11/12/12 - Week 2 in the Mission Field

Wow!  Yet another hard week - especially on those bikes!  Our area is so long and we are at one end and bike to the other several times a day - which is a 14 mile round trip, with hills!  By the end of the week our longest day was 38 miles.  Talk about sore legs!  But it is crazy how the lord blesses us through these trials.  We were able to meet 4 new investigators by contacting them on the street; and a lot more potential ones.  

One thing that I am learning is to open your mouth - no matter who it is.  Sometimes we judge people by their appearance and that is what Satan wants.  We talked to a guy who was about to go and smoke some pot and actually he said he feels really bad about it.  We taught him the restoration and gave him a BoM.  He said when he saw us he knew what he was doing was wrong. I feel I am defiantly going to be able to help him; and I am so excited for another lesson with him later this week.  He just had his appendix out and I feel like I am going to be able to relate very well with him!  He quit going to college so he could work and help his mother pay their mortgage.  Sometimes we judge others for their sins, but in reality we all sin - just in different ways. The gospel can help everyone and we all need to invite them to hear it. We may not know their struggles but god does -and he is the great physician who can help us all.

We just set our first investigator for a baptism date and I am so excited for him. What a turnaround! He kind of reminds me of Luke, just not as extreme. Sharing Luke’s story was one of the deciding factors to get him to commit.

Church was so great!  The gospel doctrine teacher told us that we broke the record for the most people in her class we had a lot of less actives come back to church and that makes me so happy.  We have some investigators and families who are really progressing well especially the Jensen's.  Their family is where I hope Christian Beal’s family gets to down the road.  It is a very similar story.  They are so cool and solid!  Nothing can take that family apart - because they are coming so close through Christ.  Elder Ostberg are working our tails off and it is sure paying off!  This ward is making a huge flip because of the recent missionary work.  They haven't had any baptisms in years! And if we keep working I can tell the lord will help our investigators to progress.

Now that my companion and I have figured each other out, the lessons are flowing really smoothly and the Holy Ghost’s presence is ridiculously strong.  It’s weird to think I have been on my mission for a month already.  Its flying by way too fast because we are busy all day!  Even if our lessons fall through and their backups and their backup’s backups fall through, we have been very effective with our time and have been doing really well. I am really bummed and excited I have exchanges with the zone leaders this Friday.  I am going to have to miss out on rebuilding an engine with him.  He is a bus mechanic.  The lord always provides, though.  I am learning that obedience, even to what seems like stupid rules, is blessing me and my companion and our investigators so much!

I want everyone to know that I love them; and to encourage you all to continue to read their scriptures and to read your patriarchal blessings!  Have a good week!  Thank you so much for the support!  It really means the world to me! I love my family and friends so much - and I am just beginning to realize how important you all are to me!

11/4/2014 - 1ST WEEK IN THE MISSION FIELD

This week has been so long.  The first day in the mission field we left the MTC at 3 in the morning and were busy doing training and street contacting all day with the president miller and some older missionaries in the area. I was up for 21 hours. Contacting people is a lot more fun than I thought. We gave an elderly man a Book of Mormon (BOM) and he just said he had been looking for a church to go to and we talked about the plan of salvation - everything went amazing.

The next day I was transferred and was in the car all day. I am in El Paso Texas for my first area and it is so brown! I mean I might as well have gone to Mexico, lol. The people are great and the food is really, really, good also. Missionary work is a lot.  We are on the go all day every day.  even today, on P day, we are busy. Everyone is so nice here.  I am not sure if I like it or not; because when we knock doors, or go contacting, it’s really hard to know if they are actually interested or not - because they are too polite to say no.

We have some amazing investigators. Most of the first week was just introducing me. By the end of the week we were getting into some amazing discussions.  the spirit has been so strong and a couple of our new investigators are seriously considering baptism. I relate so well to the people here in El Paso.  I know there is a definite reason why I have been sent here. There are a lot more hills here than I thought and it’s hard because we are doing 20-40 miles a day on bikes. The nice thing is we switch each week, between a car and the bikes, with another set of elders who split the ward with us. There is so much work to be done in this area.  I know why the Lord definitely needs missionaries.

My trainer is an awesome guy.  He's pretty shy but has a strong spirit. He is from Chester, Idaho and is training me after he has only been out for 3 months - so we both are still learning a lot from each other.  He says I am practically already trained, which makes me happy :). He kind of reminds me of Spencer Hill, we go and fix people’s cars for service and it has helped us get into some other people’s homes - because we helped them. We already replaced a lady’s disk brakes; and there are some other people whose cars we will be fixing in other weeks.

We are so busy all day every day, but I love the work, and talking to people, and going to lessons.  We have 2-5 lessons every day and we visit a lot of inactive around here. A lot of people are in, or retired from, the military. We are pretty close to Fort Bliss which is the largest army base in the country. There is a family that reminds me so much of Christian Beal and gives me hope. The dad went inactive for 15 years, and now he came back, and we are giving the rest of his family the lessons. It gives me hope that he and his family well be an active family eventually. 

I am so blessed to be here with these people and teaching them lessons and feeling the Holy Ghost so much. I love my family and friends and know they are being blessed for my service - as am I.    

P.S. - My P day is on Tuesday and I will be on the computer between 10-3 pm on those days - Mountain Time.

Oct. 26, 2014

It is crazy to think I will be leaving the MTC tomorrow.  The one thing I will not be missing is the food.  Whoever is crazy enough to say that this is great, is wrong! It just destroys my body's will to digest.

I leave for Albuquerque tomorrow at 3 am... I am really exited to get in the field - but not so much to wake up so early. I get to send this email now, because I do not not know when my next P day (prep. day) will be. I just want all of you to know how thankful I am that you emailed me.  It really means a lot to me!

