Tuesday, May 28, 2013

May 28th, 2013



What a week! Being that this week was extra-long I have so much to write about and not enough time. I will try to do the week justice but being that some of the coolest things that happened this week happened yesterday many things may fall by the wayside.

This week we had zone conference which was amazing! It was such a great one and I loved it! It was just what I needed and a perfect pick me up! We were asked to train for this zone conference which went really well. Elder Cooper and I are starting to be able to teach really well. It took a little while because we think so differently but we are getting better and the zone conference was the start of that!

We had a funny experience as we were playing ultimate Frisbee with some of our members the other night. Elder Cooper was being fancy and throwing the Frisbee under his legs but had a problem. In Australia they wear their pants tighter than we do......they don't stretch too much....so they ripped....ha-ha It was so funny as they ripped the entire bottom out of his pants! Needless to say we went home right after that! He now has a name among the students! Ha-ha

 I was able to go on a fun exchange with Elder Cozier this week. He has been out six months and was just put as a district leader. It was cool as we were able to just talk for a long time and I was able to relay to him many of the things that I have learned out here that I wish I would have known earlier!

 We worked at the food bank a lot this week! We went there on three different days and had a lot of fun there!

 We had some great experiences with the members this week! They take really good care of us here and are always looking out for us! I love the members we have here! Best ever!

 We had an interesting experience this week in which Elder Cooper and I had to rebuke and call a branch president to repentance. He didn't like that very much....but it was really important. What he really didn't like is that I knew what I was talking about as I have read the bishop's handbook. I have come to learn that all problems can be solved by simple obedience to the laws and rules that God has set. That would have taken care of this problem and any of the other problems that we deal with. Obedience is everything!

 We had Frog legs for dinner on Sunday. That was an interesting experience. They were caught, killed, and prepared on Saturday night and cooked for us on Sunday. That is something that I wouldn't have guessed I would have here. They were alright. Ha-ha

 We also started teaching the stake mission prep class. It is really fun! It is cool to be there to help all of these pre-missionaries prepare themselves. They are all so much farther ahead of where I was when I was preparing.

This week was awesome as we were able to have some really cool discussions with a few of the missionaries that are here. On Saturday we were able to sit down and discuss doctrine with a few missionaries that asked for our help understanding things! It was great as we were able to have awesome experiences and all learn many new things! I haven't had a discussion like that since I was with Elder Nelsen!  It was great!

The coolest part of this week happened last night. I have actually been struggling a lot this week (even though it was a great one) with stress and some other things! Satan is a tool and has been hitting me hard lately because I have been trying to be better. But last night I was able to get some amazing help. We had dinner over at Bishop and Sister Bluthe's house which was great! I love being over there! I had the impression to ask bishop for a blessing after dinner. That is weird because I think that is the 2nd time I have had a blessing since I have been out here but the impression was strong so I went ahead and asked! I am so grateful that I responded to that prompting because that was exactly what I needed. That blessing was different than any I have ever experienced. This one felt as if God was sitting in front of me and telling me what I needed! I have a pretty good relationship with God and we talk all the time and I hear Him speak to me through the Spirit and thoughts and impressions frequently. But this time was different! This time it was like He sent a letter to me that Bishop read for me! It was the coolest experience as He told me of things that no one knew but God. He admonished me to continue with my prayers and was proud of all that I was doing! The feeling there was indescribable! It was amazing to think that, though He is in charge of and has the whole universe to run, last night God spoke to me and I was able to understand that! It was the greatest feeling ever and I know now more than I had ever before, who He is and who I am. I am His son and was able to get some great advice and encouragement from Him last night. I now know better where I am at spiritually and it is a lot farther and deeper than I thought I was at. Everything made sense last night! It was great! One of the best experiences of my life! I wish I could adequately describe it but it is only special because it is so personal and probably wouldn't mean the same to anyone else. If you desire a similar experience with God. All you need to do is ask. As I have come to greater understand my relationship with my Heavenly Father you can as well. He loves each of you as He loves me and is waiting for that closeness with you. But the ball is in your court. It is up to you. I encourage all of you to experiment with it.

 That was my week.
 Till next time
 Elder Banner

May 20th, 2013



It was a hard week this week! It was a week of goodbyes which was really hard! Also being transfers today this will be short!

 We had to say goodbye to Nicole this week because she left on Tuesday but we were able to have a volleyball game with a lot of people on Monday night as kind of a last hurrah which was so much fun. Anna Sanders was playing with us which was cool. She is All-American for Junior Colleges in volleyball. Yep! She was on my team! Ha-ha it was great! So much fun! We also had a really cool lesson with Nicole the next morning about being strong wherever you go and making wherever you stand Zion. This was a really good lesson for her because she has a hard time at home. Not the best environment for one trying to build a relationship with God.

We also said goodbye to Chris and Kara! We have been working with both of them and it was sad to see them leave as well!

