Photos

April 7th & 14th, 2014

April 7^th, 2014

Dear family,

Wow. I didn't think things could get much crazier, but they just did. Holy cow. Craziest week of my life. I'll go day by day so you can catch the full effects.

Monday we had a final lesson with J and R. Both of them were some of the best lessons I've had with them, so it was a good way to go out. 

Tuesday was crazy. Basically this whole week we didn't eat at a normal time and didn't take more than 10 minutes to do so. Tuesday we helped Sister D for a final time with her fence. We came back in a few hours and taught her the Word of Wisdom with Sister S and A too. It was a really good lesson. We committed her to live the entire Word of Wisdom (she just needed to quit coffee and tea) and she easily accepted. She said she doesn't even like either of them and it made sense that she would be more in tune with the Spirit. Yes! We tried committing her to baptism, but she wouldn't accept a date, but said when she gets there she will. We said good-bye and she was very thankful for all we did. She told me that I helped her understand things better than anyone has ever done in the past. She said the Book of Mormon has been much more powerful and meaningful since we've been teaching her. I'll send pictures of everyone when I have my camera and a cord (long story). We had a lesson with M as well on the Word of Wisdom. It went well too and she asked me if she can visit in a few years once I'm settled in Utah again. She gave me a really nice note and I think I'm one of three people she trusts. We brought Sister W and she was sad to hear I was leaving, but she started crying and thanked me for the things that I had taught her. She said she was so impressed by how much I have matured and she was thankful to know me. That was a little shocking from her, but it was cool. We ended up taking R out to dinner one last time which was fun. We had a lesson with S before mutual and it was a great lesson on baptism. We have been working with his mom to set a goal for his baptism and they should find out soon when her work schedule gets figured out. We had a lesson with the Ss too and it turns out that Sister S went and bought a cake that said "Elder Pew is the best." That was too nice and I felt really bad for Elder W. I've been getting so much attention. We had a great lesson on Easter and Sister S asked if I could say the opening and closing prayer and she just really loves me. We got picked up by McNeil because Elder J drove me, and Elder S down to the trainer/district leader meeting. That night I heard a rumor from Elder V down in San Antonio that I was going to be the new moving Elder. I'll explain more later. 

Wednesday we drove down to San Antonio because Elder J was training and me and Elder S were becoming District Leaders. It also turns out that Elder I was at the District Leader meeting so that was three of the eight were from our MTC district. After the meeting President asked me if he could talk to me and he confirmed the rumors that I was becoming a Moving Elder. I was absolutely shocked! The moving Elders are usually two of the biggest, strongest missionaries that travel the mission and pick up and deliver furniture, pick up new cars, new missionaries, run errands for the mission office, and do many other things. Basically we are the assistants to the assistants and mission office. President Slaughter told me that the moving Elders have developed a reputation for being disobedient because they do have more freedoms because of the assignment. We can go in sister's apartments, drive separately, wear normal clothes, miss studies, etc. as needed. He said that they wanted to pick someone they could trust with obedience to basically change the reputation of the assignment. He told me that I needed to be smart and safe and not hurt myself. It was cool too, because he said that even though we would have less time to proselyte that the Lord would bless us for our sacrifices and we would be able to have a normal area. I was kinda freaking out because it also so happens that my district will also be me, my companion, the assistants, and one sister companionship. He also told me that my companion, Elder N would be out longer than me but I'm still Senior Companion and District Leader. It was a little intimidating, but I was excited to do something new and that President Slaughter trusted me. The ride home was fun and me and Elder S talked like the whole way. That night we had a lesson with A and the S were sad to see me leave, and boy I love their family. They said I'm welcome back anytime. We had a lesson with the Ms, and then to close we had a really killer lesson with the Fs. We talked about the characteristics of Christ's church and actually had them build a house out of cardboard and each piece represented something from Christ's church. They liked it and I did start crying when I bore my testimony at the end and expressed my love for them. They got me a pie for all the times we gave them something and a nice letter. I also gave them a letter and we took pictures and I told them I'd be back someday. It was sad to leave them, but it ended on a really positive note. H was actually getting teary-eyed when I bore my testimony too so I know that she felt the Spirit and is really close to just giving it all a shot. I hope they do. I told them in my letter I hope to be there when they get sealed in the temple. 

Thursday morning I had to pack basically everything because I hadn't had a chance yet and I wasn't able to fit hardly anything in my suitcases. I had to leave out my blanket and my nice jacket, but I can easily get it sometime we have to go to Round Rock. When I said a final prayer in the apartment I was crying too as I thought over the great experiences I had in Brushy Creek. I asked a special blessing on everyone in the area especially those that are still investigating. I really am sooo thankful for the experience I had and I love the people so much and I'm filled with gratitude over all that I was able to be a part of. I don't think I could have the area at a bigger peak and I can't express my gratitude that I was able to make such an impact for these "precious souls" (Alma 31:34 I think). Elder W was almost near tears when we did our final companionship inventory which is unheard of for him. We had a lesson with E and we basically just bore our testimonies of the church and L was yet again considering baptism and asked about her family though that would hate her for joining. I told her that sometimes we have to make hard decisions but if we know it's the right thing to do, we should do it anyways. It was a good meeting. We went to transfer meeting and I think that EVERYONE was surprised to see me as the new moving Elder. Everyone was really excited for me, but it was a shocker. My companion is Elder N. He is from Gilbert, Arizona and has been out for one transfer more than me. He is really cool and of course really strong, although he's only a little taller than me. We had to go straight to work once the meeting ended and we put everyone that was going to Austin's bikes into the trailer. Yeah, I drive a huge Chevy truck with a trailer on the back, who would have thought? I always told myself when I came into the mission that if there was one thing I knew I wouldn't end up doing, it was being a moving Elder. You have to love working out, being strong, driving trucks, and carrying things. I still chuckle about it when I think about it. When we got back to San Antonio we had a bunch of things we had to deliver to missionaries all over, and we had to stop at the missions' storage units that I have to keep track of. We didn't even have time to proselyte that evening. Our area is the S ward, and we are in northern San Antonio, pretty close to the temple, mission home, etc. 

Friday we got up really early and worked out pretty hard. Elder V and Sister C were both saying that I better be 185 lbs of muscle soon. At this pace I probably will be. I'm still sore from working out. We are in the mission office a lot and we work with the Senior missionary over apartments and finances. We didn't even finish companion study and we had to head out to run errands. We didn't get back until about 5 for dinner. We proselyted that evening and we did teach a less-active guy. He said he was interested in coming back though. We really don't have a ton going on here, and we really have one investigator who is solid, but he already has a membership record but doesn't remember being baptized at all, so that situation needs to be figured out before we can baptize him. We have a few active non-members too, but I have the faith that those can get worked out. 

Saturday was just a Conference day which I absolutely loved! Conference was incredible! The talks that stuck out to me the most were of course Elder Holland's pulpit pounding, Linda S. Reeves, Richard G. Scott, Quentin L Cook (I was waiting for one on family history), Dallin H Oaks in Priesthood (that was a really cool talk), M. Russell Ballard (of course), David A Bednar, and my favorite was Elder Corbridge. That was such a good talk. I felt the Spirit very strong with the message of the Restoration. I can't wait to share that one with investigators. It was also pretty cool to see Brynn! I counted four times and everyone was asking about her, so that was fun to see! What a neat experience to sing in Conference! We didn't really have time to proselyte because the extra time we had we weekly planned. We watched all the sessions except Priesthood at the Stake Center, and we went to our building for Priesthood. I met a few people from the ward and they were really friendly. It was strange since I met a few of them before at the baptism me and Elder T went to, but I don't think any of them recognized me. 

Sunday was similar except we had time to proselyte afterwards. We were able to have a lesson with this cool less-active couple, the Ps. They seem pretty open to coming back, so hopefully they do. 

