Looks Like I have time for One More! October 31, 2022

Well everyone today has been a blur. Only added to this last week in the field.

This week was pretty great! Got to do my last two exchanges they went pretty well! 

We had a super wonderful miracle this week. So one morning (I think it was Wednesday) we woke up with a notification we had a referral (someone who expresses interest in learning more from missionaries) not gonna lie out of the 50 or so I've received during my mission not many have actually been interested after all. 

This one was different. His name is Eddie! He knew some members of the Church growing up and was always touched by the lives they lived. He desired a positive relationship with his future family. 

We made contact with him as soon as we could. He replied almost right away and we met him that day. We had a great lesson where we learned the previously above mentioned info. 

We met with him one more time on Saturday. During our planning session for him Elder Morgan and I felt we should extend a baptismal invite and date even though it was still early on in the teaching process. 

During the lesson the opportunity arose and we invited him to be baptized in Nov.26th. He checked his calendar to see he would be out of town that weekend but he said he could do Dec. 3rd!! I am so excited for him, sad I won't get to see it through but I'm grateful to have met Eddie! 

That was the biggest highlight by far this week. 

The rest was full of goodbyes and see you laters. Many meals with members, spiritual thoughts shared and food enjoyed. 

Sunday was the hardest especially saying goodbye to Cody and Nia. Those two hold a special place in my heart. 

After church me and a couple other Elders who are going home as well drove down to St.Louis. There we met the other 19 missionaries leaving, office staff and President and Sister McKay. We all had dinner and a final testimony meeting.  

Then off to bed, three of us had early morning flights. So me and another Elder got to spend the night in the Assistants apartment. I got to say one last goodbye to Elder Hurst, love that Elder! 

This morning Elder Dotson and I woke up at 3:30am to get ready to leave for the airport by 4am. 

Us and a Sister missionary also leaving were then picked up and dropped off at the airport. 

We went our separate ways from there. Although I ran into Elder Dotson later and we walked to our first gate together which was great. 

I hopped on a plane to Chicago and then took one to Calgary, that is where I am currently waiting to board my last flight to Edmonton! 

I'm grateful for the time spent in Missouri and Illinois the last 2 years, I have come away a new person, more focused on Jesus Christ and those around me. I have learned many lessons. I'm excited to keep growing, nervous but also excited. 

Love you all! Elder Spencer 

Thank you for the Birthday Wishes! October 24, 2022

This very well could be my last email, not sure if I will have a phone to send one from the airplane next Monday! So here we go . 

First of all thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday, it truly was a happy day! :) 

This week was pretty good, worked as hard as we could faced a lot of rejection so that was tough. 

Taught some good lessons this week, one with a girl named Lauren she has some friends on a mission as well so she already knew a little about the church. 

We had two exchanges this week, I went with two Elders who are both going home at the same time as me so it was fun working with them talking about what we've learned on our missions and what not. 

Mizzou had their homecoming and a football game over the weekend so campus was not effective trying to find people who were interested in talking about God! 

One more week serving a full-time mission, it's wild. Doesn't feel real yet.

I've learned a ton from my mission but wanted to share a brief testimony with you all about some things I have come to know are true! 

Number one, Heavenly Father loves you! He loves me, He loves everybody.

Number two, Jesus Christ lives. He suffered for each and everyone of our sins. 

Number three, The Book of Mormon is true and is the word of God! 

Thanks for sticking with me over these two years. Thanks for all who wrote and sent gifts and cards! 

See some of y'all in 7 days!! 

Elder Spencer 

 

Nia's Baptism, October 17, 2022

Hello everyone, wow this week was amazing!

Had a couple exchanges. One with Elder Davis and one with my old comp Elder Hurst! The exchange with Elder Davis was great. 

We taught one lesson with a couple people who were asking lots about grace and works. It was interesting to teach about. A couple quotes about grace and works I like are: "We are learning heaven not earning heaven" And "I am saved by grace but also changed by grace" I can't remember who quoted them.. Brad R. Wilcox maybe. 

