Monday, July 11, 2016
7/11/16
7-5-16
We had exchanges with the Cheraw Elders and I went to Cheraw. I went
with Elder Weaver who is quite the character... He is very hard to get
along with. We taught a couple less active's and the lessons went
well. We taught less active named Craig. He is Tammy Barefoot's uncle!
I bore my testimony to him about the atonement and how we go to church
to improve ourselves. He didn't feel like he was really worthy to go
to church. But I assured him that we all make mistakes, but the Lord
is always forgiving no matter what. It was a powerful lesson. I had
him read a couple verses in the scriptures and that's when he really
choked up and started crying. The Spirit was really working within
him. He addressed his concern with his wife not being a member and how
it might affect their relationship. I promised with him that it will
affect their relationship, but only in a good way. He will become a
better husband and father. I promised that she will see how much you
change and how happy you will be and she will be in full support. This
could even lead to her joining as well. He was a great guy and I could
tell that the Lord is really preparing him to come back.
7-6-16
We exchanged back around noon after our studies and we headed back to
Hartsville. Bro. Tadlock took us back from Cheraw and then took us to
lunch. We got some burgers which were really good! Then, we headed out
to go and visit Sis. Mason. She had to get a few things from the
grocery store, so we ran and did that for her. When we got back, she
was really pale and sweaty and was not feeling good at all. She could
barely even talk. Her potassium gets really low and she has a
pacemaker and defibrillator already. It was pretty scary, so we got
her medicine and I fed her some watermelon. We said a prayer and after
a little while, things seemed to get better. Eventually, she was back
to joking around with us, so we headed out. We got caught in a storm
and had to go inside because of the Lightning.
7-7-16
Today was a pretty good day! After our time given for Mormon.org time,
we went over to Louis Laffidy's to do some service. We sanded down and
old metal swing she has because the paint was all chipping off. Then,
we began to process of reprinting it! It was very hot outside... She
came out and got after us for being out in the heat. Haha after we ran
out of paint, we decided to stop for the day. We will go back when we
get another can of spray paint! She had a couple friends over, so we
went in and she gave us a Pepsi and Zebra Cakes. I never thought I
would be part of an old southern group of ladies gossiping about other
old people in the town! After we left, we went back to shower and cool
off. We went over to a lady's named Tonia. She used to go to church
when her husband was in the military. She does embroidering, so I
asked if she would embroider my bag! She kicked us out of her house
because there was a storm coming in. She tried to get her husband to
take us home, but we wouldn't let them since it wasn't very far away.
We left and got just down the road, then turned the corner and it just
started dumping rain on us. We got soaked and the wind was blowing
debris all over the place!
7-8-16
We had ZTM today which went really well! There were some good
trainings given on diligence and spiritual labor. After that, we ate
at a Chinese buffet with the Cheraw seniors. When we got to H-Ville,
we got a call from Tammy saying that her aunt passed away this morning
and that they're having the funeral Saturday so she can't go to the
temple then. She said that she wants to go on Monday instead during
our Stake Temple trip. We called the temple to switch the appointment
over to Monday which still worked! So we are going to go then instead
which is fine! We then, headed over to Tonia's to pick up my backpack.
She did a really good job and just like what I told her I wanted! We
left to go knock in this area around an investigator. I felt prompted
to go and knock on this one door. Turned out to be a really nice
family with a young baby. The lesson went really well! We gave them a
BoM to read and set up a time to see them again. I think it's so neat
to see the amazing outcomes of following promptings. We went over to
Patti and Dave's during the evening and we had a good visit with them.
They are such a funny old couple. Dave comes up with the craziest
things that he says! I'm gonna miss them whenever I leave
Hartsville... We can always count on them to cheer us right up if we
are feeling down or discouraged.
7-9-16
Today was such a hot day out. The weather this week has either been
really hot, or raining... Or both. We got in our service clothes and
went over to Sis. Smother's to help her put this bunk bed together. It
was quite the project, but I enjoyed it! Her youngest son Pressley
kept us company and told us stories while we were working. Hardee was
having a birthday party for his 12th birthday as well, so we played
some basketball with all the kids. It was a lot of fun! We didn't
catch anyone home today, so it was pretty discouraging... Frank saved
the day and picked us up to go get some milkshakes from Sonic. He's
such a kind and generous guy! He really helps us out a ton.
7-10-16
Church went well as usual. I helped pass the sacrament which was a
neat opportunity to be able to do again! After sacrament meeting, we
got with Tammy and discussed the carpooling situation and everything.
We are going up there early tomorrow so that we can be there when
she's there. I am so excited! We went over to Freddie's to visit with
him for a little bit. We had some Watermelon and pop with him. After
we left, I asked Elder Staley if he was in for a good laugh. We turned
around and stopped by a house that damned Elder Siebers and I to hell
last time we stopped by. His wife answered the door and he came
stomping into the room saying all kinds of stuff on how we shouldn't
add to the Bible and crap like that. He called us "Wolves in sheeps
clothing." Haha and said that we need to humble ourselves. Everyone
always pulls out Revelations 22:18 which says;
"18. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the
prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God
shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:"
That's a great scripture! It's funny because John was only stating
that no one should add to his book of Revelations. He had no idea his
book was going to be in the Bible which also means "collection of
books" in Hebrew. ALSO, Revelations was written before the New
Testament ended, so therefore the remainder would be invalid if that
was the case. There is a very similar verse in Deuteronomy 4:2 in the
Old Testament where Moses states that no one should add to his
writings as well. He wouldn't give us any time to say anything at all
though. We had a good laugh afterwards. Haha he was a jerk saying that
we are cursed and that our families don't love us. Who's the one that
needs to be more Christlike and humble again? Elder Staley said, "You
never disappoint me when you ask if I'm in for a good laugh!"
After that, we went over to Bro. Moore's. He's an awesome guy from
that ward. He's divorced with some kids. We visited with him for
awhile and he talked about the girls he's been dating recently. It's
nice to have some people you can really be yourself around and just
relax. He's one of them! He will share some funny stories from his
mission as well.
-Elder Mitchell
We had exchanges with the Cheraw Elders and I went to Cheraw. I went
with Elder Weaver who is quite the character... He is very hard to get
along with. We taught a couple less active's and the lessons went
well. We taught less active named Craig. He is Tammy Barefoot's uncle!
I bore my testimony to him about the atonement and how we go to church
to improve ourselves. He didn't feel like he was really worthy to go
to church. But I assured him that we all make mistakes, but the Lord
is always forgiving no matter what. It was a powerful lesson. I had
him read a couple verses in the scriptures and that's when he really
choked up and started crying. The Spirit was really working within
him. He addressed his concern with his wife not being a member and how
it might affect their relationship. I promised with him that it will
affect their relationship, but only in a good way. He will become a
better husband and father. I promised that she will see how much you
change and how happy you will be and she will be in full support. This
could even lead to her joining as well. He was a great guy and I could
tell that the Lord is really preparing him to come back.
7-6-16
We exchanged back around noon after our studies and we headed back to
Hartsville. Bro. Tadlock took us back from Cheraw and then took us to
lunch. We got some burgers which were really good! Then, we headed out
to go and visit Sis. Mason. She had to get a few things from the
grocery store, so we ran and did that for her. When we got back, she
was really pale and sweaty and was not feeling good at all. She could
barely even talk. Her potassium gets really low and she has a
pacemaker and defibrillator already. It was pretty scary, so we got
her medicine and I fed her some watermelon. We said a prayer and after
a little while, things seemed to get better. Eventually, she was back
to joking around with us, so we headed out. We got caught in a storm
and had to go inside because of the Lightning.
