Fresh Steaks Right from the Cow Pasture!

Hey Ya'll! 

The biggest news of the week is I'm getting transferred.  I was really surprised since I have only been here two transfers. 

But, I have been called as a Zone Leader!  And will be serving in the Charleston zone!  WOOHOO!

I'm going back to the Charleston Stake/zone!  

Elder Boyd will be staying here in Floyd, and will also be training a brand new missionary from the MTC.  What a great place (FLOYD) for him to be trained!
I sure will miss these two families:

The Lafon Family

 

Sister Horne and Brother Brown (engaged to be married)

 

As for the rest of the week!

Mon. May 11:  Well, we had zone P-day, and went to Virginia Tech's campus to play on their grounds.  We played a variety of sports.

(The V.T. shooting Memorial is shown back there with the red arrow)

Tues. May 12: We had zone conference today!  It was in Pembroke, VA with lots of instruction from President Salisbury.  I loved it.
We got our truck inspected today, so we gave it a car wash this morning.  Even after the wash, the Vehicle Coordinator couldn't believe how much dirt we had everywhere!  Uhh...have you been to Floyd?
We picked up two new investigators tonight!  Mary & Reginald Clark were some former investigators we met/started teaching.  Brother Ferguson came with us (they are all in their 70's) and they all got along great, and the lesson went really well. 

Wed. May 13: We were able to try lots of people today, including a man named, Bobby.  He gave us a ride somewhere else, after telling us he wouldn't like to investigate anymore.  People here are so friendly, even if they don't want the Gospel.
We had dinner with the Conroy's, and by the skin of our teeth made it back in time for a lesson with Sister Guthrie and her daughter (both less-active).  They both committed to come to church! 

Thur. May 14: We moved a refrigerator, a washer, and a dryer today. Wheww!  The Miller's had us do service for them.
Also, we were finally able to teach Jodie, and had a good lesson with him on his "Iron Rod" (1 Nephi 8) reading.
We went to Branch Council instead of basketball tonight. (I didn't know I was missing my last opportunity to play ball here in Floyd).

Fri. May 15: We had a lesson with Ron this morning at the church.  Brother Brown joined us, and we look forward to seeing Ron's progression.
We were suppose to meet with Alec right after, but he cancelled.
We went walking today and got caught in the rain!

We got Soaked!

We tried contacting two referrals from members today; both were not interested. (The chance a referral takes the discussions and get baptized is way higher if the member has them in their home, and the missionaries invite them to learn there.)
We were able to have a lesson with Keith.  Even with pictures, and Brother Hammond there explaining things, it's just not clicking with Keith.
I got a letter from Elder Caldwell today that had Baptismal photos of Matt in it!

Elder Caldwell & Matt

(Elder Caldwell got to go to our former investigator's Baptism because he is currently serving in an area that is fairly close to our old area, Beckley.)

I had to take a picture of Elder Caldwell's picture of Matt's Baptism, so it's kind of rough, but......WooHOO!

 

Sat. May 16: We went to Sister Young's to do service there.  She had all her kids there, and their kids and spouses.  This place was hopping with tons of potentials!  Every one of her kids is a less-active or a part member family!  We were able to get phone numbers with most of them to schedule a time to go see them!
We had dinner with the Lafon's.  Elder Boyd actually got to Skype with his dad, while I chatted with the family.
We picked up another new investigator today (another former).  His name is Gary, he's Brother Frazier's neighbor.
We got a call tonight telling us one of us is getting transferred.  Big surprise! 

Sun. May 17: It was probably one of the best Sacrament meetings I've ever been a part of.  Just what I needed!  No investigators came, but still one of the best Sacrament meetings; the talks were excellent.
We had a lesson with Sister Huff on covenants.  We're trying to help her understand she's got to keep her Baptismal covenant (take the Sacrament) if she's going to keep future temple covenants.
We had dinner at the Light's; they fed us steaks!  WooHoo!  From one of their cows!  FRESH! President Salisbury gave us a call, and called me to be a Zone Leader and Elder Boyd to be a trainer (indicating I would be getting transferred for sure).

