The typical meal

This week, October 23rd, we got to go to the stake center to have a zone preparation day. All of the missionaries in our zone met at the church and we had a pumpkin carving contest. I did not participate because I want to have a great looking pumpkin carved right before Halloween. So I am going to wait a few more days.

After the pumpkin carving contest we had dinner with Brother G. We had a hearty meal of a freshly hunted turkey, cranberries, mashed potatoes. It's a pretty typical meal here in rural Montana. There is almost always some sort of meat with mashed potatoes and gravy. As we were about to leave he had us follow him to his freezer, because he needs to get some more freezer space soon because elk season is almost here. So we went out to the freezer and he gave us some black bear meat from the bear that he shot and killed last week Now at home we have black bear meat, elk country smoked sausage, elk pepperoni sticks, elk cubes, and bacon.

Right after our dinner with Brother G., we had a lesson with one of our recent converts D. She is taking the new member lessons from us. Her husband is not a member yet, but we made sure he was there because as we were teaching D. we were going to teach J., her husband, the discussions. As the lesson went on, we both noticed that he was getting pretty emotional. During the part of the lesson where we talked about the first vision with Joseph smith, we noticed that he was tearing up and he was about to cry because he was feeling the spirit so much. So it was at that time that we both knew that he needed to be  committed to be baptized. So we did exactly that, when we asked J, D got all anxious about it and when he said yes she let out a huge sigh of relief. It was the perfect lesson because we did everything that we are asked to do. I can't wait to see him get baptized.

That very same night we went over to our Ward mission leader’s house to explain to him what happened with J’s lesson. His littlest daughter kept running around and having fun. Then Elder W pulled out his laser pointer that he uses to play with cats. So he was shining it all around and she was chasing after it trying to catch it. We were all laughing so hard because it was really funny. Then we shined it on her and she freaked out because she thought it was a bug and it made it even funnier until she started crying and then we felt bad. When would shine it on somebody else she would laugh because it was on them and not her!!!! We had a good time there and our ward mission leader is really excited for J as much as we are.

On Tuesday we had dinner with a member. It was a pretty good dinner; it was fried chicken and pheasant, mashed potatoes and gravy!! You guessed it! Typical Montana dinner! We went over to the G family on Wednesday night. We knocked on the door and he said, "Elder W! Come in!" It was funny how he knew it was us without even looking.  We asked him how he knew and he said that he doesn't really have a lot of friends so he figured it was us.

 We took some pictures for some #bookofmormoning. There is not one attached but the caption was, "If you ever feel like you are lost in the world, turn to the book of Mormon for guidance.  It will help you understand your purpose in life and where you should turn." the picture was basically us reading the book of Mormon in the middle of nowhere because that would represent the "lost" part of the picture. If you can picture that in your head.

On Friday we helped one of our investigators, J (#2), take apart his engine for his VW car. We took everything off the motor till it was just the block. Then we even took all of the parts off inside the block. It was pretty hard. We also helped the B family set up Halloween decorations, and also helped brother B put a timing belt back on their car. Let's say that we learned a lot about cars in the past two days.

This Sunday we had stake conference and the whole zone got to sing a special hymn.  We sang high on a mountain top. It was really good. President and sister Mecham were there and they spoke and the spirit was so strongly there.

Well that was my week and I hope yours was just as exciting if not better.

#BookofMormoning

This week , October 13th, we traveled a lot! We had to drive into Billings on Monday because we have to email and shop and do the other things that we absolutely cannot do out in our small town. Then we had to go in Tuesday because we had to go get our car estimated for hail damage. We have gotten some hail storms lately.  Wednesday we had our district meeting and we HAVE to go in for that. Then Thursday we had to go into town again to meet at the church for our missionary meeting with the ward mission leader. Friday we had to go in for a Facebook/online training. We basically went over the rules for Facebook and some of the things that we can do now. Something that I like that was added to the rules was #bookofmormoning. Basically what book of Mormoning is is that you take a picture of something that relates to a scripture in the book of Mormon and you have a picture of the book of Mormon in the picture. Then you put the photo on Facebook with the scripture as the description and then at the end, you put: #bookofmormoning. If you are confused even from my description then I invite you to go to Facebook and search for #bookofmormoning, and it will have tons of examples. I’ll have one picture of a book of mormoning for next week since I never got one this week. Remember to have the Book of Mormon in the photo!

