What a week!! I can't talk a lot about it because there was a lot of meetings so I don't have a lot of time, but let's get to it .
Monday
Monday we went shopping and played walleyball, so much fun. You go to a racket ball court, and you play volleyball but in the court. It's so much fun! You need to look it up. After that, we visited some people and had dinner with some members that have a missionary in the family. He is in California. Pretty cool. Ya, that was it for the Monday.
Tuesday
Tuesday was the best!! We had Elder Dube of the 70 come and talk to us. He is so cool. He spoke about how to find people through members and also how to do missionary work in general. He is just so funny and a great general authority. I learned so much from him, and I'm going to use all of what I've learned in our area. After that, we had studies for the rest of the night and that's about it.
Wednesday
We went to Darrington and visited some people. We had lunch down there and then taught seminary. It was a good day, but one of our lessons fell through. That's ok though. We're seeing him tomorrow.
Thursday
We went to the stake center and had interviews. That was great because I got to talk with President about what I wanted and what I needed. He helps a ton, and he listens to me and helps me to understand and learn what I need. After that, we went and studied and visited some people and had a good rest of the day.
Friday,
Friday we went and did service at the food bank for 4 hours, and then we did service for one of our members. That was fun. We did a lot of cutting down plants and grape vines to make his yard look good, so that was fun. Then we visited more people and had a good day.
Saturday
Saturday we went on an exchange with the zone leader, Elder Harmon, and we had a great time. We went and visited members and tried the instruction Elder Dube gave us to use for members to find referrals, and it worked out really well. Then we went to an old folks home and bowled with them and played bingo with them. They are so great and so much fun. Then we visited a lot of people and members. We also had a RCLA (less active lesson) with someone who just way overthinks things. I don't like that we have to teach him, but it helps me to keep moving. Then we exchanged back at the end of the day.
Sunday
I got to talk in sacrament meeting, and I talked about "we are the rescuers." It's something that I made up myself. I talked about how missionary work doesn't just happen once in our lives, but we need to bring people back to the fold as members. It went so well with the rest of the program because the people after me explained how we can do it in a effective way. I just touched on reaching out to less actives. After church, we studied and then had dinner and visited a lot of people.
So to answer some questions... Stillaguamish is a great place, and its not normal Washington. It's country Washington. We drive a jeep around and hit many dirt driveways and many dirt roads. It's so much fun. It's a great area. It's so big too! Elder Stoddard is so much fun, and I learn so much from him. He reminds me so much of Elder Roche, my MTC companion. I heard that my mom and his mom have texted each other, so that's cool. He's awesome, and I learn so much from him! I can't wait to keep learning more. Um, my bishop is great. He has a great testimony, and he wants the best for everyone, but he's not as cool as Bishop Shaw!!!! ;) jk jk He's cool though. That's my mission. If you have any more questions, just ask me. That's it for this week. I love you all, and I'll see you soon. Before I go, I'll share a spiritual message.
"The Lord has provided all of the tools necessary for us to go to the rescue of our less-active and nonmember friends." By Elder Mervyn B. Arnold
The cool thing is that is so true! I talked about this talk a lot in my talk Sunday, and I know that He has provided everything for us. Just read what his story talks about.
"Brother Marques knew the name of every sheep in his priests quorum and realized that Fernando was missing. He hunted for Fernando at his house, then looked for him at a friend’s home, and even went to the beach.
He finally found Fernando surfing in the ocean. He did not hesitate until the boat sank, like in Daniel’s story. He immediately entered the water to rescue his lost sheep, bringing him home rejoicing.7
He then ensured through continual ministering that Fernando never again would leave the fold.8
Allow me to update you on what has happened since Fernando was rescued and to share the joy that came from rescuing just one lost sheep. Fernando married his sweetheart, Maria, in the temple. They now have 5 children and 13 grandchildren, all of whom are active in the Church. Many other relatives and their families have also joined the Church. Together they have submitted thousands of their ancestors’ names to receive temple ordinances, and the blessings just keep coming.
Fernando is now serving as bishop for the third time, and he continues to rescue, just like he was rescued. He recently shared, “In our ward, we have 32 active young men of the Aaronic Priesthood, 21 of whom were rescued in the last 18 months.” As individuals, families, quorums, auxiliaries, classes, and home and visiting teachers, we can do that!"
Brothers and sisters, you should do whatever you can to bring these people back to the fold. They need it in their lives. You don't know until you try. I love you all, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
--Elder Hammond
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