5/30/16

5-24-16
After DDM today, we had exchanges. Elder Weaver from Cheraw stayed
here in Hartsville with me. He's a nice guy who has been though A LOT
of crap in his life. He is from California. He came out last transfer
with E. Staley. He really opened up to me and told me a lot of stuff
that he's had to go through. I feel bad for him and I reassured him
that this is right where the Lord needs him. We were able to teach a
lady and do some service for her. We also, taught a less active which
went really well. I shared Alma 36:24 with her which is talking about
Alma's conversion. It's such an awesome scripture because it shows the
desire and vision to baptize really well. I am out here because I have
felt that same joy in the gospel that Alma has felt and I want others
to feel it as well. Also, like when Lehi partook of the fruit from the
Tree of Life and immediately wanted to share it with his family (1
Nephi 8:12). Then, it talks about how he desired to have people filled
with the Holy Ghost. That's the greatest gift we are given! The
constant companionship of the Holy Ghost is such an amazing thing that
will comfort you in times of trial, help you be edified in the
scriptures and ALWAYS reveal truth to you. We had her share her
conversion story which was really good that she was able to rekindle
some of that fire she has deep down! We invited her to church, but she
is going to be out of town this weekend. Hopefully we see her next
Sunday!

5-25-16
We finished up exchanges this morning and went out to lunch with them
at Zaxby's. I am done spending money for awhile! After that, we biked
up to North Hartsville to try and catch some people at home. They
weren't home, so we knocked around some less actives we planned to see
and met some nice people. There was a little dog that followed us from
house to house. I cupped my hands and poured some water in them so he
could have something to drink. He lapped that water up so fast. We
held him and biked around with him for a bit and he loved the bike
rides! Haha such a funny dog. After other several attempts of no one
being home, we headed back for dinner. I made some awesome cinnamon
pancakes! Then, we had ward coordination which went really well. We
talked about getting members more excited and involved with missionary
work. David A. Bednar had a really good section in the newest New Era
about how to help the missionaries. He said, "We properly pray for the
safety and success of the full-time missionaries throughout the world.
And a common element in many of our prayers is a request that the
missionaries will be led to individuals and families who are prepared
to receive the message of the Restoration. But ultimately it is my
responsibility and your responsibility to find people for the
missionaries to teach. Missionaries are full-time teachers; you and I
are full-time finders. And you and I as lifelong missionaries should
not be praying for the full-time missionaries to do our work!" We are
somehow going to try and help the members understand that we are here
for THEIR help to teach THEIR friends/family. We have been struggling
with getting members out teaching with us lately... After
coordination, we gave a little boy a blessing because he is getting
ready to have surgery. He didn't want anyone else to give it to him
except "the boys." Haha he's a cute kid.

5-26-16
We went over to Sis. Mason's to help her paint her fence. After that,
we got dressed really quick and went over to a young couple's house
for an appointment. We taught the restoration, talked a lot about
prophets and it went well. We tried a couple more people who weren't
home and then we went out to dinner with Bro. Tadlock and his nephew,
Wyatt. He is wanting to come to church Sunday, so hopefully Bro.
Tadlock takes him! Later on, we stopped by Patti and Dave's to wish
Dave a happy birthday. On our way back towards the apartment, we saw
Hardy Smothers playing basketball outside, so we stopped and shot
hoops with him for a little bit. Sis. Smother's came out and talked to
us for a little bit with her youngest son Pressley. I love that
family. They have been through so much lately and it was good to see
them again.

