Send stuff to my mission address Iam moving
Happy New Year!!!
Time is flying fast. It feels like I Haven’t been gone that long but it has been 8 months. That is crazy!!!! I really have a hard time realizing how long I have been out. It seems like so short a time but at the same time feels like forever.
I love you all so much and thank you for all of your gifts and letters and cards and everything. It was very thoughtful for all of those things especially the Prayers. So of all the gifts that I feel like I have been given in some way this Christmas my favorite is very special to me. We had our zone conference and Christmas activities this week on Tuesday. It was a lot of fun. Part of it was watching a slide show of people in white about to be baptized. It was Really nice To see it and Here peoples testimonies of the Savior. But at the end there was A picture that I never knew if I would see. It was from Rosenberg and a family of 3 were getting baptized who I had met and taught. It just hit me hard. Of all the things that I am grateful for this season one of them is that these three individuals have been baptized and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. That they made the choices to hear the message and to act on the answers that Heavenly Father has given them. I am so happy for them. Also the family I have mentioned before that he changed and was able to baptize his wife and son. Their family is doing great. There other daughter is getting baptized along with her boyfriend, and Mark’s niece and most likely sister. All of them come to church and have felt the spirit change their lives. It is great news to hear.
The work here is going well as well. There are a lot of people we are teaching and talking to every day. The problem this week was most everyone was out of town and those that were in town were busy. It has also been cold so hardly anyone is outside. Except on Saturday a TON of people were fixing their cars. It was strange. It was wet and cold and we saw about five people fixing their cars all in the same neighborhood. It was strange. But most people have been staying inside.
Our zone conference was a lot of fun and I really had a great time there. I got to see several people who I have been pretty close to. There were also missionaries who were visiting the mission who have been home that I know and it was great to see them at lunch at the conference. It was a lot of fun.
Christmas was awesome. Christmas Eve we went to the Gladwell’s home for dinner and games and such. They put out almost everything that we have every year for our traditions. It was spooky. The food was great though. They are a large family and they are really great. When I send home pictures I will send some of them. We had a fun night and played games then went home. On Christmas we got together as a zone at the church building. We talked and we were going to cook pancakes but half of the building’s power was out. You see there was a storm that came through about 3:40am on Thursday that we actually got a tornado watch for. No tornadoes but the storm woke Elder Robertson and I up. It was really windy and it was a thunderstorm. So we think that the storm might have something to do with the power. Anyways we got together at the church and played different games. We played scrabble and had a lot of fun. I never thought that Scrabble and fun could be in the same sentence but I guess it can be.
Then we bounced around different member’s home’s we visited the Coopers and we saw the Oliver’s and the Horman’s. At the Horman’s we had the opportunity to call home. That was awesome. I was so happy to be able to call home and talk to so many people. Thank you all so much for talking with me and for even wanting to talk with me. It was great. I talked about a lot of stuff on the phone but I do have to say that Kira sounds a lot older and it is weird. Time flies by so fast.
There really isn’t that much that has happened out of the ordinary. We taught people this week and we have been trying to come up with new ways of finding people to teach and talk to. We did hug a drunk guy but that is a story for another time. I love you all so much and I hope that you enjoyed Christmas and you will enjoy New Years.
love
Elder Devon J. Marr
Monday, December 28, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
CHIRSTMAS!!!!!!!!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
I love Christmas time. It is so nice. The people are so happy and the spirit is in more abundance with people. If everyone thought of the Savior as much as they do during this season then the world would be like this all the time. That would be very nice. That is something that I like about the general authorities in trying to tell us to keep the spirit of Christmas year round.
Life has been good. I am in Friendswood for at least another transfer. We will have a car once a week which will help a lot. It is actually a van. Which is kind of funny. But at least it is something. Elder Robertson is still here. The only change in our district is Elder Persian went home. So Elder Schwartsman is our new district leader. He is an amazing missionary and a great man. On Monday we went to Sugar Land to drop Elder Persian off at the mission home. On the way he wanted to go to Buffalo Wild Wings. So we went and four members of our district took the blazing challenge. That is when you eat 12 of the hottest wings in 6 minutes and you get the meal for free and a free tee shirt. They all did it. Elder Persian got 4:23 which was crazy fast.
About the actual missionary work it has been good. An investigator who hasn’t been to church for quite a while has started to come back again and noticed that things weren’t as good without church. He is a great guy. He may not be a member but he already does his home teaching and he does a lot of stuff that a lot of members don’t even do. He is a great guy and friend. One thing I have noticed is that it is so easy to love people. Even if they give you grief. I realized it is a choice not just something that happens. You can choose to love someone and care about them. That’s not to say that it won’t just happen but it is a choice.
This week we saw Santa Claus on a truck. He rides around on a fire truck before Christmas. He goes through the neighborhoods and throws candy to the children. We just saw him. I didn’t get any candy. But it was nice to see him. Do you think he is a member? Hmmm….I wonder….Oh well.
