Chris’ Mission–East Lansing with Elder Larsen

Well, my first day as a Zone Leader and we got carried away with this thrusting stuff. We were out the door at 9:30 door knocking and we didn’t get home till nearly 4:00. But it was a pretty successful time and we were even able to teach one guy a first discussion. He was sort of wicked out, but he has potential. So we had a good door knocking experience. There were two people that turned us away and then called us back. Just like the “Labor of Love” video. Awesome. We came back and had lunch and then headed out just checking people tonight. There are some good people that have great potential. I am excited about getting this area rocking. We also got tons of phone calls today. I never answered, but Larsen was on the phone constantly when we were home. We got to hear about all the problems. But I guess that’s why we are here - to deal with those. Friday, November 19

This was such an awesome day. We put on a youth mini-MTC that was so cool. It started at 8:30 in the morning and ended at 7:00 at night but the long time went very fast because it was such an enjoyable day. We began with a brief orientation and then talks by President and Sister Waite and also Bishop Devries. They all did great. Then we split up into 5 different districts and we had 5 different sets of missionaries teaching classes on door knocking, finding, the commitment pattern, teaching, and on missionary life. They all went very well. We had a fantastic lunch and more classes and then we split up into companionships with each missionary taking two different youth to go door knocking with. I took three guys with me. They were awesome guys. They weren’t scared at all and I only knocked on one door myself during the whole two hours. They were so excited and fearless and positive that it was a wonderful experience for them and me. We got a few good call backs and met one awesome guy who we are teaching the first discussion to on Tuesday. It was neat. Then we headed back, had a short dinner and then a sweet testimony meeting. The spirit was so strong as those young people got up and shared their experiences and their testimonies and their desire to serve a mission. Many of them shed tears. One young man in particular shared a beautiful testimony. He was the rebellious sort who did not want to be here or to participate. But he grudgingly came and was made to participate. But as the spirit touched him during the meeting, he got up in front of the podium, sobbing uncontrollably and promised his best friend that he would go on a mission. His friend had expressed concern and hope for him a few minutes before and it was wonderful to see the friendship and love and strength that these two shared and displayed. That one young mans testimony made it all worthwhile. It was just an incredible day and one that I never will forget. I love my mission so much and the wonderful experience it provides. It was so cool to be a leader and an example and a missionary. Those kids really looked up to us and it was a neat feeling. Missionary work is the greatest. After it was all over, we stayed for a ward “Sing Along”. It was cool - lots of good entertainment. So it was an awesome day. I also have to mention that the Bishop of my new ward, Bishop Devries, is such a stud. He is the epitome of what a bishop should be. I already love the guy and hope to get to know him well during my stay here. He is really mission minded and supportive of us. He will help us a lot, I can already tell. Saturday, November 20

Another awesome day in Lansing. We meet at the church every Sunday morning at 7:30 for PEC with the leaders of the Ward. It is a cool meeting. My respect for Bishop Devries really increased. He is always so in control and so spiritual. He cries softly with tears but still in control of the situation. It really shows his love and concern for his ward. Anyway, church was really awesome as well. During Sunday School, all of us missionaries took all the primary kids while all the members stayed in the chapel. There, the AP’s, Elder Wright and Raybould gave all of the members the Set a Date program. All of the members filled out a 3X5 card with the date that they selected so we got a big stack to deal with. It is going to be so cool, because now the members will be excited and missionary minded. As long as we follow up and keep them excited and focused, we will see much good come from it. We are going to rock this place. Being a Zone Leader is really cool, but is has its difficulties as well. We had to deal with a problem of a sister being harassed by an Elder here. There is going to have to be some action taken for sure. We are taking it to President Waite tomorrow to see what he suggests. But I saw that dealing with other people problems is one of the things I get to look forward to as a Zone Leader. Sunday, November 21

P-days here are going to be pretty sweet. Today we were out shopping and running errands by 8:00. We were all done by 9:30 which is totally cool. We went to Br. Stineback’s at 10:00 to help him move to an upstairs apartment. It was pretty fun and good to help him out. Then we headed to the church and played some awesome basketball. All the missionaries consolidate on the court at 1:00. We played 5 on 5 full court and we had some pretty good players there. Monday, November 22

This was a pretty hard day. I was pretty tired all day - it was hard to stick with it. We went door knocking for about 4 hours, checked all our call backs, and then we are at a loss on what to do. There just isn't much going on here. I really need to get this area going. I know the blessings will come as we continue to work hard and be obedient. The members are really cool and they will be getting involved also. But we need to keep on trucking so that we can receive the blessings. Tuesday, November 23