We had dinner with Tashena and her whole family on Saturday! They came down for graduation and it was really cool to see them all! Her mom and her dad really like us and we were able to meet the rest of her siblings as well as her grandma and grandpa. It is cool because her grandpa and grandma are the medicine man and woman for the reservation. It was cool to talk to them.

We had some other cool experiences this week. One of them was a really cool bit of revelation that happened over the phone. We were going to have a lesson with Tyler and we were calling someone to come and teach with us. At this point we had no idea what we were going to teach her but as I called Dallin Shultz and was talking to him about the lesson I just "randomly" told him that we were going to be teaching about making wherever you stand Zion and standing in Holy places. It was weird because after I said that I was thinking, "Well I guess that is what we will be teaching!" and when I hung up Elder Clark looked at me and said, "Well let's teach that." That in and of itself really wasn't anything special but what was really cool was after we were teaching that for a while Tyler said, "I don't know how you do it but this is exactly what I needed to hear and what I have been wondering about the last few days." It was such a cool experience! The Lord really does know all of us and will give us what we need if we ask. That was also a cool lesson because we told her that one of us would be leaving this next week and when she was saying the prayer she thanked Heavenly Father for the "two angels" that He put into her life. It was the sweetest feeling! 
 
So many other cool experiences! I am glad for the opportunity I had to be here this semester with Elder Clark! We had a lot of fun and were able to have a really successful semester! I changed and learned more in the past 4 months than any other time of my life. It has been a wonderful experience! So transfers.....I am staying!! I am so excited! I am sad to not have Elder Clark anymore but my new companion will be great! His name is Elder Cooper! He is from Australia and is a convert of about 4 years! He has been out about 10 months and I am training him as a ZL! I am excited! It will be fun!

 Till next time!
 Elder Banner

May 13th, 2013



It was a hard week this week! It was a week of goodbyes which was really hard! Also being transfers today this will be short!

We had to say goodbye to Nicole this week because she left on Tuesday but we were able to have a volleyball game with a lot of people on Monday night as kind of a last hurrah which was so much fun. Anna Sanders was playing with us which was cool. She is All-American for Junior Colleges in volleyball. Yep! She was on my team! Ha-ha it was great! So much fun! We also had a really cool lesson with Nicole the next morning about being strong wherever you go and making wherever you stand Zion. This was a really good lesson for her because she has a hard time at home. Not the best environment for one trying to build a relationship with God.

We also said goodbye to Chris and Kara! We have been working with both of them and it was sad to see them leave as well!

We had dinner with Tashena and her whole family on Saturday! They came down for graduation and it was really cool to see them all! Her mom and her dad really like us and we were able to meet the rest of her siblings as well as her grandma and grandpa. It is cool because her grandpa and grandma are the medicine man and woman for the reservation. It was cool to talk to them.

We had some other cool experiences this week. One of them was a really cool bit of revelation that happened over the phone. We were going to have a lesson with Tyler and we were calling someone to come and teach with us. At this point we had no idea what we were going to teach her but as I called Dallin Shultz and was talking to him about the lesson I just "randomly" told him that we were going to be teaching about making wherever you stand Zion and standing in Holy places. It was weird because after I said that I was thinking, "Well I guess that is what we will be teaching!" and when I hung up Elder Clark looked at me and said, "Well let's teach that." That in and of itself really wasn't anything special but what was really cool was after we were teaching that for a while Tyler said, "I don't know how you do it but this is exactly what I needed to hear and what I have been wondering about the last few days." It was such a cool experience! The Lord really does know all of us and will give us what we need if we ask. That was also a cool lesson because we told her that one of us would be leaving this next week and when she was saying the prayer she thanked Heavenly Father for the "two angels" that He put into her life. It was the sweetest feeling! 
 
So many other cool experiences! I am glad for the opportunity I had to be here this semester with Elder Clark! We had a lot of fun and were able to have a really successful semester! I changed and learned more in the past 4 months than any other time of my life. It has been a wonderful experience! So transfers.....I am staying!! I am so excited! I am sad to not have Elder Clark anymore but my new companion will be great! His name is Elder Cooper! He is from Australia and is a convert of about 4 years! He has been out about 10 months and I am training him as a ZL! I am excited! It will be fun!

 Till next time!
 Elder Banner

May 6th, 2013



This week was an interesting one! It was a bit slow because it was pre-final week! Everyone was super busy cramming and studying and getting all of the last minute things done! It was still a really good week! We had some really interesting experiences!

