September 26, 2011Hello Family.
Wow, life is great as a missionary here in Raymond. Elder Nelson and I get along really well, so that's awesome. We have a lot in common, too. He is into music and amusement parks and stuff and we have a lot of the same opinion on things. We can talk about how we feel about the mission programs and stuff and try to help each other or figure out what to do, it's great. He pulled out the area book this week and wanted to go to former investigators...FINALLY! We actually had a neat experience, we called this former investigator, Zultan, to see if he wanted to meet with us. Actually, we called the fellowshippers, the LeFevres, because we didn't have a number for Zultan. Anyways, so we call the LeFevres to ask about Zultan and they say, "He's sitting right next to me, do you want to talk to him?" So we did. What makes that even more cool is that he had just come up from Arizona for two weeks, I guess he lives down there now and just visits up here. So what were the chances that we would catch him up here AND at the LeFevres home in the same night? He believes Joseph Smith was a prophet, he loves the Book of Mormon, he lives the word of wisdom and everything, he's basically a dry Mormon. He just won't be baptized because he feels like he would be betraying his deceased parents. We were kind of bummed that he is going back down to Arizona this week but there had to be a reason we contacted him, there's no way that was just a coincidence.
So the picture of the tubby dog---it's peanut butter, jelly, and Cap'n Crunch. It was yummy. And the pictures of the goats and the bear, that was in Waterton. Raymond is all flat and barren, that's why I haven't sent any pictures of it. The only mountain parts of the mission are Waterton and BC. Other than that, it's all prairies and city.
On Elder Nelson's very first night we taught Maureen and he extended the baptismal invitation---and she accepted! She is scheduled to be baptized on October 22nd. It's going to take quite a bit of work still. She believes it's true, she understands the whole priesthood authority thing, she just doesn't feel like she has received an answer about whether or not it's true "for sure." We also have to teach her two more lessons, the next one isn't until next week so that might be a problem. We'll see what happens though.
Then on Thursday we went to seminary that morning, I thought it would be a nice break from a two-hour companionship study. As part of the new training program we have to have two hours of companionship study in the morning and the studies are all laid out for us. Anyways, so we went to seminary because that girl Sydney has it that morning. We show up and this kid walks in like five minutes late, his name is Oyven. He is an exchange student from Norway and he had a free period so he wanted to go to seminary. I thought he was a member, he just seemed to have that glow and everything. Well, we had to leave like ten minutes early because we get free lunch at the high school on Thursdays and we wanted to beat the rush, but after lunch we went back to Brother Bennett's classroom and talked to him about Oyven. Turns out he's NOT a member of the church, we think he's Lutheran, but he comes to church every week and likes learning about it, so he just came to seminary. We have been trying and trying to figure out who he lives with so we could work with them and invite him to take the discussions but NOBODY KNOWS WHERE HE LIVES hahaha. It was a gong show trying to figure it out. We are still on the hunt! But I thought that was a pretty cool little miracle. Then that night we had dinner with the Sugai family, they're sweet, and then we met with Danny May again. I don't know what to do with that kid hahaha he just needs to come to church.
Not too much happened on Friday. We had a couple less-effective 7-Day challenges and we did our weekly planning session and I had to go in to Cardston to do a baptismal interview for the zone leaders. But Saturday afternoon we visited with an investigator again. He's such a sweet kid. He talked a lot more about his conversion story, it was really neat to hear. I don't know how to help him either. I feel like I just don't know any more. I feel like I'm doing my best, so really all I can think is that I'm doing my part and now it's their turn.
Yesterday we went to church from 9 to 4 and taught an elder's quorum class about how to use the Book of Mormon to answer the questions of the soul. I'm not sure that it went over as well as I would have liked it to, but Elder Nelson was really happy with it, so I probably just had super high expectations for it. While the sacrament was being passed one of the young men turned to another, held out his sacrament tray and said, "Can you hold this? I have to go to the bathroom..." The kid says, "No, not right now!" So then they go up to get the water. He comes back to where we are sitting and then asks the usher standing at the door, "Can you hold this? I have to go to the bathroom!" Of course, the usher says, "No, not right now!" It was pretty funny. Then last night the Graves family had us over for a green dinner. Get it, since Elder Nelson is a greenie? Yeah, it was pretty cool. Green pancakes, green eggs, green milk, green orange juice, green cupcakes, ice cream with a green maraschino cherry on top, it was good. Yes, I have pictures. Not lots but some. Okay maybe one.
I guess just keep us and our investigators and the people of Raymond in your prayers. I can't believe Nick gets home next week. Blows my mind and makes me super trunky. I'm going to be the last one of my friends, bah, I can't think about it any more, too trunky. Thanks for your love and support! I love you!
Elder Cevering
September 21, 2011Hello Family!
