Snow!

It’s been a pretty good week. I was feeling better by Monday last week, so we went for p-day and did some work.  Unfortunately my companion got sick later in the week.  So I spend the day in the flat while he slept it off.  He was down for most of one day and part of the next day.  It wasn’t too bad. I took advantage of the time and listened to some good talks. And took all of the cups in the flat and built a tower!

We had some lessons with some less actives this week.  We are working hard to build relationships with them and help answer what questions they might have.   We try not to just resolve their concerns, our main objective is not to answer all of their questions, but to help them build a relationship with God and Jesus Christ.  As their faith grows, a lot of their questions and concerns are no longer relevant.  One even had an meeting with the Bishop and had a good chat with him.  We talked about how baptism is important, it’s the ordinance and needs to be done by proper authority.  Then it’s up to us to keep our covenants and receive blessings associated with that covenant. 

We were able to have some follow up lessons with some people we have been teaching.  One of them went really well.  Her mother had investigated the church years ago, but never joined.  A sister ended up joining later in life.  One of her children has been reading the Book of Mormon for a couple of years. 

This area does have a lot of rain and is cloudy most all days. But one day it snowed here!

I was on exchanges one day and the other Elder said let’s catch up and talk to that family.  So we headed out at a very brisk walk to catch up with them.  I was like this is nuts, they are going to think we are crazy, basically running up to them and talking to them.  But we stopped them and visited.  Ended up we had a message that was very helpful to the family.  We talked about how when we put on the Armor of God. It’s like we are protected both spiritually and physically from things.  We shared how the gospel could strengthen their family.

Coincidence? The Lord works in mysterious ways.  We were walking down the street one day and stopped a man. He said that he didn’t speak English.  We asked what he spoke and he said Portuguese. Well my companion happens to be fluent in Portuguese, so they talked away.  They really hit it off and talked for quite some time.  We had another lesson with him later in the week.  The whole thing was taught in Portuguese, so I was pretty lost you could say. Now I know what it feels like after the fall of the Tower of Babel.

The area is doing great a lot of people on date for baptisms in the District. We are seeing a lot of less actives and quite a few of them are doing really good. We have been doing a lot of finding and have a lot of success with that as well.  So it’s been a pretty good week.

Throughout reading the Book of Mormon again this time, it’s crazy to see how the Church of God went through so much hardship and trials, but that they were persecuted for the truth.  Such as Alma kept contending with anyone and everyone that would come to him because they had already apostatized and began to change the doctrine or to just have it be lost. Which has just been so real for me to read about this time.

Thoughts for the week

Spencer W Kimball-  “How little we realize the doors of opportunity that we oft close with one wrong decision.”

Ezra Taft Benson- “When obedience ceases to be our irritant and becomes our quest in that moment God will endow us with power.”

There are from a quote book I found in the flat!  I am loving it!

Thanks for everything that you do.  Love, Elder Stevenson

Feeling better

On exchanges this week, we stopped by a less active and happened to wake him up. We tried a back a couple other times during the past weeks and then later again this week we were finally invited in.  He has a fun story about his conversion to the gospel.  He wasn’t interested in the church at all, but started going to church with his girlfriend.  Then started taking the lessons from the missionaries and ended up getting baptized.  He’s open the idea of coming back to church again now.  We ended up seeing him three times this week.  Found another less active who is also thinking it’s time to come back to church again.  He had a lot of questions in the past and when he moved, he just lost contact with the church.  Not let in by another, so stopped by a lady from last week.  She was home, which was good we had been trying without success to contact her earlier in the week.  We are seeing her again this coming week and hopefully have a good lesson with her.  Still working with a couple of other families as well.  One has started reading the Book of Mormon.

The tradition here is following District Meeting to go to an all you can buffet.  It’s a super cheap place to eat, so we did that this week.  Had another exchange this week, this time an overnight one as I needed to go a baptismal interview up there as well.   Ended up doing a lot of finding with them. 

This is a great ward.  It’s fun getting to know them more.   They are taking good care of us and feeding us.  We got to help with a mission prep class this week.  Didn’t get to go to church this week- I woke up sicker than a dog!  I woke up at 5 am and just felt awful, I thought I was hungry.  So I started an orange and felt worse.  I went back to bed but still didn’t feel better.  The stomach flu has been going around the mission, and it was my turn.  Just spent most of the day in bed.  Still did the call ins that night with the district, feeling the most awful in my whole life.  I just wanted to go to bed.  After the phone calls, that’s what I did.  I woke up the next morning though feeling much better.  So it’s a good thing!

