This week was ZONE CONFERENCE. It was really cool. It was a lot better than last Zone Conference because I was actually feeling good and not sick like last time. President Saylin talked a lot about how well the mission is doing and what we can do better to progress the work farther and faster. His main focus was how we can help invite our investigators to church. That is something that the whole mission is having trouble with. People coming to church. I understand why. It is really hard for people to go to a new place were there are a bunch of people that they don't know. Especially in a church setting. But this past week a family came to church that I have not seen come to church while I have been here in Angleton. They are way cool. There name is the Godson's. I may have mentioned them before but they are a great family. They already have strong testimonies that they know that this is the restored Church of Christ. They love coming to church and they love the people and how they treat them and how it just seems like a family. Anyways back to Zone Conference. It was really great. The only downside was that it was with the Spanish zones and our zone. So I didn't get to see a lot of the missionaries that I am close with. But it was still a lot of fun.
This week we also put together an open house with the other missionaries of our building. We didn't have a ton of people show up but we did have a few. Most of our ward was at the temple so we didn't have very many members invite friends or things of that sort. It was still good though. It was for three hours on Saturday and the other wards got a lot of members to help out. If anything the members really had a good time.
So transfers are coming up in a week. Elder Jensen and I don't have a clue what is going to happen. Either he is staying here for 2 more transfers and then going home or he is leaving this next transfer and going back to Spanish. He loves it here and wants to be here for the rest of his mission. I hope that we are together for at least one more transfer. He is a great missionary and we get along very well. He is hard working and a good friend. Hopefully we will both stay but time will tell. If you send a package send it to the mission home if it is after Thursday.
A good story from this week. Well not good just a little random. On the way to church yesterday we were driving on the freeway and two birds were on the side of the road. So I veered around them a little so i wouldn't hit them if they decided to randomly take off. But they took off and one of them ran into the front windshield of the car while I was going 60 mph. Miraculously the bird was just fine and didn't crack our windshield. It flew away like it has just been bumped. It was pretty random and kinda scary that the bird hit us. That is the second time I have hit a bird in my life. Both of the times on the way to church.
This week we also helped a member rebuild a part of his shed. It was old and you could shake one of the walls so we took it apart and put up a new wall and made a new door. It was pretty fun for service. He also cooked us briskit and ribs for dinner. They were amazing. I love Texas BBQ.
Well that is about it for this week. We had a few great lessons with some of our investigators. One of them, Oscar Oliver, is very learned in the Bible and we read from the Book of Mormon this week and he told us that he doesn't deny at all that it is the word of God. He says that it is just as much a testament as the Bible is. That is pretty cool. For an investigator to really research it and to find the similarities shows that they really want to know if it is true and what God's full gospel is.
I love you all. Have a great week. This week is the last of this transfer and it seems like I just got here. Angleton is awesome. The peoples my favorite part about it. Anyways have a good week.
love,
Elder Devon J. Marr
Monday, May 24, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
RAIN AND HEAT
This week was a good one. It is scorching hot and humid today. The sun just seems to beat on you when you are outside. I have been sweating like crazy. You can feel the heat the second you walk out the door. Luckily earlier this week we had our first real rain. It rained really hard and there was a thunderstorm. Our car almost got stuck in a driveway of an investigator because it is gravel and it got all muddy. The rain just covered everything. Many missionaries this transfer are volunteering to be on bikes the whole transfer but our area is too big. I just can;t imagine what being on a bike would be like in rain like that. We probably got a good few inches in a few hours. It just rains so hard.
There have been many sick missionaries in our mission, including President Saylin. We saw him yesterday and he sounded terrible. Elder Jensen is feeling much better, but he is not feeling nearly as bad as President Saylin. From what it sounds like he has been sick for weeks now. I hope he gets feeling better soon.
So I will give you all a funny story. So we were walking around talking to people and just walking around. There was a man in his car with his windows down so I went over to talk with him in this parking lot. I walked up and bent over and talked with him or a few minutes. Right before our conversation was over I heard something hit the top of the car. I got splattered in the face with whatever it was. I thought it was someone throwing an egg or something. But I look and I see on the top of this mans car bird poop. IT was disgusting. We ran inside the store right by where we were and I washed my face off and got the splatter off of my clothes. I normally do not get mad on my mission but this made me fuming. I got over it and went back to work but it was soooo gross.
There really isn't much to talk about this week. I always hope t hat something cool or random is going to happen but not much different stuff than usual. We had a couple of really great lessons this week. In one of them we watched a church movie called "To this end was I born." It was really good. I hadn't seen it in a long time. It is very powerful and the spirit was strong while watching it. The church has made some very powerful videos and movies in the past 10 years.
Sorry this is always so general. Life is good but there hasn't been anything crazy this week. Besides all the rain everything has gone by pretty normally. I continue to love my mission and teaching the gospel. Elder Jensen is a great companion and friend. He will either be leaving the end of this transfer or he will be staying the next two transfers to end his mission. Part of me hopes he stays because he is a great missionary but part of me wants him to be able to end the rest of his mission in a Spanish area instead of an English one. He loves speaking Spanish and speaks it very well. Part of me wishes that I could have been a Spanish missionary but that is not what the Lord wanted for me.
