The Adventure!

July 22, 2013

This week has been dubbed "The adventure!" because, of how it went.

Monday last, we found a driving range $2 for a bucket of balls with free clubs we could use. That's exciting. I'm also planning on buying some authentic mocasins today!

Tuesday: There's an older couple we've befriended. They took us out to breakfast on Tuesday, showed us a few things to do around Cobalt. Then, we took the 100 Kilometer drive north to Kirkland Lake. Met our host family. (They lived in their house, but they owned three spare apartments above their store that they let us stay in. This is important later.) Met with a lot of members who struggle to come to church because of the distance. Went home. At home, had a phone call with the District leader, mentioned in passing where we were. He told us that we should probably get that approved.... Crap. We just assumed it would be okay because our first night here we stayed with a member.

Wednesday: visited a lot of other members. Went to visit Ralph in Larder Lake. (Ralph has been investigating the church since January, is getting baptized on Saturday. We figured since the branch has been working with him for so long we'd just let them finish him off) On the way there we stopped in a town called Dobie to visit a member. She wasn't home, so we decided to try to tract the whole town in two hours since we had time to kill. We weren't able to because people stopped us to talk to us. Plus, they want us to come back so they can hear what we're preaching.

On the way home we saw a BLACK BEAR! Running off into the forest! Way cool, still gotta see a moose, but we have some good leads on where to go for that.

Because there was no one in the apartment we were staying in except us, we got it approved so we can go up there basically whenever we want. We are now the only missionaries with two apartments! haha.

Thursday, more member visits. Pretty boring

Friday: Tracted here local. Caught Three birds (the finger not the animal) and two F#$% off's. Bad day.

Saturday: Went to a town called Elk Lake, tracted about 1/3 of it. Massive headache. (Those have been happening a lot since I got here...) Then we went home to visit a less active named Shannon, who is close to coming back. Her non-member brother Matt and his less active friend Darby. They all said they would come. They all didn't.

Sunday, worked in cobalt. Another headache. Went to shannons to borrow some ibu. Didn't mention church. It's easier to catch flies with a cake than a club.

That's my life. Hope all ya'll's is doing well!

Love,

Elder T

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The Convent, or "Get thee to a Nunnery!"

July 15

So, it turns out, we live in what used to be a convent. At least, that's what the members tell us. 

 

I mean, it makes sense. It's right next door to a catholic cathedral. Anyways.

 

This week has been rough, not as bad as it has been in the past, but it feels like there's a weight pulling me back all the time... I miss you all, I miss home, there's so little people and so little to do here that you get a lot of time to just think, it's not good for me... Saturday we walked across a bridge a couple of times and I was very tempted to jump over and into the water. Just to try to escape for a minute. Good thing I have a brain and know that it wouldn't help, and it would just create more problems than I wanted to deal with.

 

So, This next week is "The adventure!" (that's what we're calling our week long road trip to the outskirts.) I'm really hoping that we can get something good out of it, not as much as I'm hoping we don't spend Wednesday night in a car lol. (We won't).

 

So, in Canada, there are a lot of moose. This week, we had quite a bit of moose meat. 

 

That is moose hamburger, we had it with spaghetti.

 

Also, you may recall that we found an awesome yard sale and got all of our furniture for 20$ well. Turns out that the mission ordered our stuff before we even got here. But we didn't know. So, if anyone knows someone who needs a kitchen table or dresser, I got one. Jokes.

 

 

 

Also, we got bunk beds! and three mattresses each. Don't worry, we only use two of them, the first night, I jumped up and hit my face on the bottom of the top bunk, so that ended that.

 

Other than that, not a lot has happened. Here's hoping we have more stories next week, I think we will.

 

Love you all!

 

Love,

Elder T

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Hippie Week

July 29

So, this week was fun. Just kinda one of those, let the stress go and just work weeks.

Had interviews with mission president. Talked about what our next step here is, basically it sounds like missionaries here are going to be like 6 weeks on 6 weeks off. so, we were told not to waste any time. No pressure right?

dad always says that I'm a better worker when it is something that I'm excited about. Well, there's a few towns about 100 k's to the north of here. Really, if I think about it. Next to no missionary work has been done up there. Maybe like 20 days total. So, Elder Jones and I have decided that we are going to start a branch up there.

Step one, is to start what's called a group which is really just a step below a branch. There's around 20 members that already live up there. (including the one that was baptized on Saturday) So, really we just have to get them to come. Once we get that rolling, we can spend a lot more time up there, there's a lot of prepared people, bring them to the group, then they can be baptized. Then the group can become a branch!