Life has been great. I know that this is very short but for some reason I am really slow at typing this week. I just want to tell all of you that I now that Jesus Christ lives. I know that he has a perfect body of flesh and bone. I know that he was born almost 2009 years ago and that he loves all of us. I know that He loves each of us more than we could love anyone or anything. He wants what is best for us and he is willing to take upon himself the punishment of our sins if we turn to Him and do His will.
Love,
Elder Marr
P.S. I will be calling at 6:00 Washington Time. I will be calling on a member’s phone so if it is a number you don’t know then answer it. We should try to keep it within 45 minutes and I want to talk to Mom first and last. Figure out times for yourselves and what to say if you have anything you need to tell me or ask me. I love you.
I love Christmas time. It is so nice. The people are so happy and the spirit is in more abundance with people. If everyone thought of the Savior as much as they do during this season then the world would be like this all the time. That would be very nice. That is something that I like about the general authorities in trying to tell us to keep the spirit of Christmas year round.
Life has been good. I am in Friendswood for at least another transfer. We will have a car once a week which will help a lot. It is actually a van. Which is kind of funny. But at least it is something. Elder Robertson is still here. The only change in our district is Elder Persian went home. So Elder Schwartsman is our new district leader. He is an amazing missionary and a great man. On Monday we went to Sugar Land to drop Elder Persian off at the mission home. On the way he wanted to go to Buffalo Wild Wings. So we went and four members of our district took the blazing challenge. That is when you eat 12 of the hottest wings in 6 minutes and you get the meal for free and a free tee shirt. They all did it. Elder Persian got 4:23 which was crazy fast.
About the actual missionary work it has been good. An investigator who hasn’t been to church for quite a while has started to come back again and noticed that things weren’t as good without church. He is a great guy. He may not be a member but he already does his home teaching and he does a lot of stuff that a lot of members don’t even do. He is a great guy and friend. One thing I have noticed is that it is so easy to love people. Even if they give you grief. I realized it is a choice not just something that happens. You can choose to love someone and care about them. That’s not to say that it won’t just happen but it is a choice.
This week we saw Santa Claus on a truck. He rides around on a fire truck before Christmas. He goes through the neighborhoods and throws candy to the children. We just saw him. I didn’t get any candy. But it was nice to see him. Do you think he is a member? Hmmm….I wonder….Oh well.
Life has been great. I know that this is very short but for some reason I am really slow at typing this week. I just want to tell all of you that I now that Jesus Christ lives. I know that he has a perfect body of flesh and bone. I know that he was born almost 2009 years ago and that he loves all of us. I know that He loves each of us more than we could love anyone or anything. He wants what is best for us and he is willing to take upon himself the punishment of our sins if we turn to Him and do His will.
Love,
Elder Marr
P.S. I will be calling at 6:00 Washington Time. I will be calling on a member’s phone so if it is a number you don’t know then answer it. We should try to keep it within 45 minutes and I want to talk to Mom first and last. Figure out times for yourselves and what to say if you have anything you need to tell me or ask me. I love you.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Christmas is coming. Elder Marr is getting fat. Please don't send him icecream or candy in a hat. If you don't send candy some pictures will do if you
make sure to send your stuff to
701 Mary Ann Dr.
Friendswood, TX
77546
A family from my last area has had some great blessings. The member in the family, who is the father, stopped going to church when he was 15. He is now in his mid 30’s. He has had a rough life but when the missionaries found him he changed. He gained an early testimony of the gospel and wanted to know and do everything we asked him to do. When he found out that he shouldn’t drink tea he was surprised. He drank, not exaggerating, almost a gallon a day. But when he learned he shouldn’t he stopped. His main hang-up was smoking. Meanwhile we were teaching his family. Mainly his wife and one of the three kids. The wife and son would come to church and listen to what we were teaching when we would come over. This man changed. It was a testimony to me that if you do everything that you are supposed to do than the Lord blesses you. He progressed very fast and his family saw that. It was amazing. So I get a call the other day and his wife and son are getting baptized. Also that the rest of the family and some of the family’s friends are very interested in the gospel. I was also told that the father had been talking with Elder Garcia and Elder Whippy about getting off smoking but that it would take him a long time because he had been smoking since he was I think 16. One day he went to the store to buy tobacco because he making his own cigarettes. So he reaches for it and feels like he shouldn’t buy it. So he doesn’t. He hasn’t smoked for about 3 ½ weeks. Since he is committed to be off them for good he was able to be ordained a priest on Sunday and baptized his wife and son. It is a testimony to me that if we do what the Lord asks us to do and we are obedient that he will bless us. There is no if and or buts about it. Blessings may come a lot further down the road but he always blesses us for the things that we are asked to do.
This week has been going well. We had our ward Christmas party which was a lot of fun. The food was really good as well. There are a lot of great people in this ward and one of the families that we have grown close to is the Olivers. Their son is the one who is home because of medical reasons from his mission and will be going back in February. Also we have been over there for several dinners. Two in the past week as a matter of fact. They are great. Last week on Monday we rode our bikes over to their house to watch “The Testaments” and to eat dinner. They are all so nice and so friendly.
