Lukas's day, Elder Roberts arrives, lots of rain...and blood squirting everywhere. Typical week in the mission field.

Lukas and family.

Howdy y'all!

Monday we went to the trampoline park and I goofed up my knee (it’s all ok now) and we also played volleyball.  Then we had a lesson with the Logue’s and it was interesting.

Tuesday was transfers so we went to north Little Rock and picked up our new comps and drove home.  I love Elder Roberts!  We stayed for a bit to help unload the trailer.  I got to see the lovely Elder Pickering so that was rad.  We got back and played basketball with Benton Elders and members.  I did alright, not too shabby.  I only missed 80% of my shots instead of 90. 

Wednesday we got a hold of a couple referrals and then helped the north spanish Elders move into south’s apartment.  Yes, there is 4 Elders in one apartment that is 50 yards away from us.  We’ll try to keep the trust God has for us haha.  But at first, we were drenched in sweat from the sun and heat, then 30 minutes later as we were sweeping the apartment, thunder started roaring and a torrential down pour broke through the heavens.  We got drenched as we moved the last things out.  I was quite literally, as Zac Brown Band put it, knee deep in the water somewhere.  I was wet....everywhere.  We drove back home and hurried and got changed and went to the church for Lukas’s baptismal interview.  He passed! 

Always good to see old friends.

Always good to Thursday we had a TON of service.  We were running around cause we helped pull weeds for a member here in Otter Creek, then ran to help move logs and do yard work for a member in the spanish branch.  My shoulder was shot cause we lugged the logs on our shoulders.  Let me tell ya, them things were more dense than a southern Baptist trying to explain the trinity to us.  Afterward, we helped Sister Jones move for about an hour.  We then had to leave cause we went teaching with Christian (the kid going to Tempe on his mission).  No one answered, but a lady saw us and said “oh no, are y’all out with those books again?!”  Naturally I exclaimed pretty happily, “OF COURSE!”  She basically ran inside...Paul took us out for dinner later that night.



Friday we went out with Brother Devoux.  Yes, he is the son of Brother Devoux in Hot Springs.  He is super dope.  We saw Sean, he told us to come back later so we we left and met a guy the sisters referred to us named Brad Bibb.  He’s really cool.  He’s from Memphis and He about fell after I said I served around Orangemound.  He Asked if I had been shot yet so that was great.  Then we got David’s burgers and weekly planned.  We walked and tried to see a few people but no one was home. 

Saturday was a hoot.  We got to help Sister Jones move again.  My poor shoulder was once again taken out.  I had to carry a freaking olyptical on my shoulder as we walked down stairs.  We stuffed the moving truck and it was great.  It was also VERY hot.  As we were packing the truck, a couple Jehovah witnesses came and started talking to the sisters.  It was super funny cause once they saw the tags, they were gone like the wind and ain’t nobody coming back again.  Oh, and Christian, a member,  dropped and oven and the oven cut his artery on his arm so blood went every where.  Elder Short had to undo Christians belt and make a tourniquet while blood sprayed.  I had to go inside and tell everyone to stay inside.  We went home and showered, ate and studied then tried to see Marcus but he wasn’t home.   Also, Sister Jones gave us a crap ton of food.

Sunday we had a good time at church, although no one came...we came home and studied and the Bouchka’s fed us again.  They’re dope.  Their kids wanted us to stay for s’mores, so we had s’mores as well as they burned their school papers haha.  Brother Bouchka took us to try Marcus again hoping that he was going to be home.  He wasn’t.  We walked home and were so beat. 

Today was pretty great!  Lukas was baptized and confirmed!  We were on the phone from 7:12 to 9:30 no joke, non stop, trying to get all things situated perfectly and trying to gather another army of missionaries to help tomorrow to unpack the Jones.  So it should be a fun couple of days!  Also, I kinda understood a blessing I got back in November of 2016.  So, obviously all of y’all know I ain’t right in the nervous system.  Well, I was given a blessing by President Faulkner that said I would be calm and healed of my body twitching. So, as I stood in the confirmation circle today with Lukas, I realized I wasn’t twitching.  My body would literally not let me twitch.  I even tried (yes I know it’s weird, I was testing the waters). So, I have come to the conclusion, God allows me peace and calm when He needs me.  In hindsight, I see every time I have given a blessing or am using my priesthood, my body is calm.  It’s so cool to see God use me as an instrument to help others from a blessing given to me to help me.  The scriptures stand true, “when you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God.”  Don’t tell me God ain’t real.  You’ll lose that argument real quick.

Look, the didn't melt, they can't be witches!

And as a last thought, I hope we all remember the reason for Memorial Day.  It is NOT national BBQ day, it is a day to remember those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.  For the 620,000+ men and women who never made it home since WWI, rest easy.

John 15:13
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Kings Do King Things
Goin' Buck Wild

Service begat vomit, vomit begat service...we should all begatting something...maybe service, not vomit.

Howdy y'all!

