Last P-day was a sad one indeed. Several missionaries ended there service of 2 years. We had to meet Elder Howard at the mission home to take him with us for a few days until transfer meeting. I was able to say my final goodbyes to Elder Hall. He is a great guy and I hope that he reads this and then sends me some letters and stuff.
So this past week went pretty well. We had some disappointments with some of our investigators but some great strides with others. There is a lot of potential in this ward. We are teaching some great people and they are sincere. We have been teaching a man by the name of Armando for quite some time. He just set a date for his baptism this past week. He will be baptized shortly before i leave the mission field. We have been working with him my whole time here. He reads the Book of Mormon every day and knows that it is true. Our lesson with him was not very usual. In our lesson this past week the majority of our lesson was describing what the spirit feels like and sharing our experiences with it. I shared with him my experience of how I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet and Elder Moreno shared some of his experiences. It went really well. He then shared what he felt as he has been reading the Book of Mormon and an experience he had in his yard. He said that he was watering a plant a few days before we came over and was just thinking about different things. He then said that he had a scripture pop into his mind very strongly that he had read form the Book of Mormon. Then he said that it was so clear that he could almost read it in his mind. I do not remember what scripture it was but it was talking about forgiving others or you will not be forgiven. He then decided that he was going to forgive one of his co-workers that had wronged him. He said it was a great experience and the scriptures helped him to be a better person.
As we spoke to him in our lesson he began to realize that it was the spirit that did all of this for him and helped him feel these feelings and have this scripture pop into his mind. We then set a goal for his baptism. He is excited and sees how the gospel has been helping him to be a better husband and father and how he has been more patient and loving to his family and co-workers. He is a good man and evidence of how the gospel can bless you if you are willing to "experiment upon the word." His seed has grown and now he has felt the light of the gospel lift him to be a higher person and a encourage him to be a better person by expanding his capacities.
I love the gospel!
Elder Moreno and I this week biked for about 6 hours straight. No one let us in to teach them so we were outside all day long. It ended up being a good day and in the evening we had a wonderful lesson with a less-active family and a great visit with Bishop Owens. But it was warm. mid 80's with about 90 something percent humidity. Elder Moreno was dying. He has not experienced humidity like this before. I can just imagine what my trainer must have thought about me and how I could not stand the heat when I first got in the field. I love it though. I am going to freeze when I get off the plane (I'm not trunky). It is going to be in the mid to high 90's early May. And at home it won't be near that temperature.
So there is a member in our ward whose son wrote a New Era article in this month New Era. It is the one about the grandfather and the grandson working on the car. It is by Justin Gessel. He is on his mission now but the article is in the New Era.
We had a R.M. come and bear his testimony yesterday in church and he also went to the same dinner as us. He is a lot like me and it was like getting a trailer of the movie of my life for what it's going to be like after I get home. It was really strange. Like, REALLY STRANGE. He is a lot like me and R.M.'s are weird. i think I am going to be a little bit of a goof when I get home. Readjusting and all that jazz.
Anyways. This week is going to be a good one. We have a few great people who will be getting baptized in the next few weeks. I really look forward to that. I will let yall know more as their baptisms get closer. I love yall and keep reading from the scriptures. They will tell you all thinks that you should do. As well as following the promptings of the Holy Ghost. Have a great week and I love yall.
ELDER MARR
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
The Whittling and Whistling Brigade
One of my close missionary friends leaves today. I will get to see him at the mission home though. His name is Elder Hall and if there are any ladies looking for a good man to marry in Las Vegas send me a letter and I will give you his info. :) Anyways I am going to miss him. He knows a lot about the gospel and we have had some really great conversations with each other and he was a great district leader back in PASADENA.
This week went well. We have a lot to do and a lot of people to follow up with. Our stake had a trek this week in east Texas. They all dressed up like pioneers and pulled handcarts. Elders Stevenette, Harris, Bellomy, Peterson, Moreno and I all put on a skit for the trek. We were asked to do it by President Saylin. He read a story about a group of kids that would scare people out of town as mobbers or people up to no good would wander into Nauvoo. Then we acted it out. I have to say that it was one of the most embarrassing experiences of my life that I know I can look back on and get a good laugh. Sadly there were pictures taken. Which means there is evidence of this for other missionaries to see. I know that the picture is going to wind up being framed in the mission office or something. So funny.
