Monday, April 25, 2016

Wonderful Week with the Mashburn Family Baptisms as the Highlight!!

So, this is my second time typing this email already because it defeated it the first time so it's going to be shorter than the first time.

This week we had a ton of stuff happen and I probably won't remember everything. Some of the highlights are I found a dollar bill while clean up trash from some abandoned houses in the ghetto, they gave me free fries at five guys, I found a baseball bat and a Frisbee also while cleaning up trash, I found another dollar bill, I met a bills player when we were getting dinner late one night, the ward is awesome, and the Mashburn’s got baptized! So a pretty good week! I was pretty excited about the dollar bill thing ;) haha!

So, obviously the big thing was the baptism. That went great and everything went smoothly and they make great new additions to the ward. The ward has done a great job with fellowshipping them, they already have home teachers working with them, the daughter is going to the temple Saturday to do baptisms with the youth so everything went just how it's supposed to. We had a great turn out to the baptism as well.

We did a bunch of service this week picking up trash for the city. We
also met this cool guy who drove up in his car and asked us if we could meet with him sometime and teach him about our religion. We had dinner at the Robison’s yesterday and they are super awesome! She gave me this cool book with the outline of New York cut out of it so I'll send pictures of that. They also said you guys could stay with them if you want but it's pretty far from Palmyra and you already have a place. That was super nice of them though!

Anyways have a great week!

And sorry it's shorter because I didn't want to type it all again.


Love you!

Mashburn Family
Lake Erie
The book Sister Robison gave me
We had to take down Christmas lights but didn't have a ladder so we used a trampoline


Monday, April 18, 2016

April 18th, 2016

Hey guys! This week was good as usual! We had a couple good lessons with our family with a baptismal date and kind of finished up everything we need to teach them and read from the Book of Mormon with them. They actually had their interview this Saturday and passed so they are all set for next Saturday to be baptized!! They are great and the ward has really accepted them.

We had a couple other lessons with random people so hopefully they lead somewhere and we will be able to meet with them again. We had dinner with the Robison’s twice this week and they are awesome! They are a young family and have four boys 11 and under so it's pretty fun to go over there. After dinner we went out to the driveway and played basketball and they just moved into this nice neighborhood so hopefully all of their neighbors saw us and will have questions or something. They at least all know that they are Mormon now. :)

We went to the town halls and we finally found something to do for service. So now we are going to go around a couple times a week and just start clean up the trash on streets so it's not the most effective service for missionary work but at least it's something. We also went to the Hamburg library and helped organizing books and we might start a weekly class thing helping people learn how to use computers, fill out job applications, etc... I guess it's something the library needs help with so we will see where it goes.  We did some tracting, looking for service and the other usual missionary activities. We taught a rapper this week and that was pretty cool. He's a young guy, who has a huge house, nice cars and everything, lives by himself and has a legit recording studio so we just walked into his studio because we say the light on and taught him and gave him a Book of Mormon.

We met some Muslims this week too and I'm still unsure how to really go about teaching them because you have to help them develop a belief in Christ before you start with everything else.

We also had dinner at the Linscom’s in Orchard Park and they have an awesome view! They lived on top of the tallest hill and you can see Lake Erie, Canada, Buffalo, and a bunch of other stuff from their house. He's the ward mission leader.

I think that's pretty much it. Have a great week!


Love you!

Monday, April 11, 2016

April 11, 2016- Beautiful Lake Erie

Hey guys!

This week was great and I will probably forget to tell you all of the things that happened so hopefully I get them all. So first off on Tuesday we went to the Peter Whitmer Farm in Fayette, which is where the church was restored 186 years ago on April 6th and I got to be there on the fifth so that was really cool! We had trainings and just a bunch of activities with our zone and Palmyra South zone so it was really fun to be with the other missionaries!