The exchange with Elder Hurst was so good haha. We talked and caught up a lot. We had a cool miracle. We were out tracting and we knocked a door a lady opened up visibly upset. She had been having a really bad day. She recognized where we were from and said hey I got a Book of Mormon back here! We went in and taught her and her family a lesson. She had been taught by sisters in the past but they lost contact with her because she moved. We found her new house. It was awesome. 

Nia's baptism was amazing! Many people came and offered their support. Nia bore a powerful testimony and was just so happy the whole time. Her parents even drove 5 hours to come to it! 

Sunday was a special day as I was privileged to confirm her a member of the church. It was a sacred experience, one I will surely never forget. She is gonna go far in life! 

The word of God has become sacred to me as well as I have studied each and every morning. The Book of Mormon is powerful and along with the Spirit is how we will become converted. 

I know God is real, I know His gospel changes lives. 

Elder Spencer 

 

Testimony Meeting and Canadian Thanksgiving, October 10, 2022

Hey everyone! Happy Thanksgiving to my family and friends in the Great White North hope you enjoy lots of great food. 

This week was hard work, but in doing that hard work there was joy found. 

Nia is so ready for baptism. She actually ended up joining us in on a lesson we were teaching to another friend! (Unfortunately I was on exchanges so wasn't there for the actual lesson but Elder Morgan filled me in on it) 

Fast and testimony meeting was also pretty special yesterday. Nia got up and bore her testimony. She talked about how she is so grateful we ran into her and brought her to the knowledge of the Restored Gospel. She said these past 2 months have felt like 3 years. She is nervous for her baptism but ultimately was grateful because she is no longer wandering around from place to place. She has found where she feels at home. Many Branch members came up to her afterwards and thanked her and offered support. The Spirit was so powerful! That was honestly the highlight of the week. Seeing her progress these past couple months has been amazing. 

I am amazed and honored that Heavenly Father would let someone as imperfect as myself to be His Hands in helping one of His children come back to Him. It fills my heart with joy just thinking about it! 

There is a scripture that stood out to me from my personal studies I'd like to share along with a question someone commented in Elders Quorum yesterday. 

The Scripture is D and C 121: 34-35

34 Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?

35 Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson

The question posed was "Am I building my kingdom or Am I building God's Kingdom?" It got me thinking and I hope you can ponder on this question and reflect on your own efforts to follow God. 

Hope you all have a great week! 

Also if you are looking for something good to read. Elder Bednar's most recent Conference talk will not disappoint!  Elder Spencer 

                                                    

Conference, Council, and Confusion, October 3, 2022

Alright everyone this week a lot happened!! 

We will start with the confusion. Elder Morgan and I were driving in our car when all of a sudden a sensor goes off and the car auto brakes and we have to pull over to the side of the road. Apparently the engine has sensors and detected that something was wrong. We got it to the shop and everything ended up being ok. But man it was a wild experience haha. 

We had lots of Conferences this week. We had a Zone Conference and General Conference. We also had a Mission Leadership Council in St.Louis. Needless to say there were lots of notes taken and thoughts had. 

General Conference is always amazing. However there is always so much to take out it can be overwhelming! One main takeaway I had was the importance of the Holy Ghost. The role it can play in our life is life changing. It shows us truth and helps us understand what is right and wrong. Many speakers testified and taught how we can keep the Holy Ghost with us or how to cultivate personal revelation. One speaker said: "The companionship of the Holy Ghost is priceless." Another speaker said we need to "safeguard the Holy Ghost". Keeping the commandments invites the Spirit into our life which will then light our souls! 

It motivated me to strive to have the presence of the Holy Ghost with me at all times. I encourage those of you who have this gift to think about its effect in your life up to this point and think of how you can increase his influence in your life. 

Nia watched all 5 sessions of Conference. She really enjoyed it which was awesome. It has been amazing to see her growth the past month and a half. The Spirit is truly what does the converting not us. 

I want to finish with a scripture I read this week. It is in Alma 41:8. It says: "Now, the decrees of God are unalterable; therefore the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved."

I know the way I need to go to find God and to find truth. God provides a way! We choose to follow. 

Hope you all have a great week! 

