakfast.

     Instead of having 2 missionaries we got a new one last night, Elder Dunn. So now there are 3 his companion got transferred to Scottsdale cause a missionary had extended and went home and so now there are 3 of us for the next 2 weeks before transfers. On Friday night we met with Isaac again and set a baptismal date! For November 23 so a couple weeks down the road. He's definitely ready he loves coming to church and learning about the gospel. we had a referral and went to the address and it turns out he was a half block out of the ward but we still taught him the first lesson and it was awesome he had lots of questions and know the bible well and is open to new things and is golden but since he was out of our area we had to pass him along.. but now that we have elder duns area assigned/mixed with ours he’s in that area so I can still see him for the rest of this transfer so that's pretty cool and a blessing! as for Izzy we try and see him as often as we can but he didn't come to church this week cause he broke his hand and is drugged up to try and help the pain and sleeping a lot and so that makes it difficult for us cause we would like to teach him in a members home buts he’s really hit and miss so scheduling is a pain. I think I mentioned the Harris family's name before they're a less active family in the ward with a lot of problems but this week we went over a couple nights and it’s really going well. before it was always fight ,fight, fight and then one night they were watching a movie as A FAMILY and another night we ate dinner there as a FAMILY it was awesome!! And everyone was happy and getting along. we got to meet with Zach again, it’s been a few week which stinks but our lesson went really well and he's remembering what he's being taught. But he has to come to church but I think he will be here this week he was going to come last week but he didn't have clothes that fit when they were looking Sunday morning so his dad said they'd buy some. Then after the lesson we had Zach and josh (father and son) in the church! We played basketball with a few members in the ward and it was awesome to get them inside and see it’s not that bad and people are happy to see you and want to see you here at church. We helped build a chicken coop one day that was pretty fun. we got to go to the visitor center one day this week to it was really nice I love the visitor center here it’s awesome! I just wish we could go to the temple more often because it’s even better. Well I hope you have a wonderful week and keep up the missionary work!

Love Ya, 

Elder Stevenson

 

 

 

 

November 4, 2013

 

This week was good yesterday we had a miracle happen at church. I think I mentioned Izzy before? well he stopped keeping appointments and commitments with us and so it was kind of we just saw him when we saw him then Saturday he was driving and we were on our bikes and stopped for a sec and he said he’d come to church Sunday so Sunday morning we went and reminded him and then church rolled around and he wasn't there. And about 10 min in before the sac song started he came in and sat by us and stayed for sacrament and fast and testimony meeting. then after sacrament he didn't want to stand up we sat for 40 minutes there with him and he said he could see a glow around each person as they bore there testimony and he felt at peace and it felt like home even though he’d never been here before and it was awesome. so we had a little lesson with him right there in the chapel and talked about the spirit he was feeling and telling him it was true and that was what was speaking to him then he said randomly I think I want to be baptized. Those are the best words a missionary can hear! And the ward was very welcoming and friendly to him and introduced themselves to him and some people invited him over for dinner in the week :) 

As for Anthony we haven't been able to contact him at all he’s never home and won’t answer his phone... but did I tell you about Isaac? its Aishas (she was baptized right before I got here) son he’s almost 9 and at first he didn’t want anything to do with us or go to church or anything but now he loves it and we’ve been having lessons with Aisha and visiting her and he started sitting in on them and now we are having lessons for her and lessons for him on another night and he said he wants to be baptized! The lord has blessed us this week.

We visited a lot of less actives this week I was telling you about that last week I think? And trying to get them back to church so far it’s going good we had one family there Sunday that only comes sometimes. What I can’t understand is there’s some LA's in the ward that are RMs and a couple have lost their testimony completely and smoke and drink now and don’t believe Joseph Smith was a prophet anymore. I guess that shows Satan will work on anyone and everyone so you can never let your guard down and always remember to do the little things.

Have a good week! 

Love elder Stevenson