A happy story of conversion from Japan

Just heard from メッサー姉妹 (Madysen Messer) in Okinawa City in Japan that her investigator Minami-san enthusiastically accepted baptism in the Lord's Church recently. They are also preparing a 7-year-old little girl for baptism, and another investigator is planning to be baptized in Hawaii in October.

Sis. Messer and her companion with

newly baptized Minami-shimai

Madysen says they were also able to attend a beautiful interdenominational sunrise Easter service on the beach. They went walking on the beach today at low tide and were able to explore some caves and even saw an octopus!

Madysen will be home from her mission at the end of next month.

General Conference blessings for everyone

This past week has been great. There were some great things we were able to see this past week. We were able to have a great lesson with Monte and Donna about knowing how to know what is truth. They also came to the first session of General Conference, which was great. I am with Elder Youngberg. He is a great missionary and great example of going out and doing the Lord's work. He and I came out the same time on our missions. It has truly been a great blessing to hear the prophet, apostles, and Church leaders. My testimony has been able to be strengthened by listening to the prophet and the apostles. What was one thing that stuck out you at General Conference? There was a lot that stuck out to me, but I really liked the story about the plane crash, where the little girl had hope and kept moving towards the light she saw in the distance. Also the story that Elder Holland told about the two brothers who were rock climbing at Snow Canyon without any equipment.
I am glad that I am serving the Lord. It may be hard at times, but it is sure worth it. Also I just found out that Josh Ferish, who ran with me in high school, just got his mission call to the same mission as me, which is really cool.

The Mississippi River has already melted and all of the snow that we had, too. It has been in the 40s to 60s this past week.
---David on 6 April 2015

I am doing great! I loved General Conference, and I was very blessed to here all 4 sessions plus the Priesthood session, as well! I really loved the story Elder Holland told about the two bothers in southern Utah hiking at Snow Canyon. And how one waited for the other till he jumped, and then he saved him. And that's how Jesus Christ is with us!
---Matthew on 6 April 2015

Preparing to commemorate Easter

This week has been great. We have been able to teach a few more people about the Restoration. We also had a district P-Day this past Monday, which was fun. We played some card games. We also played soccer. Then on Friday, we had zone training, which was really good. We were able to watch the #becausehelives video, which was really amazing. It is about 3 minutes long, but it won't be out on the Church's website until this Friday. It is a great video to help people remember the true meaning behind Easter, and I would encourage you to share it with family and friends. It would also be a great way to share your testimony about Jesus Christ with others.

Because He Lives

This transfer has really flew by fast; it feels like I have only been with Elder Winder for a week or two. Serena was able to come to church this last Sunday, which was really great. She seems to be doing a lot better than she has been in the past few weeks.
---David on 23 March 2015

I am now in Abilene, serving in the 3rd Ward here [on the eastern edge of the Lubbock Mission]. They have a really nice chapel here! It's a little older one, but it's all made out of wood in the actual chapel with some upgrades! But it's pretty sweet!

Abilene 3rd Ward chapel
[There are three other churches just down the street, as well.]

The people here are pretty open with the Gospel. We have been picking up a lot of new investigators as we continue to find and teach the Gospel. I am still getting used to my area. But I am all unpacked and made my apartment "mine."

I had an interesting laundry session this morning. I dumped the soap on top of my clothes instead of on the bottom, and my clothes got super soapy, and I had to hand wash them, it was a good experience, but a mistake I will not make again!
---Matthew on 23 March 2015

Cassandra's new mission

On March 21, 2015, Cassandra Swapp began a new mission together with her eternal companion Dylan Harding in the sealing room just off of the Celestial Room in the St. George Temple. We are all so very happy for them.

Their contact information has been updated in the right column.

