Bosnia

Mission training with Elder Kopische.  November 2016

Check it out:  this week Elder Iler is leaving and I will be brief today.  You better believe we had  miracles all week long and I'll write some of them here.  A member of the seventy came to visit this week to teach us the doctrines of the kingdom.  Elder Kopische is his name and he hails from Germany.  He believes German is the celestial language and his humor was really great.  It was like a miniature President Uchtdorf with us for about 15 hours total.  Alright, miracle time.  Miracle #1:   When Elder Kopische hosted ZONE conference he taught us to ambush people spiritually when we go contacting and knock doors.  This technique goes against everything my HUMAN NATURE says... I just want to have a fluffy conversation with everyone about the patriots or the Seahawks to be all nice... We tried his technique and no joke the minute we got out of the car we found a man interested in the church.  We told him the message of the first vision of Joseph smith within 2 minutes and he said "GOSH, that story was touching". Now we will be teaching him on Friday.  Miracle #2:  I have been updating you on the miracle investigator named Aleta that opened the door to tell us she wanted to be baptized. This week we tag team taught her with our mission President for a little bombing run / raid.  Our mission president invited her to baptism, she accepted and then showed up to church on Sunday! Yep.  We just knocked on her door and now she is accepting the gospel.  Miracle #3:  On Sunday morning we went out to rally the troops for church and invite everyone we see to come and no one was home.  For the last three months we have done the same thing and visited the same people but this time no one was home... a little dismal in our spirits, we went to church.  Sitting on the back row by ourselves,  we were looking pretty lonely when a less active member we have been working with for 6 months shows up and sees us.  He puts a big smile on his face and comes to sit by us!  He said he is planning on coming every week now.  Right after he walked in, another one of our investigators slipped in the back and waved at us as well.  I really apologize for the lameness in this email but just know the church is true, I just got a snazzy haircut, I had three protein shakes today and we are going to have a great pday today and tomorrow welcome 19 new missionaries to the WVM.  Elder Pabst is my new companion he likes cars, lifting weights and laughing.  It will be a good 4 months.

Elder King's quote to live by.

Up At Dawn With the Roosters

Check out the cyborg eye!

My goodness you ready for this week’s goodness?  I've got the weekly roast for you right here.  My pupil is the size of a grape right now, my hair looks great & a few mighty miracles have been wrought in the land this week.  Tune in.  #1 check this out:  I went down to Gresham on an exchange this week and Elder Gosar & I were feeling a little bit adventurous so we set a goal to find a man with a mustache that wanted to hear about the Plan of Salvation.  No joke... we looked high and low for this man.  Unfortunately, we did not find him.  But, we worked our butts off and taught a bunch of lessons trying to find him.  Then, I get a text the day after from Elder Gosar that you can read at the bottom.  I took a picture of it because it was priceless.  I think our goal we set just made us work our butts off to try and find a miracle and that's what Heavenly Father wanted.  #2:  you ready for a little late night miracle?  Elder Iler & I had some cancellations on Thursday this week and we hit the streets to find a little something something / someone to bless.  We knocked and knocked until it was 8:58.. 8:59... just about 9 o'clock and we knocked one more door just before we got to our car.  The apartment manager opened up and she told us to stop knocking doors in the complex, especially that late.  Well, she wasn't getting away that easy.  We started teaching her and by the end of the conversation she asked if there was a place where, "young single adults could meet". That is something we surely have to offer.  Pretty soon she took a BOM and will be meeting with the young single adult missionaries. #3: my pupil is the size of a grape still today.  While teaching a lesson this week, an eyelash broke off & assaulted my contact.  I took a jog to the bathroom and the kind people we were teaching offered me some soothing eye drops.  I threw about 6 of those drops in my eye and before you know it I was good to go.  My companion told me that as the lesson went on, my pupil increased in size.  When I got home I could barely see any blue!  I took a pic so you can see I am cyborg man for the day. Still ended up being a great lesson. Now wearing my sun glasses inside and outside of buildings.  Been really thinking about a story I read this week.  Let me share it with you.  People felt encouragement from President Hinckley, not just because of his inspiring words but because of the way he lived.  President Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve recounted: “While [President and Sister Hinckley were] going from a chapel to an airport in Central America, their vehicle was involved in an accident. Sister Nelson and I were traveling behind them and saw it occur. A truck [that was] loaded on top with unsecured metal rods approachedthem at an intersection. To avoid a collision, its driver suddenly stopped the truck, launching those iron rods like javelins to pierce the Hinckleys’ car. Windows were smashed; fenders and doors were dented. The accident could have been very serious. While shattered glass was being removed from their clothing and skin, President Hinckley said: ‘Thank the Lord for His blessing; now let’s continue on in another car.’”  Have the best week and have a glass of egg nog on me.  Oh yeah went to a Peruvian restaurant with a Peruvian missionary this week too. 

Happy Halloween!

Seriously contemplating the view from Astoria!