5-27-16
It was so hot today... It is really humid too. We went to go see a
lady named Sally. She is on date for baptism, so we have to get her to
church! We taught her about the Sabbath Day. She feels like she
doesn't want to change churches... We talked to her about how she
needs to come and find out what we're all about before she can say
that! We talked about the Sacrament and showed her a program. She
showed a program from our church and happened to have one of ours on
us. She looked through it and said, "wow. You have a lot more stuff
than we do. I'll go!" I'm so glad that we had the program on us
because it really opened her eyes. I can't imagine how she we feel
when she actually goes! After we left and started biking down the
road, we saw some little black kids by this house. They pointed at us
and one of them said, "look at those white boys!" one of them got
on his little Avengers bike and tried to race us... We let him win and
he was laughing the whole way. Haha there's also another black kid we
see in the ghetto that says, "hey twins!" Every time we ride by. He's
a cute kid.
After blowing through the rest of our plans, we decided to go knock
around some members. We were riding by the Ruff's and saw one of the
young men out playing basketball so we stopped to shoot some hoops
with him. Then, he let us in to get a drink and say hi to his grandma.
She isn't a member so we were able to teach her for a little bit while
we cooled off. Before we could get dinner, Sis. Thompson called and
needed some help moving some things again. We got dressed and they
picked us up! Her boyfriend and us went over and loaded couches and
got most of it in two trips. On our way back and forth, we talked to
him about our missions and goals after we return. He also asked why we
chose to go on a mission. We had some really good conversations with
him. He's a nice guy. After we helped move everything, he bought us
pizza and then took us home!

5-28-16
We had a slow start this morning to go out because Elder Staley wasn't
feeling well. He got a little bit more rest and we went out after
lunch. We stopped by a lot of people who weren't home. We caught one
potential at home and talked about the BoM and gave her one to read.
While we were biking, we decide to stop by this little ranch where
there were horses. We fed them grass and chilled with them for a bit.
We got back on the road and Bro. Solomon called us saying his mother
in-law was in the hospital and would like a blessing. We headed to the
apartment so he could pick us up there. He got us and took us over to
his house. We gave her and Sis. Solomon a blessing. After that, they
took us to get some Cook-Out and dropped us back off at the house.
Bro. Tadlock was in town, so he picked us up and took us to Walmart so
Elder Staley could pick up batteries for his bike light. There was a
lady who came up and stopped is before we went out the door. She asked
us who we were and we talked to her about what we do and she said that
she really wants to have a closer relationship with Christ. She is
homeless at the time. Her two sons live in a house that she signed
over to them and wouldn't let her stay for just a couple days. She
stayed at her sister's, but she had to leave because the sister's
husband abused her. My heart really went out to her. I could tell she
was really searching for truth in her life. We traded phone numbers so
that we could call her and visit with her again.

5-29-16
We had a district fast to accomplish our goal that we have set by the
end of next transfer. Church was really good today! The speakers
talked about prophets, in Gospel principles, we talked about the Holy
Ghost and had a 5th Sunday training about family history. Mike and the
Thompsons had us over for an early dinner and we ate some awesome
roast with rice, Mac and cheese, green beans and rolls! Mike is a
really good cook with BBQ, so we were stuffed. After that, we got back
to the apartment just in time for it to DUMP rain. The tropical storm
"Bonnie" started to hit here. It's supposed to continue all next week
too. We were stuck inside for most of the day. We got out for a little
bit and stopped by a referral, and potentials who weren't available.
Then, we stopped by a less active who talked to us for awhile. When we
left there, the clouds were so dark and it was starting up again, so
we biked fast back home! When we got home, we decided to use our time
wisely and record a song. It turned out pretty decent! I also watched
"The First Great Commandment" (Jeffrey R. Holland Oct. 2012) for the
third time this week. That is by far my favorite talk. He is such a
great speaker and the Spirit hits me so hard listening to it. As Bro.
Solomon would say, a "Holy Ghost heart punch." Look the talk up and I
promise you it'll happen to you too!
PDay tomorrow should be fun... The Cheraw Elders are coming down to
hangout with us in H-Ville. We are either going to play tennis or
basketball.

-Elder Mitchell

This dog came out of nowhere and started following us around to each
house. He was just trying to be a missionary! We stole the dog. 

5/23/16

I want to learn how to play Ukulele, so I ordered one! Elder Staley

bought a guitar too. He's going to try and teach me how to play.

5/23/16

5-16-16
For PDay, we didn't do too much. We got some lunch at Zaxby's and then
got groceries. We played some tennis and I'm trying to help teach
Elder Staley how to play. At the time to start to proselyte, we
stopped by a couple people who weren't home/available. After that, we
went over and saw the Laffidy's and had a good visit with them. I love
that family!


