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Sunday, August 31, 2014

Elder Inman Letter August 25, 2014

AHHHHHHH!

This was the biggest transfer this mission has ever seen. So many zones got swiped clean and everyone got moved around. So things have been hectic seeing as everyone is new to their areas. I'll get into that in a bit.

Leaving Powell was kind of sad but I think I was ready for it to happen. I truly love Powell and the people I had the opportunity to work with, but I was there for a while and was getting burned out. Monday and Tuesday were spent saying lots of goodbye's to people. Fortunately, since I am so close to the temple, I will be able to see so many of these families go through the temple for either the first time or after having been away for decades. What a blessing!

Another blessing occurred Monday night. I was so sick. My stomach felt horrible, my head felt ready to implode, and by the time night came I had the chills really bad. I asked Elder Braden to give me a blessing. AS soon as he placed his hands on my head there was an immediate warmth that overtook my whole body and the chills ceased instantly. My stomach pain went away the head took a little more time. I am so thankful for the Priesthood and its healing power!

Tuesday evening I drove to Billings and stayed the night with Elders Black, Thomas, and Paris (previous ZL's). The apartment they left us was a complete mess and the car was super dirty. It was not appreciated at all. Also coming to find out that they have not kept an accurate area book for the past 6 weeks and left behind absolutely no calendar of people they meet with daily. Great job Elders, way to let the area fail on account of slothfulness and laziness. So Elder Griffith and I spent THREE DAYS creating an environment where we could at least feel the Holy Ghost and detailed the car (purchased with TITHING funds) that they failed to take car of. So frustrating.

Thursday was crazy. There was an Elder sent to our mission who actually went into the MTC in NOVEMBER of last year but had to stay due to an ACL tear. He went home for surgery and came back out recently...this Elder confessed something in an interview with President. President Mecham called his Bishop and Stake President to seek counsel, only to find out that NIETHER of them had knowledge that this Elder had been set apart!!!! Someone WITHOUT authority (priesthood keys) set this Elder apart and sent him on a mission. How sad and devastating is that?! So we were assigned this Elder all day to keep him busy. We took him out to lunch and to several appointments, gave him a priesthood blessing and he had to go home Friday morning. I felt so bad for this kid. He's this big Samoan teddy bear. The last days or what?

This weekend consisted of lots of planning, coordinating efforts with the Sister Training Leaders and District Leaders, etc. Getting doubled into an area with no area book or knowledge of who is who is quite frustrating. So we have been doing a lot of planning. This week will be even crazier. For Mission Leadership Council we are actually having a 2 day seminar complete with broadcast, temple attendance (yay!) and who knows what else. Then we have a Zone Training this Thursday we have to plan for and then a baptism happening this Saturday in a river in our ward haha.

This time last year I was in Billings and we set up a concert for Jordan Sparks. Remember that? Well being In Billings again, we did the same thing but for Shania Twain this year haha. It's been raining 5 days straight here and I actually love it. The weather is in the 60's and it is just perfect!

Other than that we have church every Sunday from 9:30AM till 4PM! It's quite the day but curch is good. The wards are excited and Shepherd ward (one of my wards) actually has 2 sets of missionaries in it. We cover the boonies.

Glad Jesse enjoyed his birthday party! You'll have to watch that kid haha. That is so funny that the DJ knows Jesse. I'm sure he has quite the reputation. My companion is sweet. Elder Griffith and I came out together. He is from Pleasant Grove, UT. Have a great week!

Elder Braden

George's

Greenwald's

Jacobson's

Pedersen's

Young's

Monday, August 18, 2014

Elder Inman Letter August 18, 2014

Well ... back to BILLINGS!

Yep, I am being shipped back to Billings! Not to the YSA ward though. I will be a Zone Leader with Elder Griffith (who I also came out with!) in Skyview and Shepherd Wards! I'm so stoked because I know several members from the Rimrock YSA ward that live in both of those areas :D However, it is also very bittersweet to leave behind so many people I have become so close with here in Powell and I am bummed that I didn't get to spend as much time with Elder Braden. But the Lord needs me elsewhere and I am excited to respond! That also means I'll be sending home quite a bit of stuff to make room in my suitcase. I have accumulated a lot.

It was another week of exchanges with the Cody Elders. I was with Elder Slade again and we did our free lemonade stand once again! This time it was far more successful and we gave out probably over 50 cups! Each cup had a handwritten scriptural phrase on it in case they didn't want to hear our message...they get a mini message anyway!

It was also a week of mosquitoes...it is horrible. While walking by all these irrigated fields, we get swarms that follow us and bite us through our slacks. I resulted to running from appointment to appointment because it was so bad. But what can ya do?