Mon. May 18: I had a final district meeting as District Leader of this district, kinda sad.
After which we didn't have a whole lot of success today.
We also saw Amos tonight; he was drunk, and getting really angry at us - he's just not ready at this time.  Funny thing was, he was cussing us out, and then I told him I was leaving, and he started getting emotional and telling me, "You can't leave!"  Interesting mood swings there!

{Amos didn't want to take a picture, so I just got one with his roommate, Orlando}

Tues. May 19:  We had a busy, busy day!  We taught Brother Crawfor, taught Gary, taught the Banks', and tried people in between, including saying Good-byes. 

Well, that's my week!  Gotta get packing!

 My baseball bat that I will be leaving. :(
(I'd hit rocks with it, hence all the dents)

God be with you!

Love, Elder Brenchley

Riding a Bike was "Just Like Riding a Bike"

Happy Mothers Day!
Man!  There were a lot of holidays this week! 

I'm so sorry ya'll weren't able to read my last week's letter over email on Monday.   I guess my Mom was the most freaked out....... (FYI: Not a good Mother's Day present!)

P.S. I've got a lot of pictures to show you this week! 

{Pine Creek Mill}

 

{The public restrooms of Floyd} ;)

Quote of the week: "Let me tell ya, he was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs!" - Brother Hall 

Monday, May 4: National Star Wars Day! (May the fourth be with you!) Haha. 

Well, we made an appointment with April to go see her on our P-Day.  Wouldn't you know, she wasn't there.  Hmmh.  So that's one reason our schedule got offset.  Then we did some emailing. 

We went up to Radford and we had a District P-Day!  

It was a blast, we played tennis.

District P-Day {L to R: Elder Degooyer (a little overdressed, don't you think?), Elder Ballard, Elder Boyd, Me, Sister Lively, Sister Banks}

Elder Degooyer thought he was just going to sit on the sidelines and write letters because he had a cough, we finally coaxed him into it!  The Sisters borrowed three rackets from someone in their area, and we borrowed three rackets from the B family.  Problem was, we only had one ball.........

When we got back to Floyd, it was too late to email from our city library. :( 

Later tonight, we met with Sister Briggs at the Swortzel's.  She is SO dedicated to knowing as much as she can about the Book of Mormon and knowing if it is true!  She just recently bought the student study manual and bought herself a quad (scriptures) online! 

Tuesday, May 5: Cinco de Mayo!
We had District meeting; the Sisters had the great idea of having a Spanish potluck after the meeting.

So that's exactly what we did! 

I made a great Rice and Crunchy Taco Casserole! (Thanks Hamburger Helper!) and brought tortillas,  Sister Lively made the jalepeno poppers, Sister Banks made Spanish rice & homemade tortilla chips, Elder Boyd brought soda, the zone leaders brought popcorn and chip dip, the Radford Elders didn't bring anything. :/

I also conducted exchanges for the day.

Elder Ballard

I got to go up to Radford with Elder Ballard.  

We rode bikes all day!

 It was also the hottest day of the year so far!  85 degrees plus humidity!

Elder Ballard & I were working hard all day, but weren't able to teach anyone.  Elder Boyd & Elder Degooyer actually taught Mike & Katrina Fizer in Floyd! 

Wednesday, May 6:  We rode more bikes!

Afterwards, we exchanged back.
We always take the opportunity to eat-out up in Radford since they have a million and one places Floyd does not have.  We went to Applebee's so Elder Boyd could have All-You-Can-Eat Wings.  Man, this Elder can eat; I think he ate around 30 wings!  Anyway, the Steen's, from our Branch, walk-in, and wouldn't you know, Brother Steen was shouting at our waitress to bring him the bill! (I guess it's not just in Utah where missionaries get meals paid for!)
We were glad to be able to meet with Brother Trout, a less active.  He's really starting to think about coming back to church, so he can raise his daughter in the Church.
We also, with our new Branch Mission Leader, Brother Light, had a Correlation meeting, then he took us to see Sister Guthrie.  We were so blessed to finally get back in contact with her.  I originally gave her the goal of going to the temple when I first met her back in March; Brother Light took it a step further, and gave her the goal of going on the Stake temple trip in October!  We also ended the lesson with teaching Keith the Plan of Salvation.  We will have to slow things down, he's not retaining info really well. 