I had the opportunity to play in primary AGAIN this week. it looks like they do not have a piano player for primary and they have the primary program not this Sunday because its stake conference but the next Sunday and I might have to play for that as well if they do not find a player! We were finally able to get in with one of our investigators this week that we haven’t seen since I got here seven weeks ago. It has been really hard to get in contact with them. It is mostly a hit and miss situation. 

Oh my aching back

Our mission is going through a purification process. Sending things home that we have collected over time, and do not need, or non approved media, this is in preparation for the missionaries to go to the temple. Even though I did not have much to send home, I noticed I had a few things. I am so excited to be able to attend the temple in the next two weeks! It is always a good thing to go to the temple whenever possible. Whenever you get the chance, you should always take it. nothing beats going to the temple.

We were able to meet with J. who we have scheduled to be baptized this coming Tuesday. We met with him on Wednesday to make sure that he still wants to be baptized, and also to finish the lessons. We were able to cover the topic of chastity. The topic of chastity is always a hard subject to explain without making weird. We still needed to finish the lessons of laws and ordinances. We were able to meet with him on Friday and finish the lessons, as well as get everything set up for the baptism. We scheduled the baptismal interview to be this Sunday. He is ready to be baptized!

One other thing that happened this week, happened on Friday as well. We got a text from one of our investigators, J. (a different person), who was in town. We went to see him first thing the next day. He still has a desire to be baptized, but his dad doesn't want him to until he turns 18. He told us that his sister got baptized in another church, and his dad let her be baptized even though she was not 18 either. We told him that the devil doesn't care if people get baptized in the wrong church, but he cares if they are going to be baptized in the right church! We are struggling a little bit on how we can help his dad let him be baptized now and not when he his 18.

This ward is a very missionary work minded ward. We are very privileged to go on splits with the members every Sunday and Tuesday. It's kind of hard for me to go on the splits when I don't know the area and the people to well. Most of the time we go and see the people that the members have in mind. I'm getting to know the area better and better each day though.

One other thing that happened this week was really back breaking. We helped our elders quorum president pour some concrete stairs. He had about 20 stairs that wrapped around a retaining wall. We went over at 10 in the morning and helped out making sure the forms that we made were going to hold up and there were not going to be any blowouts while we were pouring. We started pouring around 2 and finished around 6. The reason why it took so long was because he didn't order enough concrete and we had to wait until the truck came back. One thing is for sure, concrete work is really…REALLY hard bending over all day is no fun and for the next day my back was aching, along with Elder Wilson's.

Pouring concrete stairs



Local HS football game

They also went to the local HS football game. Not sure, but we think the second J. may be playing. At the very least, hopefully someone they are working with was at the game. Then again, it is a small town, so maybe almost the whole town  is not home during the games.

Farewell Malta

This week was the longest week ever. I thought that I was going to be staying in Malta for sure. Elder Sumner and I got along really well, and we did a lot of service and work there and I loved the area.

a picture of my zone

At least now I won't have to drive for 4 hours each week for district meetings. My new companion is the district leader. 
I am now in a big city, with 6 sets of missionaries. My companion and I live with a member in their basement. I am already seeing myself adjusting to this area and I love the people here. I am doing very well.

I sent a box home that has a hat or two or three in it. These were given to me by a really cool guy. I kept others to wear during service projects. You can try them on and take pics with them and send them to me to see how you look with them. That's the only time that you can wear them. When I come back off my mission,  and speak at my homecoming, I might be wearing boots and pants and a vest and a hat. That would be a sight to see. (Don't forget the bolo tie)

Have a cookie there captain

I am so exited for this upcoming transfer! I can’t believe that it has already been 6 weeks! This past transfer went by so fast, me and Elder Sumner are really good friends now.  We both think that we are going to stay here in Malta for this next transfer, but who knows where we might go? I’ve really come to love this place and this people here in Malta. It would be really hard to see myself leaving this place, but I couldn't see myself leaving Belgrade either. I feel like I am supposed to be here for another transfer. The work is going really well. We have been working with members, and have a few people progressing toward baptism in the next few weeks. We have been praying long and hard for them. 