7-7-16
Today was a pretty good day! After our time given for Mormon.org time,
we went over to Louis Laffidy's to do some service. We sanded down and
old metal swing she has because the paint was all chipping off. Then,
we began to process of reprinting it! It was very hot outside... She
came out and got after us for being out in the heat. Haha after we ran
out of paint, we decided to stop for the day. We will go back when we
get another can of spray paint! She had a couple friends over, so we
went in and she gave us a Pepsi and Zebra Cakes. I never thought I
would be part of an old southern group of ladies gossiping about other
old people in the town! After we left, we went back to shower and cool
off. We went over to a lady's named Tonia. She used to go to church
when her husband was in the military. She does embroidering, so I
asked if she would embroider my bag! She kicked us out of her house
because there was a storm coming in. She tried to get her husband to
take us home, but we wouldn't let them since it wasn't very far away.
We left and got just down the road, then turned the corner and it just
started dumping rain on us. We got soaked and the wind was blowing
debris all over the place!
7-8-16
We had ZTM today which went really well! There were some good
trainings given on diligence and spiritual labor. After that, we ate
at a Chinese buffet with the Cheraw seniors. When we got to H-Ville,
we got a call from Tammy saying that her aunt passed away this morning
and that they're having the funeral Saturday so she can't go to the
temple then. She said that she wants to go on Monday instead during
our Stake Temple trip. We called the temple to switch the appointment
over to Monday which still worked! So we are going to go then instead
which is fine! We then, headed over to Tonia's to pick up my backpack.
She did a really good job and just like what I told her I wanted! We
left to go knock in this area around an investigator. I felt prompted
to go and knock on this one door. Turned out to be a really nice
family with a young baby. The lesson went really well! We gave them a
BoM to read and set up a time to see them again. I think it's so neat
to see the amazing outcomes of following promptings. We went over to
Patti and Dave's during the evening and we had a good visit with them.
They are such a funny old couple. Dave comes up with the craziest
things that he says! I'm gonna miss them whenever I leave
Hartsville... We can always count on them to cheer us right up if we
are feeling down or discouraged.
7-9-16
Today was such a hot day out. The weather this week has either been
really hot, or raining... Or both. We got in our service clothes and
went over to Sis. Smother's to help her put this bunk bed together. It
was quite the project, but I enjoyed it! Her youngest son Pressley
kept us company and told us stories while we were working. Hardee was
having a birthday party for his 12th birthday as well, so we played
some basketball with all the kids. It was a lot of fun! We didn't
catch anyone home today, so it was pretty discouraging... Frank saved
the day and picked us up to go get some milkshakes from Sonic. He's
such a kind and generous guy! He really helps us out a ton.
7-10-16
Church went well as usual. I helped pass the sacrament which was a
neat opportunity to be able to do again! After sacrament meeting, we
got with Tammy and discussed the carpooling situation and everything.
We are going up there early tomorrow so that we can be there when
she's there. I am so excited! We went over to Freddie's to visit with
him for a little bit. We had some Watermelon and pop with him. After
we left, I asked Elder Staley if he was in for a good laugh. We turned
around and stopped by a house that damned Elder Siebers and I to hell
last time we stopped by. His wife answered the door and he came
stomping into the room saying all kinds of stuff on how we shouldn't
add to the Bible and crap like that. He called us "Wolves in sheeps
clothing." Haha and said that we need to humble ourselves. Everyone
always pulls out Revelations 22:18 which says;
"18. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the
prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God
shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:"
That's a great scripture! It's funny because John was only stating
that no one should add to his book of Revelations. He had no idea his
book was going to be in the Bible which also means "collection of
books" in Hebrew. ALSO, Revelations was written before the New
Testament ended, so therefore the remainder would be invalid if that
was the case. There is a very similar verse in Deuteronomy 4:2 in the
Old Testament where Moses states that no one should add to his
writings as well. He wouldn't give us any time to say anything at all
though. We had a good laugh afterwards. Haha he was a jerk saying that
we are cursed and that our families don't love us. Who's the one that
needs to be more Christlike and humble again? Elder Staley said, "You
never disappoint me when you ask if I'm in for a good laugh!"
After that, we went over to Bro. Moore's. He's an awesome guy from
that ward. He's divorced with some kids. We visited with him for
awhile and he talked about the girls he's been dating recently. It's
nice to have some people you can really be yourself around and just
relax. He's one of them! He will share some funny stories from his
mission as well.
-Elder Mitchell
Monday, July 4, 2016
7/4/16
Fun fact: did you know that Abraham Lincoln checked out the Book of
Mormon from the library in the Whitehouse for a couple weeks? It was
during a troubled time in America and things seemed to turn around for
the country when he made changes after that time. Very well could've
been because of him reading the BoM!
6-27-16
PDay was a lot of fun! The Cheraw Elders came down and spent the day
with us. We played some tennis and basketball at the church. Frank met
us at the tennis courts to see us, but he had to go home because he
want feeling good. After dinner, we stopped by a couple people who
weren't home. Then, we went and saw the Laffidy's to see how they're
doing. They fed us (like always) and we had a good visit with them!
Their son Cole is coming home from his mission in August, so they're
getting pretty excited about that.
6-28-16
After DDM this morning, we went to Yogi Bear with Elder Lambert an
Elder Thornton. They're on exchanges for today. They took our bikes on
the back of the car ao we didn't have to bike as far after lunch. We
went to Sis. Laffidy's for a little bit and got dumped on with rain
and some lightning. She had to go to the eye doctor, so we sat under
her carport until it died down a bit. You couldn't even see because of
how hard it was raining! It cleared up after about an hour and we went
to go see a less active who wasn't home. We knocked a little bit
around her neighborhood to find some people. An old, chubby guy walked
up to us and started talking about how he had surgery on his breast.
Then, he proceeded to lift his shirt up so that we could see the
bandage on his moob! It wasn't a pleasant thing to look at... He said
he would invite us into his trailer, but he has to go lay down. We
told him that we will pray for him for the tumor to be benign. After
we left, he stuck up a cigarette and walked off! Haha interesting guy.
We rode over to a less active's house and taught her a little bit. She
had the cutest little kitten that was really playful!
We went over to Freddie's house who invited us over for burgers that
one time. He's such a nice guy! He made burgers for us that were the
size of our heads! We ate that with Watermelon and Grape soda (yes, he
is black). We were so stuffed. Then, we went to Applebee's with Frank.
We didn't have an appetites, but he ordered a big appetizer for us to
share and some desserts. We planned to go there because he wanted to
watch the Coastal Carolina and Arizona baseball game. It's the College
World Series! CCU is such an underdog team who ended up making it
there! They won 5-4 tonight, so it is 1-1 in the series. They play for
the championship tomorrow!
6-29-16
It was a really hot day today. I almost wished it rained on us again
to cool off! We were going to an appointment we had, but there weren't
home and we decided to knock around. We got to this house where a
little puppy was stuck in between the trailer house and the stairs...