Thursday May 7:  We went to go see our investigator, Nara, with the Sunberg's.  She was so sorry, and explained she didn't have time to meet with us at that time.  Then she and the Sunberg's proceeded to talk for 20 minutes.  When we were leaving, I said, "You know Nara, we could have had a lesson in 15 minutes, and we've been here for 20 minutes."  Haha.  Hopefully she can realize we're not asking for her whole day, just 15 minutes.
We went to go play basketball, and it turns out our investigator, Taylor, has been sleeping at the gym.  Well, we were able to have a lesson with him before we went and played basketball!  It's going to be hard to get him to church, since he doesn't have a car or a place he lives that someone can go to pick him up at. 

Friday May 8: In the morning, we had a great lesson at the church with Ron.  He cleaned up well; he hasn't had a sip of alcohol in two weeks!  We taught him the Plan of Salvation, and that really hit home with him because of the passing of his friend recently.
The rest of the day we spent walking and talking to people; picking up a few potential investigators along the way.
A guy named, Mark came and gave us a ride someone's house we wanted to try to meet with.  Turns out, his son is a Mormon up in Northern Virginia.  He gave us his address and we're going to go see him soon!
Sister Richards signed up to feed us.  We needed another male to go have dinner with her, so Brother Lafon and his son, Caleb came since they are her home teachers.  Caleb gave the message, then afterwards when we were in the car, he turned to me, and said, "It's moments like those that make me want to serve a mission!"  YES!
I tell everyone this, "Us missionaries aren't just here to serve, we are here to recruit [future missionaries], as well!" - Elder Brenchley

Saturday May 9: I got a nice haircut today.  I gotta look PER-TY for my Mother's Day phone [Skype] call!
We also helped the YM out with a service project at the Steen's.  I also got to sit in Brother Jeppeson's sweet ride!
We taught Keith again, this time, as we re-taught the Restoration, we had him take notes in the pamphlet. 

Sunday May 10: Happy Mother's Day!
We honestly thought we'd have four investigators at church today.  We got none. :(  It was a bummer; the program here in Floyd Branch was wonderful.  We had six youth speakers give their thoughts on mothers and the Primary sung a couple of songs.  Branch President Garret gave a great talk on mothers, and treating the woman in our lives with respect!  Also, we did have one less active show up who we weren't expecting.  Apparently, that was his Mother's Day gift to his mom!  Whatever it takes to get him here, right?
Then after dinner at the Light's, I got to Skype home my wonderful, eternal family!  It was awesome!
 To end the night, we met with Brother Ferguson, a less active.  We committed him to read the Book of Mormon and he graciously accepted a copy!

{Beautiful Floyd, VA}

 

Well, everyone, the POWER of the Book of Mormon is incredible!  Always remember the importance of reading from it everyday!  That is the commitment/promise we give to those we teach out here in order for them to develop a testimony.  So, I also promise YOU; that is how you will strengthen YOUR testimony, by reading from it's pages everyday! 

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers out there! 

Especially my Mom, grandmas, aunts and mother-figures in my life!  I Love You All! 

Love, Elder Brenchley

I Met my First True Hick

Hey Ya'll,

So sorry you didn't get my weekly letter via email, but we had an interesting day and we didn't know the library closed at 5:00 p.m.  I was able to get one email off before the library closed, so ya'll get my weekly report on paper!


Mon. April 27:  Today was P-day - we hung out in Blacksburg.
We met with Sherwood and he's not interested anymore.  :(
We also met and taught Brother Turner, he's been less active for 20 years.

Tues. April 28:  We had a lesson with Doris, she's an 80 yr. old lady and now a new investigator.
We had a lesson with Keith and read Alma 36 with him.  Brother Brown joined us for his lesson.

Wed. April 29:  We met a guy named, Butch, while tracting; he's a typical hick (living in a trailer, complaining about the Government, his name and all.)
We tried a former investigator on record named, Bill.  He'd come to church 20 times in the past, but then came across Anti-Mormon material - he was letting us have it!  :(

Thurs. April 30:  We had zone meeting, then I exchanged with one of the ZLs, Elder Clawson.  It was fun!  I went to Christiansburg for exchanges, and the other ZL (Elder Moses) came to Floyd with my companion.
We met and talked with a less active guy and I beat his roommate in chess!
We had dinner with two young Mormon families. (That's where I wanna be in 10 yrs!)