So this week we did quite a bit of tracting and going around looking for service. We don't really have any service here in this area so hopefully we can get a little bit of it soon. The tracting has been going pretty good. We get a couple potentials on each street and hand out some Book of Mormons. We had some good lessons with a couple of less actives here in West Seneca and down in Hamburg. We had dinner with the Robison’s, who are a younger family here in the ward and they have four younger boys and that was a lot of fun.

We had a couple good lessons with our awesome family the Mashburns. They are set to get baptized on the 23rd if everything goes to plan!! So that will be awesome!!! They came to church today, they go to young women’s, scouts, and other church activities, and they are accepting everything we are teaching them. And the ward is doing a great job in fellowshipping them too.

We had a really cool lesson with a younger guy from Scotland! And yes he has a really cool accent. He's agnostic but we talked for a while and he's willing to try things out and he said if God answers his prayers and tells him that the Book of Mormon is true then the only reasonable thing he could think of to do is to join the Mormon church. We didn't even mention that he just said if it was true he would have to join. So hopefully he recognizes God’s answer to him.

Saturday night we had a variety show at the church and that was fantastic!! This ward has so much talent and it was so much fun. I will send a couple of videos. I wish I would have gotten more but they ranged from, napoleon dynamite dancing, lip singing frozen while riding a hover board Segway thing, piano, and everything between.

Then on Sunday we had really good meetings and everyone still seemed to be on a spiritual high from conference and our 10 year old investigator Austin bore his testimony in sacrament, we had good lessons, and the people are great so it was good!

Then we had dinner/lunch at the Alessi's which is a super cool
family. They have four daughters and only one is still at home and
she's super cool, he works for Thermo Fischer here and he goes to Logan sometimes for meetings, so we have that in common so it was just a lot of fun! I really like this ward and it actually reminds me a lot of Spring Creek ward. It's a bigger ward for out here, it's got tons of young families and kids, and some older, a bunch of youth, and a lot of the members moved out here to work for some company that shut down in Utah so they came here so there’s a lot of Utah families. Might end up being my favorite ward out here?

We'll see. Have a great week!


Love you!

Lake Erie and Buffalo




Monday, April 4, 2016

Great Week! ~General Conference

Hey guys!

So this week was great! (mostly because of conference).
So, Monday we did the usual stuff and then we went and said goodbye to the Pfaffs :( They will be missed, but I'll see them in a couple months so it's all good!  Also, change is good and I'm liking my new area so far. I cover West Seneca, parts of Orchard Park, Hamburg, and Lackawanna.
So, finally I get to an area with lots of people!

Tuesday, we had the transfers and I got to Buffalo at about 1 and then came, unpacked, bought some food because the fridge had nothing except salad dressing and ketchup!

Then we went around and met some of the people here.
There's not too many investigators here so we've been doing a bit of tracting, which isn't too bad because you can spread it around to the different places and it was pretty good weather. We were able to hand out a couple of Book of Mormon and a couple of people said we could come by and share a quick message sometime so that's good! We had a lesson on tithing with this family called the Mashburn’s and they are really cool! They accepted the message and they are progressing towards baptism and they even came to a session of conference at the church and watched one at home!

Saturday morning we had a church deep cleaning with the ward down in Orchard Park so that was a good opportunity for me to meet some of the members. Then we had conference which if you can't already tell, I loved!! It was my favorite conference by far! I don't know why, but it was just awesome! All of the talks had my attention, and I learned a lot from every one. By the time Sunday was over, I wish they had more! I just love the apostles and prophet so much and I wish I could be around them more often just to get counsel and learn from all of the stuff they have to say.  Now I'm looking forward to it to be put on the gospel library so I can study them and re-watch them again. I don't have any favorite talks, because I loved them all! Anyways I hope you guys loved conference as much as I did! Let me know what your favorite talks were?

Oh yeah and since conference was at twelve we went to a Kingdom Hall Sunday morning to a service and boy was that interesting! They are good people and have good intentions but boy has Satan confused them! It was good though because then I got the contrast and it made our church seem just that much more true.

Have a great week!

Love you!