Anyways, we taught a lot of people this past week and have a lot of things coming up. We are teaching a lot of great people. We have grown really close to some of those in this ward and also to our investigators.
This week is transfer week and for the first real time in my mission our entire district of 6 missionaries is staying the same. Elder Breeze and Elder Thomson, our zone leaders, told us that they have never seen this happen before. Especially with a district of 6. Most of my districts have been 4. Anyways, I am really excited for this coming transfer. 6 more weeks of greatness. There is a lot that I want to accomplish and do. There are a lot of people that I can still help and lead closer to the Savior. Including me. Thank you all for everything that you do and remember to share the gospel with your friends and family. Help someone come back to church or read the Book of Mormon or meet with the missionaries. I love you all and have a great week. Sorry this is so short. Keep doing well.
love,
ELDER MARR
P.S. I have another challenge for yall. It is not as important or spiritual as my past challenge about reading the whole Book of Mormon beofre I get home. BUt I challenge everyone even though I am goign to be home in one transfer to send me a letter. Every single one of you. This way i can have at least one final letter on my mission from all of you. BUt I have one requirement. No mentioning how soon I will be coming home or how little time is left until you can see me. If you are someone who has been reading these emials and have never met me. Send me a letter anyways.
4010 Indian Point dr.
Missouri City, TX
77459
:)
:)
This week went well. We have a lot to do and a lot of people to follow up with. Our stake had a trek this week in east Texas. They all dressed up like pioneers and pulled handcarts. Elders Stevenette, Harris, Bellomy, Peterson, Moreno and I all put on a skit for the trek. We were asked to do it by President Saylin. He read a story about a group of kids that would scare people out of town as mobbers or people up to no good would wander into Nauvoo. Then we acted it out. I have to say that it was one of the most embarrassing experiences of my life that I know I can look back on and get a good laugh. Sadly there were pictures taken. Which means there is evidence of this for other missionaries to see. I know that the picture is going to wind up being framed in the mission office or something. So funny.
Anyways, we taught a lot of people this past week and have a lot of things coming up. We are teaching a lot of great people. We have grown really close to some of those in this ward and also to our investigators.
This week is transfer week and for the first real time in my mission our entire district of 6 missionaries is staying the same. Elder Breeze and Elder Thomson, our zone leaders, told us that they have never seen this happen before. Especially with a district of 6. Most of my districts have been 4. Anyways, I am really excited for this coming transfer. 6 more weeks of greatness. There is a lot that I want to accomplish and do. There are a lot of people that I can still help and lead closer to the Savior. Including me. Thank you all for everything that you do and remember to share the gospel with your friends and family. Help someone come back to church or read the Book of Mormon or meet with the missionaries. I love you all and have a great week. Sorry this is so short. Keep doing well.
love,
ELDER MARR
P.S. I have another challenge for yall. It is not as important or spiritual as my past challenge about reading the whole Book of Mormon beofre I get home. BUt I challenge everyone even though I am goign to be home in one transfer to send me a letter. Every single one of you. This way i can have at least one final letter on my mission from all of you. BUt I have one requirement. No mentioning how soon I will be coming home or how little time is left until you can see me. If you are someone who has been reading these emials and have never met me. Send me a letter anyways.
4010 Indian Point dr.
Missouri City, TX
77459
:)
:)
Monday, March 14, 2011
Huo Ji Junglou
This week I went on exchanges with our district leader Elder Tsui. His English is alright. He had to learn it for the mission. He speaks just fine but sometimes he has a hard time understanding others. So when he talks to people on the street he is very straight forward and to the point. I love it. He is not scared to say anything and gets right to his purpose. I love him. He is a strong member of the church and he is going to continue to be a great missionary.
This week was a little bit sad by the end of the week. We had a few people not make it to church. We really thought that some of them said that they would be there but they did not show up. It was a little disheartening. I wish people would just come to church. But besides that it was a good week. We have some investigators who read the Book of Mormon like they found it in buried treasure. The book has such a power in it that people who do not normally feel the spirit or even those that do. Can feel the spirit and love to feel it. I love the scriptures. It is like eating food. It just nourishes you.