5-17-16
We had DDM today and it went really well! Last transfer, our District
combined with Florence, so we have a bigger District now. After our
meeting, we went to Yogi Bear and got some fried chicken! It started
to dump rain, so we were in the apartment for a bit. We went and
visited a couple people and stopped at a less active's. It started
pouring again while we were over there, so Bro. Solomon picked us up
and took us back home. Luckily, he did because we were pretty far
away!

5-18-16
Interviews with President Turner went really well! The topic was
Christlike Attributes. He told me that I'm becoming a "pro trainer"
which meant a lot. He is such an awesome mission president. After
interviews, we went to the Mayflower (Seafood Restaurant) and I got
some catfish. When we got to Hartsville, we went to Sis. Mason's and
mowed. I had to mow because Elder Staley is allergic to grass... We
borrowed the mower from the Solomon's down the street. After we mowed
Sis. Mason's yard, I decided to do the Solomon's as well for letting
us borrow the mower. They were really grateful! Ward Coordination
meeting was cancelled, so we went to go and see Bro. Moles. He is a
less active, but a really good guy. He helps us out a lot. We visited
with them and shared a message. We talked about testimonies and how we
should always be doing things to keep that testimony and knowledge. We
committed him to read the BoM and pray about it again. He seemed
excited to do it and commended us for being good missionaries!

5-19-16
It rained ALL DAY today. It seriously, only let up for about an hour
today. During that hour that it wasn't raining, we stopped on a street
where some black kids were playing basketball. There was a 9th grader
(Cortez) and two younger kids named Justin and Jaquan. We played the
three of them in basketball and beat them. Haha the 9th grader was a
little butt hurt that he got beat by missionaries in dress shoes, so
he didn't want to get in the picture we got with them. We talked to
him for a little bit and got to know him. They were some funny kids!
Rewinding a little bit before that... We went to go and see Sis.
Laffidy. We were over there and it started pouring, so we sat under
her carport to get out of the rain for a little bit. Bro. Tadlock came
into town and took us out to lunch as well. When we stopped by the
apartment, we threw our clothes in the dryer for a bit. It wasn't a
very eventful day because of all the rain, but I still enjoyed it!

5-20-16
Guess what... It rained a lot again today! 🙃🙃 we took it on this
time and still got quite a bit done. We ate a Pam's (southern food
buffet) with Ronnie and it was really good! We went and saw Dequan and
visited with him for a little while. He has been reading some of the
BoM, so we just have to get him to church now! He had some friends
over as well and we taught one of them who had some questions and
seemed interested! After that, we stopped by a lady named Sally and
put her on date. She is going to pray and ask if this is what she
needs to do. We left her with 2 Nephi 31 to read as well. Then, we
left to go and give a less active lady a blessing.
For dinner, we went over to Sis. Laffidy's for dinner with her
grandson Jeffery. It was her birthday yesterday and she didn't even
tell us! She turned 84. She's such a cute little lady. "She's a trip"
as what people would say here! Then, we ended the night by going to
see Bro. Haney. He had just got shoulder surgery, so we were checking
in on him. The highlight of my day was an email I got from Elder
Webb... HE IS GETTING ENGAGED. He has only known this girl since last
Sunday (5-15), but he feels right about it. I am really happy for him,
but very surprised! He told me on Sunday that he met her and was going
to go hangout with her for the first time then! That happened so fast.
He also told me that he was going to go home and date a bunch of
girls... Haha I guess the Lord had other plans for him. He quoted from
the Missionary white handbook in the caption: "Go directly to your new
area when you are transferred and meet your new companion without
delay." He proposed at the Portland, Oregon temple. I'm so happy for
him. I trust his decision because he is very in

