Chris’ Mission–Big Rapids with Elder Maday

Well, here I am. It has been a long couple of days. I got everything all finished up as far as packing and I got on the bus at 1:50. I had to transfer buses in Grand Rapids and from there I rode with Elder Bischoff and Packer. They are both pretty cool, but they seem to be gents. Maday was here waiting for me with the Ward Mission Leader, Br. Broderick. He is a nice guy but he and his family and kind of weird. We had dinner with them and a correlation meeting. They talked forever about people that haven’t been taught for 3-4 months. I was almost laughing at some of their conversations. There hasn’t been much obedience or work going on here for a while. Elder Maday is pretty cool and seems like he wants to be obedient and work - and that is what is going to happen here. It seem like there is a lot of potential.

The apartment here was a total dump. There was crap all over - I seriously couldn’t live in it. So we have been cleaning all last night and all day today. But the effort was well worth it. We converted a garbage room into a really nice weight room with a nice weight set, bikes, our ironing board, etc. It is now our inspirational room because we basically wallpapered it with motivational posters. It looks awesome. And every other room is 100% better. Everything is spotless and organized and ready to rock. I won’t let Maday be a slob anymore. I can’t stand being unorganized. But he likes the change a lot too. Tonight we ate with Sister Savard. That is the coolest thing about this area, that Jeni and Donna live here. When Maday called about dinner she asked who the new companion was and he said it was a surprise and she said, “Its Elder Johnson”. She called Sister Weiss up in St. Ignace right away so Sister Weiss called her house when I was there tonight and we talked for a good 45 minutes. It was so awesome to hear her voice. She is the greatest. They are coming through to go to the temple and we are going to see each other for sure. I can’t wait to see all the St. Ignace people. I love them . Well, I gotta head to bed, I won’t be disobedient at all because I am here to rock this area. Friday, January 28

I think I am really going to like it here. Church today was really great. There was a missionary farewell for Mike Stewart. All of the members are really neat people and they are very interested in the missionary program. We are going to do so much good here that they will be asking us to slow down. We had a great companion planning session today and set some really good goals for the month of February. We are seriously going to rock here so hard. I am excited and so is Maday. This is the first time he has every been obedient and I am also going to work him to the ground. And the neatest thing today was that we committed Christina Spiers to baptism. She came to church and said she was ready and we set her date for February 20th. So that is really exciting. We had given her much of the baptism challenge last night but she said she wasn’t ready even though the spirit was present. And we didn’t pray because the atmosphere wasn’t right. But she had hit her head earlier and was having a lot of pain, so I gave her a blessing . I blessed her that she would heal quickly and without pain. Well, the pain went away and that was the thing that changed her mind about baptism. What a neat experience to be a part of . I am so grateful for the priesthood and that I am a worthy holder. We also invited her sister Laurie to hear the discussions. She came to church and we are teaching her the first tomorrow. Sweet! Sunday, January 30

My first P-day in Big Rapids. It was pretty cool. We spent the entire day with Jordan Rowell. He is a total stud. He took us out to Big Boy for an all you can eat breakfast. Then we did our laundry at his house while I watched my video from Liz. It is an awesome video. We also played “Life” and ate a pizza and just hung out there. We also got to play some hoops at the church. But nobody else is any good so it wasn’t much of a challenge. But still fun. Tonight we had dinner with Sister Heard, Lori and Chris, and watched Nephi and the Brass Plates. Then we taught Lori the first discussion and it went extremely well. We planned out the all 6 discussions and they will all be taught before Chris’ baptism on February 18. I am excited. Monday, January 31

Wow, it’s already February. We started it out pretty good. We went out PCing people and got one really good solid PC. But that was our only one. That is one area that I will have to really help Maday with. He didn’t talk to a single person., but he did start saying hello to people - that’s a start. We taught Marlin and Zea Fry tonight. They will be baptized on February 19 and they are beyond golden. They are the most prepared people for the gospel that I have ever met. They are so cool. It is an honor to be able to teach them and see them join the church. I am seriously so impressed by the quality of the people in this area. They will be a great addition to the branch. Tuesday, February 1