General conference 😃👏🏻🎉


Saturday morning

Henry B Eyring
  the lord is in our midst by the power of the spirit.
  Draw near unto him
  There will be a precious opportunity in the next few days to nourish a seed
  Create a more fertile ground for gods words to grow 🌱
  Only the Holy Ghost can bring the blessings the lord desires for us

Mary R. Durham
  being more like a child
  Increasing the spiritual capacity of our children
  Point out when our children are feeling the spirit 
  Teach them in the home🏡
  Immersing our families in the spirit
  Help our families understand how the spirit speaks to them
  Teach them to focus on what they feel
  If you do these things you need to fear when your shield ten enter the world

Donald L Hallstrom
  all of us are spirit sons and daughters of a living God👨👩👧👦
  Do we really KNOW that we are a child of God
  Remember who we are... Always
  We live in a world when we can forget who we are

Gary E Stevenson
  everything we need to do to get back to Heavenly Father requires keys🔑
  It's never too early to prepare for missionary service 
  Attend the temple🕍
  There is a relationship between priesthood keys and blessings
  Always keep yourself worthy of the temple even if you can't go
  Go forward with faith
  Kneel each morning
  Study the scriptures every day📖
  Be obedient 

Kevin R. Duncan
  we can forgive and we can be free
  An unforgiving heart harbors unnecessary pain
  Leave the judgement to God
  God will console us in our afflictions 
  God will compensate us for every injustice done to us
  Understand that we are all growing spiritually
  See people as God sees them
  God sees people as they currently are and who they can become
  It is required to forgive all men
  We all fall short
  Our forgiveness is incumbent upon us forgiving others

Steven E Snow
  remain humble
  Find joy in the success of others
  We must all strive to become more humble
  Humility enables us to better husbands, wives, children, neighbors, friends, etc...
  There will be less contention when we are humble
  Our prayers will become more earnest 🙏🏻
  Blessed are they who are humble with out having to be compelled to be humble 

Dale G Renlund
  the closer we are to Christ and Heavenly Father the more grateful we are.
  God is more pleased in the direction we are heading than how fast we are going 
  We can choose how close we are to God
  The best way to grow closer to God is to prepare for and take the sacrament 🍞💧
  The sacrament is indispensable for a spiritual foundation 
  We will all receive more than we deserve 
  Draw nearer unto him

Saturday Afternoon

Ronald A Rasband 
  Questions are a indication of a further desire to learn
  We need to help each other find answers 
  Listen to our leaders council
  Sustain with purpose
  Be committed to following Jesus. Night or day🌇🌃

Neil L Andersen
  the churches standard on families will always be the same. 👨👩👧👦
  A child's earthly situation might not be ideal but the spiritual on is perfect
  Help our children choose the right path
  The youth of the church need our time and our testimonies 
  Knowing someone's name can make a difference 
  Help youth feel included
  God loves his children
  Reach out got the youth who feel alone, outside, or behind the fence

Mervin B Arnold
  as we go to the rescue God gives us power and courage 
  We must not delay going to the rescue
  We must never give up
  It is never too late to go and help
  How great shall be your joy if you bring but one soul to Christ
  No matter our age we are all called to go to the rescue

Jairo Mazzagardi
  continue to search for answers🔍
  Answers will come
  God has a perfect plan and he knows how it will work
  If you lack wisdom... Ask God

David A Bednar
  always retaining a remission of our sins
  Ordinances are essential 
  Ordinances are far more than rituals 
  Baptism is the essential preparation for receiving the companionship of the Holy Ghost 
  The sacrament is to make us pure or holy 
  Partaking of the sacrament doesn't remit sins... It coupled with the preparation we put forth does
  Our weaknesses can be strengthened and limitations overcome💪🏻
  We can be blessed with increased worthiness 

M Russell Ballard
  councils are the most effective way to get real results 
  Family council
  Meet to discuss family problems, finances, etc..
  Start with a prayer
  Understand circumstances of each family member
  A family is much like a ward
  You can council with friends and roommates as well
  Consider holding a family council on Sunday
  Every night before you retire to bed you should kneel and pray, holding hands with your spouse🙏🏻💑
  Children desperately need parents who are willing to listen
  Council with the lord in your family councils
  Where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, Christ will be in the midst of them

