¡Casi 8 meses!

Dear family and friends,

What a week that I have had! 

So this week we got that baptismal date and we got it rejected, so we have to get a new date!

However we were blessed with two surprise investigators at church and it was so much fun to see them there! I hope that your week was great and that you are doing amazing! 

Here was my week!

Week January 18-24 2016

Monday:

So today was a longer, but really good day for me! We had a few crazy moments, but thank goodness for other missionaries to save the day! 

So today was pday and we were able to do a lot of shopping and stuff, but my favorite part is always emailing home and playing with the other missionaries all of our fun games like basket ball and scatter ball and lots of others! Also as we were there Elder O had money stollen out of his church clothes pocket. He thinks some kids playing basketball took it out from the bathroom and so he freaked out and started running at them screaming and telling them to show him their wallets and pockets and we all tried to stop him before it got out of control! Good thing there was a huge Tongan missionary, Elder Sicaleti to save the day and take him outside to calm down! I freaked out and emailed president a letter to see if he had advice for me, but after it all he told me he was okay! So tonight we had a good turn out for Family home evening and it was so much fun! We learned about temples and I was talking with a girl about my age who messed up her life by having a kid at 16 and another on the way and she kept saying, "what is it like inside the temple!?" And I kept saying it is really pretty, and she kept asking me questions and I told her, "you have the chance to go, all you have to do is change your life! I know you can!" She kept saying, "but now I have to start over!" And a friend that isn't a member that was with her said, "the lord always wants you to change!" It hit me so hard that a non member even knows that! She gets it and it was a testimony to me that God does love all of us, and is always giving us blessings, but sometimes we are shielding them away from us! Today was a great day full of experiences. The quote for the day, "Don't be Focused about the past, you had the chance to learn then and there and it is time to change here and now!"

Tuesday:

Well today was a definite learning day for me! So today we woke up at 6 planning on going to exercise with Elder Taylor and Elder Corrington, but they slept in until 6:30 while we were waiting for them, so we decided to go back to bed for a half hour!!

After we woke up, we got ready for the day and had the chance to go and start our exchange with Elder Parkin and Escobar! So I stayed in my area with Elder Escobar and we started off our exchange by going to the community Garden here in Denton and had the chance to weed out some onion fields and even go in and work inside some of the green houses! It was pretty much a dream, and we are going to go back and do service there more often and I can not wait! It is just so relaxing to me! 

So after service we got the chance to have good studies and it felt good being the Oldest missionary out of the two of us and be able to give tips on teaching, but sadly he is a Hispanic, so he gave me the tips on Spanish as I gave him the tips on teaching!   So we had a dinner planned with an older sister from our ward, and she had a restaurant way out of our area she planned on going to, so I was really able to get to know the bus routes better and just my area better so I could get from our house to the restaurant! The food was great and the sister was super nice! And after our dinner and we got back to the bus station I found out my bike tire was flat and I was very upset, because all of our plans were ruined for the night! So we headed home and I spent the night repairing my bike tire to work for he next for months! It was all okay and taught me to have patients, so I am all good with everything that happened! I would say it helped me change my relationship to be a better relationship with Elder Escobar! He really is a good missionary!!

Wednesday:

"Speak of him and his doctrine and he will speak of you with the Father!" 

-Neil L. Anderson

So today we finished our exchange at a world wide missionary training that we watched at the church today as a Zone! As we began watching it, the language was in Spanish and the Zone Leaders had to call it in and get it all fixed, because everyone was very upset that they couldn't understand it, but I was fine! We got to hear from Elder Anderson, Elder Bednar, Sister Oscarson, Elder Clayton, and Elder Brent Nielson! It was an amazing thing to listen and to learn from the things that they taught! The main focus of the meeting was to help us learn how to Teach Repentance and Baptize Converts! 

One of the things that caught my attention was when Elder Anderson told us that without true repentance their baptism won't mean anything. It really began to click for me! We can only receive and have the spirit with us when worthy, so we must repent and then be baptized to clean us completely for the Holy Ghost to dwell with us! 

The other thing that stood out to me a lot was the definition of Saved.

"Saved: Being Strong enough to resist temptation and being strong in spiritual stature so we can live in the presence of God." -Elder Oaks

This really hit me, because I never really thought of being saved in this way before. I always thought you were baptized and as you did right you could be able to live with God again, but this definition hits it perfectly on the head of how and what Saved truly is. 

So today we had the chance to go and teach our investigators Emanuel Guillen and also Modest Martinez. We taught both of the them the first lesson, the restoration and they both took it well, but I think that we still are missing a lot about who they are and so we are planning on going by to eat with Modesta and her inactive member husband next week and planning on serving Emanuel so he can come to church! 

Today was very successful and full of energy for me! 

The last quote I got to help me from Elder Oaks was,

"The Savior doesn't Save man in their sin, but from their sins!"

This has a lot of different meanings, but all share the same message, The Savior always has his arms opened towards us!!

Thursday:

So today was the start of a few days of coldness! I say that because after working out I looked out the window and saw it was raining and right after that the fog set in for a while! The fog is really cool here! I have never really had the chance to see fog, and it is quite a sight, but apparently it is better in the summer! So when we went outside to go to the library to have our weekly planning it was very cold and I had to go back in and get my thicker jacket and I hope it doesn't get lots colder! So today we had the opportunity to leave with Hno. Hildreth and visit a lady that he has as a home teaching family and as we finished he said the words that changed the whole visit. I hope that I will always remember these words. First we love you, and God loves you. And secondly, is there anything that I or we can do for you!? Those two things changed this sweet lady. She began to cry and said, "I am going in for surgery to,or row for a biopsy to see if I have cancer, because they found a lump, and I am super nervous and was wondering if I could have a blessing." So we gave her a blessing and she was crying the whole time and then she thanked us and we left. As we were leaving you could see a peace in her face where she new everything would be okay and as we shut the door she said, "everything will work out, I had a blessing!" 

These people have so much faith and love for God and it just amazes me and makes me want to be better every day!

We also had an awesome exchange with Hno. Strasser who took us and we taught a lesson to a more or less active family who comes most of the time, but they are not way focused! It was a great lesson and we got to read the Book of Mormon with them! 

