Christmas Eve 2013

As I reminisce in the epicness of the year nearly past I pause and smile silently to myself-- the sort  of mischievous smile that mom likes. The one where she asks me what in the world I am thinking about. But unlike in times past I will indulge my audience as to what actually is going on in my mind. Enjoy thoroughly, such opportunities don't come often.

I am grateful to be in the family I am in. I have a rich heritage that is frankly unparalleled in this world, this vale tears. Yes I am grateful for my immediate heritage. Mom I love you, same goes for Dad and so forth down the family to my favorite. But my thoughts are also drawn to the heritage of Ephraim we are a part of. We learned different aspects of the Abrahamic covenant just yesterday that I will mull over for the rest of this mortal existence. Awesome blessings and awesome responsibilities. One of which is missionary work.

We had a wonderful meal yesterday during zone conference. The cut of meat I selected had a small pool of blood curled in the middle. It was cooked perfectly, Mom would have loved it. Dad probably would have rejected it. But who am I to say?

We have set it up to skipe with you tomorrow at 11. I hope that works. We will be at Amy Del Rey's house. Her number is 281 896 8720. If that doesn't work we can work around it. We have the best ward in the mission. And the best ward mission leader in the nation.

I love you all.

Miracles

"Uchenna"! I don't know if the greeting or the meal that followed was better. The Nkwochas are a less active family from Nigeria. They gave me a nickname meaning God's will. When we first started seeing them they gave us the cold shoulder numerous times. We kept stopping by anyway. I think I'm slightly stubborn. Sister Nkwocha  was a relief society President and her husband a branch President back in their homeland.

We got transfer calls today and I am leaving the area. I hope I end up with Elder Tanner in Richmond. I went on an exchange with him last Saturday. It was the best day of the mission. I have never been more unified with a companion. For some reason everybody wanted to listen to us. Thank you for the prayers. He is from San Diego. His birthday was three days before mine. He is way good at water polo. Good times.

Allow me to take a second and answer some of your questions. If I start boring you please hold on-- be patient. With regards to opening the building we gave it our best effort. We typed an awesome paper on our plans to open the building and gave it to the ward council. It was titled "the work of salvation" and frankly looked professional. Elder Merritt is a computer wiz and formatted a paper on excel that would impress any businessman. Unfortunately the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. We changed our plans from opening the building at all hours to opening the building on demand. For example if someone wants to learn some Bossa Nova they can call the missionaries and ask for a lesson. We will then schedule a time to meet with them.

Now on to the next question. I received the Piano Guys music! It made my day. Unfortunately, I am not the best sight reader so I haven't delved as deeply as I would like, but the time may come where I can devote more respect to the music.

Muhammad came to church yesterday. He is Muslim and had to have a special interview to allow us to teach him. He is open and respectful of other religions. He asked why we respect Jesus Christ and how we can be cleansed from sin. It was inspired that all four speakers spoke about the Atonement. In this case it was not luck it was answers to prayers, thank you again.

I hope your Holiday season is filled with Dutch apple pie and merriment-- preferably the pie that comes from Cocos. Stay away from the coconut pie though. Lesson learned, its bad news. I had some questionable coconut pudding atop pineapple bread the other day. Lets just say it will be awhile till we meet again.

Take care now y'all. Love you!

December 9th of 2013

Mom thanks for telling me you're proud of me. I don't know why this means so much to me.

It gets cold in Houston. Surprised? I was. The humidity makes it feel colder than it really is. I made sure we made a stop at Goodwill. We got some sweet leather jackets and for cheap. I'm a little proud of myself. Perhaps some humility is in order. The relief society also made us some awesome scarves and beanies. My scarf is a sweet white and green crocheted pattern. Very impressive. The beanie was a little less impressive so I gave it to Elder Pettyjohn who seemed overjoyed at the occasion. It was the least I could do. What can I say? I'm a nice guy.

Ober read the entire Book of Mormon before we even met him. He recited meaningful events in the Book of Mormon with ease. It was frankly impressive to see his overall knowledge of the book.

I hope our ward is treating the missionaries nice. Give them people to see. Invite others into our home. Give them some pie. Make sure they have people to teach. Work with the ward mission leader. Sometimes you will have to take risks. Maybe you're acquaintance will think you're weird for sending them over. Who cares? Ok I'm off my soap box.

I am sorry I must leave you now. But don't worry you will hear from me next week. I am ever your faithful servant. May your season be most merry.

With love, your favorite son

Michael jumped off Cliffs

So Michael's entry last year for Grandmama's book was about jumping off cliffs and his thoughts about leaders and what he felt etc.  I can't find that one either, it is very frustrating!  So here is the picture - imagine away!