Sorry that I kept you in suspense for so long about the happenings of this week. It was a pretty good week. I am stoked to be training again. My companion is Elder Nelson, he's from South Jordan. He seems like a sweet kid, ready to work hard and be obedient, the next few (12) weeks will be awesome I'm sure. I got my trunky papers today. I can't believe we have to fly to Seattle and THEN to Salt Lake. But, whatever, it's cool, I'll get to go to Seattle.
So this week was kind of a gong show. Monday night we went out on splits, I went with Ike, which was sweet. We gave a pretty solid 7-Day Challenge to a family who, we didn't know, has a friend that has all of a sudden started reading the Book of Mormon, just out of nowhere. Hopefully we can start teaching her soon. Tuesday we had our district meetings and DDMs. Then Wednesday I was sick so we just took a sick day that day. Thursday was a little bit better. At dinner Thursday night the two little kids, maybe like seven and five, looked at me and said, "...your face isn't the same colour (<---that's the Canadian spelling) as ours. Why?" It was pretty funny.
We also met with a girl who has committed to baptism and we talked to her about the importance of coming to church and partaking of the sacrament. I thought for sure she would be at church on Sunday since her sister was speaking but when we got there she wasn't there. We were pretty bummed. Oh well, and so it goes. President told me that we need to warn her about procrastinating her baptism until her mom comes. She has a desire to be baptized and she wants her mom to be there and feel the Spirit, so I just don't know if I can go in there and say, 'Don't procrastinate!' That's one thing that I am really working on. In the fourth section of the Doctrine and Covenants we learn that "an eye single to the glory of God" qualifies people for the Lord's work. As I was studying this recently, I had an 'ephiphone' that the glory of God is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). So while the 'eye single' phrase means to give God the glory and not to seek glory in yourself, I also understood it to mean that we should be working for the salvation of these people, and not just so that we can have another baptism. So that's one thing I'm working on. Anyways, President told the zone leaders back at the beginning of September that each companionship should set a goal to have one baptism in each ward that they cover in the month of October. Well, for us, that means we would set a goal to have nine baptisms in October, or to make it sound more like 'an eye single to the glory of God', we would set a goal to work our hardest to open the doors of the Celestial Kingdom to nine of His children here in Raymond. At first I was pretty skeptical, but the other night as I was praying about it I felt really excited and it felt right so Elder Nelson and I are going to work for it.
Anyways, so Thursday night the Cardston elders drove in and went on splits with us here in Raymond. Elder Bartholomew and I visited a single mom and her two kids. The kids are less-active and they weren't too keen on having us over but I just felt like we should visit them. They are both musically talented so I thought we would have an 'in' there. He is really into guitar and wants to be a sound and music producer, and lucky for me, Elder Bartholomew is really into guitar as well, so that was good. We talked to them about music for a bit and then we started teaching lesson one. I told them upfront why we were there, to help them to come closer to Jesus Christ, and it was up to them if they wanted to or not, we would invite them to do things but they had their agency to say no. So we're teaching this lesson and I just felt like it wasn't working. I was stammering for words, I didn't know what to say, and neither of them was really paying attention. So I just bore my testimony to them and said, "I feel like I don't know what to say. I guess I can just say that Heavenly Father loves you and you are His son and His daughter. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the way to happiness in this life, Sam and Lea. I know that it's true. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. But it's up to you to learn these things for yourself. So will you pray tonight and ask your Father in Heaven to help you know if He wants you to follow Jesus Christ?" They said maybe. Well, I was feeling pretty dumb so we ended the lesson really quickly and then just talked to them about music. They were a LOT more open than they were at the beginning. Then I just felt like THAT was what we needed to do, is be their friends. As we were talking to them just about music, it was great. They were open and talkative and everything, it was really enjoyable. So, we'll keep working on friendshipping them and maybe we can help bring them back.
Friday I had to go up to Calgary to be trained on how to train new missionaries. Well...Elder Weaver had gone to Cardston with Elder Bartholomew after we had finished our appointments for the night. So Elder Schriever and I went up to Calgary hahaha it was a gong show. We left Raymond at 10:00 a.m. and we decided we wanted to go to Tubby Dog for lunch. We didn't make it back for the training on time. We were only like twenty minutes late, though. Then afterwards the assistants needed us to go on splits with them and then on the way home we stopped for dinner and took a couple wrong turns...we didn't get back til 10 p.m. It was a gong show hahaha but it was SO good to be with Elder Schriever.
Saturday we had a service project in the morning and then we spent the afternoon preparing for the Raymond Heritage Festival. The stake high councilman over missionary work wanted us to put up a booth at the festival so we did a Book of Mormon themed booth. We were the only 'booth' at the festival, everything else was fun and games. We felt pretty dumb. And we did all the work to not even hand out one copy of the Book of Mormon. Oh well. There were some members that kept bringing us hot dogs hahaha I think we had like five or six hot dogs because they just kept bringing them to us. "Elders, did you have some food? We'll go get you a hot dog!" And I had just had Tubby Dog the day before.