I have loved my time in Angleton already. It is so much fun and it is a great area. There is of course a part of me that misses my last area and is still in love with it. But Angleton is great. Thanks to all of you for your letters and your support. I love you all and I hope that you have a great week this week.
love,
ELDER MARR
There have been many sick missionaries in our mission, including President Saylin. We saw him yesterday and he sounded terrible. Elder Jensen is feeling much better, but he is not feeling nearly as bad as President Saylin. From what it sounds like he has been sick for weeks now. I hope he gets feeling better soon.
So I will give you all a funny story. So we were walking around talking to people and just walking around. There was a man in his car with his windows down so I went over to talk with him in this parking lot. I walked up and bent over and talked with him or a few minutes. Right before our conversation was over I heard something hit the top of the car. I got splattered in the face with whatever it was. I thought it was someone throwing an egg or something. But I look and I see on the top of this mans car bird poop. IT was disgusting. We ran inside the store right by where we were and I washed my face off and got the splatter off of my clothes. I normally do not get mad on my mission but this made me fuming. I got over it and went back to work but it was soooo gross.
There really isn't much to talk about this week. I always hope t hat something cool or random is going to happen but not much different stuff than usual. We had a couple of really great lessons this week. In one of them we watched a church movie called "To this end was I born." It was really good. I hadn't seen it in a long time. It is very powerful and the spirit was strong while watching it. The church has made some very powerful videos and movies in the past 10 years.
Sorry this is always so general. Life is good but there hasn't been anything crazy this week. Besides all the rain everything has gone by pretty normally. I continue to love my mission and teaching the gospel. Elder Jensen is a great companion and friend. He will either be leaving the end of this transfer or he will be staying the next two transfers to end his mission. Part of me hopes he stays because he is a great missionary but part of me wants him to be able to end the rest of his mission in a Spanish area instead of an English one. He loves speaking Spanish and speaks it very well. Part of me wishes that I could have been a Spanish missionary but that is not what the Lord wanted for me.
I have loved my time in Angleton already. It is so much fun and it is a great area. There is of course a part of me that misses my last area and is still in love with it. But Angleton is great. Thanks to all of you for your letters and your support. I love you all and I hope that you have a great week this week.
love,
ELDER MARR
Monday, May 10, 2010
A WEEK
There is not a whole lot to report besides the phone call that we made yesterday to our families. That was great. I loved hearing from my family and I like to hear that they are doing well. Luckily we can still communicate through letters and stuff so that is great. Happy Mothers Day to all of you mothers who work so hard and are such great people.
This week was slow. Elder Jensen got sick the end of last week and has been battling it for the past week. Sister Saylin told him to stay inside and don't do anything for 3 days. So I luckily got to go out with some other missionaries on exchanges so we could teach a little bit but for the most part I have been in the apartment. I have done a lot of studying this week which has been awesome. The Lord is helping my knowledge of the scriptures and what they really mean a whole lot. Especially this past week. Elder Jensen is feeling much better now and we have been working the past few days like normal.
We had a crawfish boil yesterday at the Mcown's home. It was great. They are such nasty looking little creatures but they taste really good. I love Cajun food. It and BBQ are the best. I am trying to learn how to cook well like the Texans. Hopefully I pick up on some of the styles of their food preparation.
Sorry this email will be short and rather boring. That has been the past week besides yesterday But there have been some cool things that have happened. We went out with the ex-stake president Pres. Martin. He is a great teacher and now he is a sealer in the temple. We had some wonderful lessons with him. He is able to teach with power and has been a great help and fellow shipper for a number of our investigators. He is such a great guy. This week he will be going out with us a few times in the evenings. I love that guy.
Also on Monday we had another Nerf war. It was a lot of fun and we had a blast. Our district and the Lake Jackson district got together and we had fun. I didn't take any pictures this time cuz I left my camera at home.
I am at a loss for what to day. My brain is in a stupor. There just aren't very many stories to tell from this past week.
IT has been hot this week. the temperature has been around the mid 80's. It kills ya when the humidity is high but it isn't that bad. You get used to it pretty fast. I am also happy not to be on a bike for the summer.
Well that is about it. Everything else is pretty boring. Oh there is one story I can share. So we were driving to a member's home in Lake Jackson. We turned off the main road and drove into this neighborhood. The road kind of passes through a park. In the park right next to a tree is a racoon. This is at 3:00pm in the afternoon. It was crazy. At first I thought it was a large cat but it was for sure a racoon. It slowly walked over to the tree then climbed it. We were both shocked about the whole situation. This area isn't even out in the country it is pretty developed. It was funny. Again I didn't have my camera on me so I didn't get a picture.