Spiritual guidance and a new location

I hope everyone is having a great week. This past week was really great; it was full of a lot of small miracles. Wednesday I went on exchanges with Elder Vang. We stayed in Winona, which was great. He spoke to this one Hmong lady in the area I am in, and I didn't understand anything of what they talked about, but he was able to set up a time for us to come by and share a message with them today. She has 11 kids and doesn't speak English, but her kids do, and she said it would be fine that her kids went to church, if they are interested. Then we passed by this potential investigator. I was kind of scared to go stop by, because last time her boyfriend and his friend told us that they weren't interested and were a little mad, but the Spirit prompted me to stop by, so we turned around and prayed, and then we stopped by and we were able to get ahold of Karen, the potential investigator, and we were able to schedule a time to meet with her this week. She told us that her boyfriend and she are having a hard time together. I am grateful that I listened to that prompting I got. I know that we can see great things happen as we listen to the promptings of the Spirit, even if they are small.
---David on 16 March 2015

I have been transferred to Abilene, Texas [address updated in the right column].
---Matthew on 16 March 2015

Led by the Spirit in helping people

This past week was great; it was full of small miracles, which I am grateful for. We went on exchanges with the Zone Leaders in our area, which was great. I went with Elder Stiles, who is a great. Then we had District Meeting that next day on Thursday, and after that we went on exchanges with the Sparta Elders. I stayed in Winona with Elder Jenson. It was a good experience. We were able to have a great lesson with Kyle about missionary work, and we were able to teach according to the Spirit and were able to get him thinking of stuff he can do now to reach his spiritual goal of being baptized before he turns 18. I was able to share the experience I had about praying that night when Anthony passed away and how the Lord helps us in times of need, just like He helped me at that hard time I went through. Kyle's grandpa isn't doing too great; he has dementia. We were also able to do better at finding with the Lord's help. I am grateful to be serving a mission. Also the mission that I am in is going to be getting iPads around May 28th, which will be really nice. I am excited.
---David on 9 March 2015

Finding and teaching in the frozen North

The Mississippi River has been frozen over for the past few weeks now. The zone I am in is the Rochester Zone, which covers Rochester, La Crosse, Sparta, Winona, and a few other places around Rochester. We do visit Wisconsin at least once a week for district meeting which is in Onalaska, Wisconsin. We have a car that we drive and we get 1,500 miles a month, because the area we cover is big. Matthew and I have been e-mailing pretty regularly.

Photos of Onalaska

This past week was great; it was full of small miracles. One was when we were doing some contacting on the campus of Winona State University. I prayed and asked for help with finding someone with whom we can share the Gospel, and a few seconds later this guy walks past and I was prompted to talk to him. We were able to teach part of the Restoration to him. He wasn't too interested in us coming back to teach him more, but it was cool that God answered my prayer that fast, because this man was willing to listen to us for a while.

Faith is a really smart girl for being 8 years old. We talked about temples and family history with her, and she was sad that she has to wait 4 years before she can go to the temple. She is really amazing, and her mom, Serena, is also. I am glad that we get to teach them about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Her mom can't wait to get baptized. We are just waiting on some things. She is a amazing lady, and she wants to do what is right.

---David on 2 March 2015

New areas, new food, and newly baptized disciple of Christ

On Monday, we had zone conference, which was really great. I was able to learn a lot of things, and the Spirit was strong there. I am grateful that I was able to serve with Elder Justensen. After zone conference, the district that I was in went to an Asian restaurant and got pho, which was really good. It was a noodle dish, and the one I got had cow stomach in it. It wasn't too bad; it was just really chewy. I also tried this smoothy thing, which wasn't the best. It had coconut milk, ice, sweet beans, and rice, I think, and these long green things, which I think might have been tapioca.

Then after that, Elder Justensen and I stayed with the zone leaders until Tuesday morning, then one of the zone leaders who just finished his mission left with Elder Justensen, and I stayed in Rochester with Elder Stiles until Wednesday.

Then with the Lord's help we were able to help Faith get baptized and confirmed. Serena is a really amazing person, and she is the one next to Elder Justensen (in the photo below), then there is her mom Joan and her friend Tom. Then the two younger girls are Serena's second cousins. It was a really amazing experience when Faith got baptized and confirmed this last Sunday. The Spirit was strong there, and it has helped strengthen my testimony about wanting this for everyone. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to see Faith get baptized and confirmed.

I am in the same area with Elder Winder, who is a great Elder. I am glad to be able to serve with him. He is from Orem, Utah and has been out on his mission for almost a year. There have been many times that have been hard, whether it be appointments falling through, doors shut in our faces, or when investigators go through a hard time, but every single time, as I have prayed for help or strength, the Lord has always been there to lift me up. I know that He is there for us, and as we put our trust in Him, He will help us through anything that we go through. I know that He loves us all, and I also know that He lives. I wouldn't have been able to achieve the growth and stretching I have done so far without the Lord's help and also without your help.