One thing that is new is that Elder Clark and I have been getting up early in the morning and going to play tennis at the school! We found that we had 5 tennis rackets and tennis balls at our apartment so we decided to go and try it out! It has been really fun! We have decided that it helps our studies if we are up early doing something for a longer time so we will either play tennis, racket ball, or basketball in the mornings! I am so tired all the time but that actually helps me be more awake! Weird! Ha-ha

We had the first ever MLC (Mission Leadership Council) in the ATM (Arizona Tucson Mission) this week! That is ZLC (Zone Leader Council) but with the new Sister Training Leaders that the Church has put into effect to better facilitate the influx of new sister missionaries! It was really good! It was basically ZLC with some sisters there! I love these council meetings because they are amazing and we learn so much! This one President taught us more about Faith and how to build our faith! He was able to teach us some things about it that I had never thought of before! It was great! We also got new phones at ZLC; we now have a touch screen/flip-out phone. I never would have thought the nicest phone I would ever have would be as a missionary.

 Being that MLC is in Tucson, we decided to try and go down the night before instead so we didn't have to wake up so early. President gave us the go so we were able to go down and spend the night at the assistant's apartment! It was actually really fun! It was a Thursday night so we had to do calls so we were up super late. The assistants weren't done until around midnight! I am glad I am not there! Ha-ha I only have to stay up till about 11 or 11:30 instead! It is weird that I feel that is so late now! The mission changes you! Ha-ha But it was a lot of fun! I really enjoy the assistants that we have!

 Another thing that was really cool was our day yesterday! It was a really cool day but very long! We arrived at the institute at about 9:15 in the morning and didn't leave the institute until about 8:40 that night! It was crazy! But it was good! It was the last week that all 4 ward will be there being that after this weekend most of the students will be gone! Meaning it was a real intense fast and testimony meeting! One of reflection and gratitude! There were a few of those, "Oh I just love my roommates so much...... (sniffle, cry)......." but I was actually really impressed with the depth and amazingness of the testimonies! We (as missionaries) were actually given quite a few shout outs from a lot of people! That was really cool! It was really cool to see that we have touched people's lives and helped them out! We were asked by Bishop Bluth to give our testimonies in first ward which was actually really hard! I have really come to love those people and it will be sad to see them go! It was a good experience! It will be interesting to see what happens with our work from now on with everyone leaving! I can't believe that the semester is already over! That is super sad! Oh well......life moves on!

 That is all that I will put for this one! Till next time!

 Elder Banner

April 29th, 2013



OH it has been a crazy week! It has been such a good one though with so many cool experiences!! The work is a little weird being that we are right around the corner from finals so our work is struggling a bit as everyone prepares for that but it is still a lot of fun! I can't believe how fast it is going! I swear that yesterday we were emailing about last week.....It is going so fast now.

 But it has been a good one! We had many experiences and I am only going to be able to relate a few. It was a good week for all that we were working with. Larry, Chad, and Tyler are doing really well! Tyler was able to go up and speak at her cousin's baptism in Saint Johns this weekend and she read us her talk which was amazing! It is so cool to see the growth and the change that has taken place in her life in the past couple months!

 We had a really cool experience with a guy named Tad. On Wednesday Elder Clark and I decided to walk to district meeting to save on miles because we knew that our zone was going to be over. On the way home we were walking on the other side of the street from the church parking lot and we heard a guy yell, "Elders!” We turned around and there was a guy standing by his car and looking very uncomfortable as he said softly so that we could barely hear it, "I need help..." So of course we started back and walked over to him to ask what we could do for him. As we got close we could tell he was crying and we knew something was up. He said that he needed a blessing real bad so we started walking to the church. On the way Elder Clark introduced us and this guy said his name. As soon as he said it the mood changed and it became even more solemn. We knew who this guy was being that two of our missionaries were working with him and had told us about him. We knew that this was a serious moment in this man's eternal progression. When we got in the church we were able to give him a blessing and I was able to be the voice! It was a cool blessing and the only thing I remember is the sacred feeling that was there and that this guy was crying the whole time as it was exactly what he needed to hear. After the blessing he told us that he was really struggling and Satan was working hard on him and bringing up everything he had done wrong to try and make him feel unworthy to be baptized. He pulled over into the church parking lot and poured out his heart to God and asked for a miracle and something that would help him know what to do. When he opened his eyes he saw us walking directly in front of his car. The Lord works in mysterious ways. We were definitely where we were supposed to be! After the blessing he called Elder Maughan and asked if he could be baptized this weekend! He was able to and Elder Maughan said that it was the most spiritual baptism that he had ever been too and there was not a dry eye in the room! It was a blessing to be a part of that!

 The other really really cool thing that happened is that Nicole was able to get her patriarchal blessing this Sunday!! And she invited us to attend! It was one of the best, happiest, and most rewarding experiences of my entire mission! It changed my mission and my perspective on our work! It was so amazing to realize how much God loves Nicole and how He has put her in this life and guided her to do what would make her the happiest! It was amazing to hear some of the promises that He has in store for her! I learned a lot about the Plan of Salvation from that experience! It was the most amazing and sweetest spirit there! The church is true! There is no way that anything like that would be possible without it!

I love this gospel! I love the blessings and the peace that is available to us because of it! I encourage all of you to honestly introspect your relationship with God and think of what you can do to make that better. Therein lies happiness!

 Elder Banner