I just don't think people understand the power this simple book has!? Just by reading and praying you can receive revelation to change your life to become the best person possible. This book is a book of repentance and I love it with all my heart! Today was such a powerful and freezing day! For dinner we ate at a Guatemalan Restaurant, and we both were not huge fans of the food we got, but the restaurant and people were amazing and super sweet!

Friday: 

Wow today was quite an eventful day for us! So today we started off the day by going and giving service at Our Daily Bread. It was a really fun day their, because she chef taught us how to make home made pizzas and they were actually pretty easy! We made over 30 pizzas and I was in charge of putting them in and taking them out of the oven yelling hot pan every thirty seconds, and it was just a lot of fun to think that all that I was doing was service, but helping so many people! Today we were able to serve over 277 homeless or without meals people and it just felt really good! So after our good service we came home and took a 45 minute halt and it was so hard to wake up and get going again, because we were so exhausted!  However after studies we got picked up for dinner by Hno. Myer, a white guy who served in southern Chile and met his wife there and brought her back to marry her. They have 3 kids and they are all so sweet and kind! And their house is what I would call a mansion home and is very pretty! For dinner Hna. Myer made a Chilean dish and I was about to die when I saw how big the dish was! It was so rich in flavor and our lesson we gave to them was one of the best Work of Salvation lessons I have given! The dad taught the whole lesson without us asking, but he was able to connect better than we were with his kids. We just kind of probed the whole lesson in the right path and it was taught very well! After dinner we arrived home late and had Hno. Meza, a member in the ward, come and pick us up for a short exchange! We went to the Martinez house to find that their home teacher was there! We entered and we just added to his lesson and shared a small scripture on faith with the non member wife, and she told us all, "I think I am ready to come back to the church this Sunday!" We don't know if she will, but she knows that we love her and she told us she wants us to come for dinner next week! We were delighted to be able to say yes! Today was such a good day where time flies by being lost in the work of the Lord!

Saturday:

So today was a day very hard for me, but very much a day needed!

So today we started off the day going with Emanuel Guillen to do service for him. He owns his own painting business and usually has to finish his projects on Sunday so he doesn't come to church, so we went and helped him with his project so that he would be able to come to church with us tomorrow! As we went to gas up he asked us if we wanted coffee and we were able to explain to him why we don't drink it and so when he came out with his coffee he keep saying, "man my coffee just doesn't taste the same!?" We were really confused, but found out he bought the un caffeinated coffee to try and get ride of his morning addiction to coffee so that he will be ready to get baptized! It was a really cool thing to see and he still seemed as happy as can be without his coffee! So after helping him with the service we went to lunch back to the store elder O and I tried out the other day, but he bought us pupisas! Pupisas are like two thick corn tortillas put together with meat and beans and cheese on the inside, and they were so tasty! As we got home Elder O told me he just didn't feel good, and he didn't look good at all, so he slept all afternoon while I cleaned the house and studied. It was a really hard day for me in the fact that I am just like my father, I have a hard time sitting for long periods of time, and you can only clean and study for so long till you go crazy in a small apartment! However it was nice to get a deep cleaning into our long needed apartment! And as we both began planning tonight when I began to start feeling a head congestion coming on and so I am going to go to bed early to try and beat it so I can go to church tomorrow! I sure hope that I don't get sick!!  What a needed day we had!

Domingo:

Wow today was a very refreshing day for me! So today we woke up and I had the best rest I have had in a long time! However, we woke up and got ready so we could make it to our missionary coordination meeting on time and we headed to the church! We had success in our meeting and then I was able to go into the ward council meeting while Elder 'Otuafi went with a brother from the ward and went out to visit a few people to invite them to church. As I got out of an uplifting meeting, expecting good reports that our investigators would make it and all, elder O told me that Emanuel wouldn't make it because he and his wife are having some issues right now and they don't know if they will be staying together. It broke both of our hearts, because they have two little girls and because now we have to try and set another baptismal date with him and we are really going to have to push hard for success and baptism with him. However as church was about to start in walked a less active Hno. With his non member wife that we had been teaching for awhile! It was a complete shock and it made me feel so happy! So we sat with them and we got to know a lot more about them as well, and when I left the church today I felt like I knew the Hna. A lot better than before because we were joking around with one another! Also we had an 8 year old we have been teacher come to church as well! We really were blessed today! And as we were heading out the church doors today I was thinking, "this will be similar to heaven!? Always having people shaking your hands, smiling and wanting to talk to you!" I love my mission so much! And this evening Elder O and I had a chance to talk about his mom and what happened exactly, and it was a really good bonding chance for us!!

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers and for always being there for me! Know that I really do pray for all of you and your success! I hope you have a great week and I love you so much! 

Con Amor,

Elder Spendlove

7 Months Under the Belt!

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has really been a good week. For me it was tough, but a good week to be able to learn from and make better! I had a lot of really amazing opportunities and I learned a whole lot! I hope that all of you have had a great week and that you are all staying warm in this weather the Lord is giving us!

Here is how my week went!

Week January 4-10 2016

Monday:

Wow today was a very fast day and always is, but it was such an amazing day as well!

So today we started off by cleaning our house, because we didn't know if one of us was going to leave until we got a call around 11. So we found out at we have the awesome chance to be together and improve ourselves and each other for 6 more weeks! Another thing we also got done today was a lot of emails, letters and I got my haircut right after we went shopping! It was so nice to get a haircut and feel like a new missionary all over again! Also as I sat down and the lady was talking to me I could hear a huge accent and I said, "mam, where are you from?" And she told me she was from Puerto Rico and had been here for ten years, and I could really tell her English was hard for her. As we were talking I just switched randomly into Spanish and kind of freaked her out a little, but after she figured out why I new Spanish she was so happy!! It was a really cool experience and from that point on it was all Spanish and I loved it! We got to go to the church and play lots of games like a game called scatter all where you are playing dodgeball but without teams pretty much! So at the end of our games my zone leader walked up and gave me his quad copter to see if I could fix it and I was so happy to try and fix it! Also he is letting me take it home to make sure I get it fixed right if you know what I mean!;)

So tonight we didn't have a dinner from the ward, so the elders were going to drop us off somewhere to eat while they went to their dinner appointment, but the sister insisted that she fed us as well, so we all ate together and had such a good chat!! The older lady I was talking to the whole time is from Chile Canción and is getting ready to go back! She made it sound so wonderful that one day I want to go back there as well! Today was a great day, and the best day to end it is by our great planning and winding down with the RC toy and my cello! 