Fri. May 1:  We exchanged back to our regular companions.  Because I was in Christainsburg for exchanges on Thursday night, I missed our usual basketball.
We did weekly planning and I felt prompted to go see Taylor (we don't have a phone number, so we have no way of contacting him).  He was there!  And we got his phone number!  Taylor said he'd come to church.
While I was gone, Elder Moses (ZL) and Elder Boyd met and taught a member's ex-husband, named Ron.  (See Sunday)

Sat. May 2:  We had lunch with Sister Merrill and her family.  Sister Merrill is the only member in her family - it's sad, but they are all too comfortable to change right now.
Today we had back to back miracles;  Miracle #1 - we had an appointment with William Dillon, he's Sister Lester's friend.  She had already filled him in on half of the Restoration!  So, the lesson went GREAT!  He's now a new investigator and coming to church tomorrow!  Miracle #2 - Elder Boyd needed to "use the restroom" and he wanted to use my water bottle to "relieve himself."  I wasn't going to let THAT happen, so we dropped by the Banks to see if we could use their restroom.  Turns out, Sister Banks needed a blessing, as well!  Right place, right time!

Sun. May 3:  Taylor didn't answer when Brother Brown went to go pick him up for church.
Alec and William Dillon came, though!
Our new investigator, Ron Fraizer (ex-husband of member), needed a blessing.  Here's the awkward part; he lives in a shack behind his ex-wife's trailer, yeah.  Anyway, we gave him a blessing and had a lesson with him after, and he accepted August 15th as a Baptismal date!
We had dinner after Bible study with Ricky, Dustin, and Sam.

WOO HOO!  What a week!


I hope you can read my terrible handwriting!  Anyway, sorry ya'll weren't able to read my email during Family Home Evening, like usual.  It won't happen again!  :)
Anyway, I love hearing how everything's going back home - stay strong in school 'til the end, kids!

Happy Mother's Week!  Everyone treat the moms in your life real good, especially Mom!

Love you all!
~Elder Brenchley

Best Exchange Ever!

We did awesome, as a district, in finding new investigators this week; we found nine all together!  We were able to find four down here in Floyd, and there's a cool story behind every single one of them,  including us teaching a Spanish man who didn't know a whole lot of English! (Let's just say my measly two yrs. of Spanish came back to bite me.) 

Mon. Apr. 20: We had another zone P-day filled with excitement! (driving mostly) 

Tue. Apr. 21:  We had District Meeting this morning.  My portion was on Teach, Testify, Invite, Promise, Follow Up.  We need to do every single one of those if we want to be the most effective teachers we can be! 

Then, afterwards, we went on exchanges.  Elder Degooyer came down to Floyd with me, and boy, did we have fun!

Elder Degooyer & I

It was probably the best exchange I've ever been on.  We found April and taught her the Restoration.

Then we taught Sister Briggs in the Swortzel's home.  She feels like she doesn't have a testimony of the Book of Mormon, so she's bought herself a student manual to better understand it! 

We had dinner, then tried a potential investigator named, Juan.  He spoke a lot less English than we thought, so I would be able to say a few things in Spanish, but what we ended up doing is I would say, "Juan, Leer" and then point to a box in the Spanish Restoration pamphlet.  He'd read it then we'd move on to the next one.  I bore my testimony of the Book of Mormon in English, then Elder Degooyer's prayer was priceless, "Dear Heavenly Father, Please bless Juan.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

Wed. Apr. 22:  I learned a lot from Elder Degooyer (like he was a little grossed out to be in a trailer with mice)...

{2nd mouse we got!  Thanks to mousetraps provided by my mom}

 ...and surprisingly, he learned a lot from me on our exchange. 

We had three appointments set up (member-present lessons at that). April wasn't there when we went back today with Bro. Banks. 

We went to go do service and a lesson with a potential. (that fell through because she wanted us to mow her lawn, but she didn't have a lawn mower. Hmmm.)  Our backup plan was going to try to see Nara, a potential.  Turns out the Lord wanted us there - we had a great lesson.  

