So there's a few things this week. The transfer is the biggest. I am really really really really really really REALLY excited to be serving with Elder Penuelas! We're going to baptize a lot. We both talked about how we can just feel it. Not dreaming or being over hopeful and niave. We're going to have good plans on what to do in order to lift the members to do missionary work, bring the Spirit to many investigator's lives, and lift our zone to all baptize. We're excited! Amazing things are happening in our mission. We are eradicating disobedience in the Colorado Denver South Mission. Let it be known that this mission is an exactly obedient mission! We're going to get there.
Another thing I am very happy about is my grandson Elder Ostland! Elder Dean is training!! I'm so happy. Elder Ostland is such an amazing man. He's going to learn and grow so much on his mission. He's gone on splits with missionaries for 2 years prior, worked very hard his whole life, prepared very well, and even worked for two mission presidents. I'm very proud to have him in my posterity. He calls me grandpa all the time. He gets impatient with Elder Dean at times which is funny to me haha he'll learn.
So there's this family, the Wynnes. They are some of the most amazing people I've ever met in my life. They are very spiritual and righteous people. They truly have a sound understanding. There seems to be nothing that they're not willing to do for the Lord. They are legends. They live out in Whitewater and are always sharing the Gospel with everyone around them and more than that actually bringing people to be baptized! They've been great fellowshippers for the Grays. They had us come over and serve them the same time as when they're friend who lives on their property would be cutting wood and then followed up with him on their invitation to him to take the lessons and re-invited. We're really excited! We've quite a few people this week actually that are very promising.
Sister Herrara's non member husband's view on the church has changed here recently and is more open to the lessons which we will have to teach powerfully. Joe is from New York and recently he's been coming closer to God since his split with his wife and has never really understood who Jesus Christ is. Eddie is a yoked body builder that has never understood organized religion but is very interested and can discern truth. We're going to be teaching a young single mother named Kassandra who we had a powerful lesson with a month ago but haven't been able to see. Loni was eager to read the Book of Mormon and learn more from us and her husband is open. The Rivera's have been reading a little from the Book of Mormon. We're going to start teaching Dusty who was very spiritual and solid but needed a month or two for things to slow down. He's been interested his whole life but has never had any of his LDS friends invite him to learn.
The Grays are still amazing! They already know the church is true. They've been led so much to it. They just need to have a more stable and solid foundation and resolve some concerns while gaining a testimony. They'll have a date here soon. The amazing thing with them is that they will undoubtedly bring many with them into the church. They are that amazing. He will be a Bishop one day and she will be a Relief Society President. This Sunday Jaida had to leave early and so Blu was left in charge of all the kids, Stone 12, Steal 10, Violet 7 and Jhett 1. Well leave it to the men, Blu left Jhet at church haha. We are sooooo excited for this family. I pray for them several times a day. I will not let Satan have room to get in the way.
As you can see the Lord is getting ready to pour out a huge blessing on the Grand Junction 11th Ward!! And we cannot wait! We're also going to be going around prayerfully selected members and invite them to give out a Book of Mormon to their friends and teach them how to do it naturally and with ease. Many of us have invited our friends to do things and then we check it off. Got it done. That friend just isn't interested. Which is great that we have in the first place! But if they are truly our friends, then wouldn't we never stop? If we truly really love them. And more than that, have we given them a Book of Mormon? And if we have do they even know what it's all about? Or why it's important? Or how it's blessed our life? Or how it could bless their life? I'm really excited. I know that a huge blessing is going to pour down on our area and on the members because they're so fantastic. Another thing I realized though is this outpouring is going to be much dependent on how worthy and ready the 11th ward members are. I know through inviting them to give out a Book of Mormon though that it will bring many blessings down on us. It may not be directly the way we think. It may not be that specific friend or anyone related to it. That Book of Mormon handed out with so much love and tenderness and testimony could very well be thrown behind some books on a book shelf never to be touched. They may forget, but God notices and sees every good thing we do. NO effort is EVER wasted. God ALWAYS will bless us for trying. It may come through the window when we've opened the front door expecting it, but it will come. Let me know of the blessings being poured down on San Miguel!
