July 16, 2013 Life in the Utah Ogden Mission

Phew! So a lot has been going on lately! We had transfers last week and both Elder Lima and I survived, so we are still here in Kanesville. It's going to be a great six weeks! We have a lot of work going on and the members are starting to do some great work as well! We have members giving us referrals and introducing us to their friends left and right. We are going to have a real good transfer.

There is this woman, Linda, who has wanted to get baptized for months now, but she hadn't been able to come to church so the bishop didn't want her to get baptized quite yet. She was pretty down about it and said that she really needed it, so we talked to her about prayer and told her that if she were to ask the Lord then he would help her get to church. A few days later we go over to talk to her and she tells us that a lady at her work is having surgery and she will be off for 6-8 weeks and that Linda was covering her shift, which let her be off on Sunday. She was able to come to church every week while on that shift. Sadly, bishop said that it was only temporary and he didn't want her to get baptized and not be able to go to church(Those darn obstacles!) However, there is more good news. She was able to talk with her boss and work out a schedule where she would be able to get Sunday off at least once a month. The bishop texted us and said that Linda would be able to get baptized. My companion shouted for joy when he read it! When we went to go talk to Linda about it she had no idea. So when we told her that she would be able to get baptized her face lit up like a lightbulb! It was super awesome experience and it really strengthened my testimony of prayer. I know that He was watching over her and that he wanted to help. He was just waiting for her to show her faith and ask.

That is just one of the many amazing experiences I've had out here on my mission. It's truly the best thing ever to see the change in peoples lives when they accept the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. You can see it not only in their actions but in their eyes. They are just happier. You can see the joy and peace.

Love,

Elder Ervin

7-2-2013

These past couple weeks have been pretty extraordinary. We had a Mission Conference last Thursday where all the missionaries in the mission(nearly 250 of us) get together and have some fun and then receive some training. We had a service project at the beginning of the conference to help us learn to be charitable and loving like our Savior. We were sent to some assisted living homes where we would interact with some old peoples. We took them on walks and chatted with them and even played the most intense game of bingo I've ever experienced. Those old ladies play no games when it comes to bingo(haha, get it?). After that we went into a big field next to our mission home and played some games and then ate lunch. We were then herded in the chapel so we could hear from our honored guest. We were very honored to hear from Tad R. Callister of the Seventy. He gave an amazing training on the atonement and how we can apply it in our teaching. It gave me some great insights on how I can improve and we've already been able to apply this training.

Another awesome opportunity we had was that this past Sunday there was a huge broadcast on missionary work titled, "The Work of Salvation." We got to hear from the Prophet and apostles about how missionary work is going to be changing. First of all, missionaries are now going to be able to proselyte through the internet via Facebook, blogs and other means. In the near future we are all going to have to make Facebook accounts and we'll be able to teach lessons, follow up on commitments and make invitations through it. It's super cool that we are finally able to utilize the world of technology we live in. Our mission should be getting iPads and iPhones later this year or early next year in order to assist in this. Missionary work is changing. They said that missionaries should not be tracting anymore. They said that members need to be filling our planners with lessons. Missionaries are there to teach and to assist the ward/stake/branch with their missionary efforts but as it was it seemed that us missionaries were kind of leading the efforts. I'm excited to see how it turns out.

We also had a baptism this last Saturday. It was a 17 year old young man, named Melvin. He invited tons of his friends to the baptism, a lot of which were not members. I had the opportunity to share the message of the Restoration while he was changing. It was a super spiritual experience. His parents were sitting next to our landlords and after the baptism they turned to our landlords and said, "Well, I guess we're next." It is wonderful to see how the Spirit touched their lives and testified that what their son was doing was right. We have another baptism this next Saturday and I'm stoked to see how it turns out.

Love,

Elder Ervin