Matthew's written story for Grandmama Sorry

This is really weird, but I can't find the email with the story I printed up for Grandmama last year, just the personal statement for medical school he gave me this year - the same though revised version.  But last year what I printed out was a really cool story about being in with an emergency crew and their desire for him to stay out of their way in the crisis, and he ended up translating for carload of people who spoke Spanish whom had been t-boned by another car.  It was a really great story as only he could tell it.  When I someday run across it again, I'll put it up here.

Where I Belong Rachel

Where I Belong

            I can feel the sand sticking to my skin as I burrow my feet in its small dunes.  The heat penetrates my tender feet. A breeze ruffles by, tickling my face and breathing on my legs.  I look ahead; my eyes take in the beauty of the rolling blue/green waves, capped with white suds.  I close my eyes and breathe deeply.  A fresh sea salt smell fills my nose, mixed with the smell of a barbeque from a condo nearby.  The sun beats down mercilessly on my sun-screened bathed face and arms.  I slip my green shades on my head and the world goes dark, but I can still hear the ocean, and feel the sun, and smell the barbeque next door.  I flip out my towel before me and lie on my stomach.  My eyes droop lazily and I watch an intense game of volleyball to my right.  I loose the battle with my eyelids as sleep pulls me to another world.  The roaring of the ocean becomes a gentle humming sound and the hot sun becomes an enveloping blanket that surrounds me.

            When I awaken later my warm blanket is gone.  The sun has turned an orange-ish red hue and is melting into the sky.  I watch as the ball of fire touches the dark water in the distance.  It casts a beautiful light a across the ocean.  Then, it slips further and further down and is gone.  An evening chill arises and raises goose bumps on my flesh.  I pull a sweater out and lift it over my sunburned skin.  However, the cold slips under my sweater and runs an icy finger down my back.  Someone walks on my grave and I shiver.  I pick up my towel and walk back toward my condo.  The sand feels cool and fine under my feet.  It is a refreshing feeling after the unpleasant touch of burning sand earlier.

            Something flashes in my peripheral vision.  I turn and see a light.  It is a bonfire.  The flames lick the wood hungrily and shoot up into the fast approaching darkness.  I decide to stay.

            Darkness appears as quickly as light left.  It is cold but the fire feels good on my hands.  The moon peeks through the black sky and stars twinkle nervously.  The longer I stay the blacker the sky gets, and brighter the stars and moon become.  The wink at me, the stars.  I smile back.  The night is beautiful and so vastly different from the day.  The sun controls the day but shadows hang around.  But the darkness owns the night while light slips through the black curtain shrouding the world.  I inhale the smell of sea salt and brine.  This is where I belong, with my toes burrowing in the sand and my nose drinking in the mingling smells.  I belong out on the coast, with the sea wind running through my hair.

Rachel Adams                     November 2012

Nate's writings are already on the Blog

 Nate wrote for Grandmama last year and this and both enteries are on this blog; one is "Slacks of Angels" posted on August 4, 2012 http://jefflarnkammr.blogspot.com/2012/08/slacks-of-angels_4.html 

  And this years Grandmama entry is; "Citius Altius Fortius" http://jefflarnkammr.blogspot.com/2013/06/citius-altius-fortius.html 

posted just a few days after the birth of his son.

Dreams Rebekah

Dreams

I don't dream too much. Well, I don't think I do. I've heard that people over the age of ten dream four to six times per night. I couldn't tell you if this is true or not, but for me, I certainly don't remember having four to six dreams in the past six months let alone in one night. Whenever the subject of dreams comes up, invariably someone mentions the meaning behind dreams and then the conversation shifts to the retelling of past dreams, each more wild and strange than the last with all participants prescribing meaning to various parts of the dreams. I've heard adamant belief that all dreams have meaning and some type of knowledge to impart to the dreamer, while others simply enjoy sharing remembered dreams as passing entertainment. If pressed, I'd probably render the opinion that some dreams have meaning to some people, and other dreams are your psyche sorting through thoughts and stimuli from the day. I can't ever remember having a dream that led to greater personal insight or led me to some 'ah ha' moment, but on the flip side, I do know that I am the product of a dream. My dad, before he was my dad, dreamed a dream. He and his then fiance were deciding on a date to be married, April or August. When he woke from the dream that he dreamed, my (almost) dad came away with a knowing that if he did not marry in April, his first child would not be born to him. They married in April and here I am. 

Though the dreams I do remember have no discernible meaning or purpose to me, sharing dreams is fun. My best friend and I  share our dreams when remembered and we usually have a good laugh, sometimes try to find an absurd meaning, and then we laugh some more. 

I found myself sharing a sort of waking dream/fantasy/daydream with my family the other night at dinner. No particular reason did I feel that any of my family members needed to know anything about this particular dream/fantasy. It just sort of fell out of my mouth, during a lull in conversation. I got a good laugh, so here I am, sharing it again, for no particular reason. 

