Prayer & Prison

Monday, 1st of July 2013

This week Sam had another great week, Sean and Amy Thomason were baptised and confirmed, Sam did the confirmation for Amy. He was a bit nervous before the confirmation, but while he was doing it he felt fine. The Spirit was really strong at the baptism, after church yesterday Sean thanked him and Elder Blanco for knocking on their door. They are going to work with Sean so that he can get the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood as he is ready! Sam finds it amazing how fast they have both progressed, you couldn't tell that they were just baptised as it seems like they have been members for years! 

They had an interesting experience the other day, they were walking in the street and there was someone talking on their phone, as they were walking towards their bikes, he walked up to Sam and Elder Blanco and asked them what religion they were, they told him LDS, he said that he was supposed to go to prison that day for 2 years, but he prayed and somehow he got let off. He wanted to meet with them but unfortunately haven't been able to get back in contact with him. Sam loves how there are all kinds of people in Las Vegas, he thinks its great!

Sam and his family rescued a cat from the RSPCA 2 months before he left for his mission. Hunter, one of the boys who Sam is teaching, his cat had kittens so Sam was excited to see them. You can see how small they really are!

 

 

So far Elder Blanco and Sam have taught 13 lessons this week which brings them up to 64 total this transfer, that is more lessons than last! They have set a goal of 1000 doors this transfer, they don't normally do too much tracting so they are going to try and do it more and see if they get any results. They are staying together for another transfer which means Sam will probably hit his 6 months mark in this area. They finally met the NEW Mission President, Brother Ahlander, who is a really funny person who should make a great president! For P-Day they are staying in the apartment, grilling burgers and playing monopoly as it is transfer day there are no one activities.

 

Sam saw more bees as they had built a hive into the roof of the church, he was talking to the person who was removing them who said that they sometimes get Africanised bees there, but he has never seen them. He showed him his shirt where the bees were trying to sting him, he said the ones in the church were pretty tame, definitely not killer bees which Sam was very pleased to hear!

 

A New Direction

Wednesday, 24th of June

This week Sam found out the good news that his sister is expecting a baby! He was so excited and happy. He said when he comes home there will be a 1 year old that he has never met before! He made a joke that runs in the family - he wanted to know if it was a boy or girl so he knows if he will be an aunt or an uncle!

This week has been a great week for Sam, Sean and Amy had their baptismal interviews, all went well and Amy wants him to confirm her. He has never done a confirmation before so he is a little bit nervous.

Another investigator Linda is doing well, she is coming out to church every week and her husband comes quite often too. The only problem they are having is that they can rarely meet with them during the week, they either don't have time or they aren't at home.

Elder Blanco and Sam have got a new investigator called Latonia, she lost her 17 year old son 2 years ago, and it's coming up to his birthday so she's having a hard time. They taught her the plan of salvation which seemed to comfort her, and they had another appointment set up, but she wasn't at home. They have taught 11 lessons this week, 4 investigators and 3 less actives attended sacrament meeting. So far they have taught 51 lessons, it looks like they might be able to beat the number of lessons taught last transfer. This week the mission presidents switch. They will have a 'meet the president meeting' on Friday, then their first interviews with the new president next week.

Elder Harper and Sam had a disagreement about tracting, Elder Harper said it was 'the bread and butter of missionary work', but Sam said it wasn't an effective use of time and that they could focus their efforts elsewhere. There was a special missionary broadcast and they were telling the missionaries that they are going to start using computers now instead of tracting, they will use Facebook and other websites to spread the gospel. Instead of going out to knock on doors, they will use stake centres and use the computers. The whole broadcast was pretty much saying that they shouldn't spend time knocking on doors as times have changed. Everyone uses computers, smart phones and ipads, so missionary work has to change as well. Sam doesn't know exactly how its going to work, but its an exciting change ahead which he is looking forward to.

A couple of nights ago, the missionaries made pancakes. Sam added two types of syrup and a ton of condensed milk to pour over the top of the pancakes. He said it was really nice but felt sick immediately after eating them. 