I love you all and I will make sure this week fun stuff happens. With Elder Jensen feeling better we will be out more and we will be teaching a lot more so this week will be full of things that I can talk about in an email.
love,
Elder Devon J. Marr
This week was slow. Elder Jensen got sick the end of last week and has been battling it for the past week. Sister Saylin told him to stay inside and don't do anything for 3 days. So I luckily got to go out with some other missionaries on exchanges so we could teach a little bit but for the most part I have been in the apartment. I have done a lot of studying this week which has been awesome. The Lord is helping my knowledge of the scriptures and what they really mean a whole lot. Especially this past week. Elder Jensen is feeling much better now and we have been working the past few days like normal.
We had a crawfish boil yesterday at the Mcown's home. It was great. They are such nasty looking little creatures but they taste really good. I love Cajun food. It and BBQ are the best. I am trying to learn how to cook well like the Texans. Hopefully I pick up on some of the styles of their food preparation.
Sorry this email will be short and rather boring. That has been the past week besides yesterday But there have been some cool things that have happened. We went out with the ex-stake president Pres. Martin. He is a great teacher and now he is a sealer in the temple. We had some wonderful lessons with him. He is able to teach with power and has been a great help and fellow shipper for a number of our investigators. He is such a great guy. This week he will be going out with us a few times in the evenings. I love that guy.
Also on Monday we had another Nerf war. It was a lot of fun and we had a blast. Our district and the Lake Jackson district got together and we had fun. I didn't take any pictures this time cuz I left my camera at home.
I am at a loss for what to day. My brain is in a stupor. There just aren't very many stories to tell from this past week.
IT has been hot this week. the temperature has been around the mid 80's. It kills ya when the humidity is high but it isn't that bad. You get used to it pretty fast. I am also happy not to be on a bike for the summer.
Well that is about it. Everything else is pretty boring. Oh there is one story I can share. So we were driving to a member's home in Lake Jackson. We turned off the main road and drove into this neighborhood. The road kind of passes through a park. In the park right next to a tree is a racoon. This is at 3:00pm in the afternoon. It was crazy. At first I thought it was a large cat but it was for sure a racoon. It slowly walked over to the tree then climbed it. We were both shocked about the whole situation. This area isn't even out in the country it is pretty developed. It was funny. Again I didn't have my camera on me so I didn't get a picture.
I love you all and I will make sure this week fun stuff happens. With Elder Jensen feeling better we will be out more and we will be teaching a lot more so this week will be full of things that I can talk about in an email.
love,
Elder Devon J. Marr
Monday, May 3, 2010
An eventful week
This week was full of events and things out of the normal. However, it was a good week. First I will talk about the weather, it has been in the high to low 80's this week. Yesterday with the humidity it was almost unbearably hot outside. But I am lucky to be in a car area for this transfer at least. It is beautiful though. Lots of sun and no clouds. It is hot but I am more used to it than I was last year. I have had time to prepare for it I guess. It is hot though.
So some of the events of this week. I think that I am going to tell some of the events of this week in order so that I can tell them all. Of course this week we had a lot of lessons some of which were very very great. I love the spirit and having the spirit in the lesson powerfully. We had a lesson last night that brought the spirit very strongly into the room and it was a great experience. Apart from the regular stuff, here are the events.
First off in the beginning of this week we had an exchange with the Zone Leaders for a day. I went with Elder Carol in their area. the area they are in is Wharton. An hour away. The drive seems like you travel across a state because there is nothing on either sides of the road the whole way. Just open space. It was a great exchange. Their town is rather small and very country. Their church building is the smallest building I have ever seen. It is ridiculously small. But they don't have very many members in their area so it is just the right size. We had a good time and worked hard. We met alot of people who only spoke Spanish so when we taught them Elder Carol had to carry most of the conversation in teaching because he speaks Spanish. My Spanish has improved but it is not very good. I can understand alot of stuff but I don't know how to speak it at all.
After the exchange on Tuesday we got back into regular missionary life. Except Elder Jensen got sick and that owed everything down this week. Luckily he is feeling much better and has been able to get over whatever he had. As a missionary being sick is 10 times worse than at home. You have alot to do and you want to preach the gospel. On top of that you can't lay there and watch TV or anything you have to just lay there and it gets really boring.
So the next event would be interviews with President Saylin in Alvin about 45 minutes away. That was great and I care for President Saylin very much. He is a great man. It was also my year mark that day. MY YEAR MARK!!!!!!! I cannot believe that I have been out for a year. It feels like I just came out here. It is sooo crazy. It still isn't hitting me yet that I am a year into my mission. AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! A year. Wow. I can't handle thinking about it. It is too crazy.
So back to the events of the week. Next we have Zone meeting. That was on Friday. It was in Bay City an hour away. I got to see some great missionaries I haven't seen in a while and some new missionaries that I have heard about. It was a good meeting and we had a good time. That took up alot of the day. The meeting and the travel.
