Yes I am in Chester, VA in a ward called Swift Creek. I have never been so thankful for a companion. Elder Coon is 24, from Marysville Washington, and a powerful leader and teacher. He has been out 17 months and been a zone leader for 1.5 months. OH MY GOSH I love this kid. I don't know how to explain what has happened the past 3 days. He picked me up from the church where I was dropped off at about 7 pm on Thursday, and by the time we had arrived at our apartment (a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom flat on the 4th floor that we share with the Belmont Elders), we had already set a goal to be perfect missionaries and to be completely unified in all things. When we make decisions as missionaries, sometimes it can be competitive or contentious because one of us thinks one way and one thinks the other, but with Elder Coon, we are both striving to be submissive to the will of the Lord. It has been so refreshing to just sit down and throw my Ideas on the table, knowing he will be considerate of them, then he throws his ideas out knowing I won't criticize or be hurt. We create an imaginary "think tank" and then we pray and seek The Lord's will. It's a CRAZY concept isn't it? haha I guess I'm just really appreciative because I know of the humility it takes to counsel.
One might ask, "But what does that do for your missionary work?", let me tell you; In the morning, we study. We study for the investigators and lessons we have that day. We study personally and seek revelation for the situation personally, then we come together and sing a hymn and pray together and counsel about what we learned. We come to some conclusion of what we will teach these people. I have never felt such power in a lesson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We have taught 5 lessons since Friday and every single one was planned out and counseled about and the Spirit was there because of it. Many times in a missionary companionship you end up being the new missionary who hasn't been out long or the new leader who needs training. You feel as though your companion is pulling a lot of the weight and you rely on his counsel as the senior companion. On the flip side, sometimes you are called to be the missionary who is training the other or has been out longer or whatever, who is "helping" your younger companion. This creates a type of rift in the unity, or let's just say the unity in the companionship isn't as strong as it could be. ESPECIALLY in cases where you both feel as though you have something to teach the other or think you are the senior companion. What I have experienced in the last 3 days is raw unity. Elder Coon and I talked this out and decided to be on the same page and trust each other (can you imagine??) haha the blessings have been awe inspiring.
Friday: Lesson one was with Sister Christy and her grandson Aidan. We taught about the atonement and had a discussion on how the sacrament ties us to Christ and invited them to come. It was a powerful first lesson and a testimony to the power of our goals. We bore testimony of each other and both Sister Christy and Aidan were touched. Aidan is a nine year old recent convert but so smart! Then later that day we had dinner with Sister Luck. She fed us roast and potatoes :) yumm! Her granddaughter Makayla is a recent convert of 9 months and she's 18. It was fun to teach a ysa. I love that! We talked about patriarchal blessings because she had a lot of questions about that.
Saturday: Service at the Roach's house. We helped them clear out a Go-cart path that was full of leaves and pot-holes. Didn't get to ride the go-cart but you bet I wanted to. I did ride his son's bmx bike over a jump though. Kind of nerve-racking but it felt good to get some air for the first time in a long while. I DID have a helmet on:) Bro Roach is not a member but the spirit was so strong as we served them and then they served us that when we invited them to church they came!!! We are going to baptize that man. In church there was a talk about the responsibilities of a father and how the Priesthood can help with that. He cried :) haha is that bad that I was looking and we are totally stoked that it touched him like that? After the Roach's we went to Ashlee and Dee. They are not members but she is investigating. Well, he is too after we met with them but we went and bought a nice picture frame and framed "The Family: A Proclimation to the World" and talked about that with them. She is looking at 3 yrs in jail but it's crazy that they both want to be baptized now (they can't) and they both want to be great parents. They took the Proclamation to heart and it was also powerful how much we could feel the Spirit chastening both of them and inviting them to be better parents and to get married. Again, an Idea that we counseled about and came upon and the lesson was exactly what they needed in a number of ways. Then dinner at the Kimballs. Young couple with one kid. In the navy. Went to.......get this.........UTAH STATE!!! haha I was so excited!
Sunday: Powerhouse day. Ashlee came to church and so did the Roach's. The lessons were spot on and the Spirit attended. The Stake President asked for volunteers to go up to New York and New Jersey to help with cleanup :) GUESS WHAT?!?!? We asked President and the assistants and we might be organizing a group to go up for 2-3 days. OUT of our mission and to NY BABY! That would be so cool. We have no Idea yet. It sounded like he was really considering it but it could be a straight no. The stake president here is awesome. We had two lessons after church. One with Sarah and Steven (16 and 17) Steven is a member who comes occasionally and Sarah wants to be baptized. 6 months ago Steven's dad (member) and Sarah's mom (recently converted) thought that it would be a good Idea to start dating. We have more assessment to do but we had a beautiful lesson on recognizing the promptings of the Holy Ghost and the import of the Spirit in our lives. They ate it UP! They told us many examples of feeling the Spirit and they desire to feel it more. They are both in a metal band called "Before the Massacre" so maybe if they turn down the amp a little they will hear him a little more but hey, kids will be kids. They played us some stuff. They are super good. After that we had a lesson and dinner with the Fedderoffs. He is less active but hasn't smoked in a month and she is not a member. She hasn't been investigating either. We sat down and just started off by loving them enough to find out about them. We asked her what she thought of the missionaries and what she had done to find out if these things are true. We were so thankful and blessed to be prompted to ask a random question that could have been dumb, but it was amazing. We said "Do you believe there is a God" like out of nowhere. Her eyes got teary and she said "I have been having a problem with that whole 'God' thing" we said "explain" and she went off. She talked for a good ten minutes about her feelings, and just through that counsel process and some bold testimony on our side of the table she established that there is a God, and that he created all things. Then from there we were able to take her to the part of the Gospel she could live, the part that is supposed to change her and make her happy, the part where she exercises faith and repents and is baptized and receives the Holy Ghost and Endures to the End. It was amazing. Keep in mind that she had completely shut down Elder Coon and Elder Coburn last time they were here. We were so blessed and happy and overjoyed to be the missionaries who could experience that. I am convinced that she will be at church next week with the whole family but we will be praying and contacting them daily to make sure.
I am grateful to be here. I know that this is true. Evidence that the gospel is able to change men resides in my heart and is manifest in where I am today as opposed to where I was two years ago. I am eternally in debt to my Heavenly Father. "Who would have supposed that our God would have snatched us out of our awful, sinful state?" Who would have known that I would be blessed with these opportunities. I can't express my gratitude and my appreciation for you, Mom and Dad. Your patience and your diligence and your prayers and your long nights and your stress and grief are much appreciated. I can't even imagine how you mustered the strength to deal with me. Honestly.
Thank you for your advise. I love it and follow it!
We have these recent converts named the Wagoners who have signed up for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas. HAHAHA So we're covered. I think that is GREAT!
I will most likely be going back for Josh Debres :)
Yes I am in a missionary training video series online that talks about finding, teaching, retaining, and activating through family history. I am actually in it a lot haha. It's funny that there is actually evidence of Elder Tramell and I doing something together. Did I tell you he is a zone leader in Newport News? It's fun we see each other often.
3rd nephi 27:21 and 27 are awesome. 21 says do like the savior, 27 says be like the savior. I love that. I have taken way too much time and have to go.
Love you!!!
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