We have a couple that we are teaching that I just love. They are so fun yet reverent for the lessons. They are a great family and so easy to get along with. Sometimes people are too gloomy or not happy but they are always happy and friendly. I have realized on my mission that doing good things brings happiness and choosing to be happy makes you happy.
So this email is pretty lame I know but I have to send something. For my call home… as of right now we don’t know a specific time but I will be sending that in my next email. Plan on 3 or 5 your time. (If in Washington). I am so excited for Christmas. Try not to cry.
Love,
Elder Devon Joel Marr
701 Mary Ann Dr.
Friendswood, TX
77546
A family from my last area has had some great blessings. The member in the family, who is the father, stopped going to church when he was 15. He is now in his mid 30’s. He has had a rough life but when the missionaries found him he changed. He gained an early testimony of the gospel and wanted to know and do everything we asked him to do. When he found out that he shouldn’t drink tea he was surprised. He drank, not exaggerating, almost a gallon a day. But when he learned he shouldn’t he stopped. His main hang-up was smoking. Meanwhile we were teaching his family. Mainly his wife and one of the three kids. The wife and son would come to church and listen to what we were teaching when we would come over. This man changed. It was a testimony to me that if you do everything that you are supposed to do than the Lord blesses you. He progressed very fast and his family saw that. It was amazing. So I get a call the other day and his wife and son are getting baptized. Also that the rest of the family and some of the family’s friends are very interested in the gospel. I was also told that the father had been talking with Elder Garcia and Elder Whippy about getting off smoking but that it would take him a long time because he had been smoking since he was I think 16. One day he went to the store to buy tobacco because he making his own cigarettes. So he reaches for it and feels like he shouldn’t buy it. So he doesn’t. He hasn’t smoked for about 3 ½ weeks. Since he is committed to be off them for good he was able to be ordained a priest on Sunday and baptized his wife and son. It is a testimony to me that if we do what the Lord asks us to do and we are obedient that he will bless us. There is no if and or buts about it. Blessings may come a lot further down the road but he always blesses us for the things that we are asked to do.
This week has been going well. We had our ward Christmas party which was a lot of fun. The food was really good as well. There are a lot of great people in this ward and one of the families that we have grown close to is the Olivers. Their son is the one who is home because of medical reasons from his mission and will be going back in February. Also we have been over there for several dinners. Two in the past week as a matter of fact. They are great. Last week on Monday we rode our bikes over to their house to watch “The Testaments” and to eat dinner. They are all so nice and so friendly.
We have a couple that we are teaching that I just love. They are so fun yet reverent for the lessons. They are a great family and so easy to get along with. Sometimes people are too gloomy or not happy but they are always happy and friendly. I have realized on my mission that doing good things brings happiness and choosing to be happy makes you happy.
So this email is pretty lame I know but I have to send something. For my call home… as of right now we don’t know a specific time but I will be sending that in my next email. Plan on 3 or 5 your time. (If in Washington). I am so excited for Christmas. Try not to cry.
Love,
Elder Devon Joel Marr
Monday, December 7, 2009
SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s right boys and girls snow! It snowed on Friday in the morning and afternoon. In the morning it stuck on the ground and covered it with a small layer. Then in the afternoon it snowed very hard but didn’t stick much. The snowflakes were very large and it was very cold. I took plenty of pictures so you can all see the snow. I will send them home soon. It was the earliest snowfall in Houston in recorded history. Thanks “global warming”.
So this week was all right. It rained allot and many people were busy or out of town. It was slower but it was good. One of our investigators is showing a lot of interest in the church and is willing to try it out. She came to mutual on Wednesday and liked it. It was one of the first times that a younger person has done something they said they would do. It built my faith. Not to say that younger people are flakey or anything but people get busy and usually religion gets put on the back burner. Her parents are not that interested in the church and are very catholic. But the spirit can touch anyone. There is a member in our ward who wad married a member for I believe 20 years and he said that he would never join the church and Catholics were right. He was like this for a long time and would run away from the missionaries. Then a few years ago the spirit touched his heart and he joined the church and loves having the Holy Ghost and the blessings of the gospel. His wife told us that she did not want to pressure him and he should join because the Lord told him it was right not that she told him. It is true that anyone can change because of the Holy Ghost and the change it can bring to your heart.
So last Monday we had a nerf war in the gym of the Alvin church. Our whole zone showed up and it was a blast. Some of the missionaries borrowed Nerf guns from members that had been modified and they dominated. It was fun.