Our appointment with Taylor w/ Bro. Brown also fell through. 

Thur. Apr. 23: We had interviews with President Salisbury - always a pleasure. 

We performed service for the Steen's and they fed us lunch. 

We also played basketball tonight, I played some good ball. 

Fri. Apr. 24:  We got three referrals today!  Two from the Fizer'sy, who we decided to meet with.  They pointed us to their unbaptized son, his fiance, and their 9 month-old baby girl.  She was adorable and they were such nice people.  We have a return appointment with them on Monday (April 27).

Sat. Apr. 25: We worked in town today - it was kinda raining all day, so not so many people out and about to talk to. :( 

We had a Bible study with Sam, Ricky, & Dustin.

Later that evening, we got in with Keith, a man we met while serving at Angels in the Attic.  We taught him the Restoration and he accepted to read the Book of Mormon.  We're going back Tuesday!  4th new investigator!

Sun. Apr. 26:  Today was Regional Conference/Stake Conference.  All the talks were great.  The Stake President addressed us over satellite, then it switched to the regional feed where Larry S. Kacher (I met him), Linda S. Reeves, Neil L. Andersen, and Robert D. Hales addressed us.  I found each one of these talks very appropriate for the people out here.  The Region involved in this conference was the North East Missions.  Elder Hales grew up in New York and he told us that since 80 yrs. ago, the North East Region has grown from 34 congregations to 1,300!  Incredible!  

Also, Jodie came with Katie and the girls! (Alec was working) :(

Well, got to go!  Love You All!

Love, Elder Brenchley

Is This Your First Baptismal Interview?

Hey Ya'll!

How's it going? 

To make a brief summary of this week; this was a great week!

ALSO: We finally got over the hump of just ONE investigator attending Sacrament Meeting and ONE investigator with a Baptismal date (Alec).   Jodie" came to Sacrament Meeting, and we found a new investigator and he is on date for Baptism! 

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE: As District Leader, I have the blessed opportunity to interview all investigators in our district for Baptism (excluding my own investigators).  I had the blessed opportunity to conduct my first Baptismal interview with the Dublin Sisters’ investigator, Zayne.  Let me tell you a little about Zayne; he's just 14 yrs. old.  The sister missionaries first met him at church, and he told the missionaries, "I Want to be Baptized!"  He had done a lot of research and understands all of the Gospel principles!  I loved the opportunity to interview him: 

I asked Zayne before the interview, "Is this your first Baptismal Interview?"
"Yes," he responded.  (Really puzzled at the question.) 

"Mine too," I replied, we both chuckled, "but Zayne, I expect this to be one of the most spiritual moments of both of our lives!"

 

I can testify that it was!  Here is an elect child of God, only 14 yrs. of age, who was fully ready to make covenants with God.  He is so knowledgeable of the Gospel with such a great testimony.  I'm so grateful  for being called as District Leader - I feel one of the reasons I’m grateful is so I could have the blessed opportunity to interview this young man!  This interview truly blessed both of our lives!

Zayne Linkous was baptized Saturday, April 18, and then confirmed a member of the Church on Sunday, April 19.

As for the rest of the blessed week:

April 13, Mon: 

P-Day.  Elder Boyd, being the super clean guy that he is, had us clean some more!  And we threw away even more trash! 

I spent some time catching up on writing letters.  If I haven't written you back, please tell me!  I've been behind.  :(

Then, while trying to contact some potential investigators, we heard the Eulogy from this one man - in the end, he at least took a card.

April 14, Tues:  We had a good District meeting; I spent my portion on the importance of change/repentance (both for missionaries and investigators).

We went out contacting in the down-pouring rain! 

We had a lesson with Jodie on the importance of reading the Book of Mormon and coming to church.  He committed to do both! 

April 15, Wed:  We did our weekly service at Angels in the Attic and met some fine people.

We had three appointments set today, and two fell through.  We did have a great lesson with Johnny Brown and Sister Horne on Missionary Work.

We drove up to the Radford chapel to interview Zayne for Baptism (see above comments).

We had dinner at Applebee's in Radford because A) We don't have any restaurants like it in Floyd, and B) All you can eat wings and fries on Wednesday!  WooHOO!  

