Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all had a great week and a Merry Christmas. I had a Merry Christmas. It felt more like thanksgiving because I was so grateful for so much. I am so grateful for the loving and awesome family I have. I hope we all remembered the true meaning of Christmas. I hope everyone enjoyed each others company. I enjoyed the time we got to Skype. As a missionary Holidays don't really feel any different from another days. Christmas was very good though. 

We had a very good week this week. With Christmas and everyone gone we were still able to see a lot of people. We also were able to get quite a few investigators at church so it felt successful. We had a very good lesson last night. The spirit taught and it was a crazy lesson. It was with Iris (40), Brandi (16), and Dasha (14). We brought the Mcphersons a convert family. They are originally from Jamaica. They talk like everyone from cool runnings. Brother Mcpherson is always saying "Love you Brotha" to us. They are awesome the Mcphersons. We taught the plan of salvation and it didn't follow any lesson plan. I have never taught a lesson like that. The spirit was teaching. 

Leo wore his new suit to church it was awesome. His Baptismal interview will be this Friday we are very excited for him. Have a happy new year. Make a goal to read the Book of Mormon. Love you all!

-Elder Lords 

Merry Christmas!

Hey everyone! 

 First off Merry Christmas. I hope you have had the chance to watch the "He is the Gift" video on Christmas.mormon.org. It talks about how Christ is the first gift of Christmas. Its a great video! We had a pretty good week. We walked a lot! This area is a lot bigger than my area in Cedar Rapids. My bike finally got her this week some other missionaries delivered it. That will be good for when it isn't raining.

We are preparing for 2 baptisms one for a younger boy named Leo. He is so crazy smart it kills me. His cousin is a member and that's how we met him. He is going to get baptized either January 3rd or 10th. The bishop is being a little hard to deal with and wants the 10th so that's probably what will happen. He is so smart and he is very excited to get baptized and pass the sacrament. We also have a lady named Brandi planning to get baptized on January 17th.

There is a lot of great things going on her in Des Moines. We are staying busy. We got a couple new investigators. We didn't find as many this week. The last 2 weeks the lord blessed us with 10 new people to teach. This week he blessed us with 3 more people to teach. Joe and is daughter Katelyn are really cool! Joe is a mechanic and we talked about cars and engines for quite a while. Elder Sessions and I are enjoying are time here in Des Moines so far!

I want to leave with my testimony that I know Jesus suffered for all of our sins, but not just for our sins but for anything we go through. Trials and unhappiness he knows what we are feeling. We can ask for strength through prayer. "For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son..." That's a lot of love. Im grateful the fullness of the gospel has been restored. We are in the last days. We need to prepare for the second coming of our lord jesus Christ. We taught Elders Quorum (on short notice of course haha). It was on the second coming if you have a chance review the parable of the 10 virgins. I hope you all have a merry Christmas! I love you all!

-Elder Lords

Good Week!

Hello Everyone,

Elder Sessions and I had a very good week. We worked very hard and it defiantly paid off. We went to ward council and they asked for the missionary report. The ward mission leader gave it and the bishop and his councilors just kept doubting everything we did and all the dates we set for baptism. The ward is very hard to work with. The last missionaries put a very bad taste in the mouth of the members. A member walked up to us and said "hey your the new missionaries?" We said yes and the member said "Hopefully you come to church, cause the last Elders didn't." So that's what we are working with. We hope they will start to trust us a little because members are so important. 

 

The lord has blessed us with quite a few people to teach! We don't have the car this week so that will be fun haha! We will be walking around Des Moines. We aren't in the city though our area covers part of down town. 

This week we went on exchanges with the Zone leaders. The zone leaders are Spanish missionaries so they teach only Hispanics! So I was in all of these Spanish lessons and I had no idea what to say. You can still feel the spirit though. Then we had Zone Conference which was very fun! We kinda get to relax as far as relaxing goes for missionaries. We listened to presidents and the assistants train then we watched Ephraim's Rescue. We had meetings from 9 to 4! Super long but they are pretty easy to sit though after a couple you get used to it! Hope all is well!

 Also the church has a video out called "he is the gift". Please watch it and share it with your friends. to view it go to Christmas.mormon.org. Its an awesome video. I'm so grateful that God sent his son to atone for are sins. Have a marry Christmas and remember the true meaning of Christmas! Love you all!

-Elder Lords

 

Im in Des Moines

Well im now in Des Moines, Iowa. We are in the Easter Lake West area. I have a new companion his name is Elder Sessions. He is from Ashton, ID. He has been out about 3 months. I was asked to white wash an area. It is a little stressful. White wash means both Elders are taken out of an area and replaced. Usually one elder that knows the area and people stay but there were some problems. We don't have a lot to work with so we have been knocking a lot of doors.

We have a pretty nice apartment we live in the same complex as some of the other missionaries so that's nice. They live in a building just down the road.

We are trying to get to know the ward and fix some trust issues. The last missionaries were very disobedient and they caused some problems from what I understand. We live very close to the Airport here in des moines. The airport is actually in our area so that's pretty cool! Ill take pictures for next week.

We met a lot of new people this week! We found some new investigators also. We are going to work with a couple less active members also. Im excited to be in a new area. The ward is a lot smaller than Cedar Rapids. That's okay though. Im grateful to be serving a full time mission. We are in a car share hear also. We get the car this coming week so that will be nice. We have a larger area than my last area. We  also cover a smaller suberb of Des Moines called Norwalk. I hope everyone is doing well! Love you all!

-Elder Lords

P.S Picture is with the Masias a member family in Cedar Rapids that did a lot for us. And that is Barbra an investigator that is going to get baptized on the 20th. She is back in Cedar Rapids. 

 

Transfer Week

We received Transfer calls this week and I'm leaving. I'm sad because we have been working so hard and seeing a lot of success. I guess i'm meant to be somewhere else though. Im also excited to see a new area. Ive been here in Cedar Rapids for 4 months! The time is flying by for me. The last 7 week transfer was over in the blink of an eye.

For thanksgiving we ate at a couple of members houses. We were told to continue doing missionary work though. We tried but people arent to receptive on Thanksgiving. We worked hard though none the less. Its been really fun being in a Trio with Elder Gower my original companion and Elder Bouwhuis. We will only be together about 2 weeks total but its been a cool experience. Im sad to leave Cedar Rapids. Im excited to go else where though too! Im putting my guess in for Des Moines or Iowa City haha! 

We meet a really cool guy named Greg this week. He almost yelled at us but he sad he felt different this time having contact with missionaries. He is a Vietnam veteran and he is pretty cool! He is kinda like Grandpa Lords but he swears worse than a sailor! 

I am so grateful for all that im blessed with. I have an awesome family! I have the best friends. Ive been given so much! The song "Because I have been given much" keeps coming to mind. I really do need to give because I have been given so much! Everything we have is because of Heavenly Father. I love the opportunity I have to serve every day! The Lord is hastening the work. We all can be missionaries even if we arent on missions. Referring people for the missionaries is such a blessing! I know that God lives. He loves us all! I know that we have Prophets leading and Guiding are Church. Im grateful for Thomas S Monson. I KNOW he is a prophet of God! I love you all! Have and awesome week! Be careful! 

-Elder Lords 

Pictures are Thanksgiving and the District.