SO this week I got my haircut. Elder Robertson cut it for me and I like it more than when I go to cheap hair salons. It is shorter than it has ever been but I like it. My hair got pretty long for being a missionary. But I got it cut so it is good now. Elder Robertson cut his hair as well. On a completely different note the Oliver family in our ward has a son that just got sent home from his mission on medical leave for 2 months. He is a really nice kid. His name is Rhett Oliver and he has been driving us around lately. He is taking us to lunch today actually which will be awesome. There are some nice restaurants around here. A lot more Italian than in Rosenberg. Anyways He is very nice and has put my mission in a different perspective. I would never want to go home from my mission early! He doesn’t like it and he can’t do much except watch TV. If I got sent home for a time on medical leave I would read as many books to find answers for people as I could. Like parts of the “journal of discourses” or “Mormon Doctrine” or “Day of defense”(I think)
They are literature I can’t read that I will when I get home. He is helping us a lot and I am glad that he is willing to still be as much a missionary as he can be.
I really loved the devotional last night. If you missed it they should play it again sometime on BYUTV or have it on lds.org. I loved it. President Uchdorf’s talk was my favorite but they were all great. The music was great as well like always.
I love you all and I am sorry that this email is so much shorter than usual. There was not much that has happened this week. But next week will be a lot more busy and we will be having our ward Christmas party this Saturday. I am really looking forward to that.
Love,
Elder Devon Joel Marr
So this week was all right. It rained allot and many people were busy or out of town. It was slower but it was good. One of our investigators is showing a lot of interest in the church and is willing to try it out. She came to mutual on Wednesday and liked it. It was one of the first times that a younger person has done something they said they would do. It built my faith. Not to say that younger people are flakey or anything but people get busy and usually religion gets put on the back burner. Her parents are not that interested in the church and are very catholic. But the spirit can touch anyone. There is a member in our ward who wad married a member for I believe 20 years and he said that he would never join the church and Catholics were right. He was like this for a long time and would run away from the missionaries. Then a few years ago the spirit touched his heart and he joined the church and loves having the Holy Ghost and the blessings of the gospel. His wife told us that she did not want to pressure him and he should join because the Lord told him it was right not that she told him. It is true that anyone can change because of the Holy Ghost and the change it can bring to your heart.
So last Monday we had a nerf war in the gym of the Alvin church. Our whole zone showed up and it was a blast. Some of the missionaries borrowed Nerf guns from members that had been modified and they dominated. It was fun.
SO this week I got my haircut. Elder Robertson cut it for me and I like it more than when I go to cheap hair salons. It is shorter than it has ever been but I like it. My hair got pretty long for being a missionary. But I got it cut so it is good now. Elder Robertson cut his hair as well. On a completely different note the Oliver family in our ward has a son that just got sent home from his mission on medical leave for 2 months. He is a really nice kid. His name is Rhett Oliver and he has been driving us around lately. He is taking us to lunch today actually which will be awesome. There are some nice restaurants around here. A lot more Italian than in Rosenberg. Anyways He is very nice and has put my mission in a different perspective. I would never want to go home from my mission early! He doesn’t like it and he can’t do much except watch TV. If I got sent home for a time on medical leave I would read as many books to find answers for people as I could. Like parts of the “journal of discourses” or “Mormon Doctrine” or “Day of defense”(I think)
They are literature I can’t read that I will when I get home. He is helping us a lot and I am glad that he is willing to still be as much a missionary as he can be.
I really loved the devotional last night. If you missed it they should play it again sometime on BYUTV or have it on lds.org. I loved it. President Uchdorf’s talk was my favorite but they were all great. The music was great as well like always.
I love you all and I am sorry that this email is so much shorter than usual. There was not much that has happened this week. But next week will be a lot more busy and we will be having our ward Christmas party this Saturday. I am really looking forward to that.
Love,
Elder Devon Joel Marr
Monday, November 30, 2009
A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF ELDER MARR
This week was a little different. I had a great Thanksgiving but I missed home. We had two dinners. One with the Livasay’s who are a great family who cooked a kajin (sp?) style dinner. Our second dinner was at the Bakers and it was more traditional. Both were great and Bro. Livasay is going to send an email with pictures to you guys next week. He would this week but he is out of town. I hope that all of you had a great Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite holidays. It did make me miss home though. Everyone know that I love you and I ma very thankful for all that you have done for me and for the prayers and love you have shown me or just for reading some of my emails.
This week hasn’t had too many huge developments. We had interviews this week which were great. I love talking with President Saylin and counseling with him on how I can be better and how our area can do better. We will most likely be moving in a few weeks to a more northern part of our area. Our area is very spread out and the place we are now is not the best location for the work. It still gets done though.
We are teaching a new family and they are great. They are a family of three and they are extremely nice people. The parents are willing to listen to our beliefs but they put up the wall of being Catholic. But their daughter is very intrigued. We talked about how you can know for yourself if something is true if you ask and seek the answer with a sincere heart. She feels like she can seek and know the truth for herself. I hope that the parents have softened hearts to just experiment upon what we teach and to pray to know if it is true. They are very nice people and I pray for them to except the gospel because I know that it will bless them forever.
