Josh's Journey

Tuesday we had lessons with a family that their last name sounded similar to Covid which I thought was pretty funny. Then right afterwards we had a lesson with a family that the wife looked like Brie Larsen which kept throwing me off. Wednesday morning we helped move branches from a fallen tree into a trailer so they could take them to the dump. I discovered that suspended branches can be bouncey like a trampoline until they all snap at once and your legs fall through. We then went to District Council and had interviews with President Call and it was nice to see him and talk.He is such an example and role model to me. He has so much spiritual power, humor, love, and intelligence. We were able to share a scriptural story from the New Testament with some of Elder F's friends from home which was pretty fun. Thursday we talked to M which was good. We talked about the Liahona from 1 Nephi 15 and 16 as well as prayer. Saturday we had a bunch of lessons including one with K ...

On the 4th all the cities around us cancelled all their firework shows so everyone bought their own stuff and fired them off. It was really cool because where ever you looked there were fireworks going off in a 360 degree radius. Monday we did more weeding and at the end they had us play with their dog which was a lot of fun because we would launch a frisbee and the dog would book it to catch it. We also got haircuts which was nice. Wednesday we talked about the rest of Nephi's vision of the tree of life which was great. We had some more lessons the rest of the day and one of the people we had a lesson with were a hilarious young couple. Thursday I learned that filing cabinets are heavy when they are full of paper. We went back and helped a lady move that we started on Wednesday. Also that throwing things away is crucial or your house will be chalk full of garbage and old relics. Later we met with a guy preparing for a mission and had a really good talk with him. He l...

Tuesday nothing worth mentioning happened.   Wednesday we read Nephi's vision of and explanation of the tree of life with M which is one of my favorite visions. We had a couple other lessons with members which went pretty well. Thursday we had district council. We talked about our reasons for coming on a mission and why we are staying even though we are quarantined and things are different. In the evening we made chicken Alfredo which turned out pretty good. Then we had a lesson before we went and had a lesson in person with K. We talked about the Plan of Salvation and made fun of my awful drawing skills. When we got back we watched Elder W and G try the spiciest ramen in the world. Elder G finished his but Elder W could only take 2 bites. Friday morning we had a meeting with the Senior couple missionaries (the S) which was nice to see them again since it had been a while. We had some lessons and made some fried rice and pot stickers (see picture b...

Tuesday not much happened besides a couple meetings and lessons with members which were good. Wednesday  we had Zone Conference and it was in person! We talked about a letter that President Ballard sent out and how that applied to us. We also talked about the Abrahamic Covenant and how Priesthood keys apply to those under it. Then we did some role plays for our lessons with members. After we ran home and did a scripture study with M in the Book of Mormon which was fun. The rest of the day we had a bunch of lessons with members which was nice and kept us super busy.   Thursday morning we went exploring our area. Since we have pretty much been inside we don't know our way around our area and we had never been to one of the church buildings so we went and found it and got a better feel for our area which was nice. We had a lesson in person with K and we taught the 10 commandments to him and his parents. Friday morning we had a lesson with a recent c...

Transfers happened on Tuesday and they split our area. Elder G went to one stake and I went to the other. My new companion is Elder F and he is from northern Virginia which is awesome and Elder G new companion is Elder W! Most of the day was spent moving things around and moving people in. Normally we find out who is moving where on Monday and we move Wednesday but they changed it on us and told us Monday night that we were transferring Tuesday. They also took my car away and I am no longer the district leader which is nice. Wednesday we had an orientation for Elder F at the mission office. It was pretty much the same as it was when we went for Elder G so I was fairly bored but oh well. After lunch, we had a call with M and read from the Book of Mormon. Aside from that, not much happened. Thursday we had District Council and it was nice not to have to plan that out and run it. The rest of the day we had a lot of meetings with leaders in the stake. Friday we taught the S a...

Yet again I fat thumbed a blank email. I am on fire. Idk who put the send and the attach file button so close together. Tuesday was a grand ol' party. We were out of apartment for around 7 hours straight which was fantastic. In the morning we had a lesson. After lunch, we went on mini-exchanges! I went on a walk with Elder Morse and then after doing a little bit of planning we had a lesson which went pretty good but it definitely didn't to plan which is how it is sometimes. Then we ran over to a meeting where we planned for the upcoming months. Then we ran and grabbed dinner after another lesson and got ready for our last lesson of the day. Wednesday was a lot more slow paced which was nice. We watched a devotional for missionaries and set up some lessons as well as had a couple. Thursday we had District Council and we were given permission to have those in person again which was awesome! We talked about developing charity and discussed the why of missionary work....

I am struggling today with technology so bear with me... Tuesday we had service taking out rose bushes which was pretty brutal. Rose bushes are not fun. It definitely tore up my clothes a little. We also had a lesson with J where we watched Spiritual Crocodiles with her and talked about it. It is a fantastic video based on a talk by Elder Packer about the dangers of sin and how we can stay safe. Thursday we helped a family prepare for a wedding reception in their backyard by doing some yardwork and it was pretty hot outside but we survived. We also had Multidistrict Council and that was pretty good. We talked about how important it is for us to be examples to the people we teach and members as well by being obedient. Friday we helped a family that is moving load up a bunch of cabinets dressers and beds which was fun. Saturday we called M and she asked us what scripture has made the most impact on us and that has been an interesting thing to think about since so many s...