I hope you're ready for some amazing stories I don't even know where to begin.  I'll tell you some of these stories in embellished but true fashion after I tell you we are having a Halloween get together with the ZONE for some glow in the dark volleyball & hot chocolate hang out.  I bought a bright orange pumpkin flavored shirt today for our all day p day Halloween festivities!  The Vancouver mission is the greatest place to be. #1 miracle: I don't know if I shared the subway story before... but let me share with you a little amazing miracle because it has a second half to the story.  Okay, we were getting a sub at Sub Way for the first time in about 6 months... and the guy who crafted our sub is named Jesus.  We looked down at our tags and said, "Hey, we have the same name on our tag!" And we laughed while he made us a delicious turkey breast on whole grain flat bread.  By the end of his sandwich crafting he needed to asked us a question!  Pointing to a tattoo on his arm he said, "My Mom said I am going to Hell for this what do you think?". We told him to meet up with us sometime & that we would teach him all about it.  Upon meeting up with him we could tell something was special with this young man and we referred him over to the YSA elders and now he is going to be baptized.  Sometimes you just gotta open your mouth & that's all you really have to do. #2 heck yeah miracle: A few weeks ago we felt impressed to visit a less active member of the ward named Brother Hill.  We went to his complex and since we didn't have an apartment number we just knocked the whole complex.  Well, only one person seemed slightly interested.  She said, "Come back tomorrow @ 5."  We did trust that!  She was not home... sorrowing, we went on with the week.  Just the other day all of our lessons cancelled for the day.  All 4 of them fell through, so we figured there must be something important for us to do instead.  We searched and searched until we felt prompted to go to the same house. The same lady answered and she said, "Okay boys come back tomorrow". Hmmmm... We showed some faith and went back the next day!  She said, "Okay boys two things 1) I wanna know about the second coming.  2) I wanna be baptized". HAHAHAHAHA NO JOKE!  How cool is that?! You just walk around and good stuff happens.  HOW DID WE GET SO LUCKY?  Miracle #3 this is a really good one:  There is a member of the ward that specializes in "being a gentleman"  whenever we are in need of tips to be more gentleman like we send him a text and I am learning each day how to become more like a true man.  Perhaps, even a man of the priesthood.  Also, our church attendance rallying the troops before church is working.  Every Sunday we go to visit our teaching pool and invite/urge people to attend the sabbath meetings with us.  These past two Sundays our prayers have been answered after working with a less active member for 5 or 6 months now he has been attending church.  Another less active came to the Halloween trunk or treat and it was the first time for him being in the chapel in probably a year.  He took some time to follow a prompting and sit in the chapel, and while he did for 20 minutes he was told by the spirit to start coming to church every week.  I don't know how to explain the goodness of God.  I seriously hope you all have a great week and I hope you all find some cool miracles this week because they are all around us.

Take Me To Church

Elder King and Elder Iler at Fort Vancouver October 2016.

CHECK IT OUT:  You wouldn't believe it.  Greatest day of my life this past Sunday.  Our flocklings came to church!  Our investigator and less actives came to church!  The heavens have opened the church is true.  Persistence pays off after weeks of badgering these people like a telemarketer to come to church.  I suppose my prior employment helps with this telemarketer badgering technique.  It was a great week as are most weeks.  We went to Longview (40 minutes north) to work for a day and we went to Portland (40 minutes south) to work for a day as well.  I visited two of my offspring!  Two of my very own trainees here in the Vancouver mission.  Elder Briggs & Elder Johansen have made it past the teen years.  Just warms my heart to see my “children” making righteous decisions.  Let me see if I can embellish some stories for you:

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING :

While on exchanges down in Portland we stopped by a few potential investigators before we attended a baptism.  The first potential investigator we stopped by was actually taught by me almost a year ago when I served in the same ward as Elder Johansen.  Elder Johansen had no idea ;).  After that inspired visit we went in search of the elect.  The first... & only person we talked to the whole day actually wanted to hear about the Book of Mormon.  God knew the rest of the day we would probably be busy teaching.  While walking down a street that looked like a scene from a movie with autumn leaves falling and a high school football game in the background we beckoned for a YSA aged young lady to come hear us out.  Lo & behold, we didn’t scare her away.  Little miracles you just can't help but be grateful for.  

CHECK THIS OUT :

On Thursday this week our investigator Lucas decided he wanted to feed us.  We texted him the night before and asked if his schedule still permitted us to be fed by him around 5:30 & he said, "I prayed for a few hours last night and got a confirmation that I need to be a better person by following this path.  As for dinner, of course!  Steak & shrimp for my two best buds."  Keep in mind this guy was found by knocking on doors in the middle of Vancouver.  The steak and shrimp was some of the best.  We texted Lucas Sunday morning to see if he was planning on church and he said, "Of course.  Why are you doubting?  You're acting like Peter."  He showed up in his Sunday best and asked how soon he could be passing the sacrament.  Do you see why my job is the best job?  Pretty much had no time to think this week.  Worked, worked and worked some more.  We lined up a ride for a less active member of the ward and our ride bailed at the last minute. We had recruited a family the day before to give a ride to a different less active, and we decided to call them ten minutes before church.  If someone called me ten minutes before church started & I was halfway to the church already with someone I didn't even know and then these people told me they wanted me to turn around and go get someone else & be late to church... well, I just don’t know if my heart would be big enough.  BUT, THE COOL THING IS... we have members in Vancouver with large hearts.  These blessed members didn't even hesitate.  They turned right around and picked up our friend.  Thank you good members of the church all around the world.  If I could pay you a money sum for your service I would, but that would make us a paid ministry and we just aren't all about that.  Great week, great times, who could complain living the life I do.  Picture from Sunday after church with the whole district in one ward.  Heck yeah. 

Our mission district all in one ward.