I got to sing at the MTC choir last week for a General Authority. The coolest thing about doing the MTC choir is that the instructor has a vast knowledge of church history.   He talked about the faith of Lorenzo Snow, who baptized faithful investigators while getting pelted by rocks by a mob. He said, "If they have the faith to be baptized, I have the faith to do it." I highly recommend participating in the church choir, just for the learning experience.

Last week we we had Elder Carlos A. Goodoy speak to us from the First Quorum of the Seventy.  He spoke in Portuguese at the last General Conference. He gave a us a recipe for being a successful missionary, based off of the scripture ALMA 26:22. He said, first we must be worthy. He said a missionary can carry baggage his whole mission and it will greatly affect him - but he won't necessarily get sent home.  You may be able to hide it from your mission president or your companion, but never from God. Next, he said WORK HARD! because God won't bless us unless we get out there and find the people he has been preparing to hear the gospel. After that, we need to be worthy of the Spirit and be able to teach by the Spirit.  Because the Spirit confers truth unto our minds, JOHN 14:26. When others can sense that we have prepared, and have the Spirit with us all the time, they want to know why - and their hearts will be softened. Lastly we need to have an undoubting faith that God will do the rest; when we put forth ALL of our effort. I have noticed this so much - when I prepare and pray and study my scriptures, Heavenly Father always fills my mouth with what the investigator needs to know - Moses 6:32.  We can perform miracles if we put all of our trust in our Heavenly Father. We are just tools - so God can work through us to spread his gospel on the Earth. I really really enjoyed that talk.

The rest of the week just flew by.  We taught lessons- which were awesome -and the investigators  progressed well. The MTC has taught me to love a complete stranger - and my heart is full.
And I patched a tiny hole I made in my suit pants while doing a ninja kick. The MTC has helped me come so far -  but also to realize I have so so far to go. The longest day of my life was in Field Orientation. But I learned a lot through 9 hours of seminar....

I love my family - and this Gospel - and my friends.  And I know we will all see each other in eternity also. Happy Birthday to Lisa Mapel and Moroni Beal! And my sister, Jill Pedersen, this Friday. Love You!

Oct. 21, 2014

What did the quadriplegic get for Christmas? Nothing, he couldn't open any! lol.                                       
     On a different note the MTC is like what every one says.  It is like drinking from a waterfall and I am just trying to get it all in. Its weird, I am humming hymns now which I never did! I just feel the spirit so strong and I am so happy I am here.   Don't get me wrong, its tough - so much class time! The knowledge I have learned from my awesome teachers, Sister Gibson and Elder Clegg is awesome!  I think I want to be an MTC teacher when I return.


     I haven't quite figured out the whole picture thing, but I've got some good ones. My district is the most awesome group of guys!  We all feel like we were best buds in the past life - and we've only known each other for six days. For our district meeting we laughed for, like, 20 minutes and I'm not really even sure why.  I've got two foreigners - Elder West is from Australia AND Elder Carlson is a Canadian.  And man, Elder West is a crack up! I decided to draw some portraits of our district and it is awesome and horrid.  The days are long but I enjoy every bit and I am learning so much!

     I was feeling sick and I had an elder give me a blessing and he realy helped me out.  I felt prompted to ask him and it was no coincidence that he had never given a blessing.  Elder Cleverly did amazing and he blessed me with some awesome stuff about success after my mission, and during, and I am feeling great.   We all have had blessings.  But the most amazing part was when Elder Kofferd got a blessing and it said his four brothers were looking after him and proud.  The crazy part was that he told us he only had 3 brothers, but one of his brotherS died at birth.  The priesthood is so strong, and I love it!

    My companion is awesome.  He is from Virginia.  His name is  Elder Hardy and he is going to the same mission as I am.  We get along pretty well and our lessons have been going great! We just had a new investigator and I was really stressed because he wasn't quite as into the lesson.  It took a lot of effort to keep him interested in it.  I think at the beginning of the lesson he wasn't looking for any answers, but now he says he has some questions and is reading the Book of Mormon!  Our other investigator cried when we told her about her seeing her mother again. I know these things are kinda set up, but I feel like I am teaching real people and I am loving it!  I think about them all the time!  

   The first day at the MTC is hard!  People will know why when they get there, specifically Gavin and Moroni. I have really been thinking about Gavin.  I just want him to know wherever he gets called to his mission, the call is chosen by the Lord and the Lord alone! We watched a David A. Bednar talk from the MTC not too long ago - and you can only see it at the MTC.  I cried because I am so sorry for how much of a selfish person I have been in the past.  It's not about me - it's about others and the Lord. Gavin if you get called some where that sounds scary, it is because the Lord has people there that need you.  Not because he wants to make you suffer in an unfamiliar place.   Utah has more convert baptisms than any other state.   The lord will put you where others need you, not where you need others.  The "Character of Christ" talk, made me realize what my purpose was - and I love each and every one of you and want you to know God does see us in our afflictions! Remember that we are here to be tried and help others with our trials 1 Peter 1:7.   The MTC is changing me and its because I WANT TO BE LIKE MY SAVIOR!   I KNOW I am not perfect but I love that that it is ok - and God still loves me.  The craziest thing happened to me we were asked to pray, to ask God if he loves us... so I did and I heard a voice.  I was sure someone else heard it!  And the voice said, " I love you, Rick" I AM NOT JOKING!  It was the most awesome, coolest thing I have ever experienced!  There is so much more that I could say.  I just dont know how God loves.  Being a missionary is hard, and great. I love my family - and I know we are together forever.