Next we have Patience Stoddard's baptism. She is someone I taught the whole time while in Friendswood. It was awesome. That was on Saturday. Oh ya it was an hour and 20 minutes away. I loved it sooo much. I was so thankful the whole time that she has made these steps in her life to change and has seen the blessings of the gospel. When I first started teaching them they were kind of happy at times but not filled with joy. Now I see them and they are always happy and their family is sooo strengthened. They have found such peace in the gospel and so much joy in living the gospel. It was a privilege to be able to serve the Lord and be a tool in His hands to help share the gospel with them. I love the Lord so much for all that he has done for these people in Texas and that he has answered my prayers and helped those who had faith in Him. It was soooo awesome. I took several pictures that I will be able to send home soon.
Also church. That takes up alot of time. On Sunday after our services we went to the Brazoria branch. Elder Jensen is the district leader and he wanted to see what is was like. They have a very small branch. They meet in an old store. It is part of a strip mall that the church is renting. There were 20 people. 8 of them adults. There were two Melchizedek priesthood holders besides the missionaries in the sacrament meeting. It was small and it was alot different but the spirit was the same even though it was so small. The Brazoria Elders have alot of challenges and they work so hard and have such great faith. I love to see their example and their hard work.
I love you all and I look forward to being able to call home Mother's Day. Thank you for the support and the prayers and the letters.
love,
Elder Devon J. Marr
So some of the events of this week. I think that I am going to tell some of the events of this week in order so that I can tell them all. Of course this week we had a lot of lessons some of which were very very great. I love the spirit and having the spirit in the lesson powerfully. We had a lesson last night that brought the spirit very strongly into the room and it was a great experience. Apart from the regular stuff, here are the events.
First off in the beginning of this week we had an exchange with the Zone Leaders for a day. I went with Elder Carol in their area. the area they are in is Wharton. An hour away. The drive seems like you travel across a state because there is nothing on either sides of the road the whole way. Just open space. It was a great exchange. Their town is rather small and very country. Their church building is the smallest building I have ever seen. It is ridiculously small. But they don't have very many members in their area so it is just the right size. We had a good time and worked hard. We met alot of people who only spoke Spanish so when we taught them Elder Carol had to carry most of the conversation in teaching because he speaks Spanish. My Spanish has improved but it is not very good. I can understand alot of stuff but I don't know how to speak it at all.
After the exchange on Tuesday we got back into regular missionary life. Except Elder Jensen got sick and that owed everything down this week. Luckily he is feeling much better and has been able to get over whatever he had. As a missionary being sick is 10 times worse than at home. You have alot to do and you want to preach the gospel. On top of that you can't lay there and watch TV or anything you have to just lay there and it gets really boring.
So the next event would be interviews with President Saylin in Alvin about 45 minutes away. That was great and I care for President Saylin very much. He is a great man. It was also my year mark that day. MY YEAR MARK!!!!!!! I cannot believe that I have been out for a year. It feels like I just came out here. It is sooo crazy. It still isn't hitting me yet that I am a year into my mission. AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! A year. Wow. I can't handle thinking about it. It is too crazy.
So back to the events of the week. Next we have Zone meeting. That was on Friday. It was in Bay City an hour away. I got to see some great missionaries I haven't seen in a while and some new missionaries that I have heard about. It was a good meeting and we had a good time. That took up alot of the day. The meeting and the travel.
Next we have Patience Stoddard's baptism. She is someone I taught the whole time while in Friendswood. It was awesome. That was on Saturday. Oh ya it was an hour and 20 minutes away. I loved it sooo much. I was so thankful the whole time that she has made these steps in her life to change and has seen the blessings of the gospel. When I first started teaching them they were kind of happy at times but not filled with joy. Now I see them and they are always happy and their family is sooo strengthened. They have found such peace in the gospel and so much joy in living the gospel. It was a privilege to be able to serve the Lord and be a tool in His hands to help share the gospel with them. I love the Lord so much for all that he has done for these people in Texas and that he has answered my prayers and helped those who had faith in Him. It was soooo awesome. I took several pictures that I will be able to send home soon.
Also church. That takes up alot of time. On Sunday after our services we went to the Brazoria branch. Elder Jensen is the district leader and he wanted to see what is was like. They have a very small branch. They meet in an old store. It is part of a strip mall that the church is renting. There were 20 people. 8 of them adults. There were two Melchizedek priesthood holders besides the missionaries in the sacrament meeting. It was small and it was alot different but the spirit was the same even though it was so small. The Brazoria Elders have alot of challenges and they work so hard and have such great faith. I love to see their example and their hard work.