This was supposed to be a totally rocking day We had 2 good appointments set and dinner at the Olive Garden with Olga. Our solid baptism projection had to cancel and postpone for about 2 weeks. HE may be getting anti, but I sure hope not. Then we went out door knocking for a couple hours and had no success. Then we could never coordinate a time to talk to President. But we finally made it to the Olive Garden, but Olga had gone to a different one. So then we had to wait until after our appointment with Margaret Rice before going to dinner. We had an awesome dinner and a fantastic time. Olga is the greatest. I really miss her a lot and especially will when she goes to Argentina. Wednesday, November 24

Happy Turkey Day! Today was Thanksgiving but a pretty lame one. We weren’t allowed to do anything so we just lounged around for a lot of the day. But I did get some good letters written. Thursday, November 25

This was a sweet day. We went out door knocking and got a couple call backs and we checked all of our referrals for the third time this week. But is was pretty good by Stonegate standards. Then this evening we got to be ushers at the ballet “The Nutcracker”. We just took tickets for a 45 minutes and then we grabbed a seat and watched the rest of it. It was totally cool. Saturday November 27

This was a good Sabbath day. I had a good time at church. I met a lot more of the members and felt the spirit and renewed my covenants. It was cool We had an appointment with a lady today but she dogged us so we checked call backs and met with Jamie Lyon. She is a totally awesome lady. She basically asked what we believe and I took over and bore testimony and told her about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and as I did, I feel the spirit so strong. It was so rad. We also explained just about every basic principle of the gospel from tithing to temple marriage to the word of wisdom. It was a sweet discussion. She isn’t ready to hear the discussions, even though we basically snuck in the first one. But she is very interested in attending church and checking it out. I feel pretty good about her. This evening was just dealt with totals and problems in the zone. Oh the joys of being a Zone Leader. i really need the Lords help here. We need to get this zone moving. Sunday, November 28

This was the sweetest P-day ever. All of my buddies were here because of Zone Leader Conference - Christofferson, Bush, Eric Johnsen, and many more. It was awesome to hang out with the guys and to play ball with them, We had tons of good players - possibly the best hoops of my mission. And I was totally ripping it up. I played really good both offensively and defensively. It was just awesome. Tonight we had dinner with the Bennetts and then we taught Margaret Rice and talked with her about her baptism. Monday, November 29

Today was Zone Leader Conference and it totally rocked. It was such an awesome meeting. All of the missionaries there are hard working studs. We all can pretty much understand the purpose of missionary work and the higher law so ZLC is just a laid back but spiritual discussion opportunity. President Waite would just start us off on topics to discuss and we would all talk out solutions. And President was constantly making jokes and cracking me up. It was totally sweet. The APs also did a good job with teaching us and talking about things. I was especially impressed by Elder Powell once again. The mission is going to miss him after this month. But ZLC was all that I expected it to be. I really felt the spirit and really got motivated and excited to do the work. I also had an interview with President Waite and that was really nice to visit with him and to get some advice from him. It was also sweet to talk with some of these other awesome missionaries to get to know them better. And Christofferson and I started planning our BYU future together. We are going to be rooming together for sure. He is such a stud and an awesome missionary. Well, it was just an excellent day all around. I need to take the things I learned and apply them and then also pass them on my my missionaries in this zone. I want to be a good leader and a good missionary so much. And I know with the Lords help, I can be both. Today was another testimony builder for me as to how divinely important this work is and how blessed I truly am to be a part of it. Tuesday, November 30

Well, the past few days have been kind of lame because we were on Zone Leader trade offs with two trunk lazy missionaries. Elder Dunlap and Elder Graybill. They both go home this month and so they just got stuck together to pass the time and rot away. But we were back in our area today and we had a sweet day. We went door knocking for 2 hours in the rain this morning but didn’t have much success. But then when we were checking call backs this afternoon, we caught Beth and Terry home and taught then the first discussion and it went very well. They both have the desire to find out if the Book of Mormon is true and they are looking for the church in which they want to raise their children. And we have just the church. It was a sweet discussion. We also picked up our Christmas tree tonight. We got a pretty good looking one. I also PCd the guy who sold us the tree. He was pretty cool and he could be a great contact. Larsen was planning on doing it but his opportunities ran out and so I had to take over. Tonight, we started talking about the General Authorities and the prophets. It strengthened my testimony once again of these grand men. I know they are prophets of God, and it is just that simple. We also talked about being honest - so honest that we have no pride, no arrogance, no worry about what others think, but only pure humility. This is the point we must reach in order to truly understand the atonement of our Savior. I want to understand it. I want to know so much that he lives and that he loves us. That is my highest goal. To have that pure knowledge for I love him and want to obey him and serve him and know him. This is his church and his work. And I love it. Saturday, December 4

