I love to see the temple!

This week has been full of miracles, hard work, and interesting situations.

Yesterday, we met a man who is a devout atheist. It was interesting to hear his position but I felt incredibly bad for him. It was kind of funny though because he said, "If you knew all that I did, you would feel the same." Hahaha I just smiled and said, "Thank you for sharing your beliefs. In the same way that we will do research about your religion, please read this to learn more about ours." And then I gave him a book of Mormon Haha!

Another interesting thing that happened, we have begun teaching someone who is from a polygamous family. It is a very interesting situation but it seems to be going really well. It is so important that we, especially as missionaries but also as members of the human race, don't judge others because of any situation, action, or circumstance that happened to them. I continually keep an open heart and want to teach everyone who is willing to listen!

Speaking of cool people we are teaching, we are teaching this woman from the heart of China. It is so interesting to teach someone who has absolutely no idea, or even any thoughts, about God. In our lesson with her this week, we were trying to see how her testimony in a loving Heavenly Father was coming. She said that it has been very hard for her to feel that way just because the concept is so abstract for her. Although, she is the most studious and commitment keeping of any of the people we are teaching.

One benefit to working in 11 wards is that we are invited to 11 ward parties every holiday Haha! We attended four different Halloween parties this week... one of the hardest things we have to deal with, is trying to remember all of the ward members we've already met Haha. Imagine an entire family who you had dinner with once two months ago coming up and talking to you like you were good friends and then we are panicking because we are trying to remember their name. Then, they ask you how that person is they told you to go visit. Yeah that was about 50% of the encounters we had at those parties hahaha. However, at one party, I was asked to participate in a Hot Dog eating contest! I took third Place, so, I guess you can say I'm ready to go pro.

We were able to visit the temple today. As I have been out on my mission, I have loved and enjoyed so much both going to the Temple and going to church. My heart is filled with joy whenever I get the opportunity! Every sacrament meeting I just can't stop myself from smiling! At times, I have to calm myself down because I get giddy with happiness hahaha. This is coming from the guy who used to fall asleep nearly every sacrament meeting, even when it was at 1 o'clock!

A mission changes you. I've been out for about two and a half months and I don't desire the same things I did back home. My life has changed and it is because I have consecrated my whole self to Christ. I know it doesn't make any sense, but put all your trust in Christ. Give him everything. Understand that, without him in your life, you can never know what true happiness is. I know this to be true, because I live it. I can honestly and openly say, I have never experienced true joy until this time in my life. Don't get me wrong, my life has been great. I have a loving family and amazing friends... so try to imagine how much better your life could be when it is centered on Christ. I love Him and I am so thankful that I can help others love him to.

Ya boy,

Elder Francis 

Members are the foundation of this work

Hey all you people!

This week has been pretty slow... I'm not sure what it is, but nearly all of our appointments keep cancelling on us. We still have been working hard, and the Lord has blessed us with three new people to teach this week. I don't know if they have a whole lot of potential at this moment, but I'm optimistic!

Elder Greenwood was called as the new District Leader for this transfer which has been a great learning experience for me! I get to go to all of the trainer meetings and see what it is like to be the district leader. Odds are that I will be a District Leader at some point within my mission. Nearly every elder gets that opportunity in this mission at some point.

We are teaching this married couple, Fred and Kim, and they are somewhat of an enigma. They go to church every Sunday. Fred has read the entire Book of Mormon. They watched all of general conference. They're pretty much living all of the commandments. Yet, they refuse to get baptized! I'm at a loss here. I don't know what we can teach them to help them realize that Baptism is essential for salvation! They are progressing, just very slowly. We're planning to teach them about temples and eternal marriages next to see if that sparks some interest.

"Nothing in missionary work happens until you find people to teach" the question is, what is the most effective way to find people to teach. Let me tell you what the answer should be: members. Referrals given to us by members have a higher likelihood than any other to continue not only to baptism, but to temple covenants. Why do I emphasize this? I think of my family back home. In the nearly 20 years we lived in that house, we gave the missionaries maybe one or two solid referrals. From personal experience, it's easy to think that you are already doing enough, that there is not more you can do. Sadly, that is not true at all.