April 16, Thur: We had weekly planning, and we spent time actually planning what part of the county we will be in each day (that saves BIG on miles).

We met with Taylor today.  He's Bro. Banks' cousin and a former investigator.  He came to church and met with missionaries when he was 16 yrs. old.  He's now 21. We taught him the Restoration lesson, so now he’s a new investigator!

His next door neighbor, Stephen, is the hippie we ran into last week.  We stopped by and talked to him – luckily this time he'd showered and had a shirt on.  He was amazed with the Pearl of Great Price; I showed him the pictures/hieroglyphics in them, and he was like, "NO WAY!  That is so legit, Man!"  We’re meeting with him again soon! 

We played basketball tonight and Elder Boyd's height (6’2”) proved him to be a valuable rebounder. 

  

April 17, Fri:  We had a good lesson with Alec on obedience and tithing,

Me, Alec, Elder Boyd

and then we helped him build a chicken coop!

We had dinner and a lesson with the Lafon's.  We committed them to read the whole Book of Mormon, as a family, before they get sealed as a family in August.  AND memorize The First Vision (any of you back home take that challenge I gave ya'll?)

April 18, Sat:  We walked into busy downtown Floyd and talked with a lot of people! 

We contacted a referral, an 98 yr. old WWII vet, (he wasn't too interested in learning though :( ).  He gave me the best quote/advice for finding my wife, "Find someone who you can't live without." - Lawrence Wood

Brother and Sister Steen saw us in town, and bought us lunch.

We tried several potential investigators, and got one return appointment! 

We went to have a lesson with Amos, and it wasn't a good teaching environment; there was a crowd, the T.V. was blasting, and Amos spent a good chunk of our visit trying to convince us drinking beer is OK and that Jesus drank and smoked. Uh, What? Anyway, he still wants to come to church, so big PLUS.  We'll just to have all future visits/lessons in a member’s home or at the church.

April 19, Sun:

We had two investigators come to church; Alec and Jodie!

We went contacting out in a rain storm – and broke two crappy umbrellas. 

We had a great lesson with Taylor - Brother Brown came with us!  The lesson was on the Plan of Salvation, and he committed to June. 7th as a Baptismal date! 

We ate dinner at the Banks' house.  

{LOVE THIS FAMILY!  They love sports, so they keep me updated!  Bro. Banks and I are BFF's}

 

We taught a lesson to the Banks on the April 2015 Ensign article, “Four Tools that Bring Promised Blessings” (prayer, scripture study, family home evening, and temple worship).

This was such a great week!  I was very blessed to experience this week!  President Salisbury has challenged each companionship to get 20 lessons in a week!  So, we will be working towards that!  The key to that is effective planning and goal setting.  I love the big emphasis on each.  I will definitely take these skills from my mission back home! 

I know this Gospel is true!  I know that Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice, and through his Atonement and Gospel, we will be all right! 

Helaman 5:12 (a favorite scripture of a lot of you, I'm sure - it's my Mom's.)

But when we build our foundation on Jesus Christ and his Gospel, even if we stray away, go through trials, or make bad decisions....when we fall ROCK-bottom, guess who that Rock is?...........that's right; Jesus Christ, our Savior.

I Love You All! 

Love, Elder Brenchley

A Trailer Makeover

Hey Ya'll!

How's it going?  I really do want to hear what everyone's favorite Conference talk was, and I haven't heard any response, yet........ tsk tsk.

It's probably just because Ya'll couldn't decide which one to pick!  Haha.

Last visits with Elder Olsen:

{Me, Caleb Lafon, Elder Olsen}

{Fraizer Family, pretty cool fam - he is the Branch Mission Leader and they have us over for dinner often}

Well, Elder Boyd has arrived here in Floyd! (that rhymes) 

My new companion, Elder Boyd

He's from Blackfoot, Idaho.  He's the 2nd oldest of 6 kids (the only boy, Yikes!)  He's 24 yrs. old, so just a bit older than I am!  He has been a missionary for 13 months.  He has previously served in Welch, WV (6 months), Daleville, VA (6 months), and Blacksburg, VA YSA (1 1/2 mo.)