5-21-16
I am tired today! We did quite a bit of riding. We went up and tried
to contact a referral who wasn't home. Then, we stopped by a young
family who I have taught before with a Elder Siebers. They were home
and we taught them a little bit. They have a son named Curvin who is
nine and he's such a sweet little kid! He was how we got into the
door. He answer it, looked at us and said; "....Come on in!" Haha he
offered us apples when we sat down and he brought us each a page that
he tore out of his coloring book for us to color. He also ran and
grabbed crayons for us to use. After the lesson with them, we set up a
return appointment and then headed to go see a few more people. Then,
we stopped by the gas station and got some boiled peanuts for Elder
Staley to try. He likes them too! The Barefoots weren't home when we
stopped by to see them, so we sat on their swing a little while.
Eventually, they came driving up their driveway back from the temple!
They let us come in and we had a good visit over there. Sis. Barefoot
is such a sweet old lady. She brings out Dr. Pepper and Cookies for us
every time we go over and see them. Bro. Barefoot has cancer again, so
he's been really busy with Doctors appointments. So I have more crazy
news... Elder Arnoldsen who went home when Elder Webb did (last
transfer) just got engaged as well!! Except this is with his
girlfriend that he wrote his whole mission. I just think that's so
crazy how that happens so fast!

5-22-16
It was a pretty good day today! Church went really well and the
speakers did good. They spoke on the Sabbath and how we can continue
to keep it holy. We didn't have any investigators there, but some less
actives showed up again! Jake and Tammy showed up so we were happy to
see them. After church, we stopped by a guy named Casey that we've
stopped by before. I felt prompted to go over there. It was out of the
way, but we decided to go see him anyway. We rode up and he met us
outside and talked to us for awhile. He talked about how he had a wife
and kid before his marriage now who got murdered... So sad. He has
another kid with his wife now and loves them a lot. They are just
searching for the truth, so he had some good questions. We left him
with a BoM and told him we would stop by next week. Then, we stopped
by a less active who never opens the door for us because we noticed
their door was already open (I love when that happens)! We walked up
and the little kid answered the door for us! The husband who is the
less active came out and talked to us for a bit. The little boy piped
up and said, "I'm glad we could talk to you because when you guys
usually come, we close allll the doors and windows so you can't see
us!" 😂 the dad just looked at him and laughed. The kid looked
confused and said, "what? That's what you do!" I thought it was pretty
funny. I said, "yeah, we are some pretty scary people!" We ended up
having a good conversation with them and they let us in for a little
bit. We set up a time to call to set up an appointment next week! We
stopped by a couple other people who weren't home, then had to head
back to the apartment.

I love Y'all!
-Elder Mitchell

tune with the Spirit.

5/16/16

This is something that each missionary was asked to write out and
email to the Zone Leaders what the vision to baptize is in our own
words. So here is my vision:

This week, we haven't had very many lessons due to illness, so we have
been taking this time to truly convert ourselves in personal study.
Our desire begins to increase when our conversion to Christ is real.
We have to gain the desire before the vision. This desire will swell
within us and cause us to work harder. We have to desire and plead
with the Lord to be his instruments. This can be through prayer. Pray
for the Spirit at all times, which is our most important thing to
have. The Spirit can help us teach, find and most importantly, love
who we meet. When we truly love the people we meet, we will see them
as Christ sees us. If we don't have love, we can pray for it with all
our heart until we receive it (Moroni 7:48). We will know how
important the restored gospel is to that specific person and how it
can help them. We are there to help them realize their spiritual
peril. This knowledge comes through our ability to communicate in
order to let the love come through. Back to loving people... When we
love a person enough, we'll communicate according to their needs. We
must listen and understand them, before they can understand us. This
requires us to listen with our ears AND our hearts.

As we have applied these things in our lessons this week, we have not
only felt the Spirit more in lessons, but we have been able to get to
know them better on a more personal level. Doing that will help them
feel more comfortable and increase their desire to accept our message.

-Elder Mitchell

5/16/16

That is such an awesome story. It's amazing how everything begins to
make sense when you get answers to your prayers and you find out why
you were supposed to follow those promptings. That has happened a
couple times to me this week. It sounds like y'all had an awesome week
as well! Mine was too. I was able to strengthen my testimony through
experiences that I've had. One of my most treasured times that I love
is the hour of personal study we get each morning. We get to take time
to truly convert ourselves. We cannot convert anyone beyond our own
conversion. Personal study is so important because that is the time we
can treasure up in our minds what to say throughout the day so that
the Holy Ghost has something to pull from (D&C 84:85). I love y'all
and as the southerners would say, "have a blessed day!"