Should have been a cowboy

This picture is of me and Cliff. He is the coolest guy you could ever meet! He is so nice and he always says, " so how many did you convert today?" every time that we would go and see him. When we are there he always feed us cookies and he always says, " have a cookie there, captain.."
We helped out with the rodeo again this week, pushing cows up the chutes. I almost got kicked a few times.

Thanks for the packages that came this week. I got a packaged that contained some cowboy boots, and another package that had some 4th of July decorations and homemade treats.

Probably the coolest Mormons ever

I think this week was very beneficial to me. During our district meeting we made goals to have at least 2 more people in each of our areas that have a date for baptism. After the district meeting we had exchanges with Elder Eddington and Elder Oaks. We did not accomplish our goal but we got two more people on date yesterday, even though its next week. Right after the district meeting, Elder Sumner and his exchange companion for the next 3 days, got 3 people on date 2 hours after the meeting. The dates that we have set already are really solid and they are set for the 5th and 12th of July.

When Elder Eddington told us that I was going to be staying in my area, I about freaked out! I did not think I was able to take on the role of senior companion for three days. Partially because I did not think I was ready because this is only my second area. I saw myself coming out of my comfort zone and talking with a lot more people than I usually do. It was really neat because I am now somewhat comfortable with being the senior companion. But I am grateful that elder Eddington felt inspired that I should be the senior companion for the exchange.

We were walking down the road to a less actives home and we see these two young people sitting on an island in the middle of the road with a sign that said, "STUPID TRAVLIN' HIPPIES". We decided that we were going to talk to them. We ended up talking for a really long time. There was a guy that was 25 and a girl that was 18. They were pretty cool people. He told us that he was Mormon and that his dad is a really good practicing Mormon and he has been traveling for over 5 years. Somewhere down the line he met this girl that was traveling. All they do is hop onto freight trains and go to wherever it takes them. They stay there for a few days and get some money for food and such. He said he has been to every single state in the USA. (I am guessing he didn't take a train to Hawaii)He had a lot of stories to tell. We were going to see them the next day but they had left that morning on a train. They were both trying to get to the east coast. Who knows! They are probably already in Nebraska now. They both said that we were probably the coolest Mormons that they have ever met. They made like 30 dollars within the hour that we were there talking with them. It’s a rough life but it sounds like it pays pretty well. (Not my idea of how to make a living. (one of McKade's great- grandfathers had been known to travel by train back in the day, so maybe it's in the blood) 

I’ve been asked how big our church building is. Well it is REALLY small. I can walk throughout the whole thing within 15 seconds.

 

Listen. . . . Listen . . . . to the still small voice

The small town life is great, even though the whole town has been tracted twice already by Elder Sumner with his other companions. I am thinking that I would like to get some cowboy boots. I could wear them for service because the only shoes that I have for service now are my basketball shoes. Everyone around here has boots and so I feel left out and weird. We went and looked for some at a store, and the cheap brand of boots in my size are like 190 dollars. That is not what I would call a cheap brand of boots.
I checked our PO box on Saturday and we got a package, but we could not get it because the office was closed. We went to the post office today (Monday June 16th), and it was a package from Grandma Jones full of food.



Miles and miles of wheat fields
 

Each week, we eat with the same families for dinner. Monday's we eat with one family, on Tuesday's we eat with another family and so on.



Zone Training here we come
 

This past week was really cool. First off, we helped out with a youth rodeo all day. It was good because now everyone knows us and we got a lot of lessons from it. We were driving back from zone training, which is 200 miles away, and Elder Sumner got this feeling that he should put his hands on the wheel firmly. He did and not too long after he followed that prompting, our front tire blew out. If he hadn't listened to that prompting we would have crashed because the car jerked really hard. We pulled over, and a short time later a highway patrolman pulled up to check on us. We were fine, and we changed the tire ourselves. We got our tire fixed and then drove to a less active members home. They live on a 5,000 acre wheat farm and there was wheat fields for DAYS!!!!!!  We are anticipating 4 or 5 baptisms in the coming weeks.