{Mouse we finally got with a mouse trap my mother sent me. (Elder Olsen had a crazy fear of mice) So, I was cleaning everything up.}

 

 

Elder Boyd was not impressed at all with the trailer we live in.  He is an absolute clean freak. (So, just what the doctor ordered for the Floyd trailer).

{All the trash we threw away after Elder Boyd's deep cleaning}

It's going good so far.  We had a short week, and still were able to see some good things happen.

April 8, Wed:  Happy Birthday, Haylee!  

The library email didn't start working 'til noon.  We ended up having a wonderful zone P-day.

{Our Blacksburg Zone, finally got a picture of all of us together}

 

Our zone played volleyball.  Me and Sister Erickson were quite the force to be reckoned with! (with my volleyball skills, and her height [5'10"] & college experience!) 

April 9, Thur:  We woke up early to send Elder Olsen home!

Me & Elder Olsen

He was pretty busy packing the last couple of days.  Elder Olsen had a whole lot of mixed feelings, but he was happy to see his family.

Good thing was Elder Boyd and I didn't lose any proselyting time to transfers today since he came from my same zone.  Bad thing is all three of our appointments cancelled on us today. (a potential, Sister Briggs, & Jodie)  Ugh.  

We were invited to Branch Council and they put us very last.  Great thinking there - we're the only ones with a curfew, so we didn't have much time at all to talk! 

April 10, Fri:  I filled in Elder Boyd on the area. 

We didn't have to worry about our English/Spanish language gap because the potential investigator  wasn't home.  Darn, I was ready to vamamos!  Right? 

Also,  downtown Floyd is rocking on Friday nights, as well!  Everyone comes out to the Country Store's Friday Nite Jamboree!  So, we found a lot of success talking with people.

{London Broil Steak - probably the best thing I've made on my mission, thus far}

 

April 11, Sat:  We drove pretty far out to Willis to meet with a former investigator.  He was asleep; his roommate said to come back in an hour. 

We tried a few neighbors, and found Stephen.  Long story short: He's 20 yr. old hippie, no shirt on, long hair, smelled really bad, was totally open, and gave us really awkward hugs as we left.  WEIRD!  But, hey!  He's interested in the "Eternal perspective of things!" 

So, I finally met Bro. Crawford today.  I've heard so many great things about him.  He's 74 yrs. old, served a mission, and comes from St. George, Utah.  He's less active, and I have no idea why?  He took us out to lunch, then he came with us to an appointment today with Sister Briggs. (A less active coming with us to see a less active) Sure! Why Not!?

We finally got a hold of Amos, and he said he didn't have any minutes for the last couple of weeks, and that's why he hasn't been able to talk to us.  He said he'd be at church in the morning and he had his own ride! 

We also ran into a 15 yr-old kid who is the boyfriend of Sister Young's granddaughter, Rylee, and he said she's the only Mormon he knew and that he'd come with her to church next week!  Sweet!  The thing is; Rylee's not a member yet, and hasn't been to church since January.  So, hopefully, miraculously, they'll be at church next week! 

April 12, Sun: Well, Sister Briggs came to church.  Alec came to church!  No Amos again. (Man, whoever's giving him a ride, should be fired!) 

We were able to have a great lesson with Alec after church. 

Then, we also got teach Sister Huff about going to the temple.  We need to get the Branch to start a Temple Prep. class; we've got a lot of people needing to prepare! (Sister Huff, Bro. Brown, Sis. Guthrie, Banks', Lafon's).

We had lunch at the Light's which was pretty much like family get-togethers back home, for me!  You've got extended family all there, kids screaming, everyone talking...hmmmh, it's the best! 

Then after that, we had to rush home because we had a dinner appointment with the Lafon's.  Yeah, one meal a day for us missionaries wasn't enough, so the Branch has started signing up for lunch & dinner.  We taught the Lafon family on the importance of Enduring to the End. 

Elder Boyd shared his remarkable story of his re-conversion.  He used to be big time against the Church.   But then figured it out!  And, now he's here in Floyd!  

We went next door to visit Sherwood and Monica Wright.  Monica wasn't home, but Sherwood's neighbor, John, was really interested in who we were.  Ten minutes later, we set up an appointment with him to have a lesson/dinner at the Lafon's house Friday night!  WOW! 