This email will be a short one just to let you know. We are trying to find more investigators to teach. We have been doing a lot of finding lately. We have found some success from just riding around on our bikes and talking with whoever we see. I am not a huge fan of knocking doors. In some places it is the best way to find but in my past few areas it has been very ineffective. We are finding more people to teach. The members of the ward are more than willing to come out with us to teach but I have not been able to teach a members friend. We are doing our best to find people to teach but referrals from the members are the best. Member's friends who are not already members of the church have a drastically better chance of both joining the church and staying active in the church than people that the missionaries find and teach. Our mission president has shown us statistics on it. I have not had a baptism on my mission that is not a member referral or a part member family. I have taught many that are not but they have never come to baptism. I invite each of you who read this to pray to know who you can share the gospel with and invite to be taught by the missionaries with you. It will change your life and the life of those you share the gospel with.
I have seen so much happiness on my mission when a part member gets baptized or a member referral gets baptized. It brings families and friends closer together. At the end of April I will be going to a sealing for one of those part member families. I believe that if the member who was already friends with the family would have asked his friend in the part member family to come over for a lesson with the missionaries and dinner that the family would have been reactivated much sooner and the wife would have been baptized much much sooner. But the active member did not act. The missionaries were going to visit a less active member and ran into his brother who is the husband of the part member family. Then they asked if they could come over and have a lesson. So they did and the remainder of the family was baptized and reactivated. It happens. How I wish that the active Brother would have acted and tried to have them over before to meet with us. I am sure that he was the last person that he thought would be reactivated. But it happened. I just wish he could have been the foundation of the coming back to church and to have participated in their baptism and reactivation in a larger way.
I invite all of you to pray sincerely to know who of your friends should be invited to be taught by the missionaries, with you there. Fear is opposed to faith. Exercise your faith and try. I know that the Lord will guide you in the right way and you will know what to do. Even though I only have until May 3rd send me a letter and let me know how it goes. I love you all and I thank you for your support and for your love have a great week and be strong. If you need any help with sharing the gospel with your friends then call the missionaries. They can give you tips and pointers. And if you are not a member than call the missionaries and have them come over and explain all the crazy stuff i talk about every week and why I love it so much. I love you all and have a great week.
love,
ELDER MARR
This week was a little bit sad by the end of the week. We had a few people not make it to church. We really thought that some of them said that they would be there but they did not show up. It was a little disheartening. I wish people would just come to church. But besides that it was a good week. We have some investigators who read the Book of Mormon like they found it in buried treasure. The book has such a power in it that people who do not normally feel the spirit or even those that do. Can feel the spirit and love to feel it. I love the scriptures. It is like eating food. It just nourishes you.
This email will be a short one just to let you know. We are trying to find more investigators to teach. We have been doing a lot of finding lately. We have found some success from just riding around on our bikes and talking with whoever we see. I am not a huge fan of knocking doors. In some places it is the best way to find but in my past few areas it has been very ineffective. We are finding more people to teach. The members of the ward are more than willing to come out with us to teach but I have not been able to teach a members friend. We are doing our best to find people to teach but referrals from the members are the best. Member's friends who are not already members of the church have a drastically better chance of both joining the church and staying active in the church than people that the missionaries find and teach. Our mission president has shown us statistics on it. I have not had a baptism on my mission that is not a member referral or a part member family. I have taught many that are not but they have never come to baptism. I invite each of you who read this to pray to know who you can share the gospel with and invite to be taught by the missionaries with you. It will change your life and the life of those you share the gospel with.
I have seen so much happiness on my mission when a part member gets baptized or a member referral gets baptized. It brings families and friends closer together. At the end of April I will be going to a sealing for one of those part member families. I believe that if the member who was already friends with the family would have asked his friend in the part member family to come over for a lesson with the missionaries and dinner that the family would have been reactivated much sooner and the wife would have been baptized much much sooner. But the active member did not act. The missionaries were going to visit a less active member and ran into his brother who is the husband of the part member family. Then they asked if they could come over and have a lesson. So they did and the remainder of the family was baptized and reactivated. It happens. How I wish that the active Brother would have acted and tried to have them over before to meet with us. I am sure that he was the last person that he thought would be reactivated. But it happened. I just wish he could have been the foundation of the coming back to church and to have participated in their baptism and reactivation in a larger way.