Priesthood session

Russell M Nelsen
  Be willing to submit to guidance from priesthood leaders
  Some have been given priesthood authority but have no power
  Laziness, uncleanliness, etc... Cut off priesthood power 
  Don't loss the power of the priesthood
  Live up to our privileges as bearers of the priesthood
  Only a man who has payed the price can bring about miracles and keep a marriage safe
  Develop the attributes found in doctrine and covenants 121
  Are we willing to pray, search the scriptures, worship in the temple, follow president monsons example of  service, cherish and care for your wife, in order to have the priesthood power
  Humble ask the lord to teach us 
  Spiritual earthquakes happen but priesthood power can calm the storm🌊
  We have the authority of God to bless others
  Be eager to pay whatever price is required 💰

Stephen W Owen
  Christ is the greatest leader because he is he greatest follower🐏
  The greatest leaders have always been the greatest followers 
  Your commitment to follow Jesus is what makes you a good leader
  Whether we realize it or not people look up to us and we need to be inviting all to come unto Christ
  When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren
  Whenever and wherever we follow Christ, we lead others to him 

Dieter F Uchtdorf
  don't have a mindset of replacing 
  Marriages are the order of heaven💍💑
  Strong marriages don't just happen, they require constant work
  We aren't looking someone perfect, but someone we can make a perfect relationship with 
  If there was a perfect woman she probably wouldn't be interested in you😂
  Lay a foundation for a great marriage
  It may be gradual but it doesn't have to be a cheerless one
  Be happy!😃
  Do things that make your wife happy
  If we look for imperfections we will find them because everyone has them....if we look for the good we will find them, because everyone has them
  Remember why you fell in love 
  Every family needs saving, there are no perfect families
  Appreciate the things that make your families unique 
  There is one thing that is right in every case, no contention 
  Charity is the beginning and the end to any solution... Charity never faileth 
  Pride has no place among holders of the priesthood
  Let love conquer pride

Henry B Eyring
  the great purpose of priesthood holders is to help people progress towards eternal  life
  Try and move families towards eternal life
  Focus on our love for the savior to help us know what to do
  Get married💍💑
  Make the choice with earnest prayer and consideration🙏🏻
  Make any necessary changes to live with your family in eternity
  Love and support each other in your family 
  The most important work we do will be within he walls of our own home
  Help others to qualify for gods blessings

Thomas S Monson
  remember what God expects us to become
  Be prepared for our time of need, service, and blessing

Sunday morning

 Thomas S Monson
  the choices we make determine our eternal destiny 
  The path we follow in this life determines where we and up in the next
  Choose the harder right, not the easier wrong



Bonnie L Oscarsen
  do we believe it or not?
  What we have been taught all of our life is more than just words
  This church is more than just a good place, good ideas, etc... It is Christ's church, we have his priesthood, we have the Holy Ghost, apostles, prophets, we make covenants with God in temples, we can live together for eternity, etc...
  This is the only true church on the earth and it is Christ's
  Do we believe this?
  We have the greatest message of hope ever known with these principles 
  We all need to seek to be truly converted
  Search the scriptures instead of the Internet 🔍📖🚫🖥
  Keep feasting and don't heed to doubts

W. Christopher Waddell 
  The lord does not shield anyone from sorrow or sadness
  He will give us peace if we have faith in Jesus Christ
  Learn, listen, and walk 
  Learn of God in the temple
  Listen to the prophets and other church leaders
  Never listen to the people in the great and spacious building
  Ignore the commotion and stand by the prophet
  Walk with Jesus Christ, in his journey to Gethsemane, and to Calvary...walk with him through sincere repentance 
  Cry unto him for mercy to find peace to our soul
  Walk with him and find peace