---David on 23 February 2015

I am doing great! We are in an English-speaking area big time. Not very many Spanish-speaking people here. About 1/3 of the TLM (Texas Lubbock Mission) is Spanish-speaking with 260 missionaries total. We are the second biggest mission in the U.S. But other than that, missionary life is just awesome!

---Matthew on 23 February 2015

    Elder Matthew Young on an exchange with the Zone Leader

Note from Steve:

The Lubbock and Minneapolis Missions are so big, they are surrounded by many other missions.

The Texas Lubbock Mission is surrounded by missions in Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, Wichita, Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Saltillo, Chihuahua, and Cd. Juárez. It takes about 8.5 hours to drive from one extreme to the other.

The Minnesota Minneapolis Mission is surrounded by missions in Milwaukee, Des Moines, Omaha, Rapid City, Winnipeg, and Toronto. It takes about 10 hours to drive from one extreme to the other.

By contrast, the Washington Federal Way Mission is so small, you can drive across the more populated area in about 45 minutes. It is surrounded by missions in Tacoma, Seattle, and Kennewick, all in western Washington.

Testifying at the temple and witnessing conversion

I am doing really well! I was able to teach a recent convert in my ward on the temple grounds, and our lesson was about the temple. So that was a super cool, and humbling experience. I learned a lot about how I can better use the temple in my area to tell people about it, because most people don't know anything about temples. Especially in Texas. Life is good! I am still in Lubbock. I have now been out for 8 months, which is 1/3 of my mission. Time is really flying by fast! Love ya tons!
---Matthew on 16 February 2015

This week is transfer week. I am staying in the same area, and I am with one of the zone leaders, Elder Styles for the next day, because my companion and a few others that are finishing their missions headed up to the mission home. Then I will be with Elder Winder, my new companion, tomorrow, who is a great Elder. I met him a few times before. I was able to meet him yesterday at zone conference, which was really great. I was able to learn some great things, and the Spirit was strong there. This past week was really amazing. Faith got baptized on Sunday and the baptism program was great. The spirit was strong there, and Serena, her mom, got up and shared her testimony, which was amazing. I am grateful for this opportunity we had to see Faith get baptized, and she will be confirmed a member of the Church this coming Sunday. I will have to send a picture next time, because I forgot my camera. Then we were able to see some less actives and a few of our other investigators this past week. I am grateful to be a missionary. It has been a great blessing in my life just in the few months I have been out. I hope everyone is doing great back at home.
---David on 17 February 2015

Watching lives transform

This past week was really good; it was full of miracles. We have been helping one of our investigators, Donna, with reading and understanding, and she has improved quite a bit in just the few weeks since we started helping her. Monte and she are great; they really want to do what is right. Then it is cool to see the changes that Serena and Faith have been making to come closer to our Savior. Faith set a baptismal date for this Sunday, so hopefully everything will go great. It was cool to hear Serena bare her testimony in Gospel Principals class this past Sunday. I know we wouldn't have all of these miracles without the help of the Lord. Elder Justensen has been a great missionary; he has helped me a lot with confidence and becoming a better missionary. I am grateful that I was able to serve with him. Transfers are in a week and a half, so I won't know who my companion is until next Monday.
---David on 9 February 2015

Blessing and helping people (and David's first mission birthday)

On Wednesday we had district meeting, and Elder Austad found out that it was my birthday tomorrow, so he and Elder Vang made brownies and the district sang to me. Then Elder Justensen got a cake at WalMart and made it for me on Friday, because we were busy on Thursday. This past week has been a little challenging with finding and thinking about taking over the area. When Elder Justensen leaves on February 18th, he ends his mission, but that is also good. The Lord is always there when I ask for help, which I am grateful for. This past week, we were able to get back into contact with Serena, which was really great, and I am grateful for that. She is doing better; she just struggles with some things she has gotten into with Word of Wisdom issues in the past. She seemed happy to see us. Then we were able to give a blessing to a former investigator, Mary who is in her 80s, I think, and her LDS daughter at the hospital. Mary isn't doing good, and they think she is going to pass away this week. It was good that we were able to give them both a priesthood blessing. Than we were able to meet with Donna and Monte. We have been helping Donna with reading and understanding, because she struggles with reading and trying to understand. That is going good.
---David on 2 February 2015