Study of the week. We are continuing to study the Book of Mormon as a mission and I came across this last week. Mosiah 14:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”  Which I really love this scripture because it is so easy to understand. It is clear that Christ did all of it for us. And that through his stripes we are healed.

This is a quote by Dallin H Oaks, “The intensity of our desire to share the gospel is a great indicator of the extent of our personal conversion.”  Which is something that quite a few people have talked about, but it’s just that when we have our own personal conversion, it is natural to then share it with others.

Thanks everyone for the letters, emails, love and prayers.

Love, Elder Casey Stevenson

Blessings of Fasting

This week was pretty fast. It seems that the weeks keep going faster and faster.  Before we know it… it will be harvest time again.

Sunday we fasted to find a family to teach.  That evening,  we stopped by a home.  The parent was not there, but their child was and said their parent would be here tomorrow and that we were more than welcome to come back.  So we stopped by and they are wanting to meet with us again.  An awesome family from an area where Kenny served his mission, they have family in that area still.  What a small world.  As a District we had fasted again this week to find families to teach.  Following that fast, we stopped by a former investigating family from several years ago. They were like ya- we would love to have the missionaries again… goodness how awesome is fasting!  Worked both times!

We are continuing to check on some less actives, making a lot of stop bys and also doing some other finding.  Went on exchanges with some of the Elders in the area and was able to meet a teenage girl that is getting baptized soon.  It was cool to see them and talk with them. 

Our District meetings are in our town.  We walk and all the other missionaries have cars in the District, so they drive to our area.  When I was on exchanges I asked if I could drive. They were more than happy for me to drive.  I was driving and he said to just pull up here. So I pull up. The sun was in the windscreen and like glare.  Ahead I saw no curb on the road and I couldn’t see if there was one or not to the side.  I just nailed the curb!  We heard this pop-whish!  We were all just like… what just happened. Well I popped the tire.  We got out and were just all laughing about it.  Good news is that we pulled up right in front of the door we needed.  They were doing some service for an investigator.  So they did the service and I changed the tire.  That makes 3 in the last 6 weeks.  One on the Zone Leaders car and one for a member in the last area, and this one here.  The missionaries I was with that day made a point at every appointment to tell them about the tire.  We had some good laughs about it!

We played football  with the ward one morning and it was super fun!  This ward is wonderful.  We had dinner with a couple of families in the ward.  Awesome families!

There is only one spot in the flat that our phone has service.  So I made a small table and sit at the window every other night for a couple of hours to do call ins.

This week we were talking about covenants and keeping our covenants. And helping others to keep their covenants.  And the difference between ordinances and covenants.  Ordinances are the earthly or outward expression. But covenants are the inward commitment to follow Christ. With the Priesthood being restored and correct doctrine we have a better understanding of it.  We were able to share the concept of making progress with a less active in the area and answer a question that had been bothering him and keeping him for keeping his covenants. 

Conclude with a quote:  from Neal A Maxwell – “God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only about our availability, and if we then prove our dependability, he will increase our capability.”

Thanks for everything! Love, Elder Stevenson

Short Week- Traveling and Holidays

It’s 2015.  This week I was talking with an elder from my group.  He asked "did you ever think 2015 was going to come?"  We were both like nope- and laughed about it. But it’s been a good 18 months and 2014 is over with.  I was so tired, I didn’t even want to stay up till 12 to ring in the New Year.

This was an interesting week.   Transfers meant spending some time traveling by train to get to the new area.  We met our new companions at the train station and traveled back to our new areas.  So I was able to visit with him on the ride back to the new area.  He was able to give me the run down on things here, as far as investigators and such.   Then to the flat to get settled in and some grocery shopping done.  We did a little tracting that evening and were able to find a couple of new investigators.  That was good.

 With the holidays we attempted to do a little omying (opening my mouth- talking with people on the street) but the streets were really full of people and not many wanted to stop and visit with us.    We did a lot of stop bys to check with less actives and former investigators so I could get to know the area a little better.  We also worked on the area book and had a Zone Meeting on New Year’s Day. 