5-9-16
For P-Day, we cleaned the apartment and worked out! After that, Tammy
and Jake took us to go eat and then to get groceries. She was
expecting a delivery of her daughter's new phone today and didn't want
to miss it. She had to sign for it, otherwise they wouldn't leave it.
It was supposed to be delivered between 5:00-5:15, so she had to be
back at her house. We got out of Walmart at 5:10 and didn't make it
there until 5:25. The whole way there I was praying that the delivery
truck would still be there. For some reason I wasn't very worried.
When we got there, the truck was right across the street. It was
actually sitting there waiting. What delivery truck does that? He said
it was the only slow day he's had, so he decided to wait a little bit.
I thought that was amazing. I would've felt bad if she went out her
way to take us to dinner and get groceries and we caused her to miss
it... Tender mercies are so real!

5-10-16
We went to the ghetto today and it was interesting as usual! A black
guy told us about his time in jail and how he used to deal drugs. He
sang in prison and now he's really good at singing! He sang Amazing
Grace for us. Haha. We also met with an awesome guy named Anthony that
we had an appointment set up with. He custom ordered a brand new 2016
Camaro SS right from the factory. It has all the "bells and whistles."
There are all different kinds of traction control for it. It was such
an awesome car! We had a really good lesson with him as well. We
taught the restoration and he really opened up with us about some
experience in his life. We discussed the priesthood and he said that
if he found out if this was true he would "have" to be baptized by
that proper authority. He actually grasped the importance of
authority! After the bomb lesson we had with him, he took us for a
ride in his car (which was sick) and took us to a Japanese steakhouse.
Yes, he stepped on it a few times for us. It pulled me back against
the seat! He is such an awesome guy and I hope he follows through with
the commitments we left with him!

5-11-16
Today, Bro. Solomon picked us up and we went to go visit some members
that he wanted to visit. We planned to see three less actives and they
were all available! We went and gave a less active a blessing in the
rehab center. He has pneumonia and mold in his lungs. After that, he
took us to the apartment and we went to go help Sis. Mason paint part
of her house. Then, we had to rush back to the church to have ward
coordination. Our new ward mission leader is awesome! It was a pretty
busy day which is a good thing for a missionary!

5-12-16
Tammy Barefoot and Jake picked us up and we went to go eat lunch with
them! Jake likes to go to the same restaurant every day for lunch. The
employees there love him. He's like a celebrity there! Haha
After lunch, she took us up to Sis. Mason's and dropped us off so we
could finish painting. When we finished with that, we stopped by a
couple members and visited with them. After that, we met up with
Jeffrey Laffidy and picked up a couch for our apartment that Tammy
Barefoot gave us! We got it all cleaned up and it's nice now!

5-13-16
Towards the end of the day today, We met up with Bro. Tadlock because
his nephew was with him. His name is Wyatt and is about 11 years old.
Bro. Tadlock tries to spend time with him to get him out of the house
because Wyatt had a pretty rough childhood... He told me that Wyatt's
dad once chained him to his bed for two whole days just as a
punishment... I was so heartbroken to hear that. We thought it was
okay to play tennis with him and Bro. Tadlock. Wyatt had a blast and I
was so glad he did. He's a nice kid. We taught him a little bit about
what we do as missionaries and our church. Playing tennis with him was
a really good service in my opinion! He wants to come to church now,
but his parents won't let him go to a Mormon church. We will see about
that!