We have met many, many, many members here in Utah. There is a discernable difference between those who actively try to get to know their neighbors and prepare them for missionaries, and those that think they are doing enough. So far, in this area, out of the 16 people we are teaching, maybe 3 of them were found through member referrals. I know that may seem like a lot, but, in Utah, that is terrible. Most of the people we are teaching should come from members having prepared the way through friendship and love.

Now don't think that I am just a bitter missionary who is complaining that I don't have more work to do hahaha. We have plenty of work to do! Every moment of every day has work for us to do. We are constantly busy. This past week has had far more time spent trying to find people to teach rather than actually teaching. It's slow, but steadily increasing.

I hope this next week is as amazing for all of you as I know it will be for me!

Elder Francis

This is mine and my companion's haircut which we got last p-day. He asked for a little off the top and the sides and they shaved his head hahahaha. 

I have sinned a grievous sin

O  wretched man that I am! How could I have forgotten something so simple and yet so epoch-making! I forgot to tell my mother that p-day would be on Tuesday instead of Monday... hahahaha. I got like four emails yesterday asking if I was alive because I hadn't sent anything out yet. Man, what a mistake. Well, I am alive and this week is transfers that's why we have p-day on Tuesday.

This past week has been pretty crazy, well kind of Haha. About two thirds of our appointments canceled and we weren't able to find anyone new to teach all week... but we had a baptism for Annie on Saturday and we spoke in Church on Sunday!

So,  Annie is a cutie. We were teaching Annie before I actually got out into the field but she has only had the first two lessons. She is just 10 years old which means that you have to teach the lessons very differently than you would to an adult (especially the law of chastity lesson haha). I've also had conflicting emotions. I was taught in the MTC to teach people and not lessons, or to teach the lesson that they need when they need it and not to make it a checklist type of deal... the problem with that is there are some things I can't imagine a ten year old needing to know about. For instance, the law of tithing and fast offerings... I felt like I just taught the lesson to check that one off rather than teaching it because she needed that at that time.

I've digressed, hahaha. Her baptism was amazing. We are asked to take as little part in the program as possible... but the grandma (who has full custody of Annie) asked us to do nearly everything hahaha. My companion, Elder Greenwood, baptized her, I gave the talk on baptism and I was a witness... luckily her grandpa confirmed her so that was the one saving grace. She also had special permission to get confirmed right after her baptism (converts usually get confirmed the Sunday after). It was a good experience and Annie was so nervous, she also really did not want to take pictures Haha.

Sunday, we were asked to speak in sacrament meeting for about 15 minutes each. We were both assigned to speak on meekness and then the bishop gave us two general conference talks to speak on as well. Elder Greenwood's was "Meek and Lowly of Heart" by elder Bednar while mine was "Teaching in the Home—a Joyful and Sacred Responsibility" by Devin G Durrant... as you might have noticed, my conference talk is not really focused on meekness... in fact, it doesn't mention even the word meek once in the talk hahaha. It was somewhat difficult to speak for 15 minutes about a topic that didn't at all correlate with the talk I was given. I ended up focusing on what we can do in the family to be better and somehow loosely tying that to the fact that we have to meekly accept Heavenly Fathers will.

I decided that this email would be a little different from my others because I normally don't send so much information on day to day life (mostly because it's not near as interesting as you'd think). But, I thought you all might be interested in hearing about what I've been up to rather than the amazing spiritual realizations I've been having.

Elder Greenwood got called to be District Leader last night which is super ironic because I have been teasing him for the past two weeks that he was going to get called hahaha. Now he is both my trainer and the District Leader. I hope this gives our companionship some more responsibility so that I can feel more productive. It's not that we haven't stayed busy, I just don't feel we're doing the most efficient job. Especially in Utah, there are a lot more behind the scenes efforts we have to do to make sure things run smoothly. On top of recording any contact with a non-member or less active, we have to report nearly every contact with a member so that we are able to remember what they asked us to do and even just who all we have talked to.

