God is Good!

This week has been really good. We have a person getting interviewed for baptism this Saturday so hopefully everything goes well. We are seeing a bunch of miracles. One was Sunday. We had a ton of people come to church. I think it was like national bring your friend to church day. Everyone kept coming in the doors and was like "Hey missionaries! I want you to meet my friend _____. They have been asking a lot of questions and wanted to come today". It was literally so crazy. Elder Lemley and I had our minds blown. Not to mention our investigators came to church too. We had a great Sunday. We are going to meet with a few of them this week and are going to start teaching them.  The  other ones arent ready for lesson yet I guess. 

What made it even cooler was that everyone in our mission was having a fast of gratitude. Not a fast for gratitude but a fast of gratitude. It change my perspective on quite a few things. There is so much to be grateful for and just knowing where are blessings come from. I think when we show gratitude for our blessing the Lord is willing to bless us more. It shows we actually appreciate the things He does for us. It was a really good week for us and things are looking up. Hopefully we can keep working hard and keep it this way. God is good. :)

Ups and Downs

It's been an up and down week! We've had a bunch of good experiences and a few bad ones. We had some really good visits with a couple of families. Families we haven't been able to see in awhile. It's pretty hard work down here. People are so hot and cold. One week they are doing so good and then Satan gets in their lives. It's so hard to watch people turn from the gospel. I can't imagine what Heavenly Father feels like with so many of his children. There is a lot of hope for them and a lot work to do to help them get to the straight and narrow. 

We had a baptism coming up this Saturday and were going to get the interview this past Saturday for his baptism. The night before he texted us and said he wasn't ready for it. That was a huge bummer! He was doing so good and making so much progress. He had quit smoking this week, was reading and praying every night, coming to church and feeling peace there and so many other things then just dropped it all. We still go see him everyday and he is opening up more and more everyday but is moving in about 2 weeks so his time is running out. 

These experiences have taught me a few things about Heavenly Father. One, the love He has for each of us. The only thing I want for his guy is to bring him happiness. He talks about how his life has all these struggles and how he has struggled his whole life, turning to drugs, getting caught by the law and so many other things that he says destroyed his life. I wish I could give him the happiness I have for just a second to let him feel the affects the gospel can have on us. Secondly, Heavenly Father always respects our choices no matter how hard it might be to see us make mistakes. He is always going to honor our freedom of choice. That's why we have so much chaos and sin in the world, because no matter how bad he wants to see us in the gospel and happy he lets us make our own choices no matter what they might be. And third of all, He is always there to help us back up when we fall. Every time our investigator falls back we are always right there to help him with his struggles. We are there to back him up and help him in any way we can if he asks for it. Heavenly Father would do the exact same for us. Anytime we need help He would be there in a heart beat to strengthen us and help us get through our struggles. Missions are amazing things and open your eyes to so many different things that I think would be hard to experience back home. I'm so grateful for this gospel and the opportunity I have to share it with others.

We went to Top Golf with Elder Hampton and Shaw. It was pretty fun. It was good to see both of them again

What are you putting in your bucket?

Life is good. We are just moving right along with our area. Its been so good. We have 4 people on date and plan on putting some more on date as soon as we can get a lesson with them. Our area is really looking up. 

We have been teaching this guy named Mike. He is super awesome. He has tatts and gauges but just loves the church. We are helping him stop smoking this week and he says its been the easiest its ever been for him trying to quit. He is probably going to be our soonest baptism since he doesn't work and he is just eating everything up. Its so awesome. While we teach him we always talk about a strength he will get when he does what he is supposed to. Going to church, reading the scriptures daily and praying all the time. Well as we have been teaching him he said he can feel the inner strength. Something he has never had before. He doesn't quite know what it is but really loves it and how much it is helping him. We have been explaining to him the it is the enabling power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. That is where the power comes from. When you feel like you've hit your limit and cant do much more. That's when the atonement of Jesus Christ play such a huge role in your life. 

Its awesome to see the testimonies of others and how they are growing in the gospel. It truly does strengthen me as much as it strengthens them. I've been thinking a lot lately about how everything in our life comes together. Our experiences, our trials, our friendships. Everything in our lives comes together and cultivates this person. The way they act around others, the way they think, the way the up hold themselves. We each have a story. Things that make us, us. I always look at other people and kind of think to myself "Wow they've got a cool story. I look up to them a lot". But as I've been thinking about it I realized my story is happening now. What kind of things am I putting in my life? What things are building me into the person I want to become? I've thought a lot about this lately and the things I want to have in my "story", the things that I want to make me, me. It takes a lot to put things in your life. Life changes experiences that will change you forever, such as baptism. Mine has definitely been my mission. I hope to hold the testimony and person I've become close to me. I hope to be able to keep filling my life with things that are going to make me a better person. Its kinda like a bucket. You can either fill it with bad things or good things. Things that will make you grow or things that will weigh you down. What are you putting in you bucket?

Zone hike to Tom's Thumb

I have 2 great great grandsons and this is one! My great grandson and great great! Pretty sweet

Zone Conference

Beamer, Benz, Bentley

Chillin in a Tesla

EASTER!

Squaw Peak

Its been a killer week. We worked super hard to get our investigators to church this week. We wanted 7 but only had 3 attend. Its alright though. 7 was a long shot. Hopefully next week. In one of our Wards, they hadn't had investigator attend in close to a year. So that was really good to get one there. Its the richer part of our area so its hard finding in that ward. They are all just really well off and don't think they need any changes to their lives. But everyone was so surprised when we brought in a bald guy with tattoos and gauges. As if people don't stare enough, and then he walked into church haha. Everyone was super nice though. He stayed for all 3 hours and really enjoyed it!