Friday we helped a man move...it was quite disgusting and probably hazardous. He was not at all even slightly prepared for us to help him move. There were piles of clothes that haven't been washed for at least a year, a "hide-a-bed" with enough food in it to feed the 2000 stripling warriors and there were plenty of used napkins stuck to the furniture. So of course the missionaries get called because we're suckers for service haha. You could barely breathe. Then we moved a gross freezer that was leaking meat juice from over 3-5 year (at least) expired meat! Mmmmmmmm. It was a good experience. Later that day we went to Steve Rakness' house where we went on the roof of his camper to repair a tear he had acquired camping. We just used duct tape till we could get a patch on there.

Saturday was spent finding and we did another lemonade stand. We had one guy talk to us for like 20 minutes about his theories on things. It was interesting lol. We actually got cookies donated from Subway (a less-active owns it) so that brought in a few more people. We ended with like 5 gallons of lemonade left over haha. Later that night we found a small event  in the park. They do R/C car racing and it's a big deal. There is a track and everything! 

Some other fun events included a fish taco dinner with the Young's. I only had 6...it was way good haha. But I 'm getting back into shape and hopefully I'll be back to where I was when I came out!

Well this letter is pretty short! But it was a good week and I have a lot to pack. Thank you for the letter Grandpa and Grandma, I got it! i love you and miss all of you. I am jealous that you get to go to the temple open house. Have a great week and send all mail to the mission home address!

RC Track

Lemonade Stand

RC Cars

Buggy Race!

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Elder Inman Letter August 11, 2014

Much better week

Shane's blog is hilarious haha. He looks so different and I feel old! That kid was in high school when I left! Does Jensen have a blog yet? I would love to read his too. It's so crazy to read about everything going on outside of my little bubble here in Powell.

Speaking of my little bubble, I'll tell ya a little about my week! Monday we had a zone Preparation day and we all went bowling. Our team name was changed to "Humbled" when our bowling scores weren't great haha. It was still fun. Dinner that night was with the Greenwald's. We did a lesson on Temples and Family History and I think it went pretty well! Sister Greenwald came to church this week on her own despite Brother Greenwald being on a trip.

Tuesday we did some service at Habitat for Humanity and then drove up to Byron to pick up Elder Payne (Assistant to the President). He was here for our Zone Training Wednesday to do a leadership discussion and did the Question and Answer period at the end of zone training. I gave a discussion on having the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost and learned quite a bit from it! One thing I loved came out of 2 Nephi 32 (great chapter by the way). Verse three states that Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost. So many people as for signs or an angel to appear to them. When really, an angel would tell these people the exact same things we are telling them when moved upon by the Holy Ghost! They would say to repent and be baptized! And if we DON'T have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, we are useless to the Lord in bringing about his children's salvation.

Wednesday was my official marker at 18 months. I still remember 18 months ago getting off at the Salt Lake Airport to see Jack, Olivia and Meagan Roll at the bottom of the escalator to take me to brick oven where I got my 2 free cookies and we met Dylan there. How time flies!

After Zone Training we weeded a less-actives yard for about 2.5 hours. These weeds were taller than Elder Braden (6'5") and had legitimate stalks. So Elder Braden took a machete to them while I followed him with the weed-eater haha. It was intense.

We had a fun time contacting referrals this week! I got my first ever media referral from Salt Lake. We were looking for a man named Jerry Bellmyer whose address lined up perfectly with this huge, deep, and narrow ditch with a stream at the bottom. We tried finding his house for nearly 40 minutes on foot. We actually were down in the ditch jumping the stream, climbing trees, jumping barbed wire fences and no luck! We were convinced he lived in the ditch. We tried one more house and a woman answered really confused as to how we knew her husbands name. This family had moved from Illinois less than a week ago. She said it wasn't a good time and made it seem like Jerry was not home. So we headed back and Jerry walks out the back door to follow us out. He explained he ordered a Book of Mormon online and wants to meet with us but can't at his home because the landlord (who lived next door) would probably shoot us haha. So we gave him a run-down on the Book of Mormon and he said he would give us a call. Fun!