The work is hard and discouraging, yet, I feel I have one of the easiest missions out there hahaha. I get fed every single day of the week. Nearly everyone loves us and treats us like celebrities. In fact, there are times where we've gone to visit a home and they say "this is the first time in 5 years that we've had missionaries come over" nearly everyone we meet is willing to give us a hand, foot, and leg if we need it Haha. Our teaching pool is incredibly high when compared to other state side missions, which means we should be staying busy and active most of the time. Overall, I haven't had to deal with a majority of the problems that you hear about with other missions. Does this mean that I was sent here because I couldn't handle a different area? Possibly, but I don't think so. I was sent here to lift all those around me (member, non-member, and missionary alike) and I intend to do just that. Whenever I feel low, I just ask, "what can I do that someone else needs right now?" My feelings of inadequacy leave nearly immediately.

I am so grateful for the wonderful blessings I have received while I've been out and for the amazing blessings I recieved before I came out. My whole youth life I questioned how I would be blessed for my strict obedience to all the commandments. It was frustrating when those around me, who blatantly broke them, seemed to be happier than I was... now that I am out on my mission, I see just how much following those commandments helped prepare me spiritually for this amazing work that I get to do.

Sorry for the long email, I tend to ramble on when writing Haha.

Have a good week because I know I will!

Elder Francis

The Church is True and the Book is Blue

Howdy Y'all!

This conference yielded some more big changes! 2 hour church!!! I want to share with you my initial experience with this new change.

Serving in Utah, I have heard all sorts of ideas for what was going to be announced, but nearly everyone said 2 hour church. When I first heard that, I even turned to my companion and said "That is an apostate belief" Hahaha! I thought there was no way the church would shorten church. We, the members, can get such valuable needed information from the 3rd hour of church, I didn't see us benefitting from change. Oh how wrong those thoughts were!

Right as they announced it in conference, I felt of its truthful divinity. This is a higher, holier law. It is the beginning of the division between the wheat and the tares. Those who are faithful to Jesus Christ will accept this council and magnify the teachings in their home. I can see many people just coming to church and not following through with what is supposed to happen at home... that kind of practice will lead to personal apostasy. I encourage all of you to strengthen your families continually.

Now that the church has released official study guides for the family at home, it has never been easier to teach your kids, and loved ones, the important doctrinal truths found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Don't take this as a new excuse to be lazy on Sunday. As I have been going through Jesus's teachings, I've found an interesting correlation between then and today. Jesus, unlike the teachings in the law of Moses, taught principles that needed to be applied within the body while a lot of the law of Moses taught things that needed to happen without. In a similar sense, going to church for three hours was an outward showing of obedience while teaching in the home will be an inward change of obedience. That is why this has been referred to as a Higher Law.

Along with the change to Sunday activities, President Nelson also spoke on the importance of using the correct name of the restored church of Jesus Christ. I love what he said, and I'm paraphrasing because I don't have his exact words, "Whenever we omit the name of Jesus Christ, Satan gains a victory". What a powerful statement! If that doesn't encourage the importance of using the correct terminology, I don't know what does! 

President Nelson truly is a loving Prophet on the earth today. Each time he speaks, I listen to every word he says for I know it is directly from God. This general conference has been an amazing experience and I am so glad I got to be on my mission for it. We had a good amount of the people we are teaching watch it as well. I hope that, as they listened to President Nelson, they were able to feel the magnitude of his calling and the importance of a modern day prophet.

Other than that, this week was incredibly long. We were able to find four new people to teach (two families with two non-member kids) one on Monday and one on Tuesday. The rest of the week was incredibly long and painful. Nearly every one of our teaching appointments canceled and it seemed like no one was ever home. Even the houses of the members we were trying to visit weren't home... sometimes the work is just slow hahaha.

It was a great way to end the week, even if the rest of it wasn't too great. I know I will be blessed for our obedience and diligence. I also know that not every day is going to yield good results. The work is rough but I am tough... well through God I am tough hahaha. I have relied on him for so many things. 