This was a very sweet Sabbath day. We had Stake Correlation early this morning and that was a neat meeting to attend. In attendance was the Stake Presidency, the Stake Mission Presidency, President and Sister Waite, the APs, and me and Larsen. We reported on our zone and we were able to report some good numbers. We had 12 baptisms which they were really excited about. But that number will continue to rise to the point where this stake is going to grow so fast. I am really excited to be where I am right now. Church was great as well. Bishop Devries got up and bore the sweetest testimony. He is so excited about missionary work and what is going on with it. All three meetings were good. Then I ran our Ward Correlation meeting for Br. Stineback. Then we went to the Jordan’s home. We taught Kendra Jordan’s friend, Tazita, the first discussion. It went so well. The spirit was so strong throughout our entire discussion and she has a very pure heart and a real desire to find out if it is true. It was probably the smoothest first discussion I’ve ever taught. Because the spirit was so present. Then we ate dinner at Sister Ederer’s which was awesome.Then we prepared our trade-off agenda and our weekly newsletter which we will be sending out to our zone each week. And finally tonight was the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. President Hinckley was fantastic. The music of the Tabernacle Choir is so powerful. It was a sweet day. Sunday, December 5

This was only a partial P-day, but it turned out so great. We went to the mall today and I did some Christmas shopping and also bought myself a new suit. it was on sale for $100, regular $275 and I liked it and talked myself into it. It is sweet and it is getting altered this week so I should have it for Zone Conference on Saturday. I’m excited and I did need a new one pretty bad. Anyway, we did some things at the office and then went out teaching discussions. We read the Book of Mormon with Beth and Terry and it is going really well with them. They want to believe and they do believe and will be baptized. I have great faith in them. Then we taught Jennifer the first discussion. She is really confused and doesn’t know what she believes, but she is already starting to change slightly. And we know what the scriptures say about making a mighty change - it all starts with a simple change. Then we ran to the Bennetts and had a good dinner with their awesome family. Then we taught Margaret Rice the rest of the second discussion. What a day. Monday, December 6

This Zone Leader bit really takes a toll on my time. I haven’t even had time to think about writing in my journal this past week. So let me try and hit the highlights. On Wednesday and Thursday, we were on trade-offs with Stoker and Heiner in St. Johns. They are a couple of great missionaries. They both have a great desire to work hard and be obedient. They are both going to be great leaders in the mission. We did a lot of service with them. One member up there is re-building a house so we hung some sheetrock for him. It was pretty fun. I like to do things like that. We also did service at a welfare place. It really made me feel blessed to have been raised the way I was. I am a very lucky guy. Elder Heiner and I also taught a discussion to a members husband. He has never shown interest in the gospel but he agreed to hear the discussions. And we were able to spark an interest in him by talking about where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going. The three big questions. It was a great discussion. On Friday, we had a very busy day. We had District Leader conference in the morning. That was a good meeting. We have some strong district leaders and this was good to inform them of their duties and to discuss ways to improve our zone. I conducted the meeting and played the piano and led a discussion with them about a bunch of things. It was really beneficial to us as Zone Leaders. Then we had our zone P-day. There was a bit of murmuring going on throughout the day, but I think overall, everyone had a good time and it was a good experience. I know people became better acquainted and better friends because of it. I know I had a good time. We ended up having 1/2 the gym playing basketball and the other half playing volleyball. I played some volleyball but I was attracted to the basketball too much so I finally went over and rocked the court. I played really good and humbled Elder Heiner and a couple of others pretty well again. If I keep improving, I am going to be pretty good. But anyway, the biggest problem today was dealing with Elder Walker. He is a big selfish baby and a terrible missionary with the worst attitude. Elder Larsen doesn’t do a good job getting things going using his authority so I have been having to take control more and more. And I had a lot of talks with Elder Walker today. I hope I can help him to be a good missionary. But first he must have that desire. The biggest problem was getting people to go where assigned tonight. But it went pretty good.

Alright, I’m finally to Saturday. Today was an awesome day. Our Zone Conference started at 8:00 and only lasted 4 hours but it was dang sweet. Elder Larsen conducted, and we both did a training session. I discussed being BOLD and Personal Contacting. I think we had a pretty good discussion. And my talk was on companionship Planning Sessions and love between companions and all that kind of stuff. It went really well. I was kind of nervous this morning because I had lots of good thoughts on my subject and the spirit led me on how to present it and it went extremely well. I felt good about it and I got lots of compliments as well. The Aps and President were both pleased with Zone Conference as a whole. It went well and I feel relieved that it is over. A lot of stress came this week with all the organization we have been trying to do. But now our meetings are over for this month. The Stake put on a dinner and a great program for us. It was a very enjoyable time. And after that, we taught Jennifer. She is progressing very well, which is a bit of a surprise. But her view are changing and she is already starting to love the Book of Mormon. Also tonight, we taught Margaret Rice part of the third discussion. She is getting better each time we visit her. Her retention rate is improving. Well, it was a sweet week. Very hectic, however, so I’m ready for a long winters nap. Saturday, December 11