The past 24 hours have been awesome. Right as I was finishing my journal last night, the Hart and Ludington Elders showed up to stay over for Zone Conference. It was so awesome to see Elder Wright and Douglas again. They are both really good friends. And their companions, Elder Barnes and Nelson are both pretty cool also. We had an awesome time last night. They didn’t show up until 10:30 and we didn’t get to be until 1:30. But is was fun to talk and catch up. Today was Zone Conference and it was a really good one. It was weird to not be in charge and to just sit back and enjoy. It was nice. I also got to see Sullivan and Biehler, which was really awesome. And I read Misty’s letter to him which cleared up a lot of things that happened to her. She is down in Ohio and seems to still have a strong testimony and a desire to go to church. She is a neat person. I also talked with President some and with Elder Raybould a lot about my release as a Zone Leader. They were both beneficial talks. I feel much better about the whole thing. It is just nice to know where I stand with President. And President just told me the Lord wants me here - so that is good enough for me. But it is possible for me to train again soon and possibly be called as a Zone Leader again, so that is comforting. They both really built me up during Zone Conference a lot, and President told Maday that I almost went AP. So I guess I can feel better about my release and everything that has been going on. Now I am going to rock this area. Wednesday, February 2

The past few days have been very frustrating for me. Elder Maday has been sick and I’ve been rearing to get out and thrust. It’s making me really mad because he seems to be pretending most of the time. He just doesn’t seem very sick to me. Thursday we didn’t do much, but Friday I dragged him out and we got some solid PCs and taught two discussions so it turned out to be a great day. But today, he wouldn’t get out of bed and complained all day until dinner tonight. I did get a lot of scripture reading, but I didn’t like being inside most of the day. But he said he was feeling better tonight, so hopefully it is over. I finally got mail here. I got a letter from Mom and a very comforting letter from Dad about my transfer and stuff. And Liz sent me a Valentines package that is totally awesome. She is awesome, I hope things continue to improve and progress with us. Saturday February 5

16 month mark. Holy cow. I can’t believe I am 2/3 done with my mission. It has gone by so fast. And the coolest thing is that I got to spend the day with Sullivan at zone P-day so we got to celebrate together by beating up on each other at hoop. It was a sweet P-day. I am worn out and sore, but it was well worth it. We also had an awesome district meeting and watched the seminary video about Christ and his final days. It is the same one we saw at the Bourries last summer - the one which I have been searching for ever since. It is the sweetest video ever. It portrays the Garden and the Crucifixion so well and i was just overpowered with the spirit as we watched it. I love my savior so much and am so grateful for the atonement. I would be lost without it. I also got the opportunity to bear my testimony - it was a great time to be able to share my feelings of him. Tonight, we taught Lori the 3rd discussion and it went very well. She is progressing right along and looking great for baptism. We will get her projected on our next visit. I love the 3rd discussion, teaching about the priesthood and the restoration and modern day apostles. Also, Sunday was a good day. Church was great and dinner at the Thompsons was awesome. Monday, February 7

Things are going very well here. We’ve had some productive days. And the area is really picking up. We started teaching Marcus, the son of a member, who has been in some trouble. But he is a cool guy and that is going pretty well. We taught Chris Spires the 6h discussion and she is very ready for her baptism. She has a strong testimony and it’s really neat to see her progression in such a short time. We also found a new family, the Wards. They are awesome. We showed them the Family First video tonight and will be teaching them the 1st discussion next Tuesday. They are a great family and the father really wants to make some real changes. He is worried about his teenage boys. So here comes the gospel of Jesus Christ to the rescue. We also talked to Tammie Jones tonight, an inactive member who will start coming back. And we are starting to teach her two sons this Saturday so that will be really cool. I am amazed at the blessings that are jumping out at us. This area is so ripe - we should do a lot of harvesting here. Thursday, February 10

It is lunchtime now, but I just had to write in here about my studies this morning. My prayers as of late have tended to be mechanical and one-way and repetitious and this has really bothered me. So for a time now I have been planning to study about prayer and I finally did so today. I studied the scriptures some and the Bible Dictionary, but then I really went through Stephen Covey’s book about prayer. And I learned so much. I have to do better in every stage of prayer. 1. Prepare 2. Express 3. Listen 4. Commit 5. Believe 6. Do. I feel I was lacking in almost every area. I want to improve my relationship between my Heavenly Father and I know this is the basic way I will do it. I know it will help. Friday, February 11