Here is my dream:

I won ten 2013 Super Bowl tickets to the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens game from Visa (because Visa is cool like that.) I invited my best friend, Jennie and her husband Peter. I then posted an announcement on Facebook (the online social networking tool where I am connected to 400+ individuals that I know through college, mission, church, and other.) The announcement I posted to my 400+ connections was something like "I have won 10 tickets to the Super Bowl to be held in New Orleans Feb 3rd. There are 7 available tickets. You may submit proposals to me if you are interested in attending. Decisions to award tickets will be based partially on spiffy proposals and partially on how much I like you. You may email, mail, or post your proposal. Ready, go!)  

On game day, I was interviewed by a reporter with a Visa rep in attendance. The reporter asked who I had invited, and I explained that I had invited my best friend. I joked that it was funny, and (perhaps ironic?) that my best friend is from Maryland, and that I am from the Bay Area. The reporter asked who we were each rooting for, and I explained my adamant support of the 49ers and that Jennie would be rooting for the Ravens. I had a half smile when I finished my thought, that we would see if we were still friends after the game. 

That's it. That's my dream. I should add that because I really like my grandma, she would be a shoe-in for the game.  

The Zone

In a sporting contest one must get "in-the-zone" to succeed. In basketball for example many of my teammates would have their own strange way of preparing for the game. Some would stroll into the locker room with giant earphones on. Ironically, they often covered only one ear. Their pants in a similar fashion often covered half of what they were made for. But this is what got them going. For them this made the difference between a good game and a bad one.

Let's examine Michael Jordan for example. You could tell by taking one look into his eyes that he was ready to play-- ready to do anything to win. He carefully honed his skills each practice so when it came to game time he was all in.

I do not want to compare missionary work with a silly thing like basketball but I am forced to see the parallel. It is so important to get "in-the-zone". We study every morning and prayerfully begin each day. If we don't we risk missing the basket, dropping the fly ball, or whatever other cliché comment you would like to add here. You have to be sharp as a missionary or life will pass you by. Sometimes you get knocked off your "mojo". But you get back up and try again.

You fight the good fight of faith!

"Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed"! (D&C 123:17).

It's the fourth quarter and it is time to step it up.

 

Eternal life is knowing God, and Jesus Christ (John 17:3). How can we know Him if we don't at least taste what He did. He grew up for 30 years living the Law of Moses. That sounds like 30 years too many for me. But He understood the importance of the Aaronic priesthood in preparing the way for a richer way of life. Mission rules give us a taste of that law. It keeps us in the way. And by no means did He abandon His heritage after the law was fulfilled. He understood the importance of the lower law with the higher law. He made sure he kept Aaronic priesthood ordinances such as the sacrament to cleanse His children continually. But the higher law demands more from us. It demands our very thoughts. It ultimately demands perfection-- which He demonstrated.

As we accept and live the principles and ordinances of the gospel we will eventually understand who Christ is and what He has done for us. And in so doing we will come to know Him and want to stay with Him. We will partake of His greatest gift.

 

I hope thanksgiving was a delight. Sounds like it was. It was for me. I ate as much as I could. We also got to take half a Turkey home. That is always good news.

 

Take care now, love you

The Squad

In answer to a few questions I posed to Michael, here are the answers!

Companions: Elder Smith- A little shorter than me. He is a very good swimmer. He won state in Utah for the butterfly. Fun guy to be around.

Elder Marchant- Basketball player. He is looking to go to BYU-I after the mission. 

Elder Simper- Worked with cars before the mission. Holds the record for pre-mission car wrecks. 

Elder Schwemmer- Had offers for basketball scholarships. One of my favorite people to hang around. 

Elder Johnson- He is very book smart. He is now companions with Elder Smith. Elder Smith cut his hair and it doesn't look good, but it was free. 

Elder Merritt- Very intelligent. Learns things on his own. Went to a charter school growing up. 

Elder Pettyjohn- Was on a mini-mission. He decided to stay! He has azbergers.

And that's the team. I don't have pictures of all of them. I've been out eight months and have had 7 companions.Tri-panionships are the best!

I talked with Josh Guthrie at church yesterday. He is going to attend BYU-I in the winter and he informed me he wants to serve a mission. How cool is that? He ended up telling his mom because he felt like it was the right time. She took it well. He isn't sure how to tell his dad.

I love you Rachel, you're my favorite. Don't tell the others.

Diamond came to church yesterday. We had him sit in the third row from the front. I don't think he felt too comfortable doing that but I think the overall experience was good.

