Daily Archives: June 10, 2013

We See the Bishop and Start the Paperwork…

Mary needed to see Bishop Tanner to get her temple recommend renewed so we used the opportunity to ask him to go on line and start the paperwork (computer work?) so we can apply for our next mission. We hope to start serving sometime in January or February of next year.

We have never asked for any assignment – we just say how much we can afford a month and how long we want to serve. Then like the young missionaries we wait to open the envelope from the missionary department to see where the Lord wants us to serve. However this time we are going to ask that if it is possible we would like to serve outside the US or Canada.

If anyone would like to make a guess at where we might be called to serve, we would love for you to know your thoughts. I would mention that each of our missions have been where it is hot and humid and near an ocean…hopefully it will stay that way because we get enough cold winters here in Provo.



President Anderson’s Letter – June 9, 2013

I love to start each week reading the great spiritual experiences that President Anderson shares in his weekly letter. Not only do I feel the spirit of these experiences but they also remind me of Elder Anderson’s direction to wear my missionary name tag on my heart

“Let us look forward to those whose hearts will be pierced with the Spirit: â€œI saw a couple across the complex and felt to walk over to them to bless them. As I started to walk over I felt really good about it. Then out of nowhere doubt and fear crept into my mind. I thought to myself, ‘that guy looks kinda angry and I’m not sure what he’s going to say to us.’ I stopped walking for a brief second and then cast out the fear and walked even faster towards the couple. As we got to them we identified ourselves and asked if we could leave them the Saviors peace and blessing. The man told us we could pray for him and their baby to be born soon. As I prayed I truly felt the spirit flowing through me, as if my words were not my own. After the blessing the man with tattoos who looked like a very tough guy began to cry. He wouldn’t stop thanking me and accepted baptism. We went back the next day and he again thanked me over and over. He said, ‘Those were the kindest and purest words anyone has ever said to me. My emotions overcame me and I was thinking about it all day. I almost called work to go home because I couldn’t stop thinking about it.’ I was so humbled. The Lord truly had used me as his funnel to bring the spirit to this man’s life. He again was on the verge of tears as he talked about the experience.”

Let us look forward to those who have been waiting so long for us to bring them Salvation: â€œI had gotten the impression that it looked like a good area before and that we needed to harvest it eventually. But yesterday I knew that we needed to harvest there then. So we rode down the street locked up and began knocking. We ran into a man and he excitedly let us in and asked for help for his health problems. We left a great Priesthood blessing and then invited him to be baptized. With a huge smile on his face he said ‘Of course!’ it was one of those times where they accept with so much enthusiasm you begin to wonder if they understand what you just asked them… but he understood! He then went on to tell us that he had attended church many times and took the lessons with his sister in Nicaragua when he was 18. His sister was baptized and then the Sunday for his baptism had arrived. That morning he was waiting at the bus stop for the Elders to pick him up to take him to church and to get baptized… but they never showed up… so he sadly went home and never heard of them again. It’s now 10 years later, he moved to Florida 1 week ago. He was sitting in his home on a Sunday afternoon and two Elders were led to his house again, blessed him with the Savior’s peace and blessing and invited to him to be baptized once again. President I know we were led straight to that door. The Lord really does have a hand in all things; it is such a blessing to be a tool he can use to create miracles.”

Let us help even our investigators to look forward to God’s will:  â€œThis week recent convert was confirmed and received the Aaronic Priesthood. We had a sweet member present lesson with him that was absolutely wonderful and prepared him for the responsibility and opportunities. After a lunch at his house, after church on Sunday, something quite humbling happened. He said to me, ‘I need to show you something, it’s pretty serious.’ As we were leaving, we went to his truck and he pulled out his Bible. ‘I have been troubled by this for 3 days now, thinking about what to do.’ He proceeded to show me legitimate looking I.D. cards… ‘When we come over, there are underground agencies that do these for a lot of money. They are fake. Now that I am on this road, I can’t have these because although you may not have known, God knows and I know. What do you suggest? Should I break them?’ I said, ‘what do you think?’ He then handed them to me and said, ‘now I am an honest man before God.’ What an experience! He is fearing God above man. What an example of integrity.”