I invite all of you to pray sincerely to know who of your friends should be invited to be taught by the missionaries, with you there. Fear is opposed to faith. Exercise your faith and try. I know that the Lord will guide you in the right way and you will know what to do. Even though I only have until May 3rd send me a letter and let me know how it goes. I love you all and I thank you for your support and for your love have a great week and be strong. If you need any help with sharing the gospel with your friends then call the missionaries. They can give you tips and pointers. And if you are not a member than call the missionaries and have them come over and explain all the crazy stuff i talk about every week and why I love it so much. I love you all and have a great week.
love,
ELDER MARR
Monday, March 7, 2011
Weekly Update
So life is good. This will be a short one. We had our last mission conference this past week. It was a great way for my last conference to be like. We only have zone conference every other transfer so these were my last. But O how great they were. I am so lucky to be able to have 3 weeks of all day all mission conference for my final conference. It was wonderful. I will miss these meetings. Zone conferences are my favorite meetings on a mission. Maybe besides the temple. I love the temple. But mission and zone conferences are awesome.
This coming week we have a lot to do. Our area is wonderful but sadly many people have chosen not to meet with us anymore and we have stopped visiting some others. There is a lot of true potential. Just as with my past two areas. This area is a great one and the members are more than willing to do missionary work. We have an exchange 4x times a week for two hours each and this next month we will still have that but one of us will be with a member in their home teaching one of their friends or home teaching families that they have invited over. The member work here is wonderful. The best that I have seen in my mission. They want to share the gospel and love coming out with us. We are just in the process of continually building our area and bringing more and more people closer to the Lord.
It has been a busy week. We have a lot that we are trying to accomplish. Several of our progressing investigators are doing very well. Bro. John Adams is getting very close to baptism. He has been meeting with us for a while and because of medical reasons has not been able to get out to church very often. But his heart is right. He wants to do what the Lord wants him to do. He is a humble man and is easy to love. I love teaching him. He wants to follow Christ in all things. We just hope that his medical issues will be able to be taken care of soon or at least more bearable.
Elder Moreno is a good missionary. I don’t think that I talk about him enough. He is a far better missionary than I was at his age in the mission. He knows how to talk with people and remembers things. He is still learning some things but he wants to do what is right and already is able to handle a lot of responsibility. His trainer taught him well. He is number 7 in a family of 10. As opposed to me not having such a big family. So it has been a transition for him to not be living with a ton of people. He is a people person and likes being around a lot of people. I am the same way. I don’t like doing stuff alone. I never have.
I love you all and i am sorry that this is so short. I love you and have a great week. The gospel is true, and go to the temple. It is the house of the Lord and no matter how many times we have been there before it will bring further happiness into your life. I can barely live without the temple and the spirit that I feel there. I think of it often and quite frequently go through the things that take place there in my mind. The temple is so important. Just as important as the chapel is for the sacrament so is the temple for its ordinances. I love the temple.
love,
ELDER MARR
This coming week we have a lot to do. Our area is wonderful but sadly many people have chosen not to meet with us anymore and we have stopped visiting some others. There is a lot of true potential. Just as with my past two areas. This area is a great one and the members are more than willing to do missionary work. We have an exchange 4x times a week for two hours each and this next month we will still have that but one of us will be with a member in their home teaching one of their friends or home teaching families that they have invited over. The member work here is wonderful. The best that I have seen in my mission. They want to share the gospel and love coming out with us. We are just in the process of continually building our area and bringing more and more people closer to the Lord.
It has been a busy week. We have a lot that we are trying to accomplish. Several of our progressing investigators are doing very well. Bro. John Adams is getting very close to baptism. He has been meeting with us for a while and because of medical reasons has not been able to get out to church very often. But his heart is right. He wants to do what the Lord wants him to do. He is a humble man and is easy to love. I love teaching him. He wants to follow Christ in all things. We just hope that his medical issues will be able to be taken care of soon or at least more bearable.
Elder Moreno is a good missionary. I don’t think that I talk about him enough. He is a far better missionary than I was at his age in the mission. He knows how to talk with people and remembers things. He is still learning some things but he wants to do what is right and already is able to handle a lot of responsibility. His trainer taught him well. He is number 7 in a family of 10. As opposed to me not having such a big family. So it has been a transition for him to not be living with a ton of people. He is a people person and likes being around a lot of people. I am the same way. I don’t like doing stuff alone. I never have.
I love you all and i am sorry that this is so short. I love you and have a great week. The gospel is true, and go to the temple. It is the house of the Lord and no matter how many times we have been there before it will bring further happiness into your life. I can barely live without the temple and the spirit that I feel there. I think of it often and quite frequently go through the things that take place there in my mind. The temple is so important. Just as important as the chapel is for the sacrament so is the temple for its ordinances. I love the temple.
love,
ELDER MARR
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