We had some really good lessons this week though. Our investigator are just moving right along. We have a lot of things to do and its hard staying on top of everything. Just seeing how people are doing between our next visits and seeing if they are doing the things we asked them to do. 

My birthday went well. Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. We ate with an investigator family the day before my birthday but they wanted to celebrate it, they are super awesome. Adam (member), Dora and Dorita. This is the family I've been talking about. They are super cool and I hope I can see them in the waters of baptism soon!

Easter was also super awesome. There is nothing like the feeling of the spirit, especially when its strong in a meeting. I think it was super good for everyone that attended. I LOVE talking about Christ and His infinite atonement! I wish the whole could know how much hope and peace come from Jesus Christ. My testimony of Jesus Christ has grown so much out on my mission and ill never forget the relationship each of us can have with Him. He still lives today. He isn't someone that lived and died for us only. He still lives today! No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again.

Chanesia Washington at her baptism. We found and taught her awhile back and now she got baptized! Good to see the fruits of your labors 

Easter from Langes mom 

Easter from Lemleys mom 

Elder Lange's birthday! 

Our apartment

Elder Lemley made cupcakes for Elder Langes birthday

Zone Conference

Happy Birthday and Happy Easter!

(Elder Lange's mom talking)

We got a few picture texts this week and that is always a fun surprise and treat!  The first was a couple of pictures of his birthday celebration.  The text said "Celebrating Elder Langes' birthday.  Thank you for sharing your sons with us her in AZ!"

The other text came on Easter Sunday and said "Just had dinner with these wonderful Elders!  They are doing great things here in Scottsdale AZ, awesome Easter ties!!! from the Gale family" 

I wrote back and said: "Thank you so much for this awesome picture!!! Even more thanks for taking care of them!!"

Sister Gale wrote back: "It's our pleasure! My husband is the Bishop and we have had so many great missionaries in our area, but these two are so hard working!  You would so proud to see the good things they are doing!"  

Elder Lange and Elder Lemley

We all have something different!

This week has been really good. But the highlight was the family I talked about a couple emails back. We were just walking through an apartment complex and they needed help moving in so we helped them. Well it turned out to be that the father is a member and had been praying to get back to church somehow. Well we had been trying for about 2 weeks to get a hold of them and could never catch them home. Well one night we knocked on the door and found the daughter home! I asked if we could come back the next day when her dad was home and she said we could. 

Arizona sunset 

Batting cages for dinner 

Well I got busy picking people up and running around for transfers and had to cancel the lesson. A couple days later we went to stop by and see if they were home and as we were walking to his apartment we saw him. He told us we could come in but just really quickly because it was his lunch break and he only had 15 minutes. We were expecting and planning on just getting to know him a little bit and set up a time to actually sit down and have a lesson. Well he invited his family in which consists of his wife and her 18 year old daughter. We started to get to know them for about 2 minutes and then the daughter said she had some Mormon friends and wanted to ask some question. She said "who is Joseph Smith and what is he all about?" Man it was a perfect set up. We taught the Restoration and explained why Joseph Smith is important. She thought it was really cool and made sense. Then at the end when we invited her to pray about the Book of Mormon and about Joseph Smith, she was more than excited to do it. She said "I haven't been baptized yet and really want to find a church that I like so I can be baptized into it". It was like a perfect first lesson. 

So we ended up setting up a lesson 2 days later and going by. We taught the Plan of Salvation to them and they thought it all made sense. Where we came from, why we are here, where we going. They loved that God had a plan for each one of them. The spirit was really strong and at the end of the lesson the mom said that she really likes us and she was talking to her daughter about us. They both agreed they saw something different in us than in anyone else they have talked to, they said we were really happy and could see something different in us. They said they saw something in our eyes or something. We testified of the truth of our message and couldn't help but testify of the happiness that each one of them could have. 

I always thought that people said that about other missionaries or other people. People and missionaries that actually do have something different. A better understanding of the gospel or a better out look at life or just something different. I never in a million year thought that some one would look at me and tell me they see something different in me. Something different in my eyes. I soon realized that we all have something different. We have truth and understanding. We know Gods plan and how we can find happiness. Its experiences like these that have a lasting conversion in your life. 

Stand up inside and be all in!

This week was pretty dang good! We have found a couple of new people and are hoping to start teaching them. Hopefully we can get some people on date this next week too! Our closest baptism should be around the end of April. Still trying to work on a day they don't work. 

We got to go to the Phoenix temple too! 

We have been finding some sweet tender mercies though. We were watching Conference with a less active family and the nonmember dad came down and watched a whole session with us. He usually just sits in his room and I've only talked to him once. It was pretty cool and he really liked it. There has been a couple times this week we have been knocking on doors trying to find people in our record that don't live here anymore but the people there say we can come back. There has been a lot of success this week. Small and big. Hopefully we can get things rollin. 

Conference was super good for me and for all of our investigators. I was sitting there just thinking that it was the perfect talk for some of our investigators. But I loved the talk about "standing up inside and being all in". Man I loved that talk. A lot of time we just kind go through life doing what we need to to stay afloat but not really trying to progress. It hit home for me. He reason I love it is because you can apply it to any hobby you have. Wrestling, biking, rock climbing, or even painting. If you aren't all in the result is not gonna come out to what you want it to be. Sometimes it takes awhile to get fully into it but it worth and we all need to. We need to immerse ourselves in the gospel and immerse ourselves in good habits and good standards. It's only after we do this that we find the true happiness. 

Joshua 24:15

15 ​And if it seem evil unto you to serve the ​​Lord​​, ​​​choose​ you ​​​this day​ whom ye will ​​​serve​; whether the gods which your fathers served that ​were​ on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my ​​​house​, we will ​​​serve​ the ​​Lord​​.

Morning workouts, zone frisbee 

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