Tuesday:

Today started off a little slow, but it ended up being such an amazing day! So today we did our studies and then went over to Elder Saaga and Hoopers house to help them get ready for exchanges tomorrow. We cleaned the house good and then we went out to eat as a going away party for Elder Saaga. Also on our way back to our apartment we found this really funny painting on a building wall of the Virginia Maria that we decided we would take a picture with, because every Hispanic has had some type of experience with her!! As we got home we finished a little more studies and headed right to our dinner appointment with the Pumphreys, where they made Tongan style chicken and rice, and it was so good! After dinner Hno. Pumphrey went on exchange with us and we knocked a few doors before heading to the church where we got a brand new investigator to come for his first time to an addiction recovery program and tomorrow we will take him on a tour of the church! It made my whole day to see him walk not only into the church, but to see him sit through a full class and learn something and make friends! As we got home and began planning, Elder 'Otuafi and I finally were able to learn more on how to be closer. He told me about his life and said he wanted to be close with me as a companionship. We talked about how we could, and after our planning I taught him how to fly the quad copter, and now we might go buy some cheap ones to fly together as something that we both life to do. One thing we have found out is we like the opposites and act the opposites so sometimes connecting is very hard to do. However, I feel with the way we are thinking we can connect so much better! I love my companion and I love my mission!

Wednesday:

Wow today was quite the crazy day for us! However it is just the start of a crazy week! So today we had the chance to go over and sit with an English elder, Elder Coorington while his companion was getting transferred, and not only did we study, but he taught us how to sweet a house like a swat team and so we dressed up a bit and practiced! After his new companion arrived the took us home where we finished our studies and headed over to the Library so that we could plan for the week! We had a great planning and a great comp inventory and were able to set a lot of appointments! As we got home for dinner we made a quick dinner and started working on the puzzle Elder 'Otuafi got for Christmas for something more to do together, and we had a great time! After dinner we headed out to an apartment complex where we are having a lot of Success and on our way it started to just pour, and the whole time we were out it rained crazy hard! One of the first houses we got to an American older guy opened the door and told us to come in. As we entered the smell of smoke hit us harder than walking into a casino full of smile. This guy had been smoking so much his house was hazy! As we sat there we both felt like our eyes were burning and our lungs too. It was however a good experience to see how people live and to see this poor old guy lost in this addiction! He didn't want to learn much and didn't want us to leave him with anything, but as we got outside of his house we realize that he left us with so,etching, and that was the great smell of bad thick smoke! After a little more knocking and a lot of successful appointments set we started for home and when we got home we realized not only did we stink way bad of smoke, but now it was a wet stinky smoke smell!! Today was quite the adventure! Something I learned is that even the most lost people receive the simplest blessings from God, they just don't see them as blessings. Also I learned that it only takes one word,to change the life of someone!!

Thursday:

Today was such a crazy day!! So today we started off by doing some studies and then going straight to Zone Council where I gave a training on teaching in your Stewardship and how holding on to others investigators slows the progress of every missionary of the Lords team! It went really good, and from there we had the awesome opportunity to go to the Alliance Stake Center in Trophy Club about 45 minutes from Denton to have a song practice! We were lucky enough to have our Ward Mission Leader give us a ride and man I want to have a house and yard like him on day! He is retired and just hunts in his 50 acre back yard whenever he wants!! So after our beautiful Song Practice we had dinner with the Stasser Family! Their family is an english family but a mix of Spanish speaker, because the mom is a mix of a Hispanic. We had home made waffles and eggs with sausage! It really made me think of home and having breakfast for dinner all the time, and as we were talking come to find out they are my cousins!! They are related to me through my grandpa Dudley Leavitt! They go through his brother! So we started talking and come to find out the mom and dad hiked and spent lots of time in Zion National park and even got married in the St. George temple!! It was so fun to have someone know my home town!! After dinner we had the opportunity to go to an investigators Modesta's house to teach her and her husband Jose, who is an inactive member. As we taught them they had their friends over because of the kings festival day they had yesterday. The Kings festival day is based off of something, but and one was a Jehovahs Witness, and she wouldn't leave anything alone, however, I am glad that she was there to help me learn to use scriptures and most of all just to testify!! What an amazing day! I hope tomorrow we can have a small little break!!

Friday:

Today was a crazy fast day and was a very fun day as well!! So today we began to work out in a church Gym with two missionaries to pick us up and take us there and one of them is teaching me Jujitsu to protect myself, and it is pretty cool! Also after our studies we went to a service project were we served for about 3 hours cleaning a ladies yard and it was a huge transformation! We raked leaves, swept here sidewalks and porches and then we even planted a tree for her. After our fun service project we came home and finished a few more studies and realized that we left our phone inside of the elders car and that they were going to be gone all night until 9 so we had a rough time getting everything organized! However we kept our composure and everything worked out just fine. We had our exchange make it on time and then we went to teach an investigator, but he was still working, so we passed by Jesus Vera's house and began teaching him about the Word of Wisdom and how important it was, but all he could think about was that he was leaving the next day and he was very stressed, so we jumped the lesson and helped him pack and we gave him a few of our things he didn't have so he would be comfortable! I think at first I was a little frustrated, but after time I realized that I was learning something and that is to be a friend and help our investigators before we just try to teach them! If I learned anything I learned that I need to think of a better way to teach the word of wisdom and also to always focus on their needs first! Now I am practicing the cello so that I will be ready for the Fireside tomorrow! I am super excited and very nervous at the same time!! However, the lord will bless me!