Sam has realised he needs to take more photos as he saw someone doing sky writing in a plane but he didnt have his camera on him so he missed the opportunity! A photo he did take at home was his a challenge photo, he managed to fit 21 grapes in his mouth! 

The Ways of Finding People

Monday, 10th & 17th of June



Sam went on exchanges on Wednesday with another missionary, Elder Chapman. They get on really well together. They taught Shawn & Amy and Sam extended a baptismal commitment to them for June 29th which they happily accepted and they are really excited about being baptised! They are great people and they are progressing really fast. He helped them paint on Saturday and Amy bought them foot long subs for lunch! Sam loved the time he spent and it also kept him out the heat since its starting to hit 110-115°F. He enjoys being outside but only for a few minutes, then it starts to get uncomfortable so he is trying to schedule as many teaching appointments as he can!
Sam has been playing chess a lot lately and he finally beat Elder Harper who is really good and has a lot of experience playing chess. He also bought a Russian Book of Mormon which he is studying, he is in Las Vegas for 2 years so he might as well try and pick up another language while he is out there!

In 16 days Sam will have hit his 3 month mark and then in only 2 transfers time he will be at his 6 months mark! He feels like time is going really quickly over there and he is still enjoying it, even though its really hot!

They have found a new potential investigator in a really unlikely way! On exchanges Elder Blanco gave some rappers a pass along card, they threw it on the ground after he left, but someone else saw the card on the floor, picked it up and called them! She needed some inspiration so she wants them to visit her. Hopefully something will come of it!

For the first time since Sam has been over in Vegas he bought some fruit! It cost him $5 for some grapes so he probably wont be doing that again. For lunch he normally has a bagel with pepper-jack cheese, or a poached egg and chicken noodles. They have a lot of food in the apartment since the members feed them a lot.

With all the heat recently, the worst situation happened in the apartment.... the Air Conditioning broke so it got to nearly 90°F in the apartment! Sam was quick thinking and decided to freeze a bottle of water, wrapped it in a towel and used it as a 'cold water bottle' while he slept.

Same Routine, Different Day

 Monday, 3rd June 2013

 

 

If you know Sam you will know he loves weather. Since he was younger he was obsessed with hurricanes and tornadoes. Finally he saw something similar, a couple of dust devils! He loved them but he said it will probably be the closest thing he'll get to seeing a tornado!

 

The transfer for the new Mission President is soon, his 3 years service is nearly up. Elder Black and his wife will be leaving and replaced with Elder Ahlander and his wife from Provo Utah. Since Sam doesn't really get to see the Mission President much, an interview every 2 transfers (12 weeks), Sam has already had his last interview before he will be released.

 

Even though Sam has the sort of the same routine, every single day is different! The mission is definitely not boring or repetitive! He went on exchanges with the Zone Leader on Friday, they were teaching a lesson and their daughter asked them if they could perform an exorcism? They explained that they don't do those and its more of a Hollywood thing. A few minutes later a Catholic Priest walks in and starts sprinkling holy water around the place and saying a prayer, at the same time that they are trying to teach a lesson!

The investigators he has been teaching are doing well but he is worried about one of his investigators since he hasn't been meeting with them for the last couple of weeks. He went to Texas to get married and he seems to have lost interest, so Sam is hoping to spark something in him again since he was progressing really well.

 

They are up to 22 lessons so far this transfer, this time last transfer they had 20 lessons, so they are slightly ahead :)

 

It's 102°F today and it's going to be above 100 all week, peaking at 108°F on Saturday. Should give Sam a chance to adjust more!

 

There's a quote in Preach My Gospel which says when performance is measured, performance improves. The thing Sam has learned so far is that planning makes a huge difference, he needs to set long, mid and short-term goals, he plans each day how he is going to achieve his goals and he makes sure he keeps track of how he is doing, it helps him keep going! 

Below is a photo of the park where Sam goes tracting.

This is a photo of one of the streets where they also go tracting.