The reason this is so exciting for me is because the branch president told us that Elder Ballard prophesied that there would be a stake center here in Temiskaming. No pressure right? So, that put some fire under our feet and we want to get this thing rolling. Maybe, we won't be here for the stake center, but we can definitely do a good job getting this place ready for a second branch. 

Also, we had a baptism on Saturday, not sure I mentioned that, this guy has been being taught since January, his wife was inactive for like 30 years and then just up and decided to come back to church. So he came with her. Elder Jones and I got a freebie. lol.

Really, this week was just kind of getting back into the groove and getting ready for an awesome future. There's a quote in Preach My Gospel that says "nothing happens in missionary work until you find someone to teach" Truth be spoken. So, We're working on finding people to teach and doing a pretty good job at it too.

I love you all and hope you are doing okay!

Love,

Elder Whiting

P.S. This week we realized that the land on the other side of our lake is Quebec. I could literally swim there from here... Or just drive about 20 K's. Love Ya'll.

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Summer Cottages

July 29:

  As far as the announcements, nothing has changed. Waiting for orders from Salt Lake. Getting out of bed is easy. Staying awake during morning prayers can be tricky if I take too long. Usually I'll say a quick one right as I wake up, then say a longer one before studies when I've got some momentum. Smiling is easy with elder Jones. Our personalities match so well, it's scary.

I had a nice chat with president Scott on Friday. I asked him what he thought I needed to do to improve. Basically he said let everything from home go, but family. It's okay and healthy to think about family, just don't dwell outside of that. Something about not having a summer cottage in Babylon. Which is hard because this lake is super smooth and huge and no one is ever out there so it would be perfect for wake-boarding. (so when we all come up to visit here someday, it might be a good idea to bring a boat ;))

There's a talk called "the consecrated missionary" that has been on my mind a lot lately. I want to be better than I am. And I'm using every tool I can find to get there. I also think about President Packer's piece on teaching by the spirit. 

Just another day of work....

So, this week we had a baptism... Two actually! Alexey Orlov and Maurina Orlova. They are a Russian couple. One of the more recent converts in the ward brought them. After coming to church for almost two months, they finally agreed to take the lessons. We taught them everything in like a week. Just met every morning for a week and they were baptized yesterday. It was kind of surreal. Like it was a baptism, so it was way cool, but it just didn't feel like I could claim them as mine. Which you know, I can't because it's all the spirit, still, it's a strange feeling...

 

Next sunday, we are going to baptize a lady named Hoda. She is of Iranian descent which makes it really tricky. The Iranian government is so crazy, if they find out that you have converted from islam to christianity, they will find your relatives in Iran and torture\kill them. Even if you're no longer a citizen of Iran. so with Hoda, we have to be very careful. She technically lives around 30-40 K's away from the chapel, so she takes a bus to a member's house (same member who gave us Alex and Marina, Brother Rizi, who is also Iranian) and he drives her to church. We have met with her twice and taught her everything she needs in order to be baptized. All we have to do is interview her, and because of her situation, President Scott has to do the interview. we've been talking to him a lot on the phone lately to figure things out with her. (when I say we I mean I, since I'm in charge of the phone.) We extended the invitation at the end of the first lesson, she accepted. Then we told her that we thought she could be baptized on the 30th of June and she flipped! She was freaking out! She said "I had already decided that I wanted to be baptized and I was trying to think what day I wanted to do it on. My birthday is July 1st and so for some reason the 30th popped into my mind." She took it as an answer to a prayer, and so, so did we. How's that for a cool mission story?

 

Funny story, a few days ago, we were out contacting maybe 1\2 K from home, it was getting close to quitting time, President called, so I stepped aside to talk to him, then after a while I looked at the time and we had 6 minutes to get home. So, we ran and I had a conversation with president Scott while running to be home on time. Fun life eh?

 

Transfers are at the end of this week, so we participated in a mission tradition and bought "Kinder surprise eggs" basically a chocolate egg with a small toy inside, you're supposed to interpret from the toy what the transfer holds in store for you. I picked a "Cars" egg and got Doc Hudson. Elder Binford thinks that that means that I will be put with an Elder who is on his last transfer, I disagree. I don't know what I think my toy means, but I get the feeling that I'm leaving Aurora...

Only time will tell.

 

This last week was awesome as far as food goes. I think I told you about eating Galupsi (Stuffed Cabbage Leaf) basically meatloaf wrapped in cabbage with a yummy sauce. Then on Monday night we had a nice pork Goulage. (as opposed to the hedgehog goulage in sherlock holmes) loved that.

 

We had Zone Conference on Wednesday, I think Elder Binford and I are growing on President's good side. He loves us. It was such a good conference and I learned so much. I'll have to mail my study journal home so you all can look at all of the learning I've been doing. So awesome...