Saturday: 

So today was quite the exciting day for me! I would pretty much say it was the biggest dream come true! So today we left at 7 to travel to Trophy club with the couple missionaries, Elder Bond and Sister Bond. We got there a little early and I had a chance to practice the cello with everyone and then we had the amazing opportunity to have D. Todd Christofferson and his wife come to spend the morning with us! We took pictures with them and then we had the chance to shake their hands before a fireside!! As I shook the hand of Elder Christofferson I just felt so much love from him and I also felt just like he already knew me! He thanked me for my service and just smiled with his big smile, but his wife as I shook her hand the first thing she said was, "Elder Spendlove, did you eat breakfast?" I don't know if she was telling me I was just skinny or if she was just trying to start a good conversation!? So as the fireside started I got the amazing opportunity to play the cello with about 8 missionaries singing and a sister playing the piano. As I finished I could just feel so much warmth and happiness, and all I could think about was a scripture in Doctrine Covenants 25:12-13 that talks about a righteous song is a prayer unto the lord! I was praying as I shared my talent, but most of all I was testifying! Some things Elder Christofferson said that touched me were, "the Lord I believe is very frustrated with us, because he wants to give us more blessings, but we aren't preparing to receive them fast enough!" Also he said, "When we come on this mission we are in debt to the lord, but when we leave we leave even more in debt for the many miracles he gave us. Don't you ever think he owes you!" Also one sister missionary asked a very sacred question that she really shouldn't have asked which was, what does Jesus Christ Look like? And it kind of shocked him and his first words were very sacred. He said, "Not like the paintings...." And then he tried to focus more on the meaning of being an apostle And testifying of the name of Jesus Christ. After learning so much from Elder Christofferson I felt just so much energy to go and change the world, to just let the whole world know what they are missing! And also as I was leaving the meeting I had quite a few people stop me and tell me thank you. One sister that is in my district stopped me and said in Spanish, "thank you for playing that with your heart." And I said, "your welcome! I am glad I had the opportunity to do it!" And then she stopped me again as I was walking slowly away and said this time in English, "no elder Spendlove, for reals thank you so much." I don't know what she felt, but the spirit testified to her and she felt something that changed her, and I made me feel good to know that I was able to do that by having the courage share my talents! After our amazing morning we had the opportunity to go to Providence to help clean a members garage for a while. Sadly his wife is divorcing him and leaving him and his little son that is maybe 1. So as we finished the project he was driving us home and his son began to cry, so I began to talk to him and play with him and we became best friends! It made me really miss my nephews and nieces a lot, but it was a good refresher to know how much I love children! We also had the opportunity to get out and bike this evening in the 35 degree weather and it was just a little too cold so we went and planned at the church!! What an amazing day I will never forget!!

Sunday: 

So  today was a really good day being able to go to the church and have our meetings as missionaries in the morning with Ward Council right afterwards and then sacrament meeting! Today I really tried to think about the things the savior has done for me everyday, and as I was sitting there during sacrament, after a rough week of people canceling appointments on us, I began to pray. As I was praying I felt so much peace come over me and I had the story of Jesus being rejected and slapped and I knew that he had felt this pain, and even more and that he knew that what I was going through was hard! So I began to think, what am I doing to show that I can try harder to be the best missionary, and I found out I don't talk a lot to the members without them saying hi to me, so I began to talk with the members to really get to know them personally, and I made a lot of friends! So after church we were planning on taking an investigator to a fireside with a member, but he called us saying it wasn't going to work, so we got to change our plans really fast. So this evening was about 35 or so degrees and was very cold, but as I was biking I didn't feel way cold until I got in the house at the end of the night! So we went to the church for dinner and then began contacting some people close by the church and had a little bit of success. As we got going elder asked me if I had the house keys. I told him I didn't and then we thought maybe we left them at the church, so we,had to bike back to find out they weren't there! We found one person to teach named Sacramento Martinez and we taught him a quick lesson on his porch about Jesus Christ and his life and how the Book of Mormon can help us to have a better life. He took it well and we found out he works with one of our members! So we are going to call out members to have a better lesson with him! At the end of the day we went home and got our call in for the numbers, and as I look back at the week it was a very difficult week when I comes to finding people to teach, but I feel like it was a very successful week when it comes to my progress in the gospel! 

Elder Christofferson said, 

"the atonement of Christ doesn't just remove the spot, but the stain of the sin as well!"

Great week with a date set

Dear Family and Friends!! This week was amazing! And I was able to see so many blessings take place serving the lord!! As I was writing this week in my journal I started thinking about the week and really how many blessings I have seen and the feelings of love and happiness I have been able to feel! I know that without this gospel I would feel fun times, but never everlasting joy. Never forget what the Lord truly gives you as you go from day to day! 

Here is my week and sorry it is super long!

Week January 11-17 2016

 

Monday:

Wow today was a very enjoyable day for me! So we had the opportunity like every week to have our Pday and we started out by going to the Denton Library just down the street from us to email for an hour! For me emailing can be a stressful process thinking I have so much to do, until I get into the amazing details of how everyone is doing and the fun times that I am not missing out on, because I am reading how their life is going. So after an hour we got picked up by the ASL missionaries and got to work really fast by going shopping at Aldis and Walmart to get the best deals and it went by really fast! After that we went to the church and were able to email, fly the quad copter that my zone leader has, and play lots of games like, basket ball, scatter ball and even I learned a little bit of Jujitsu from another elder who took classes. He says I am a pretty fast learner and that I have good technique, but sadly I have know idea what I am really doing!?

After our Pday ended really fast we had the chance of being apart of a Family Home Evening that we have never been apart of, and we were able to teach all of the children so that they could understand the gospel of Jesus Christ (Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end) 

We used papers as stepping stones, and it was a lot of fun! We also played so me simon says, or Jesus says, which was lead by a new Spanish sister missionary named sister Farnes and then had a wonder dinner that a member bought! We got Pizza with cup cakes and it was the really good pizza as well. I feel a little ripped off that this is what I have missing out on for 7 months, because this is my first home evening as a missionary, and I love it!! Today was a really fun and relaxing day!!:)

Tuesday:

So today started out really amazing, but ended out a little rough for me! So today we had the opportunity to go an work at a soup kitchen known as Our Daily Bread for all morning. As we were there we had the opportunity to clean the walk in fridge and freezer and we also learned how to cut meats and fruits the best ways to have the tastiest food! Really I doubt it charges much, but ever tip helps when you can't cook like me!? So we also got the chance to cut up onions and man I can say I had a really good cry today and I can still feel it burning my eyes as I am trying to stay awake to write how my day went! So as I was sitting in there watching all of the homeless people I kept thinking how bad I felt for my brothers and sisters, but at the same time I feel like my mission is also showing me what I don't ever want to to though! So after our service we went and had some great studies and then Elder 'Otuafi made us both dinner!! He did pretty good and we had pork chops with rice and veggies that was super filling! So we took a bus to the church and that is when the day slowly became hard for me! We had an investigator tell us he was going to come, but for the last 3 nights he had said that and again he said that he was going to be there at 7 and then it came around 7:30 and he never came and he would not answer his phone. 