I really don’t have that much to update this week. Many things have happened but nothing huge. We have gone through a lot of different things this week. The Lord has been testing our faith and how dedicated we really are. It has been tough but I know that the Lord has made promises with us and that this area will see miracles and great blessings. Elder Robertson and I talked about how we can do better. We are looking at things a different way and are really trying to sacrifice anything we can think of to be better. Obedience brings blessings. That is the truth. We have been obedient. But also working smart is an important thing to do. We have been trying to work smarter and it has been tough to come up with different ways to do things but we are coming up with some great ideas with the Lord’s help.
I love my mission with all of my heart. I am also so grateful for all of the letters and packages that I have received lately. I will try to write you but this P-day is really busy. We have to go to Alvin and also to the bike store because my bike broke but that is another story. Well I guess I’ll tell it.
One day my bike was acting strange but it was doing ok. Then we are riding one day and I’m not going off jumps or doing anything crazy and Elder Robertson yells to me on the street. Several parts from my bike just fell off. Some of the screws and bolts fell off and it left my bike unusable. Luckily Elder Maw one of the zone leaders has a car so they were able to get his bike to me and I am borrowing it until my bike is fixed. We are going to the shop today so that should be good. On Elder Maw’s bike two days ago I crashed. Luckily I didn’t damage his bike at all. We were on a paved path kind of like a sidewalk and we were going along and I went off the path for a split second on accident. So I corrected and tried to get back on the path. There was a lip in the path that my tire caught on. The next thing I know I am flying through the air and hit the ground filling my shirt pocket with dirt. I laid there for a moment laughing. Elder Robertson just about died of laughter. About 2 seconds before my crash Elder Robertson called me a nimrod. Then I crash. He was laughing so hard. We both did. Luckily no blood or bad wounds but that is the story of my first mission bike crash.
One of the coolest bike accidents that I have heard of is one by Elder Adams. He was biking along and gets hit by a car. The car drives off and he is on the ground. At this time his companion is talking to someone on the street. So his companion and the man on the street see this and Elder Adams gets up and starts talking to the man on the street about the gospel. He is a dedicated missionary. He was actually an atheist before his mission and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. Then the missionaries met with him and a year later he is on a mission. He is one of the best in my opinion.
Well I got to go but you all have a great week and enjoy this holiday season. I love you all and I hope that you have a great week.
Love,
Elder Devon Joel Marr
This week hasn’t had too many huge developments. We had interviews this week which were great. I love talking with President Saylin and counseling with him on how I can be better and how our area can do better. We will most likely be moving in a few weeks to a more northern part of our area. Our area is very spread out and the place we are now is not the best location for the work. It still gets done though.
We are teaching a new family and they are great. They are a family of three and they are extremely nice people. The parents are willing to listen to our beliefs but they put up the wall of being Catholic. But their daughter is very intrigued. We talked about how you can know for yourself if something is true if you ask and seek the answer with a sincere heart. She feels like she can seek and know the truth for herself. I hope that the parents have softened hearts to just experiment upon what we teach and to pray to know if it is true. They are very nice people and I pray for them to except the gospel because I know that it will bless them forever.
I really don’t have that much to update this week. Many things have happened but nothing huge. We have gone through a lot of different things this week. The Lord has been testing our faith and how dedicated we really are. It has been tough but I know that the Lord has made promises with us and that this area will see miracles and great blessings. Elder Robertson and I talked about how we can do better. We are looking at things a different way and are really trying to sacrifice anything we can think of to be better. Obedience brings blessings. That is the truth. We have been obedient. But also working smart is an important thing to do. We have been trying to work smarter and it has been tough to come up with different ways to do things but we are coming up with some great ideas with the Lord’s help.
I love my mission with all of my heart. I am also so grateful for all of the letters and packages that I have received lately. I will try to write you but this P-day is really busy. We have to go to Alvin and also to the bike store because my bike broke but that is another story. Well I guess I’ll tell it.
One day my bike was acting strange but it was doing ok. Then we are riding one day and I’m not going off jumps or doing anything crazy and Elder Robertson yells to me on the street. Several parts from my bike just fell off. Some of the screws and bolts fell off and it left my bike unusable. Luckily Elder Maw one of the zone leaders has a car so they were able to get his bike to me and I am borrowing it until my bike is fixed. We are going to the shop today so that should be good. On Elder Maw’s bike two days ago I crashed. Luckily I didn’t damage his bike at all. We were on a paved path kind of like a sidewalk and we were going along and I went off the path for a split second on accident. So I corrected and tried to get back on the path. There was a lip in the path that my tire caught on. The next thing I know I am flying through the air and hit the ground filling my shirt pocket with dirt. I laid there for a moment laughing. Elder Robertson just about died of laughter. About 2 seconds before my crash Elder Robertson called me a nimrod. Then I crash. He was laughing so hard. We both did. Luckily no blood or bad wounds but that is the story of my first mission bike crash.