Elder Spencer

 The sky picture is a picture of Jupiter I got! 

Four Man and a Lotta Walking, September 26, 2022

Hi everyone! This week was a blur, they get faster and faster I swear! 

This week we had one day of rainy weather the rest of the time it was super nice out, the fall around here is very nice and it is great to be outside in. 

We got the 2 new Elders moved in on Wednesday. Living in a 4 man is crowded but I enjoy it. More people to talk to and share experiences with. The Elders names are Elder Jones and Elder Rich. Elder Jones has been for awhile and he is training Elder Rich. It has been fun sharing the YSA there will be times when we see each other on campus and we run into people who the other set of Elders have talked to but it is all one work! 

Nia came to church again and loved it! She talked to so many of the members and the members loved talking to her! We taught her about temples and she really liked it. She is excited for the time she can go to the temple! 

We walked around a lot this week, talking to as many people as we can! We got rejected a lot but teaching people who keep commitments makes it all worth it. 

Anyhow nothing too crazy to report just working hard! 

Elder Spencer 

Food Poisoning and Nia on Date! September 19, 2022

Well everyone this week was pretty good. 

About halfway through the week I started to feel lightheaded and felt nauseous. After drinking some water and lying down for a bit it didn't get any better. That lasted for a couple days. It was weird, I never have felt that way before. Our mission doctor thinks it was something I ate...anyhow I'm doing much better now! 

So those 2 or so days we did as much work as we could which wasn't too much but we didn't completely stop. It was interesting dealing with a sickness, I don't get sick a ton and it made me think about Jesus Christ and His Atonement. In Alma ch. 7 we read of what Jesus Christ felt on our behalf. It states: "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people." I had always known that Christ had suffered for my sins and my afflictions. But this verse reminded me that Christ knew how I felt when I was sick. 

I tend to be pretty independant when I am sick, I don't really like asking for help to feel better. Being sick and remembering that Christ also felt it made me think about how I needed to rely on him more even when getting through a sickness. 

After I got better I was grateful and felt that I learned something from this experience. 

Well enough about being sick. We had a lesson with our friend Nia who we have been teaching the last few weeks. We invited her to be baptized last week and she said yes. This week we extended a date, October 15th, and she said yes. She is kinda nervous for how quick it is coming. But we feel that she can be ready, so pray for her! 

Transfer news came in today. Elder Morgan and I are staying together for my last transfer, weird how I only have 6 weeks left. Does not feel real. They are opening up another YSA area. So we will have 4 missionaries in our apartment and we will be sharing an area. So that will be interesting! 

Mizzou had a football game this weekend which made contacting kinda hard but we did our best, gotta love campus finding! 

Hope you all have a great week!

Elder Spencer 

"Say Hi and Tell us Your Best Joke!" September 12, 2022

It's roughly 6:38pm, Sunday evening. Elder Morgan and I have been knocking doors in a student housing complex for the last 20 mins. We round the corner and see a sign next to a door which reads: "Say hi and tell us your best joke!" We look at each other. I start talking: "Alright Elder Morgan, I'll knock, you say Hi and I'll tell them a joke." He nods silently and I go up to knock the door.....

Alrighty everyone! Hope you all had a great week! This week was insane! Lots happened and we saw a ton of miracles. 

Started off the week doing some exchanges up in Macon, MO. It was the Elders birthday that I was with so that was really cool. We had a neat experience with a referall. We got a notification Monday night that a guy name Niccolo wanted to meet with us. (Real quick gonna be honest I've had maybe 3-5 referalls actually go through and want to meet) So to be honest I didn't have too much faith anything would happen. But we diligently follow-up. We texted a couple times nothing. Tried calling, nothing. But a few mins later he called us back and said he saw a Book of Mormon ad on Facebook and wanted to learn more! I was mind blown. So we quickly set up a time to meet the following morning. Elder Jennings and I whip over to his house the next day and sit down with him. Turns out he just graduated High School and wants to learn more. We taught him about the Book of Mormon and he was asking questions and was understanding things really well. He is super smart and was a joy to teach. I am sad I won't get to keep teaching him because he is in the other Elders area but he is super cool! 