So it came down to it that we, I felt wasted time, sat there waiting and calling and making plans for other days. My goal was to have a lesson everyday in my mission, but I think that goal was a little off, I think that my new goal should be to understand God and do what he wants me to do! So my new goal is that and now all I can think about is how I can accomplish that and find more people to think. So for me I was really upset just thinking that I need to do better, but I am glad that when I am down I always have a comp to pick me up, and when my comp is down, somehow I am always positive! All I can say is that missions are not easy, but the joy and things you learn in the end make them so worth it! So I don't say I had a hard day to get pity, but to get my point across that Heavenly Father is helping me to become better! Also we did get our investigator to answer and we are having our lesson tomorrow we hope! So really today was a good day!:)

Wednesday:

Holy cow! Today was a huge switch up for the both of us!! We had the amazing opportunity to start our day off with a really good District meeting in English, because our English speaking Zone Leaders were present with us! However today was the first time in District meeting that I finally understood the point of the restoration to the fullest, and not because it was in English, but because it was taught by someone new and outside of the District! So I learned a lot a lot!! Here is one of the things of most worth unto me for my meeting!

We must not teach the investigators that they are wrong, but teach upon their beliefs, until they understand for their selves thought the scriptures where they are wrong! Never bring the Book of Mormon in to fast to conversations or lessons because sometimes it creates a block for them to push away off of. And lastly ask questions to understand them and then ask questions to see what they believe and sometimes they can teach themselves what they want and need to do! 

Do not be afraid to use their bible to find scriptures so that they know how and that we believe in the same things that they do! Then after our interviews we had the opportunity to have our Mission President Interviews, and I had so many thoughts and questions in my interview that I wish I could have recorded it and also asked many more questions, but what he told me was stuff I needed to hear that he had never even heard me talk about! 

After dinner we had the opportunity to have Hno. Hildreth, our Ward Mission Leader, go out with us and teach an investigator Angela with her two kids who are 8 and 7! We taught the two kids and the boy really wants to be baptized, so we will keep working with them to see how that works! We also went to an inactive Hno.s house whose wife isn't a member, but was close to being baptized a while back. We taught about the importance of the church and how we look at it as a way to become better. We had a powerful lesson with her and her husband and I could just feel so much power when I was testifying and talking to them! I truly felt the love that my savior has for them and I hope that I can keep that love forever with everyone I see! Lastly we met our investigator Emanuel Guillen in the church and had just enough time to give him a powerful tour of the church! I learned tonight that it is a huge thing to be able to get investigators in the church meeting the people walking around going to and from meetings, and that it is even more important to have a member there with them! We had Hno. Hildreth there to teach him more about ever part of the church so that he understood perfectly what a church was and whAt each class was really for! Today was a true blessing of God and I think it worked out for us, because we focused so hard on planning the day before so we wouldn't have a rough day like we just had. So today's biggest lesson was that God loves when we do what he wants. Love him, and do what he says and you will see miracles! 

 

Thursday:

Today was a very refreshing day for me! To start off the day we woke up at 6:30 instead of at 6 like we have been waking up, and we worked out with the other elders at our house, and the 30 minutes extra of sleep really made the difference for me for the whole day! So today we had our full studies and then we went over to the City Library where we were able to plan for the week and it was a really good amount of time to learn and also find ways to get more investigators! So as we were planning we had a knock on our study room door and as we looked out it was a guy that keeps bothering Elder 'Otuafi that is gay and wears a skirt and red hair. It isn't that we hate him, but he is always acting really weird when we are there and he won't leave us alone. So we just tried to pretend he wasn't there and finish our weekly planning. After our studies we went over to the church before dinner and wrote our ward email that looks like this right here! 

!La Clave de Nuestras Familias¡

Hola Hermanos y Hermanas,

Nosotros como misioneros solo queremos decirles gracias por todo que hacen ustedes para la obra del Señor y también esperemos que su semana fue bien exitoso.

Nuestro mensaje hoy es para entender más acerca del Libro de Mormón.  

Unas preguntas en que podemos pensar son...

¿Ha pensado en lo que realmente es El Libro De Mormón?

¿Como puede El Libro De Mormón ayudarme en estas tiempos?

Y ¿Porque es necesario para leer El Libro De Mormón como una familia?

        Presidente Ezra Taft Benson nos dijo,

“Tengo la certeza de que si en el hogar los padres leen el Libro de Mormón en forma regular y con oración, tanto solos como con sus hijos, el espíritu de ese gran libro reinará en nuestro hogar así como en los que moren allí. El espíritu de reverencia aumentará; el respeto y la consideración mutuos crecerán. El espíritu de contención se alejará. Los padres aconsejarán a sus hijos con más amor y sabiduría. Los hijos serán más receptivos y sumisos al consejo de sus padres. Aumentará la rectitud. La fe, la esperanza y la caridad --el amor puro de Cristo-- abundarán en nuestro hogar y en nuestra vida, trayendo consigo paz, gozo y felicidad”

     Sabemos que en estas tiempos difíciles tenemos que hacer tiempo por El Evangelio en nuestras vidas. Y sabemos que Dios nos bendecirá si hagamos estudios cada día. Por favor no niega la oportunidad de cambiarse o su familia. 

Al terminar queremos compartir nuestros testimonios que hemos visto. cambios en nuestra vidas por medio del Libro De Mormón. Sabemos que podamos tener paz en esta vida y felicidad en la vida venida si hagamos los estudios del Libro De Mormón. 

      "Si siempre haces lo que siempre has hecho, siempre recibirá lo que siempre has recibido."

-Presidente Ames

  Esperemos que esta semana usted pueda mejorar su estudios para recibir las bendiciones de Dios! 

Con Amor,

Los Misioneros De Barrio 6

So we finished that ward letter just in time for dinner and then we got picked up to go on exchange with Hno. Tryon. We went over to the Village East Apartments and knocked some doors that we had gotten ahold of the other week, but all of them kind of canceled with us so we went to find a lady that Hno. Tryon is supposed to Home teach, and come to find out, she is 20 and has a 4 year old in a wheel Chair and she is also pregnant with only a boyfriend she has to travel to see. It was really sad to see, but she told us she would be coming to our family home evening and we hope she does come and likes it! It really put in perspective for me how crazy life could have been for me if I was not a member of this church. After our visit there we were going to go and teach an investigator, but he decided it would be better to teach him tomorrow, so we kind of ran out of ideas and decided to go and contact some people over in what is known and Cement City, over on the Stella Street, and as we knocked on door we were expecting rejection, but this sweet mother opened the door and her two daughters who were twins and about 5 years old each or 7 were there at the door too and we started teaching simply while talking to her and come to find out she has 5 kids! She was just like my family! I testified of how the gospel can bless her family and she said she would love to hear more, so we got her number and we are going to go back and teach her this next Thursday! For us today was a huge success, and we just hope that we are able to really get back to this Hermana and really see there are blessings with this gospel!!

Friday:

Wow todas was a really good day! So today we had the opportunity to go to Our Daily Bread, a soup kitchen, to serve the homeless food, and it was a lot of fun! As we were working we were able to visit and just have fun times with the whole district washing dishes! As we finished we had to leave with a fun selfie and head our separate ways! We headed back to our apartment and began our studies which took up our time until around 5:15. As I was doing personal study I just found so many scriptures to help back up them apostasy and why it happened for all the people that try to beat their way around it! After that study session I just felt like I could sit there for hours finding more things, it gave me excitement for the next time I can study the gospel! At 5:15 we decided to run to the post office to grab  so,e boxes so we could both send home some things that we had been holding on too, that we really wouldn't need out here. We got home just in time to pack them and head to dinner with a sister from our ward, Hna. Farfal! She is from Chile and is a very sweet lady! She always jokes about finding a husband as a blessing of feeding us, and we love her great attitude about life! She bought us huge hamburgers from LSA Burger and it was just a good time getting to know her better! After dinner we decided to go and do some exploring in some new areas, because our appointment fell through until tomorrow! We actually had some success and found 2 people that the missionaries have passed by before that are willing to have us pass by again! We loved today and had the best exercise because we biked our whole area in one night!;)

 Saturday:

Wow today was such a fun, and busy day for us!! So to start off the day we got all of our studies in and they were so good like always, but I felt better about my personal studies, because I am beginning to really write down the things I learn to remember them a little bit more! After our studies we headed out to contact a few potential investigators, but no one seemed to be home as we were contacting and it also began raining on us and I was more a light sleet than a rain. So we contacted people for about 2 hours and then we decided that we would have the same success cleaning out our area book being warm, so we went home and cleaned out our area book! After cleaning for a while our bishop came and picked us up for a Wedding of some no members, and it was so much fun! It was a simple wedding, and the couple was very nice! As we walked in everyone was being greeted in Spanish, but me, so as I began speaking Spanish everyone stopped talking and just looked at me. I thought I said something wrong and was nervous, but on of them just asked, "how do you know Spanish? You are American!?" So I got to explain to all these non members what missionaries are and that I learned in Mexico just so I could talk with them!! We also met a good friend David who is a member, just very inactive, but he still doesn't drink or smoke or anything and come to find out he is rich, like a millionaire. We keep telling each other it is because of him following the commandment of the word of wisdom. He has a wife and 2 kids and his wife is wanting to go to church and be a member, but he is not wanting to!? It is a weird situation, but he wants us to come by and spend time with him, so we got his number and plan on passing by some day this week! Those Hispanics know how and how not to party, so while everyone was drinking, our friend and his wife just visited with us and the bishop and we are going to invite them to come to church! So we only planned on spending a little bit of time at the wedding, but spent 2 hours over waiting for the bishop to finishing visiting! The bishop dropped us off at an investigators house for a small lesson and we were able to teach so,etching small before they also had to leave! We taught this inactive brother and nonmember wife about living below our privilege and they seemed to take it well! We expect to start seeing some good process in them as well! Today was a very tiring day for me, but it was so amazing!

 

Sunday:

So today was a very good day for both of us to have! So today we started off our day by going to early morning meetings at the church before our ward council meeting and then the companionships split and half go in while half stay out of the ward council, because we have so many missionaries in one ward! So we had a great sacrament meeting today and I was able to prepare it and it made me think of home when sometimes I would be upset I did it alone a lot, but I just thought how childish I was and what and honor it really is to prepare the sacrament for others and how much I miss it! So today in elders quorum I was asked a question in front of the whole class by the fastest Spanish speaker I have ever heard, and I could understand ever word he said perfectly, but I was so embarrassed because in Spanish when you are from certain places you sometimes switch ways of asking questions and for me it just mixes up my brain trying to understand perfectly what was being asked meaning wise so I just told him, "I am sorry, but I just can not understand the question perfectly!"

I was very embarrassed, but it is all good, because I was out of my comfort zone and was able to see what I can get better at by studying!

So after church we were able to eat with the bishop and his family and we had a good time getting to know the whole family waiting for the bishop to get home. His wife has cancer and had a stroke and can't talk well in Spanish or English, but for some reason I understand everything just perfect and was able to help her get the food ready while my companion was visiting with her sons who are close to going on missions! After our amazing dinner the bishops wife took our pictures and made us put in our families numbers so she could send them the pictures and tell them we are doing great. It was a great time! So this afternoon we had the chance to pass by a lot of people and found two groups of kids in different places playing soccer, so we played with them for like 10 minutes so they could get to know who we were, and we had an amazing short lesson with Emanuel Guillen and I asked him to be baptized and he said yes!!!!! He set the date for the 13 of February and we are so excited for him!!! All I do is keep praying for him! The blessing I have received only today amaze me so much! I can truly say that God knows me and loves me perfectly and I can't wait to be able to know him perfectly as well one day!

 

It was a really amazing week and I am so grateful for all of you and the things you do for me!! Have a great week and know that I love you all so much!!

Con Amor,

Elder Spendlove

 

¡Feliz Nuevo Año!

Dear family and friends,

It is always so good to be able to email you and let you know how I have been doing and to be able to share the amazing experiences I have had. I can officially say I came out last year and have around a year left, and it is very weird to me! I hope everyone had an amazing New Years and that you really took the time to set some good/reachable goals! 

Here is how my week went for me!

Week December 28-January 3 2015-2016

Monday:

So today seemed to have flew by really fast and I didn't get everything done that was necessary, but so is the life as a missionary! I really hope that life after the mission slows down just a little bit so I can catch my breath!

So today as we were doing emails a man came up to us named Bruce, who is a man changing to a women because he said God told him too. So he wanted to tell us why were wrong, but as he was starting and talking about somethings so many bells started going off in my head on how he was wrong so I just began asking questions and he would answer them and realize how it contradicted himself, so he asked me my age and I told him I was 19. He told me I haven't experienced life and so I didn't know anything about the scriptures. It was really sad that he just couldn't see past his feelings and realize how lost he was. But I didn't want to completely bash the man, so he walked away a little upset! After this we went to the mall where I bought me some new work out shoes with my Christmas money and it was worth every penny to have shoes that can last me the whole mission if I take care of them! 

We then went to the institute building where we played a lot of fun games like ping pong and pool and fosbol with the whole zone! I was having a blast with everyone when my zone leader Elder Peterson brought out his Christmas toy, a fun quad copter that was a mini and as he was going to let me borrow it, it broke, so he asked me if I would fix it for him! It made my whole day, because I love anything RC and he wanted me to see if I could fix it! I hope I can!

So tonight we did some finding by knocking more doors in an area of over probably 100 apartment complexes. It was very cold and not a lot were interested in a deep message, but we got 3 appointments set and even 2 lessons in the hour that we were there! We definitely planted some really good seeds in the complex and we hope that as we go back we can nourish those seeds! 

So today I learned that testifying can take away the argument of any person. They may not agree, but they can't argue against your soul beliefs! And they can feel the spirit if you truly testify! It was a very successful day!

Tuesday:

Wow! Today was such an amazing day! Today we started off the day by having an amazing district meeting! I feel like every time we have one I learn so much and don't know how to apply it until I go to work! So we learned a lot about the importance of language studies and maybe how we could improve them to be able to do more than just speak simply to the people around us. A language when spoken correctly can touch the heart perfectly. I feel that a language is so much more than just saying words. As I have learned Spanish and thought about it I take for granted that I can speak English with the emotion and defining words. And as I learn Spanish more in depth that is what I try to learn and today was a great way of learning how I can have more effective studies. And tomorrow we plan to meet as a district to have a big study session together and learn from one another! So today I had the opportunity to go on an exchange with the district leader, Elder Parkin. He is way awesome and has a lot of good insight on how to be a good missionary! As I spent the day with him I thought, "he reminds me so much of my brother in law Tyson." He is the more quiet type that only says the really eye opening things and is is a little witty with his remarks, but super fun and goofy! We had an awesome time getting to know each other and we had an even better time finding a few of his investigators last night to set appointments. I think one thing I for sure learned from him was how to have fun and work hard and also that it is alright to take a little time to get to know each other and visit and then get hard to work. As a missionary I would say that most missionaries here think that you have to always be going to be a good missionary, but Elder Parkin helped me see that every time I went on exchange with the Spanish training leaders it was really relaxed and they still got things accomplished! So my goal is to find the happy and successful medium! It was a great day and I know that every day will keep being great!

Wednesday:

Holy cow today was a really fun day! So today Elder Parkin and I started the day off with a little bit of studies and then decided to go and see if we could get ahold of a few people before we hiked over to the church. As we got to the church we met up with all of our district and we had a 2 hour language study and I felt like it was very overwhelming, but at the same time very helpful! I learned a lot of new things and am hoping to be able to remember them to be able to apply them to my everyday talking and teaching. So we switched back with our companions and left for home after our study to get planned for the day! So today we had a full day planned with lessons and as we got close all of them one at a time fell through the cracks, but God had a plan for us and always does have a plan for us, because we still got an amazing lesson in with a man we had been trying to get into for awhile. So we had a member from the ward go with us named Hno. Corona and we talk this man the first lesson of the restoration of the gospel and about the Book of Mormon, and it was so amazing to see how he opened up as he began to understand! We now pray he keeps wanting to learn more and let's us in his house to teach! We also we able to set over 3 more return appointment with other contacts, and I just felt like today the lord was showing us that really we have no say, but that he is in charge and we follow his plans to see true results. God does love us and I know that! I know that because of his loving son, our brother, who suffered and died, and rose again for us! As we follow his steps we will never be led astray!

Thursday: Happy New Years Eve!

Today was a bit of a crazy day for us! We started out with really good plans, but after a call from Elder Saaga and Hooper we changed our plans completely! We went over to give service in a place called Our Daily Bread, a soup kitchen, where food is prepared and given to the needy that come in! It was really an amazing time being there and seeing how happy these people were! I would ask them how much and they would say, "as much as you are aloud to give!" It was a more eye opening experience for me to see how many are without homes! Also I had a chance to meet this 16 year old girl named Haylee who has been volunteering her whole entire Christmas break, because she was more of a nerd and didn't like to hangout to much, but rather give service! It was kind of cool to see how she had a desire to serve everyday! While I was sitting there I had a chance to teach her all of the lessons just by talking with her and she asked me a lot about a mission and I hope that she will check out the website I gave her! So we went strait after this to the Library to plan for the week and be ready for the transfers. We had the best weekly planning we have had as a companionship and I think the best part was our companion inventory where I finally just let out what I felt was holding us back and we finally worked together to figure out how we could work better together! We also had enough time to sit and talk about the way we would set goals as a family and then set our new year goals together. I feel like it really strengthened us as a companionship! As we finished we were called saying our dinner was moved up and so as we got there they were still cooking, so we helped and we didn't actually eat until around 8:30! It was way late, but the food was so good and simple and the family was nice to give us food! I actually talked for a while with the father of the home and just got to know him, and he kept telling me how well my Spanish was and how much of a desire he could see I had to speak better! It made me feel so good! And I was also taught where Honduras was and the many things I should do as I apparently will be going there after I mission. The lady showed me so many pictures, and I have been captured into the beautiful views of Honduras! Tonight we were not able to teach to much, but I believe my teaching today was thought the example I was while giving service and showing my love for others! 

