January 19, 2010

I know I haven't written in a long time, so I thought I would update everyone and let all of you know how events have transpired in Tulsa:


The work has been pushing forward like I've never seen it before here in the last few months. We have active engaged in all auxilleries and we have been helping them accept their callings and help the missionary work. We have contacted numerous less-active members in not only the Mingo Valley Ward, but the Tulsa University Branch (I didn't realize how many there were until the Bishop and us went through the list). We have also been working very closely with Emily Gill still. She has been through so much in the last month that it boggles my mind to even see her standing. She continues to push and work, even when she might not have strength. She has a powerful spirit about her and I feel honored to be apart of her life. She has not been to church the last few weekss because of a lot of things going on in her life, but like I said, she is still fighting. The people who are recent converts to the church are growing strong in the gospel. There was a recent convert, new investigator meeting our stake presidency put on for anyone who wanted to attend, and almost all of our recent converts came, and even a few investigators of ours attended as well. There are even a few less-actives and recent converts with whom we are working with, are progressing to enter the temple very soon, whether for baptisms or endowments and sealings. We have also been implementing a new ward mission plan in both the Mingo Valley Ward and the Tulsa University Branch that has us working nonstop, whether it's with new investigators, less-active members, or recent converts.. We also had our Zone Conference last week, interviews with our mission president, four exchanges (either with other missionaries and/or the zone leaders), splitting with members so we can teach twice as much in day, and we've been moving apartments so that a new pair of spanish-speaking missionaries can move in with us. All of this has been done in in a two-week period. Not to mention the number of new investigators we have found...which is a lot of new investigators. The work has been steam-rolling, but it's sometimes hard for me to even catch my breath. I guess that's a good thing, though. I'm extremely grateful for the bleesing the God has granted me, my companion, and this area with all of these many wonderful things that have been occuring. I don't worry about myself anymore...i just don't have time. It's great!

Now, it's time for me to tell all of you about the people we have been teaching:

First, is Emily Gill. She wants to be baptized, and we have been teaching her for about 2 months now. She knows the gospel is true, but she has been swamped with so many things lately. She actually just moved yesterday into a new apartment to escape so bad influences, for her and for her 3 children. We hope and pray we can help her make it to church.

Next is Alberto (or Beto). He is the boyfriend of less-active member named Kyndall and we have been meeting with for a month now. He loves the message we have, but he has hard time still grasping Joseph Smith as a prophet of God...and something else that has been troubling me. When I find out, I'll let all of you know. He ahs come to church a couple of times, and he even attended the stake fireside for recent converts and new people investigating the church. Pray that he can receive revelation concerning Joseph Smith and the Restoration of the Gospel in the these latter-days.

Now is Chloris Espinoza. She is 10 years old and wants to be baptized. The situation with her is extremely senstive because both of her parents are inactive members, they are separated, they have "other acquaintences", and so she is always bouncing back and forth in between them. Her grandparents are active members and have been helping us meet with Chloris as often as occasion would permit. Pray that we can meet with her parents and see if she can come to church.

Next is Brenda, her son, Pierre, and her daughter, Isabell. This is the same Brenda I first met with when I came to Mingo Valley. We didn't visit with for awhile (we wanted to give her some space), but a situation came up, and so we started teaching her again. This time, we're starting from scratch. Her son is 21 and her daughter is 8, but she has another son who is 23 and another daughter who is 4. Pray that she might be able to make it to church with her family.

Next is Chance Kroll. He is 10 years old and has been attending church most of his life with his grandma and uncle. We just found out that he has not been baptized and he wants to be baptized. We have taught him once and will be teaching him for regularly to help him enter the waters of baptism shortly.

Next is Tiffany. Tiffany was being taught by the zone leaders, but they passed her on to us to start over with her. She has a pretty firm foundation about the gospel and the restoration, but she is struggling a bit with her personal prayers and her personal scripture study. Pray that we might be able to help her with that and that she might desire more strongly to study and pray on her own,

There are, I think 4 or 5 more investigators we are teaching, and at least 10 to 12 less actives andd recent converts, but telling you about all of them would take hours upon hours, so I'm gonna leave it at that.

Well, I gotta go and teach.

I love all of you and thank you so much for wishing me a happy birthday.

Elder Fellows