Today was a little less hectic but still pretty busy. Welfare meeting and church were both great, and we also got to give a baptismal interview for one of the AP’s baptisms. We spent quite a bit of time with Elders Raybould and Wright today. I sang in the University Choir with them and they came with us to Sister Ederer’s dinner and to decorate the Christmas Tree. That was lot so fun as well. We did have two teaching appointments fall through today as well or else it may have been a perfect day. We also did some paperwork at the office - we were there all alone for a time. It was pretty cool to have free reign there. Sunday, December 12

This was a pretty alright week. We were on trade-offs from Tuesday morning until Friday night and I forgot my journal. So this will just be a quick review. First on Monday, we cut our P-day short and taught Jennifer Cox and Beth and Terry. It was pretty cool. We watched the Tree of Life animated video and it should help them quite a bit. Basketball was alright also but I’ve played better. Tuesday and Wednesday we were in Charlotte with Elder Utley and Izaat. Neither of them are hard workers and I just didn’t feel too motivated to go in and door knock them for 10 hours a day so it wasn’t very productive. They didn’t have a single thing planned.

On Thursday and Friday, we were in Jackson. They were much better trade-offs. We got some good things done and we had a good time. Elder Gyori and Harmon are some good missionaries. On Saturday, it felt good to be back home in our own area again. We got some good work done and some things we needed to accomplish. And tonight was the Ward Christmas party. There was good food and it was pretty fun. Monday, December 13 - Saturday December 18

The past three days have been so busy but really awesome as well. On Sunday, we were at the apartment for only 30 minutes between 7:30am and 9:30pm. It was really hectic from PEC to Church to correlation meeting to a discussion with Tazita to home teaching with Br. Stineback to the Stake Christmas Concert. The best concert I have been to in a long time. The music was really enjoyable. It was a good day. P-day went pretty well. There were too many people trying to play ball but it was still fun. We had a great evening at the Bennetts. Dinner was great and then we watched Cleon Skousen’s video on the Annunciation and Nativity. It was very informative. Tuesday we taught Jennifer the 2nd discussion and she is progressing along very well. She knows that she needs to change her life and she is going to start to make those changes. Sunday, December 19 - Tuesday, December 21

We had another great day. We taught Tazita the third discussion and she accepted everything very well. The spirit is always so strong when we teach her. That is obviously a good sign. I think she will definitely be baptized. Tonight I had the opportunity to give the Baptismal Interview to Marilyn Wilson, a lady that we gave to Elder Larson and Hunker to teach. That is always a neat opportunity to be a judge in Israel. I enjoy giving interviews. But I noticed myself being very selfish about her. Me and Larsen could have taught her but she was like 1/2 block out of our area. So we did the honest thing and gave her to the other two. It was the right thing to do and I’m glad we did because they needed a boost. Wednesday, December 22

CHRISTMAS ADAM!! I can’t believe how fast everything is coming and going. We had a sweet time today all day. We went to the Bennett’s house and they gave us free reign in their kitchen and we went crazy and baked two awesome desserts. I baked Peppermint brownies and Larsen cooked divinity. It was lots of fun and the Bennetts are just an awesome family. They are all their kids home for Christmas, except for their son on a mission . And they are all a lot of fun. We also had dinner with them and then we went caroling to our investigators. It was so fun and a really good experience for all of us as well as for those we visited. We visited Jennifer, Kari and her kids, Shawn and his family, and Jamie Lyon and her family. They were all really excited to see us. Thursday, December 23

Christmas Eve. Today we had a pretty great time. We went to the Winders and watched Aladdin which was way fun. That show is the sweetest. There was also a party at the Smith’s tonight with a bunch of people from the Ward. The Bishop’s family, the Snyders, Hills and a couple others. It was pretty fun, mostly because I took Alison, the Bishop’s 4 month old baby and held her all night. She is a very sweet baby. We had the St. John Elders stay with us tonight, Elder Stoker and Heiner. So when we got home, we bore our testimonies and then sand Silent Night and had our nightly prayer. It was a sweet spiritual experience. I have been able to ponder on the true meaning of Christmas much more this year than in years past and it is a good feeling. I do know that Jesus was born in a manger and that he lived and also died for me and all of my brothers and sisters. I love him so much for all that he has done for me. And I hope that I can serve him well through the rest of my mission and throughout my life. That is why I am here. I know he has many sweet things in store for me as I continue to conform my will to his. I am sleeping on the couch so I can stare at the Christmas lights all night and for to reminisce on the past present and future. I love Christmas so much. It is the best feeling. Friday, December 24