5-14-16
Today was a lot of fun! The youth had an activity at the stake center
in Florence and it was about missionary work. They called it "Camp
Helaman." At the activity, they broke up into companionships and they
had trainings on how to teach different principles. I was invited to
go there and help participate in that. I was so honored to be able to
do that. There was multiple times where I was able to bear sincere
testimony to these young men/women about my personal conversion and
the importance of a mission. We were there to help them learn how to
teach people through role-playing. They had RMs that spoke to them and
gave the trainings. It was an awesome experience for them and also,
for us as missionaries. There was only four Elders out of the whole
zone invited. The two Zone Leaders, our District Leader and I were
invited by the President! The DL from Cheraw came by to pick me up and
we left our companions together in Hartsville. It was like a mini
exchange! I was so glad that I had the chance to be able to go and
participate in that.
There were some kids that I could tell that didn't really want to be
there and they were kind of forced. I thought back to when I had times
like that and I noticed how it looked and how much of a turd I was. I
wanted to go back in time and shake the crap out of myself! Usually, I
ended up having a good experience at the activities though. I kind of
focused in on those kids and tried to make it enjoyable for them.
There was a time during the camp towards the end where they put all
the young men in a room with us just to ask questions. It was a great
experience to hear them open up to us and ask some good questions (and
crazy ones too). Ones like; "What has been yall's favorite
experience(s) on your mission so far?" I talked about the Holy Ghost
and how as missionaries, we are the most in-tune with the Spirit than
we will ever be in our lives. I shared an experience of me following a
prompting. We had wrote down our daily schedule on the whiteboard, so
I spoke about the importance of obedience. I referred it to qualifying
for that companionship of the HG and how obedience is key to being a
successful missionary. We also got questions after we said we have to
go to bed at 10:30 like; "what if you fall asleep in the shower?"
Haha! Well... I couldn't answer that one because it hasn't happened on
my mission yet! Or, "do missionaries have to follow a specific diet?"
The second counselor in the stake presidency spoke at the end and he
said something that has really stuck with me. He said, "After your
mission, you are going to try and spend your whole life trying to get
back to as close as the relationship you had with Heavenly Father at
that time in your life." I thought about that and how that is probably
so true. We are set apart and have covenanted with the Lord that we
would serve him with all our "heart, might, mind and strength" (D&C
4:2) for just two years. In return, he has promised to shower
blessings upon us AS LONG AS WE ARE OBEDIENT. These blessings include
that strong bond with you and the Holy Ghost to be able to carry out
his work. I love this church and I love only having to worry about and
focus on my relationship with the Lord and bringing others to Christ.
I don't have to worry about school, bills, girls or anything right
now!
When the Cheraw Elders came, they brought Elder Webb's bike that he
left. He gave it to me, so that we had a backup just in case we get a
flat or something. Then, we can just go and get that one without
taking the time to fix it at that time. I spray painted it all black,
so it looks pretty slick!

5-15-16
Church went really well today! We had two investigators there and 5
less actives that we've been working with showed up as well! The talks
were perfect for them as well. It talked about how we should be as
active in the church as we can because everyone's talents are needed
to help build up the church. There was a guy that flagged Elder Rose
and I down on a road awhile back and asked what time church started
here. He had just moved here from Tennessee to work in a new
restaurant that is getting ready to open up here. He showed up today!
It was awesome to see him there.
After church, we ate lunch and then did some weekly planning. Towards
the end of the night, we stopped by Vanessa who I haven't seen in a
long time. She had just graduated from Coker College here. We caught
her while she was home and got to talk and teach her and her roommate
a little bit! She's awesome, so it was nice to catch up and see how
everything is going for her. We invited her to church this coming
Sunday, so hopefully she will come!

Love,
-Elder Mitchell
Elder SaltLakeCity

5/9/16

5-2-16

For E. Rose's last P-Day here, he decided he wanted to go to the tennis center in Florence. Frank took us there and we met up with the zone leaders. We played a couple games of tennis and then decided to head back to Hartsville. On the way back, we stopped by a Waffle House and Bro. Tadlock got dinner for us.

5-3-16

Bro. Tadlock came into town today, so we helped him with some service. We went to go help Jody clean out a house that he rents out. He had to evict someone for now paying their bills. We didn't get to teach very much today and we have to go to transfers tomorrow morning. I'm going to miss Elder Rose. We got along really well! I asked him to give me a blessing. I am going to try and get a blessing from each companion that I have before we transfer out.

