Jesus the New Elvis!, Zombie Apocalypse! Book of Mormon on Broadway?

This week has been great, we were able to meet with several Less Active members, and have set up a few times to come back and to help them get back into coming to church and living the covenants that they have made at baptism. We also visited a few Former investigators, and have decided to pick them back up and see if we can help them feel the spirit and the need to be baptized! We are excited to have a few opportunities to be able to sit down with people and help teach them, but more have the spirit teach them. We have an investigator who read JSH... and found the part where Joseph wonders which church is true, so intriguing because he's wondered that very same thing. He shared a very cool thing but didn't realize it....: he was taught and led by the spirit to read those things and the spirit WILL confirm that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God! and soon after he'll be baptized! (I hope)

We also got a chance to work on Purdue Campus for a few hours this week! That was way FUN!! Stopping random students and talking to them about the gospel is Great! We were able to get a few phone numbers and start to teaching process with them... Very cool to see how the gospel really is for everyone. We were in an area of Campus where there was a game of Zombies Vs. Humans going on... Apparently there is a National Campus game going on where people act as Zombies, and others as Humans with Nerf Guns, and they play different games and try and kill each other (nerf guns). Jeremy, It's your job to investigate this and to find out when i get home if we can join the fight against those dag Zambies!

                                              

We are trying to reach a potential investigator, he could be a great baptism, but he's super busy and we have a hard time actually sitting down with him, but we stopped in on him the other day and asked us about the Book of Mormon on Broadway.... Apparently it's coming and i know it's not church sanctioned but it may be something you'll want to look into, if only in case people ask questions...

                 

Ok so this week we were able to go on Exchanges with the District leader, and I was with his companion Elder Farmer from North Logan, and we ran into a guy that is a paranoid schizophrenic, and i asked if he had a Faith in Christ, and he went off about how he can see demons, and he's used to them now, and that people don't know he knows Jesus, and that Jesus will come in 4 years, (maybe he's right) and that he's going to be as big as Elvis... Need less to say i was choking back laughter and tears, one because the things he was saying were totally outrageous and off the wall, but two, he truly believes in Jesus Christ, and will one day have his mind set free, and will be able to fully accept the Gospel!

                                                   

So I'm sure you all were wondering just what the title of my post was, and how it was going to make sense in the end, and now you know that there are 3 individual stories that happened this week, that made me think about cool blog post names, and i couldn't decide between the 3, so i did all 3.

OH MY GOSH, i almost forgot! Thank you all for the birthday wishes, and packages... For those of you who didn't send me anything shame on you... just kidding! It was still a great day! A sister from our ward made us cupcakes, so we had a really good cupcake with a candle...thank you so much! It was fun to stumble and tell people that i'm 25 now.... OLD!!! A sister Lyon that works in the office, (knows Gma and Gpa Francis) called me old.... So if she says it it must be true!

Love you all thanks for the notes and emails and in general all the love, support, and prayers! Make missionary work apart of all of your lives! I know i'm going to want to be a better member missionary when i get home. Out here it's pretty simple to do, because you are one of the few members, not just one of the crowd... just a little challenge!



Happy Birthday Elder Rees

Elder Rees turns "25" on the 25th of March. He is excited that the dates match up...only time that this will ever happen! Be sure to send him some birthday wishes! We love you Dallin!!

If You Were Born on March 25: You are playful, spirited, and totally unique in your self-expression. Anyone who knows you thinks you are "one in a million". As likeable as you are, some may be intimidated by your blunt approach, perhaps taking your many jokes a little too seriously. Underneath, you are far more sensitive and spiritual than you appear. Your memory is extraordinary and your talents are many. You love a good debate, and with your sharp mind, generally win!

Other notable (famous) birthdays on March 25th include:
1) Danica Patrick
2) Elton John
3) Sarah Jessica Parker
4) Aretha Franklin

Cardinals and Converts!

OK, so for the first part, Cardinals are a cool Bird! and are Everywhere out here!  They are getting to be out even more, it's that time of year when most things are twitterpated!  Birds being the worst!  Morning Doves are also everywhere, and it's kinda fun to hear all the bird noises, but it's often time very loud, simply because there are so many!  I say cardinals to in a reference to the Catholic Church, because we run into so many people that say, "oh, well we are catholic, so we are good... no thanks..."

Cardinal

Mourning Dove

Converts: it's amazing how many converts are here...  It really gives me hope to know that most of the converts that we deal with in our ward, or who are in our ward, have been active, very active ever since baptism!  They are working hard to be able to go to the temple, and are great examples!  I would love to baptize someone in this area because they would be lifelong active members! 

BUT, People have their agency!  They are able to choose not to see us, choose to smoke, choose to drink, (let me just say there are so many bottles of booze, and cigarette butts around that it makes you sick!) and yet are happy in their faith's with Christ.  "We know it's a bad thing to do, and every time we do them we feel bad but the Lord Delivers us!" WHATEVER!!!  Satan has a huge hold here! and as I've read more about the Catholic Church, kind of a dominant one here, the more i see that they are twisted and corrupted.  They still teach of Christ, and have many wonderful people in their congregations, but don't quite have the full picture of the Plan of Salvation, and it's kinda sad because people are so stuck, and set, that it would be hard for them to ever change.  But we are asking a hard thing of them.  

