Houston week 4

1.  How was your Saturday meeting?

-Awesome, we aren't sure why Elder D. Todd Christofferson came, but he said good things.

These are my favorite quotes

"Move people forward using commitments.  As a companionship, seek to receive revelation for your investigators and to know what steps they need to take to come to Christ.  Identify the next commitment they need, and then teach to prepare them to make and keep that commitment."

"How do we know who is prepared to receive the gospel?  The Book of Mormon is the great sifter.  It is the gathering tool for our day.  We should invite people to read and pray about the Book of Mormon.  If they respond to the Book, then they are ready.  If they do not respond, and then they are not ready yet."

"To find greater happiness, forget yourself and focus on the people you serve."

"The motivation for your mission has to be love.  If this is not why you are serving, then you will not get through it.  How do we develop love?  As you go about serving others and as you plead to the Father for this spiritual gift, it will come."

2.  Did you ride bikes a lot this week again?

-Not as much. A member we were eating dinner with asked about our bikes and said he had one he never used, so he gave it to us, we picked it up, and my comp uses it, and I get to use the other good bike. Yesterday we biked alot.

3.  Will you need to pay some money to the Elders whose bikes you borrow?

-No

4.  How was the Sabbath?

-Awesome, one of our investigators came and brought her husband!  Her name is Rumae and her husband JB (john baptist, in french), they are both awesome!

5.  Did you find someone new to teach this week?

-Nope, we are busy, we did track a little, but we taught a few new people, but no one we think will be solid.  One guy was really baptist and tries to bible bash. I realize I don't have the sciptures to point out flaws, but my companion does it so good.  He knows the bible really well.  I can see why some people think what they do about their church and why ours would be false in their eyes.  They need to open up, and ask God.

6.  Are you getting more comfortable talking with the nonmembers that you meet?

-Better yes, lessons with my companion are pretty solid on.  I went on splits with Elder Stepp, and we didn't work quiet as well, we taught a few lessons that went well and a few that didn't slide along smoothly.

 I never realized how easy it is to "open your mouth", but as a missionary I have figured it out, it would be harder, not being an offical representative, so I understand, but make sure they know it could bless their lives, and that you want them to know because you love them, especially the Book of Mormon.

7.  Have you knocked on any doors and done a door approach?

-Hundreds.

8.  Have you had a door slammed in your face?

-Hundreds.

9.  Have you met any dogs?

-No dog attacks, but every other house has 3 small dogs.  Lots of our investigators have dogs, we get a lot of hair on our pants.

10.  Do you hang up your clothes?

-Yes,I hang up all my shirts.  My shorts and pajamas I fold.  I am really organized, you don't have to worry about that! :)

11.  Do you know that your family (parents, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandma) loves you and prays for you daily?

-Yep!  I pray for yall too!

12. Have you had any spiritual experience?

-Yes, really spirtual experiences like once every 2 days

13. What spiritual thought did you share?

-My favorite thing to do is look at scripture mastery cards, or other scriptures I found recently and share that, and an inspired thought.  It's an awesome feeling knowing you are saying what the Lord wants you to say, exactly what he wants you to say.

14. Are you happy?

-Very!!!

15. I thought of an easy meal for you to make.  Buy hamburger, noodles and spaghetti sauce.  Cook the hamburger and drain off the fat.  Add the sauce and warm it up.  Cook the noodles and combine the two.  This would be very filling.

-Ya simple...right.  Maybe in a few months.

Aaron is the best missionary in the world, we love him!

Houston week 3

So, this week we played a game called Poison! It is awesome, it's with 2 kickball's that are suppose to be dodge balls, and we basically play solo dodge ball, but if the person that got you out gets out then your back in, and once you're out, you sit down and people can throw you the ball and you throw it back to them when you want to.We are playing that today too. 