It wasn't tied up to anything but had a leash on him. He was just
trying to get some shade and its leash got stuck behind there too. We
got the puppy unstuck and gave it some water. It lapped up that water
so fast. It didn't have any food or water. It was so happy that we
played with him for a bit. We put his leash on a post in the shade so
that he didn't run off. I felt so bad for him... I wanted to take him
home. He was the cutest puppy and was suffering from abuse. The
trailer was just falling apart... If you can't even take care of
yourself, don't get a dog! They weren't home, otherwise I would've
gave them a piece of my mind! It was hard to leave the dog.
When we finally left, we tried by a couple other people who weren't
home and headed all the way across town for our next appointments.
Guess what... They weren't home either! So that was a pointless 7
miles we had biked. We stopped at Dequans even though he wasn't there
and took a little break on his porch.
Tammy Barefoot went to Florence for her interview with the Stake
President this evening! She got her temple recommend!! If the stars
align, we will go next weekend. We wouldn't gone this Saturday, but
her mom got sick and had to have surgery... I can't wait to witness
someone's first time going through! We stopped by Patti and Dave this
evening to see how they're doing. They randomly started talking about
poop and it was awkward! She talked about how Dave would make a mess
when he poops. Patti asked Dave, "Do you wipe from the front to back
or back to front?" He abruptly said, "SIDEWAYS!" Haha
6-30-16
Coastal Carolina won the College World Series! Myrtle Beach is going
to be so hype tonight! It was a big upset that CCU even made it to the
World Series and then to win it is crazy. We stopped in at a bar and
grill to watch the last three innings of it and to get a pop and talk
to an investigator (Vanessa) working. Rewinding to before we did that,
we met a really nice lady named Kerah who has two young kids. We
taught her a little bit and shared a pamphlet with her. While we were
riding down the road, we saw these two car in an empty parking lot and
they were riding RC Cars around. They were so fast! One of them was
getting up to 65 mph. We stopped by a house today that belonged to an
old grumpy couple. They have rejected us pretty hardcore last time
when I was with Siebers, but we were due for a good laugh. Their door
was open and they were watching tv in the living room, so they saw us
when we walked up. The old guy tried to shoo us away. Haha, so I stood
there and just waved back at him for about 5 minutes acting like I
thought he was just waving at us. He told us to go away and we acted
like we didn't hear... "Sorry, what was that?" The old couple just
looked at eachother confused at what to do. Then he eventually, got up
and told us that he is 92 years old and wasn't interested in anything
we had to say and he didn't want to convert to another church. It was
hard not to laugh the whole time because they were so frustrated.
Especially, when he had to get out of his chair which took another 5
minutes of rocking back and forth to gain enough momentum to get to
his feet. Vanessa invited us over to her house for dinner later, so we
went over there and ate with her and her friend Jonathan. We had
another good laugh there as we acted like we were doing dishes by
pushing around pots and pans while the water was running for no reason
to make it sound like we were doing something. We were both just
crying laughing because of what we were doing and that they didn't
even notice (you had to be there). Vanessa said she will come to
church this Sunday!
7-1-16
Our day consisted of exchanges with the Florence Elders (ZLs). I went
to Florence with Elder Lambert. We started out by stopping by some
people who weren't home. We noticed that there was a Uhaul truck
pulling in next to us, so we decided to help! We helped them carry all
their stuff up the stairs and they were really grateful. There was a
young guy that was going to have to move everything by himself. After
we helped, we taught the young guy a little bit too. After that, we
picked up a member and we went teaching a couple people. We taught a
guy that they have on date who is really solid! We bumped his date too
sooner as well. We taught him the commandment of prayer and sabbath
day. We got some really good shaved ice and then went to a part
member's home and taught the children.
7-2-16
After we exchanged back, we went to the church and helped Tammy and
her family clean. It was fun! We played some basketball with Jake
afterwards. Then, she took us over to a restaurant that they eat at
pretty much every single day. We had a good visit with her about going
to the temple! We are going to try to go next weekend (the 9th)! After
we ate, we stayed at home for a little while due to Elder Staley
getting food poisoning. We had an appointment, so we headed out to go
across town and she wasn't even there. Her mom answered the door and
said that she wasn't interested in what we had to say. She said
something that is so obnoxious to hear. She told us that we "worship a
different God" than she does? I was just like, "what makes you think
that? What is your God like?" She didn't know what to say next so she
just said she didn't want to get into it. I assured her that it's the
same God we worship and love as He loves us back. The same God that
sent his son here to die for us. She didn't know what she was talking
about anyway... Haha she just didn't want to talk. So we asked her if
we could still stop by and visit with her daughter (Kerah) who is 22
-which she was okay with. Then, we stopped by a less active and
visited with her. She's been going through some trials lately, so we
shared a message about enduring through them.
7-3-16
Church went really well today! Vanessa came to church which was
awesome to see her there. The only thing that was frustrating, was
that we worked hard to get her there and the Sister missionaries
started talking to her while we were helping handout programs. They
had her sit by them during sacrament... We didn't even get to talk to
her very much except for when she had to leave. That made it look like
the sisters had an investigator there instead of us. They haven't
gotten an investigator to church in the past 3 or more transfers. They
don't go out very much because it's "too hot" and they even have AC in
their car. We are working hard and it is paying off. Then, for them to
do that was kind of obnoxious. They're socially awkward too, so they
didn't even talk to Vanessa and explain anything about testimony
meeting. I was pretty frustrated, but at least she came! After church,
we ate some lunch with Tammy Barefoot and she took us home. We planned
to go see a less active with Bro. Haney since they're far away, but he
wasn't feeling good. We gave him a blessing instead. We rescheduled
our visit with the less active family for Tuesday. It stormed for a
little while, so we stayed in from the Lightning until it calmed down.
Freddie invited us over to his cookout he was having. We went over
there and out of about 35 people, we were the only white ones. Haha it
was a lot of fun! We had some good southern cooking' soul food. They
had smoked ribs, chicken, meatballs, potato salad, beans, chicken
salad and Bud Light! I settled for some grape soda instead
(purpdrank). 🍇🍼 I was so stuffed. They hired a DJ, so they were
bumpin some old soul music as well. I love black people!
Scripture of the week: 2 Nephi 1:7
"Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And
if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments
which he hath given, it shall be a land of LIBERTY unto them;
wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it
shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed
shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be
blessed forever."
Lehi is prophesying of the land of promise. Still to this day, we have
our liberty and freedom. It has required a lot of fighting for our
country, but it is promised that the land will remain consecrated as
long is people live righteously. Such a neat chapter!
-Elder Mitchell
Mormon from the library in the Whitehouse for a couple weeks? It was
during a troubled time in America and things seemed to turn around for
the country when he made changes after that time. Very well could've
been because of him reading the BoM!
6-27-16
PDay was a lot of fun! The Cheraw Elders came down and spent the day
with us. We played some tennis and basketball at the church. Frank met
us at the tennis courts to see us, but he had to go home because he
want feeling good. After dinner, we stopped by a couple people who
weren't home. Then, we went and saw the Laffidy's to see how they're
doing. They fed us (like always) and we had a good visit with them!
Their son Cole is coming home from his mission in August, so they're
getting pretty excited about that.
6-28-16
After DDM this morning, we went to Yogi Bear with Elder Lambert an
Elder Thornton. They're on exchanges for today. They took our bikes on
the back of the car ao we didn't have to bike as far after lunch. We
went to Sis. Laffidy's for a little bit and got dumped on with rain
and some lightning. She had to go to the eye doctor, so we sat under
her carport until it died down a bit. You couldn't even see because of
how hard it was raining! It cleared up after about an hour and we went
to go see a less active who wasn't home. We knocked a little bit
around her neighborhood to find some people. An old, chubby guy walked
up to us and started talking about how he had surgery on his breast.