I love you all!
-Elder Edgel
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Thursday, October 9, 2014
A mission is better than the Lord of the Rings
I am staying! This past weekend has been a lot of fun and quite interesting. Ready?! Here we go!
Tuesday we MLC's in Vail, then dinner, then missionary correlation, then stake correlation. So no time for proselyting which was sad. MLC's was amazing. Our President is cracking down on the mission. Elder Lawrence said that our mission is too relaxed. I left feeling so much more committed to obedience and helping others see the blessings of it as well.
I realized the difference in the obedient missionaries is they prepared before their missions. So their missions mean a lot to them and don't dare mess it up through stupid disobedience. SO YOUNG MEN!! Prepare prepare prepare! Elder Cook said our actions need to be in line with our goals otherwise we are serving two masters. Too many young men he said think it's enough to just show up to their mission. Is that enough to show we're ready to represent our Savior in His work?
President interview Elder Donovan before we left. Dun dun dun!! I knew off the bat what it was for. At the begginng of the transfer we made a bet that if he's the new assistant he has to shave his arm pits and if he's not then I'll shave mine. We both thought that it was the safest bet of our life. But of course I was more safe. He currently has some pretty itchy pits!
We found a new awesome investigator Loni. She is so eager to learn everything. She hasn't read or watched conference though so that's a bummer. But she recognizes the truth in what we shared so we're excited for her.
We've only taught 7 lessons this week but every single one of them were good solid lessons. 5 of which had members to. I can't tell you how exciting everything is right now. The work of the Lord is the most exciting thing in this whole world. My whole life I've dreamed of being on an adventure. I never realized how the Gospel is that adventure that every boy dreams of. It's way more filling and satisfying than any Lord of the Rings or Star Wars movie. To go out and find out lost brothers and sisters and see their lives completely change as they grab hold onto the iron rod. To become a man and stand for the truth and not let up with many others justifying. To have the Lord work through me and say things I never would have thought of.
Elder Donovan left Friday so we did a lot of final planning together Thursday and Friday which was very productive. Since then I've been with Elder Kamrowski and Elder Dean and the Assistants. Elder Merrill is going home so the other Assistant, Elder Barfield and I teamed up. I was able to get a lot of things done though with all the down time of them doing Assistanty stuff. There was A LOT of things I needed to do and it was getting overwhelming so that was a tender mercy. I finally feel caught up. It is so lonely without Elder Donovan though. I love that missionary so much. We became brothers and could read each others thoughts often. We have our zone meetings this Thursday and it's going to be a big deal. This Zone Meeting all the Zone leaders are emphasizing obedience and going to teach the reasons and blessings so that our whole mission can become exactly obedient. We made a lot of plans on how to do that this last MLCs.
I've been praying for my investigators every single day by name and specifically. If anything, I feel more focused, more confident, more love. Satan has been attacking our investigators. They all start dying when we put them on date... literally. Jerry did die before I got here when he had agreed to baptism. Dusty fell off a steep cliff like hill and now has partial paralysis, whenever we have an appointment with Lee Holt he ends up in the hospital that day and when we had a dinner with the Gray's and other awesome members they had to take their 2 year old to the hospital. So this family (the Wynnes who I admire as if they were in the quorum of the Seventy) taught us about protecting our investigators through prayer. We had a baptism every month scheduled and our investigators were excited and ready but now we have nothing. It's really sad but I know God will deliver.
The Grays actually attended General Conferance! So we're excited to see how that went! Man we're so excited to see them baptized. We'll put them on date soon.
I love you all!!
-Elder Edgel
Tuesday we MLC's in Vail, then dinner, then missionary correlation, then stake correlation. So no time for proselyting which was sad. MLC's was amazing. Our President is cracking down on the mission. Elder Lawrence said that our mission is too relaxed. I left feeling so much more committed to obedience and helping others see the blessings of it as well.
I realized the difference in the obedient missionaries is they prepared before their missions. So their missions mean a lot to them and don't dare mess it up through stupid disobedience. SO YOUNG MEN!! Prepare prepare prepare! Elder Cook said our actions need to be in line with our goals otherwise we are serving two masters. Too many young men he said think it's enough to just show up to their mission. Is that enough to show we're ready to represent our Savior in His work?