We have a lot of work to do. It's also tough because Elder N has been here way longer (this is his 4th transfer) and has been out longer, so he's led the way so far, and I'm not sure how to tactfully lead more. He's determined to do better this transfer and once I get the hang of things here I think he'll let me lead because I have a lot of ideas on how to help the area and he has done things differently in the past. He's a really good missionary though and has a solid testimony of the gospel and is really effective if he's doing the right thing and puts his mind to it. My point is, we need some extra prayers to know how to handle the situation and to pick things up in the area. I want this area to still be proselyting focused despite our other duties, instead of it taking the back seat, but it will take time to change the culture. Anyways, thank you for all the support and I know that if we have the faith we really can accomplish miracles. I know that we do have living prophets and Apostles and I loved hearing their words. It's up to us whether we will be quick to remember or forget their counsel. I know that God knows us and watches over us. Despite the crazy changes and heavy load ahead (pun intended) I know that In the Strength of the Lord I can do what is required of me like Elder Bednar said. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Pew

April 14^th, 2014

Dear family,

This was another crazy, crazy week, but that is the life of a Moving Elder. It has been pretty tough for me to not proselyte very much, especially since there is not much going on in the area and we don't have a ton of time to get things going, but it's been a fun new adventure. Basically every morning is the same. We get up at 5:50 and work out. Hard. I've put on a bit of muscle weight and I've already gotten stronger. Elder N calls it the Swol Factory and I am definitely swollen, but it does feel good to work out hard. My body feels great and awake. I bet none of you expected me to come home super in-shape and ripped, but that might be what happens. I know I wasn't expecting it. We study at 8 and then have to leave at 9 to go to the mission office. We talk to Elder W about things missionaries have called him about, upcoming moves, etc. and then we head out to do our deliveries. We usually aim to be back by 5 for dinner and then proselyte the rest of the evening. The hard thing is that there is no "set" rules or agendas for us. We have a lot of liberty and a lot of people who want things. One of my possible suggestions has been to go to each zone just once a month on a date they know and they can just request the things they need and we bring it out in one big load, that way we don't have to drive all the way to R just to deliver a shower curtain or something. My other idea has been to do a bit of companion study in the car and to call people in the area book, investigators, or less-active members while we are driving around to be more efficient. I want the area to be more focused on proselyting than Moving Elder stuff, and do that when needed. It will be a slow process, but I think it will work.

Monday night we stopped by a lot of people and ended up having a lesson with this less-active guy named B. He's like 64 but really energetic and funny. He has been coming to church off and on the past few months and his wife isn't a member. He said he's working on her, so that would be cool to teach her. 

Tuesday we had to run a bunch of errands. We organize everyone's orders and mail for each zone to pick up after MLC (Missionary Leadership Conference) and then we ran around picking up a bunch of things and buying supplies at Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Office Depot. It's pretty strange going to stores like everyday. We had a lesson with our only kinda investigator Brother H. He is the one who we have records for him but he promises that he's never been baptized. He started trying out our church a few weeks ago and has progressed pretty well, but we need to have our bishop interview him and find out if he really remembers or not. If not, President Slaughter has said to treat him like an investigator. We watched a CES Devotional that I saw a few weeks ago on P-Day called "the Blueprints to Christ's True Church" by Tad R. Callister in January of this year. It is an amazing talk. Super powerful, I highly recommend it. Anyways, he really loved the talk and the only things holding him back is he is in leadership in his other church that's falling apart, his wife isn't interested, and he needs to know more doctrine. I asked him though at the end if he believed that our church is Christ's true church and he said yes. The more I've thought about the situation the more I've thought that he doesn't have a very strong testimony, but he loves missionaries and the way the church is run, so he's got a good start. We just need to help him understand our purpose, help his wife, and teach him doctrine. He's a good guy. Also a free-mason. 

Wednesday we had to deliver some things to East Zone and take some bikes different places. We were able to finish by dinner. We had dinner with the Ms, a super nice older couple from South Africa. They are really cool. They said they knew several Louws, but they didn't know for sure. They are really awesome. We had a lesson with a recent-convert J and he is a solid 20 year-old with a member wife and two kids. They are going through some rough financial situations but they are holding on to the gospel which is great. We had a good lesson and then we had a lesson set with a lady whose husband doesn't live with her and isn't a member but comes to church every week, so we were going to talk to her, and we asked J if he could come so we could go inside and he came. It was sweet and he bore some solid testimony. Sister G is really nice and has recently become much more active. She made a deal with her husband that they would go to church every week. He doesn't live with them because of conflict with the daughters. She is trying to figure the situation out and she said he's been taught before, but we asked if she would invite him to be taught again. She agreed and thought he would be willing, but I guess he doesn't like being pushed. We'll see how that one ends up.

Thursday we were really busy. We had to go to Lockhart and Bastrop, which is like an hour or more away. It was cool to drive and the cities are SO cool! They are really old and there are like these manor looking houses. I loved it a lot. We went to a super good BBQ place called Blacks. They have delicious brisket (?) that just melts in your mouth. Gotta love Texas. We also had to go to pick up all the furniture and supplies for the senior couple that moved into Eagle Pass on the Border because they needed to move in on Friday. We had a ton of stuff to do and then we had to go to East San Antonio again to pick up some more stuff and we didn't get home unitl after nine. It was a crazy day. We just have to eat whenever we have a second.

Friday we had zone meeting. Our zone is much bigger and it's really impressive. The Spirit was strong the entire time. As usual it was a bunch of things that I need help with. After the meeting we actually had a Zone Council with the leaders in the zone. There are a lot. There are the zone leaders, three district leaders, two sister training leaders, the Assistants, and the Sister Assistants. It was an intense meeting and they have a really high vision of what they want to accomplish. We were talking way above where I'm even at, so I came out of there feeling pretty insufficient and a lot of things to work on. Sometimes I do get discouraged hearing where the leaders of the mission want us and where we are. I know I'm not the only one who is far below the bar. President Slaughter has been talking a lot about "breaking the ceiling" which I basically explain as having the faith to work and witness miracles. I am curious to go on exchanges with the zone leaders and Assistants to see what they are like and if we are all just talking about a level that none of us are really at or close to, or what. I know that's bad to compare but I just know that the level here (at least talked about) is waaaay higher than the zone I came from, whether that's just a hope and vision, or a reality, I'm not sure. Anyways, we had to hurry out of there to make it to the Border at Eagle Pass. It was pretty exciting to get to go. You take the 35 south which is pretty well populated until you move out of San Antonio, then it's more country. Then you get off and take a little country highway the next 99 miles to Eagle Pass. There is absolutely nothing. There is lots of trees and shrubs and things, but no people. There is like 1.5 towns in between. Our car got caked with bugs. It was much different than I expected. Eagle Pass is a pretty nice place. It looked like any other city, unlike the shack, dirt road streets I was expecting. The zone leaders there did say it is much more ghetto once you leave the main city, but it was cool. You could see a huge Mexican flag waiving just across the border and we were about a mile away from it. The apartment was pretty nice and we got everything in and assembled by about 8. They got us Super Tacos which is a famous place down there and it was really good. Steak and chicken tacos. Also my pants ripped at the crotch while we were working which was pretty funny. It was super noticeable. We had to make the long 2.5 hour drive home afterwards. It was a little freaky flying down the one-lane road with no street lights at like 80 mph. We were about halfway back the 99 mile stretch and I got pulled over. The officer said I was going 84 on a 75 mph road which wasn't true since I had the cruise control set at like 78, but we were just really polite and he asked what we were doing and we just told him that we help other missionaries move their furniture and things and that usually we are suppose to be home by 10:30 but because we have a special assignment we have some leverage but that might be why we were in a hurry. He was a nice cop so I think he realized it would be ridiculous for giving someone a ticket for only going 9 over on a completely empty road and just gave me a warning, so that's three times getting pulled over with 0 tickets. Yes. We got back around 10:45 which just feels super weird.

Saturday we had to go up to Austin to deliver a book-shelf, filters, chairs, etc. to some missionaries up there. It was weird because we drove on the 45 which goes through Brushy Creek a bit and goes right next to the apartment. That was kinda freaky. We got back around dinner and headed out to proselyte for the first time in a few days. We weren't able to teach any lessons, but we made a lot of visits. There are a ton of less-active and part-member families that we don't know so we are hoping to find new people to teach through those, but no success yet. 

Sunday I had my first time at church which feels weird since it feels like I've been here for awhile now. It is a really cool ward and the bishop's funny and a great guy. It's a great ward and I'm excited to be here. We stopped by a bunch of people again to no avail. It's has been a little difficult because Elder N hates anything but stopping by those people and won't street contact or knock, so have spent a lot of time in the car driving to the next house. The few people I have been able to contact have been really nice and we taught one guy a bit about prophets, but he wasn't super interested and we left a pamphlet with him. I understand the effectiveness of member work over street contacting, but since we have so little time, we need to talk to as many people as we can. It's been difficult but I am confident that the Lord will bless us for the efforts we are making and things will pick up in this area. 