No fear, new companions, and new experiences

This past week was a little challenging, but good. We were able to have some good lessons with most of our investigators: Monte and Donna, Kyle, and Mary. They all came to church yesterday, which was really amazing. I am grateful for that. Mary we met a week or two ago. We were trying to find a less-active, but ran into her. She told us she is looking for a church to go to. She has been through a lot the past two years with health problems. There is a scripture that I really like which I came across this morning: 2 Nephi 22:2, and I know it is true that, if we put our trust in God, we shall not fear. Sometimes I can be scared to speak or do something, sometimes I might be afraid of what some one might say or do, but as we put our trust in God, we shall not fear. As we do our best, we can overcome our weaknesses with the Lord's help. This Wednesday after district meeting, I went on exchanges with our district leader, Elder Austed. He is a great missionary. I went to his area South La Crosse [about 30 miles down the river in Wisconsin], and it was a good exchange. He and Elder Vang know how to speak Hmong, so he would speak that language sometimes. We were able to stop by and visit one of their investigators who is probably in his 50s, and we found out that his brother just passed away and he was going through a hard time. I felt prompted to share about Anthony and the things that have helped me to get through that, and it was a good experience.
---David on 26 January 2015

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation. (2 Nephi 22:2)

Here are some photos of La Crosse, to give the readers an idea about what the area is like.

I am staying in Lubbock, TX another transfer. I'm still in the same area and at the same address. I am getting a new companion. His name is Elder Christensen. I am developing new skills in my life that I never knew would start to come into my life.
---Matthew on 26 January 2015

Apostles, Hawaiian companions, weather above freezing, and investigators' testimonies

Elder Bednar came this past Friday. He talked during stake conference and at my mission conference. So I got to hear from him twice. And I am doing great! My companion is going home this next week. He has served his time for now and is at the end of his mission. He is short and really tough. Like muscles. He likes to surf, sing, and dance. He is from Oahu in Hawaii. I get to visit the temple once a transfer in my mission, every six weeks. So pretty often!
---Matthew on 19 January 2015

The weather has been warm these past few days, in the 30s to high 40s. We had a great lesson with one of our investigators, Kyle. It was great. Before we left, Elder Justensen asked him if he knows the Book of Mormon to be true, and he said he believes the Book of Mormon is true, which is really great. We are also having him set a date for his baptism after he turns 18, which is in October.
---David on 19 January 2015

Miracles, blessings, and special experiences

This past week was great. This past week was full of miracles. We haven't been able to get ahold of Serena for a while. She is someone we have been teaching, and we were able to get back in contact with her and Faith on Tuesday. She relapsed into smoking and was depressed, so that is why we haven't been able to get ahold of her until now. We were able to have a great lesson with her and were able to give her a priesthood blessing, which was a great experience. After the lesson, she said she was feeling a lot better. Then we were able to see her again on Thursday with Sis. Leonhardt and Bro. Melton, which was good, too. Bro. Melton shared a really powerful testimony that seemed to help her, and we were also able to leave a blessing on her home.

Then while we were weekly planning, we got a call from a former investigator's daughter who is a member in a different area, and she felt prompted to call us and ask if we could give her non-member mom and sister priesthood blessings, because they were going through a harder time. The mom is in her 80s, I want to say, and the older sister is in her 50s or 60s. It was a really great experience to be there and to play a part in giving them both a priesthood blessing. We felt the Spirit, and I am sure they did, too. Then we were able to have a good lesson with Monty and Donna, some investigators we are teaching. We talked about the last 3 or 4 points in the Plan of Salvation, and I shared my testimony about it and how it has helped me with Anthony passing away, and I was able to feel the Spirit as I shared my testimony. I am grateful to be holding the Priesthood, and I know it is the power of God.
---David on 12 January 2015