One of the coolest bike accidents that I have heard of is one by Elder Adams. He was biking along and gets hit by a car. The car drives off and he is on the ground. At this time his companion is talking to someone on the street. So his companion and the man on the street see this and Elder Adams gets up and starts talking to the man on the street about the gospel. He is a dedicated missionary. He was actually an atheist before his mission and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. Then the missionaries met with him and a year later he is on a mission. He is one of the best in my opinion.
Well I got to go but you all have a great week and enjoy this holiday season. I love you all and I hope that you have a great week.
Love,
Elder Devon Joel Marr
Monday, November 23, 2009
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!
I am so excited for the best tasting holiday of the year. I will miss having Thanksgiving away from home. It is one of the best holidays of the year. We are having two dinners too so it will be an adventure. I love food. Just as an update I have gained about 20 pounds on my mission if I haven’t said that yet. Not all of it is fat though but I am sure you don’t want to hear about all this.
The work is going well. We talk to a lot of people every day on the street. President Saylin really wants every companionship to talk to 20 new people every day when at all possible. It has been different but I love it. We have been challenged to do different things and it makes you look at the work in a different way. I like it.
We went on exchanges twice this week with our district leader and zone leaders. I went with Elder Kropp on Tuesday. His bike kept having problems and the brakes kept coming loose or something. We also mapped out new developments that he didn’t have on his map. It was really good. We had fun and we talked to some really great people. On Saturday Elder Maw came down here and we had a blast. We taught a lot of people about the gospel and had some really great interactions with people. A lot of new investigators have come out of that day. It is interesting to see how the Lord can bless you. No matter how good of a teacher you are or how profound you sound the spirit is what does the converting. The spirit can soften the hearts of others and help with the work more than anything else can. Elder Maw is not the best speaker and can even be awkward at times but he is humble and knows that it is not him who converts people but the spirit. He just has to listen and love the people he talks to. I love missionaries like that.
This week was good. Thank you everyone who sent me letters and packages. I love them a lot and it was needed. I was foolish this month and didn’t watch my funds. But the packages I got will more than keep me fed until my funds are replenished. I will try to send out more letters today. I don’t know what to send home from Christmas but I will try to send something. At least pictures.
So this week we had Zone Conference. It was really good but long as always. Richmond zone wasn’t there so I only got to see a few missionaries that I know. Luckily Elder Sharp was there. He was Elder Voek’s companion after me. He is way cool and we were able to talk. Our mission absorbed part of a stake and the areas in it so he is out there. Pasadena and stuff. I think…. Anyways it was really spiritual and really uplifting. One missionary bore his testimony and told us that his father had passed away that week. He knew that his family would be all right and that his father would want him to stay out here. He was sad but he knew that because his father was a good man and that they had been sealed in the temple that he would see him again and it would only be a short amount of time before he saw him again. In the grand scheme of things. It was a powerful testimony. It lets you realize how important the gospel is and the peace it brings to the heart. He is a strong missionary.
On a different note church was very different this week. There was a scouting event that went through Sunday. Also the Bishop and his family were out of town. So there were only about 100 people at church. Brother Livasay (High Priest group leader) presided and President Stanton (Elder’s quorum president) conducted. It was different but I liked it. The members of the church here are very friendly and love each other a lot. The Bishop is a great man and knows that the spirit is what will progress this work more than anything else and he knows that missionary work will only enhance the members spirituality.
I love this area and I love this mission. It rained this week and we got pretty wet. I am not used to rain and this colder weather. I am going to freeze when I get home. Your body just gets used to it I guess. I love you all and I am glad to hear from some of you. I hope that everything goes well and remember that the Lord loves you and if he is putting you through a trial then it is for a reason.
Love,
Elder Devon J. Marr
P.S. Happy Turkey Day
The work is going well. We talk to a lot of people every day on the street. President Saylin really wants every companionship to talk to 20 new people every day when at all possible. It has been different but I love it. We have been challenged to do different things and it makes you look at the work in a different way. I like it.
We went on exchanges twice this week with our district leader and zone leaders. I went with Elder Kropp on Tuesday. His bike kept having problems and the brakes kept coming loose or something. We also mapped out new developments that he didn’t have on his map. It was really good. We had fun and we talked to some really great people. On Saturday Elder Maw came down here and we had a blast. We taught a lot of people about the gospel and had some really great interactions with people. A lot of new investigators have come out of that day. It is interesting to see how the Lord can bless you. No matter how good of a teacher you are or how profound you sound the spirit is what does the converting. The spirit can soften the hearts of others and help with the work more than anything else can. Elder Maw is not the best speaker and can even be awkward at times but he is humble and knows that it is not him who converts people but the spirit. He just has to listen and love the people he talks to. I love missionaries like that.
This week was good. Thank you everyone who sent me letters and packages. I love them a lot and it was needed. I was foolish this month and didn’t watch my funds. But the packages I got will more than keep me fed until my funds are replenished. I will try to send out more letters today. I don’t know what to send home from Christmas but I will try to send something. At least pictures.
