Put your shoulder to the wheel

Aug 24, 2015

Hey, 

Things are going pretty well! We had a good week with a few meetings and a lot of finding. College started today so everyone was moving in last week, so we did a lot of finding looking for new people to teach. We were blessed to find a few sweet people! I am really excited for a man named Victor. He is from Florida and we met him on Wednesday night. He was so grateful to talk with us and just kept thanking us. Victor has a strong desire to be baptized. We just need to help him overcome some of his vices. 

We had MLC (Mission Leadership Council) on Tuesday and interviews on Wednesday. Our first full day of proselyting in our area was on Wednesday, but we worked hard to try and make up for all the time out of our area. After interviews, President and Sister Jensen took my companion and myself out to dinner. It was a cool experience to be able to just sit and talk to President Jensen. They are great people! Keep Jamal in your prayers. He is having trouble deciding if he should be baptized. We are just trying to help him in any way we can. This week we have Zone Training Meeting on Wednesday. Lots of meetings as a missionary! Haha! Three hours of church when I'm home will feel like nothing! I hope all is well! Love you! 

-Elder Lords

New Companion

Aug 17, 2015

Hello Everyone, this week has been a pretty good week. My new companion is Elder Bowden. He is a cool guy! We have been getting along well so far. Its been a lot of fun! He is from Oregon a small town called Banks. It is pretty close to Portland. I have really enjoyed serving with him so far. Jamal is supposed to get baptized this weekend, but he has been backing out a little today. We aren't sure what is going on for him right now. He is 14, and just maybe a little nervous. The week was pretty good. We had a few meetings, taught a few people, and planned for the new transfer on Friday. We had to plan exchanges and type up information for MLC on Tuesday. 

This week we have MLC on Tuesday from 9 to 5. Then we have interviews with President Jensen on Wednesday. I love interviews we just get to sit and talk with President Jensen its great. 

This week we have a few good lessons planned out. We will be teaching Michael he is a sweet guy. His wife is a little apprehensive, but she is willing to be baptized if she knows that the Church is true. This week has been a little stressful we are trying to help motivate then zone. We aren't living up to our potential here in Iowa City. Hopefully we can help the zone get motivated to work harder so the Lord can bless us. People just want to sit around and not exercise their faith and hope that they will just have blessings fall out of the sky. That can happen, but generally speaking we have to exercise our faith and work hard. A line from a song has been flowing through my head lately "sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven" from Praise to the Man. That line rings very true to me. Nothing easy is worth it. Salvation isnt cheap or easy. Christ suffering for us wasn't easy, it was cheap, but it was worth it to Heavenly Father. We are all worth it to our Heavenly Father.  

15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! 

Doctrine and Covenants 18:15

I know that this is Christ Church and I love telling it to the people in Iowa. I hope your all doing well. Have a good week be safe! 

-Elder Lords

Tranfser Week

Aug. 10 2015

Hey Everyone, This week has been a great week. We have been blessed to teach a lot more people lately. I love it. We keep finding kids under 18 that want to learn. Jamal who is supposed to get baptized this Saturday is 14. He has been taught everything. He comes to church all alone. Which shows a lot for a 14 year old. When i was 14 i wouldn't have wanted to go to church alone. It speaks volumes for his commitment. He just says he doesn't quite feel ready. Hopefully he will get baptized soon though. 

My companion will be getting transfered on Thursday. Its sad to see him go, but change is always good. I like change, in some aspects of life at least haha! The work has really picked up here in our area. It has been a huge miracle. I know it is becuase of the fasting and praying we have done. Im trying hard to work hard, be obedient, and trust God. If we don't work hard Heavenly Father won't just give us people to teach we have to be humble and seek them out. I had a great birthday. I cant believe that I am 20! Im so old haha! I love you all! Have a great week! Sorry my time is short! Have a great week. Love you all! 

-Elder Lords 

(Pictures are of the Zone at the last district meetings.) 

Kelly was baptized

Aug. 3 2015

Hey Everyone, I hope that everything is going well. Kelly was baptized this week which was great! She is a super great lady. She was super prepared to meet us. We met her 5 weeks ago last Sunday. She was super Prepared to get baptized! We also got to go down to the British Pageant this week with a part member family it was great. I love going to Nauvoo! I hope that my next area will be somewhere close to Nauvoo or in Illinois. 