That was Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday were pretty solid. Wednesday we had a super cool lesson with our friend Nia. We got talking about baptism. And she mentioned how she has been baptized three times already. She said she felt good during the moment but it didn't last. The thought came to my mind to teach about Priesthood Authority and the Holy Ghost. So we did and taught her that the reason she didn't have that lasting feeling of peace was because she wasn't baptized by proper authority! We then invited her to be baptized by someone holding the Priesthood authority and she said yes! She isn't quite sure on a date yet but she has that desire! 

Thursday we ended up starting to teach someone named Lynne I found on Facebook! We had a phone call with her and taught her about the Book of Mormon, she is excited to learn more. We are actually meeting up with her today to give her a BoM. 

Friday and Saturday we went down to St.Louis for exchanges. They were pretty solid. The Elder I was with was Elder Vansteenkiste. We met a lady named Nicole, knocked her door. She said the only time she had heard of the church was an ad from the 80's! She was interested in learning more as well!! 

Sunday was super great, Nia and Chartese came to church and they both loved it. They are both pretty talkative so they were going up to branch members and talking with them. It was so cool! 

We also started teaching a guy named Tre over facebook that Elder Morgan found. He is super cool, he also just graduated high school and has a strong desire to grow his relationship with God. Overall he is super cool. 

Well that about wraps it up! Hope you all have a great week. 

..haha just kidding I won't leave you all on a cliffhanger! 

I knock on the door. It swings open, there are 6 or so college kids watching a football game. The plan works. Elder Morgan says hi and I follow up by saying "What did the Daddy Buffalo say to his son as he was sending him off to school?" Haha it was hilarious. They all got up super excited and eventually got the joke! We all burst out laughing! Do any of you know the joke? Email me your answers! 

Anyhow, take care and enjoy this week!! 

Elder Spencer 

                                                    

Personal Studies are Gold, September 5, 2022

Hey everyone, 

This week was kinda rough not gonna lie. We faced lots of rejection this week. People yelling at us, hanging up on us and blocking us. 

Rain a couple days limited people out and about which was rough but we did our best to talk to everyone! 

Cody got the Aaronic Priesthood on Sunday. That was really cool, I'm excited for him to progress. He is gonna go to the Temple in Kansas City this week. Unfortunately we can't go with him... but I'm excited for him! 

Personal studies this week were really amazing! I learned what it means to have a wrestle with God. A quote in a talk says: 

"Spiritual perseverance requires us to exercise faith in Christ by intentionally choosing Him again and again and again"

I've been thinking about prayer with that quote in mind. Sometimes my prayers die out halfway through. I'm striving to make prayers more meaningful 🙏. 

Went on a couple exchanges, those are always solid. Other than that not to much happened.... just getting out each day and trying to work hard! 

Oh yeah, today we went to a cave with our whole Zone, it was pretty neat! Missouri is cool! 

Hope all is going well with you all! 

Elder Spencer 

Best Weekend in a Long Time, August 29, 2022

Hello everyone!! 

This week was quite amazing! One of my favorite weeks ever! 

Started off with zone council and President Interviews on Tuesday. They were both great! President McKay is very inspired, he challenged me in our interview to memorize scriptures. It is something I worked on this week, I have set a goal to try and memorize 4 scriptures a week to start off with. I've found something pretty interesting as I have done so. I have found that my mind is an instrument for the Lord. The thoughts we have affect our growth/attitude and so much more. As I have let my thoughts ponder on scriptures as I memorize them I've found myself being spiritually uplifted even when I'm not physically reading the scriptures or praying or something like that. I can feel it while walking or driving. My thoughts used to wander but now are more focused, when I let them be focused on Christ they boost me and help me to grow even closer to Him by remembering Him. 

Had exchanges on Tuesday-Wednesday. They went really well, I went with Elder Davis. He is fresh out on the mission and asked lots of great questions, questions that had me thinking. He asked about routine things I've always done as a missionary like contacting friends. It made me think that there are always new things to be learning and trying out! We were able to talk to quite a few people on campus and we even taught someone the Restoration in a few mins. We ended up having a second lesson with her later in the week and she is excited to keep learning more. 

