Iron Vikings! (June 10-17)

Hymn of the Week "I Feel My Savior's Love"

I feel my Savior’s love

In all the world around me.

Tuesday, was kinda annoying, because we were going to have six lessons but four of them canceled last second. Two of them were going to be online, because they lived in Wadena, but one of them just never picked up the phone, and the other person's mom came over for a surprise visit! Then we went to Crosby and this lady, just said she wasn't feeling good, so we will have to go another time. It ended up being a good thing though, because one of the members that has been inactive for a while needed to see us. Literally the day before we showed up he said he wanted to go to the temple again. He said it's been a while since he has really wanted to go and do those things. He said he has the thought he needs to, but never quite to the point where he wanted to. And as soon as he did want to, guess who showed up! The lord always provides a way, for us to complete our righteous desires. We also helped Richard tile again, and were able to share more about the Book of Mormon, and were able to get a lot more of his floor done for him. 

His Spirit warms my soul

Through ev’rything I see.

Wednesday, we had the Alexandria Spanish Elders come up and Blitz our area. So I got to go on exchanges with the Alaskan wild man Elder Johnson! We were able to go teach a lot of nonmembers that day! We had lunch with a recent convert and another person interested in the church. We were able to teach the plan of salvation, and he said it makes a lot of sense. We have taught the plan of salvation a lot recently, and everyone who we have taught it to has really thought it was true.

I feel my Savior’s love;

Its gentleness enfolds me.

Thursday, we went and helped at the food shelf as usual, and we ended up just talking to one of the volunteers there the whole time. His family home that he grew up in, just burn to the ground. He told us his entire life story and why he is, who he is. He wants to talk with us more about religion, and asked for our phone number and Facebook info. We have already been talking with him a lot, and it has been really awesome! We were also able to teach a recent convert the plan of salvation, and it was pretty good. She is 13, so she has already heard it a lot in primary, but it was good we went over it anyway. She had some questions about outer darkness and why it's even there.

And when I kneel to pray,

My heart is filled with peace

On Friday, we were able to teach Matthew again. He actually called us earlier that day, because he had found something in the Book of Mormon, that he really liked. He said that the Book of Mormon, was just so much more clearer than the bible and that he can truly understand the doctrine of Christ so much better with it. Then later that night when we were having a lesson with him he said how he really loves that the Book of Mormon is not a replacement testament, but another testament of Jesus Christ! He got into the book originally, because of the historical context, but after his reading he really likes it for the plain and simple truths in it.

I feel my Savior’s love

And know that he will bless me.

Another thing we talked about with Matthew, was about Iron Vikings. He is of Scottish decent, and his birth mother lives in Scotland now. A lot of his ideals come from that basis, and one of the things he talks about a bit are iron vikings. Basically those who pursue what they truly enjoy, without thought for worldly things, are Iron Vikings. If you enjoy biking, than you would go out often and bike, and not worry about how you are not making money, or gaining worldly power. Avoid things of the world and do what you love! I thought of an excellent symbol for it too! The hand makes a v over the eye. Cause then you have an Eye-ron Viking.

I offer him my heart;

My shepherd he will be.

Saturday was an Aitkin day! We were able to eat with Grandma Piecek again! She is a sweet sweet elderly catholic lady who loves missionaries (she's a dang good cook too!) After we cleaned her yard and ate her food, we went over to some people that had been taught in the past. We stopped by a man named Stan, and he was so happy to see us! He was pretty sad that missionaries had stopped seeing him in the past because he always loved talking to them. We were able to explain to him that the reason missionaries stopped coming over was because they were moved out of the area. Aitkin hasn't had it's own missionaries in years, so we have made it an effort to come over and meet the people here.

He knows I will follow him,

Give all my life to him.

Stan was very appreciative of us and told us to come by next time we are there. We then went and tried to find some other people but no one was home. We then decided to go and see a member over in Crosby. It was so weird, this guy, Ron was mentioned to us 3 times by separate people all in different contexts. I think the lord was trying to tell us that we should go see him! Anyways, we went over and he really opened up to us and we were able to comfort him, and able to get him pumped up for missionary work. Always follow the promptings of the spirit, even when they are painfully obvious to us.

I feel my Savior’s love,

The love he freely gives me.

On Sunday, we were able to visit Sister Bench, and it was really great to explain a little more about Joseph Smith! She doesn't really know much about Joseph Smith, and what he did. We were able to tell some stories about him and the spirit was seriously so strong. Talking about Joseph Smith is very powerful, in the right context though. The lord was right. He is truly known by many, loved or hated, and he was truly a guided prophet, who worked the will of the lord. He was a man with the priesthood, not a perfected being. Some people cannot over look his mistakes, and can't realize that he too struggled from weaknesses. I know that he truly restored Jesus Christ's church today!

I feel my Savior’s love,

The love he freely gives me.

Iron Vikings in front of the Flag,

Alabama Van,

A random picture of me in the middle of the road

A  turtle we found when we were biking

Day by Day (June 4-9)

Hymn of the week "Today, While the Sun Shines"

Today, while the sun shines, work with a will;

Today all your duties with patience fulfill.