So this week we had Zone Conference. It was really good but long as always. Richmond zone wasn’t there so I only got to see a few missionaries that I know. Luckily Elder Sharp was there. He was Elder Voek’s companion after me. He is way cool and we were able to talk. Our mission absorbed part of a stake and the areas in it so he is out there. Pasadena and stuff. I think…. Anyways it was really spiritual and really uplifting. One missionary bore his testimony and told us that his father had passed away that week. He knew that his family would be all right and that his father would want him to stay out here. He was sad but he knew that because his father was a good man and that they had been sealed in the temple that he would see him again and it would only be a short amount of time before he saw him again. In the grand scheme of things. It was a powerful testimony. It lets you realize how important the gospel is and the peace it brings to the heart. He is a strong missionary.
On a different note church was very different this week. There was a scouting event that went through Sunday. Also the Bishop and his family were out of town. So there were only about 100 people at church. Brother Livasay (High Priest group leader) presided and President Stanton (Elder’s quorum president) conducted. It was different but I liked it. The members of the church here are very friendly and love each other a lot. The Bishop is a great man and knows that the spirit is what will progress this work more than anything else and he knows that missionary work will only enhance the members spirituality.
I love this area and I love this mission. It rained this week and we got pretty wet. I am not used to rain and this colder weather. I am going to freeze when I get home. Your body just gets used to it I guess. I love you all and I am glad to hear from some of you. I hope that everything goes well and remember that the Lord loves you and if he is putting you through a trial then it is for a reason.
Love,
Elder Devon J. Marr
P.S. Happy Turkey Day
Monday, November 16, 2009
"I want to ride my bicycle. I want to ride my bike"
A long week. A good week. I will try to go in order of things that have happened this week.
First we went to the park on P-day last week. It was alot of fun. We also played Monopoly and I lost first both times. I am not that good.
Random story. Elder Robertson and I were riding our bikes near an elementary school that we live by. We saw some birds in the distance on the ground that looked pretty big. As we got closer we saw that it was about 10 vultures. We got up to about 5 feet away from them and all they did was look at us. They were eating something but it was strange that we could get that close to them without them flying away or something. They were pretty gross. I am not a huge fan of a lot of birds.
So we had lunch with the Bishop on Wednesday. He is a great Bishop. He is very focused and has a great family. He is a testimony to me that if you follow the council of the general authorities you will be blessed. He is a nice man. If he was younger I would be his friend for sure. I say that about a lot of people though. I have realized out here that the world has a lot of good people in it. Him and his family are some of those people.
Funny story: I love popcorn. So I bought a box of 24 bags on Monday. I popped a bag and Elder Robertson and I had a race to see who could eat 8 pieces of popcorn the fastest without using their hands. It was pretty fun. HE recorded it on his camera and it looks ridiculous. I lost by about a fifth of a second.
We had our zone meeting this week and I was able to see some Elders that had become my friends from serving around them before. It was a good meeting and I was really happy to see them again. There are a lot of obedient but cool and fun missionaries in our mission. IT is very hard working. I believe that that is something that President Allred definitely did for his mission. Hard workers. I trust all of these missionaries to do a great job.
Elder Robertson and I were riding our bikes to visit some members when we started talking to a guy on the street. He was a nice guy but liked his church and didn’t want to change. He said that his last name was Rigdon. And that he was an ancestor of Sidney Rigdon. (If you don’t know who this is ask a member of the church) So that was pretty cool. We talked to a lot of people on the street. Many people here do not want to change or even listen to our message. But I know that we have people in our area that are prepared by the Lord to ask Him questions and that truly want to know the truth.
Stake conference was this week and it was a good one. The Friendswood stake has a great stake president. Also the Temple President spoke at the adult session on Saturday night. He was hilarious. He made some really funny Utah jokes. He was quicker witted and naturally funny than stand up funny. But he talked about genealogy a lot. When I get home I really want to look into it. Especially using the new web site. We also had our investigator fireside this past Sunday. One of our recent converts and a few others gave their testimonies of the gospel. One of them received a witness that the church was true. This was when he was 25. He didn’t feel like he should be baptized because his wife was EXTREMELY against it. So he called the stake president and talked with him about it. He was told that at some future point that he would be baptized but that he should focus on his family for that time. HE said that the hardest thing he ever had to do was to wait. He waited for I believe 26 years. He was alone with his wife then and had several children and grandchildren. His wife got sick and had to spend some time in another state. The spirit told him that this was the time for him to be baptized. He went to Salt Lake city for a week and was baptized and confirmed by the missionaries who taught him 26 years prior. He then went back and told his wife. She attacked him on it and was mad at him for a while. He said that for a year it was the hardest time of his life. She would do things to keep him from church and such. Then one day she walked in front of him with a few backs packed and said; ”You have to choose. Me or the church.” He says that it was the hardest decision he has ever made. He loves his wife with all of his heart. But he said; “I cannot deny what I know to be true. God told me that this is true and he knows that I know. I cannot deny what I know to be true.” So she left. HE was then called on a mission in Salt Lake and received his endowment there. His wife 2 years later talked to him and was very ill. He came and talked with her for a while. She told him that after she had passed away that they could be sealed together in the temple. Two days later she passed away. A year goes by. He performs the ordinance in the Salt Lake temple. At this time his children and grandchildren hate him because they blame him for the separation. But in this time one of his grandchildren is living with him. The day that he preformed that ordinance he baptized his grandson that afternoon. He made sure that we knew that he knew the gospel was true and no matter what happens that we need to stand strong and the Lord will bless us. He also told us that even if something very huge is asked of us that we should do it. Even Abraham was told to do something huge and he was willing to do it. We all have things that we must do and they are always hard. But you will receive blessings for doing what is right.