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I can’t believe it is over for another year. And no I can start singing, “I’ll be home for Christmas”. That is pretty cool. I did have a fun Christmas. My family called about 8:30 and we opened presents together and then just talked on the phone until 11:00. It was so great to hear them and talk with them. I love my family so much. I totally scored on the presents. This is my list. Christmas suspenders and tie, Christmas socks 2 ties, 2 socks Franklin page refill, Daniel and Nephi and Gadiantons and the Silver Sword tapes, U of U cap, Joseph the Prophet tapes, blank tapes, 2 new dress shirts, soccer T-shirt, cocky shirt, Ski Utah sweatshirt, cheese and crackers, fruit snacks (Santa), a sweet watch, a blanket, scripture stickers, Our Search For Happiness book. And from Liz I got 2 sweet Eddie Bauer shirts, a stocking full of candy, a Christmas Bear, and abs of love. She is pretty awesome. After dinner at the Greens, I called Grandma Poisons house and talked to Grandma and Grandpa Polson for a minute. They are the greatest. I love them both so much. I also got to talk for another minute to everyone in the family so that was nice.

One thing I don’t understand is my relationship with my Mom. She was asking why I spent money on Liz and wanted to know what was up with her. And I don’t know why, but I just freeze up with her whenever we try to talk about things like that. I hate so bad that I do because I want to be able to talk to her about anything. I seriously feel like I learned to be closed up with her when I was young and she would hit us. I may have never been able to get over that long ago barrier. I feel like we need to work on some of the basics in our relationship. So that is going to be one of my main goals for this next year, especially after I am home. I do love her and appreciate her concern and love for me.

About 30 minutes ago, I was feeling mad and sort of bitter about what I was just writing about. But as I was thinking about it, I was listening to one of Elder Larsens new CD’s with songs all about Joseph Smith and during one song, I looked at his picture and the spirit bore powerful witness that he is a Prophet of God. I felt it with my entire body. As this truth was confirmed to be once again, I almost started crying and then the spirit really comforted me and fulfilled that role of his. I am thankful for that feeling and his constant companionship with me and for my recognition and knowledge of what those feelings mean and where they come from. It just felt so good and replaced my bad feelings with good ones. It is another neat experience that I hope to never forget. Now I am just sitting on my bed feeling so great and so much better than a short time ago. I need to always be worthy to have the spirit with me so that I can be in tune with its comforting and prompting and testifying. Well, my second Christmas in the mission field is now over. And next year, I will be back home. This has been a very special Christmas and I hope all those following can be as spiritual as this one. I love my Savior with all my heart and know he lives. In his name I testify, Amen. Saturday, December 25

Well, Christmas is officially over until next year. We had a good day. Church was cool as usual and we had a sweet dinner with the Wahls. We had a baptism which we attended tonight. I played the piano and said the invocation. Sunday, December 26

I am dead tired. I got worn out playing hoops. I had to guard Chad Rasmussen for much of the day. He is 6’10” and used to play for Wake Forest. He really wore me down. But i did pretty well. But most of my energies were focused on defense so my shooting was off. We taught Margaret Rice the rest of the third discussion tonight. She is doing pretty well. Monday, December 27

We didn't get up and go jogging again today and I was really struggling to stay awake while I read the Book of Mormon. We shared two videos with Tazita today. We showed her the animated Joseph Smith story and The Savior in America. I think they both helped her a lot. She did have some misconceptions about the BOM and what it was. We are teaching her the 4th tomorrow. We also visited Jennifer today and read the Book of Mormon with her to keep her going on that commitment. She is doing well also. We had dinner with Bishop Devries. He is so awesome. I hope that I see him for eternity because then I will know I am in the right place. He is a great bishop. Tonight we taught Margaret Rice the 4th discussion. She is getting better and better at retaining what we teach her. She is progressing. Tuesday, December 28

This was a sweet day. We taught Tazita the fourth discussion and it went very well. She continues to progress rapidly and I think the 4th will help her a lot. She is coming to church on Sunday and that will be good as well. Today was Zone Leader Conference and it was totally sweet once again. We had Johanson, Smith, Eddington, and Stuck stay with us last night so we had a fun time last night and this morning all together. At ZLC, we talked about a lot of important things and I learned a lot. It is also the sweetest spirit there because we do have the best missionaries there and so we all bring the spirit with us and just create a definite power. As we bear our testimonies, it is powerful. I shed a few tears and it was so sweet. Some of the highlights were President and Miner wrestling, feasting - Elder Raybould, and my favorite part was once again was when we just talked about everything informally. It is way cool. And I wasn’t one of the new guys this time, so I could act like I knew what was up. Then we stayed at Presidents and he gave Larsen an interview forever and then he talked to us both for a long time. We talked about the zone and our missionaries and it was a very positive talk. I totally got pumped up for the work and for the zone. ZLC and talking to President just does that to me. I enjoy being a Zone Leader and being able to attend meetings such as this. It’s neat to be able to know I am trusted by President and by the lord to be a leader in the building up of is kingdom. I love this work and wouldn’t trade the lessons I’m learning for the world. Thursday, December 30

