It was an experience....

Hey everyone! This week has been pretty crazy. Every thing is so slow because everyone leaves in the summer because it's too hot. We had quite a few lessons this week so that was really good! We got above average of what we've been getting the last couple of weeks. But I got some big news! I'm transferring again! I'm not moving too far though. I'm going to be transferring to a neighboring Ward but with a new comp and new apartment. I'm going to be with Elder Carlson. Elder Mangus and I are still going to be zone leaders though. It will be a split zone leader companionship. They changed transfers around a lot too. Now we transfer on Tuesdays and use our p day to pack everything up. And the zone leaders are driving everyone to their new zones now too. So tomorrow morning we are picking up some missionaries and taking them to the mission office to head up the mountains at 7:30. Then we will pick up the trainees and take them to their trainers in their areas. I have to stay with Elder Mangus until 4 because his comp doesn't get down the mountain until 4, but by 4 o'clock I'll be with my new comp in my new area! He's a pretty good kid. I'll be helping him as much as I can. He has kind of been struggling but nothing a little hard work can't fix. It should be pretty good.

Well I had an experience earlier this week I wanted to talk about. There is this guy named Jon. He is a great guy and grew up in the church. He went and served an honorable mission and got married to a girl in he temple. Later on they got divorced and his life kind of fell apart. He has become inactive and kind of bitter toward the church. He said his testimony has been shaken really bad. Missionaries have been meeting with him for awhile now just trying to help him get back on track. Well we went over to his house and we were going to teach The Gospel of Jesus Christ. We were planning on focusing on faith and enduring to the end. Well when we sat down to have the lesson we started talking and one thing lead to another. We ended up showing a video that we thought was going to be perfect for him. It's the Mormon message "The Hope of God's Light". We had him watch it and the spirit was super strong we thought it was going to change his     outlook on everything. But he got nothing out of it. After both of us baring testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel we asked him if getting his testimony back was something that he wanted. He said "To be honest guys, I don't even know if God or Jesus Christ are real anymore. And getting my testimony back of them and the gospel isn't something I really want to do". It broke my heart! This guy is so awesome and is such a good guy. He had so many life changing experiences on his mission and throughout his life and now he came to a point of not even wanting to get his testimony back again. Sadness and fear filled my heart! I wanted to just shake him and tell him to open his eyes. I was afraid that if he fully let go he wasn't going to find his way back. I thought of the scripture Mosiah 28:3 "Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble." This was me! Even the thought of loosing him became real to me and it was hard for me to think about. It was a hard but good experience. I've always read that scripture wondering how you could love someone that much that even the thought of losing them did cause you to quake. But here I was in this lesson, having only taught this guy one other time and I had these feelings. I couldn't stand to think where he would end up or what his life would be like with out the gospel. I learned two things out of this. God respects our agency, and I would probably say even more than our salvation. He wants us to make our own choices and grow in our own way and if our choices keep up from salvation than Gods going to let it happen. Even though he loves each and everyone of us and it's hard to see it happen that way. And the second thing I learned was how well the scriptures can apply to our lives. Here I was not even thinking I would ever have this scripture apply to me and now it happened! Pretty crazy experience. Well love you all! Hold to the iron rod!

Elder Lange

Trying to beat the heat!

Well I don't have an email this week because we've been pretty busy taking less actives out with us today doing some fun stuff with them but I do have a picture! Hold to the iron rod! 

Bed BUGS!!!

This week has been kind of rough. It's been super hot and a couple of our investigator won't keep commitments we give them which means we might have to drop them. They love having us come over and feeling the spirit when we do but then when we tell them to read part of the Book of Mormon before we come back it never happens. It's pretty frustrating but mostly sad. They want the gospel in their lives and they know it's true and good for them and their family, just not willing to put in the work to get there. But everyone has a time I guess. It's just part of the missionary experience and people coming unto Christ. I've been explained it's a lot like a grape vineyard. You walk down the rows and pick the grapes that are ripe. The. Come back the next day and do the same thing. It's hard to leave someone like this though. I feel like they are so close to being "ripe" I just almost want to pick it early. But I know as well as every, that's not the best thing to do and will probably lead to inactivity later on. Our week has been pretty slow too with the 4th of July week and everyone being out of town. And to add to the top of it we have bed bugs. They are the worst! They are the hardest things to get rid of! I didn't know they were real until I moved down here. You have to vacuum all you bed and bed frame every night and search for these little microscopic eggs they lay everywhere. Wash and dry all your clothes, sheets, blankets, shoes, and shove them in garbage bags and rubbers and them shut every time. And the things that you can't wash (suit, ties) you have to throw in a garbage bag and throw it in the car and wait for it to get 120 degrees. (That's when they die) So we have to go through this huge routine every night before we go to bed. And have to live out of garbage bags! They are like ten times worse than any other bug! We are having some people come in this week to spray our apartment but the first spray doesn't kill them, it only makes them more hyper and I'm gonna get bit 10x more. Then they come back in 2 weeks and spray again, hoping to kill all of them. So it been pretty rough . But! We hope to have a better week and see if we can help some people out and help em come unto Christ! Love you guys! 

Elder Mangus standing in front of a thermometer in Phoenix

Teach with the voice of "thunder"!

Hey everyone! This week has been really good! My favorite part was a lesson with a referral we have been trying to contact for a long time. We finally talked to her and she told us to come back on Tuesday. We went back with a member and hoped she was home. She was expecting us and everything went well. She is a black lady that moved from Africa and has been here for a little while now. Maybe like a year. She has a really strong accent but speaks English well. We started teaching the lesson and we were teaching the restoration. The member bore powerful testimony and so did we. Near the end of the lesson we invited her to be baptized and she said yes. She said to us that she was feeling the spirit really strong and I was glad to hear that because I was too. She said "look!" And showed us her arm and she was covered in goose bumps. The spirit in the lesson was so strong! I was glad to see that we actually do teach with the spirit and others can feel it! Every time we talk about the restored gospel the Holy Ghost will be there to confirm it. I know others can feel it but they don't always talk about it so it was so good to see that she recognized the spirit and what it felt like. Sometimes as missionaries we are so used to feeling the spirit you wonder if they are actually feeling it or if you are just sensitive to it. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is on the earth today! It's real and it's the same church Jesus Christ organized when he was on the earth. The companionship of the Holy Ghost is something I never want to loose. The power and feeling I had in that lesson was unlike anything I have ever felt. It's good to know that we, like in Mosiah 27, can teach with the "voice of thunder". I love his experience and it's probably one I will never forget and will cherish for the rest of my life. It's times like these that really confirm why your on a mission and you really are doing the Lords work! I love you all and hope that when you speak of the restored gospel with others you too can speak with a "voice of thunder"!

Here is a picture of our apartment.  We put both of our beds in the living room since we can't have separate bedrooms.