MARCH 2009

MARCH 26,2009
Yesterday we were in a City called Rocky Mountain house. we went with Brother and Sister Quinton because it is about an hours drive to get there. we had lunch and played games with another pair of Elders who are in that City, but are in our district, Elder Gaboriault and Elder Fowler. We played games like Wizard, which is kind of like Mormon Bridge only you start at one and just go up till the deck runs out of cards each turn, and Canasta, and Stiks, which is a game somewhat like phase ten, only instead of everybody working on the same phase or goal, each person has their own goal, or stick that is drawn from a box, and the goal is to get to seven sticks before anyone else.

When we go to members homes for dinner we teach a lesson , usually consisting of something we read that day, or from the lessons in Preach my Gospel. We are actually currently teaching the members of the PEC the missionary lessons so that we can find a better way to teach the members of the ward, and be able to receive referrals from them to teach.

MARCH 18, 2009
Well teaching this last week has gone pretty well. Lorraine and her family had quite a few questions for us, such as the difference between Translation and Transfiguration, and resurrected beings as well. We taught them half of Lesson one in Preach my Gospel, and we made a return appointment to go see them in a week from tomorrow, they were really busy all this week. We did invite them to be baptized, and they said they would consider it, depending on how they felt in what they read, and what they felt when they prayed. It's exciting when we go and teach them. I might be transferred. Transfer calls are on Monday and I really don't want to leave Innisfail quite yet though. I want to stay at least one more transfer, to see how things go with Lorraine and her Family, as well as one of the Young Men in the Ward who just sent off his Papers. I wanna know where he's gonna go. He's really a cool guy, into most of the same stuffI am, and he's gonna be an amazing missionary, I can tell. He's just got that flame that's burning so bright right now, cause he just wants to help people find the truth. He's almost 21 now, and was less-active for a while, but has been doing really well recently, and has been teaching Primary Kids. He came with us to our last meeting with Lorraine and her family, and they were really amazed that a young man like him would take on the calling of teaching eleven-twelve year olds at Church.

We will be teaching one of our recent converts that is 11 about the priesthood soon. He turns twelve in May, so we're gonna try and prepare him for it, and we are also gonna see if his step-dad has any interest in taking the lessons. He wasn't the last time he was asked when Kyle first started to take the lessons, but he's always been supportive of Kyle in all that he's done, and he's always standing in the kitchen, which is right next to the front room of their house, when we teach Kyle and he joins in, and we've asked him a few questions, like about the Ten Commandments and stuff, so he might be more receptive now, who knows. We'll just talk to him and see how he feels. Kyle's Mother is less active and we've been trying to get to her as well when we've been teaching Kyle, and it has helped her, cause she would read with and pray with Kyle when he was investigating, and deciding whether or not he wanted to join. Then about a month ago he was struggling with coming to church cause he doesn't have many friends there unfortunatly, and were trying to help him get the number up, but it's a little difficult, but his mom suggested to him to pray about whether or not he should still come or not.

In this area we get invited to eat at members homes most every night. We have a list that gets passed around during Relief Society and it gets filled up really quick. Tonight we are going to a member who is an Elder for the Genealogy work and says he might have a way to help us over the pond to continue our work. I'm taking my stuff with me to see him so we can get a pretty accurate finding. We'll be having Sushi and Miso Soup there. He's really cool.

MARCH 10. 2009
Hello everyone!
I'm still in Innisfail for at least two more weeks, and I'm really hoping to stay, because I've really grown to love the investigators that we have and the members of the ward! They are all Awesome. It's been a bit cold this past week. The coldest day being today, at -28C, but it's been at max 10 degrees warmer than that. IT"S BEEN A COLD WEEK! YAY FOR GOOD WINTER GEAR!
Well, I've got a couple of updates on our Teaching. One girl we've been trying to teach, Katie, is going to meet us at the church tonight, to meet with the Bishop of the Inninsfail Ward. Katie works at the local Sev, and is a single mom, and going through a really tough time right now. We were talking to her on Friday, the day we had a nice little Blizzard, and the only thing I could think of the whole time was having her talk to the Bishop, so I suggested it to her, and she agreed. So we will meet her later tonight to introduce her to the Bishop and then show her around the building and explain a few things to her, as well as answer any questions that she has, which will hopefully be many.
On Saturday/Sunday we found a new family to teach. It's a Family of Four, and the reason I say Saturday/Sunday is cause we met the first half on Saturday and the Second half on Sunday. We are hoping to share with them how the Gospel can strengthen the family, cause when we were there, a few unkind words were said to each other.
Lorraine and her Family actually had to cancel our their appointment for last Thursday, because they had to go a few towns over for some reason at the same time that we were gonna teach them. So we are scheduled to meet with them THIS Thursday instead and share with them the full message of the restoration, since we didn't get to last time that we were there. This is the family that lives right next to the Bishop, in case you don't know, or remember.
That's really about it for our main focus investigators right now. we are still trying to teach a few, but they can't seem to get enough time to sit down with us and talk to us. So we will be doing our best to stay warm, and not freeze to death.

Next week on our preparation day we are Helping Brother Nagle, an older man, and one of the first members in this area, move some stuff out of his basement using Brother Quintons truck. It's all old Family History stuff too! I'll be on the email on Thursday.

The work is still kinda slow here, but it's not as bad as it was because we actually have investigators now! We still run into the annoying anti-Mormon people. Like the other day, some lady bit our heads off cause we are Mormon, and then stated the things that she'd learned in some sort of class given by one of the churches in town about Mormons. Let me tell ya, not fun. Both Elder Holder and I had things we could have said, but neither of us felt that we should speak to her further so after her rant we left. One of the boys in the ward is almost ready to go on his mission! I'm excited for him!

MARCH 4,2009
The meeting with the family of five, actually turned into us just teaching the Grandfather and Mother of the Family, cause her Husband was in another city for work and didn't have the chance to come back due to the weather, and I have no clue why the boys weren't there. The lesson went really well, and we shared with her the story of the stripling Warriors and we both bore testimony of the Book of Mormon. Mostly Elder Holder was the one who talked. We had more of a getting to know you type deal then an actual set lesson, cause they haven't quite agreed to take the lessons yet, but I think that she, and possibly the rest of her family, will be baptized. They are really kind folks and are really well read in the bible.
As for other investigators, we have a couple of girls that we are teaching, and they haven't quite truly started the lessons with them yet, but they have been coming to Church the last couple of weeks. They are friends with a few of the boys in our Ward.
We are also hoping to start teaching a man named Ron. He is engaged to one of our members, and said that he had a dream where they were in the temple, getting sealed, and Her non-member daughter was there as well. He came to church this last week, and loved it! He said everyone was really nice to him, which of course is one of the best things that we can hope for as missionaries.

As for studying, we study for a couple of hours a day. One hour is for personal study, the second is for Comp Study. Right now I'm studying the Book of Mormon, and Preach My Gospel. This is what my mission president has told me to study, cause it is the quickest way to learn the scriptures that we need to know