Happy New Year! New Years Eve and New Years Day have been pretty fun. We met a couple of investigators and gave the smoking program to Jennifer, but other than that, the weekend wasn’t too productive for missionary work. We spent time with the Pippins on both Friday night and Saturday and we even got to watch the Rose Bowl on TV. Wisconsin, led by a returned missionary QB, won the game over UCLA. It was a pretty good game. The other thing we did for much of the weekend was work on our bi-annuals. We spent a long time reviewing and reciting scriptures. I ended up getting 200 recited, so that makes me a Super Missionary. That is pretty sweet, but I should have double by the time I go home. I will be memorizing 1 scripture a day and I will be reviewing about 10 per day so that should really help me in all I do, especially as I teach the gospel. I can’t believe it is already 1994. At the beginning of this year, I didn’t think it would ever come. But it is here and I am excited to make this the best year ever. Monday, January 1

This was such a hectic day, but it was so awesome. We were up until 12:00 last night because we had to take all our totals we got until 10:30 and then add them to our month totals, type it up all nice, and get ready for Stake Correlation. Then we picked Elder Foote up at 7:00, cruised to the office to make copies of everything, and then ran to our 7:30 Stake Correlation Meeting with the Stake Presidency and the Stake Mission Presidency. We had a good meeting there. Then we ran out to Park Lake to talk to Shawn for a bit. Then we headed back to the church where we would stay until 8:00. We had Ward Correlation with all the Ward leaders at 10:30, church at 1:00, Ward Mission Correlation at 4:30, the baptism of Margaret Rice at 6:00 and a district meeting at 7:30. Then we went to the Bennetts and had some dinner with them before we headed home. Wow! What a day. The highlight was definitely Margaret’s baptism. The spirit was very strong and it was really great. Bishop Devries baptized her and I was able to confirm her and it is always a neat experience for giving the gift of the Holy Ghost. What a blessing to have the priesthood and be worthy to use it. This was a fantastic day and I am sure to have many more like them. Sunday, January 2

P-day was alright yesterday. Good basketball. We ate at the Hills and talked to Glen Hill about why he hasn't been baptized. He has been active for about 12 years but he wont join the church. It is strange. Hopefully we can get I'm to use his head a little. He also takes institute courses and even had a calling at one time. Today we had a meeting with Elder Foote about the zone. We need to get it going. We have the biggest slackers in the mission. We had Sister Chapman go with us today to see Jennifer and to see Beth and Terry Rhodes. But neither appointment was there so we didn’t get to teach anyone with her. Tonight we ate at the Bennetts again. They are an awesome family. Tuesday, January 4

This was a pretty sweet day. We taught Tazita and showed her the movie, “Mountain of the Lord”. It went pretty well. We have to get her committed and hopefully get her family involved as well. The rest of the day we checked referrals and did Zone Leader paperwork and checked on all our call backs. Wednesday, January 5

We were on trade-offs today with North Lansing Elders Marshall and Larson. They are both pretty good missionaries. I worked with Elder Marshall and we had a very productive day. We did some paperwork this morning and then checked tons of referrals and taught a new member lesson and had a lot of fun in the new fallen snow. We woke up today to about 4 inches of powder and it kept snowing pretty heavy all day. It was totally sweet. We were sliding all over both on foot and in the car. Tonight we went out in our gents and did some hooky-bobbing and crazy driving. It was such a blast. Thursday, January 6

Today is my 15 month mark. I can’t believe how fast the time goes We were still in North Lansing today but not too much happened. I passed Elder Larson off and did bi-annuals with hi. Late this afternoon, we went and Larsen did a baptismal interview for a guy. It was at the Living Center, so I talked to the Jenks and we scored a dinner from them. Tonight I listened to a tape on Joseph Smith. I have been thinking about him and all he did and the Lord keeps sending me strong confirmations on him and the work he performed. I know that he was a prophet of God. Friday, January 7

It was the coldest day today. With wind chill, it was less than 10 degrees below zero. The wind jus cut right through us. We were out checking call backs and stuff and it was freezing even just walking from the car to the door was too cold. We also took down the Christmas tree today. Tonight I gave the baptismal interview or Shannon Hendsley. She was taught in Jackson and it was a pretty good experience to interview her. She was really quiet at first but I got her to open up some. I enjoy giving baptismal interviews because it is always a spiritual experience and I get to share my testimony. Shannon said yes however to the four questions, and so I called up President Waite and took her over to get interviewed by him. Then we just hung out and talked with President and Sister Waite for a long time. They are such great people and it is always enjoyable talking to them. Saturday, January 8