 

 http://texashoustonmission.blogspot.com/

On Monday and Tuesday we had tri-zone conference all day, so we didn't do much those nights.  Wednesday we had the truck and visited people, but had appointments fall through.  Thursday we rode our bikes and did work (I rode Elder Gardeners bike, like always), Friday was Zone meeting and we had more appointments fall through. Saturday we rode bikes, I rode Elder Stepps bike which had a slightly flat front tire and I got such a workout!  I was sore Sunday.  More appointments fell through, but we met with the guy who got confirmed and that was good.  Sunday we had church and then went shepherding which means a missionary teams up with a member to visit 4 inactive people and try to get them back, but no one was home at the places we went.  

This morning we got groceries, umm, ya, oh and Saturday we stopped by value village and I got some $10 brown shoes, I might need some brown socks.  We met this awesome lady while tracking last week and visted her twice this week, she had a vision she heard Gods voice and basicly everything pointed her to religion and it seems that our religion is the right one for her, right now, she just "needs to know more before she joins us" according to her. I hope to hear from ya all,  hope everything is going good.  If you write me I will write back!

Elder Bleazard

Houston, second week

Well, I think I go home Jan. 8 of 2014, I could be wrong but I saw that date on my card.

1.  How many wards do you cover?
-One ward, we have another companionship that covers it too. Elder Fultz and I, Elder Stepp, and our district leader Elder Gardener, we see them a lot too, because we share the car with them, and the bikes, so I didn't have to buy a bike.

2.  Where did you sleep the first night you arrived in Houston?
-the APs apartment.

3.  Is your trainer a good cook?
-okay, not amazing, he only cooks for himself, so I cook for myself, and I use the word cook loosely, I need to get better at cooking.

4.  Have you been shopping for food and such?
-ya pds, so today, like this morning we went and ate breakfast at I hop, then we grabbed our food and went back to our apartment. Dropped off the food, grabbed our clothes and then went to email at this college close by, after this we will probably just go play some basketball and chill, probably grab lunch at some fast food place...and dinner later too.

5.  How much do you get a month?
-$140, but since I paid $60 for bagging it went straight to my card and I have $183 right now.

6.  Are you sleeping with your sheets and blanket?
-yep, and I bought a pillow case, for the pillow I have, before I bought it I just used my sweatshirt for a case.  Apparently I talk in my sleep, my comp will wake up and hear me say stuff, like last night I said, "outcast, (then in an angry voice I said) outcast sense of humor"
7.  How’s life?
-Life’s good, some days we will have a bunch of stuff planned then others we won't have much and we will just chill in our apartment if Elder Fultz doesn't feel like tracking, but we went tracking a lot this week, like 10 hours.
8-I Remember you asked something about my comps first name, its Hayden, and ya I think he has a face book

Okay you can put all those into the everyone email, by the way you don't have to mail me letters, I have plenty of time here to read and write back.  So when you do letter me it can be more special.  But your choice I like both!  Have everyone else mail me though since they can't email me, just family can.
How is Jeff doing?  Does he do anything else with dad, have dad write me about him too.  Is he serious with that girl?

Oh send a message on face book to Jonathan and Zach and tell them I want to hear how it’s going, what part Zach got in the play and how both of their life’s are going!

Everyone- This week my companion learned I eat a lot! I finished off the food, I finished the root beer, pizza, waffles, a whole loaf of bread (that I was suppose to share with the other to elders too, but I didn't know) and I am hungry all the time, even after I eat, like last night I ate 4 burritos some puddings, candy, and a whole power aid and wasn't even full, that’s what happens when you fast 24 hours I guess.  Anyway...I'm sleeping good, it’s kind of hard to work out in the mornings sometimes, but I get a little sore sometimes, my comp plays the ukulele a lot, umm, our shower is crazy, it feels like 200 percent humidity, I can stand facing away from it and start having water on my forehead, and it gets tons of water on the floor!  And sometimes my clothes get wet.  I am getting my haircut tonight by the kid we baptized last week.  Also, this Sunday we confirmed him and our other investigator-now member and baptized another investigator.  The work is going well, lots of tracking, lots of lessons, lots of biking, speaking of which...one day we were biking and it just started pouring rain!  We got soaked, everything was wet except my scriptures luckily. On Sunday I bore my testimony, it was short and simple. It's great out here, it can be disappointing when stuff cancels but its all good. 

 How is everyone back home?

Your son, brother, cousin, and/or friend
Elder Bleazard