I am doing great! Some exciting news that is going to happen and that has happened... I went to the Lubbock Temple with my companion, Elder Pahulu (from Hawaii), for a endowment session, and then I gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting. I talked about enduring to the end. My talk was based off the talk that was given in the October 2013 General Conference by Richard J. Maynes, and called "The Strength to Endure." I have the talk in my journal, so I will have to share that when I return home. But in the meantime, the big, exciting news is that Elder Bednar is coming to my mission and will be instructing us about certain things regarding our mission. So it's exciting that I will be able to meet a living Apostle! It's a humbling experience that I will have, and I will be grateful for it.
---Matthew on 12 January 2015

Touching people's lives

My mission has been a growing experience thus far. And I hope 2015 continues to make me grow and shapes me into what Heavenly Father wants me to be! I am grateful for your support and love! Thanks for all you do! This past week we have been working really hard with a less-active getting back into activity and quitting smoking, and we taught her the necessary steps to do so. So that's amazing to see someone quit smoking, and get back to the temple where ALL of God's children belong!
---Matthew on 5 January 2015

I really love the area I am in. I am in Winona, Minnesota, a college town. We take in small towns around Winona, too. My companion is Elder Justensen. I get along with him great. He is from northern Utah. Right now, we are working with Kyle. He is 17 years old, living with his grandma who is a member. Molly who is a friend to a less active family who is around 19. Monty and Dona who are around 50, and Serena and Faith who we are trying to get ahold of again. They are all great people. Here we have a branch, and about half of the branch is converts. I really love the branch and the people here. The weather has been getting cold here, and it is going to get colder from what I have heard. This picture is a picture of the zone that I am in. I am on the left side, and the one on the left of me is Elder Johnson who was my companion, and Elder Justensen is on my right side. Right now, I am just with Elder Justensen, and I am going to be with him for another transfer. Being on a mission has been a great blessing to me. I have seen a change in myself with just the few months that I have been out.
---David on 5 January 2015

Winona is a pleasant town on the banks of the Mississippi River on the border with Wisconsin about 3 hours southeast of Minneapolis. Here's a map showing the Winona Branch boundaries:

And this is Elder Swapp's current home (on the right side of the photo):

MN and NM

So did anybody else notice that our missionaries until recently were serving in MN and NM?

Happy conclusions from Cassandra

My mission has been one of the greatest blessings in my life...for some the Lord requires 18 months to 2 years; for me it was 11 months, and within those 11 months in Washington I was able to see the Lord's hand in so many ways. Whether it was helping people experience the power and love that comes from saying a prayer for the first time, entering the waters of baptism, going to the temple, listening and recognizing the Spirit, or trusting what the Lord tells them to do, to so much more.

I know that Heavenly Father has played a huge role in this adventure through the amazing times and the depressing ones, but if there's one thing I know, you will never regret serving the Lord. Although I am home now, that doesn't mean that my mission is over...there are people here, just like there were in Washington, in my case. For you, it's wherever you may be needed. You have gifts and talents that others may not, and you can be an answer to someone else's prayers, like I was so blessed to be. Never be ashamed to let your light shine and to follow the Lord and all that He prompts you to do.

---Cassandra on 4 December 2014

Matthew vs. the cows

Happy Thanksgiving! I am having a blast on my mission. I am loving it more and more every day! This past week I went herding bulls! It was a lot of fun!

---Matthew on 24 November 2014

    Look at how flat the northern Texas plains are!

Cassandra is home!

Cassandra finished her mission early and flew home from Seattle on October 21st. She had been living and working in her third area, in Renton. Ever since Anthony's death in May, she had been dealing with depression. The mission president and his wife were wonderful and made sure Cassandra got all the help she needed, including counseling and medication. But the medication had bad side-effects like headaches, and in the end they decided to give her a chance to recuperate at home.

 

We met her at the St. George Airport, and she was released from her mission by the stake president. She looks good and has been very positive about the whole experience.

Shortly after her arrival at home, Sherrena and Tonya and Cassandra made a trip to Yosemite National Park. They had a very nice time. Then Cassandra took a trip to visit a friend from her mission in Montana.

  

Cassandra was here for Thanksgiving and will be with us for Christmas as well, and then she is planning to move to a place near Billings, Montana.