Monday we got camping chairs and just chilled all day with pizza and drinks.  It was great!

Tuesday we went to the Arkansas food bank for most of the day.

Wednesday we did service washing a guys car and then we went to dinner at Sister Grell’s again.  We went to Book of Mormon class and had correlation.

Thursday was district meeting.  We all had a chance to write down how we were going to be 100% obedient and wrote down the things we were going to give up and then the Spanish district had a fire going outside in the fire pit so we burned the paper to show we were done with the disobedience.  It was fantastic!  We had a lesson with an investigator named Sean and it went so beautifully.  We taught the restoration and he just soaked it up and said this is what he has been waiting for! He just understands!  He came to church last Sunday and loved every bit of it!  So hopefully he can progress!  We then went and did service for a family who then set up another service project with us for another day this week!  We then went to the Haws for dinner and had the awesome opportunity to teach a friend of their sons who is serving in the St. George mission!  He Skyped in and they taught most of it.  It was interesting cause they didn’t really use scriptures and weren’t exactly answering his questions.   Great teachers, but it’s cool to see how different missions teach.  I’m so glad I have learned my scriptures haha.  Elder Robinson and I were flipping to scriptures to answer questions the whole time.  It was such an awesome time though.

Apparently that is warm...wimps.

Friday I woke up throwing up.  The Lagomarsino’s took us to lunch but I couldn’t eat.  The angel of Sister Lagomarsino got me some medicine and gatorades and it was amazing.  I slept all day with the occasional episode of projectile vomit.

Saturday we had service in the morning where we moved bricks and trash from a guys house he just built.  It was fun cause he was super nice and talkative and accepting even though he is devout church of Christ.  After that we got ready and went to Paul’s patriarchal blessing.  It was super spiritual and Paul was able to give his first priesthood blessing as well!  The patriarch gave the patriarchal blessing and then Paul gave him one cause he was sick haha.  It was so awesome to watch him use his priesthood for the first time in a blessing!  I’m also glad I had my oil cause no one else did haha.  We came home and went out teaching with president Hansen! It’s was awesome cause we taught Markus and President was scripture after scripture and the spirit was so strong.  We invited him to read the Book of Mormon every day and by doing so, his son will grow to have a life Markus wants to him to have.  It was AWESOME!

Sunday we had a good time at church and taught gospel principals.  We said goodbyes the rest of the night for Elder Robinson.

My new companion is Elder Roberts!  He was trained by Elder Cowley and I love the kid!  I’m stoked for this transfer!


Kings Do King Things
Goin' Buck Wild

When the need for service is there, you find a way!

Pretty much the coolest district pic ever.

Howdy y'all!

Monday we got to teach a lesson and boy was it scattered.  It was to Ivan and his cousin Cedric.  Basically, Christianity ain’t real white people are to blame for making it up and just a bunch of Hebrew Israelite ideology even though he said he left that religion long ago.  But yeah, that was our conversation for 2 hours.

Hello, may I share a message about Jesus Christ?

Tuesday we went to the food bank for a few hours and got to label green beans...for the whole time.  But it was fun!   After that we got taken by Paul to Texas road house.  And mom, for the record, I didn’t see dads ex girlfriend...BUT we did get talked to by some flirtatious hostesses.  They asked about Mormonism and so we explained it and one left for a bit, but as soon as Elder Robinson pulled out the phone and got the ones Facebook, the other was right back hahaha.  But it was great!

Wednesday we had a lesson throughout the day with Tom and that was good.  We taught the plan of salvation.  We taught Book of Mormon class on covenants and it went good I think.

Thursday we had district meeting and then interviews with President.  My interview was fantastic!  President is definitely inspired.  We mowed a lady’s lawn and trimmed her hedges after that.  That was an experience mainly because we didn’t have hedge clippers...so I used my pocket knife!  It worked beautifully!  I mean, my finger blistered up from pulling while cutting, but hey the hedges looked pretty!  We went to dinner at Sister Grill’s and it was awesome! She made bbq pork tacos and some fish thing that we made tacos with and it was BOMB!  I think it was Alaskan polyk? However you spell it.  Nevertheless, it was spectacular.

Lesson in service...

Where there's a will...

...there's a way!

Friday Brother Buchanan brought us a ton of groceries!  After that, he took us out and we saw a couple less actives and a couple other people!  So it wasn’t good day! So it was cool cause we met a 2nd cousin of Elder Robinson.  We talked and she made us cookies!  They was good!  After that we walked to Markus’s but he had to reschedule.

Utah in Arkansas.

Saturday we went out with Paul.  No one answered the door and we even got yelled at by a lady, who said “y’all better not come up here!” Like, lady chill, we weren’t even looking for you!  But she looked like our pretense completely ruined her day.  We met and taught a couple named Emel and Kianna!  They’re super dope!  They were so receptive and the lesson went great!  We are going to teach them on Saturday!  Paul took us for dinner before we saw Markus.  It went the same as Cedric’s lesson...so that was a bummer.  Paul took us on a drive for spiritual upliftment and we saw the most gorgeous view!