 

Las Vegas Temple

Wednesday, 29th May 2013

This week you will probably notice is it a Wednesday and not  a Monday! This is because it was Memorial Day on Monday so the libraries were closed. 

Sam went to the Las Vegas Temple today for an endowment session, he said it was a great experience and that the temple is beautiful!

 

 

Yesterday he found a bird on the road outside of his apartment, he was on his way to a lesson so he put the bird in some bushes where it was shaded, when he came back the bird was still alive, so he took it in and give it some water and tried to feed it, but when he woke up it was dead.

So far Sam has taught 14 lessons, he is wanting to get more than 60 lessons this transfer! One of the missionaries in his apartment got a new companion, they seem to be getting along really well, they are laughing and talking all the time, before now Sam had never heard Elder Harper talk to his companion!

 

Since Elder Blanco has been made District Leader, Sam will be going on exchanges a lot more often, so he will get the opportunity to serve with a lot more missionaries. There are two missionaries they both get on especially well with, Elder Golden & Elder Reel, yesterday they nearly flooded Elder Harper & Elder John's bathroom, which Sam thought was pretty funny!

 

Sam is starting to appreciate the atonement a lot more now, he has been learning more about it and he doesn't think anyone will ever fully comprehend what Jesus did for us. 

Weather Forecast = 40°C on Sunday!

 

 

 

 

Investigators Galore!

Monday, May 20th 2013


A lot has happened this last week, Sam has 4 new investigators and 1 new potential investigator. They looked at the former investigators list, and there was someone who had been receiving lessons from the missionaries 1 year previous, but had stopped. Sam and his companion decided to visit them and they were really receptive, their names are Shaun and Amy, they have a 4 year old son. They told them after they had left that Shaun studied the Book of Mormon for 3 hours straight. One of the members invited them over for dinner, everyone got on really well, especially their sons! They also attended church the next day and they are getting on really well with the members in the ward.

Also there is a lady called Linda Wells and her husband Fredrick, they had Sam and Elder Blanco over for a lesson, she said she has read the Book of Mormon 3 times, once in the 90's, once recently and she is currently in Alma reading it again! She knows its true, but she has a hard time accepting that our church is the only one with true authority to baptise. Sam thought the lesson was really entertaining as they are both really enthusiastic. He said that they are the living stereotype of black church goers, saying 'Amen' and 'Praise the Lord' all the time! Sam thinks its great! Since they had a lesson with them, they are no investigators and no longer potentials.

 

This is a photo of some really heavy clouds that were coming over the mountains, Sam thought it was going to rain, but it only sprinkled a little bit then stopped.

Last night Sam had a great experience, as he was cycling home Elder Blanco suddenly had the idea to visit Brother Neff (he is fellowshipping another one of their investigators, Adrian) as they started walking to his house, they started talking to a man called Chris who was sorting some stuff out in his garage. He said he is familiar with what they teach but doesn't like how they 'worship Joseph Smith as a God', they explained that they don't, and he had some other misconceptions that they also explained, then he asked them for a Book of Mormon! As Sam and Elder Blanco both bore testimony, his whole attitude changed, and he asked them for specific scriptures which has really helped them out. He said his girlfriend is about to be baptised into the church, and he needs to understand it better. He went from being sort of anti, to really receptive within the space of a few minutes, it was a real testimony builder for Sam. He prays every day that he will be prompted to find those who are prepared to receive the message of the restored gospel, and it just goes to show that it does happen!

Just for an FYI, last transfer they taught a total of 60 lesson, not including lessons they taught to members as well. Elder Blanco showed Sam one of his planners where he had taught over 100 lessons in a transfer (6 weeks) He also has been called as District Leader, so Sam thinks it will be fun AND he gets an extra 2 hours of study a week!

Sam will be with Elder Blanco for another transfer, Sam thinks he will stay in this area for 1 extra transfer and Elder Blanco will probably be transferred back to one of the Spanish speaking mission areas.