Tuesday was quite a day. We were able to see an elderly woman and give her a blessing and help her feed her animals. We were expecting to be there a long time because she likes to talk, but she must really have not been feeling good, because we got out of there really fast. We had some extra time so we went and visited a family we tracted into, a couple months ago. The wife is who we met, but she doesn't really seem too interested, but the husband is actually really searching for Christ, and wants to learn more about his healing power! That's a really easy way to talk about the priesthood and why it is important that every family has that source of worthy power in there home!

We also helped a man named Richard tile his basement. We met him because he had been tracted into previously and shown a little interest possibly. When he came out he had paint or something on him, and he told us he was tileing. We offered our help and he accepted! (People accepting help never happens) So we came and helped him tile for 2.5 hours and then his wife cooked us all a dinner. We shared a short message about Jesus Christ after and then we went on our way. He and his wife just seemed shocked that we came in and helped without forcing anything on them. We will be going next week and helping them again, and then we will really bear testimony to the Book of Mormon and why it is so important. You first have to show people you truly care for them, before you say you do. Service can go a long way.

Today, while the birds sing, harbor no care;

Call life a good gift; call the world fair.

We also taught Matthew, and it was really good to talk with him! He is such a good guy, a little weird, but who isn't? He really truly feels more and more like a friend than anything else. He is kinda scared of coming to church because he doesn't know anyone, and he said he would like to, but is afraid others will not like him. So we are going to really emphasize that we need members to come teach with us. Members are truly so important, because we come and go, but they stay and support each other. If the ward can't help support, then we can't have anyone solid. It's really a matter of who is available... everyone just has different schedules. Do me a favor, and let missionaries know when a time slot that works best for you is. It is hard to find joint teachers because they don't know who is available and when. So if you give them a more specific time that usually works it makes things way easier.

Today seek the treasure better than gold,

The peace and the joy that are found in the fold.

Wednesday was another really busy day. We served at the salvation army and it was really good we showed up, because it was consistently busy for the whole time as well as for an extra hour after! Fortunately they had just received 50 cheesecakes from Costco that were sell by of June 5th. So they told us to take one home with us! We happily obliged. Can't say no to that. We also had a tasty steak, corn, potatoes dinner. So tasty! After that we went to an area that I felt like we needed to go. While we knocked on about 6 doors, we found not one but two people that we will be seeing again! The lord places those prepared to hear the gospel to those who want to share it. If your back at home, and struggling to find ways to spread the gospel, and you truely want to, the lord will give you an opportunity.

Today seek the gems that shine in the heart;

Thursday, was a hard day this week. We only had two lessons that day, and everything else had fallen through. But the real reason it was hard was knowing that my brother has just gotten off of his mission and most my family is there at home to welcome him. I knew that if I kept pushing forward, I would remember that I will spend eternity with all, if I keep the lord first. The lord has asked me to serve a mission and I'm not going to leave unless he sends me home. There will always be time later to see my brother, and there are people out here that need me now!

While here we labor, choose the better part.

Friday, we had a meeting in St. Cloud, so we thought we would Blitz Brainerd on our way back. So Princeton came up with us and we got some work done in our area. I went on exchanges with Elder Mitchell, and he is all business when it comes to talking about the gospel. He wants to find the people who are ready now and who have real questions. We found three people and we only went finding for a total of an hour together! The lord is truly bringing those who are seeking answers to us, as missionaries! People keep asking us why? So many others hate us, and we dispelled all the controversies that we as members do have. They were all impressed that the controversies were kinda misplaced or exaggerated, and that the doctrine was there. 

Today seek for goodness, virtue, and truth,

As crown of your life and the grace of your youth.

I feel a resurgence of people coming in to find the gospel. One of the things that happens before the second coming is, many more people will find the truth and become Saints. From what I am seeing, I can see that foundation coming forth. The more people know and hear about us, the less they fear or hate us. That is why we all as members have the responsibility to share the gospel in those simple and natural ways. People need to know what we believe now, so they don't have to question us! They can instead make their own judgment and see that we truly are followers of Christ.

Today, while the heart beats, live to be true,

Saturday we continued our exchange and we both worked in the Aitkin area. We were able to help some one on their ranch! We helped them load the hay from their truck into their shed. Then we put fencing around their property to keep the animals in. There fencing was old so we were either fixing it or replacing it. That was fun, and Elder Mitchell, my temporary companion had actually worked on a big ranch back in Utah. He said it was really fun to work on a ranch again. We were also able to go and check up on some people and see if they were still interested in the gospel or not. We got a return appointment from someone taught in the past, for Tuesday! The Aitkin area is truly ready for the gospel.

Constant and faithful all the way through.

On Sunday we went to Wadena to give talks! We were asked to speak on Charity and why it is important. After church we had lunch with Branch President and then visited a whole bunch of less actives. We will be teaching a few of them the missionary lessons to reactivate them since it has been a long long time since they have been to church. The unfortunate news is that I have experienced my first onslaught of swarms of bugs. I got about 5 mosquito bites in a minute, which makes me really not looking forward to the rest of the humid summer. I truly hate bugs!