I love you all and I look forward to being able to call home Mother's Day. Thank you for the support and the prayers and the letters.
love,
Elder Devon J. Marr
Monday, April 26, 2010
My third area
As you know from my last email I have been transfered. To be honest the area I am at is the last place I thought that I would be. I am in an area just south west of Friendswood named Angleton. This area is HUGE and it is very country. Alot more like what I thought Texas was like before my mission is what this place is like. the coolest thing about this area is that Elder Robertson whitewashed this area long ago and was here for 7 1/2 months. When he was with me he had left this area. One of the reasons that I thought this would be the last place I would go. So I knew alot about the area before I even got here. I had already met some of the members and seen many pictures of the area. And I must say that I love this area already a whole lot. We have a car because of how big our area is. Our area covers Angleton, Danbury, Holiday Lakes, and past of Lake Jackson. Most of our investigators are in Lake Jackson near the church. From our apartment to there and back takes a good 30 miles. It is a collection of towns that are very spread apart. I love it though. It is so open and there was one day when we went to dinner that I could look out over the flat land and see for miles and miles and miles of just flat. It is really cool. The sky seems so much bigger because there is nothing in the way.
Going to church on sunday the ward is very different to the Friendswood ward but the people are great. Everyone seems very down to earth and very Texan. We have had serveral things of real BBQ this week already. The food is soooo good. I love it a ton.
My new companion is Elder Jensen. he has been on his mission for 20 months and is a spanish missionary. He is a really hard worker and is on top of everything while still being relaxed about everthing. He is a great teacher and I lvoe teaching with him. Teaching with your companion usually takes a few weeks to get into how to connect with your companion on teaching but we teach very similarly and everything seems to flow well. He is a good man and I look forward to serving with him. rumor has it that I will be taking over the area and staying here for a while. Since Elder Robertson left this area they have only kept missionaries here for 2 transfers at a time. So alot of switching around. But who knows what the Lord has in store.
Apart from all of that info on my new area and new companion this past week has by far been the busiest I have ever had. More stuff going on, transfers, people to see, and more lessons than I have ever taught in one week. I love it. But today it is a little nice to take a deep breath and prepare for this coming week with a hope that things work out as well as they did this week. It feels good when you stay busy and you always have important things to do. This area is just doing amazing. I love it soooo much.
Let's see what should I include in my email. There have been alot of interesting events this past week that I would love to talk about but if I can tell at least once of the stories acuratly then I will be happy. That's terrible english. Anyways, I do want to mention a little about my past Bishop. He is a great man and he is a spiritual giant. I will miss him as a Bishop and a friend. He has helped me alot just by his example and his willingness to do the Lord's work. I don't see a single bad part about him and that is a great example to me of what I want to be. He is a great man and leader and I am so thankful that i was able to be a missionary in sercive of him as Bishop. I don't mean to boast too much about him but he is a good man and I will miss him very much.
Now I will tell you jsut one story from this week.
We had just gotten done with a lesson when Elder Jensen and I were driving back toward Angleton. We are driving and Elder Jensen pulls the car over to the side of the road and pulls out the map. He makes a few calls just incase there is anyone we can see in Lake Jackson before we leave that town. He makes a few calls and gets a hold of a less active member who tells us to come over.
We arive at the the house and notice a group of people gathered at a table in the front lawn. The driveway is covered in American flags and such. We get out of our car and walk up to this member and what turns out to be here neices and nephews and sisters. She then tells us to go get some food. While we are eating we start to talk with those that are there. None of them are members but they are great people who are open to talking with us. As it turns out this party was for one of the neices who had just gotten back from Iraq after her first tour. So we talk some more and get there information to send missionaries over. Then we start to leave seeing how we had already been there for a while. When walking across the yard we hear a firetruck.
This firetruck drives slowly past this house we are at and stops a few houses down. It is followed by about 30 motorcycles than stop right after it. It is in these moments that the member shoves a camera into Elder Jensen's hands and tells him to take pictures. Everyone on the bikes and in the firetruck come out with a speaker and microphone and place it on the table at the party. These are all veterans who are here to welcome home the neice from Iraq. It was pretty cool. They gave her different gifts and such. It was awkward with us there but we couldn't leave because of all the bikes and all the neighbors seemed to come over to this event that everyone was listening to. So we took pictures for them and eventually left. Everything just seemed to come out of nowhere and it was suprising to Elder Jensen and I.
There have been several strange o suprising things that have happened this week and this is just one of them. But this is my favorite to tell. Anyways this has been my week and I am very happy to be here. I love my mission very ,much and this week I hit my year mark. That is so crazy. I feel like I just saw many of you yesturday.
love,
Elder Marr
P.S.
My new adress for letters and packages and such is;
1100 Buchta Rd. # 911
Angleton, TX 77515
Going to church on sunday the ward is very different to the Friendswood ward but the people are great. Everyone seems very down to earth and very Texan. We have had serveral things of real BBQ this week already. The food is soooo good. I love it a ton.
My new companion is Elder Jensen. he has been on his mission for 20 months and is a spanish missionary. He is a really hard worker and is on top of everything while still being relaxed about everthing. He is a great teacher and I lvoe teaching with him. Teaching with your companion usually takes a few weeks to get into how to connect with your companion on teaching but we teach very similarly and everything seems to flow well. He is a good man and I look forward to serving with him. rumor has it that I will be taking over the area and staying here for a while. Since Elder Robertson left this area they have only kept missionaries here for 2 transfers at a time. So alot of switching around. But who knows what the Lord has in store.