President interview Elder Donovan before we left. Dun dun dun!! I knew off the bat what it was for. At the begginng of the transfer we made a bet that if he's the new assistant he has to shave his arm pits and if he's not then I'll shave mine. We both thought that it was the safest bet of our life. But of course I was more safe. He currently has some pretty itchy pits!
We found a new awesome investigator Loni. She is so eager to learn everything. She hasn't read or watched conference though so that's a bummer. But she recognizes the truth in what we shared so we're excited for her.
We've only taught 7 lessons this week but every single one of them were good solid lessons. 5 of which had members to. I can't tell you how exciting everything is right now. The work of the Lord is the most exciting thing in this whole world. My whole life I've dreamed of being on an adventure. I never realized how the Gospel is that adventure that every boy dreams of. It's way more filling and satisfying than any Lord of the Rings or Star Wars movie. To go out and find out lost brothers and sisters and see their lives completely change as they grab hold onto the iron rod. To become a man and stand for the truth and not let up with many others justifying. To have the Lord work through me and say things I never would have thought of.
Elder Donovan left Friday so we did a lot of final planning together Thursday and Friday which was very productive. Since then I've been with Elder Kamrowski and Elder Dean and the Assistants. Elder Merrill is going home so the other Assistant, Elder Barfield and I teamed up. I was able to get a lot of things done though with all the down time of them doing Assistanty stuff. There was A LOT of things I needed to do and it was getting overwhelming so that was a tender mercy. I finally feel caught up. It is so lonely without Elder Donovan though. I love that missionary so much. We became brothers and could read each others thoughts often. We have our zone meetings this Thursday and it's going to be a big deal. This Zone Meeting all the Zone leaders are emphasizing obedience and going to teach the reasons and blessings so that our whole mission can become exactly obedient. We made a lot of plans on how to do that this last MLCs.
I've been praying for my investigators every single day by name and specifically. If anything, I feel more focused, more confident, more love. Satan has been attacking our investigators. They all start dying when we put them on date... literally. Jerry did die before I got here when he had agreed to baptism. Dusty fell off a steep cliff like hill and now has partial paralysis, whenever we have an appointment with Lee Holt he ends up in the hospital that day and when we had a dinner with the Gray's and other awesome members they had to take their 2 year old to the hospital. So this family (the Wynnes who I admire as if they were in the quorum of the Seventy) taught us about protecting our investigators through prayer. We had a baptism every month scheduled and our investigators were excited and ready but now we have nothing. It's really sad but I know God will deliver.
The Grays actually attended General Conferance! So we're excited to see how that went! Man we're so excited to see them baptized. We'll put them on date soon.
I love you all!!
-Elder Edgel
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Just love people, be natural and do your best
We've had a great week this week! Appointments still cancel left and right but overall we had some great things happen!
This week though we did have really effective exchanges with a great but struggling missionary. He has ADHD so it's a struggle to stay focused and be diligent. But he's making excellent strides and has a great testimony. We've butted heads a bit these past 3 transfers but we had a great exchange and lifted each other.
On another exchange we had a great first lesson and are starting to teach an awesome new family of 4! They're in their 20s and have a 3 and 4 year old. They're all a lot of fun! They just moved in and are looking for a new church and are looking to have a fresh new start in their lives. They're both so funny! She's pregnant and he keeps telling us to pray for his new babies because he says it's going to be triplets haha. They couldn't come to church this Sunday but should next Sunday. We found them through a strange way. It was dark and around 7:50. Our plans fell through and we had an appointment at 8 so we decided to street contact any one. We prayed fervently before we went out. We've been working and haven't seen much. We saw an SUV with their car door open so we decided to let the people know and started talking to them. We didn't have time to teach them but they allowed us to come back and they've been awesome since! We told the ward at PEC and they jumped on it! They're excited to fellowship. Our Bishop is great. That's what I'm most excited about from this week!