I know that this church is true and that this gospel brings us true happiness now, and in the eternities. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live and love us and that everything they do is for our benefit. I know that trials are given to us to help us grow and develop into who we need to become.  I know that the Book of Mormon is true and is the word of God. I love the gospel and everything it teaches and I know it will help us through the whirlwinds of life. Thank you for being such a great support!

Love,

Elder Pew

p.s. I should be able to send pictures next week hopefully

March 24th & 31st, 2014

March 24^th, 2014

Dear family,

Alright the subject line (running over Elder W) is brought to you by probably the funniest moment so far of my mission. We were backing out of an apartment complex last night and Elder W stands right behind the car until there aren't any cars and then he backs up and I follow him. Well he started to back up so I put the car in reverse and started backing, but then I heard a smack on the car so I looked back and Elder W had ran up to the car and smacked it because there was car coming, but they saw that I was starting to back, so they were stopped, but I didn't see Elder W at first so I accidentally bumped him with the car and he had a water bottle in his hand and it made him spill it all over the car and a little on himself. I looked back to see the thumping noise right as I saw that I had bumped Elder W and watched him spill the water everywhere. The person in the other car was probably really weirded out and I was laughing hysterically. Of course he wasn't hurt at all but it was really funny to watch from my view in the driver's seat. We had a pretty good week. We found some new investigators, but struggled to have many lessons with our other ones, but had lots of RCLAs, but didn't get people to church, but half the F family came. I really hope I can stay here a few months longer.

Monday was pretty sweet. We dropped by the Ks to see how they were doing, and Brother K came out and we talked about his family history quest. He and his wife had caught fire in family history and his wife was able to trace her line back to work that had already been done that went all the way back to like 200 AD. Instead of just saying they were busy, he came out and asked us a ton of questions about the church, mostly about the temple. We explained eternal families, but he had some tough questions about people who are divorced, what happens to the righteous spouse in heaven if the other spouse is disobedient, etc. It was awesome for him to be open and immediately I knew it was going to end well with his daughter. Sure enough, his final question was, "My daughter is nine and she wants to get baptized, where should we go from here?" He said that he already asked her if she wanted us to come over, but she is really shy so they said she won't do it until she feels comfortable. He told us he was planning to come to church last week but he got confused about which ward to go to, but that they were going to come this week. Unfortunately he had a job interview so they didn't come, but hopefully we start teaching their daughter this week. That was such a cool experience! It went exactly how we had hoped! We were super grateful for that.

Tuesday we had zone conference and interviews with President S. He gave a really good training on the Restoration and explained the little-known four accounts of the first vision so that we would be armed with the facts. He has an amazing understanding and testimony of the Restoration. My interview went well and it was pretty short. We have continued to receive more referrals lately but I'll explain a few of them later.
Wednesday was a good day. We had a lesson with M and we invited her to bring her friend M. M is a retired Methodist minister. We were planning to teach the Restoration, but M and M and such big talkers that we didn't get to Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon so we are meeting this week. I don't think M is really interested, but we'll see what happens this week. We had a pretty slow day until just before dinner we contacted the referral that we got from a lady in W and this time the lady J was in better health so S (her brother) let us in. We sat down and we invited S and some other dude who was there to join us, but only S and J came. J is really sick, but she never said what it was. They are really nice people and we taught them about the Atonement from the Book of Mormon since that seemed like something that could help them in their state as well as show them the power of the Book of Mormon. They liked what we had to say and were grateful we had stopped by. We can't really set things up with them since J's health is pretty hit-and-miss. We stopped by Saturday with copies of the Book of Mormon and J didn't have the health to meet but S was pretty excited to get a copy of the Book of Mormon. They are great people. We had a lesson with the Ms and Bro R came since he is their home teacher. It went better than most weeks and Bro M actually warmed up to Bro R pretty well. We had a lesson with R and he was really grateful we didn't give up on him since he ran off to San Antonio again but we told him it's never too late. I gave him a bunch of those papers that mom gave me and he loved them, especially the picture of Christ. He's going to be alright. 

Thursday we had a lesson with J ith Bro C who has a TON of evidence of the Book of Mormon from South America. It was really really cool. Basically he was a retired CIA agent who stumbled on a book in a library in Peru that was written by a conquistador who wrote the stories of the natives. He recorded legends of four brothers who fought because the youngest brother could shoot his bow the highest, a white God who came to them after there was no sun for three days, and a few other Book of Mormon stories. He was shocked and decided to search out other books like the one he had found. He has collected more than 70 rare copies from these Spanish conquistadors and priests that wrote the legends and stories of the Native Americans and found so many Book of Mormon stories. I don't have time to tell all the evidence but he knew stuff about Hagoth the ship builder from the end of Alma, the Jaredite people, evidence of Jared from Genesis 10, what the Curelom and Cummoms are, etc. It was fascinating. He goes to conferences all the time with his research and has a book called Voices From the Dust about it all too. J really liked it and he had watched the Restoration DVD. I think he really wants to know this stuff, he just has a hard time and can be stubborn at times. Him and D (his wife) took us out to Denny's and they were hilarious. I love those two. We had dinner with the Ss and G remains nice and supportive but not interested. Oh well.

Saturday we were going to bring R to some lessons with us but he bailed on us. We taught S and Sis D. Our lesson with Sis D was interesting. She asked if we believed on Mormons were going to heaven. I told her the explanation wasn't that simple, so I explained priesthood authority and how everyone will have a chance and that just because someone isn't going to be condemned if they never had the chance and that it was authority, not Mormonism that mattered. She didn't really like that a whole lot and she seemed to think that was what I personally believed but she was happy that I believed it but she doesn't think it's true for everyone. We listened to Come, Join with Us, and she really liked that so that was good. She had to leave out of town so she didn't come to church. 

Sunday was eventful and pretty solid. Church was great even though only E, T, C, and Bro F came to church. We offered to make them breakfast again but they said it's too hectic in the mornings for them. They told us that Bro F was taking some of the little ones. It was good to see them in church and we heard from the Primary President that they seemed to enjoy it. Our meetings went pretty well and we were able to make some plans for the week. We had a lesson with B and he's doing alright despite the fact that he's missed church the past three weeks due to work. He is really trying to figure things out and he's at a huge crossroad in his life. He wants to find a real career and find a wife and be able to focus more on spiritual things like he wants. We talked about Prophets and Apostles and how he can receive answers to prayers at General Conference (by the way I am SUPER excited for Conference) if he goes in with faith and a desire to know what he needs to do. We also had a quick lesson with the Ls and they wanted us over for dinner today, so we accepted and then we realized we should try and get an investigator to come, so we invited S and his family and his mom accepted, so we are having dinner and a lesson with the Ls and the Ks tonight. Sweet! We contacted two pretty solid referrals and one was from J and it's his neighbor. She's a really nice older lady and she got choked up and was happy to see that there were still nice people who cared in the world. I testified that the things that we teach will help her through all of her trials and we set up a time to come by this week with J. It was really sweet to be an answer to someone's prayers. Oh we also had a cool experience where we were in a complex and I felt like we should talk to this lady that was pretty far away in her car, so we walked by but she didn't get out, but I felt like we should try again, so we looped back around and this time she came out and walked right up to us and asked who we were and we told her and she said she was from Utah and her sister is a member. She said she took it as a sign, but we weren't sure if she meant a sign to learn more, or a sign that she needs to move back to Utah, but she was really glad she saw us and we gave her our number so she can call when she wants to learn more. I hope she does call, she seemed really awesome. 

I know that this is the true church of Jesus Christ and that true happiness does come through living the gospel. I know that we are blessed when we are obedient and work hard. I know that with faith we can accomplish anything according to the Lord's will. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and is the evidence of the marvelous message we have that God still speaks to us today. Thanks for all the support!
Love,
Elder Pew

March 31^st, 2014

Dear family,

Well this time we can pretty well know what happened, so I'm just going to get straight to it. This was my last full week in B. It was a good one. I'll just get right into the good stuff.

Monday night we set up that sweet lesson with the Ks and Ls, but when we went with the Ls to pick the Ks up, S wasn't there. It turns out he had baseball and they didn't know it. That was sad especially because that made it disobedient to have a dinner without a non-member there, but the L family sacrificed a lot to work everything out so we went with it and it was good to be able to teach Sister K and her daughter. The L family is awesome! 

Tuesday we had a lesson with Sister D and Sister S and it went really well. I really wanted to commit her to a baptismal date, but Sister D and S ended up side-tracking our conversation at the end so the Spirit wasn't really there. We did a lot of biking the rest of that day, but we were able to meet with the Fs briefly. We went over and Sis F, H, and A were gone, but they got back when we were talking with Bro F and E, and they had us come in even though they were busy. They sat us down and made us eat some of the Indian food they had just gotten and we talked. They are just the best family ever (The Indian food was good by the way). Like I said, they were busy but we asked if we could share a quick thought with them, so we talked about the Atonement. We also set up a final lesson before the transfer. That is going to be an intense lesson. 

Wednesday we had district meeting and we didn't have any lessons. So we did a lot of biking and not much teaching, but that's okay. 

Thursday we weekly planned which was strange to plan and finally know that I wasn't going to be there for all of the week. We had a lesson with M and we pounded the importance of the Book of Mormon. She is progressing ever slowly. We really emphasized praying to know if it's true. She accepted a commitment to pray about the Book of Mormon which is more than she would do before. I have a strange connection with her. Her friend M got basically eaten by a couple dogs so she's out for a few weeks. We had a lesson with J's neighbor and he came. She is a great lady. She isn't super religious so we taught her the Restoration and the Book of Mormon especially. She understood everything and that it would make sense for there to be a prophet on the earth today. She liked the part from 2 Ne 29:7-9 (I think) that talks about there being more nation than one and that God loves ALL people. She accepted invitations to read and pray and come to church, but she got sick Saturday night. J was great too.

Friday we had a lesson with this sweet dude named R. He did most of the talking, but he was asking for advice, so we just taught him principles here and there. We invited him to church and he really wants to try it and he wants his whole family to also. We later found out that he knows R and A who are members that live close to him and they are a cool family, so we told the Gs to work with them. He wants to meet every week.

Saturday we realized we were almost out of miles, and even though in the past we just went over, we decided it was more obedient to not, so we brought our bikes and then drove to the middle and biked around and then drove home when we were done. We had a lot of things fall through but we had an amazing lesson with R, one of the best experiences of my life. We talked about being consistent and staying firm in the faith. He said he has finally made a change of heart and no longer wants to sin (Mosiah 5:2). He said our dedication and not giving up on him has helped him more than anything else. He told us he was about to give up and take a bus as far as he could and start over, but it was us that made him come back. He got very emotional and said that if her were the only person we were to convert on his mission it would be worth it to us. He cried and said that when he finally makes it to the Celestial Kingdom he will be so proud to see us and that we will deserve so much for all that we have done. It was an absolutely beautiful thought and the Spirit was SOOOO strong. I was crying it was very powerful. I'm really going to miss him. It was a very tender moment and made me realize why I do what I do, to help people, motivated by love, come to Christ so that they can have eternal happiness in the Celestial Kingdom. I don't think it was moved by the Spirit, but he keeps getting discouraged so I told him that by the time I come back to visit he will be married to "his mormon girl" like he always talks about if he stays strong and is patient. Such a great guy. We had dinner with the B family which is the couple that speak different languages. Bro B is an inactive member who speaks only English, and Sis B is not a member and only speaks Spanish. It was the BEST dinner ever! We had chips and dip, then tostadas, then corn on the cob, then steak and potatoes, then smoked salmon, and finally...crab! We were in heaven and they are awesome. We shared an Easter thought and Elder W bore his testimony in English about the Atonement and how we can be cleansed from sin (for Bro B) and then I bore my testimony in Spanish as best I could about Christ and invited M to church at the Spanish Branch and to their baptism that was the next day for Sister S and A's dad. My Spanish wasn't too bad, but she just didn't see the point in going to a baptism. Bummer. We had a lesson with E and E was really sad about me leaving, but it was fun to see him again. 

Sunday was the day of days. At church both me and Elder W bore our testimonies and it was a good experience. I got a little choked up and it was cool to look around and literally know every single family. Elder W did a good job too. Of course everyone could guess that transfers must be rolling around and we had a TON of people come up and thank us and wish me well even though I never said I was leaving. In PEC Bishop thanked me again and everyone was asking about me leaving, but we just said likely, but won't know until tonight. I was very pleased that they asked what they needed to do to help some of these people we are working with. This meeting was great and they really want to help the F and S. It was sweet. They expressed the need to help the Fs since we wouldn't always be there. Bro A said, "yeah it will be tough now that the icon is leaving." It was a little uncomfortable but I'm glad I could have made an impact here. We had a lesson with the S family again. It went super well and they read the Intro to the Book of Mormon. We taught the Restoration and they understood it really well. They were excited to read from it and were open to watching conference and going to church. I felt really clear-minded with them and we explained things really well and the Spirit was strong. They are a great family! Bro J picked us up from there for an early dinner which was kinda awkward since it was fast Sunday. We had a good dinner and then for the spiritual thought, Bro J asked if I could bear my testimony and if Elder W could share some things he has learned from me. I bore my testimony and I was a little choked up thinking of all that I've learned since I've been here. It was a tender moment and the Js were crying, thanking us for the work we do. I got waaaay more attention than I wanted this week. We ended up getting back to the apartment really late from our lesson, dinner, and other visits, so we just decided to head back out instead of studying. We got our transfer call at 8:30from President S. He said that I was leaving, unsurprising, and that Elder W was staying and getting a new senior companion, also unsurprising. Then he said that I would also be a district leader in my new area. That was a little surprising. Of course I accepted, but it was strange to think about and I did feel like I was being prepared for something a few weeks ago. I am both excited and nervous to go to a new area and to be a district leader. I have a lot of thoughts and yet I'm not sure what I think. We had a TON of members that wanted to know what was happening, so we texted them all. I am so thankful for the many things that I've learned here in B. I'm grateful for the amazing relationships I have developed for so many people. I have seen the power of Charity, the pure and perfect love of Christ. I know that when that is our motivation, our effectiveness increases. I'm thankful for the members in this area and all they have done for me the past 8 or 9 months. I truly love these people. "Their souls are precious, and many of them are [my] brethren." (Alma 31:35) I will forever think of these people and what they have done for me and the friendships we have. I know that the gospel is true. It makes bad men good and good men better. It truly is what will bring true, eternal, happiness. I know that we have prophets and apostles on the earth today and we are so blessed to hear from them this weekend. I know that our message is true and a marvelous work and a wonder. I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know that Christ lives and he knows each of us individually and perfectly and he loves us. Thanks for all the support!
Love,
Elder Pew

March 10th & 17th, 2014

March 10^th, 2014

Dear family,

This was a slower week that got really good and then kinda tanked again. Elder W crashed on his bike again, but I totally missed this one. I was on the phone scheduling a lesson and we were at a busy intersection, and I crossed the street and was like 200 feet away before I looked back and Elder W was just barely crossing the street. I guess he fell over his bike trying to dismount and then his bike got stuck in his back pocket so he couldn't get up. Sounded pretty funny but unfortunately I wasn't looking. I'm going to go day-by-day this week since that will be easier.

Monday like I said we got a call that M had her probation issues all worked out, and she was really excited so we went to the church and had a celebratory dinner and a lesson on gratitude from some sweet things I found in my personal study recently. Basically all three times Nephi and his family leave Jerusalem and arrive safely, they offer a burnt offering in gratitude. Of course we don't live the Law of Moses anymore, so now we are asked to sacrifice "a broken heart and a contrite spirit" (3 Ne. 9:20) in gratitude for the many blessings we have. I thought that was pretty interesting so we talked about that and she was really thankful for the lesson and she was in a really good mood. 

Tuesday we had a lesson with E and Sister S. It went really well and Sister D continues to read from the Book of Mormon. We mostly discussed her reading in Moroni 10 because she was hung up again that in verse 34 I think, Moroni says that he will wait until his spirit and his body reunite or something, and she still doesn't believe that everyone is resurrected. We showed her a few verses in the Bible that clearly show that like John 5:29, but it doesn't explain what exactly resurrection means, and she just thinks it means living after your body dies. I studied every verse in the Bible that talks about resurrection, but all of them only talk about people being resurrected and doesn't define it, or talks about people being raised from the dead but doesn't say that it happens to everyone. It furthered strengthened my testimony in the Book of Mormon because what all those verses combined could kinda piece together what one verse in the Book of Mormon says twice in Alma 11:41 and Alma 40:23. Other than that, she is doing really well and her and Sister S get along really well. We also had a lesson with S that went pretty well but we couldn't get any member to come to the lesson. We taught him about reading the scriptures and praying every day. He's a good kid.

