Hey y'all!
So, not a lot of missionaries are emailing today due to the holiday and all of the libraries are closed. However, we normally email in the family history center in the stake center, so that doesn't effect us at all!
So, not a lot of missionaries are emailing today due to the holiday and all of the libraries are closed. However, we normally email in the family history center in the stake center, so that doesn't effect us at all!
The re-dedication, the fasting and prayer, "hard in the paint" week - whatever it was, it worked. The zone set a record for people set with a date with 14 set, two for August and twelve for September. We're so excited and so proud of the zone for working hard and doing what they should...and we haven't even started zone "hard in the paint" week! Next week we're committing everyone to being 100% obedient in EVERYTHING; doing all of the little things that they normally overlook. After doing that ourselves in Desert Breeze and seeing the difference, I can't even begin to think about how awesome it'll be when 16 missionaries do that all at once. Great, great week.
I had an awesome experience on exchanges with one of our district leaders (and one of my good friends) Elder Birch. We were in his area, the Spanish Hills ward, and visiting a list the bishopric gave him of people they've never met. We knock on this one door, looking for a certain family, and a confused woman opens the door and says she doesn't speak very good english. Her son comes downstairs, maybe around 25, and invites us in. As we walk in, I notice pictures of Christ on the wall and an Arabic bible on their coffee table. The father comes downstairs and sits down with us as well and we learn they're actually from Iraq! They escaped Iraq in 2002 and moved to Syria where they lived for ten years, and then have been in the states for about 9 months, trying to acclimate to the culture and style of living. They were one of the rare devout Christian families back in the middle east, and were heavily persecuted. They had never heard of Mormons before - we started at ground zero and taught the first lesson and they loved it. The mom couldn't understand very well, so the son and dad would translate into Arabic for her and teach her the principles we had just taught them. It was probably the most spiritual lesson of my mission...they testified how they had felt like Joseph Smith before and they want copies of the Book of Mormon in their native language, which we can get for them. Awesome, awesome time, and I got emotional thinking about what it's going to be like when those countries open up for missionary work. I sincerely cannot wait.
I had an awesome experience on exchanges with one of our district leaders (and one of my good friends) Elder Birch. We were in his area, the Spanish Hills ward, and visiting a list the bishopric gave him of people they've never met. We knock on this one door, looking for a certain family, and a confused woman opens the door and says she doesn't speak very good english. Her son comes downstairs, maybe around 25, and invites us in. As we walk in, I notice pictures of Christ on the wall and an Arabic bible on their coffee table. The father comes downstairs and sits down with us as well and we learn they're actually from Iraq! They escaped Iraq in 2002 and moved to Syria where they lived for ten years, and then have been in the states for about 9 months, trying to acclimate to the culture and style of living. They were one of the rare devout Christian families back in the middle east, and were heavily persecuted. They had never heard of Mormons before - we started at ground zero and taught the first lesson and they loved it. The mom couldn't understand very well, so the son and dad would translate into Arabic for her and teach her the principles we had just taught them. It was probably the most spiritual lesson of my mission...they testified how they had felt like Joseph Smith before and they want copies of the Book of Mormon in their native language, which we can get for them. Awesome, awesome time, and I got emotional thinking about what it's going to be like when those countries open up for missionary work. I sincerely cannot wait.
The mission is awesome, I'm having the time of my life out here. Pday is going to be fun today; we'll be having a BBQ at this park. Next week, we're going to Mt Charleston again, so that'll be awesome! Then we'll be playing Quidditch with another zone (long story), then transfers. Here's hoping I stay in Lakes!
Love,
Love,
Jesse
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