This new ward is great. We have already had dinner on two evenings in member’s homes, including on New Year’s Eve.  It was fun.  The church here has 2 wards meeting in the same building. Our ward meets in the morning and the other one in the afternoon like at home.  It’s great to be back in a familiar Stake.  I have worked with a couple of members here before.   One was in the Stake Presidency before and now is the ward mission leader. He’s an awesome guy and a lovely family.  The other in is the Stake Presidency now. Excited to be working with good people and in this great ward!

That’s about all for the week.   Thanks for all you do. Love, Elder Stevenson

Good byes and Back again!?!

The final district meeting for this transfer was pretty good.  We did service that evening.  Some friends of a member were looking for some help around their house in getting things ready for Christmas. We were able to do service for a couple of days.  Chopping and stacking wood.  And more hardwood floor laying.  We didn’t get it all done, he was hoping to finish on his own prior to Christmas.  A super cool guy!

For Christmas we opened packages in the morning and went to a member’s home for lunch.  That evening  all the missionaries in our district gathered at the church and skyped our families.  While there we were able to watch a few Disney movies as per President’s approval.  I mostly just took the time to write some letters trying to catch up on the ones that I am behind.

 We did have a little snow one evening, it didn’t stick, but we had snow!  It’s been really cold also- negative C’s.

Friday was Boxing Day, another big holiday here.  It was our p-day that day.  In the morning we had breakfast with the Bishop.  Boxing day has a lot of sales like Black Friday for America, huge sales.  I got a pair of brown dress shoes and new watch because mine had broken. 

With service and the holidays we didn’t have a lot of time that we did finding this week.  We did have  follow ups with some of our recent converts.  One was so excited to see us and immediately asked who is praying to start. He was really excited to start the lesson.   Doing great, I am going to miss this one.   The guy baptized last week was able to be confirmed at church this week.  He is great and sad to see me leave, I will miss him as well and his daughter, that we recently baptized. 

I have been here for 7 ½ months and I am going to miss it.  I hope the work keeps up after I leave.   

Yes, I am moving this transfer.  President called Sunday night and said that I would be going to another area and he would like me to continue at District Leader in the new bigger area.  This District had 6 missionaries and the new area will have 10 missionaries.  So it’s going to be a huge change, but it should be good!  I am excited for another adventure ahead.  It’s weird though because I am going back to the same Stake I just came from, a new area and ward, but the same Stake.  My new companion has been out for about 6 months, and pretty sure he’s a fairly recent convert himself.  I am super excited to serve with him.

Studying this week.  People on the street are always like “I am a good person, why do bad things happen to me? Why is life so hard?”  And Jeffrey R Holland said, “Expecting to have an easy life because you are a good person, is like expecting a bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian.” Which I thought was pretty clever analogy, because it’s true. We are going to have hard times in our lives.

Sunday was my last church in this area, which by now feels like a family to me. I will miss this ward and the people here, I was able to say good bye to several of them. But I am excited to be heading to a new area.

Thanks for all the letters and emails. Love, Elder Stevenson

A White Christmas- Two Baptisms

We had a pretty good week actually.  Several of our appointments hosed us this week, but we followed through with some back up plans and other things.  I have been in town centre way too much in the past months, so this last week we did a lot of by-the-way finding and stopped by former investigators and potential investigators.  

With Christmas time it’s a little slower.  Several of the people said to stop back by after the first of the year- which is two weeks away.  One of those we stopped by to see wasn’t interested in listening to us… her friend said “Oh, you, Normans, always trying to convert people… you can’t convert me.”  (Yes- she did say Normans)  But by the end of the conversation the friend said she needed something in her life and gave us her phone number and address so we could come by and teach her.  Ended up that she was busy on that day, but we plan to stop by in the near future. It was a good testimony builder for us of having backup plans.  Our planned appointment had cancelled on us and so we went forward with the backup plan.  Because Heavenly Father knew we would be there, He put someone in the path that was interested in the gospel.

First ice of the year…..

We had Zone Conference this week and it was our Mission Christmas Party as well.   We had little gifts and had a really good training on the Atonement.  Talking about how Christ was the only means by which we are saved.  How His Atonement is eternal and infinite. It was good.  Then a talk on Christmas traditions and such.  Overall a pretty good day!

We finished teaching our one investigator and he is awesome! 