Throughout the rest of the week Elder Morgan and I worked hard, talked to everyone and did our best to teach when finding. I can say that Heavenly Father placed in our path people who are ready now to hear the Gospel! People who we talked to and wanted to listen to are genuinely seeking to learn more, we taught quite a few first lessons on campus this week. One that was pretty sweet was over the phone. We called a girl we talked to the day before and she picked up and had time for a message right then so we jumped into the Restoration and she loved it. We asked what she would do if she found out our message was true and she said "well I'd want to tell everyone!" That was really awesome, her name is Olivia. 

Cody got baptized this week, I can't express how happy and joyful it made me! Seeing him progress from day one to where he is now has been truly amazing! I ended up baptizing and confirming him, it was really special. He thanked me afterwards and said he was truly grateful for what us missionaries did. It is all God and the Spirit though. He is so full of light and hope now and I'm excited to keep in contact with him and keep helping him grow and come closer to Christ. 

We had an interesting conversation with some members about the difference between Charity and love. We got talking and came to the conclusion that Charity is the action of love, just as Faith is the action of a belief! It was interesting to think about and ponder on and I invite you all to think of ways you can show charity to those around you this week! 

Hope you all have a great week! Elder Spencer 

The Fastest Week of the Mission! August 22, 2022

Wow I cannot believe it is already P-day! The weeks keep going so fast. 

This one was no different, with two exchanges and a Zone Conference, District Council and school starting up there was a lot going on! 

First off, Mizzou classes start today so this last week campus has been crawling with students getting ready to start classes and such. It has been a blessing to have so many new people to talk to. There are so many we almost have to pick and choose our battles. :) They say try to talk to everyone but when there are literally hundreds of kids it's kinda impossible. But we do our best! 

We had three chances to teach the Restoration to some folks this week. All but one being with students. In each interaction we didn't think we would be able to share anything but they ended up having time/were genuinely interested! One in particular was with a lady named Hailey. We started sharing the message of the Restoration and we both felt the need to just testify of God's love. She said after our discussion that she felt happy and at peace, it was neat to be a messenger for God's love. 

Our exchanges were fantastic this week. I want to highlight one in particular. It was our Friday-Saturday exchange. We went with the Elders who live right behind us, I went to their area which happens to be a biking area so we got a good workout in. 

At the beginning of this exchange we did a practice teach. The scenario we practiced was knocking on someone's door but then they let you in instead of just shutting the door. 

So we did so and it went well. Later in the day after visiting some members we were on our way to another members home when we both felt impressed to stop and pray. So we got off our bikes, took off our helmets and prayed on the side of the road. After the prayer the Elder I was with felt we needed to go across the street and knock a members door who hadn't been contacted in a year or so. 

We go across the street and find the apartment door and give it a knock! A man comes to the door, we ask for Bo Young (the member we were looking for) he told us that he wasn't Bo. We asked how long he had lived there, he said about 4 months. We then asked if we could share a message with him and he said sure, we went right in and shared a message it was amazing! It was exactly what we practiced! 

Our friend Cody is going to be baptized this weekend! Pray that everything will go smoothly and that he will be prepared for his big day! It has been a cool experience to see his progress pretty much from day one, and I am really hoping this weekend goes well! 

I've been thinking about the phrase "faith over fear" recently. It is a powerful principle when applied. Fear is something that holds us back from reaching our potential, from trying new things, from growing. I've found once we push past the fear things really aren't as bad as we think they are. For example approaching groups of kids on campus, it takes an effort to open my mouth and talk to lots at once but as soon as I do things become easier. Words come to my mind and I smile and strive to connect with them and give them a chance to hear our message! 

Letting faith prevail over fear has helped me grow more confident in the Lord and His teachings. It provides me with energy when days are long, it helps me to understand I am loved. 

Reading the scriptures and praying are acts of faith! We are acting, when we do so we put forth effort and ask God for specific blessings. In doing so we are using faith! 

