Hot and Humid!

Hello Everyone, Well I want to start out and apologize for all my grammatical errors in my previous emails. I don't take much time to proof read them. If there are a lot of errors today its REALLY humid today and my fingers just about slid of the keyboard haha. This week has been good. We had MLC on Tuesday. It was a pretty good meeting. Its long like I have mentioned before. We just talk about the mission and how we can improve. This week we taught Kelly several times. It was great. She is progressing towards baptism so well. I am so excited for her to be baptized and the blessings that came with baptism.

This week on Friday we will be going to Nauvoo for Zone Conference. It is about a 2 hour drive. We will have a van full of missionaries. It will be good. We almost got permission to go to the temple and stay for the pageant that night, but President Jensen did not want us driving home at from 11 p.m to 1 a.m. Hopefully we will be able to find a member to take us to the Nauvoo Pageant. This last week we also had the opportunity to watch President Packers funeral. That was a neat experience. I am so anxious to see who will be called as apostles and if they will wait until conference to do it. The church is true. I love the scriptures. Currently I am studying the Doctrine and Covenants and I am using an institute manual and it is great. So many gospel truths are held in the Doctrine and Covenants. I just finished Section 77 this morning. 

Alma 48:15-17. I am not perfect in anyway. I learn of more weaknesses every day and sometimes people remind me of my weaknesses, but I know that through the atonement I can and am made clean of my sins. I continue to mess up and make mistakes but as I turn to our Father in Heaven in prayer I know I can be forgiven and try harder to improve. Love you all! 

The gospel is supposed to change us its not about where we have been but where we are willing to let the Savior take us. One of my favorite quotes from conference “’Twas I; but ’tis not". 

-Elder Lords

Happy 4th!

Hello Everyone, I am proud to be an american. We were able to celebrate Independence Day with our Bishop. He is a great man and by far my favorite Bishop thus far on my mission. I probably shouldn't pick favorites, but he is a top notch man! He is a Business Professor and we watched the fireworks off the balcony of the University of Iowa Business department it was sweet. We weren't aloud to be out of our apartment after 6 unless we were with members.

This week has been great as far as the work goes. We are still trying to find people to teach, but we had an investigator at church. Kelly was at church and is on date to be Baptized August 1st. We are really excited for her. We are also teaching a sweet young couple named Michael and Michelle. Michael works at the Marriott as an engineer and so he sees President Jensen every time President comes to town. This week we will have MLC which means ill sit in a meeting from 9 to 5. Its great to be there, but it gets long. Luckily, I get to listen to President Jensen in MLC he tends to say it like it is. It is really funny. He is such a loving man. 

I hope all is well. I am so grateful for the atonement of Christ. I am so grateful that we can repent and that we can take the sacrament each week. I love the Book of Mormon. I know its the word of God. My favorite scripture on the Atonement is Alma 7:11-13. Have a great week. I Love you! 

-Elder Lords

Traveled back to Des Moines

 June 29, 2015

Hey Everyone,

I want to change things up and start my email off with my favorite George W. Bush quote: "Foul me once shame on you, foul me twice.... well you ain't gonna foul me twice." Haha! Just so everyone know that I haven't lost the humor in me! Well this week was pretty good! I got to Drive to Des Moines to see Eunice get baptized. They children weren't baptized because the Father who is living in Liberia still wouldn't allow them to get baptized. I was sad, but super happy Eunice was baptized and I was able to attend. We are 2 hours from Des Moines and in order to go a member had to drive us. Brother Melessa drove us. He is a great man. He works at the University in the Accounting Department. 

This week is also transfer week. We got the call this morning that Elder Whiting and myself will be staying together in Iowa City. I have been here 6 weeks(1 Transfer) which is crazy. The time flew by! We were able to teach a few new people this week. We taught Michael who is a really cool young guy. Michael recently was married, 3 weeks ago, he works at the Marriott as an Engineer. We are teaching him and his wife tonight. Due to transfer meeting being on thursdays the week of transfers we do not have P-Day on Monday. So this week we have P-Day on Wednesday. The work is going well. We watched Ephraim's Rescue this week with an investigator named Mark. Ive seen that movie twice now on my mission and it is the greatest! I love it. The pioneers and the early saints sacrificed so much for the church. I feel to have it so easy. We are really focusing as a mission on teaching with the Book of Mormon. I love the power that comes from that back. I know its true. Love you all! Have a great week! 