Sunday we gave out two pretty solid 7-Day challenges, I was shocked at their faith. If I could write a scripture about it I would say, "Never hath there been so much faith among all the Raymondites." TWO of them were like that. Hopefully we can teach some people as a result of that. There was also a less-active man who called one of our ward mission leaders and said he wants us to come by and teach him and his family, to help them start coming back to church. That was sweet. I don't remember if I told you this, but President Archibald received a promise from our Area Authority, Elder Melchin, that for every less-active member we re-activate Heavenly Father promises to bring one of His children to baptism. So that's sweet. We're working with two families now, I feel very blessed. There's also a bunch of potential among the youth. We go to seminary probably like two or three times a week and try to seek referrals and befriend the nonmember kids who are taking seminary. There is one girl who turns 16 in October that really wants to be baptized a couple days after her birthday, but her parents, who are inactive, weren't too excited about her taking seminary, so I can't imagine what they would say about her meeting with us and being baptized. But, we are just going to keep fasting and praying for them and I'm sure something will work out.
Monday night we met with the Carters again and they are still game to be baptized next week. We're not sure if it will happen on Thursday or the Sunday of General Conference, but they are pretty solid about getting them baptized next week, so that will be sweet. I love that family.
Well, that's it for this week. Thanks for all your prayers and support. Until next week. Adieu.
Elder Cevering
September 7, 2011Hello Family!
Well, after a pretty tough week the week before, we did see some pretty good miracles in this past week.
Monday evening we taught Maureen again. She had read all the wrong chapters from the Book of Mormon so we just read 3 Nephi 11 with her. When we committed her to baptism at the end she said she wasn't sure if she was ready to be baptized, but she knew that she needed to be. She said, "It tells us right there how we need to be baptized, how can I argue with that?" We haven't met with her since then, but hopefully things will continue to go well with her.
Tuesday we went on exchanges with the elders in the Cardston West Stake. I was with Elder Bartholomew for the day, which was somewhat tough, but good overall. We were able to get lots of work done, lots of stop-bys, so that was good. Halfway through the day I wanted to go get a drink at the church so we pull up and there's all these cars there for a funeral. We got there just as the funeral ended and as we're walking through the doors of the church this man says, "Hang on a minute, Elders, you will want to see the hearse." Around the side of the chapel comes this big green John Deere tractor with a small trailer hooked up to it...carrying the coffin! Hahaha it was so funny, I thought to myself, 'Only in Raymond.' The man was watching the procession go by and he says to us, "Yep, Roy sure loved his John Deeres." Hahaha. What a crazy town.
Wednesday night we met with a less-active man. He's sweet! His wife left him maybe a year ago or so and ran off with his best friend, who was also married. He's still pretty bitter about it, but wow he has a testimony of the Atonement. He has a friend that went to Fremont that served in this mission, I can't remember his name, but he said dad's name sounded familiar.
Thursday night we met with another less-active man. He is from Saskatchewan, served a mission and everything, but I guess just got lost along the way when he got home, went through a divorce and everything, no good. He is a stud though, it was so great meeting with him. Hopefully he will let us teach his kids, I think they've been baptized, but they get a lot of anti stuff from a relative and so they're kind of caught in this "war of words and tumult of opinions."
Friday afternoon we were FINALLY able to get an appointment with our investigator, Nevisha. She is SOLID!!! We decided to teach her the third lesson out of Preach My Gospel, The Gospel of Jesus Christ, and before we could even get to baptism she started talking about how she wants to be baptized, it's not a matter of 'if' she's baptized, but 'when.' She loves coming to church, reading the Book of Mormon, the only thing keeping her from baptism is her mom who lives in Toronto. She wants her mom to be here for the baptism but she has a crazy work schedule. When we asked her what we could do to help her progress towards baptism, she said, "...set a date?" So we set a date for September 17th. I felt impressed to tell her, "Nevisha, if you commit to the Lord to be baptized on the 17th, and ask for His help to get your mom here, I can't imagine that He wouldn't do it." So, I guess we will see what happens.
Then last night we had an appointment with a family, a less-active family that has two unbaptized children who are ready and willing to be baptized. So we started with the first discussion last night, and they are scheduled to be baptized on September 30th. Their dad works up north on the oil rigs and is here for one week then gone for two, so he leaves this weekend, gets home the weekend before the 30th in time to baptize them and then take off again for work. That will be sweet, they are a pretty cool family.
This week I also got my trunky call...that was so bad. It is confirmed that I am flying into Salt Lake City on December 15th, we don't have all the flight details yet, probably not until November they said, but they had to get it all set up and ready. I got that phone call the same day I got the package with Nate, Liz, and Lindsey's letters. Man, I was so trunky after that hahaha it was so bad. BUT! I'm trying not to think about it and instead just focus on the work. But I am stoked to come home :) Also, Liz wanted a shout-out…. Hi Liz!
Well, I'm off to get groceries and all that stuff. I guess I will talk to y'all again next Monday.
I love you, thanks for your support and encouragement!
Elder Cevering