Then, he proceeded to lift his shirt up so that we could see the
bandage on his moob! It wasn't a pleasant thing to look at... He said
he would invite us into his trailer, but he has to go lay down. We
told him that we will pray for him for the tumor to be benign. After
we left, he stuck up a cigarette and walked off! Haha interesting guy.
We rode over to a less active's house and taught her a little bit. She
had the cutest little kitten that was really playful!
We went over to Freddie's house who invited us over for burgers that
one time. He's such a nice guy! He made burgers for us that were the
size of our heads! We ate that with Watermelon and Grape soda (yes, he
is black). We were so stuffed. Then, we went to Applebee's with Frank.
We didn't have an appetites, but he ordered a big appetizer for us to
share and some desserts. We planned to go there because he wanted to
watch the Coastal Carolina and Arizona baseball game. It's the College
World Series! CCU is such an underdog team who ended up making it
there! They won 5-4 tonight, so it is 1-1 in the series. They play for
the championship tomorrow!
6-29-16
It was a really hot day today. I almost wished it rained on us again
to cool off! We were going to an appointment we had, but there weren't
home and we decided to knock around. We got to this house where a
little puppy was stuck in between the trailer house and the stairs...
It wasn't tied up to anything but had a leash on him. He was just
trying to get some shade and its leash got stuck behind there too. We
got the puppy unstuck and gave it some water. It lapped up that water
so fast. It didn't have any food or water. It was so happy that we
played with him for a bit. We put his leash on a post in the shade so
that he didn't run off. I felt so bad for him... I wanted to take him
home. He was the cutest puppy and was suffering from abuse. The
trailer was just falling apart... If you can't even take care of
yourself, don't get a dog! They weren't home, otherwise I would've
gave them a piece of my mind! It was hard to leave the dog.
When we finally left, we tried by a couple other people who weren't
home and headed all the way across town for our next appointments.
Guess what... They weren't home either! So that was a pointless 7
miles we had biked. We stopped at Dequans even though he wasn't there
and took a little break on his porch.
Tammy Barefoot went to Florence for her interview with the Stake
President this evening! She got her temple recommend!! If the stars
align, we will go next weekend. We wouldn't gone this Saturday, but
her mom got sick and had to have surgery... I can't wait to witness
someone's first time going through! We stopped by Patti and Dave this
evening to see how they're doing. They randomly started talking about
poop and it was awkward! She talked about how Dave would make a mess
when he poops. Patti asked Dave, "Do you wipe from the front to back
or back to front?" He abruptly said, "SIDEWAYS!" Haha
6-30-16
Coastal Carolina won the College World Series! Myrtle Beach is going
to be so hype tonight! It was a big upset that CCU even made it to the
World Series and then to win it is crazy. We stopped in at a bar and
grill to watch the last three innings of it and to get a pop and talk
to an investigator (Vanessa) working. Rewinding to before we did that,
we met a really nice lady named Kerah who has two young kids. We
taught her a little bit and shared a pamphlet with her. While we were
riding down the road, we saw these two car in an empty parking lot and
they were riding RC Cars around. They were so fast! One of them was
getting up to 65 mph. We stopped by a house today that belonged to an
old grumpy couple. They have rejected us pretty hardcore last time
when I was with Siebers, but we were due for a good laugh. Their door
was open and they were watching tv in the living room, so they saw us
when we walked up. The old guy tried to shoo us away. Haha, so I stood
there and just waved back at him for about 5 minutes acting like I
thought he was just waving at us. He told us to go away and we acted
like we didn't hear... "Sorry, what was that?" The old couple just
looked at eachother confused at what to do. Then he eventually, got up
and told us that he is 92 years old and wasn't interested in anything
we had to say and he didn't want to convert to another church. It was
hard not to laugh the whole time because they were so frustrated.
Especially, when he had to get out of his chair which took another 5
minutes of rocking back and forth to gain enough momentum to get to
his feet. Vanessa invited us over to her house for dinner later, so we
went over there and ate with her and her friend Jonathan. We had
another good laugh there as we acted like we were doing dishes by
pushing around pots and pans while the water was running for no reason
to make it sound like we were doing something. We were both just
crying laughing because of what we were doing and that they didn't
even notice (you had to be there). Vanessa said she will come to
church this Sunday!
7-1-16
Our day consisted of exchanges with the Florence Elders (ZLs). I went
to Florence with Elder Lambert. We started out by stopping by some
people who weren't home. We noticed that there was a Uhaul truck
pulling in next to us, so we decided to help! We helped them carry all
their stuff up the stairs and they were really grateful. There was a
young guy that was going to have to move everything by himself. After
we helped, we taught the young guy a little bit too. After that, we
picked up a member and we went teaching a couple people. We taught a
guy that they have on date who is really solid! We bumped his date too
sooner as well. We taught him the commandment of prayer and sabbath
day. We got some really good shaved ice and then went to a part
member's home and taught the children.
7-2-16
After we exchanged back, we went to the church and helped Tammy and
her family clean. It was fun! We played some basketball with Jake
afterwards. Then, she took us over to a restaurant that they eat at
pretty much every single day. We had a good visit with her about going
to the temple! We are going to try to go next weekend (the 9th)! After
we ate, we stayed at home for a little while due to Elder Staley
getting food poisoning. We had an appointment, so we headed out to go
across town and she wasn't even there. Her mom answered the door and
said that she wasn't interested in what we had to say. She said
something that is so obnoxious to hear. She told us that we "worship a
different God" than she does? I was just like, "what makes you think
that? What is your God like?" She didn't know what to say next so she
just said she didn't want to get into it. I assured her that it's the
same God we worship and love as He loves us back. The same God that
sent his son here to die for us. She didn't know what she was talking
about anyway... Haha she just didn't want to talk. So we asked her if
we could still stop by and visit with her daughter (Kerah) who is 22
-which she was okay with. Then, we stopped by a less active and
visited with her. She's been going through some trials lately, so we
shared a message about enduring through them.
7-3-16
Church went really well today! Vanessa came to church which was
awesome to see her there. The only thing that was frustrating, was
that we worked hard to get her there and the Sister missionaries
started talking to her while we were helping handout programs. They
had her sit by them during sacrament... We didn't even get to talk to
her very much except for when she had to leave. That made it look like
the sisters had an investigator there instead of us. They haven't
gotten an investigator to church in the past 3 or more transfers. They
don't go out very much because it's "too hot" and they even have AC in
their car. We are working hard and it is paying off. Then, for them to
do that was kind of obnoxious. They're socially awkward too, so they
didn't even talk to Vanessa and explain anything about testimony
meeting. I was pretty frustrated, but at least she came! After church,
we ate some lunch with Tammy Barefoot and she took us home. We planned
to go see a less active with Bro. Haney since they're far away, but he
wasn't feeling good. We gave him a blessing instead. We rescheduled
our visit with the less active family for Tuesday. It stormed for a
little while, so we stayed in from the Lightning until it calmed down.
Freddie invited us over to his cookout he was having. We went over
there and out of about 35 people, we were the only white ones. Haha it
was a lot of fun! We had some good southern cooking' soul food. They
had smoked ribs, chicken, meatballs, potato salad, beans, chicken
salad and Bud Light! I settled for some grape soda instead
(purpdrank). 🍇🍼 I was so stuffed. They hired a DJ, so they were
bumpin some old soul music as well. I love black people!