-Elder Lords

(Pictures from Eunice's Baptism and from the huge mosquito bite I got!) 

Teaching with President Jensen

June 22, 2015

     Hello Everyone, This week was a great week. We saw a lot of success in our area. We had MLC on Tuesday. MLC is Missionary Leader Council we just talk about the mission and any changes or problems. It is a cool meeting because you see everything across the mission, but it is super long! I used to think 3 hours of church was long but that is nothing. We sit in MLC from 9 to 5 haha! It is CRAZY! while at MLC President Jensen come up and said "I will be in Iowa City for a few days. I would like to go out teaching with you on Wednesday or Thursday." So on Thursday we meet President Jensen at 6 p.m. I was super stressed that the appointments we had would fall throw. They didn't thankfully. We had a member meal with a young couple named the Allens. Then we had a lesson with a man named Rick. When we got to Ricks house he said "ive invited my son, wife, and neighbor to listen to you. Come around back we will sit around the fire" It was a great lesson Rick(the grandpa), Ryan(Ricks son who has a family), and Ethan (the neighbor) all excepted the invitation to be baptized it was a great lesson. President Jensen just switched off teaching with us he is a great teacher. He was a Professor before he retired but the spirit is just so strong with him. We ended up getting out of the lesson at 9:25 p.m we are supposed to be home at 9:30 and we still had to take President Jensen to the Marriott in Coralville. As I was driving him, in our minivan haha, i got a little anxious and started to speed. I was going 32 in a 25 when our Car Tiwi told me to "check my speed". I was pretty embarrassed at first but President said he wanted to here what one sounded like haha! He wasn't too upset he just told me to slow down. It was a great evening! Hope all is well for everyone! Love you all!

-Elder Lords

Rain!

June 15, 2015

     Hey Everyone, This week was pretty good. It rained a lot. On Thursday we were getting almost 3 inches of rain every half hour for 2 or 3 hours. That's what I was told anyway. It was raining hard! We had Zone Conference this week. Elder Whiting and myself were asked to train on Opening our Mouths. What that means is we trained on talking with everyone and inviting everyone to learn more. It went pretty well.

This week we also had Tiwi's(black boxes) installed in our cars. Oh and we drive a mini van.... Haha we have to carry supplies or missionaries sometimes so they gave us a mini van haha! The Brethren are putting them in all the church owned cars to keep us safe. We have a card we tough to the box and it signs us in. It tracks all of our driving habits. If we speed, don't wear seat belts, or drive aggressively. Then we are rated each transfer. Pretty interesting stuff. I was excited to hear that Kade got his call. Liberians are the COOLEST most humble and excepting people. I will be going back to Des Moines June 27th to see and possibly Baptize Eunice and her 4 daughters who are Liberian. I am so excited. I love Africans!  Hope all is well! Love you all! This week we have a long meeting on Tuesday and Thursday but the other days we are hitting the ground running! I know the church is true. If your struggling with your testimony, read the Book of Mormon and pray! You will know it is true through the power of the holy Ghost. Love you!

-Elder Lords

Stake Conference

June 8, 2015

     Hey Everyone, This week was Stake Conference. Elder Christensen of the 70 was here and Elder Stacey of the 70. It was a great meeting. They talked about keeping the Sabbath day holy and missionary work. It was a great conference. President and Sister Jensen also spoke. They are my favorite people to listen too. They always have great insights and they love the missionaries so much! We also were able to spend some one on one time with President Jensen. President needed to get from his Hotel to the stake center for Priesthood Leadership meeting and he called and asked us to give him a ride. It was great. He is such a funny loving caring man. You would never guess from his pictures either.

We also were able to teach a few people. Uday is one of our investigators who is progressing the most. He is a cool guy from India. He has a thick accent but its sweet! He is a fun guy to teach! I just want to bear my testimony on Prayer and Faith. I have learned to truly put my trust in my Father in heaven and turn to him for help in prayer. I know that he listens and answers our prayers. Through the atonement Christ can take any burden we have from us. I love you all! 

2 Nephi 32:8-9

Living the Life!