We did a free lemonade stand on Saturday! Utterly failed. We had probably 4.5 gallons of strawberry lemonade left over haha. But we did it on a weekend and apparently weekdays are better for main street. So we will try again! Also received Lacey's wedding announcement Saturday and I actually cried haha. Wow we're all growing up. But I am super excited for her and she looks both very happy and very beautiful! Eric, you look good too ;)

Yesterday was pretty awesome. Elder Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was with Elder Craig A. Cardon of the Seventy in Billings for a Stake Youth Fireside. Well Elder Cardon came down to Lovell, WY for a missionary meeting with JUST our zone and part of Wyoming South Zone. It started at 7:00AM so we were all there about 30 minutes early. About 5 minutes before the meeting started, President Mecham walks in, points at me, and beckons me over. He hands me a program and my name is penciled in the "Conducting" spot. WHAT?! I was terrified! Haha I had to conduct for a General Authority! Elder Cardon sat next to me during the meeting, would grab my forearm and wisper what he wanted said each time I stood up. It was awesomely terrifying. The meeting went pretty good but I messed up quite a few times haha.

Also on Sunday, we taught a new Investigator we found last week named Juan. We found him working on his Truck and he said he was willing to hear our message while he worked. So we did and he was listening the whole time. We came back yesterday and we went into his backyard and he told us about how he was raised devout Catholic but early on did not feel comfortable praying to Mary and several other people just to talk with Heavenly Father. He said it just didn't feel right and that he felt we should be able to talk directly to God without having to go through Mary. He mentioned that he always prays in Christ's name because Christ is the only way we have access to the Father. Way cool! He went on to tell us Catholic ideas that he did not agree with and he said he knew when something was true depending on the warmth he received in his prayers...but it gets better! He totally gets the Apostasy (without us even talking about it) and is willing to continue hearing our message. Heck yeah! Talk about prepared!

Hope you all have a fantastic week! The Gospel is true, God loves you, and I do too! Transfers are next week, we will see what the verdict is :P

Elder Braden is the one holding the Title of Righteousness. I am holding a very big squash...to squash Satan.



Sunday, August 10, 2014

Elder Inman Letter August 4, 2014

This week kind of sucked ... haha.

Sounds like it was a stressful week for everyone! This week was particularly difficult for me. Everything seemed to not go as planned or hoped for. But that is missionary life I guess. Monday was pretty good, we played "Headbandz" with the Bishop's kids and it brought back lots of memories! Dinner that night was at the Greenwalds. You could cut the Spirit with a knife (not that you ever would). And guess what....THEY CAME TO CHURCH AFTER 3 YEARS OF INACTIVITY! It was so exciting to see them there. That was probably the highlight of the week. We are seeing them tonight for dinner. 

Tuesday was frustrating. Everyone except Powell was late to District meeting so there was no spirit for half the meeting. We further visited several less-actives and went over the baptismal interview questions with the, to see if they had any testimony left. One particular couple said they don't believe in the Book of Mormon of the Restoration because an angel or God has not appeared to them to tell them. There are so many things wrong with that conclusion. One, they would shrink in the presence of God. Two, the scriptures say that an angel would only appear to call you to repentance. Three, they both admitted they received testimonies of the Savior and the Bible through the Holy Ghost. And four...their just dumb hahaha. I get so fed up with some people. They refuse to even pray to know if something is true fearing that they may actually get an answer they don't want.

Wednesday we spent about 2 hours doing service which I have missed! We went to Habitat for Humanity and moved things to the basement. Got some free ties out of it! Afterwards we taught the "Stop-Smoking Program" to 2 potential investigators Mario and Marcella. Marcella is the one that needed help to stop smoking. She gave up an hour into it without even getting the supplies. She doesn't really have a desire, her health is just failing. Dinner that night was with the Winters! MOOSE STEAK AND MOOSE HAMBURGER CASSEROLE! Wow it was so good. It has a different taste from all other meat I've tried. It's really lean (like no fat) but is tender and flavorful. So good. We watched, "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration" which brought everyone to tears. Hope to teach them more frequently.

Friday I got Elder Braden back (Thursday was uneventful)! Spent most of the day driving. Did a baptismal interview, drove to Worland, then to Cody and dropped off Elder Swisher (who I had been with). We interviewed the Elder with a skateboard and his companion. Hope he sends it home. It's sad that it takes someone to explain to a missionary that his skateboard might be a distraction. But anyway, dinner that night was at the Davis' who are doing awesome. We had a cool event that evening while walking. There was a man in his 30's outside pulling weeds wiht his three daughters. We asked to help and he accepted. So in shirt and tie we pulled this guys weeds and he ended up telling us his life story! The next day we found a huge squash, carrots, onions, and a letter that said "To the gentleman who assisted me in pulling my weeds. May God bless you on your journey." Or something to that effect. Awesome!

Saturday was dumb. Sunday, I renewed my covenants! It was sweet :) And we had 5 non-members at church and 8 less-actives! So that was really nice. We spent the evening tracting. Found 2 potentials and the rest were really mean lol.

Have a great week everyone! Love you!