"7 Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things."

Jacob 4:7

I know this principle to be true because I have lived it! All things are possible through God... All things. Not just the spiritual. Not just the ones related to church. No, all things. Rely on the Lord thy God, and he will give you strength.

I know that Jesus Christ's church is on the earth today and that I am a part of it. There is no doubt in my mind that true and lasting happiness comes from within His church. I pray daily that all those around me may be able to realize this divine truth.

I love you all. Have a great week!

Elder Francis

Another day another Doug

You know, I'd love to be able to send you all amazing stories of powerful conversions or amazing miracles or prayers being answered... but nothing has really happened yet hahahaha.

This week, similar to last week, we spent more time finding than, I assume, anyone else on the mission. We have come to the realization that, even if we have a list of people with potential, 80% of them aren't interested and 90% of them are never home hahaha. So, Elder Greenwood and I have decided that it is best to go through the members if we want any actual progress with pretty much anyone. It's funny how we will go to a members house and, after sharing a spiritual message and getting to know them, will ask if they have anyone they think we should stop by, and they will usually say no. However, when we come by and ask them about a specific person they'll say something along the lines of "Oh yeah we have been working with that person for the past month now, I think they are ready to have missionaries". Sometimes members need a little help in thinking of people they know...

We did have a cool miracle happen but I'm not exactly sure yet if it will actually go anywhere. So we went to dinner last night with the Allen's and we had planned to go on splits later that night (it was the ward mission leaders idea) with brother Allen and someone else from the ward. Anyway, at dinner, there was this man named Felix. He told us that his car had broken down on the side of the road and that the Allen's had taken him in and fixed his car. He is trying to travel back to Missouri to be with his family but doesn't have enough money for the trip. So, he was able to get a job here. Now I considered that to be a miracle for this man's life, but another miracle happened that he doesn't know about. You see, we talked with him at dinner and he was not interested. His wife and kids are members and he has had the missionaries before so he wasn't interested in having us come by. We understood and so we left on our splits. I went with brother Allen and we got back almost 30 minutes early... this gave me a great opportunity to talk to Felix! 

So I just started talking to him getting to know him, and then he broke down into tears. He explained that he has been searching for something missing in his life and I explained that I can help him find it. We set up an appointment for today to come back and talk to him some more. I consider this an even bigger miracle. Heavenly Father, in his infinite wisdom, caused so many events to take place so that Felix would meet us... now I know this is premature to think that because we could meet with him today and he could say "wow I'm actually fine I was just too polite to say no" or some other excuse hahaha, but I love to be hopeful rather than pessimistic.

So yeah, that was the highlight of the week. It was another brutal, grueling week. However, I have never been more happy in all of my life. Those of you who know me (which should hopefully be everyone reading this hahaha) know that I wasn't the happiest person on the planet hahaha. Well, now I'm pretty happy! The work is hard, the days are long, the sleep is sweet... but its funny. Each morning I'll wake up a little before my alarm. This used to cause me anxiety because I knew it was time to get up, now it causes me frustration because it is not time to get up! I'm excited for each new day because I know and believe that anything can happen! It's like every morning is a type of Christmas and I can't wait to see what the new day will bring!

Zone conference was this week as well... I have heard such great things from Zone conference and yet I feel like my first one wasn't that great. We weren't really edified and uplifted but more just talked at. I was still able to take some good notes and take some things away that I want to work on, but it was almost 7 hours long... and it felt like I only got 3 hours of actual information. Maybe I am just too prideful and unwilling to accept the counsel of others. Either way, it wasn't as great an experience as I had heard.

This next week is going to be great! I mean I don't have any real appointments I am excited for... but I have a good feeling about it! I'm so excited for General Conference, I don't think I've ever been this excited for something in my whole life!! 

Well that's probably enough for now, I'm sure you all love reading these long essays of an email that I send home hahaha. I'm just too excited to stop talking about it! Hope you all have a great week.

Elder Francis