D. Todd Christofferson 
  fathers👨👩👧👦
  Put your family first👨👩👦👦 1st
  Preside in love and righteousness 
  The roles of fathers are of divine origin 
  Strive to emulate our Heavenly Father
  Fatherhood requires sacrifice 
  Turn the hearts of your children to their Heavenly Father 
  Teach you children the doctrine or the sin be upon you
  Make the gospel a high priority in your family
  Be a role model for your children 
  Loving your children's mother is one of the best things you can do for your children
  Challenges are an indication of the lord trust in you
  Prepare now, be diligent in school, church, etc...
  Think first of the happiness and well being of others
  Pray for your children 

Quinten L Cook
  picture yourself in the temple
  We live in a sacred holy time, despite the challenges of the world
  Be valiant in attending to temple responsibilities 
  Everyone be worthy of a temple recommend
  The lord organizes eternal families only in temples
  We are all equal before God in the temple
  Study 109 section of doctrine and covenants
  Never underestimate the assistance provided in he temple from the other side of the veil
  Honor the savior and make any necessary changes to see ourselves in the temple

Dieter F Uchtdorf 
  it matters not how ruined our lives may seem, how lonely, how abandoned, how scarlet.... We can be rebuilt
  God is fully aware of those that are lost
  Our savior knows and loves us 
  He know when we are lost and he knows where we are
  It matters not how we got there... All that matters is that we are his child
  Draw near into him... That is how we show that we want to be rescued
  Obedience is a cherished concept in the gospel
  We carry with ourselves the substance of divinity 
  Loose the desire to sin through obedience 
  Obedience is a path to our divine destiny 


Sunday Afternoon

Robert D Hales
  use our agency and bring decisions to God in prayer for confirmation 
  Don't seek the Holy Ghost on every single trivial thing on our life... This is misuse of a sacred gift
  Sometimes the adversary tempts us with false ideas and with the Holy Ghost we can discern this thoughts
  Don't let personal desires to overcome the promptings of the Holy Ghost
  Always heed the holy ghosts promptings 

Gerrit W Gong
  6 ways to remember him
  Have confidence in the covenants that we make with him
  The lord remembers his promises
  Gratefully acknowledging his hand in our lives
  Trusting when the lord assures us
  Fully repenting 
  Life is not as cruel as it can sometimes seem
  He always welcomes us home
  With God there is no point of no return
  Partaking of the sacrament reminds us of him
  Always remember him as he always remembers us

Patrick Kearon
  refugees 
  We were once refugees and so was the savior
  Minister to the poor and needy
  Don't wait for leaders to organize activities to give help to others
  Do all we can to help the refugees 

Dallin H Oaks
  We progress by making choices
  There must be opposition 
  It is opposition that enables choice
  All things have been done in gods wisdom 
  The lord didn't make it easy but he did make it possible 
  We are warned to not be at ease in Zion
  Exercise faith, and by their fruits ye shall know them
  God doesn't prevent all disasters, but he does strengthen us, or blunt the effects of them

Kent F Richards
  we need the temple more than anything else
  The real power of the temple is in the ordinances
  Everything we do should prepare us for eternal life 
  We need more converts to temple work
  Temple work benefits everyone 
  There is a need for temple ordinance workers
  The temple is worth all we can sacrifice... No sacrifice is too great

Paul V Johnson
  without the resurrection we would be miserable forever
  Jesus has already cured any ailments we may face
  The resurrection is a source of great hope

Jeffery R Holland
  hold to the feelings you have had this weekend, on the temple, etc...
  General conference is intended to give hope and encouragement 
  We can improve and the great thing about the gospel is we get credit for trying even if we don't succeed
  The lord blesses those who want to improve
  Whatsoever you desire in righteousness ye shall receive 
  Love God
  God loves us with all of his heart might mind and strength 
  God will never desert us...he cannot do it
  If we try our best to live he gospel every day will be magnificent...even if we don't recognize it
  He will be us especially when we struggle
  Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow the lord will do wonders among us














New apartment