I sat in the car wondering where we were going to go for the next hour. Elder Merritt decided to pray. Immediately after the he asked what to do, during the prayer, the phone vibrated informing us of an incoming text. Sure enough it was an investigator communicating that he was expecting us in 5 minutes. I love the tender mercies.

One thing I have learned on the mission is to never judge missionaries. You never know what is going on in their lives.

I'm glad to hear Sheila is happy. Thank you for taking care of her. Thank you for scooping the poop.

Love you all

Mindset of Success

Treat a man like he is nothing and he will amount to little. Treat him like he is a Son of God and he will rise to the occasion. President Ashton treats us like the best missionaries in the world. I really appreciate him for that.

 

We are opening our church building starting Saturday. It will be open for a few hours a day to get things started. We will increase the hours as we get closer to the new year. By January first we will have a full schedule lined up where members can easily invite friends to activities throughout the day from Bible Studies to Mormon messages to church tours. As we incorporate Facebook into missionary work it will be easy to invite others to activities as well.

 

Life is dull if you don't believe. It means going day to day in a nonchalant era of apathy. It stifles missionary work. You must obtain a vision of a glorious future. Jesus Christ was once called An High Priest of Good Things to Come. He constantly had His eye on God's promises despite the wreckage of scattered Israel around Him. He expects us to believe. Believing and hoping in a bright future is how we can have an eye single to God's glory. He will heal you're mind and allow you to do so if you let Him.

 

I love you Mom

Just a peek

It is amazing how wonderful a grandson can be! He charms everyone around him with his beautiful smile.  I noted that he is spoiling his parents as they are going to expect all their future children to sleep through the night and not be fussy babies while awake.  Ahh, they can just enjoy it while this sweet period lasts!

Note: he grew right out of his hair.  It looks like it will be a soft brown. What a joy Jayson Ammon Adams is to all his family!

On their way - country dancing

"I love to see the temple, I'm going there someday..........."

Relaxing on a holiday watching video

I recommend a vacation with Nate, Kelsi and Jayson over the Memorial weekend! It was a pleasure to watch these two newlyweds enjoy each other and share their home and baby.  Life is good.

Elder Merritt

We received a new Elder in Mission Bend West! Elder Merritt is awesome. He writes in elf (I'm not kidding). He learned the elf alphabet found at the end of the Lord of The Rings books. He is also learning Chinese-- not sure why but more power to him. He is one of those underestimated geniuses. He helped write a computer program for one of the office staff as well. Apparently they were very impressed.

Life is so great. Sometimes it seems complicated but it really is not. Find people to teach, then teach them. It really comes down to trusting that the spirit will tell you all things that ye should do.

I thoroughly enjoyed the packages sent. The soup was phenomenal. It won the hearts of all that dwell in our apartment.

Elder Pettyjohn is nearing the end of his mini-mission. He will decide what path he will take. His life will change starting today. Elder Nilson lived in his home ward back in Las Vegas. He is taking Elder Pettyjohn golfing today then Elder Pettyjohn will talk to his mother for four hours. It's too bad we couldn't take him golfing. I would teach him a thing or two about the hole-in-one.

The realization sunk in the other day. This mission is not about me. That knowledge relieves a lot of stress.

Last Friday I attended a meeting with the zone leaders. There was a projector put up with graphs of our "key-indicators"-- some of which were disturbingly low. As it came closer and closer for our time to present I was wondering what in the world we were going to say. Explaining graphs is not something I am particularly passionate about. Elder Carter and I stood up and explained the numbers. I could tell Elder Carter was really nervous. The whole time I was thinking about generic answers that could apply to all aspects of missionary work. Good times. President Ashton was a successful businessman in his former life and it shows!

Elder Merritt taught himself to play the piano so we are looking forward to a couple hours of playing the piano at the church today.

 

I love you, thank you for your prayers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq6RGkQFfCM

November 4, 2013

Diamond moved from Liberia about a month ago. He is slightly shorter than me and extraordinarily strong. He grew up playing soccer. He is 31 and has been away from his mother for 13 years. He has the best questions. He likes finding little questions especially with the commandments. For example he asked whether police men should be able to work on the Sabbath.

His sister Clarice is also investigating the church. She hadn't been reading the scriptures so we had a lesson on scripture study. We opened to 2 Timothy 3:15-16 and talked about what it means to feast upon the words of Christ. Afterward we invited her to read the Book of Mormon every day and she accepted. Sometimes it is good to address the situation directly.

People like boldness. They do not like you to waste their time. They want you to say something meaningful and important.

I remember one p-day (the p-day of all p-days) with Elder Marchant where we played basketball at the local rec center. Of course we gave our utmost effort at not playing competitively or keeping score in any way. Although if we did keep score I am pretty sure it would have been 11 to 10 our lead playing by ones. Who knows though.

Anyway it was one of those days where Elder Marchant and I were on fire! We hit shot after shot and when one of us got cold the other would get on a role. Good times, good times. I am not sure why that needed to be said, but here it is--enjoy!

 

Take care now y'all and I love you

Learning

Another week over and done. It feels like I chatted with you just a moment ago. I truly enjoy these intimate conversations we share with one another. Hopefully, something we say will create a lasting memory that we will look back on and enjoy.

 

Rachel memorized "The Road Not Taken"! Hopefully it will make all the difference.

 

As a mission we are looking to open our church buildings to the public. We are thinking of activities that we can offer to the world. There is a good chance I will be offering piano studies. I wonder if jazz would be appropriate.

 

Elder Pettyjohn is a walking encyclopedia on U.S. history. It is frankly impressive.

 

I hope this email finds you happy as we approach the holiday season. Be of good cheer for He has overcome all.

 

I love you

Life in Texas

We have interviews with President Ashton on Thursday. I remember my first interview with him.

I walked into the interview with the determination to keep constant eye-contact throughout the interview. Why I wanted to do this, who knows, nevertheless it was my endeavor. I sat and look him in the eyes as he arrange the papers I handed to him. As he gathered them together he looked up and our eyes met. Piercing, discerning eyes looked back at me. My previous resolutions seemed to disappear. I quickly diverted my attention.

Good times! I look forward to the interview on Thursday.

 

I love you

Christmas Giving

Rebekah asked if we could find a family and give to someone in need this Christmas instead of exchanging names of family members.  I asked our Relief Society president if there was a family in need.  Here are the possibilities:
1. Doty family - Father has been out of work for quite a few months, they have moved to a trailer on the edge of town.  Mom, Dad, 13 year old girl.
2. Hill Family - Dad has been in hospital a lot this year, they have huge medical expenses. 2 young boys in Elementary school, mom and dad.
3. Yours, mine and ours family - Dad, mom, 2 autistic sons high school age from one spouse, one middle school age son from other spouse, 1 adorable little girl from mom and dad. (I'm not so worried about the little girl as she has a doting grandma. Considerable medical expenses this year.

So what strikes a cord with you?  Who do you want to give to? Do you want to do this?

October 15, 2013

Elder Golden of the Seventy came to our mission last week. He stated his purpose was to change our life. Well played Elder Golden, well played.

As he spoke I was reminded of how Jesus Christ taught with authority and not like the scribes.

At one point he opened the floor to questions. In honor of Dad I shot my hand up and asked him what the difference is between especial and special witnesses of Jesus Christ. He said there is no difference and immediately moved on.

The thing that stood out the most to me was a story he gave. He visited a man in the hospital who had many broken bones. He asked the man how he was doing. He replied that he was having a great time. Several people with long white robes sang for him and one of them read a book to him. The nurses wore green uniforms. They were ministering Angels to him.  The man said it was a "party".

It rang true to me as I listened. Life is a party when we feel the spirit with us. Its there with you always. Angels have charge over us. We don't always feel them. Elder Golden advised the Elders to think twice before picking their noses in the bathroom because they are being watched.

Perhaps you are wondering why this email was sent on Tuesday instead of Monday. We had the opportunity to go to the Temple this morning. Like always it was an uplifting experience. Thank you to whomever sacrificed to have that House built.

And on to other news. Elder Johnson finally got his "Texas Hamburger" which he has been craving since the beginning of his mission. We drove up to our local Whataburger and asked one simple yet direct question. "What is your largest hamburger?" So we got it and half of it is still uneaten.

If you want to slip another CD with some Christmas songs in the package that would be great. I like hymns like Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel, We Three Kings, Oh Holy Night, The Last Noel, Angels We Have Heard on High, etc.

I love you and am grateful for you.

October 7, 2013

How did you like Saturday's General Conference? I absolutely loved it. The promises made for missionary work were awesome. And how about Elder Ballard's talk? We live in an awesome time. Elder Nilson of the 70 is our area authority. I listened to him speak at a stake conference in Bay City a few transfers ago. It was fun to hear him talk about missionary work.

We are in the process of opening our church buildings for the public. We are becoming a pull business rather than a push business. That probably wasn't the best analogy.

We will be using Facebook soon and we are one of 50 missions in the world that will be piloting ipads. Cool stuff. President Ashton is the man.

The Sander's fed us some homemade enchilada casserole yesterday. And yes it was good enough to make my weekly report. Lets keep in mind it is nowhere as good as Grandmother's meatloaf. Or Mom's stuffed manicotti for that matter.

I have a testimony of Jesus Christ. He is looking out for His sheep. He knows what we are going through and will help us become something if we let Him. If you ask for gifts in His name they will be given to you in His timing. It appears we will have a personal interview with Him after everything is said and done. I think Elder Nelson said that. I hope there is a big enough change where that conversation is comfortable. I am grateful that Joseph Smith paved the way to let every man speak in His name (1:17-20).

Mom I got your packages. Thank you so much! You're simply the best. What does dad always say about you? Oh ya, "I lucked out"!

I love you. May God bless us, every one.

Answers to Questions

I listened to that talk by Elder Bednar in the MTC-- game changer. Thank you for reminding me of it.

 

The Lord blesses His children with opportunities to bare testimony. I am so grateful that He allowed me to bare my testimony to brother Ayo. He attacked the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith the Prophet. He hoped he had us, but he didn't understand the Lord promised that we wouldn't be confounded. It was an awesome time we had to bare testimony. While baring mine I was reminded of Elder Holland's testimony. An evil man couldn't write that book. And a good man wouldn't write that book unless God told him!

 

Mom I love hearing your testimony about the Savior. I wonder what it will be like when we see and remember Him.

 

Allow me to answer some of your questions from last week.

For morning exercises we are expected to run for twenty minutes and do a muscle workout such as push-ups for ten. A mini-mission is a short mission someone goes on to see if they can or want to go on a full 18 month or 2 year mission. I have heard of day, week, and six week mini missions. The person is literally set apart as a missionary (even for the day long ones I think)..........

Life is really good mom. It comes at you fast on the mission but it is the good life. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else on this planet than the five square miles I am assigned to cover by the Lord.

 

Love you

Lots of Family Together at Matthew and Debbie's Wedding

It is so nice when the family gets together and bonds over different circumstances. Matthew had the priviledge of meeting lots of Debbie's extended family in various states. Really nice that he could travel so many places this year! Having Nate and Kelsi travel back to California was a nice time for us too!

Rebekah and Jayson having an eye contact moment

Greg, Kim, Jeffrey, Mike
It only needed Becky!

Life is Good

Weddings are such great times to make connections with extended family!  I noticed many of Debbie's family, though I don't know who is who. Maybe we'll have to start a Matthew and Debbie Blog and name all the players of the team!

For me it is always a treat to have my sister Susan with me

What a treat for Laurie Henderson to have both daughters and a new grandbaby! (Actually 2!)

Here is family togetherness

Communication

The Mormon musical left town yesterday. I decided to try and write an article in the newspaper. I got this idea from Preach My Gospel. Unfortunately, I don't have a whole lot of time to reread what I wrote.  In fact I wrote only one draft. As I read though it seemed a little edgy. You can read over it if you desire. I am open to feedback. I'll put it onto the end of the email.

 

Life is sweet mom--thank you for asking. Elder Johnson is from Utah. He has one older brother who is severely autistic. He is a blast to work with. He had a full ride scholarship to Weber State for his ability to play the trumpet. It would be way fun to play some tunes with him when we get back or something. It would be extremely fun to pay bossa nova with him.

 

The non-tracking is interesting. We are to work with and find through members. It is funny because the members are not aware of most of the change in missionary work. They are not aware that the Lord is hastening His work. I would take a solid referral over a meal appointment any day of the week. It really comes down to believing in the system and believing in the missionaries.

 

It is fun to be on the Lord's team!

 

Love you Mom!

 

 

The Real Mormon Musical

 

Mr. Jones opens his door and steps on the porch. He squints his eyes as the late morning light penetrates the sky. He looks up and sees two young men riding their bikes. One of them is tall and lanky, the other short and stout. Both have a white shirt and tie on. Mr. Jones chuckles to himself and raises his eyebrow in wonder. Who are those boys and why do they do what they do?

 

Hello. I am Elder Adams. I am a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints-- often called the "Mormon" church. Allow me to give you a VIP, behind the scenes look into my world. Forgive me for not using bright lights and music to say who I am and what I do. No Broadway show could ever give justice to our service and how we actually spend our time.

 

I rise at 6:30 every morning and prayerfully begin the early hours of the day. I do this because of my deep--life changing--belief that God is my Father as He is yours (see Romans 8:16). He wants to communicate with us. He decided to accomplish this through prayer. What a glorious reality! I hope you see how a firm belief in God can shape a young mans heart.

 

Every morning from 8 o'clock to 11 o'clock I devote to studying the word of God. The words of the Lord flowing from the lips of the Prophets. During this time God communicates to me through his Holy Spirit the truths found in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I devote the rest of my day (until 9 o'clock) to inviting people to act on those words -- that is the words recorded in the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

 

I sense a questioning look on my reader's face. Perhaps you're wondering why I devote myself -- for two years by the way--day in, day out to this cause. You may ask," Elder Adams why do you spend you're days talking to strangers? Why do you focus on the Bible and the Book of Mormon? And what is the Book of Mormon in the first place!?" Hold on, allow me to explain.

 

I believe the Bible, when translated correctly, to be the word of God. I also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. The Bible contains an Old Testament of Jesus Christ (Genesis through Malachi) and a New Testament of Jesus Christ (Matthew through the Revelation of John). The Book of Mormon is another Testament of Jesus Christ. The Bible is an ancient record that contains God's dealings with man in and around Jerusalem. The Book of Mormon is an ancient record of God's dealings with man on the American continent. The Book of Mormon contains the fulness of Christ's everlasting Gospel. Many dubb us "Mormons" because of our belief in this wonderful book. Let me explain a little further.

 

My belief in Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon, and the Bible lay a foundation for who I am. This is why I do what I do. We as missionaries believe it our duty to "teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (see Matthew 28:18). What an amazing work we do! But how can you know about these truths I've discussed?

 

Don't let bright lights and corny music give you prejudice against the Book of Mormon. Don't let other people think for you. Read the Book of Mormon along with the Bible and figure out the Truth for yourself. If you don't have a Book of mormon or a Bible I'll give you one. I'm with you every step of the way. I tried to answer you're questions in this article but you'll have more. Feel free to call me--713 371 8965.

Matthew and Debbie Adams August 24, 2013

Two Hearts United

The Elders

Adams and Johnson

Adams, Johnson and Schwermmer

short and brief today.........

The ringer went off and I assumed it would be just another phone call. To my surprise President Ashton spoke from the other end. He informed us that Elder Schwemmer needed to pack his things and head off to the mission office. He needed to go to Sugarland. Crazy stuff! Bye Elder Schwemmer-- see you at transfers! And thus ends the tripanionship saga!

 

Elder Johnson spoke truth this morning. "Life is P-day for eternity". I had to agree with him. This life is a time to prepare to meet God (Alma 34:32).

 

Anywho got to go. Take care now y'all! Love you!

"Salt of the Earth"

So Marta Hernandez likes the district? I have to say as of right now that is my favorite reality TV show. I may be slightly biased. 

I hope Rachel's finger is doing better. I wasn't surprised to hear she toughed out the hike despite painful opposition. 

I am looking forward to playing basketball with Elder Schwemmer today, if time permits. Many times I have expressed my intentions to dunk on him and in return he has expressed similar feelings. One of these days we will find time -- in a non-competitive atmosphere of course-- to settle any doubt as to what will happen when such an activity occurs. Both sides seem confident in their view as to what will happen. Only time will tell now. 

Elder Schwemmer is the "salt of the earth" as Dad often puts it. He is very patient and loving. He even let me use his ketchup! What a guy. I"ll give Elder Johnson the same description. It is fun to rub shoulders with young men who have chosen to devote their lives to God. Sometimes I forget this when I'm hungry and tired! 

There will come a day when each of us will stand before God. We will have no excuses. There will only be justice and mercy. Our work is to help prepare people for that day! We must be baptized! We must be washed clean! Our very hearts and desires must be changed to conform with Celestial law! President Ashton opened my eyes to an interesting fact. The keys to convert baptism are given to the mission President. He delegates his responsibilities to us. He explained that it is only though the missionaries that individuals outside the covenant can enter the waters of baptism. I often wonder why this is the case seeing we are young and inexperienced. But there is a reason for all things. I am grateful to be on the team.

Have a wonderful week! As always I love you!

Way to Go Bro!

Matt-- Way to go! It sounded like everything went well and you are happy. That makes me happy.

Elder Johnson demonstrated a glorious act of faith earlier today. I set the ironing board up in the middle of our room and jumped over it once or twice onto the couch for good fun. It surprised me to see Elder Johnson behind me preparing for an approach. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He responded with his actions. He leapt over the ironing board hitting it both on the way up and the way down but somehow avoiding tipping the frail piece of metal. He stood victorious on the other side. I looked on in utter amazement. He is too short to do that.

I hope this story does not paint a jovial picture in your mind. This work is most serious. We rise early in the morning to prepare and study the words of Christ. We seek opportunities to help others come unto Him and receive the joy we have felt. We put everything else behind and lift where we stand. There is no better work or cause! 

President Ashton and the Brethren have focused on using the members for missionary work. When Elder Ballard came to our mission in January he told us to teach every member starting with the Bishop. We are experiencing exciting shifts in missionary life. 

Mom I am so glad you are praying for me. I will pray for you in return (an exchange I am willing to make any day of the week). Let me echo the words that Nathan seemed to repeat last Christmas--"I love our family".

Allow me to end on a doctrinal note. I now that we all have a loving Father in Heaven. He understands what we go through and what we need. He wants the best for us. He sent us His Son to show us the way back to Him. Through Him we make commitments to Heavenly Father that put us on a straight path back to him. Salvation is real and it is not cheap.

One thing we run into a whole lot is people thinking salvation is quick and easy. Salvation comes through a lifetime of being saturated in the Holy Spirit. Salvation comes after all we can do. I love Elder Bednar's talk on the parable of the pickle. It outlines how we can truly become born again. After our hearts and desires are changed and we yield no more to that evil spirit. 

Not sure why I went off about that but I enjoyed it.

I love you. No seriously I do.It is not a hollow statement!

The Game Plan

Wow, wow, and wow! I love the news I receive from home.

 

Good news everyone! We found a basketball court within running distance of our apartment. Morning exercise will be awesome this transfer! The only difficulty remains in following the guideline of having no score or competition. We will make it work.

 

We helped a group of Buddhist nuns change their tire the other day. I suppose I am generous with myself when I say "we". I would be more accurate if I informed you that Elder Simper changed the tire while I watched with fascination. The nuns dressed in long blue robes and blue, bowl shaped hats that led to a point at the top. They talked quietly and expressed their gratitude but were not interested in converting-- not sure why. We must have been an awesome sight for passers-by!

 

We received notice from the zone leaders. Elder Simper will leave the area on Wednesday. It looks like Elder Schwemmer and I will be training a new Elder. Exciting times! I recently read The "Call of Missionaries (Box B)" by Elder Packer. I know that I am in the right place at the right time.

 

Dad-- thank you for being "The Man". I truly hope I honor you in my service.

 

I love you all!

Michael's letter 8/5

He carried the bulging bag with his arm outreached far from his body. It contained various objects that we discarded previously. As he made his way to the "litter-barrel" (as Texas community parks affectionately call them) he thought it pertinent to swing the cumbersome bag through the air. The plastic handle stretched mid flight and ended up ripping entirely sending the garbage bag hurtling through the air. Unfortunately, its final destination lay about a yard short of the intended target.

 

Life in Mission Bend West is awesome. I am very grateful for this opportunity to serve. I have been thinking recently how the Savior lived the Law of Moses and the higher law throughout his life. I think my thoughts are spurned primarily from some of  the strange rules missionaries follow. I wonder what types of weird rules He had to follow while living on this Earth.

Elder Swchemmer is a tall lanky individual. He was big into basketball before the mission. He can dunk with ease. He toured some colleges who wanted him to play for them before he went on the mission. He can get some substantial scholarships when he gets back. 

Elder Simper came out a little latter on his mission. He was a head painter at an auto body shop. He also did some brick work before he left. He co-owns a mason/brick laying company. How cool is that? I consider myself extremely fortunate to rub shoulders with great men daily. 

The news from home makes me happy.

Special shout out to Rachel Adams who sent the most-awesome photo book. Good job, I love you.

And I love you all!

Josh Guthrie

Elder Simper confirmed Josh Guthrie a member of the church and Elder Schwemmer conferred the Aaronic Priesthood on him the same day. We committed him to fill out a pedigree chart. We discussed the opportunity for him to do baptisms for the dead at the Temple. Did you know that converts that do baptisms for the dead have an 80 percent chance of continued activity in the church? We also asked him to go teaching with us on Wednesday. He is an awesome person to work with.

 

Missionary work is interesting. We ran into Josh accidently.

 

Interviews for our zone will occur tomorrow. The interview process is a little funny to me because their are so many missionaries. Our district has interviews from 11:04 to 11:28 or something like that. The interviews go by rapidly.

 

I hope our mission starts using Facebook soon. I would love to friend investigators and keep tabs on all of them. We would know where and when people moved and all sorts of things. I read today that the quorum of the Twelve and first Presidency have official Facebook pages now. And the Mormon messages the church is continuing to put out are very inspirational. Hopefully we will be able to share these.

 

It sounds like all is well at home! All is well in Texas! Love you, bye!

Good News

I see in my mind's eye mom at the computer contented after a long week in the woods. Rachel more than likely stands near by singing a girl's camp song-- the one about how great root bear is or something. Dad sits pondering Huge Nibly's translation of some ancient egyption text which fits perfectly with some passage of scripture he read several days ago.

 

As I look at the scene I smile silently to myself. Here stands my family. A unique combination of Adams and Lore character. And I get to be a part of it. In homes like this the kingdom of God continues. I'm beginning to see that God manifests Himself in the small things more than the "split-the-sea" things.

 

Anywho, life is awesome in the Mission Bend area. I love you! And thanks for the photos of Jason!

 

Can I get Michael Penovich's email address? How is he doing? Tell him he is the man for me if you can. Preferably with a fist-pump associated with the comment. Is the wedding date for Debbie and Matt set in stone?

 

Once again I leave you with the words of Reptevia-- "May the Lord protect and defend you"