I know Christ lives, "I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of Him to declare His word among His people, that they might have everlasting life." 3 Nephi 5:13

Elder Spencer 

New Companion+ School Getting Started, August 15, 2022

Hello all! 

Boy oh boy what a week this has been! 

Elder Hurst and I worked hard on Tuesday, as it was his last day in Como. We hit campus up and also had a couple lessons with Chartese and Cody, those two growing lots! 

Transfers happened one Wednesday, Elder Hurst found out he is going to Springfield, Illinois. My new companion is Elder Morgan! He is from Pocatello, Idaho and he came out around the same time as me! 

We had a busy few days with each other from Thursday to today. We got out on campus quite a bit and had some great lessons again with Chartese and Cody. Chartese took us to a mexican restaurant which was pretty good! 

We did some service with a guy named Elias in our branch and it was great. We moved quite a bit of stuff into a house he is remodelling. 

Church was probably the biggest highlight of the week. We had 4 friends at church, Michelle, Cody, Chartese and Chimdi. I had the opportunity to give a talk during sacrament meeting. It went pretty well I think and I talked about conversion and how it is a life-long commitment! 

Elder Morgan and I are committed to work as hard as we can and just let God do His work through us. 

We've been tasked with giving a training in Zone Conference this Thursday on how we can help members Invite! It will be my first time giving a training in a Conference like this but I'm glad I get to do it with Elder Morgan. 

Overall this week was really good! I'm grateful for the chance to be a missionary here in the great mid-west! Elder Spencer 

Fast and Testimony Meeting, August 8, 2022

What a week! How is everyone doing?? 

Hope all is going well! We worked super hard this week and it was great to see some fruits from our labors! 

We had some great lessons this week. One with our friend Huijie, he doesn't have any Christian background so that made it interesting! We had to teach very simply, so we jumped in and taught about God and Christ kept things simple. We also taught him how to pray and he offered the closing prayer which was super cool! After our lesson he said he was feeling really happy! 

We also had three of our friends come to church this week, Michelle, Chartese and Cody. It was a miracle that they came! Also Michelle and Chartese bore their testimonies which was crazy! They are fun people to be teaching at this time and they are learning more about our Savior Jesus Christ! 

Miracles are real! I know that to be true. I have seen some this week including our friends coming to church and finding new people to teach! We have pretty much a completely new group of people we are working with from when I first got here. 

Transfer news came in and we found out Elder Hurst is getting transferred. I was pretty bummed. We've really clicked especially lately and we have gotten along really well! However I know God's timing is perfect and I will be with who I need to be with! 

The weather has been nice and warm. The humidity is ever present and it has really grown on me! Haha it's pretty nice. 

Anyhow, I know that God is real. He loves each and everyone of you! I know if you tell him what's on your heart He will help you with whatever you ask him about.

Elder Spencer 

Exchanges in St. Louis and Mentally Exhausted! August 1, 2022

Hello everyone, what a week this was! 

We were working hard the whole week and saw some pretty amazing miracles. We started the week with exchanges in Moberly, I went up there with an Elder Davis it was solid! We did service for a guy who is in what he called the "Hot Wheel Hall of Fame". He apparently designed some Hot Wheels for some of his career that was neat. 

The next two days were solid. Wednesday we had a district council where we practiced street contacts and it helped the rest of our day! Our contacts went really well. 

Thursday we had a Zoom Zone Conference where we focused on member missionary work and how we can move it forward! President McKay is big on missionaries and members coming together! It is pretty great! 

Thursday night we drove down to St.Louis and started our exchanges the next day. I was with Elder Jones and it was probably one of my best exchanges I've been on. We taught quite a few lessons and they were all awesome. We taught in unity and the Spirit was strong throughout our lessons. I've adopted a teaching method that helps me to focus during lessons. As others are talking I strive to "listen with love" and then the Spirit always whispers what I need to say and things work out! 

Focusing that hard is mentally exhausting but it is so worth it! I feel like I gave it my all during those lessons! What was really cool was before every lesson we re-gained energy and were able to give our full attention each time, it was a miracle! 

Saturday we had in person MLC! It was quite great, we again focused on member missionary work and what we can do to unite more with the members to move this work forward. 