The forecast for this week is going to be above 30 all week but peaking at 35 tomorrow!

 

Just to finish this post with a photo of a spider which Sam thought was pretty cool! It was at a night time but you can see it better on the camera than he could see it!

 

 

3 x 3 x 3

Monday, May 6th 2013

This week has been a great week for Sam, he had a great experience when he was out knocking doors. He does this thing called 3 x 3 x 3, where he tries to visit a less active family, if they aren't home then he will knock on the 3 doors to the left, 3 doors to the right and 3 doors on the opposite side of the street.

Him and his companion started knocking on the doors and on house that Sam knocked on a lady called Annie answered the doors, she told him that she was Catholic and went to a different church, she said she couldn't speak with them because her daughter was crying, but they could come back the next day to talk more with her. They finished off the 3 x 3 x 3 and as they were unlocking their bikes a car pulled up near them. Sam said to Elder Blanco that they should go and talk to them but it turned out to be Annie! She said she had been looking all over for them, then she started crying and told them that 10 minutes before they knocked on her door, she found out her mother had died (which is why her daughter was crying) her daughter then asked her why she didn't invite them in, because what they had to say would probably make her feel better.  She realised her daughter was right, so she got into her car and started looking for Sam and his companion. She gave them apples and water which was nice and they explained to her that their message would make her feel batter and comfort her, and they confirmed the appointment for the next day!

 

Sam said it was an amazing experience, and it goes to show that Heavenly Father really does prepare people to receive the message of the restored gospel. They haven't been able to contact her yet, since she had a family emergency (which is to be expected) but they are definitely going to follow up ASAP!

 

He also had another good experience last night, him and Elder Blanco were riding home and Sam hit something on the road, he had no idea what it was, but he got pinch flat (flat tyre) LIterally 20 seconds later some members from another ward pulled up and asked if they would like some brownies. Elder Blanco told them Sam had just punctured his tyre, luckily the family lived 2 minutes away, so the husband dropped his wife off at home and came back to pick them up. They both had to share one seat which was funny, but the timing was so perfect it was like something from a movie!

 

 

This week Sam also had the baptism of Hunter and Connery Hardcastle! Sam was asked to give the opening prayer and Elder Blanco was asked to talk on the gift of the Holy Ghost. Sam said it was a great baptismal service, and a lot of people were crying. The chapel they were in looked like it had no money spent on it, there was no hot water for the font, so they had to boil pans of water and tip them into the font. (In this photo Sam is obviously much taller than Hunter so he was trying to squat so he didn't have to lift his arm so high but he was too tall!)

After the baptism they helped one of their investigators Adrian move in with his room-mate. Her stuff was made out of granite, and it was really heavy, but luckily they had lifting belts which made everything a lot easier. It was still really hard work for them though, it would have been impossible to move the stuff without it! Adrian bought them a Hawaiian BBQ which was really nice of him, it took them from 2:30pm-7:30pm to move all of the stuff, then immediately afterwards they had to go to another house and pull weeds for another 90 minutes! It was a great day of service for them and Sam felt like they had really bonded with Adrian and got to know him much better!

On Friday Sam and his companion got to help out at the Nevada Special Olympics, they were there from 7am until 1pm. Sam was in charge of gathering together the people who were competing, guiding them to the check-in, then to their sears, then to the track. It was another great experience for Sam, it was a really hot day as well which he loved!

 

 

Sam was teaching Hunter at a members house called Brother Law, he brought down a lizard and a snake! Sam said it was one of the easiest snakes to handle, it pretty much just sat in his hand. Also in the background of this photo you can see a wooden Facsimile from the book of Abraham!

Even though all week was a great week for Sam and Elder Blanco, they did have some bad news! One of their investigators Devonte, told them he didn't want them to visit him anymore and another investigator Pedro, decided he was more comfortable at his own church. Overall the experiences he had this week had more than made up for that!

 Sam wants to let everyone know that he loves his mission more and more, he actually sometimes forgets he is on a mission as its just what he does now!