Lets see, what has been going on the past few days. Sunday was a very good day. We attended 2 baptisms that evening. The spirit is always strong at baptism services. P-day was pretty cool. My shot was deadly but we had to leave at 3:00 for an appointment so I only got to play for 90 minutes. Tuesday and Wednesday we were on trade-offs with Chamberlain and Hawes in Grand Ledge. They are both good missionaries with a strong desire to work, and we had really good trade-offs with them. We totally went through trials of our faith with both of them. Me and Chamberlain were together on Tuesday and were just dropping people left and right. But our last appointment of the night was with a totally awesome family. And with Hawes, we were getting persecuted but we stuck with it and in the last 30 minutes of our 3.5 hours of door knocking, we finally got 2 Personal Contacts. So I learned that we need to be sure and stick with it, show the Lord we won’t give up, and then he will bless us. I know this is true. Wednesday, January 12

Last night we had a really good District Leader Conference. Our District Leaders are all strong. We have Elder Chamberlain, Stoker, Larson, and Dupont. We discussed tons of really good things and it was a very beneficial meeting for us as Zone Leaders. I think it will help the District Leaders in their duties as well. Thursday, January 13

Today was Zone Conference. I was conducting and it turned out to be a very good meeting. We took care of all the business in the morning so that wasn’t the best part of the day, but after lunch, we got into some good discussions about PCs and scripture study and some other good things. While discussing PCs, I committed everyone to get 5 PCs every day and we also got on our knees to commit to our Heavenly Father. It was pretty cool. Overall, Zone Conference was pretty spiritual and uplifting. In groups, I was in charge of talks so I went around and heard some good talks from the missionaries. After Zone Conference, we stuck around while President gave interviews and I played the piano and big group of us sang songs. It was lots of fun and we all had a good time and became more unified. It was a fantastic day. Friday, January 14

Today was a great day. This weekend, the weather was the coldest I have ever been in. It barely got to 1 degree either day. And with wind chill, it was down about 25-30 degrees below zero. It was freezing and we were not out in the weather except for church and meetings and when we absolutely had to be. So I got some good studying done her in the apartment. Last night, I couldn’t sleep until about 2:00 and finally a sincere prayer helped me to feel better and to sleep well. Then in PEC this morning, Bishop Devries shared a scripture 2 Nephi 26:11 which says that the spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man. And he basically shared that we must continually repent and keep our spirits clean so that we can be led by the spirit. It was exactly what I had been praying about last night and the counsel was greatly appreciated by me. Bishop Devries is a great man and I always learn a lot from him. Then I prepared myself for the great opportunity of partaking the sacrament. I love partaking the sacrament each week. Then tonight, President Robison in a general priesthood meeting talked about being one in heart with the Lord and he gave some excellent counsel as well. I love hearing the words of inspired servants of God like Stake President Robison and Bishop Devries. Me and Larsen also had a very interesting discussion tonight about preparing for the second coming and things that will be happening. There are bad things coming upon this nation and the world and the only constant will be the church and staying close to the guiding principles of the gospel by listening to the prophets and staying in tune with the spirit of the Lord. Doing these things will ensure my safety and my happiness. I’m grateful for the security that it gives me to know what I can and must do. As I do these things I will be led with y family to dwell with God in Celestial Glory. Sunday, January 16

This was an alright P-day. We got all our preparation stuff done this morning, then we went to our Isaiah class that President Andrews is teaching at the institute building. That is going to be a sweet class. I hope to learn a lot because it is dang interesting and I have very little knowledge in that area. Basketball was pretty good today, I had a really fun time there and I played good ball. We ate at the Bennetts again tonight. We always have a good time there. Monday, January 17

The past few days have been good ones. On Tuesday, we had to get our LOF at Montgomery Ward and they took 2 hours and wasted some of our day. We had dinner with Bishop Devries family tonight. They are such a neat family. He really knows how to raise a family. They also had a neat missionary experience a couple days before when they talked to a guy about the Book of Mormon and they included him in their family prayer and talked to him a lot while he was waiting for a ride. They are just a neat family. Wednesday and today, we were on trade-offs with East Jackson. We had some productive days. Me and Dupont even projected a lady for their area. Vance and Dupont are a couple of good missionaries. They are a bit goofy, especially Vance, but they are working hard and seeing lots of success. Elder Gyori and Lee hit a deer a few weeks ago and got some meat off of it so we had some venison tonight. Thursday, January 20