 

Our area has exploded in the 3 months we've been here. Going from next to nothing, to having 10 investigators who we are teaching, 4 of those are moving toward a baptisimal date, they will probably all be baptized. We've done some good work, I think. Makes me not want to leave so I can see the fruits of our labors...

 

I love you all and hope you are doing well. Stay tough and power through the bad, There's nothing but gold at the end of the rainbow, but you have to climb up the one side before you can get down the other. (Just made that one up)

 

Love you,

Love,

Elder T

Looking Forward to the Future!

Recently, I have been wondering about how well I am really recieving personal revelation. I was concerned that because I wasn't having strong feelings or hearing voices that I wasn't doing a good job listening. I realized that the spirit speaks by a "still small voice" sometimes, I think that it's me thinking something, but now, I'm not so sure... The point is, for me, i think that wether it's the spirit saying it to me, or me saying it to me as long as it's in line with God's will, it doesn't matter who it came from. But if the thought gives me a bad feeling or even just slight ehhh, maybe not. Then not to do it. It seems simple, "still small voice" but that's the beauty of the gospel. It's simple.

 

So, this sunday Elder Binford and I will be baptizing a Russian couple named Alex and Marina. They have been prepared so well that Elder Binford jokes that a donkey could teach them. haha. Our first lesson with them was last thursday and they have recieved all of the necessary lessons. All that We're waiting on, is time. They had us over for dinner and fed us Galupsi. Which is not how you spell it, that's how the russian name of it sounds that I can't really spell because I don't speak Russian. It means stuffed cabbage leaf. Maybe one of the weirdest things that I've eaten so far.

 

Also, we are teaching a lady named Hoda, she will be baptized on the 30th. She is persian so that is tricky. If they convert from islam to Christianity, it means big trouble for family back in Iran and possibly for her. So, we can only teach her on sundays when she comes to church so we will be teaching her basically everything but the restoration next sunday. More on her when I know more about the situation. It's a good story.

 

Other than that, We're just doing work. I hope all is well with all of you, and I'm sorry but time is dwindling so I have to go.

 

Love you all Talk to you Soon!

 

Love, Elder T

Shoulder to the wheel, especially when you don't want to!

You may remember my dream from last week telling me to read my Patriarchal blessing. I'm glad I did.

 

We met a man named Joe. He was on the phone but wanted to talk so he invited us in. when he got off, he told us that almost an hour before, he had been with his lawyer and signed a stack of papers which would save him from 2.8 million dollars of debt (an aquaintance who was the head of a bank broke company policy to save his hide, another miracle) as well as keep a nasty guy who kept threatening him away. We were there for literally two hours while he told us stories about his life, we talked for maybe 15 min to tell him a story about nephi in 1 ne 3:7. Everything else was all him. Told us we were an answer to a prayer. He just needed to talk and vent. Awesome guy, I really want to go back and check on him.

 

Also, there is a Russian couple who have been coming to church for the past 5 weeks. The member who brought them finally let us teach them. Alex and Maurina are scheduled to be Newmarket South's (my area's) first baptism on june 23rd. That's exciting eh?

 

Saturday night, after dinner, we were headed out to tract a neighborhood. On the way there and when we got there, I had just an aweful feeling that something was not right. Whether it be with what we were doing or maybe something bad had happened back home... I didn't know, something just felt wrong and made me want to sit on a bench so I could think about it and pray a little. which Elder Binford was more than willing to let me do, but I'm stubborn and figured that I could pray between houses so I could keep working. We ended up talking to a lady who was "spiritual" but didn't believe in organized religion or in a need for a savior. If Elder Binford didn't like to talk so much, I would have exploded at her. she was frankly.... Dumb. Kept telling us to come back in 20 years when we've matured so we can have an open mind and talk sensibly. Talking to her definitely did no good other than to strengthen my testimony in a need for a savior and a love for Him.

 

Sunday came, bad feeling was still there, accompanied with a thought that had been there as long as the feeling had. "My mission will end soon and unexpectedly." I was able to get enough control over the thought to put my head down and get to work and as the day wore on, I talked about it to Elder Binford as well as Ali Kazazzy. They are such great friends. Definitely a blessing. They helped my force the feelings and thoughts away by convincing myself that someone *ahem ahem* was messing with me.

 

So, that is basically our week. We did a lot of teaching, but that's most of the spectacular stuff.

 

My mission area is so cool. Toronto really is a melting pot for all cultures. We've met people from every mission that any friend or relative has ever served with. Polynesians, Indian, Iranian, Iraqui, Russian, Brazillian, Californian, Arizonan. And then some... 

 

I love you all and hope that everyone is well and that someone really was just messing with me.

 

Love, 

Elder T