The past 24 hours have been awesome. Last night we taught Lori the fourth discussion and projected her for baptism. It was totally awesome. Except Chris really wants a private baptism. I thought they would like to do it together. But it is awesome that Lori is getting baptized. That will be on March 4 and it is exciting. Now we have 5 projections - Sweet! And this morning we started teaching Terry and Jessie Jones, the sons of Tammie Jones. Terry is 10 and Jessie is 8. They are awesome kids and will be fun to teach. And Tammy will be coming back to church now. Things are going extremely well. I love this work. Saturday, February 12

We are in the middle of trade-offs right now. Elder Powell and Elder Hyde are here. It is really nice to be on this side of the trade-offs in my area, doing what I planned to do. They have been very productive trade-offs. I was with Elder Powell today and he’s not as bad as everybody says. He is a pretty good guy and a good missionary. We had some success today down in White Cloud. We were trying to find one referral and the street was a dirt road and hadn’t been plowed. But we drove down it plowing the snow out of the way. It was crazy. Then we couldn't go any further so we were walking through snow trying to find this house we weren’t even sure existed. But just when I was about to turn back it came into view and we had a good visit with a new family that we will start teaching. Getting home was even harder, but we got it done. Then we taught a new black family - Tony and Paula Mclellan. They are really great and have a strong faith in Christ. It went very well and they will be fun to teach. We had a great day. Tuesday, February 15

We got the Baptismal Interview done for Christine and Lori Spires today. They are both doing great. Then the biggest treat of all, Olga came down and took me out to a Chinese restaurant . She is so awesome. She drove 4 hours down and 4 hours back just to take me out to dinner. She is so selfless and I love her a lot. She is so fun to visit with. We also went to the Patten’s tonight and Marianne is still all set for her baptism this Saturday. Sweet! Wednesday, February 16

Well, what an awesome day. It was the baptism of Christine Spires and it was totally awesome. Everything just went perfectly. Elder Maday got to baptize her and it was his first time performing a baptism as well as his first baptism on his mission so it was a sweet experience for him. I got to confirm her and that was rad. I love using the priesthood. I don’t think about things to say anymore, I just let the spirit direct. I mean I had no clue what to bless her with but I went on for a long time. What a neat experience. Every time I use the priesthood, my testimony of it grows. I’m so glad I am worthy and can use it properly. But the baptism was awesome and Chris will be a strong member. Today we also talked to a new family who we will start teaching tomorrow so that will be cool. It was a great, great day. I love baptisms. After the baptism, we ate dinner at the Heards with Chris and Lori. While there we watched Labor of Love and Called to Serve. I love those movies. They strengthen my resolve to be the best missionary possible. Friday, February 18

Another great day to wrap up an incredible week. We had 3 baptisms today. Marianne Patten and Marlin and Zea Fry. It was awesome. The program went smooth and the spirit was strong. They will all be strong members, especially Marlin and Zea Fry. They are just incredible. They fit in so well and are so excited about the gospel. And the branch loves them. We got to teach the Wards today the first discussion and that went pretty well. The gospel could really help them out if they accept it and live it. We had some time between appointments today so we got a little door knocking in on a very desolate and slippery street out in the middle of nowhere. We didn’t have any PCs but it just felt good to be out working. After the baptism, we had a sweet companion inventory and got some more things discussed that will help Elder Maday and our companionship. Saturday, February 19

Wow I love it when righteous desires come to pass. We just got our transfer call and Maday is outta here. He is lucking out though. He is going to serve in Sault St. Marie - America with my first green Elder Dickinson. Dickinson is a total stud and my companions keep serving together. And the best part is that I get to train a new missionary again. I am so psyched about that. President is really pleased with the work going on here and I am getting rewarded with a new greenie. I am so excited about that, being able to train again and I am going to keep working so hard. We will be baptizing every week very soon. This is a sweet opportunity and I’m very grateful for it. Wednesday, February 23