 



Service with a smile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and a cattle prod

We got a call on Friday from the Branch President and he wanted us to speak in church that Sunday. I knew that as a missionary that  would probably happen, but he was nice enough to give us a few days notice instead of right when church is going to start. My talk was on changing our fears to faith when it comes to missionary work.
A lady came up to me  after church and said that I helped her to think about something that she had never thought about before and that I helped her to see the light.

Rodeo grounds service project

We don't have bikes in my new area, because everything is so spread out. Each week for district meeting we have to drive about an hour and a half. This past week we did a number of service activities. We mowed a lawn, planted a garden, and helped out at the rodeo grounds. Prior to the rodeo, we built a desktop in the announcer and scorers booth. During the rodeo, we helped the cattle get moved from the holding pens, into the chutes. I got my first experience using a cattle prod. There are rodeos here about every week, so we may be helping out with some of the other rodeos. I also ran into a fellow WLHS Alumni, Elder Linton. There are a few other people from my graduating class in this mission. I am sure I will run into them sometime in the future.




Elder Linton and I - Go Thunder!

So Long Belgrade

I got a call from the zone leaders about transfers, and they told me that I was going to be staying in Belgrade. The next morning they called back, and I was told that I was not going to be staying in Belgrade after all, and I was leaving the next morning, so I had to pack everything together fairly quickly. After what seemed like an all day ride in the car, I arrived at my new area. It is a small town (aren't they all in Montana) with the nearest town of any size about 100 miles away. I like the people and the branch that I am in is really small with only about 30 members.

My new companion is Elder Sumner, from Highland, Utah and he loves to rodeo. The sunsets are gorgeous here.  We might help out with a rodeo coming up, helping with the chutes or something.  We also might help with some branding.  For my first preparation day in the area we are going to be going golfing with a member, it is going to be fun. (It looks like there is a Country Club not far from town) Since I am in a branch instead of a ward, the work is kind of slow here, but we are going to change that!

First Baptism - Wolf run over

This past Saturday we had a baptism! It was awesome. I was able to confirm her which was scary! She is 11 years old and her family are members but they had been in active. We were able to help them to come back to church. This was the coolest experience that I have had on my mission.

A few days ago, we were riding our bikes and we were going straight and all of the sudden, Elder Wolf turns right in front of me and I had no time to brake, so I t-boned him and flipped off my bike. I landed on the concrete on my back, and skidded across the pavement a few feet. My slacks are all ripped up now and I need to get them patched up. This all happened right when school was getting out and there were a lot of cars. My wrist started to hurt a lot but it was not broken it was just sprained. Luckily I was wearing my backpack and that saved me a lot of hurt, and I was wearing my helmet. To all those kids that don't wear helmets. WEAR THEM!!! They will save your life someday.

Because momma taught me good

First mission haircut

This week I got my first haircut while on my mission. It was also the first haircut in my life that I got from someone other than my mom, or grandma. I got it cut by a member. She did a really good job. She was surprised that I knew what size guard to use for the clippers. I knew,because momma taught me good.

We have 3 baptisms lined up for this Saturday. I know that they are going to get baptized. We shared with one of them that is getting baptized the first vision with Joseph Smith. We asked her how she felt after watching the video, and she told us that she felt warm and fuzzy inside! We asked her if she wanted to get baptized and she said yes and asked how long she was going to get held underwater. we told her that she just had to be completely submerged underwater. We also showed her a video of the prophet Thomas S. Monson speaking. We asked her what she thought about him and what he said in the video. She said that she felt that he was speaking directly to her. We also got to have exchanges with the other missionaries in a nearby town for a few days. When I got to the other town, me and my temporary companion Elder Swenson. went to the food drive place and bagged about 100 bags of Fiber One cereal for 2 hours.

Wonderful evening

Wonderful morning

 

Transfers are here already, and time has gone by really fast. I've looked back at where I came and realized that I have been out as a missionary for almost 2 months!!! I've already come to my first transfer, and to think about it more...I've got 94 more scout camps to go. It's nice to hear from y'all and see how your doing. and you might be wondering if I am having a great time here in Montana. just look up Alma 11:33.