Sunday was great! Our friends Chartese and Cody came to church which was awesome. Our members were great at fellowshipping them. We then gave a little presentation on the blessings of missionary service. I talked about how personal study, goal setting and the righteous use of technology have blessed me thus far on my mission. It's been pretty cool. 

I had a cool learning moment this week in the scriptures. I studied about how Jesus Christ showed emotion, some of which include the New Testament accounts of Jesus weeping and showing righteous anger in the temple. The Book of Mormon account of Jesus smiling upon the people in 3 Nephi. It made me think about how I could show more emotion when teaching our friends and I worked on it this week and it turned out great! I felt more love for people I taught and it helped me come unto Christ. 

Well, that's about all! Stay safe and be happy! 

Elder Spencer 

106 Degrees Fahrenheit! July 26, 2022

Hello everyone!! Man this week was hot! We had a couple days get above 100 including yesterday's high of 106! It wasn't crazy humid so that was nice but overall we sweated a lot this week getting out and about.  Haha enough of being a weather man though, this week saw some success and some struggles. 

We got in two exchanges, the first I went to the Elders area which happens to be a biking area. We biked a lot and made sure to pack water!  My favourite part of that exchange was with a dear Sister, Sister Anderson. She is so kind and thoughtful and although her family has drifted away from the church she has stayed strong and steadfast! She was an example to me of staying true to what we know and she lifted our burdens as we were pretty tired and hot. 

We had a really some great lessons with Cody and Chimdi this week. Both happened on the same day. We taught Cody about faith and repentance. He asked great questions and he is starting to grasp those concepts.  One thing that struck me from that lesson was just how reliable Heavenly Father is. He will keep His promises. If He asks something of us we can feel assured that it won't lead to something bad. Everything good comes from God! The lesson we had with Chimdi was probably our best lesson with him to this point. He asked lots of great questions about the church at the beginning as we taught about personal revelation the Spirit testified of what was true and taught Chimdi! It was great! 

Campus was kinda slow this week and nobody ended up coming to church, those were some struggles we had this week for sure.

We continue to be more bold in our street contacts and door approaches. Everyday it's a battle to get up to that point but when we do we feel energized and excited to talk to more people! Campus has taught me lots about talking to people! 

We've got a great YSA branch, I was thinking about it after church yesterday. We've got small numbers but everyone is friendly towards each other and it is wonderful to see. 

Spiritual thought of the week. I was reading in Mormon chapter 5 verse 14. Mormon explains his purpose of writing and compiling the Book of Mormon. His intent is that the readers "may be persuaded that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God." As I read that and many other verses from the Book of Mormon this week my understanding of Christ's role in my life grew. I came to understand a bit more what it means to repent, to truly repent daily. There is such a thing as truth, real truth when applied to our lives can change them for the better. There is nothing the world can give that will come close to the peace and joy that living Christ's gospel and following His commandments can bring. 

Hope you all are doing well! Elder Spencer 

Prayers Answered and a Touch with the Savior, July 18, 2022

Hello everyone!! 

This week was pretty amazing! We started the week off with a Zone Council and President interviews! President McKay is a powerful leader. I have already felt so much love for him and his dear wife Sister McKay. I know they are the ones who need to be leading the mission at this time. 

After our zone Council and interviews we started exchanges with the Elders serving in Macon, MO. I stayed in our area with an Elder Jennings. It was a pretty good exchange. I found myself having to lead out most of the contacts which built my confidence in being able to talk with people! 

That is something I've gotten better at: talking with people. Elder Hurst and I had a pretty sweet day of Contacting on campus earlier this week. We went out and asked questions like: "If you could describe Jesus Christ in one word what would it be?" Or "If God was standing right in front of you what would be one question you would ask Him?" We were able to have some great discussions off of those questions and as we asked follow-ups we were able to teach restored truth as we listened and adjusted to people's needs! The right question at the right time can lead to a conversation that otherwise wouldn't have happened! 