5-4-16

Transfers! The Edwards took us to transfers in Irmo. When we got there, I got to see Elder Webb, Arnoldsen and Goff before they left to go to the mission home. They are heading home! Elder Webb and I related so well and we were really good friends. I will definantly, want to see him after my mission. He is a convert to the church and none of his family members are members. He joined the church around 15 and decided to serve a mission!

My new companion is Elder Staley. He is from SLC, Utah. He seems like a pretty cool dude. E. Rose went to an area named Greenwood. He's in a car now which I don't think he's very happy about! On our way back to H-Ville, the Edwards took us to go eat at Chick Fil A and then took us by the temple. The Columbia temple is so small! But it's a really pretty place.

When we got to Hartsville, Tammy Barefoot and Jake took us out to eat with them. She's a less active who we are getting prepared for the temple! After that, we went to go visit another less active elderly lady named Essie. She works at Walmart, but we were able to catch her at home.

5-5-16

For lunch, I took E. Staley to Ruth's. Ronnie and Jody were there so we sat and ate with them! We went and taught a lady who has been on date for baptism before. Her name is Rosa and we are trying to get her to come to church! Bro. Krein was able to go with us to teach her. He is the stake patriarch and a very nice guy! He tries to make himself available each Thursday to go out teaching with us. The lesson went really well and she said that she is going to be at church next Sunday!

5-6-16

Sis. Laffidy (Grandma Laffidy) invited us over for dinner tonight. She hasn't been to church in awhile because she can't get around very well. Before we went over there, we saw her pull into the grocery store, so we stopped to help her get groceries. Then, we followed her home and helped unload them! Her grandson Jeffrey picked us up later and we went over there. She made "hamburger rolls." She would hollow Italian bread out and stuff hamburger in there with a really good sauce.

5-7-16

We went to go help Jeffrey move his sister, Mary out of the dorms at Coker College. Once we moved all of her stuff, he took us to go get some lunch at Yogi Bear. We had some southern fried chicken! Then, he dropped us off to get our haircuts. After that, we went to go visit Sis. Mason. She's an interesting lady.. Haha

I get to talk to my parents tomorrow and I'm so excited! I miss them a lot.

-Elder Mitchell

5/2/16

4-25-16

We played a lot of tennis today with Frank! It may seem like we play tennis a lot... Well, we do... But it's the only fun thing to really do on PDay here! I played E. Rose in singles and beat him. Then, Frank and E. Rose teamed up against me. It's called "Australian Doubles." I beat them in that too! It made me tired though!

After that, he took us to Ruth's to eat. When it was time to proselyte, we tried a couple people and taught a lady named Heather. She wasn't on the plan, but we were prompted to go over there. She as outside working on her yard when we got there. We had a bomb lesson with her. The Spirit was really strong. I know she was feeling the Spirit, so I called her out on it and helped her realize what she was feeling. Then, E. Rose bore testimony and it was awesome. We gave her a BoM and committed her to read it. Then, we went over to see the Laffidy's after that and Jeffrey (the son) took us out to eat. They're such a nice family!

4-26-16

After DDM, we had exchanges. I stayed in H-Ville and E. Larsen came here from Cheraw. He came out on his mission at the same time I did. We went over and saw Dequan (the football player for USC). He's funny! He was playing Pac-Man and Galaga. It's funny because he's just this big guy playing those games. We had a short lesson about the BoM and committed him to read it. We taught another lady on the street. We were supposed to meet a less active member at Shoney's to eat, but I guess she just forgot... So we went to the apartment and ate. Later, she called us back and felt really bad, so she dropped off money so that we could get something to eat another time. 

After dinner, we went and taught Jason with Bro. Lillian. He hasn't been available to meet with us in awhile because he's been sick. He lost his job because of it. After prayer from him and us, he got his job back! The lesson went really well. We taught him the Restoration. We started talking about the BoM. He said, "So where can I get a BoM?" Haha! Well.. We brought him one! After we got back from that, Frank picked us up to get some milkshakes at Sonic. 