 A week or so ago, we had a Zone conference. My companion was scheduled to play the guitar and sing a song. As luck would have it, his voice was having troubles, and he wasn't able to sing. I said that I could play something in his place. I didn't have any sheet music, so I went to another room to practice a rendition of "I am a child of God" that I had played before my mission.  When it came time to play, it went really well, even without any sheet music.

This past Sunday, Mother's day, my companion and I had the opportunity to talk in church. Being Mother's day you could probably guess, my topic was  on ............. Revelation. I talked about how Joseph Smith received revelation as an answer to his prayers. Prophets in the ancient days received revelation, and how revelation is necessary even today for our salvation. We can all receive revelation. How do we or the people we teach about the gospel come to learn that the Book of Mormon is true? It is by revelation. We can all receive revelation.

Mckade via Facetime

Also on Mother's day I was able to call home. We talked by phone for a little while, then we were able talk using Facetime (video chat through an iPad) similar to Skype. Talked about how things were going, and the good time I was having.

Who really wants to get the prime Facetime location?

From his family's perspective, it was good to see that Mckade is having a good time, and gaining lots of experiences. We were able to see his companion, Elder Wolf. He is from Yucaipa in southern California. When Mckade was asked about having to eat any new or strange foods, he mentioned that he has had elk and deer burgers, and that they were pretty good.

Lov'n Montana

Beautiful spring sunset in Montana

 Montana has been really good so far. Just about every night we get to eat with members in their homes. We get plenty of food at each dinner appointment, then of course dessert is served. By the time we finish eating, we are waddling out the door like penguins. It makes it a little hard sometimes to get back on the bike to travel to our next destination. We are blessed with generous members in this area. One night we did not have a dinner appointment, so we stopped on our bikes at a local Chinese restaurant. It was a lot more expensive than we had anticipated, so I ordered about the cheapest thing on the menu. When we went to pay the bill, we were told that someone else had already paid the bill for us. That was quite a surprise, and a blessing.

Feeling like a normal person.

#Selfie with #Elder W.

Currently we have one person set with a baptismal date. If all goes well, "H" will be baptized before the end of the month. Our District had baptism a few weeks ago, which we rode our bikes to in the rain. We were wet when we got there, but it was worth it.
We got to go to a Vocal Point concert. They are an a cappella ensemble from BYU. I felt short getting my picture with one of the singers who is 6'10".

I thought I had died and went to Heaven

Elder Daniels Finally made it Montana after two good weeks in the MTC. He flew into Billings along with nine other missionaries.

"I am staying at a members home. They own a piano moving and tuning business, and they have a huge garage full of really nice grand pianos. My companion Elder Wolf, showed me the garage and I thought that I had died and went to heaven. It turns out that Elder Wolf is learning piano and so we go in there and practice every day for a little bit. The weather has been perfect. There is so much work that we have to do in this ward though. Right after my companion picked me up, we went to Wal-mart to get some food and we saw one of our investigators working there. He is a really good guy but he has a lost soul. We already have one person on date for baptism."

The MTC - Week One

The first week in the MTC was a busy one for Elder Daniels. Shortly after drop off, he ran into some kids he went to high school with, not sure if he has seen his best friend who entered the MTC a week earlier.
While Elder Daniels stayed busy, his family at home waited day by day for his first letter to arrive.  As a missionary, he only gets one day per week in which to do laundry, write letters/emails to family and friends, and any thing else that needs to be done for the week, such as grocery shopping.

And he's off.

We as a family were able to write letters daily, that were delivered directly to his MTC mailbox. Elder Daniels received those letters daily, but could not respond until his preparation day (P-day).
We also learned that some missionaries don't get a P-day their first week in the MTC and that it could fall on day 8, 9, or 10. It was a little strange writing letters/emails each day and not to receive a response back after 7 days.
On day 8 the first email from Elder Daniels was received. The opening line of the email read.