Today, today, work with a will;

Today, today, your duties fulfill.

Anyways love you guys and thank you all again for all of your support!

Today, today, work while you may;

Prepare for tomorrow by working today.

The Costco cheesecake

District leader Elder Coombs.

Another Oxen we found

A beautiful tree in front of the Church

Giant Pig

Life is like Chocolate Pudding (May 27-3)

Song of the week "He Taught us to Love" (Youth Theme Music 2018)

Words and music: Nik Day; Jacob Hawkes

Have we forgotten, What really matters, What really matters
Monday we had Family home evening with some of the members and that was really awesome! We taught two nonmembers about the priesthood and the blessings that come with following the gospel! The bishop was there along with their really good member friends, and they said they have really seen the gospel bless them and their family. It is really much more rewarding when a member teaches and the missionaries teach the part of the lessons that they are not sure how to teach. People will trust there friends, or others with similar circumstances as themselves.
It gets complicated, Life’s moving faster, It keeps moving faster
Tuesday we taught Matthew again and we focused a lot on the Ten commandments.  Why God's commands are not restrictions but rather a way for God to bless us. We make the decision to follow in the saviors way, before we are tempted. It actually gives us more agency when we follow the guidelines of the church because then when those hard situations come up, we know what choice we want to make is already. Peer pressure will not have the ability of taking away our agency. Also on Tuesday I found out where I will be going! I will be serving in.........Brainerd again!
Maybe we should go back to the basics, What we learned when we were young
On Wednesday we decided since the next day was transfers we would set some goals. We decided we would start a light diet. Basically we get rid of one thing. Drinks, we cannot drink anything but water and milk. Out here on a mission, we can't really ever choose what we eat, since members feed us, but we can always chose what we drink. It's those small decisions that we can always make. Some things that happen to us we don't choose, but we can always seek out the good in things.
That simple life He taught us, Can you remember what it was, He taught us to serve one another
On Thursday, Elder Coombs had to go all the way down to the cities, but a member who lives way far away asked us for some service. So we went over to her house and helped paint her mobile home, and as we were, the place sold! She had been trying to sell it for a while, and of course it did when we were there. After that we checked on a bunch of members that supposedly lived out there. Turns out all of them don't live there anymore. So we were able to clear up some misinformation at least.
Repent and forgive, Have faith have hope, And live how He lived
Friday was crazy, and we drove a ton. We were in Buffalo in the morning, and taught two lessons, but then we had to drive all the way up to Brainerd, 2 and half hours away, because I had two lessons all the way up there.  Then we had to come back down. Ugh. Fortunately the lessons were really good, and everyone we taught wants to hear more from us and want to eventually be baptized! It was really interesting to see all the things that Satan uses to keep those away from baptism. He is very clever, and cunning. But he is not smart, because if he was smart, he would know he is on the losing side.
Pray to the Father, And never give up, He taught us to love, He taught us to love
Saturday, we traveled some more! We went to Aitkin, and we have someone we are teaching up there to! So from now on we will be making weekly trips over there. It is about an hour to the East. However, I will gladly drive that long if I know there is someone searching for truth. I could either drive for two hours in total and teach someone who is prepared to hear the gospel now, or I could spend all day knocking doors and have nothing come from it.
Everyone’s different, But we want the same thing, We want the same thing
Before I end this letter I wanted to share something with y'all. You know how missionaries love the term exact Obedience right? What I have found is that I want to Consecrate everything to the lord. There are a countless amount of rules for us to follow and, they are admittedly out of date, but still all for our benefit. However, I don't strive for the mosaic law type of thinking. I look to see why the rule has been placed. I want to live a higher standard, and truly give all to the lord, not just following the rules. 

When I get home, I won't have all these rules I have to follow right? But, if I have been looking past specific rules and living to obey Heavenly Father and give my all to him, I can still do that at home.
Listen to your heart beat, The sound that it’s making means, Something is changing
Sunday we did a lot of planning. We will be going a lot of different places next week so we needed to contact a bunch of people. It didn't help that we were fasting so our brains were kinda out of it.
Maybe we should go back to the basics, 

Today we had FHE, and we taught the lesson! They wanted us to talk about the word of wisdom. When we asked ways that we can keep our bodies clean and healthy for heavenly father, the kids knew all the answers. And not just the main ones either. It's so nice to see the simple truths from kids. They are unswayed and know right from wrong... most of the time.

What we learned when we were young
Remember what is truly important! Don't let the adversary distract you from your eternal purpose, to be with your family for forever. You never remember how important they are until your not around them. Be Better, Do Better.
That simple life He taught us, Can you remember what it was?
Life is is like chocolate pudding. If you can't make the simple recipe, you will be a mess your whole life. Focus on the basics...

An oxen in a tiny town we passed through.

Celebrating another Transfer with Elder Coombs at Pizza Hut