Wednesday we didn't have much happen. We were suppose to have a lesson with M but she got sick again, so we didn't. We had a lesson with the M. We had a really neat experience with M's lesson falling through. But I thought, well this must mean we are suppose to be somewhere else. We stopped by R and had a good lesson with him and he still has a few friends he wants to invite to learn more about the gospel. We finished the lesson around 8:10 and we were getting picked up to get the car back soonish, so he told us to wait in his house, but I really felt like going outside and trying to do something, so we walked down the street and we saw a few people moving stuff out of a moving van. We offered them help and they were really grateful so we helped them move their stuff in. It was a mother and her 14-ish year old son and their friend who we think also lives in the area. The other missionaries showed up with the car and they were able to help too and the family and lady friend were super thankful. We were already really late, so we asked if we could get their number and share a message with them sometime. They accepted and asked if we could come by in a week when they had everything settled. We tried calling them on Saturday and they didn't answer so we are going over tonight, but regardless, it felt really good to be in the right place at the right time and to help them out. Plus they are the P family, so that's got to be good. 

Thursday we had lessons with B and J that both went well and we taught J about the importance of the Book of Mormon and challenged him to give it to someone. He's a good guy. We also tried by a part-member family and the husband let us in and he was the non-member but he had learned about the church before. He told us he wasn't interested at this time and that nothing we said would be new or convince him to change. We just bore testimony of the truthfulness of the church and I felt the Spirit pretty strongly as I did. He's a nice guy though, so maybe someday. 

Friday we helped M with her yard, but besides that nothing else really happened.

Saturday we went to the ward service project at the R R Service Center because we invited E and S. They both came which was great. We were determined to get more lessons since we were having a slow week and the Lord heard our prayers. We asked M Friday if she would please respond and if we could have a lesson with her and P (her friend who has been helping her I can't remember if I told you about him). She finally responded and we had a lesson with both of them at the church. We focused on P mostly and invited him to read from the Book of Mormon and pray to know if it is true. He is a good guy, but we aren't sure how interested he is and for now he is living in the same house as Meghan, so we can keep teaching him. We stopped by the Gs and we shared a message with Sister G and W. He is really warming up to us a lot so hopefully we can really teach him soon. We also asked J if J was still home and if we could teach both of them. We were going to watch the Restoration but his TV wasn't working so we just taught him about the Book of Mormon. It was pretty cool because he actually told us he was wondering about the Book of Mormon and wanted his own copy. We asked him what he is looking for in life right now and he said guidance, direction, a foundation for his family, etc. It was perfect. We testified how the Book of Mormon can help him and luckily J stayed quiet and didn't interrupt. It was a pretty sweet lesson, and then I invited him to be baptized. He said he does want to find a church to be baptized into, and so we testified that the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon would prove this is the church he should join. He also wants us to meet his wife and daughter that live in A, so hopefully we can teach them this week. He is a really humble, good guy and it's awesome since he has tattoos everywhere. He is seeking goodness so as long as he is willing to work for it, he can totally change and find everything he is looking for in the church. We found out from S that Sister L had invited the Ks to church and was picking them up the next morning. That was amazing news!

Sunday was the pretty rough day to end things off. We had to get up at 5:30, plus daylight savings, to make it to ward council with the Stake Presidency at 6:30. They want to focus on three things for the stake: helping others partake fully of the Atonement, share the gospel, and participate in temple work. Anyways, M, S, and Sister D all got sick, so they didn't come, although M did. We stopped by the Ls to ask about the Ks and we had a great lesson with them and they are just an amazing family. We love them a lot. 

Overall it was a good week though, and we are trying to stay positive and faithful despite our challenges. I know that this is the Lord's church and He is directing the work. I know that true happiness comes through living the commandments and that Jesus Christ is our Savior. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and has the ability to change people. I know that a man can grow closer to God by abiding by its precepts than any other book. Thanks for everything!

Love,

Elder Pew

March 17^th, 2014

Dear family,

This was a pretty solid week. Me and Elder W worked pretty hard this week and had some good results.One quick funny story. Elder W bought a Daikin (?) at the store last Monday. It's like a 2 foot potato looking thing that is white. It is really ugly looking which is the reason he bought I think. Anyways, he hung it on the wall and made a little sign that said "Daikin 16 inches Caught 2014" like it was a huge fish or something. It was pretty funny and then he brought it to district meeting and a bunch of us tried it at the same time. It was pretty gross, but not horrible. Kinda tasted like a mix between a cucumber and a potato. I will send a picture once I remember to bring my camera. On to the week.

Monday we received a media referral, my second ever (We racked up the referrals this week and weren't even able to contact all of them so hopefully the extras pan out this week). We couldn't get a hold of her by phone, so we had to bike clear out to the middle of our area, so that consumed most of our night. She wasn't home but her husband was and he was a nice black guy who really liked to talk. At first he wasn't interested at all, but he softened up and started telling us all about what he believes. He said some things he thought "would make us yell blasphemy!" but they were mostly pretty deep doctrines of the church. He said he would ask his priests growing up who Heavenly Father's parents were. We didn't say much about that one, but told him it was a valid question. He said we could come back sometime so we are going by soon and hopefully his wife will be home. 

Tuesday we helped the K family with their family history. It was sweet! We got a ride with them and the Family History center was open so the consultants were able to help both parents a lot. They helped us as well so we could know better how to help other people. I actually found someone who needs their work done in our family. I can't remember the name. I also read a bit of the stuff on grandpa and Benjamin Franklin Johnson while we waited for the Ks to finish which was cool. The Ks were able to find a few names of relatives they hadn't known before so that was exciting. We had a lesson with Sister D and Sister S and it went really well. We talked about her questions on the Resurrection and I showed her like 10 examples in the Bible that pieced together the Resurrection and then showed a single verse from the Book of Mormon that says it all. She is really starting to like the Book of Mormon which I love to see of course. 

Wednesday we had a little lesson with E. He said he is really trying to figure out what he's suppose to be doing right now. We talked about how to receive answers to prayers, but I hope he really gets what he needs to do. He also put this slime in our tires because Elder W got another flat and E says this "gorilla snot" prevents you from getting flats. He said we should be good for the rest of our missions. He is so funny. We had an absolutely killer lesson with the Fs because they didn't have soccer for Spring Break. Holy cow. Such a great lesson. We had planned this whole zombie apocalypse lesson since they love The Walking Dead where each person had a character who knew certain "rules" and they all had to work together to make it safely to the famous Owl Building in A that was the safe house. It was a big analogy for the commandments and it went perfectly. Each character had a specific commandment that their rules related to. The family got really intense like we hoped trying to decide what to do at each challenge. One of them was also "the Deceiver" who was trying to make them lose and knew all the answers and tried to sway everyone the wrong way. It made it really fun and was a perfect parallel to peer pressure and the Devil. We talked about how it related to the gospel and they understood it well. We focused on Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy and coming to church. We asked them what blessings they thought they would get for coming and they had some good answers and then H said "bring us closer together as a family." Bingo. We told her that was exactly right and what an amazing blessing. We testified like crazy and told them how much we love them and wanted them to have these blessings. We invited them to church and A had a sleep over, and H said maybe. We asked her to pray about it and then we asked if we could come by Sunday morning and make them breakfast to help them come. They loved that idea. Such an awesome family! I really don't think I could love them any more. If you guys aren't nice to me when I get home I am going to come live with them. Just kidding. 