"What a week! I thought that I would be missing you a lot, but the truth is, I haven't because I am so focused on the work ahead. "

"When I got to my room my host said that there are what missionaries call "narnia holes." I thought it was a weird term. Basically, the previous missionaries in dorm rooms hide candy, letters, or a list of all the missionaries in that room in like the outlet holes. It's kinda like a time capsule thing. We found one in the outlet hole that had a list of missionaries that stayed in that room. The oldest year that we saw was in the late 80s. So I thought that they were here when dad was here, but my roomies think that the elders were faking it. We all put our name on that list and hid it again in the outlet hole."

His dad served in Brazil from 1989-91,  and spent 2 months in the Provo MTC, but never heard of a "Narnia hole".

He said the food is good, but would certainly like a greater variety of food. He said that it seems to rotate about every 4-5 days, so he has already eaten the same thing twice in the first 8 days. He was excited to find the ice cream freezer which is available each Sunday and Tuesday.

Eternal "Life" for breakfast please.

Elder Daniels and his companion were called as a zone leaders, and they get to take people on tours of the MTC, he is pretty excited to do so. One thing that he has learned, is that anything you do or say can and will affect those you are teaching.
 Next Tuesday is the day to head off into the Billing Montana mission field, and the first plane ride, or at least the first one that he can remember.

To end his email he said, "My time is up, keep sending me letters."
 Peace out, Elder Daniels"

The Story of the Bumble Bee

"It is a scientific fact that the bees body is too fat for its wings, and the bumble bee had a lot of oppositions and fears. That because of the awkwardness of its body, it would not be able to fly, but one day it just got up and flew away."
                                                                                                                     


Now what is the moral of the story?

Even though fears are keeping you from doing what you want to do, you do it anyway and you will not regret it.

Missionary Training Center drop off

Today was the big day for the Daniels family. It was the day we have all been waiting for, and sort of dreading at the same time. The day finally came for Elder Daniels to enter the MTC for his short two week stay. It is certainly a day with mixed emotions, as Elder Daniels is going on to do the work of the Lord. Sad to see him leave us for two years, but excited, proud, and grateful for the work he will be doing during his time in the MTC and in the Billings Montana Mission.

You could see the excitement in his eyes, as well as a bit of nervousness for what lies ahead. Today marks another day in the life of Elder Daniels, that will be life changing, not only for him, but for others that he will come into contact with in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. As Elder Daniels said in his "farewell" talk last Sunday, this begins the 1st of 104 scout camps, refering to the time he will be away from home, as not 2 years, but 104 weeks of scout camp.

The work being preformed is much more important than the work done at scout camp. Elder Daniels will be blessed, and will bless the lives of others.

Farewell

Elder Daniels had his farewell, or send off talk Sunday March 30th 2014. His was extremely thankful for all those that came to hear him talk, wish him success, and support him has he heads off to the Billings Montana Mission.

During his talk Elder Daniels spoke of different uniforms that he had worn in the past, such as a Boy Scout uniform, or a high school golf team uniform. Then said that the uniform he will be wearing for the next two years, as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was the most important uniform that he will put on in his entire life.

He spoke of how the characteristics mentioned in the Scout Law, are all attributes of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those characteristics are trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. See John 6:38, John 15:13, and Matthew 26:39 for a few scriptural support.

One of the funniest moments of the talk was when Elder Daniels said that the longest he had been away from home to date was for scout camps which lasted a week. Now this will be just like going on 104 consecutive scout camps

Elder Daniels talked about times in our lives when we have to make choices, and we can chose to be like Jesus and do as He would do, or we can make the choice the Christ would not have done. We need be like Jesus, even when the choice is hard.

Elder Daniels also played an arrangement of the song We'll Bring the World His Truth.

The word of the song are:
We have been born as Nephi of old
To goodly parents who love the Lord
We have been taught and we understand
That we must do as the Lord commands
(chorus)
We are as the army of Helaman
We have been taught in our youth
and we will be the Lord's missionaries
to bring the world his truth

We have been saved for these latter days
to build the kingdom in righteous ways
We hear the words our prophet declares
Let each who's worthy go forth and serve
(chorus)

It was a great talk, and song played by Elder Daniels.
This was followed up with a get together with family and friends.

 

Elder McKade Daniels is preparing to serve the Lord in the

Billings Montana Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints