Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Slow Week

This week was pretty slow. On Wednesday we went to district meeting and my companion was feeling really sick. He woke up and was fine until it hit him like a brick wall in district meeting. We went home from district meeting early because we didnt want to have everyone else sick. But we still called into the district meeting, so we could still listen to what was being taught. We got home and he took a rest while I studied and cleaned up the apartment. We didnt do anything for the rest of the night until the zone leaders came over to see why we left district meeting early because they did not know why he was sick. Then the  next morning he felt better, but still didnt feel well. We were able to go to dinner and see some less actives and that was about it. On Saturday we got to go to the
Lyons for breakfast. They are in charge of checking the cleanliness of the apartments and cars. They try and feed all the missionaries in the zone at least once a transfer. We had pumkin spice french toast.She said that she looked up the recipe on pintrest. If you want to, you can look it up and make it yourselves?  After the breakfast we got to go to the primary practice so that I could help out. There was nobody there to lead the music so they asked me to lead. But on Sunday I just held up the pictures and words. But also on Saturday we helped the Cranford's split wood they got, with an ax. Yipee! It was fun but I got a bad blister too. Our investigator, who we helped take down the motor in his car, was at church this Sunday for the primary program. He had a good time but couldn't stay the whole 3 hours. Other than what I  have just explained, that is about everything that is happening this week. Its getting about 25 degrees in the morning now here in Montana. WINTER IS HERE!!

How much wood would an Elder chop if an Elder could chop wood?

-Elder Daniels

Sunday, October 26, 2014

I'm going to the Temple


I was so excited to go to the temple this week! There is never a better opportunity than to go to the temple. We should always strive to go to the temple as often as we can. Doing work for those that have passed on is the best feeling ever because you can feel their love for you. I took some photos of this occasion and attached them, and there should be some photos of the zone together at the entrance of the temple later maybe next week. Even though we are VERY limited on miles, going to the temple is so worth it.

The next day after the temple trip we had zone conference. The assistants had given us discussions and then we joined together and president and sister addressed us. I don't quite remember what sister


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. 

Friday, October 10, 2014

28th scout camp six months out in the mission field


This week has gone by really slow because we were already over miles for the month last month and we tried getting rides everywhere. We mostly stayed around Worden and Ballantine walking or riding our bikes. We have tried to go see Someone who we are working with to try and get him to stop chewing tobacco. He hasn't been home lately because his water heater was leaking and now he is staying at his parents for a while and we don't know where his parents live.

But on Wednesday we went and saw our investigators again. The past few times that we have met with the Family. Their son has always had a fit where he is swearing EVERYTHING at us and everyone else. We have explained, as well as 4 other missionaries that have worked with them, that if they read the scriptures with Him then he wouldn't have the tantrums any more. Just this past week they started reading together. And they said that he hasn't had a tantrum since. And we were like, "HELLOOOOOOOO! WE HAVE BEEN TELLING YOU THIS THE WHOLE TIME!!!" I know that scripture reading when times are hard will help you calm down. It works! That same day that we had met with the Family we saw a bald eagle off the side of the road. We thought it was cool so I took a picture. and it actually looked at us which was awesome.

On Thursday we got to help out with the wood splitting and delivering project that the elders quorum planned. We turned the 4 tons of wood that we cut last Tuesday into 10 trucks bed loads and two huge gooseneck trailers full, to take to peoples houses that need it for the winter. We finished splitting And delivering the wood in about 3 hours. The splitting went by so fast because we had 3 log splitting machines. It's crazy how easy those splitters split the wood. They can split the wood with 22 tons of force!

This week marks my six months out on a mission and also 2 of the 4 general conferences in my mission. I've noticed that this conference sessions were focused a lot on the sacrament and the grace of the savior. I hope that everyone has had some sort of revelation that they have received from this conference. Now since conference is over, we got a call that we have to wear our suitcoats. EVERY DAY!!! We get to wear them till the next conference in April.

Also, the new movie meet the Mormons is coming to Billings. For the past week we were instructed to tell everyone about the new movie to get it to be able to play here In Billings. But still, as missionaries, we are not allowed to be in or even around any movie theater. Elder Holland actually told us that. Not in person though. We were able to get it pre screened under the direction of the mission president. I would invite all of you to go and see it when you can. to find out where the nearest movie theater has it. go to meetthemormons.com and find one near you. Go and see it.

Hope you've all had a great week and a great conference. Till next week.

-Elder Daniels

Howdy ya'll

We did a lot of service this week. On Monday we went and visited the Cranfords, brother Cranford said that he was going to be splitting some wood on Tuesday and he had a whole trailer full of logs. We went back over on Tuesday afternoon and unloaded half of the wood for him and put in in a log pile. The other half of wood we split with axes for him. Since it was my first time EVER splitting wood.  I took it pretty slow just so  I could get the motion down and to make sure that I was hitting the same spot on the log so  I don't miss and hurt myself. Because that wouldn't be good!!  Most of the logs that I split, it took about 12 swings to finally split it in half and then ANOTHER 8 just to split it into quarters. It took a while for me. But near the end I was splitting it in quarters in about 5 hits. So I guess that is some improvement for the first time!

We then got a call the next day, Wednesday, to help a member buck about 100 bails of hay onto his trailer. He lived all the way in Shepherd and since we are SUPER limited on miles, We would not be able to help him unless he picked us up. But it worked out nicely because he was driving past where we live in Worden to pompeys piller to get the bails at some guys farm land. So we helped him and it was really fun. I enjoyed it a lot! It was also my first time ever doing that as well. Its crazy how those bails of hay can weigh up to 80 pounds A PIECE! But I did it, and I was throwing them on the stack with brother Leiser,



and Elder Wilson was stacking them together while brother Leisers 13 year old daughter was

driving the truck down the field. It was the funnest and probably the hardest thing I could have done because I couldnt throw them on the stack that was taller than me. But it was pretty funny to watch me try. I only broke one cord on one of the bails. Im lucky that it wasnt over my head when it broke because then I would be really itchy.

The last service project that we did was with the elders quorum, we are trying to get wood together to split for widows in the ward that need it for the winter. On friday, we went and helped put logs into trailers as the adults were cutting them into the logs. We loaded two trailerfulls, and it all weighed 4 tons!!!! thats alot of wood! We are planning on helping them this Thursday to get together to split the wood. I LOVE SPLITTING WOOD! I don't know if I said it before but I really do. I love service! Now is the time that we are probably going to be splitting wood a lot because everyone is going to be doing it right before winter.

I used my talent again to play the piano in primary, because they needed another piano player this week. We shouldn't hide our talents that we have, because we never know if it could bless the life of another. Just like I impacted Jim  as  I played at his baptism.

Speaking of Jim, I am very happy to say that he got ordained to the office of a priest this Sunday!!!!!!!!!! I can see a greater light in his eyes ever since he got baptized. He is one of the strongest converts that I have seen. He is really dedicated to this gospel.

 We also got tranfer calls this week, I am grateful to be staying in Shepherd for another transfer with Elder Wilson!! He is a really good missionary he has helped me to see what I could do to be a better missionary. I am very excited for this upcoming transfer!  I hope that ya'll are doing dandy and that everything is going alright with you.

-Elder Daniels