Apart from all of that info on my new area and new companion this past week has by far been the busiest I have ever had. More stuff going on, transfers, people to see, and more lessons than I have ever taught in one week. I love it. But today it is a little nice to take a deep breath and prepare for this coming week with a hope that things work out as well as they did this week. It feels good when you stay busy and you always have important things to do. This area is just doing amazing. I love it soooo much.
Let's see what should I include in my email. There have been alot of interesting events this past week that I would love to talk about but if I can tell at least once of the stories acuratly then I will be happy. That's terrible english. Anyways, I do want to mention a little about my past Bishop. He is a great man and he is a spiritual giant. I will miss him as a Bishop and a friend. He has helped me alot just by his example and his willingness to do the Lord's work. I don't see a single bad part about him and that is a great example to me of what I want to be. He is a great man and leader and I am so thankful that i was able to be a missionary in sercive of him as Bishop. I don't mean to boast too much about him but he is a good man and I will miss him very much.
Now I will tell you jsut one story from this week.
We had just gotten done with a lesson when Elder Jensen and I were driving back toward Angleton. We are driving and Elder Jensen pulls the car over to the side of the road and pulls out the map. He makes a few calls just incase there is anyone we can see in Lake Jackson before we leave that town. He makes a few calls and gets a hold of a less active member who tells us to come over.
We arive at the the house and notice a group of people gathered at a table in the front lawn. The driveway is covered in American flags and such. We get out of our car and walk up to this member and what turns out to be here neices and nephews and sisters. She then tells us to go get some food. While we are eating we start to talk with those that are there. None of them are members but they are great people who are open to talking with us. As it turns out this party was for one of the neices who had just gotten back from Iraq after her first tour. So we talk some more and get there information to send missionaries over. Then we start to leave seeing how we had already been there for a while. When walking across the yard we hear a firetruck.
This firetruck drives slowly past this house we are at and stops a few houses down. It is followed by about 30 motorcycles than stop right after it. It is in these moments that the member shoves a camera into Elder Jensen's hands and tells him to take pictures. Everyone on the bikes and in the firetruck come out with a speaker and microphone and place it on the table at the party. These are all veterans who are here to welcome home the neice from Iraq. It was pretty cool. They gave her different gifts and such. It was awkward with us there but we couldn't leave because of all the bikes and all the neighbors seemed to come over to this event that everyone was listening to. So we took pictures for them and eventually left. Everything just seemed to come out of nowhere and it was suprising to Elder Jensen and I.
There have been several strange o suprising things that have happened this week and this is just one of them. But this is my favorite to tell. Anyways this has been my week and I am very happy to be here. I love my mission very ,much and this week I hit my year mark. That is so crazy. I feel like I just saw many of you yesturday.
love,
Elder Marr
P.S.
My new adress for letters and packages and such is;
1100 Buchta Rd. # 911
Angleton, TX 77515
Monday, April 19, 2010
I'm getting transferred
The title says it all. There is a very large part of me that wants to stay here real bad. There are alot of great missionaries, investigators, and members here that I love quite a bit. Especially some great friendships that I have developed. I will miss so many people. I have no idea where I will be and will let you all know the good details when I get to my new area. So this week until you hear otherwise send mail to the mission office because I am leaving. I have a hunch that I will be sent out into the country. I would love that. It would be so great. It is sad that I was only with Elder Johnson for one transfer. He is a great missionary and I will miss him very much.
So that is transfers. I don't want to talk about it more than that. Elder Jones is sitting next to me right now and we were just talking about how we both have almost been out a year. That is crazy!! It truly feels like I have been out for maybe a month but parts of it feel like forever. Also there are some great missionaries leaving. Elder Nielsen my former zone leader. Elder Maw a former zone leader. Elder Garcia my former companion, and Elder Wang who has been in my district for two transfers. Elder Wang talked to us on Friday about some touching stuff.
Elder Wang talked to us about a mission. He hit the head on the nail when he said that our journey out here is not to just be missionaries or ministers or to preach the gospel but to develop ourselves into disciples of Jesus Christ. That means a lot to me. Something in the word disciple is big. It means responsibility but it also means great trust and love from the Savior. When you are on your mission there are many times that you feel about an inch high. Heavenly Father at times reminds you that it is Him that is doing this work and we are just the tools in His hands if we let ourselves be. I love my mission sooooo much. There have already been so many blessings that I have received and I have been able to learn so much in this short year of my mission.
So a little about the past week. It has been in the high 70's and yesterday was the first rain in a LONG time. I was actually very happy that it rained. It hasn't been that bad on bikes. I hope that my next area is in a car though for the summer. That would not be fun.