Scripture of the week: 2 Nephi 1:7
"Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And
if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments
which he hath given, it shall be a land of LIBERTY unto them;
wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it
shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed
shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be
blessed forever."
Lehi is prophesying of the land of promise. Still to this day, we have
our liberty and freedom. It has required a lot of fighting for our
country, but it is promised that the land will remain consecrated as
long is people live righteously. Such a neat chapter!
-Elder Mitchell
Monday, June 27, 2016
6/27/16
It was a good PDay today! Bro. Tadlock took us out to lunch at a Mexican restaurant and brought his nephew Wyatt. After that, we waited on E. Staley to get a haircut and then played tennis. We played a game of doubles! Then, we got our groceries home and headed to the church to play some basketball. Little did we know that about 30 people were going to show up! We played a bunch of games. I had the game winning shot at the end. 😎 Dee was telling us about how he enjoyed church on Sunday. He plans to come again and bring some friends that we met playing ball!
6-21-16
It was a slow day today... We couldn't catch very many people home. So we went to go help Patti & Dave, but Patti wasn't feeling well and Dave wouldn't let us! We sat and visited with him for a little bit while we watched "Conan: the Destroyer 1982"
with Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's a new favorite for me! I hope to someday, be half the man that he is. After that, we tried to catch Dee at home and a few others, but no one was available. For dinner, we made Quesadillas and headed out to the other side of town. We caught the guy who let Elder Rose and I in while he got the bloody nose, but he wants to stick with his own religion... We went to stop by the Thompson's to see what they were doing and just Jakob and Liam were there. They just ordered pizza, so they gave us some and we played a little basketball with them.
6-22-16
We had Zone Conference today which was really awesome! We had some good trainings by the APs, Zone Leaders and Pres. Turner. This went until 4:00 pm, so we got back just in time to get ready for Ward Coordination. That meeting went well and we talked about Tammy getting ready to go to the temple. After the meeting, we saw her before she talked to the Bishop and she said it went really well! Now she has to meet with the Stake President. I am so excited for her! We kept Jake preoccupied while she was in there. When she left, Dee and some friends and some investigators came and played basketball. We played ball with them for a bit and showed the investigator who came around the church a bit. We also, shared some scriptures with Dequan on the Sideline. The bishop is trying to shutdown us playing basketball on Mondays because he said the facilities need to be shut down Monday because it should be family night. Uhh we're missionaries? The ward doesn't organize any activities to get the community involved, so we took it upon ourselves to organize basketball where nonmembers can come and play! We open with a prayer and spiritual thought. We are just making them feel welcome and comfortable in our church and that we are normal people! That's a big reason why Dequan came to church last Sunday because we gave him a tour of the church and played basketball. Now, he is comfortable enough to bring his friends with him. He already calls it "his church" haha. We see them around town all the time and they'll honk at us and talk to us. We are pretty popular now! So we are going to go talk to Bishop about it Sunday and make sure he doesn't shut it down...
6-23-16
This morning, we got up and helped the Barefoots clean the church.
They were really grateful for that. After that, we played some basketball and kicked the ball around with Jake. He was laughing hard.
He cracks me up. After we went back to the apartment and finished our studies, we set out to go proselyte. We went to the ghetto to go try by some potentials. We went up and talked to a group of black guys for a bit. It reeked of weed over there while we were talking to them.
Haha we ended up having a good conversation with them and they were really nice! The potential investigator we taught before was out there, so we taught her a little bit too. We also, set up a return appointment. After that, we stopped by an investigator named Candice.
She was passed out asleep under her garage, so we decided to take pictures with her! Haha
6-24-16
We helped Sis. Mason mow her lawn today. There was a friend of hers that came over and we got to teach them! Her brother was there for a bit too. After that, we went to the church to give Sister Jones (Sister Missionary) a blessing. Her eye was completely swollen shut for some reason. We finally, were able to get some lunch. After lunch/dinner, we tried by some people and called a ton of people to stop by and see them. No one was available... It was just one of those trial days.
6-25-16
After we set out for the day, we tried to catch some people at home who weren't. Then, we went over to Dequan's because we were going to cut his lawn. Dequan said that their mower caught on fire while they were trying to mow last time. After about 8 weeks of it being really long, we decided to go help them cut it. The day we decided to do it, was the day they must've decided to have someone else cut it! That was kind of frustrating. Haha but it's turned out to be a good thing because it dumped rain a little after we drove by there. Bro. Solomon took us over there with his mower, but since we couldn't mow... He took us to get milkshakes at Cook-Out! It cleared up after about an hour and a half, so we headed out again. We finally met the guy we saw at Lowe's who randomly invited us over for burgers! He is this really nice black guy named Freddie. He used to play baseball for USC and now he works at a Chrysler place making bearings for the cars. He has met with missionaries before and is still in contact with one on Facebook!
He invited us back over on Tuesday for burgers, so I can't wait for that! To end the night, we stopped to visit with Bro. Moles. He has had some health issues, so he hasn't been able to go to church lately.
We had a good visit with him and shared a message.
6-26-16
After Sacrament meeting, the Bishop called us in to visit with him about basketball. We talked to him about a member named Ziggy Ansuh
(sp?) and he plays for the Detroit Lions now in the NFL. We talked about him because he was introduced by the missionaries through a simple game of basketball. That's how he joined the church! We talked about Dequan as well. He didn't get to go to church this Sunday because he was out of town, but he started coming once he came to play basketball. He plans to bring some friends to church as well! He agreed that we can continue playing, but we have to keep the numbers down to around 10 people. After church, we went over to Sis. Tingen's and Pete grilled some awesome pork and chicken. I was stuffed! Then, we went to visit Sis. Mason and talk with her for a little bit. We stopped by some investigators named Doug and Desi. They were playing board games, so we played a little bit with them. One was called "Exploding Kittens." They cooked some curry for dinner and fed us!
They are some really nice people. They told us that they want their house to be a "safe house" where we can feel comfortable to stop and get a drink or food anytime. Then, they drove us home for the night!
-Elder Mitchell
6/27/16
It was a good PDay today! Bro. Tadlock took us out to lunch at a Mexican restaurant and brought his nephew Wyatt. After that, we waited on E. Staley to get a haircut and then played tennis. We played a game of doubles! Then, we got our groceries home and headed to the church to play some basketball. Little did we know that about 30 people were going to show up! We played a bunch of games. I had the game winning shot at the end. 😎 Dee was telling us about how he enjoyed church on Sunday. He plans to come again and bring some friends that we met playing ball!
6-21-16
It was a slow day today... We couldn't catch very many people home. So we went to go help Patti & Dave, but Patti wasn't feeling well and Dave wouldn't let us! We sat and visited with him for a little bit while we watched "Conan: the Destroyer 1982"
with Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's a new favorite for me! I hope to someday, be half the man that he is. After that, we tried to catch Dee at home and a few others, but no one was available. For dinner, we made Quesadillas and headed out to the other side of town. We caught the guy who let Elder Rose and I in while he got the bloody nose, but he wants to stick with his own religion... We went to stop by the Thompson's to see what they were doing and just Jakob and Liam were there. They just ordered pizza, so they gave us some and we played a little basketball with them.
6-22-16
We had Zone Conference today which was really awesome! We had some good trainings by the APs, Zone Leaders and Pres. Turner. This went until 4:00 pm, so we got back just in time to get ready for Ward Coordination. That meeting went well and we talked about Tammy getting ready to go to the temple. After the meeting, we saw her before she talked to the Bishop and she said it went really well! Now she has to meet with the Stake President. I am so excited for her! We kept Jake preoccupied while she was in there. When she left, Dee and some friends and some investigators came and played basketball. We played ball with them for a bit and showed the investigator who came around the church a bit. We also, shared some scriptures with Dequan on the Sideline. The bishop is trying to shutdown us playing basketball on Mondays because he said the facilities need to be shut down Monday because it should be family night. Uhh we're missionaries? The ward doesn't organize any activities to get the community involved, so we took it upon ourselves to organize basketball where nonmembers can come and play! We open with a prayer and spiritual thought. We are just making them feel welcome and comfortable in our church and that we are normal people! That's a big reason why Dequan came to church last Sunday because we gave him a tour of the church and played basketball. Now, he is comfortable enough to bring his friends with him. He already calls it "his church" haha. We see them around town all the time and they'll honk at us and talk to us. We are pretty popular now! So we are going to go talk to Bishop about it Sunday and make sure he doesn't shut it down...
6-23-16
This morning, we got up and helped the Barefoots clean the church.
They were really grateful for that. After that, we played some basketball and kicked the ball around with Jake. He was laughing hard.
He cracks me up. After we went back to the apartment and finished our studies, we set out to go proselyte. We went to the ghetto to go try by some potentials. We went up and talked to a group of black guys for a bit. It reeked of weed over there while we were talking to them.
Haha we ended up having a good conversation with them and they were really nice! The potential investigator we taught before was out there, so we taught her a little bit too. We also, set up a return appointment. After that, we stopped by an investigator named Candice.
She was passed out asleep under her garage, so we decided to take pictures with her! Haha
6-24-16
We helped Sis. Mason mow her lawn today. There was a friend of hers that came over and we got to teach them! Her brother was there for a bit too. After that, we went to the church to give Sister Jones (Sister Missionary) a blessing. Her eye was completely swollen shut for some reason. We finally, were able to get some lunch. After lunch/dinner, we tried by some people and called a ton of people to stop by and see them. No one was available... It was just one of those trial days.
6-25-16
After we set out for the day, we tried to catch some people at home who weren't. Then, we went over to Dequan's because we were going to cut his lawn. Dequan said that their mower caught on fire while they were trying to mow last time. After about 8 weeks of it being really long, we decided to go help them cut it. The day we decided to do it, was the day they must've decided to have someone else cut it! That was kind of frustrating. Haha but it's turned out to be a good thing because it dumped rain a little after we drove by there. Bro. Solomon took us over there with his mower, but since we couldn't mow... He took us to get milkshakes at Cook-Out! It cleared up after about an hour and a half, so we headed out again. We finally met the guy we saw at Lowe's who randomly invited us over for burgers! He is this really nice black guy named Freddie. He used to play baseball for USC and now he works at a Chrysler place making bearings for the cars. He has met with missionaries before and is still in contact with one on Facebook!
He invited us back over on Tuesday for burgers, so I can't wait for that! To end the night, we stopped to visit with Bro. Moles. He has had some health issues, so he hasn't been able to go to church lately.
We had a good visit with him and shared a message.
6-26-16
After Sacrament meeting, the Bishop called us in to visit with him about basketball. We talked to him about a member named Ziggy Ansuh
(sp?) and he plays for the Detroit Lions now in the NFL. We talked about him because he was introduced by the missionaries through a simple game of basketball. That's how he joined the church! We talked about Dequan as well. He didn't get to go to church this Sunday because he was out of town, but he started coming once he came to play basketball. He plans to bring some friends to church as well! He agreed that we can continue playing, but we have to keep the numbers down to around 10 people. After church, we went over to Sis. Tingen's and Pete grilled some awesome pork and chicken. I was stuffed! Then, we went to visit Sis. Mason and talk with her for a little bit. We stopped by some investigators named Doug and Desi. They were playing board games, so we played a little bit with them. One was called "Exploding Kittens." They cooked some curry for dinner and fed us!
They are some really nice people. They told us that they want their house to be a "safe house" where we can feel comfortable to stop and get a drink or food anytime. Then, they drove us home for the night!
-Elder Mitchell
Monday, June 13, 2016
6/13/16
6-6-16
For P-Day today, we had planned to get the Cheraw Elders and Zone
leaders and us together and play tennis, but it rained all day...
Instead, Frank took us to Florence to Academy Sports and I got some
sunglasses. The mission has approved for us to wear sunglasses now
which is really nice on a bike! After that, we ate at a Buffet called
the "Thunderbird Buffet" which is all soul food. I had some fatback
for the first time and it was pretty good! Really salty... Haha
When we got back to Hartsville, we met with a bunch of youth and
played basketball at the gym. They brought a bunch of friends who
weren't members as well. It was a lot of fun!
6-7-16
Today, we went over and helped Sis. Mason with a mower she just
bought. She didn't end up wanting it, so we are going to take it back
for her tomorrow. After that, we went over and talked to a potential
named Gina with Sis. Mason and taught her a little bit. We rode our
bikes with her son to his baseball practice to make sure he got there
safe. We tried by a couple other people who weren't home and headed
back for dinner. Frank picked us up and took us to Sonic to eat since
he was in town playing tennis.
6-8-16
We had an interesting lesson today... We talked to an old lady who
called babies Devils and children little liars. She also said that
baptism doesn't need to be by water and that it only needs to be from
the Spirit. We bashed her with all kinds of scriptures in the bible
about how both of those are not true. I was pretty frustrated. We
would read the verses and she would say, "that's exactly right and go
on about what she believes still! The Spirit was not there, so we
decided to say a prayer with her and leave. When she looked at me in
the eyes and said that she thinks babies are "little devils" I just
felt this darkness in my chest because I knew that, that wasn't right
at all. Pastors here deceive people so much and rob them. I always
think about 2 Nephi 28: 8-18 and how powerful and true that statement
is. They were prideful and taught "by the precepts of men."
After that quick lesson, we went over to Sis. Mason's and got her
mower to take back. A guy in the parking lot of Lowe's yelled out his
window and asked us when we are coming over again. He invited us over
for hamburgers tomorrow. Haha so he yelled out his address. I don't
think I have ever met him before. Haha, So we will see how this goes
tomorrow!
6-9-16
We went to go visit a less active who was at a nonmembers, so we got a
member present. We shared a little bit of the Restoration with her
while we went over to visit the less active. After the lesson, we went
over to see if there was another less active home. He graduated from
Coker college here and planned to move, so we were going to ask if he
needed help. We stopped by and the guy who answered said that he
already left. We got to talking to the guy who answered the door and
he seemed like a really cool guy. He wrestles at Coker College here in
the 155 weight class. He had cauliflower ear so I noticed and that's
how I brought it up and asked. I challenged him right then and there
to wrestle! Haha kidding. But he said that we could come back anytime,
so we will have to take up him on that.
When we got back for dinner, we came in and started fixing some food
and then noticed that our apartment got broken into. The front door
frame was all busted out like someone kicked the door open. We usually
go in the back door, so we didn't notice until a little later. We
quickly looked around the apartment and nothing taken except our jar
of change that we've been saving up from picking up coins on the
street. It's interesting because in the back two rooms my new
sunglasses, my watches, E. Staley's guitar and his emergency cash was
sitting out. It makes me wonder what stopped them from going back into
the rooms. Probably all the pictures of Jesus and no tv! We were
definantly blessed that they didn't take anything. We had to file a
report with the police anyway. I know the Mayor pretty well, so we
texted him and told him what happened as well. Haha no big deal! When
we told Sis. Thompson about it, she took over a tiny little .22 pistol
of her boyfriend's to use in case something else happens. This thing
is smaller than my watch!
6-10-16
ZTM was today and it was really good! P the ZLs shared a couple
snippets from talks given by President Eyring and Elder Holland. They
were talking about self evaluation and being confident in yourself.
The mission as a whole,has been struggling a little bit, so I think
this was s great thing to go over. After our meeting, Elder Parker who
is an amazing organ player, jams out on the organ like usual. He
played for his ward back home at the age of 14. I asked him to play
some Journey and he can just play the tune without even messing up! He
wants to play for the MOTAB someday. We ate at a really good Mexican
restaurant with the ZLs and the Cheraw Elders before we went back to
H-Ville. We got back and went to contact a referral. They weren't
home, but we decided to knock around them. We knew there was a reason
why we were prompted to go over there in that area today. We met a
lady named Tangie across the street who has a family and was
interested in our message. She asked us to come back another day and
teach her. It is so hot outside today. We have been chugging water to
try and keep up with the humidity and heat. Towards the end of the
night, we met with the Beckett family and shared a message with them.
6-11-16
This morning, Bro. Beckett picked us up and we went over to Anthony's.
He had a tree fall in his driveway that was good sized. We not being
able to use power tools cut it all up with a bow saw... I ran that saw
while Elder Staley drug all the limbs into a pile. It was a workout
and a half! I was drenched in sweat. It has been so hot this week. The
humidity sucks.
Daniel came out with us today for a couple hours. We worked hard for
those two hours to get some lessons in with a member present. We have
been praying daily to focus on member presents this week and we used
faith as a power to accomplish it! We met the mission's standard of
excellence of 8 member present lessons this week. It was a big
accomplishment for us! While we were out, a black guy on his bike rode
by and asked what we were doing. We saw him talking to a guy in a car
and looking over at us right before he approached us. We told him and
he said he has someone for us to teach. I got this dark feeling from
him. We started to follow him a little bit, but I did not feel right
about it... We turned down this road and Elder Staley told me he
didn't feel good about this. That sealed the deal that we shouldn't
pursue any farther. I rode up next to him to look into his eyes and I
couldn't see any sincerity in them... When I got close, I noticed that
he had a gun on him. I told him that we will try to stop by later, but
we have an appointment to go to somewhere else and we rode away. The
very next door that we were led to knock on was what I believe, a
reward for listening to that prompting. We met two really awesome
families in the same home and taught them. They seemed really
interested and want to learn more! I get a gut-wrenching feeling
thinking about what could have happened if we followed that guy any
farther. I also think that we wouldn't have been able to meet those
families and accomplish our goal of member presents this week. That
was the last door we tried until Daniel had to go home. It was such a
big testimony builder this week. The Lord knows our desires and
intentions, so as long as we are doing all we can and praying for the
desire... He will answer and grant you the desire if it is His will.
After Daniel left, we worked until dinner and then had Bro. Ellison
(our ward mission leader) pick us to see a recent convert who hasn't
been to church in awhile. His phone is broken, so we were just trying
by. He was home and we were able to have a good visit with him! There
was a less active there as well, so we invited them both to church
tomorrow. They said that they will be there!
6-12-16
Today was ward conference and we had a pretty good turnout! The recent
convert and less active we saw yesterday showed up which was awesome!
A few other LAs we have been working with were there as well. One of
the Beckett's kids who is four turned around to us during sacrament
meeting and said, "Hey Elders! Someday, I'm going to be on a mission
with you guys!" Haha I thought it was cute.
There was a ton of food, so we had some good eatin'! After church, we
went to a program they had going on at a park in the ghetto area
called "Gospel in the Park." We brought a bunch of BoMs, Bibles and
pamphlets to handout. We had no idea what to expect when we went
there. We were thinking that someone was going to try and bash with
us. We got there and there was about 200 people there. And we were
probably the only two white guys there. Haha most of the people were
really nice to us! We passed out a lot of BoMs and taught 7 people
while we were there. It was quite the experience and an interesting
crowd! So much fun though. They had free fried fish and hot dogs too!
After Gospel in the Park, we paid Bro. Haney a visit and talked with
him for awhile.
I am very happy with how our week went. We had some trials this week
to try and keep us from our purpose, but we endured them and continued
to work! Half of our member presents were from revelation and
promptings. We felt prompted during planning to stop and see some
members and they had nonmembers over there when we showed up, so we
taught them! I am excited to see what next week has in store for us.
We are going to work even harder. This week was one of the most
successful and enjoyable weeks I've had on my mission thus far!
Transfers are next week, but we are both staying because E. Staley is
still in training.
"...the principle of power which existed in the bosom of God, by which
the worlds were framed, was faith; and that it is by reason of this
principle of power existing in the Deity, that all created things
exist; so that all things in heaven, on earth, or under the earth,
exist by reason of faith is it existed in Him.
Had it not been for the principle of faith the worlds would have never
been framed, neither would man have been formed of dust. It is the
principle by which Jehovah works, and through which he exercises power
over all temporal as well as eternal things. Take this principle of
attribute--for it is an attribute--from the Deity, and he would cease
to exist -Joseph Smith (Lectures on Faith)."
Scripture of the week:
D&C 123: 12-14
"12. For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and
denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men,
whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the
truth because they know not where to find it-
13. Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing
to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and
they are truly manifest from heaven-
14. These should then be attended to with great earnestness."
-Elder Mitchell
For P-Day today, we had planned to get the Cheraw Elders and Zone
leaders and us together and play tennis, but it rained all day...
Instead, Frank took us to Florence to Academy Sports and I got some
sunglasses. The mission has approved for us to wear sunglasses now
which is really nice on a bike! After that, we ate at a Buffet called
the "Thunderbird Buffet" which is all soul food. I had some fatback
for the first time and it was pretty good! Really salty... Haha
When we got back to Hartsville, we met with a bunch of youth and
played basketball at the gym. They brought a bunch of friends who
weren't members as well. It was a lot of fun!
6-7-16
Today, we went over and helped Sis. Mason with a mower she just
bought. She didn't end up wanting it, so we are going to take it back
for her tomorrow. After that, we went over and talked to a potential
named Gina with Sis. Mason and taught her a little bit. We rode our
bikes with her son to his baseball practice to make sure he got there
safe. We tried by a couple other people who weren't home and headed
back for dinner. Frank picked us up and took us to Sonic to eat since
he was in town playing tennis.
6-8-16
We had an interesting lesson today... We talked to an old lady who
called babies Devils and children little liars. She also said that
baptism doesn't need to be by water and that it only needs to be from
the Spirit. We bashed her with all kinds of scriptures in the bible
about how both of those are not true. I was pretty frustrated. We
would read the verses and she would say, "that's exactly right and go
on about what she believes still! The Spirit was not there, so we
decided to say a prayer with her and leave. When she looked at me in
the eyes and said that she thinks babies are "little devils" I just
felt this darkness in my chest because I knew that, that wasn't right
at all. Pastors here deceive people so much and rob them. I always
think about 2 Nephi 28: 8-18 and how powerful and true that statement
is. They were prideful and taught "by the precepts of men."