Love,
Elder Devon J. Marr
First we went to the park on P-day last week. It was alot of fun. We also played Monopoly and I lost first both times. I am not that good.
Random story. Elder Robertson and I were riding our bikes near an elementary school that we live by. We saw some birds in the distance on the ground that looked pretty big. As we got closer we saw that it was about 10 vultures. We got up to about 5 feet away from them and all they did was look at us. They were eating something but it was strange that we could get that close to them without them flying away or something. They were pretty gross. I am not a huge fan of a lot of birds.
So we had lunch with the Bishop on Wednesday. He is a great Bishop. He is very focused and has a great family. He is a testimony to me that if you follow the council of the general authorities you will be blessed. He is a nice man. If he was younger I would be his friend for sure. I say that about a lot of people though. I have realized out here that the world has a lot of good people in it. Him and his family are some of those people.
Funny story: I love popcorn. So I bought a box of 24 bags on Monday. I popped a bag and Elder Robertson and I had a race to see who could eat 8 pieces of popcorn the fastest without using their hands. It was pretty fun. HE recorded it on his camera and it looks ridiculous. I lost by about a fifth of a second.
We had our zone meeting this week and I was able to see some Elders that had become my friends from serving around them before. It was a good meeting and I was really happy to see them again. There are a lot of obedient but cool and fun missionaries in our mission. IT is very hard working. I believe that that is something that President Allred definitely did for his mission. Hard workers. I trust all of these missionaries to do a great job.
Elder Robertson and I were riding our bikes to visit some members when we started talking to a guy on the street. He was a nice guy but liked his church and didn’t want to change. He said that his last name was Rigdon. And that he was an ancestor of Sidney Rigdon. (If you don’t know who this is ask a member of the church) So that was pretty cool. We talked to a lot of people on the street. Many people here do not want to change or even listen to our message. But I know that we have people in our area that are prepared by the Lord to ask Him questions and that truly want to know the truth.
Stake conference was this week and it was a good one. The Friendswood stake has a great stake president. Also the Temple President spoke at the adult session on Saturday night. He was hilarious. He made some really funny Utah jokes. He was quicker witted and naturally funny than stand up funny. But he talked about genealogy a lot. When I get home I really want to look into it. Especially using the new web site. We also had our investigator fireside this past Sunday. One of our recent converts and a few others gave their testimonies of the gospel. One of them received a witness that the church was true. This was when he was 25. He didn’t feel like he should be baptized because his wife was EXTREMELY against it. So he called the stake president and talked with him about it. He was told that at some future point that he would be baptized but that he should focus on his family for that time. HE said that the hardest thing he ever had to do was to wait. He waited for I believe 26 years. He was alone with his wife then and had several children and grandchildren. His wife got sick and had to spend some time in another state. The spirit told him that this was the time for him to be baptized. He went to Salt Lake city for a week and was baptized and confirmed by the missionaries who taught him 26 years prior. He then went back and told his wife. She attacked him on it and was mad at him for a while. He said that for a year it was the hardest time of his life. She would do things to keep him from church and such. Then one day she walked in front of him with a few backs packed and said; ”You have to choose. Me or the church.” He says that it was the hardest decision he has ever made. He loves his wife with all of his heart. But he said; “I cannot deny what I know to be true. God told me that this is true and he knows that I know. I cannot deny what I know to be true.” So she left. HE was then called on a mission in Salt Lake and received his endowment there. His wife 2 years later talked to him and was very ill. He came and talked with her for a while. She told him that after she had passed away that they could be sealed together in the temple. Two days later she passed away. A year goes by. He performs the ordinance in the Salt Lake temple. At this time his children and grandchildren hate him because they blame him for the separation. But in this time one of his grandchildren is living with him. The day that he preformed that ordinance he baptized his grandson that afternoon. He made sure that we knew that he knew the gospel was true and no matter what happens that we need to stand strong and the Lord will bless us. He also told us that even if something very huge is asked of us that we should do it. Even Abraham was told to do something huge and he was willing to do it. We all have things that we must do and they are always hard. But you will receive blessings for doing what is right.
Love,
Elder Devon J. Marr
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