This week things have been slow. Not bad but slow. Many people busy and just not home. But we have had a good week. We have someone getting baptized in a few weeks and her husband this week agreed to prepare himself to progress int he priesthood.(He is already a deacon) That will be cool. He will be able to baptize her and they will feel the love of the Lord. There have been some great blessings that have been given to those in this area. there have been some trials for some of our investigators as well. ONe names John Kanon is getting a surgery this week on his back. Every time he starts to do something to get closer to the Lord the more things get in his way. It is rough for him but he is holding on just fine. I have learned much while here in Friendswood. Especially in my studies. I will miss this place just like I miss Rosenberg. It feels like I will be leaving part of myself behind here.
I love you all and I wish that this week goes great for everyone. I will be sending home pictures hopefully today so you will be able to see them if they get uploaded.
love,
ELDER DEVON J. MARR
So that is transfers. I don't want to talk about it more than that. Elder Jones is sitting next to me right now and we were just talking about how we both have almost been out a year. That is crazy!! It truly feels like I have been out for maybe a month but parts of it feel like forever. Also there are some great missionaries leaving. Elder Nielsen my former zone leader. Elder Maw a former zone leader. Elder Garcia my former companion, and Elder Wang who has been in my district for two transfers. Elder Wang talked to us on Friday about some touching stuff.
Elder Wang talked to us about a mission. He hit the head on the nail when he said that our journey out here is not to just be missionaries or ministers or to preach the gospel but to develop ourselves into disciples of Jesus Christ. That means a lot to me. Something in the word disciple is big. It means responsibility but it also means great trust and love from the Savior. When you are on your mission there are many times that you feel about an inch high. Heavenly Father at times reminds you that it is Him that is doing this work and we are just the tools in His hands if we let ourselves be. I love my mission sooooo much. There have already been so many blessings that I have received and I have been able to learn so much in this short year of my mission.
So a little about the past week. It has been in the high 70's and yesterday was the first rain in a LONG time. I was actually very happy that it rained. It hasn't been that bad on bikes. I hope that my next area is in a car though for the summer. That would not be fun.
This week things have been slow. Not bad but slow. Many people busy and just not home. But we have had a good week. We have someone getting baptized in a few weeks and her husband this week agreed to prepare himself to progress int he priesthood.(He is already a deacon) That will be cool. He will be able to baptize her and they will feel the love of the Lord. There have been some great blessings that have been given to those in this area. there have been some trials for some of our investigators as well. ONe names John Kanon is getting a surgery this week on his back. Every time he starts to do something to get closer to the Lord the more things get in his way. It is rough for him but he is holding on just fine. I have learned much while here in Friendswood. Especially in my studies. I will miss this place just like I miss Rosenberg. It feels like I will be leaving part of myself behind here.
I love you all and I wish that this week goes great for everyone. I will be sending home pictures hopefully today so you will be able to see them if they get uploaded.
love,
ELDER DEVON J. MARR
Monday, April 12, 2010
This week has had its highs and its lows. But mostly highs. Last week we had great weather and some great dinner appointments. The worldly blessings of this week have been good. Also I took my bike in to get the crank switched out with the other bike I have. I took it into a bike shop because I could not get the pieces of of the first bike. So we went back to pick up my 2nd bike with the parts of the 1st bike on it. When the guy talked to me he told me that he got new spokes, my handlebars were dangerous so he got different handlebars put on it, then he put new brakes on, he also put a few new pieces here and there that were small. I was so worried when he told me all of this. I was dreading not having enough money to pay for someone to put all of these new pieces I would have to pay for on my bike. So he asked me some more questions and asked me if I wanted my 1st bike. All that was left was the frame with nothing on it. It is a piece of junk and I would have thrown it in the garbage anyway so I let him have it. Then I asked how much it would cost for all the stuff he did and what I asked for. He told me not to worry about it, and that it would be on him. He said that the bike frame I would let him have would pay for most of it so it was no big deal. He was a very nice guy and I was soooo lucky to get that deal.
Those are the worldly blessings of this week. Now to the spiritual blessings. This week we had our zone meeting. We talked about how setting goals can help us stretch and to be better. I have never been good at setting goals and they gave alot of good pointers on how to be a better goal setter. So I have been setting some new goals to help me be more organized and to keep track of everything. As well as some other personal goals. There is a section in Preach My Gospel that talks alot about the importance of setting goals in your life and how to accomplish them.
This week has been full of great experiences. One of them was a dinner that we had with the Talley family. They are members and they have a ton of kids. All of their kids but one are out of the house and married. He is the Patriarch of the stake and a great guy. So this week they invited their friends over for dinner with us and them. They have done this many times before and have been fellow shipping this family for many many years. So they come over and they are great people. They are the Prince family and it is a couple and their daughter. We had a good dinner and after dinner shared a short message. When talking about faith we were impressed to start to talk about eternal families and how we can be sealed to our spouses and families forever. Mrs.Prince started crying and told us of how her mother had passed away a few months earlier. It really touched all three of them. The Talley's had invited them to hear from the missionaries many times but this time they excepted. It was a great experience that continues to teach me that there is no way I can teach or know what to do but that the Lord knows everybody and what their interests and needs are.