People are generally nice! and the weather has been great and has made people even nicer!  People are out and about so we are able to talk to them outside their homes, makes riding a bike a lot easier because we get to stop every few houses and chat with people or maybe help them do a few chores...

Not much else is going on here...  Simply teaching a ton of Smokers, and Drinkers, and Knocking doors of other Smokers and Drinkers...


Till next week! 

Possums and Black Squirrels!!

YEP that's right, I must say I was not expecting to see too many biological differences here in Indiana, minus the fact of weird words, and Hill Billies (which are rare in West Lafayette). But I must say we have seen a few dead Possums on the side of the road as we've been out tracting but dead ones are different from live ones. I don't like them! They look mean, and intimidating! We were driving the other night (i have driving privileges!) and we saw one on the side of the road, hissing at us as we drove by, and teeth showing, and looking really mean.... I wanted to hit it, but i also wanted to keep my driving privileges! Oh and let me say there are squirrels galore here! My companion says up north there are black squirrels, but the only difference is that they can run faster, jump higher. Anyway, this one is going to be short I am going to be writing a few letters today, and need extra time to be able to do that! So if i'm lucky enough to have
your address you may just get a letter soon, if you want a letter, write me first!



The work here is great, we have an amazing ward, and they are always willing to come out and teach with us or have us teach investigators in their homes! We are being fed well, but i'm proud to say fully dressed i weighed in 10 pounds lighter than when i left the MTC! COOL!! I'm going to keep that going!

We have several investigators that we are teaching that we see trouble with.... One grew up in Mexico and is VERY catholic, and feels that she wants to know if the BOM is true, but won't be willing (yet) to make the change and give up the Eucharist, and the Virgin Mary, and all the Saints. I'm learning a lot about different religions while here too! I'm feeling that the Pentecostals would be fun to go to, a lot of singing and dancing and tons of Speaking in "tongues" lol i don't buy it for a second! :) I'm glad to know the truth! and have my testimony strengthened daily by my being able to bear testimony, and study the scriptures!

A neat and new way to study! What i'm doing is taking 1 chapter a day, reading a verse, and writing about it in a study journal, asking a few questions LIKE: what does this mean, what message is being conveyed, and what principle of the gospel is this teaching, you know little things like that, and I must say, my memory of specific chapters, and verses is growing! 2 nephi is amazing! there are so many things of Isaiah i skip over but it's pretty fun to have the scriptures come alive right before you! I hope to continue study like this well on into my later life and gain even more while i can! I look forward to study everyday! you should too!

Anyway this was going to be short to the end!

Love Elder Rees

Missionary Moments...

Well let me first start with the first saturday of the month, at 11:00 am, there is a Tornado warning test, TEST.... little did my companion tell me about this "test" so we are out on bikes, and I must say when I heard the alarms going off, my heart kind of jumped...  But soon realizing that the weather was not quite bad enough to warrant a tornado, I quickly calmed down, and the "test" was talked about. 

Weather...  Well the weather is different, there are warm days, and cold days.  The wind is ALWAYS blowing, and the other day we had snow in the morning, rain in the evening, and the next day it was in the 50's...  The Cold is COLD... It's really fun though to be out and about on bikes and travel around the city with cars honking, and members offering so much help.  So needless to say, I'm still wearing 2 pair of socks a day, and thermals under suit pants.  We bike a ton, (we share a car every other week) and it's hard because you could be sweating but your are freezing too! 

Apartment.  We are living just north of Purdue university, and it's a little one bedroom apartment, that is pretty nice.  It's pretty quiet around us, and it's very simple.  We have a few couches and desks that fill our front room, and we use them for study time and what not.  We have a warm shower!!!  and laundry is in the next building over, we have to pay $1 for each load, and to dry, but it's simple enough to get the job done. 

Companion... We are getting along great!  we are learning to teach really well, and he's quick to compliment me!  We are working hard, and we have great respect for each other.  The great thing he shared with me is that he's treating me as though I've been out on the mission for over a year, not as a greeny.  Which really makes me feel good.

I am not going to lie, the first week was great, and tough all at the same time.  I had to make a few adjustments really quick!  The life of a missionary is very different, and takes some getting used to.  The schedule is getting easier, the morning study sessions aren't quite as sleepy, and it helps when you want to study, and you are finding inspiration, and revelation in the scriptures.  I'm learning fast that the area's i get to be in aren't always as good as this one.  Like i said last week we have a ton of graduate students, and people from back west who are more than willing to help you in any way that they can.  we can have rides when we need them the food here is great!  The weirdest thing we ate was a plate of Krinkle fries, that had alfredo sauce on them, but the alfredo sauce was packed with Ham...  If you would have told me to eat this i would have laughed at you... but it really wasn't that bad...  Kind of like Tuna and Coco!!  but i LOVE TUNA and Coco!!

I want you all to know how important this gospel is to me.  And will be for eternity.  The spirit is an amazing blessing, and is often times even here hard to recognize, but it can be very overpowering as well!  I am so blessed to have you all in my life, and please if you aren't going to church, get back there, if you aren't reading daily, GET STARTED! and Take NOTES!! the Lord WILL speak to you in there.  And most of all Pray!  pray pray pray!  Imagine how the Lord feels, he hasn't seen you in so many years, and there are so many things he could help us with.  Just like me when i get home we'll want to talk and share and share advice and experiences, and that is what God can be for us!  and He's Perfect, so you know he'll only lead you down the path that is correct! 

Love Elder Rees!