March 22, 2010

Wow!!! Sounds like an incredible week! I am so happy to hear that Justin was ordained to be an Elder! I am so proud of that kid and I wish I could have been there to support him. But it's ok.... I'm sure he did fine on his own, he is finally growing up. ;) Hehehe. But I am so happy for him! He is going to be an awesome missionary. The mission is one of the greatest experiences that any one person could possibly have. It really makes you a better person and shapes you into the type of person that God knows you can be.

Well this week was a pretty hard one too. We are running low on investigators so this last week and this week we haven't taught much lessons. We are in a bit of a dry spell right now. So I spent a few days studying on how to find people and listening to this CD by a guy in the 70 that talked about finding and I came up with a bunch of ideas. So I set up a dinner with the Bishop and discussed these ideas with him, and we also had the 4 english missionaries there too, and discuessed ways, outside of the box, that we could find more people. So April should be a lot of fun. We are giong to start a bible study class, we are also going to do a mutual activity with different workshops on how to give a way a Book of Mormon or bring up the gospel in any situation etc. with the youth and their parents. And then afterwards we are going to have a question/answer where they can ask us anything they want, or bring up any type of concern they have about sharing the gospel, or discuss the challenges they have in talking about it with friends and see if we can answer their questions. It should be way legit!! So I am looking forward to that.... assuming I am still here.

And here is the reason why I say that....So interviews were this week. And like ALWAYS my interview was like 25 minutes long. I swear I get the longest ones... and I don't know why... but anywho, me and President talked about opening Crete and he said he wasn't going to do it this transfer, but the next one. Which I was kind of bummed about that, but ah well. WELL.... the next day at like 9 in the morning I get a call from him. And he says... Elder Moore I got a big favor to ask of you... and I said, ok what can I do for ya?
And He says... well we got a new Spanish missionary coming in that I just found out about, so we are going to open Crete. I need you to go there and find an apartment, can ya do that for me? And I was just like HECK YEAH!! I was so excited! And then he says, yeah I knew you would like that assignment. So then I called Sister Morris and she gave me a 10 minute training on finding an apartment, so we went out there Saturday and found some numbers, so I gotta call those numbers now and set up times to go look at apartments out there. But I was so excited!! I'm gonna find us a good apartment! But it is hard too because they want me to try and keep it under 450 a month. Not easy I found out. But oh well. So pray that we find one so we can open up Crete at the first of April!

It will definately be hard, but I want that. I want to go out there and start at nothing. We were told yesterday by President Kearl, the first counseler in the mission presidency that we are in the most difficult ward. The Capitol Ward. He says a lot is expected of the missionaries in this ward. This ward has the highest baptismal goal in the mission. So if I get sent out to Crete, things definately won't be any easier. But I really hope I do go out there.

What else what else what else.....

I do want to say that the Spirit is bomb!! We were talking to Hector yesterday who should be getting baptized this Saturday we are hoping! So we went over to see him and he just said that he feels like he is in a maze. Just so confused and doesn't know what to do. So I asked him... how do you get out of the maze? And he said, I don't know... well I could cheat and just hop walls. Then something just hit me... open up to 2 nefi 31 17-18. So I did it, and it tells you how to cheat right there in those verses. So I drew Hector a maze on one half of the paper and a straight and narrow path on the other with that scripture next to it. And I handed it to him and said, so which to you prefer, which one is easier? And he said... well the straight one. And I said, ok then read those scriputres and he did. And he was like.... Alright, I know what I gotta do. Haha, it was way sweet!!! I love how much the Spirit can help you in any given situation.

Hector really has so much faith though, he has been praying so much, he and his brother went to go to a job interview and Hector said, hey lets pray first, and they walked in and had the interview and both got hired! Then his brother, Jairo, has been struggling lately and has really been struggling financially, with a girlfriend and a kid, so he prayed to God and asked him for help, and the next day he got a check in the mail. Just a random check. So he called us up and said, I want you all to start teaching me. So we have seen some miracles happen this past week.

So pretty much, I love my mission! It has changed me so much and really has strengthed my faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement. This has been an amazing experience. Although it definately has been difficult, I have loved it all. Lincoln was and is a whole new challenge than Omaha was. But if you have the Spirit with you, it doesn't really matter, it will lead you through any situation that you are put in. That is something I have really come to know since being on my mission. Doesn't matter if you don't know what to say, if you don't know how to deal with a suicidal alcoholic or a guy that is having marital problems, if you just stop and listen, the Spirit will always tell you what to say.

I love you all! I miss you. You are so right mom, it is going by so fast! But we are still going to have to wait a while to take the family portrait photo, cause J-Mo still has to go out and do his time. :) But he'll love it! I am really so excited for him! Him getting made an Elder is the best news I could have recieved today.

I love you!

Love,
Elder Moore