On a sad note, the Greer family, the awesome new members that came that are on fire with missionary work. Their 3 or 4 year old son Mason passed away. It's been really sad. They're very strong. We haven't seen them since because they're in Provo with family and had the funeral there. They are outstanding though. Being so strong and growing close to their Father in Heaven and their family.
I learned a valuable life lesson this week. So simple yet I allowed my fear and anxiety to allow me to forget. The principle of just loving people, being natural and doing my best. Being myself. Allowing 5 minutes of just talking to someone sincerely about each other and then testifying and accepting that not everyone will get it. I only have to find the ones that do want it and accept the simple gentle invitations. I know that the Lord is preparing someone for all of us to fellowship and love. We challenged a family to specifically pray to know who they can share the Gospel with, what to do and for the opportunity to do it. And the next day he called us and told us about the great yet simple experience they had in answer to their prayer!
God love us so much that He gave us the way that we could experience the most joy in this life! And because it's so true and real, He will lead us to share it with others! He is preparing people. He truly does want everyone to be a part of this Gospel . It's that real!
WE ALL OUGHT TO LOOK AROUND US AT THE ONES WE LOVE THE MOST ALREADY WHEREE WE NATURALLY WANT THEIR HAPPINESS AND PRAY FOR THE ORPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS TO THEM HOW MUCH WE LOVE THEM AND HOW MUCH THE GOSPEL HAS BROUGHT US HAPPINESS AND HOW WE KNOW IT CAN BLESS ANYONES LIFE!
I love you all!
-Elder Edgel
This week though we did have really effective exchanges with a great but struggling missionary. He has ADHD so it's a struggle to stay focused and be diligent. But he's making excellent strides and has a great testimony. We've butted heads a bit these past 3 transfers but we had a great exchange and lifted each other.
On another exchange we had a great first lesson and are starting to teach an awesome new family of 4! They're in their 20s and have a 3 and 4 year old. They're all a lot of fun! They just moved in and are looking for a new church and are looking to have a fresh new start in their lives. They're both so funny! She's pregnant and he keeps telling us to pray for his new babies because he says it's going to be triplets haha. They couldn't come to church this Sunday but should next Sunday. We found them through a strange way. It was dark and around 7:50. Our plans fell through and we had an appointment at 8 so we decided to street contact any one. We prayed fervently before we went out. We've been working and haven't seen much. We saw an SUV with their car door open so we decided to let the people know and started talking to them. We didn't have time to teach them but they allowed us to come back and they've been awesome since! We told the ward at PEC and they jumped on it! They're excited to fellowship. Our Bishop is great. That's what I'm most excited about from this week!
On a sad note, the Greer family, the awesome new members that came that are on fire with missionary work. Their 3 or 4 year old son Mason passed away. It's been really sad. They're very strong. We haven't seen them since because they're in Provo with family and had the funeral there. They are outstanding though. Being so strong and growing close to their Father in Heaven and their family.
I learned a valuable life lesson this week. So simple yet I allowed my fear and anxiety to allow me to forget. The principle of just loving people, being natural and doing my best. Being myself. Allowing 5 minutes of just talking to someone sincerely about each other and then testifying and accepting that not everyone will get it. I only have to find the ones that do want it and accept the simple gentle invitations. I know that the Lord is preparing someone for all of us to fellowship and love. We challenged a family to specifically pray to know who they can share the Gospel with, what to do and for the opportunity to do it. And the next day he called us and told us about the great yet simple experience they had in answer to their prayer!
God love us so much that He gave us the way that we could experience the most joy in this life! And because it's so true and real, He will lead us to share it with others! He is preparing people. He truly does want everyone to be a part of this Gospel . It's that real!
WE ALL OUGHT TO LOOK AROUND US AT THE ONES WE LOVE THE MOST ALREADY WHEREE WE NATURALLY WANT THEIR HAPPINESS AND PRAY FOR THE ORPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS TO THEM HOW MUCH WE LOVE THEM AND HOW MUCH THE GOSPEL HAS BROUGHT US HAPPINESS AND HOW WE KNOW IT CAN BLESS ANYONES LIFE!
I love you all!
-Elder Edgel
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