Thursday was a great day. Everyone wanted a lesson on Thursday. We helped Sister D with her fence again because people are still breaking it in. It's crazy! Afterwards we had a little lesson with her and Al. She was super thankful and said she really loves what we have done for her and Albert, and Albert really likes us too. We also had a great lesson with J and J. We only had like 15 minutes so we just shared about how we can repent- change and become better. We had a really good discussion and we shared some verses from the Book of Mormon. After one of them James said, "wow that was really powerful. I really like that book." He went out of town this weekend but he talked to his wife and we are teaching both of them next Friday, that should be awesome! We exchanged that night and I went to R to work with Elder S while Elder W came here.
We had a pretty good day and Elder S is a good missionary. He is a convert and has been out as long as me. He is a hard worker with really good desires. We had a good day and lots of biking. I guess they set up a lesson with their sweet investigator B-- a really ripped, fit, in-shape, 40 year old dude who looks 25, with sweet tight curled afro-dreads-- as a Elder Pew vs. B. He knows the Bible super well. It was an interesting lesson. He is a really sweet, nice, guy, but he has a lot of questions. I tried answering them, but he has thought through everything in the Bible and he had a verse to argue everything. A lot of the stuff I had never heard before in an argument, and I guess I'm considered an expert so it was tough. The problem was they weren't questions I could answer by reading a Book of Mormon verse. I held my ground pretty well though and I told him the real way to know the truth is by reading the Book of Mormon and praying to know it is true. When he does that he can then solve these other questions. His problem is he trusts only the scriptures and not the Spirit, so he has to see proof in the Bible before he believes. I told him he needed to look at it a different way and basically told him that I have questions too but the difference is that I have acted in faith and been baptized, got the priesthood, gone to the temple, etc. He seemed to like the conversation but I'm not sure we made a lot of progress. Elder W and W were able to help J and B with family history and J found a line that goes all the way to 200 AD including a few kings, dukes, earls, and Robert the Bruce. B is really excited to do family history and hopefully we can get him to take names to the temple. Overall it was a solid exchange. 

Saturday we helped Sister D again with the fence and I found a sweet rock with fossils in it. It is pretty cool and Elder W was jealous so he picked up just a normal rock and just talks about it non-stop. Whatever. It's pretty sweet. Sister D wanted to meet so we set up a lesson for that night with Sister R and we had a really good lesson. Sister D gave us ribs, toast, and seasoned tomatoes, she is awesome. Elder W almost got killed feeding his bone to her psycho pit-bull. We invited her to be baptized and she basically said she loves everything about the church, she just wants to make sure she is needed. That should be pretty easy and she is so close to baptism. Our whole story with her has brought us so much joy. It couldn't have gone much better to this point. We had a pretty good lesson with S about the Holy Ghost, but he didn't end up coming to church. The Fs texted us that night and said that H, E, and T had strep throat so they wouldn't be able to make it. We got Bro J, Bro G, and Sister S (RS president) to invite them, and they said yes to all of them but then they got sick. We were pretty bummed. We dropped them off a pie on Sunday that Sister R gave us.a They will come soon.

Sunday was solid. Church was great even though only Sister D came. M has been out of town. I have interviews with President Slaughter on Tuesday and I'm going to ask about her probation situation and see if she can be interviewed. Sister D loved church and she really likes the Relief Society. Our coordination went much better. Brother R is going to take Bro S and they are going to visit Sister D on their own, which should help her feel even more needed. He's also coming with us to a lesson this week and President Slaughter suggested watching the past CES devotional for our studies to the mission so we are going to try and have a bunch of less-active, recent converts, and investigators come to the church to watch it this Saturday. PEC went well and I gave the spiritual thought. I talked about how too many of us in the church get together and talk about things but we don't do anything and tied making plans into being "anxiously engaged in good causes." It went well and Bishop H reminded everyone at the end to make sure we heed my counsel and go out and "do". He thanked us for all that we have done for the ward and it was just a really positive meeting. We focused a bit on missionary efforts and they are really pleased with us. We had a lesson with a former investigator family that we have been trying to get with for a few weeks. They are really nice people. The dad is a chimney dude, and the mom and daughter play soccer. We taught them the Plan of Salvation and they were pretty curious and asked some good questions, but I feel like we didn't do a great job answering. They accepted a return appointment, but they didn't set it until two weeks, so I feel like they will be a slower process, but they are good people and willing to learn. We did leave them a Book of Mormon to start exploring. I'm not sure how to handle to situation but it was a positive experience. We had a lesson with a member-family on missionary work and it was a blast. The mom is from the south and has a southern-twang and is crazy. She's really funny. Overall it was a great week and we are really pleased with everything that's going on! I have a lot to keep track of and to keep organized but I'm so thankful that the Lord has blessed me with the abilities to do so. As I've worked with other missionaries I've become more grateful for this gift that I didn't realize everyone had. I know that the Lord is aware of us and that he helps us. I know when we do what he asks and have the right desires we are blessed. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. It is essential for our salvation and a testimony of this, the true church. I know that Christ is at the head of this church and that He lives. Thanks for everything!

Love,
Elder Pew

p.s. President Slaugther gave our mission a bunch of talks to study to strengthen our testimonies of the Restoration and they are amazing! I highly suggest reading a few.

"What Think ye of the Book of Mormon?" Elder McConkie Nov 1983

"Joseph Smith-- The Mighty Prophet of the Restoration" Elder McConkie Apr 1976

"The Grandeur of God" Elder Holland Oct 2003

and a few others I can't remember off the top of my head

February 24th & March 3rd, 2014

February 24th, 2014

Dear family,

This was a pretty great week! It was filled with lots of jokes about how long I've been here, and as far as we know, no one in this mission has ever been in an area this long. It's pretty sweet. I re-read my call letter and it actually says I was called to serve in the B C Mission. I guess I missed that. I think I might just buy a house here and move in and my companions can just room with me. I should be getting a calling soon and maybe they will move my records in too. Those are all JOKES but they have been the jokes that we've told or heard this week. People now call me grandpa Pew or warlock Pew, but that one was a request from me and I don't think anyone has actually called me that yet. Anyways, we broke our personal record for lessons with a member present, but we didn't get as many people to church or progressing as we would like. E and J had quiet weeks and we didn't talk with either of them for long. We are going to go by less frequently which is tough. E was talking about why he thought they kept me here and I was hoping he would say it was so he could get baptized, but he said it was probably to show other missionaries what we are suppose to be like.

We weren't able to get a lesson with the Fs either but we did have contact with them. One night we went by and they ended up telling us stories and thing for 30 minutes so we didn't have time to teach anything. We planned a sweet lesson on the commandments using a "Walking Dead" theme to get H and A interested. They didn't come to church and they are starting to get busy with soccer again.

We had a lesson with two part-member families that we usually don't get to visit. We had dinner with one of them and talked about the Book of Mormon and the other couple had us for dessert : King Cake and a message. They went well. Bro B showed us the REAL C3PO helmet and it was so cool!

We had really good visits with J, B, and R, except R found out yesterday that his brother died, and his mom was already on her death-bed. We found out in ward council so we went by and he said he was having a rough day but we showed him a mormon message titled "Hope You Know I'm Having a Hard Time." We also sang him How Great Thou Art, but I had a hard time singing because I was so sad. I tried bearing my testimony but I was too emotional. It was kinda strange since he wasn't even crying really, but I could see how sad he was and how he is questioning why everything is going wrong for him and he is the only one in his family who has the gospel. It pained me and we gave him a blessing that I also had a hard time giving. I really love him a lot and I just wished he could feel our Heavenly Father's love for him like I could feel in there but there were no words to describe it.

The Ds are doing really well. We helped them fix their fence again (hopefully for good) because people keep breaking it. It's frustrating but at least it helps us teach them. We finally confirmed that her name is E. She read from the Book of Mormon and we had a great lesson on the gospel of Jesus Christ and she believes everything that we do, but she doesn't think so for some reason. but she does want to please God and so we invited her to continue to pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true and to know if she should be baptized. She came to church and Sister S, the lady we have been using to help with M sat by her and when we picked up our dinner calendar from the Relief Society they were talking to each other in there too, so that was amazing. She is really close, we just need her to realize that this is exactly what she believes, we just have the authority to act in God's name so she can enter the Celestial Kingdom. I would pray for her.

M had a pretty solid week except she got really sick Saturday night and couldn't make it to church. She got food poisoning or something. We had a really great lesson at the Ss on Wednesday about the commandments. It was perfect. The Ss are such a good example of keeping the commandments. With every commandment Bro S talked about how he overcame it, from the bigger serious stuff, all the way down to not listening to rap music that swears, watching sports on Sunday, and fasting the full 24 hours. He bore pretty powerful testimony which was sweet. We told her the story about fasting for T and we invited her and the S to fast this Sunday that her probation will get worked out for her baptism to be on April 5. We also committed her to completely quit smoking three weeks in advance, and she is excited for it all. The ward is warming up to her.

S had a pretty rough week. Baseball started up and we had things set up for him to get picked up an hour early for mutual but his ride called us while we were waiting at the church for them and told us he couldn't get him, so we frantically tried getting someone to bring him to at least mutual but no one did and we couldn't get a hold of him so he just didn't get picked up. He had a game on Sunday again, so he couldn't come to church. He is going to have some HUGE decisions to make in the next  year or two about who he really wants to be and if he has no gospel foundation he will go the wrong way. Without family support it will hard and the only thing to help him is the gospel as well as the good examples. We are going to try and set up a big FHE with his family and the Ls since Sis L and his mom work together. If we can get his mom on board with church that would be great.