Sunday was fantastic!  I had my very LAST Skype call home!  That just sounds surreal to say.  But then we had dinner at the Halls home.  Their son is in St. George on his mission and gets home in July.  The sisters had an investigator to church that we got to talk to and get to know and he is awesome.  He told us how he grew up hearing bad things about Mormons (his mom told him before he came to church that we would lock the doors behind him and not let him out) and now he sees everything was false and said he felt the “spirit of the lord” here.  So that was awesome!  It was a good day!

So, David has moved outside of the mission to the area right outside of Glenwood, so we won’t be teaching him anymore, sadly.  But that’s okay, because we sent him to the missionaries there!  They called us and said they didn’t know where he lived, so we told them to call him cause we don’t know either.  But we’re doing better!   No one super solid yet, but we’re working with a few.  We definitely have more people than when i got here!

Kings Do King Things

Goin' Buck Wild

Still the coolest with a filter.

HOLY BIBLE JESUS...and other exciting things.

Howdy y'all!

Monday we went to a trampoline park and played kick ball.  Pretty great day!  I got decked in the face by a ball one of our zone leaders kicked and had a mark on my neck that looked like a hickey for a couple days.  We also played ultimate frisbee.  I felt the effects of summer coming along with the effects of dehydration, so I was WEAK!

Can't tell if a prayer is being said here or what...

Tuesday we had district meeting and I exchanged with Elder Hall.  So, he is the one that hit me with the ball and kicked 2 dingers on me in kickball, so in retaliation I made him walk 8 miles haha.  We handed out all of my cards, got pulled over by a guy who said he'd be waiting for us and we never found him, taught a SUPER great lesson with Tom and searched for a couple hours for some formers.  Pretty solid day!  Also, I can't wear my maroon pants a anymore haha.  Sad day, but hey, it's not like I'm gonna be lugging them around for 2 years (Elder Robinson).  We played basketball and I still suck.

Wednesday we walked and walked some more until we couldn't exactly walk no more.  So Wednesday and Tuesday are kind of blended together in my head.  We did the same thing, but with different people.  We walked and knocked and handed out cards and no one was home...sadly.  So we went to Book of Mormon class and exchanged back.  We taught Lukas Gough right before that though.  Lukas is a 9 year old who wants to be baptized and his parents are recently reactivated, so it's a forsure baptism on May 28.  So that's great!  His dad is a US marshal and holy cow what he does is freaking AWESOME!  Oh and we got a car for every other week and that's HEAVEN!  I miss those big metal things.

When Little Rock means something totally different.

Thursday we went to a lesson that the appointment flaked out on, so we made cookies to deliver to some gators and less actives.  We visited a few less actives, no one answered and we got rained on.  We saw David that night and he said he wants to push his baptism back due to a lot of stress right now.  And it's totally valid cause he has more than a lot going on.  But brother Adney had some great input and was a super good fellowshipper!

Friday the zone leaders came over for weekly Planning and at the same time we had a restoration lesson with Tom over Facebook.  It went super well again!!  He is so prepared, he just needs to realize it.  We went out with Paul to visit some of the less actives that our stake president wanted us to see and of course, only 2 answered the door all day.  So that was a bummer.  We saw David and talked to him about putting the Lord first and set another date for this weekend.  So hopefully this one goes through. 

Saturday we had a great lesson with some new investigators who actually got a hold of us!  Her name is Roseli and her son named Josh was there.  She is from Brazil but speaks good English.  It was a pretty awesome lesson! We went out with Paul and tried the rest of the ministering list.  We found some pretty fun places.  I'll send the pic of one.  HOLY BIBLE JESUS! 

Just a small trailer in Arkansas.

Sunday we taught Sunday school on the signs of the second coming.  Wasn't super grand, but we got the point across.  We had correlation afterwards cause we finally got new ward missionaries to come out with us.  After that Paul, took us to see a member in the hospital.  He then took us to his house cause his mom made us dinner.  We went to see a couple of the list.  Again, no one home.  We saw Markus though!  It was so scattered and he's pretty tough when it comes to Book of Mormon and stuff cause he "studies up" and all that.  Still no testimony period.  He said he doesn't have desire to come back to the fold and is expecting God to get him. Well it doesn't work like that.  God won't help if we don't want it, it takes away agency, the whole part of this existence.  He went off on the race card too, so it was kind of annoying.  But we got an appointment on Friday with him and his brother.  We're gonna teach the plan of salvation to him, so hopefully that will touch his heart cause he wants to know "why Jesus?" Golden question. 

All in all, it was a pretty good week.  I got me some exercise and we got to teach some good lessons.  Now we just need someone who wants to get wet haha.  All in due time.  Love y'all!  Can't believe Mother's Day is already next week and I get to see my family one last time! 

Kings Do King Things
Goin' Buck Wild