2016 New Years Resolutions

Long Term:

1. Doctrinally Smart. Monthly goal of Scripture study with Specific Question.

2. Better communication with my companion.

3. Be fit/healthy eater.

4. Be mentally clean in every situation.

5. Write in my Journal daily.

6. Perfect my Spanish by better studies.

Short Term:

1. Read from the Book of Mormon or Bible everyday.

2. Take pictures everyday.

3. Have a good work out.

4. Eat less sweets.

5. More Spanish outside the Apartment.

Friday:

So today was a really good day! We were able to start off the day by having some amazing studies separate and even together where we talked more about our goals and how we can reach them, but now we just need to stop talking about them and work to reach them! So as we finished our studies and were a little stressed from sitting all morning we had a way fun nerf war where I will have to say I won! Our apartment is not very big, but I have found the hiding spots and I have found myself to be pretty good at slow motion Parkour to dodge the darts! After our long nerf war we went over to give service at the Valentines house! We went and finished cleaning their leaves and as we finished elder Parkin taught me how to do all of a Rubixcube (not sure how you spell it?)  and it is a lot more thinking than I thought, but I love how I can relieve a lot of stress by doing it! So after our service elder Otuafi had the chance to go and teach a man named Manuel Guillan the First lesson. It went pretty good, but not as we planned and were pretty upset, however, we will be going back and he said the prayer tonight and it was amazing! And directly after the prayer he said, " I plan on being at church this week!" It was kind of a shocker but a good shocker for us! We hope he will hold to what he says! It was a really tiring day for me and it took all my energy to try and talk in Spanish today!!

Saturday: 

So this morning as I woke up and got ready for the day I went in and was talking with Elder 'Otuafi and apparently last night as we had our nerf war I shot him and the bullet skimmed his eye. He told me he can't see to the left of his left eye, but he didn't tell me that he could see last night so I could sleep good. I feel so bad, because I wasn't even trying to go for his face, the bullets kind of just go all over! So he called the Mission Doctor and he will have an eye appointment this week to get it figured out. I hope that he will be okay.... Well we found out that it is mostly just bruising and will just take time to heal, but he will be okay thank goodness! So today was a very crazy day for us! Both Elder 'Otuafi and I felt a little little under the weather today, so after studies we took a nap to see if we could both feel a little better, and it helped a lot! He didn't have a headache anymore and my chest and head congestion loosened up! So we woke up and went to the church where we had the chance to teach an investigator that we have had for a few years that is not quite ready, but she wants us to teach her son who is old enough to be baptized and wants to be! We have big plans for him and will always keep working with her so she will one day be ready as well! So with the time we had left we went and put flyers up around the square to help find people to teach, and then we had an amazing time this evening going on an exchange with Hno. Artega from the ward and we went and knocked a few doors before we decided to go over and teach Jesus. As we got there he shared his whole life story with the Hno. And then we shared a small message before we had to leave. His desire to change his life has multiplied and it is killing him that he is so sick and can't go to church. He helped us so how much we and our Heavenly Father have helped his life and we hope we can keep doing that! He still has a desire to be baptized and just can't wait for the health to do so! As we asked him what he thought he could do to become closer to Christ he said, "I need to read more and I want the members to come visit me! I feel they are my family!" So we are going to help him with that idea to become better! As we left his room tonight his neighbor that lives in the room next to him said some pretty rude things to us and it really hurt to see such persecution when we ourselves have never done anything to him. He looked at us and said, "freakin Mormons! Don't come back ever!" And I just looked at him and said, we hope you have a great night!" And I walked away. As we got home we got a text from Jesus saying that he chewed his friend out for the things he said and he apologized! Today was a great day being able to change one life at a time through our savior Jesus Christ.  

Sunday:

So today was an amazing day for me! So we woke up and got ready for the day really fast to have our ride come and pick us up to take us to our coordination meeting and we were able to get so much figured out in the meeting this morning! We talked openly about the investigators we have and how they are doing. As church started we had high hopes for investigators coming as we got 3 responses the night before saying they were going to come, but all of them failed to come and it was kind of hurtful. However life goes on and the things I have learned made it so worth it. So today was the first time I have borne my testimony in Spanish since the CCM and it was so wonderful! It made me feel so much more confident in my Spanish, and I feel that the members were able to really see who I am so that they can ,ale better connections with me! So after church we finished our studies at home just in time to get picked up by the Hno. Tryon to eat dinner at their house! We had a wonderful meal, and the best part about it was getting to take home their cello to practice for a mission fireside I have been asked to play in! I will be playing come thou fount and I can not wait! As they gave me the cello I was a little in shock by the case, but the cello sound is worth the crazy hippie case! So after dinner we headed home and I had to pull the cello out to make sure it was okay and it was so wonderful! So we went to teach Jesus our investigator when we called and he said he had to go back to the hospital to figure out his bowl movement problems. We plan to go visit him tomorrow, so tonight we just did some finding close to our house and come to find out we did find a few family to go back too!! So today was a tiring, but wonderful day!

I have learned so much in my mission, and I thank Heavenly Father everyday. I also am so grateful to have such wonderful family and friends to support me through a hard, long, learning and ever so worth it journey that changes not only the people, but me and you. Never forget you are loved by someone who died to know you and know that I pray for you everyday!

I will end with an amazing quote by Spencer W. Kimball.

President Spencer W. Kimball – “If only you could see the vision as I have, I wish I had your bodies to do the mission work, I would run to every house to teach the gospel and when I could no longer run then I would walk, and when I could no longer walk, I would crawl on my knees, and after my knees were so bloody that I could not use them, I would use my arms to drag myself, and once every muscle in my body was gone I would begin to yell! Oh that you could see the vision that I have."

I hope you all have an amazing week!

Con Amor,

Elder Spendlove