We had a pretty funny experience Tuesday night. We were on the way to the Fs biking and I came off a curb to the sidewalk and when my back wheel hit the ground, I don't know what happened but I went flying over my bike and onto the street. I was shocked at how little I got hurt and really all I had was a scab on my elbow. I went flying pretty far and I don't even know how I landed, but I was fine.  I just picked up the stuff from my pocket and kept riding. I was cracking up because of how funny that must have looked for the cars that were driving towards us, they must have had a hilarious view. The Fs noticed the cut so we were joking about how I needed training wheels or something. Then on the way home from their house we were riding on the 620 (the big highway in our area) and it clearly wasn't safe and there was a little indent that I decided to pull off on to wait for cars to pass, but it was slightly higher than the road and when Elder W came onto it, he wiped out. I was dying laughing. He was also okay except he got a scab on his elbow in the same spot! He was pretty sore but I couldn't stop laughing because of how funny it was that we both crashed within an hour of each other. We were pretty defeated, so we just got a ride home. It was so funny and we were totally fine the next day.

I know this work is real. The Book of Mormon is true. Joseph Smith is a prophet. Thanks for everything!

Love,
Elder Pew

March 3^rd, 2014

Dear family,

Well we had a bit of a slower week as we didn't stop by some of the normal people and focused more on finding new people and we didn't have much success yet. Things are going pretty well with M though so that is really positive. Before I forget like I did with Micah, happy birthday to Izak and dad this week! I can't believe that Micah is already a deacon and Izak is a teacher. That makes me feel like I've been out for a really long time.

Well we had a really eventful week with M. She called us Wednesday when we were on our way to a lesson with the Ss. She was super stressed and asked if we could meet. We weren't really worried and we knew everything would work out but we stopped right there and called around to set something up. The As offered there home and we had a lesson there. It went really well. She said she is terrified but she knew that getting into the scriptures would help her feel peace. It was awesome and the As were super nice and had prepared popcorn and cookies for us all. The Spirit was really strong and we just read from the Book of Mormon since we didn't have time to prepare a lesson, but it was a great experience. We found out later that her homeowner figured things out so she gets to stay! We helped her fix her car on Saturday which was a mess because everything is broken and she just read how to fix it, so we basically followed her orders trying to jimmy-rig the roof of her convertible and it took a few hours, but we got it mostly done. We had a stake priesthood leadership meeting that was entirely focused on missionary work and so we were invited and they really emphasized the ward mission and the ward being much more involved. Brother A (the High Priest Group Leader) even told us that we are the best missionaries he has ever seen in the church, anywhere. He said the Stake emailed in prep. for the meeting and asked what the missionaries in the ward could do better and he told them "Nothing. They are out here kicking butt every week working really hard ever day." That was a really high compliment since he's been around TONS of missionaries as a 70 year old dude who worked for LDS family services for 40 years. That felt sweet! He's really nice. Brother G came up afterwards and also told us the same thing that he wrote essentially the same thing to the Stake.

We had a good lesson with S and he went to mutual, but again, he has baseball on Sundays, so we need to figure that out. We are trying to set up a FHE with the Ls so his family can be more on board too.

We had two really good lessons with E this week. We taught her Thursday and A was too tired to come, so we had a lesson about the Book of Mormon and the gift of the Holy Ghost and she likes the Book of Mormon.. Sister S also set up a dinner with her on Saturday and so we had dinner and a lesson with them on the Atonement. It was right after helping M and we didn't really have time to plan the lesson, but we talked about three aspects of the Atonement: it cleanses us from sin, brings us comfort, enables us to do good. It was a powerful lesson and I really like teaching her. She understands everything so well and believes the same we do, it's just showing her that means this is the true church and that really sinking in. 

We had a lesson with M, and we shared powerful testimony of the church and the Book of Mormon and it seemed to hit her pretty hard. We had a great lesson with the Fs after a really rough Friday where no one was home and our appointments canceled, and I've stopped by literally every single LA member and former investigator in the area, so it's hard to know what to do sometimes. We just talked about adversity and the peace of the gospel, and H was once again very engaged in the lesson. It is really cool to see the progress she's made, hopefully they will actually come to church someday. I really think there will be a miracle with them soon.

Nothing happened with M, so that's a little worrisome. Hopefully she is still interested. 

B is doing pretty well, although he missed church again and he is pretty stressed about work, but he's trying to change jobs. 

A is doing well and the sisters are teaching her and Sis S's dad so that should be good.

We stopped by E and it was sad because we taught them a little bit and E said they are pretty good with where they are at so we bore testimony that they need the church in their lives and need it to be a priority. I was filled with the Spirit as I told them how much I loved them and I wanted them to have every blessing that I've ever had. They said they would try to make it to church in a few weeks but they were busy yesterday and this week. They probably won't change right now, but it felt good to say everything we said and then in E's closing prayer he thanked God for us and for the light that turned on in L's eyes every time we come over. I almost cried when he said that. My heart aches for them, but it's alright. 

We tried something new this week that actually worked pretty well. We tried knocking, but instead of immediately talking about the church, we asked if we could sing a hymn. We got a lot of people that said yes, and then afterwards we asked if we could share how Christ's gospel has been restored. We had one lady who had 10 minutes so we quickly taught the Restoration and gave her a Book of Mormon. I don't think she was super interested and we haven't heard from her yet, but it was a cool experience. 

I know this church is true, this work is real, and it's our Savior's work. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and Christ is our Savior. I know we all can receive comfort, love, cleansing from sin, and be enabled to do good, through the Atonement. Thanks for all the support, it means a lot!

Love,
Elder Pew

February 10th and 17th, 2014

February 10^th, 2014

Dear family,

Can you believe that?! This Friday is my year mark for my mission call. That seems like a few months ago. Holy cow. This was another great week although not as much happened as last week. We put up similar numbers but that means less and less to me. We have had so many lessons lately that I have developed some new key indicators for us. We just split the member present and other lessons into two categories: progressing and not progressing lessons. A progressing lesson counts if we feel we helped them be motivated to act on their commitments. It's one thing to meet the requirements for a lesson, and another to help them be persuaded by the Spirit to act. We were fairly successful at that this week.

Monday we had a quick lesson with the Ds but A wasn't home like he said he would be so we just taught his mom really quickly and set up a return appointment. We stopped by S too and shared a thought with him and worked things out for a lesson and mutual the next day. 

Tuesday was pretty solid. We had a lesson with M and she is coming along fairly well and it has seemed to really help to have fellowship for her. We were suppose to help the Ds with their fence but it was cold and muddy so we postponed it for later. We had dinner with the As and they brought S to dinner too and then we had a lesson with him. We taught him the Restoration and then had some extra time before our ride was there so we reviewed with him and made up a game in the gym where he played around the world against me but you had to answer a question about the lesson before you shot. He is doing awesome and he really liked mutual. He is such a good kid. We also stopped by the Fs.

Wednesday was pretty good. We had a lesson with E and he was doing much better. He was happy to see us and we taught him about seeking the kingdom of God first. He said us coming over really helps him and brings the Spirit so we set up a time to come back on Friday. We went with Bro J that night and got Bro F a cake and took it to him for his birthday and shared a quick scripture with them. They were really thankful for us bringing that by and we left Bro J to continue to develop a friendship with them.

Thursday we had a lesson with the Ds and we taught them the Restoration. It went pretty well and they seemed to understand everything that we taught. Sister D is a really good lady and I think she will catch fire. She loves God and is constantly helping people around her. She said she has no use trying to please people and all she cared about is pleasing God. It reminded me of Mosiah 18:10 so we read that and I invited her to be baptized but she said she is Methodist and has different beliefs (we haven't found any yet) but she is open-minded and is willing to learn more. They committed to come to church and to read from the Book of Mormon. That was really all that we were able to accomplish on Thursday.

Friday was a fun day. We had exchanges and Elder W came here (he is our district leader). We had a pretty solid day planned but the lessons didn't go as well as we hoped. We had a lesson with J. He listened to the CD so we made him a new one, so I guess we'll see how he likes that. We had a lesson with E and we felt like we should talk about Joseph Smith and watch the Restoration DVD. We showed up and they were really happy to see us and I just love those two. We got talking about Joseph Smith and he was like, I just want to see kinda where he started and what his story was. Me and Elder W just looked at each other and we put on the Restoration. The Spirit hit me pretty strongly so I hope they felt it too and they enjoyed it. We were expecting to have to commit him to pray to know he was a prophet but he just told us he accepts him as a prophet. We also had lessons with R and J.