Next week is transfers I cant believe how fast time is passing by. Next Thursday i will have been here in Iowa City for 3 months. My companion has been here for 4 and 1/2 months so he will probably get transferred.

We are also working with a sweet kid named Jamal Johnson. He is a 14 year old. He just moved here from Illinois he is the only one in his family meeting with us and he comes to church alone. It is pretty cool to see his desire. He is on date to be baptized on August 15th. We are excited for that. Keep him in your prayers if you could.  

I am so grateful to be a member of Christ's true church. I love that we have Prophets and Apostles guiding us. Its so hard for me when people think we worship the Prophet or that we don't need Prophets. The Prophets just help us focus on what is important in life and help us know what God wants for us. I love listening to conference talks. I will share a quote from a modern and also a Book of Mormon Prophet: 

"The essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ entails a fundamental and permanent change in our very nature made possible through the Savior’s Atonement. Trueconversion brings a change in one’s beliefs, heart, and life to accept and conform to the will of God (see Acts3:19; 3 Nephi 9:20) and includes a conscious commitment to become a disciple of Christ." 

Converted unto the Lord
By Elder David A. Bednar

October 2012 

I also love what Nephi says in 2nd Nephi 29. That chapter he talks about people who reject the Book of Mormon. I love that chapter its a short, but strong chapter. Read it. Love you all! Have a great week! 

-Elder Lords

Nauvoo Pageant

July 27, 2015

Hey Everyone, 

This week was a great week. We went to the temple and the Pageant on Saturday. It was awesome. It was so nice to be in the temple. I have not been to the temple in almost a year so it was so great to go! I love the temple. It is such a great way to serve. We then got to see some sights at Nauvoo. We went to the Browning Gun makers home, Jonathan Browning. It was very cool and while I was there I saw Derick and Debbie and there family. It was crazy. Then we were just given gift after gift. Members would see us around Nauvoo and want to buy us fudge or other souvenirs. People are super nice to the missionaries. You almost feel like a celebrity its crazy haha! The Pageant was sweet. If you havent seen it, you need too! Im going to drag my family out here next summer or as soon as I can. It is a sweet experience, it is a very good show. 

Kelly is on schedule to be baptized this week which is exciting. She passed her interview and is all ready to go. We just have to help her overcome the temptations that Satan will send her way. She is an awesome lady. We also are teaching a cool 14 year old named Jamal. He is on date to get baptized August 15th. We are excited for that! Good day for him to get baptized! ;) 

The pageant like I said was awesome. My favorite line was "You can rest in the Kingdom of God." Some contexct to that line it was said by one of the 12 Apostles in Nauvoo while he was sick from cholera. He was healed by Joesph Smith and Parley P. Pratt. His wife tells him to rest and he responds he has a work to do and says. "You can rest in the kingdom of God." I think that comment is so true. It motivated me to dig deeper and work harder. I can rest when i'm home or when i'm in the Kingdom of God. Here is a great quote from conference if I forget this when im home, someone please remind me. 

"I remind you returned missionaries that your preparation for life and for a family should be continuous. “RM” doesn’t mean “retired Mormon”! As a returned missionary, you “should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of [your] own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness."
The Greatest Generation of Young Adults
By Elder M. Russell Ballard

I love you all! 

-Elder Lords

Pictures are by the Mississippi and a memorial for all the Saints who died crossing the plains. 

Going to the Nauvoo pageant!

July 20, 2015
Hey Everyone, This week was pretty good. On Friday we drove to Nauvoo for Zone Conference. It was a super good meeting. At Zone Conference the Stakes always feed the missionaries and the Nauvoo Stake knows how to feed the missionaries. They made super good food for 80 missionaries. President Jensen had some of the Cast from the Pageant come and do one of the songs for the Pageant it was sweet. We are going to the Pageant this Saturday with a member of the ward. I am way excited to see the Nauvoo Pageant. The spirit at Nauvoo is unreal. 

This week we had some awesome lessons with Kelly. She is going to get baptized on August 1st. She is super ready. She will have her baptismal interview this Friday. It was so fun to teach her because she was already living all the commandments. She was prepared to meet us. She is keeping all her commitments she reads everyday and prays. She meets with us 3 times a week which most investigators would never do. We are really excited for her baptism! I hope your all doing well. Stay on the straight and Narrow path. It really will help us be happy. Love you! 

-Elder Lords