So although she needed to rest from her missionary labors, Cassandra is feeling good and moving forward in a positive way. We are glad to have her around again.

How to explain these experiences?

I am doing really great! I am going to the temple this next week, so that's really exciting. I am learning so much on my mission! It helps me grow spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally. Really helps me prepare for the future that lays ahead of us! But the work is hard to explain in any part of the world or area that you're in. I think about that every day almost. How can I explain this to my family and friends? It's like being in a complete different world that has no distractions, because there are no girls, no technology, no worldly things, and you are free of any addictions and distractions. So you can really focus on what really "matters most." I am very grateful for the Gospel and the atonement that Jesus Christ performed for me and everyone! I love being a missionary!

---Matthew on 20 October 2014


We had transfers this past week. Here we get an e-mail or a call if you're a district leader or zone leader on Monday and then on Wednesday for me. I did work in my area with another nearby missionary, and Elder Harker and his companion drove to where they were switching and we met up with our new companions a few hours after. I stayed in the same area, which is good. My new companion is Elder Foggin. He is from Canada. He is into hockey and hunting. He has been out for around 10 months, and we get along pretty well. He is Native American and is really awesome.

This week has been good. We were able to do some good finding, and we went through the area book and got a list of names that we are going to stop by this week. We have seen good things happen with a few of the people we met from the area book. Also we have been meeting with Vivian, one of our investigators. She knows that she needs to be baptized, but she is afraid to make that commitment and not be faithful, so there are some things we need to help her with. And we had another good lesson with Melinda, another investigator, which was good. Also we have been helping a less active member family, the Davises. Bro. Davis has 2 kids. He is around 22, and we have been working with him. He got into some bad habits in his past with the Word of Wisdom. He wants to stop, which is good. I have been doing pretty good. I just got a little sick these past few days, but nothing too bad that would stop us from doing the Lord's work.

---David on 20 October 2014

Temple neighbors and progressing investigators

I am loving my new area and my new companion! My companion is Elder Moore. He is the simplest man you will ever meet on this planet! My area is the smallest area in the mission, but there are a lot of people! I see the Lubbock Temple many times a week! In fact, when we have Elders Quorum in the stake center, we are only 30 feet away from the temple! So that's always a great reminder about everything on my mission! I am doing great! I love being a missionary! It's loads of fun and hard work!
---Matthew on 29 September 2014


I have been doing pretty good. The weather is starting to cool off here. This week we had some slower days and some great days. One of the investigators we are teaching has a desire to get baptized, which is great. There are some things we still need to work on, including the Word of Wisdom. He has a little trouble with alcohol. He is working on it. He doesn't want to be pushed into something or feel like he has to do something unless he chooses to himself, so he is progressing a little slower, but he has that desire, which is great. He is engaged to a member in our ward and is from Africa.

We also helped a recent convert and her family move out, the Stevenses. The husband is a member, and the wife and oldest daughter got baptized before I came out. We are going to be doing a lot of moving and yard work this week for one member, and the rest are people we have run into. The ward is great here. They are all nice and have been helpful. We are also working with another investigator, Melinda, who is 37 and has 2 kids. Her husband is from Brazil. I think she is pretty close to making that decision to be baptized, but we still need to help her grow a stronger testimony of the Book of Mormon and help her with the Word of Wisdom. She drinks tea, coffee, and wine a few times a week. She has a hard time giving them up, but if we can help her find out for herself that the Book of Mormon is the true Word of God, then I believe she will have a stronger desire to keep the Word of Wisdom.

---David on 29 September 2014

Matthew transferred to Lubbock, Texas

Matthew was transferred in late September from the small towns of eastern New Mexico to an apartment that is a 15-minute walk from the Lubbock Temple. Our missionary addresses will always be updated in the address link in the right column of this blog.

Service among good people

I have been doing good this week. It has been cloudy and rained quite a bit here. Tuesday Elder Harker got sick. We think it was the flu, so we had to stay at our apartment for most of the day, but he is feeling better than he was, which is good, and I haven't caught it yet, other than a small sore throat. We were able to do more service than we have done. We helped Tony in our ward with his Eagle project. We laid mulch at an elementary school from 8 am to 11 am, than we had lunch and helped someone else in our ward move, and after that we were able to do yard work for one of our investigators, Melinda, which was good. With her husband from Brazil, she has two kids: 2 years old and 4 months old. Also I was able to have African food a few times with one of or other investigators, Melvin who is from Africa. It tasted good, but it's not my favorite, only because when they cook meat, they cook everything: bone, fat, skin, and something else that I think was cartilage. Also today we have a Labor Day picnic with our ward, which will be fun.