I wish I could make more time to write in my journal, but its been really hard lately. But anyway, the past few days have been awesome. On Friday and Saturday, we had the best proselyting days. I finally kind of took over and decided what we should do and then took Larsen out and did it. Larsen just isn't the leadership type of guy. So I’m most going to do it now because our totals have sucked lately and my conscience doesn't like that. But Friday, we got some good things done. We checked all our people and got some appointments set up for this week. Then Saturday, I was just excited to go out and work hard and get excited to go out and work hard and get our 5 PCs. I had a hard time getting to sleep Friday night because I was so excited. So on Saturday, we went out and got 5 PCs in a matter of hours while door knocking. Then we walked out on the ice and contacts some ice fisherman. That was a perfect PC situation because we were able to just talk with them for a while and build a relationship of trust, and they they were asking questions us about the church. One guy was even going to try to come to church on Sunday, but he didn’t make it. Saturday, we also met with an old PC, Ramon Pena from the Christmas tree lot, and we showed him Our Heavenly Fathers Plan and he is very interested. So it was a fantastic day. Saturday January 22

Sunday was awesome as well. We had breakfast with the Green family - that was good. Church was sweet and then tonight we had a First Presidency broadcast entitles Behold your Little Ones. It was a very powerful message and it taught me a lot about how I want to raise my children. The spirit was very strong there. I also had a long talk with President Waite today which was very beneficial. Something is going to happen with transfers but I’m not sure what. We had a zone P-day today and we went to Washington Park and went ice skating. It was tons of fun. Elder Gyori was a good skater, but other than him, I was probably the best. We had a blast playing tag and goofing around. I think everyone enjoyed it. Tonight, we ate at the Bennetts of course. I had a good time there and we got into some good conversations. They are neat people to be with. Monday January 24

This was an awesome day, we taught Ramona Pena the first discussion and the spirit was so strong. It was incredible. After we discussed what the spirit was and told him to look for it. Every once in a while, he would say, “I’m feeling it” with a big grin. It was really neat. We basically projected him - asked him to be baptized, and he said yes. He is awesome - I’m so glad I opened my mouth and Pc’d him back at the Christmas Tree lot. It sure paid off. He will be baptized. Today we also changed the thermostat in the car. It was pretty easy and it only took us two tries to get it right. Tuesday, January 25

Transfer calls. We got a call today and Larsen is getting moved just like I though and like President told me. But the lame news is that I’m going also. Yep - I’m getting transferred. Our area here is getting whitewashed and I’m mad about it. This is so lame. President is changing to only 1 Zone Leader in each zone, but it should be me. A few weeks ago on P-day, we were playing half court basketball so others could play Volleyball. Walker and the other basketball Elders were asking me constantly to kick the volleyball players off the court so we could play full court basketball. I finally talked to the volleyball players and asked nicely, and we started to try and compromise, but I was stubborn and the Larsen and Larson combo were being jerks, and we made a bit of a scene. It wasn't pretty but we did compromise and then I went over to the side mad at them. I realized I shouldn’t have asked them to leave as the spirit left me. My conscience was immediately eating away at me and I sincerely felt bad. By the time they played their last game, I felt so bad that I didn’t care about playing basketball and couldn’t get into it. I was all ready to apologize and then I had an interview with President Waite. We had a good talk but I didn’t feel very good. He told me his plans, that Larsen was getting transferred and that I would be the only Zone Leader. On the way home, I apologized to Larsen - it was hard to do but necessary. And after some more struggling in prayer, I started feeling better and putting it behind me. Well, the APs made the scene over volleyball a big issue with President and that hurt my reputation. President brought it up with me at church and we discussed it for a while. That really made me feel better. I was taking full responsibility and accepting it in full humility because I really did feel bad about it. But President seemed kind of cold toward me. I don’t know, but I got a real feeling that the incident destroyed his image of me. Also, Larsen must have been saying something bad about me behind my back because President already had the idea that all I cared about was basketball. I tried to only say good things about Larsen to President even though this has been my hardest companionship by far. But I don’t want to be the type of guy who cuts people down behind their back. But now I wish I would have been straight up with President because Larsen cut me down while I tried to build him up. Now I feel bitter. I am especially mad because it got me transferred and made me look bad. It is making me feel rebellious but I really want to apply what I have learned from Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and be proactive about all of this rather than reactive. I need to keep a good attitude and not harden my heart or else my mission wont be what I want it to be. I don’t know what President has in mind for me anymore. But I just want to thrust my butt off. My new companion, Elder Maday, is going to hate me because we are going to work so hard. Except I am going to build a good relationship with him so that we love each other and work hard and have the spirit with us. I don’t know if this is a bad attitude or not, but I want to prove President wrong and show him I am his best missionary. This is my desire, I hope it is a righteous one. Because I can’t do it without the Lords help. I need him to be successful. So I am going to have a good attitude and work my hardest and give my all to the service of the Lord. As I do this, the spirit will be with me, I will see success, and I will feel good about myself and this work. Wednesday, January 26