4-27-16

It was really hot today. We went on a pretty far bike ride too. We taught the lady that cut our hair the other day. She is in her late 20's. She's a nice person and fun to talk to! After that, we stopped by a lady we are teaching named Gina. She has an 8 year old son named Dorian. He's a cool dude! We play football, basketball or baseball when we are over there. We are going to go to his baseball game on Friday. During our Companionship studies this morning, some Jehovah's Witnesses knocked on our door. Haha when we opened, the door they laughed. The asked to come in and talk, but we told them we were studying. They were told old black guys. He proceeded to ask how old we were and said that E. Rose looks 13 and was like making fun of him? You're not going to get into very many doors by insulting them! Haha people hate the Jdubs here. Haha he gave us "homework" to read Pslams 72 about the government. So I gave him some homework to read 1 Timothy 4:12. 

4-28-16

We went over to visit with a less active. We talked to her out on her porch. She's very kind! We talked about the importance of the BoM. She said that she needs to read it and that she will! She gave us a bag of boiled peanuts that were really good!

After that, we went over to see grandma Laffidy. She wasn't on the schedule, but we felt like we should just stop by and see her. She was having s rough day... She was pretty lonely and having some trouble with her breathing. She is the sweetest old lady and I felt bad for her. Especially, because she kept crying... We gave her a blessing and that seemed to help a bit. It was hard to say goodbye and leave.. Haha whenever we go over there, she gives us Pepsi and Zebra Cakes. 

4-29-16

So during personal study this morning, I got a call... From President Turner. He was calling me because he wants me to train another greenie again. I'm having another son. I will also, be staying in Hartsville still. Now, I will be here for 9 months! I'm so ready to switch it up and go somewhere else. BUT this must be where the Lord needs me. I'll find out why sooner or later! 

While we were out biking, we went to see a member. They weren't home, but their neighbor was outside. We went to talk to her and she told us that she locked her keys and her two year old son in the car! Her car was running with the AC on, so she was just waiting for her husband to get there from work with the spare keys. We kept her son entertained by making him laugh. He was so confused as to why he was still in there. We taught her for a little bit too. We made them both laugh so she wasn't so stressed or embarrassed about it. Then, we agreed to help Sis. Thompson move some things. Little did we know that we were moving things into her boyfriend's house. That was just a little awkward that you would ask missionaries to help with that. Haha!

After we helped them move, they took us to get food at Cook-Out. Then, we headed out to Dorian's game. They were happy to see us there. 

After the game, we stopped by and saw Patti & Dave. They found out that Dave has skin cancer. We visited with them for a bit and it was good to see them!

4-30-16

Today, we had a ward community service project called "Christmas in April." The city donates money for supplies and churches in the community go out and do service for people who need it. We helped a guy by painting the outside trim of his house. We also, painted his window frames. It was a nest experience! He was very grateful. We got to teach him a little bit as well. When we finished with that, a less active called us needing some help win her yard. It was nice because we were already in our service clothes. We rode up there and helped her. She still isn't very happy with us for telling her that she needs to come to church. 

I have been pretty stressed out today… I guess I am just trying to figure out my purpose here in Hartsville. I was told earlier in my mission that if I still feel the Spirit working within me, then I know the Lord is pleased with what I'm doing. I might be a little hard on myself. When Pres. Turner called me, he said, "you did such a good job training the first time, the Lord wants you to do it again." That made me feel a little better!

4-31-16

We fasted today and I was starving! Haha but we were blessed because of it. Daniel Thompson brought a friend to church and he seemed to really enjoy it. After church we met with them in the Scout room and taught him about the Restoration. The lesson went really well. The Spirit was really strong in there. We started talking about the BoM and the kid wanted to read it. We didn't have one to give him... After we closed our prayer, I turned around and there was one sitting right on top of the file cabinet. It was completely blank too! Keep in mind it was just a scout room! I thought it was a neat tender mercy. 

For dinner, we went over to Sis. Thompson's boyfriend's house to have some BBQ. He makes really good food. He is going in for surgery tomorrow, so he asked for a blessing. He isn't a member, so that was neat. I gave him a blessing and it went really well. I could tell that he felt the Spirit afterwards. Then, we shared a message about Faith. They're the best family! After we got back, we went to go and see the Laffidy's.  We visited with them for awhile and shared a message. I love them too!

-Elder Mitchell