Saturday we helped the Ds with their fence again because someone keeps knocking parts of down as we finish other parts. We were patching a part by S's trailer and he came out and helped and then we asked if we could share a lesson with them. We went back to the D's house and the five of us had a sweet lesson about the importance of scripture study and they all re-committed to read and come to church. It was a neat experience to teach two investigators at once.

Sunday was pretty stressful. We spent a lot of time on Saturday making sure everyone had rides and everything and then 5 minutes into church we realized our WML was there but he was suppose to have S. We were pretty worried and right after the sacrament we ran out and called the Ds to see if they left yet and if they could get S. Sis D said she was going to come anyways but she felt really sick and she sounded like she was so we let them off the hook. We decided to just go back in and we went back in the chapel and Shane was actually sitting on our row. A (a really cool 16 year old) went to pick him up and waited for him to get ready and brought him. The deacons seem to like him and he likes them. It's great to see. The Fs were a no-show again and E had to stay home and take care of L. At church Bro R told us his non-member daughter was with them for the day and that he was worried that she wasn't baptized and he asked what to do to help. We weren't sure what to say since she usually lives in C and we didn't really know the situation but I felt prompted to just ask if we could meet at like 4 that day. We went there after church and his daughter was there (she's 14) and she was quiet but she said she loved church. The Mia-Maids did an amazing job fellowshipping her and saw her after sacrament and went up and introduced themselves. She loved that and she wants to learn more. It was a tough situation since we had no idea what to do going in, but we really followed the Spirit and everything naturally came up and we got her address so missionaries can go by. We had a lesson on the Book of Mormon because it sounds like her mom likely won't support her going at all so I figured if she isn't able to consistently be taught, the Book of Mormon will give her a great place to start and a solid testimony and things will work out. She is a great young women and I could easily discern that she is ready for the gospel. She easily accepted a commitment to read the Book of Mormon and to be taught more and work towards baptism. It was cool. We felt prompted to go by the L family and they were so glad we stopped by. They said it was the perfect time. We listened to part of the "Come, Join with Us" talk and talked about the blessings of the gospel. The Spirit was really strong as each of them bore testimony of the church and you could just feel their desire to experience the full blessings of the gospel. We asked for referrals and they didn't have anyone specific except Sis L described someone at work that is a less-active member that I immediately recognized as Sis K (S's mom) and she actually works with her has given her a few rides home and they talked about how they are members. She also found out that day she is her visiting teacher. It's awesome! What a testimony that God has a plan for everyone. We finally get to teach her son, she warms up to the gospel and then a sweet lady moves in and works with her and develops a great relationship with ends up being her visiting teacher. This is their time! Anyways, that was a cool experience and they are the nicest family and such a good example. They remind me of the Ss a lot. Very humble and obedient and desire the gospel to be everything for their family.

In other news we tried by the Hs and texted them almost every day this week and we didn't make any progress but in ward council a few leaders said they asked Bro H and he is crossing his fingers that everything works out this time. We need to get her interviewed and we can pretty much do the rest so hopefully it works out this Saturday.

I know that this church is true and we have the fulness of the gospel. The Book of Mormon is true. Christ is our Savior and He lives, and that is the glorious news of the gospel. Joseph Smith is a prophet and we have the priesthood power and authority to act in God's name. Thanks for everything you guys do!
Love,
Elder Pew

February 17^th, 2014

Dear family,

This was such an eventful week and I don't have a lot of time so I am just going to blow through some of the very crucial things that happened this week. Amazing week though!

So I'll start with the baptism of T. We were able to make very slow progress throughout the week and we found out that the family didn't want any program at all and we got an official time so we coordinated all of that with the ward mission leader and Bishop. We set up the baptismal interview and she easily passed. We got everything together for the baptism on Saturday and set up the G building. The Spirit was really strong at the baptism. It was a small baptism, but it worked. It was just us, Bishop, Bro R, and their family. We had a prayer, baptism, confirmation, and closing remarks and that was it. Like I said though, the Spirit was really strong and it was evident that despite the families struggles in the gospel they really loved each other, so that was cool. I felt a total feeling of peace and fulfillment. The Spirit also confirmed that this was one reason me and Elder W were together when we were because we handled the situation the way it needed to be handled.

Next, we had a great week with the Ds. We had a lesson on the Plan of Salvation and they followed everything well and Sis D didn't really agree with Resurrection or the kingdoms of glory but we showed her evidence in the Bible and she seemed more sold on the idea. We had things set up with her to take S to church to knock out two birds there but S had baseball. She still came to church and had a great experience and the Relief Society did a great job. We had a lesson with S and he enjoyed mutual and he's coming along really well except this new baseball problem. We will have to figure out that one. M had a great week and we had two lessons with her including a FHE last night with the Ts that went well. At church the lesson was on baptism and she broke down and basically talked about how badly she wanted to get baptized but she has to wait because of some issues. A few women who were in there did a great job of comforting her including J, the recent-convert who has recently come back to church and wants to meet with us regularly. She is amazing! I love her a lot and I have barely started to get to know her. I just can't say enough about her. After class she went over and hugged M and comforted her despite the many trials that J is going through. It was beautiful. Then she texted us later and told us to let her know if she could help in any way.

E and J are still struggling to progress and we will likely discontinue visiting them frequently.

We had a lesson set up that we had to cancel because the ward and stake leaders set up a visit to their house. We were excited about that but when we went over the next day they told us that no one had stopped by and they never got a phone call. They were just sitting there until 9 p.m. waiting for someone to come! That broke my heart. We found out in our meetings with the ward that there was scheduling mess-up. That was a bummer, but we had a great object lesson on the gift of the Holy Ghost. We had a bunch of paper balls spread over the floor and blind-folded the kids and the first time someone would give them directions but only every 30 seconds. It took them a long time and sometimes they would touch the paper anyways and lose. Then we had them do it again, but this time the person giving them direction could do it the entire time. This illustrated the difference between the power and gift of the Holy Ghost. There are so many parallels to draw and the kids loved it. H was actually listening very intently and at the end we asked them each about baptism again. E said sure, A said no, but H said she wasn't sure. I could see it in her that she wanted it. She was torn because she doesn't know what would happen but I could tell for at least that minute she thought it would be worth it. We invited them to pray on that. They have got to start coming to church though to see how it will help them. They are so amazing!

On a much better note we had a really cool experience in our PEC meeting. Everyone pretty much knew that I was going to leave so when they were going around the circle asking if anyone had anything they needed when it got to me Bishop H said "thank you Elder Pew for everything you have done. Your service has been much appreciated." I said thanks but then it was still quiet and I was looking down, so I looked up at everyone and everyone was looking at me and nodding and looking at me intently with looks of gratitude on their face. It was kinda awkward so I just smiled and thanked them.

We sat around waiting for our transfer call and it didn't come until like 9:30. I was starting to get second thoughts about the possibility of staying, but I thought I was just telling myself that because that is what I wanted. Finally we got the call and it went something like this: me "Hello this is Elder Pew." them "How are you?" me "good" them "any predictions?" me "I don't even want to" them "what do you want to happen?" me "I think we both want to stay but.. them "well let's do that then." me "okay." them "alright have a great night." me "okay, you too." them "bye." I hung up and I was super confused. The whole time I was waiting for them to tell me they were kidding but they never did. Elder W even called them back and asked if they were joking and they weren't, so we are staying! I can't believe it! It is so crazy. No one we have talked to has ever heard of this happening. I am super excited and we are going to work hard to get tons done. Our entire district is staying the same. It's so crazy! I am so grateful. We found out today that President Slaughter is making some major changes too. One of the assistants is now just a normal missionary training a new missionary, a few zone leaders are becoming district leaders to lead out in example districts, as well as some other shocking changes. President Slaughter is really raising the bar here and sometimes it's pretty overwhelming because of how far below his bar I am but he is so incredible. He has changed the culture of the entire mission. Crazy stuff. 

I know that God lives. He knows us, He loves us, and He is aware of each of our needs. I know that the gospel and the Atonement has the power to change lives. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and I have read every page yet again and I know that it is true. I know that this is Christ's church and living the gospel brings true happiness.

Love,

Elder Pew