February 20, 2012

Well Here it is Monday once again!

Here is my official welcome from Indiana, to the "Mission Field!"  Got to love other churches that have the same desire to spread the word of God...  I can't help but see the amazing difference that there is between us and other faiths.  It seems like we have backing from God in our efforts... oh wait, we do!  HAHAHA!

Well life here in Beech Grove is great!   Elder Aquino and I are still getting along well, and we are working hard to get more and more people to baptize!   There are so many times that areas get stagnant and they just keep teaching the same people over and over again, and they really never progress, but that is why transfers are so often.  We spent time a few weeks ago "dropping" almost all of our investigators and making room for us to find new people.  I can't even begin to say how nice it's been to find new people to teach. 

We were biking the other day and we saw a younger kid walking 2 dogs.  I had a sliver of a prompting to say "stop and talk to him" so I did.  40 minutes later I left with his contact information and a return appointment!  His name is Patrick and he's been feeling guilt for all the things he's done in the past...  He always thought that one day church would be important, but not till he was 40 or so... but he'd been feeling something "telling him" that he should start these changes now.  We met him and he has such a wonderful desire to do what is right, and we are striving hard to teach him the right things and help him overcome some temptations!  I can totally for see that this kid could serve a mission, go to the UNIVERSITY OF UTAH, (not BYU) find a nice LDS girl and get married in the temple...  That is the dream with any investigator, but he has something about him.  He stands out from others, and that makes me think that this 20 year old can make some amazing differences in his life and in the life of those around him. 

Mona is doing well, she's still set for March 3rd!  I have loved watching her excitement grow as she gets closer and closer to her baptismal date!  She's officially stopped smoking and drinking tea and coffee, and has been sharing the gospel with her daughters!  One of them is also in our ward boundaries and we are starting to teach her!  Got to love it when people get excited about the work, they help us so much! 

Well not much else is going on...  life is good!  i'm striving hard not to gain weight... that's not going well i'm putting on a little bit of what was lost... I attribute that to eating out with members on a very regular basis here in Beech Grove...  I would so much rather be in their homes eating good food, but we are working on that.  Transfers are in about 3 weeks...  Crazy how fast time on the mission is going...  soon enough it will be summer, and we'll be planning my return home...

Got to run for now!  Love you all!

Love Elder Rees

February 13, 2012

Hey well today is just going to be quick...
I think I shared this experience the other week.... Mona!  Mona is a woman that walked into our church building 3 weeks ago... the Saturday before she was contemplating suicide and was very depressed.  She was struggling financially, and had lost her husband in November...  She started to pray, and asked for a new place where she could worship.  She prayed all night in the chapel of the Hospital, and set out Sunday morning in her car to find a place to go to church.  She drove about 20 minutes to the north, and was told by the spirit to STOP!  She stops and realizes that she's in front of "Chase bank", and "McDonald's" bank was closed and she doesn't eat Micky D's...  But right next door to the restaurant is our church!  So in she walks, talks with an Elder from the other ward that shares our building.... she stayed for 3rd hour of their meetings and she stayed for all of our meetings!   At the end of the meeting she said that this was her new church, and she was going to be coming back Every Sunday!   We have been meeting with her regularly these past few weeks.  Lesson 1 Restoration... I have never seen someone in such awe at the message that God has called another Prophet to the earth!  Lesson 2... Word of Wisdom...  Scary stuff... sometimes we lose investigators when they find out that they need to change.... Here is what prompted lesson 2....  2 pots of coffee each day, 1 gallon of sweet tea each day, and half a pack of cigarettes each day.... Lesson 3 Last half of the plan of salvation, with an emphasis on Eternal Families, and Temple ordinances... Deep doctrine for a 3rd lesson.... Yet with the loss of her husband and several children before birth this is the "money ball."  She was in tears to know that her husband could accept these same blessings on the other side, and that they could live with each other eternally!  At the end of this lesson we talked about how the Word of wisdom was going...  She had 2 cigarettes that day!  Huge improvement, and hadn't had coffee or tea for 2 days!   We met her at church yesterday, and she shared this same experience in her testimony over the pulpit!  WHAT!!  She hasn't been baptized yet and is sharing why she believes it's true!  At the end of church... she tells me: "I haven't had a cigarette in 2 days!"   God is a God of MIRACLES!!!  When we pray and are at the end of our rope, realize God will tie a harness around you, and guide you to the truth, to blessings, to happiness, and joy!   Mona does live out of our area, but shared last night at a "Why I Believe" fireside that she's going to be moving into our area so we can teach and baptize her!  She has such great faith!  and Knows this gospel is true!  At the fireside we had set speakers from different wards and stakes surrounding the Indy area...  At the end of one of the testimonies Mona decides to share hers... so up she went...  She wasn't on the program, but the spirit said speak, and so up to the stand she walked!   By this point I'm wigging out!!!!  My companion is having a panic attack, and the assistants are looking at us like "WHO IS THIS!"   Luckily they ran with it. She shared her story, and the spirit took away all anxiety!   What a blessing to be apart of such a wonderful miracle!  One day I'll go with her to the Temple and help her get the work done for her family! 

Don't EVER give up!  God hasn't and won't give up on you! 
Love Elder Rees

More Pictures

February 6, 2012

The BUZZ!
Well we did hear about the Giants... It's a good thing because the Colts and the Patriots are Mortal Enemies here so all the people were glad to not have the patriots win it all on their own field. 

We got to go and take some pictures of downtown, and see a little bit of the happenings of the super bowl, but it wasn't as cool as it would have been to actually be at the game or not be endowed with this calling.  There was just too much drinking and smoking going on... there was also a TON of people, and we weren't the only religion out there spreading our word... even though we were the quietest. 

We have no a lady with a baptismal date so we are excited for her... she walked into church 2 weeks ago, and won't go anywhere else... she is in a different wards boundaries but refuses to go any where else!  makes me laugh, but i'm glad to be the one teaching her.  I see her always look at me, and not my companion... I know that she trusts me more than her... maybe it's my age, but it's fascinating to see that most of our investigators turn to me. 

I did take some pictures of the Superbowl village stuff in down town but I didn't bring my camera into email today so I'll have to update them next week! 

I'm glad that all the PTC went well, and that it's over... the last one of this year right? 

Well life here in Indy is good, there are so many people here and the ward is great.  I actually met a guy who used to be a sheriff in Lyman Mt View area.... way back when... when the Cokeville bombing happened. He's in our ward and took us out to dinner, it was fun to have someone who knew so much about the area i grew up in. 

Well not much else... the work moves on!   I'm officially coming home on 2/5/2013, so yesterday was the official year mark!  CRAZY!  I also realized that i'm going to miss 3 Superbowls!  Lame.

Love you tons!

Love Elder Rees