We saw some disappointments this week as we had quite a few first lessons with people but for a variety of reasons people couldn't meet again for a few weeks, it was frustrating but God opened other doors for us! One of those first lessons was quite the miracle. I've had a goal this last week to be more specific in my prayers throughout the day. Elder Hurst and I were going to do some inspired door knocking and as we were praying to leave the truck to go knock some doors. We prayed for "an opportunity to teach someone". We usually pray for opportunities to find someone with a soft heart but rarely if ever do we pray for teaching opportunities. Well lo and behold we knock a couple doors. The second on we knock we ask if we could share a short message, the man at the door let us right in and we taught him and his friend inside a lesson we call the Restoration! It was a direct answer to prayers and was so cool to see! 

Some of the doors that God opened were helping our friends Davonte, Chimdi, and Cody all come to church this Sunday!! I was so grateful that they all ended up making it! 

Cody's experience was especially amazing as one of our branch members came up to him after the first hour and they started talking like they were best friends. Cody and this member grew up going to school together!! We were talking to the member afterwards and he said he thought Cody moved away and that he'd never see him again so that was cool. Also we extended a baptismal date to Cody for August 20th which he accepted!! Please keep him in your prayers!! 

A couple weeks ago when we had our Zone Conference President and Sister McKay talked about having "a touch" with Jesus Christ throughout each day. I took that to heart and have been answering the question: "How did I have a touch with Jesus Christ today?" In my journal each night. It has really opened my eyes to the love He has for us. He is truly there I know it! 

I was reading in the Book of Mormon this morning and a verse stuck out to me that relates to this idea of having a touch with Christ. It is found in Mormon chapter one verse 15. It reads: "I was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus." Mormon is the one narrating at this point and I love this verse. What he describes here to me sounds like what conversion truly is. When we are converted to Jesus Christ we know of His goodness and seek it day to day. 

I invite each of you everyday to ponder how you have had "a touch" with Jesus Christ and then write it down. I promise you will see more clearly your potential and His love for you and those around you! 

Elder Spencer 

                                                        

Zone Conference with the McKay's, July 11, 2022

Well everyone this week was challenging but had some rewarding moments as well. 

Started off with exchanges, I left our area to go on exchanges with the only other Canadian in our mission, Elder Lawson. He was born in Canada and lived there for a bit before moving to Arizona so he's pretty much the opposite of me! haha (myself being born in the USA but growing up in Canada). It was a blast serving with him and we had some door knocking success. Out of the 3 doors we knocked, one didn't answer and the other two were interested! Very Spirit-led for sure! 

Moving on from that exchange, on Thursday we had our first in-person Zone Conference with the McKay's. They are super awesome and I learned lots specifically about how we determine success as a missionary. 

It's based on our commitment and how much we are doing to strive for obedience and to teach and preach with the Spirit. It motivated me to want to do my best everyday especially as time is coming to an end....I'm grateful to be on a mission and wouldn't trade it for the world. 

Alrighty, second exchange was super awesome! First off we had another cool door knocking miracle. We went to a complex and walked around talking to people outside and knocked on doors that we felt prompted to. We knocked one door the man who answered was interested but said he was getting ready to go to his families house for dinner so we gave him our card and left. We walk around the corner and knock another door, start talking to this guy who is also pretty interested. Then all of a sudden the first guy we talked to comes up and walks by us into the house! We were talking to his family members!! We left telling them when we come back by that we would visit with all of them at once. 

We found someone to teach over Facebook this week as well, technology is truly a blessing and it works. Our mission has been doing something called "4 eyes 1 screen" where anytime one of us is doing Facebook finding, the other one of us is watching their screen giving feedback and finding together. 

Please keep Davonte in your prayers, he expressed that he doesn't feel like he can be baptized at the moment and he has been feeling sick lately. He is a great man and I know he has come closer to God while we have been teaching him. He is so close! 

I've been thinking about attitude lately, how positive mindsets really can help us so much. If we think we can do it we will find a way to do it. If we combine that with counselling the Lord and following His guidance we will be able to accomplish what we desire! Even if we don't quite get it done the way we think it should be done we will get it done. God cares about what we care about. 

Hope you are all doing well, Elder Spencer