After that quick lesson, we went over to Sis. Mason's and got her
mower to take back. A guy in the parking lot of Lowe's yelled out his
window and asked us when we are coming over again. He invited us over
for hamburgers tomorrow. Haha so he yelled out his address. I don't
think I have ever met him before. Haha, So we will see how this goes
tomorrow!
6-9-16
We went to go visit a less active who was at a nonmembers, so we got a
member present. We shared a little bit of the Restoration with her
while we went over to visit the less active. After the lesson, we went
over to see if there was another less active home. He graduated from
Coker college here and planned to move, so we were going to ask if he
needed help. We stopped by and the guy who answered said that he
already left. We got to talking to the guy who answered the door and
he seemed like a really cool guy. He wrestles at Coker College here in
the 155 weight class. He had cauliflower ear so I noticed and that's
how I brought it up and asked. I challenged him right then and there
to wrestle! Haha kidding. But he said that we could come back anytime,
so we will have to take up him on that.
When we got back for dinner, we came in and started fixing some food
and then noticed that our apartment got broken into. The front door
frame was all busted out like someone kicked the door open. We usually
go in the back door, so we didn't notice until a little later. We
quickly looked around the apartment and nothing taken except our jar
of change that we've been saving up from picking up coins on the
street. It's interesting because in the back two rooms my new
sunglasses, my watches, E. Staley's guitar and his emergency cash was
sitting out. It makes me wonder what stopped them from going back into
the rooms. Probably all the pictures of Jesus and no tv! We were
definantly blessed that they didn't take anything. We had to file a
report with the police anyway. I know the Mayor pretty well, so we
texted him and told him what happened as well. Haha no big deal! When
we told Sis. Thompson about it, she took over a tiny little .22 pistol
of her boyfriend's to use in case something else happens. This thing
is smaller than my watch!
6-10-16
ZTM was today and it was really good! P the ZLs shared a couple
snippets from talks given by President Eyring and Elder Holland. They
were talking about self evaluation and being confident in yourself.
The mission as a whole,has been struggling a little bit, so I think
this was s great thing to go over. After our meeting, Elder Parker who
is an amazing organ player, jams out on the organ like usual. He
played for his ward back home at the age of 14. I asked him to play
some Journey and he can just play the tune without even messing up! He
wants to play for the MOTAB someday. We ate at a really good Mexican
restaurant with the ZLs and the Cheraw Elders before we went back to
H-Ville. We got back and went to contact a referral. They weren't
home, but we decided to knock around them. We knew there was a reason
why we were prompted to go over there in that area today. We met a
lady named Tangie across the street who has a family and was
interested in our message. She asked us to come back another day and
teach her. It is so hot outside today. We have been chugging water to
try and keep up with the humidity and heat. Towards the end of the
night, we met with the Beckett family and shared a message with them.
6-11-16
This morning, Bro. Beckett picked us up and we went over to Anthony's.
He had a tree fall in his driveway that was good sized. We not being
able to use power tools cut it all up with a bow saw... I ran that saw
while Elder Staley drug all the limbs into a pile. It was a workout
and a half! I was drenched in sweat. It has been so hot this week. The
humidity sucks.
Daniel came out with us today for a couple hours. We worked hard for
those two hours to get some lessons in with a member present. We have
been praying daily to focus on member presents this week and we used
faith as a power to accomplish it! We met the mission's standard of
excellence of 8 member present lessons this week. It was a big
accomplishment for us! While we were out, a black guy on his bike rode
by and asked what we were doing. We saw him talking to a guy in a car
and looking over at us right before he approached us. We told him and
he said he has someone for us to teach. I got this dark feeling from
him. We started to follow him a little bit, but I did not feel right
about it... We turned down this road and Elder Staley told me he
didn't feel good about this. That sealed the deal that we shouldn't
pursue any farther. I rode up next to him to look into his eyes and I
couldn't see any sincerity in them... When I got close, I noticed that
he had a gun on him. I told him that we will try to stop by later, but
we have an appointment to go to somewhere else and we rode away. The
very next door that we were led to knock on was what I believe, a
reward for listening to that prompting. We met two really awesome
families in the same home and taught them. They seemed really
interested and want to learn more! I get a gut-wrenching feeling
thinking about what could have happened if we followed that guy any
farther. I also think that we wouldn't have been able to meet those
families and accomplish our goal of member presents this week. That
was the last door we tried until Daniel had to go home. It was such a
big testimony builder this week. The Lord knows our desires and
intentions, so as long as we are doing all we can and praying for the
desire... He will answer and grant you the desire if it is His will.
After Daniel left, we worked until dinner and then had Bro. Ellison
(our ward mission leader) pick us to see a recent convert who hasn't
been to church in awhile. His phone is broken, so we were just trying
by. He was home and we were able to have a good visit with him! There
was a less active there as well, so we invited them both to church
tomorrow. They said that they will be there!
6-12-16
Today was ward conference and we had a pretty good turnout! The recent
convert and less active we saw yesterday showed up which was awesome!
A few other LAs we have been working with were there as well. One of
the Beckett's kids who is four turned around to us during sacrament
meeting and said, "Hey Elders! Someday, I'm going to be on a mission
with you guys!" Haha I thought it was cute.
There was a ton of food, so we had some good eatin'! After church, we
went to a program they had going on at a park in the ghetto area
called "Gospel in the Park." We brought a bunch of BoMs, Bibles and
pamphlets to handout. We had no idea what to expect when we went
there. We were thinking that someone was going to try and bash with
us. We got there and there was about 200 people there. And we were
probably the only two white guys there. Haha most of the people were
really nice to us! We passed out a lot of BoMs and taught 7 people
while we were there. It was quite the experience and an interesting
crowd! So much fun though. They had free fried fish and hot dogs too!
After Gospel in the Park, we paid Bro. Haney a visit and talked with
him for awhile.
I am very happy with how our week went. We had some trials this week
to try and keep us from our purpose, but we endured them and continued
to work! Half of our member presents were from revelation and
promptings. We felt prompted during planning to stop and see some
members and they had nonmembers over there when we showed up, so we
taught them! I am excited to see what next week has in store for us.
We are going to work even harder. This week was one of the most
successful and enjoyable weeks I've had on my mission thus far!
Transfers are next week, but we are both staying because E. Staley is
still in training.
"...the principle of power which existed in the bosom of God, by which
the worlds were framed, was faith; and that it is by reason of this
principle of power existing in the Deity, that all created things
exist; so that all things in heaven, on earth, or under the earth,
exist by reason of faith is it existed in Him.
Had it not been for the principle of faith the worlds would have never
been framed, neither would man have been formed of dust. It is the
principle by which Jehovah works, and through which he exercises power
over all temporal as well as eternal things. Take this principle of
attribute--for it is an attribute--from the Deity, and he would cease
to exist -Joseph Smith (Lectures on Faith)."
Scripture of the week:
D&C 123: 12-14
"12. For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and
denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men,
whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the
truth because they know not where to find it-
13. Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing
to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and
they are truly manifest from heaven-
14. These should then be attended to with great earnestness."
-Elder Mitchell
6/13/16
Dequan (far right black shirt) brought his friends to the church and we played some ball! Our team won 4-3 games. 😎 it was a lot of fun!
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