 

The ward had a Christmas party this week. The Primary did a little nativity at the end.  Sunday meetings were great.   I don’t know if I didn’t pay attention at home for the Christmas program for Sacrament meeting, but in England they read from the scriptures of the birth of Christ, and then they had all of the Christmas hymns sung.  So it really Christmassssy…..but its good.  The ward gave us so many gifts, it was so nice of them!  We have several appointments with members for Christmas as well.  That evening was our baptism. Two were baptized.  The father and friend of one of our recent converts and she was able to speak at the baptism.  It was really good.

Here’s my posting from facebook recently: “Last Christmas and this Christmas I have been away from home. Which had been hard because of missing the family side of the holiday. But since being on my mission it has helped me to see more fully the true meaning of Christmas, which is all about Jesus Christ, and his birth into this world.  Which now I more fully realize and appreciate.”

I know the Christ was born, that He was preordained to be our Savior. I know that the reason for Christ’s birth was Christ’s Atonement.  That the meaning of Christmas really is Easter.  Which I am glad that a loving Father in Heaven would send His son here to die for us, so that we may be able to return to live with him again.  Which I am so grateful for.

Thanks everyone for everything you do.  Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas.  

Love, Elder Stevenson

Two Birthdays and Two Upcoming Baptisms

It’s wonderful for recent converts to help the investigators.  We had one who shared how a blessing had helped them in preparing for baptism.  The investigator asked for a blessing and felt good following it and had the courage to move forward.  I am grateful that we have the priesthood on the earth today in order to bless people’s lives. There is such power in priesthood blessings.   This investigator passed the baptismal interview and is planning a baptism for this weekend.  Doing great! It is amazing what the gospel can do to people. 

In order to set up a booth in town centre, we have to get permission from the council.  They allowed us to which was a big surprise.   It was cool.   We used the four sided mission banner thing like what I have used before and set up in the town centre.  And we sang Christmas Carols. It was somewhat productive, there were a lot of appointments the sisters got out of it. 

I gave the training in the District Meeting this week on being obedient and diligent and being sanctified in order to have the power of God more abundantly. As we sanctify ourselves then we are given power.  Which is also true in life.  We are given power over satan and temptations.

The Zone leaders were here for an interview and so gave us a ride back to the flat.  When they pulled in we noticed they had a flat tire.  So after 18 months of not changing any kind of tire, I had the chance to do it again!   The others were a little hesitant not wanting to get their suits dirty- but I was like YES! And just started going right to it.  It was surprisely so nice to get dirty and greasy again.  It was awesome! So glad that I learned this kind of hard work back home. 

Got do some great service as well.   We laid some floor in a guy’s attic (or loft as they call it here in England) so they could store some stuff in there. It is so much fun to be able to work again.   Then we got to move a lot of dirt that we had previously dug up for a member to put their trampoline in the ground.  A great time working!  

I got to conduct my first baptismal interview it was cool.   It was an investigator of the Sisters in the District.  So our District will be having two baptisms this weekend.  It’s going to be awesome!

There was another missionary here with the same birthday as mine.  We had our party on Sunday evening as we were going to be busy all day.  We went to London for p-day in celebration.  It was  good sharing my birthday with the other Elder.  A great birthday after all!

Embarrassing moment this week- we were out tracting and someone opened the door.  I couldn’t see that clearly and asked if their parents were home.  The lady opened the door a little bigger and I saw the light more and saw her.  I had just asked a 30 something old year if her parents were home!  It was a funny moment.

We as a mission are reading the Book of Mormon together and this week we read through most of 1st Nephi, and we know that people murmur a lot. So murmuring:

1. People began to have questions in own mind and also began to plant questions in others minds. Whether these questions are about the church, people, doctrine, whatever it may be. They began to question things. And also began to have other people question these things as well.

2. Rationalizing actions, the people began to rationalize their actions and thoughts. They began to make excuses of the things that are going

on. Justifying their mistakes and what is going on.

3. They become slothful in keeping the commandments. They just get lazy and the small things in life don’t matter anymore. They stop reading scriptures, they stop praying, they stop going to church.  All of those questions that they had, have now changed their whole life. 

These are the three things that are made up in murmuring, and after seeing these things, it is something that is very true in the world today and you see a lot of people doing it. Laman and Lemuel saw an angel and still murmured for everything pretty much. But then also in the world today, we have those that have strong spiritual experiences and then still murmur and question the church and put aside all of the testimony that they have of anything. It’s important that we do not murmur, no matter how big or small it may be. Murmuring will lead to less-activity. That is my personal opinion.  

Thanks for all of the birthday wishes. Love you all, Elder Casey Stevenson