The best thing we were able to do this week was probably service. We were able to teach the Restoration to 2 people, which was good.

---David on 1 September 2014

Rough days are worth it

I am doing very well! I am about to hit my 3-month mark soon! And it has gone by like a bullet leaving a gun barrel! It's just gone by soooo fast! Some days are rough, but most days are well worth it, and I am glad I made the sacrifice and choice to serve, labor, and teach Heavenly Father's children and bring them back into the fold. They should have the same opportunity that I have to all the blessings Heavenly Father has given me!

The rough days can be boring, exhausting, frustrating, sad, and hard. Days like that can occur when we haven't had any success on one day, due to rejection and things like that. People aren't always the nicest in the world. But that's when the miracles come in and you knock on that one door or meet that one person who is ready to hear about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how they can apply those teachings to their lives.

I know this church is true! I love Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ with all my heart! Thank you for all your support and love!

---Matthew on 8 September 2014


BTW, it looks like various bands of thunderstorms have passed by David in the Minneapolis area in recent weeks and the weather is cooling down. Currently raining there, and they're only expecting a high of 54 degrees today. Winter is coming in the North...

What should I become?

I am doing well! I finished my 1st transfer about 2 weeks ago. And I am still in Dexter, New Mexico for another transfer, until this one gets over on Sept. 23rd. So I have 3 more weeks of being trained, and after that I have the potential to become a regular missionary, trainer, District Leader, Zone Leader, or whatever the Lord wants me to become.
I had ward conference recently in my mission ward. And the stake presidency spoke along with the bishop. And every talk was related to missionary work. In this life and the next. A question the stake president asked:

"What does the Lord need me to be?"

So I asked myself that and prayed about it. And I am waiting for an answer, but my mission is helping me grow soo much! Thanks for all your love and support!
---Matthew on 25 August 2014

Mini-what??

Sorry, I couldn't help but share this...

Almost foreign

Oh, BTW...

Matthew is living 1:45 hours away from the Mexican border.
Cassandra is living 2:45 hours away from the Canadian border.
And David is living 5:15 hours away from the Canadian border
(and part of Canada is within his mission boundaries).

David's first area in the mission field

David has now been in his first assigned area in Minnesota since at least Thursday. He is living in the town of Rosemount, 30 minutes south of downtown Minneapolis, just a short distance south of Eagan, MN and southeast of the Minnesota Zoo. Rosemount is small, but the whole area between Minneapolis and Rosemount is filled with suburban neighborhoods.

He lives in the Eagan Ward in the Oakdale Stake. It looks like they drive 8 miles west to their meetinghouse. The Apple Valley and Burnsville Wards also meet there.

He only lives about 20 miles from the Wisconsin border, and most of his stake is in Wisconsin (see the included map of the stake boundaries). He lives about as far north as Yellowstone, but Cassandra lives further north. David and Cassandra are now about 1,700 miles from each other..

All three now in the mission field

I am doing pretty good. I will send some pictures to you next Monday. My companion is Elder Harker, and he is great. He is a little taller than me and is from Idaho. Thursday was the first real day of doing work out in the mission field. It was alright. We tracted, and I need to work on that, because I sometimes I don't know how to start a conversation or what questions to ask, but I am doing a little better, and I will get the hang of it in a few weeks. The people here are great. I am meeting all kinds of people here.

There are a lot of lakes here, there aren't really any mountains, and it is green here, a lot of trees. There are also a lot of different religions here, which makes it a little harder to get people to listen to you. The ward here is great. We had a dinner with a member family each night except on Mondays, and last night we had Indian food, which was good. We had this kind of rice with spinach sauce stuff with cottage cheese things in it and this other dish that is some kind of vegetable that they soak in spices and than deep fry, which was good, The family that fed us Indian food is from India, and they are in the ward that I am in, and there are a lot other cultures in Minnesota.