June 1, 2015

    Hey Everyone, Things are going pretty well here in Iowa City. The work is starting to pick up a little in our area. This week we were blessed to find 6 new investigators. One of the new investigators that we taught is named Ben. He was a refferal from a guy in our ward named Ranon. Ranon leaves on his mission in 1 week and so his friend wanted to learn more about why Ranon was leaving on a mission. It was sweet! We were also able to know a lot of Doors and meet some cool indian People Krishna and Vicas. 

Being a missionary is so hard and so challenging sometimes, but it is so rewarding. I often think of the quote nothing easy is worth it. It is so true things that are worth it in life are meant to be hard. We talk to so many interesting people as missionaries it is a great experience. We talk to all kinds of people it is awesome. It can also be very funny. Sister Jensen (our mission Presidents wife) had something super funny said to her this week. The person said "If your just going to baptize me when im dead, why should i get baptized now?" People say the most interesting things. You could never prepare for all the situations you are put into as a missionary. Have a great week! I love you all! 

-Elder Lords

What a week!

 May 27, 2015

 

     Hello Everyone, First off that I could not email until today. Monday was Memorial Day so the library was closed. Tuesday we had a MLC (Mission Leadership Training). It was from 9 to 5. CRAZY long but great meeting. I love President and Sister Jensen.

I am now in Iowa City. My companion is Elder Whitning. He is from Eager, AZ. We have a sweet apartment. We live in North Liberty, IA it is just North of Iowa city. I am only about 15 or so miles from Cedar Rapids. The members are great in the ward. It is more like a ward from Idaho or Utah. Most of the people are from Utah haha. The ward has a ton of young families that are attending medical school or doing there residency at the university hospital. The missionary work is not as fast paced as i would like it to be. We live in a pretty wealthy area. That is okay though. We are going to work hard and im sure the lord will bless us with miracles. He has blessed me with miracles my hole mission.

I hope that all is well for everyone. We have been putting a focus on the Book of Mormon in our mission. While contacting people I often ask "Can I share a scripture with you?" People usually always say yes. I like to share Moroni 10:32
 32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

It is a new thing we are trying as a mission and its going to be great. Everyone we have done it with usually wants to know more. I hope all is well! Have a great week! Love you all!

-Elder Lords

P.S The pictures are with the McPhersons and Kory and Kayla. The McPhersons are the coolest Jamaican convert family ever. They have the sweetest testimonies. Kory and Kayla are some of the coolest people Ive been able to teach!

Im leaving Des Moines!

 May 18, 2015

 

   Well we got the call this morning that I am getting transferred. Who knows where I will be headed. I have tried guessing a little but who knows. President Jensen called and told me I would be getting transferred. He also asked if I would take on a new assignment as a Zone Leader. I am nervous for that.... Pray for me in this new calling.

What a great week! We had some great people at church and we were able to teach a lot of lessons so that has been great! I am really enjoying teaching all these people from Liberia. I am so sad to leave Euince, tuice, Shalleen, Daywulu,Nancy, Able, and Amira. They are the family from Liberia. I hope to be able to come back for there baptism on June 27th! I am also very sad to leave Kory and Kayla. I have really enjoyed my time here in Des Moines! We saw a lot of miracles this week and it rained pretty good the last few days!

P.S the pictures are of a super long lawn we mowed and of our district!

Love you all!

-Elder Lords

 

 

 

 

Happy Late Mothers Day!

May 11, 2015

 

Hey Everyone,

This week was pretty good! We were able to meet with Eunice and her 6 children. Eunice is from Liberia in Africa. I LOVE Liberians. They are the nicest people. Eunice brought her children to church last Sunday and then we taught them all Monday night. They are preparing for baptism on June 27th! The people getting baptized will be Eunice(the mom), Tuice(16), Shanell(13), Daywulu(10ish haah) and Nancy who will turn 8 this month! Then they have a 2 year old son Able and new born as of Last Tuesday named Amira. They are an awesome family! We are hopefully seeing them tonight. I pray that if I get transferred that I will be able to come back for there baptism.

This week there has been a lot of rain. Last night it rained hard for a few minutes. The streets looked like rivers. I hope everyone is doing well. Its almost summer I cant believe that. I am grateful for the chance I get to serve as a missionary. I hope all is well! Have a great week! I love you!

-Elder Lords