Another great experience this week was with a family that we have been helping quit smoking. They both have not smoked for over a week now and have been doing great. They have gotten rid of all of their ashtrays and cigarettes. They have been having a rough week but with faith, blessings, and a determination to quite they have found it a lot easier then they thought. She has tried to quite several times before but has never gotten close to making it this long. He has never tried to stop since he started smoking. But he is doing great even if he has to call us during work when he normally would have his smoke break. They are great and I know that God is helping them a whole lot. There is no way they would be doing this well without His help. The days of miracles and blessings and great works are not over. God still exists and he has not changed. Everything is just like it was when man first came about, in God's eyes. We are still His children and we still make mistakes and we still have people that follow Him. It is cool to see how God has not changed. Many people do not see that He is the same. But that is most likely because they don't have modern day revelation, or prophets, or apostles. Like the church of old. We are so blessed to be guided by inspired leaders who receive their inspiration from the Lord. It is a great blessing.
This week was a tiring one. We had to go to seminary for half of the week in the morning. It was brutal. I thought that getting up at 6:30 was tough but I forgot how hard it is to get up that early. It was fun though. We got to talk about missionary work and how they could share the gospel with their friends. Many of the kids know alot more about the gospel then I did at their age. It is amazing to see how many of the youth already have a solid testimony of the gospel and you can see the difference it makes in their lives. The youth of this church are just going to be more and more faithful and strong.
I hate to leave but my time is up. I wish I was a faster typer.(sp?) But I like to update you guys the best I can. I am doing well and I love my mission. It would be so much easier to talk about everything that goes on if I could just talk to you all. But sadly I have to type things out. Anyways. I love you all and you all have a great week.
love,
Elder Devon J. Marr
P.S.
If it is still going on I hope that all of you take the opportunity(that can) to go the the Vancouver, B.C. temple open house or dedication.
Those are the worldly blessings of this week. Now to the spiritual blessings. This week we had our zone meeting. We talked about how setting goals can help us stretch and to be better. I have never been good at setting goals and they gave alot of good pointers on how to be a better goal setter. So I have been setting some new goals to help me be more organized and to keep track of everything. As well as some other personal goals. There is a section in Preach My Gospel that talks alot about the importance of setting goals in your life and how to accomplish them.
This week has been full of great experiences. One of them was a dinner that we had with the Talley family. They are members and they have a ton of kids. All of their kids but one are out of the house and married. He is the Patriarch of the stake and a great guy. So this week they invited their friends over for dinner with us and them. They have done this many times before and have been fellow shipping this family for many many years. So they come over and they are great people. They are the Prince family and it is a couple and their daughter. We had a good dinner and after dinner shared a short message. When talking about faith we were impressed to start to talk about eternal families and how we can be sealed to our spouses and families forever. Mrs.Prince started crying and told us of how her mother had passed away a few months earlier. It really touched all three of them. The Talley's had invited them to hear from the missionaries many times but this time they excepted. It was a great experience that continues to teach me that there is no way I can teach or know what to do but that the Lord knows everybody and what their interests and needs are.
Another great experience this week was with a family that we have been helping quit smoking. They both have not smoked for over a week now and have been doing great. They have gotten rid of all of their ashtrays and cigarettes. They have been having a rough week but with faith, blessings, and a determination to quite they have found it a lot easier then they thought. She has tried to quite several times before but has never gotten close to making it this long. He has never tried to stop since he started smoking. But he is doing great even if he has to call us during work when he normally would have his smoke break. They are great and I know that God is helping them a whole lot. There is no way they would be doing this well without His help. The days of miracles and blessings and great works are not over. God still exists and he has not changed. Everything is just like it was when man first came about, in God's eyes. We are still His children and we still make mistakes and we still have people that follow Him. It is cool to see how God has not changed. Many people do not see that He is the same. But that is most likely because they don't have modern day revelation, or prophets, or apostles. Like the church of old. We are so blessed to be guided by inspired leaders who receive their inspiration from the Lord. It is a great blessing.
This week was a tiring one. We had to go to seminary for half of the week in the morning. It was brutal. I thought that getting up at 6:30 was tough but I forgot how hard it is to get up that early. It was fun though. We got to talk about missionary work and how they could share the gospel with their friends. Many of the kids know alot more about the gospel then I did at their age. It is amazing to see how many of the youth already have a solid testimony of the gospel and you can see the difference it makes in their lives. The youth of this church are just going to be more and more faithful and strong.
I hate to leave but my time is up. I wish I was a faster typer.(sp?) But I like to update you guys the best I can. I am doing well and I love my mission. It would be so much easier to talk about everything that goes on if I could just talk to you all. But sadly I have to type things out. Anyways. I love you all and you all have a great week.
love,
Elder Devon J. Marr
P.S.
If it is still going on I hope that all of you take the opportunity(that can) to go the the Vancouver, B.C. temple open house or dedication.
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