Right now there is one progressing investigator, and we are trying to find some more investigators. The weather isn't too bad here; the highest it got was high 80's, and it has rained a few times here with high humidity. They just had one of the holidays they celebrate here, Leopard-cons Day, which is like 4th of July, so at a lot of the houses we tracted, nobody answered, because they were either at the fair or didn't want to answer. Also this Sunday in Sacrament Meeting, they did something that I haven't seen before, but they don't do it that often. It was kind of like Fast Sunday, but instead of going up and bearing your testimony, you would pick your favorite hymn, then come up and say why you like it, then we would sing that song, which was good.

The longer I am out the more I am used to being out in the mission field.

I hope you have a great week  =)

---David on 28 July 2014

This past week has been full of experiences! I fasted for a full 24 hours, and I saw many miracles while fasting and praying. I gave a priesthood blessing for the first time. That was quite interesting, and I was nervous. But the Holy Ghost put words into my mouth that I didn't even know I was saying. God does talk to others through our own voices, if we are worthy and willing. My companion and I right now have a investigator who is preparing for baptism on August 9th. And she has much potential for preparing for that day. They don't celebrate Pioneer Day as a New Mexico state holiday. But at church there were a lot of talks regarding the pioneers and the sacrifices they made so we could have all the blessings we have today, such as the temple. 
And the amazing beauty of the buildings!

Days are long, but weeks are fast! Thanks for your love, and support!

---Matthew on 28 July 2014

My week was good. I was sick for a few days, but that's normal haha. Nothing too exciting happened this week other than Shelia coming to church, which was amazing, and my companion and I sang in Sacrament Meeting. That was terrifying, but fun at the same time. (I just hope that next time we don't get voluntold that we are singing.) Then we taught the Gospel Principles class, which was interesting, because it was a last minute thing haha. Other than that, not much  :D  Oh, and we had housing inspections and we got an A+++ so yay!

---Cassandra on 28 July 2014

People seeking peace in the Gospel

My mission is teaching me soo many things! I am starting to develop love for the people I serve. The mission is going by soo fast! The days are long, but the weeks are fast! I am teaching several people, and we have 2 baptismal dates. One person is Ann. She and her husband want to be sealed in the temple for time and all eternity. But her husband is dying. So she has to be baptized first. But she wants to be baptized. She came to us as missionaries. That was a tender mercy, showing that Heavenly Father has prepared people to hear about the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know this church is true with all my heart! I know that Heavenly Father loves us individually, and blesses families! I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ! I love my mission!
---Matthew on 21 July 2014


Courtney got baptized, and her husband was able to baptize her! Yay! Her in-laws came into town to be here for her, and they are from Utah. The downfall was during church their truck got stolen, and they had left everything in it! I can't believe some people! We're going over today to see if they were able to find the truck yet. Other than that, some old missionaries who went home including my last companion came back to visit, and it was awesome seeing them. Shelia (the one that we have been working with) and the Veetches surprised us by coming to church on Sunday. And Sister Murray's daughther came and is now living with her, which is awesome. She is so happy to have her family together, and I love working with them.  :D  Not much else other than the fact that transfers are in 2 weeks, and I know that either I will be getting a new companion or leaving the area. President told me himself haha, and my parents told me a few weeks ago haha. They are in close contact with the president haha.  :D

As for the spiritual experience we had soon after Anthony's passing, we were driving in an apartment complex and we saw this girl (our age) crying on the curb with a few suitcases. We drove past, but then we felt like we needed to go back and talk to her, so we parked and ran to her... She opened up and told us how her home life sucks and how her boyfriend just passed away... We hugged and I was able to share my experience of having lost Anthony not even a few weeks earlier and how I knew that we would be able to see them again. I testified of the Plan of Happiness, and we were able to give her a Book of Mormon and tell her that it was all going to work out, that she just needed to trust in the Lord and trust that the Book of Mormon could help. We were able to get contact info, and we've been able to see her a few times since then.  :D  I know I am where I am supposed to be, even if it is a challenge at times, but hey, the Lord cares about our growth and progression in becoming more like Him than He does about our 100% comfort  :D
---Cassandra on 21 July 2014