Well, I say it was a good week!  Please keep praying for all us missionaries! 

But, Ya'll back home: A) Find people for your local missionaries to teach.  B) Preparing yer youngsters to serve a mission AND stay active in the Church!   Proverbs 22:6 

Love Ya All!

-Love Elder Brenchley

Did You Know I Was Called on a Spanish Speaking Mission?!?

Hey Ya'll 

Wasn't Easter and Conference just the best?  What a great combination! 

What was ya'lls favorite talks?  I really want to know!  I haven't picked a favorite talk, yet.  But I have a favorite Ssssion!  Saturday afternoon by far! All 6 talks were so great! It may also have to do with the fact, that I've personally met & shook hands with 2 of the speakers (Elder D. Todd Christofferson, and Elder Dale. G Renlund, (both came to the Mission)

I really loved each of the talks!  And It helped me feel a lot better because I was really uneasy after some people opposed The First Presidency and The Twelve Apostles!  How sad was that?  They sound like they need our prayers

As for my weekly report, I've got a lot to say, in a short amount of time.  

Elder Olsen

Elder Olsen has to get packing, so I'll bullet point my days:

Monday March 30:

• Radford Elders came down for P-Day for fishing and basketball. (No fish caught)
• Had FHE with Jodie and Katie and their family; it was a little bit of a struggle with all the kids going crazy.  Now I know how my parents felt. :)

Tuesday March 31: 

• We spent 4 1/2 hours today on Huckleberry Ridge Rd. (Shows you how long and spread out the roads are here) looking for a former investigator and a referral.  We found the referral, but couldn't find that former investigator.  We did find two solid potential investigators, and taught the 8 minute Restoration to one, and got a return appt. with the other!

Wednesday April 1:

• April Fools Day!  No fooling around though!  I went on an exchange with Elder Higgins up in Radford.  He expressed he's kind of done with the area because not a whole lot is happening. (he's certain he's getting transferred next week)  But, we were still able to work real hard today! We had 7 great ITL's (6 on Campus @ Radford University) 
• Also taught their only investigator, Kenny, who is preparing for Baptism. 

Thursday April 2: 

• Taught a Less-Active named, Sister Briggs.  She's showing sincere desire to go the temple.  She got really emotional.  Lesson in Swortzel's home
• Tire went completely flat, Bro. Swortzel helped us (actually did it all for us) with that. 
• Dinner @ Katie and Jodie's, lesson on 3 Degrees of Glory went good.  Jodie's starting to get everything!

Friday April 3: 

• Zone Conference in the morning
• Received a referral, which we contacted and got info
• Taught Ricky, Sam, & Dustin.  They are just being stubborn and won't open and read the Book of Mormon. :(

{Dustin, Ricky, Sam, me, Elder Olsen}

 

Saturday April 4: 

• Conference was great!  Great turnout to Priesthood Session! (the free pizza helped a lot!)
• Knocked one door I felt we should knock!  It was the right door; a young, single mother, said she would read the Restoration pamphlet, and we could come back.

Sunday April 5: 

• Easter! 
• Conference great!
• Easter dinner @ the Sunberg's!  What a Meal! 

Monday April 6:

• Met an old lady with Alzheimer's today.  She talked our ear off for a half hour, and wanted to give us a hug.  She was so sweet!
• Bro. Brown came with us to an appointment, which fell through, met a former investigator, and set-up appt.
• Service and dinner @ Miller's.

Tuesday April 7:

• District Meeting - our last as this current District 
• While knocking some trailer park, the three people who answered were all Hispanic.  Searching my brain for my 2 years of High School Spanish, I was able to ask them their name, and what time is it?  Then just started saying words like, Casa! Perro! deniro! Jesu Christo! Miraculously enough, we had an El Libro De Mormon in the car and got a return appt. with a man named, Juan!  The other man, Lupe, took a Spanish Restoration pamphlet.
• Had dinner @ Lafon's.
• After Lafon's, went over to Sherwood's and we were able to teach his daughter, Monica and her friend, Rylee (both 16.)  And picked them up as new investigators.  They said they hadn't found the right church, yet.
  
• 3 members of the District are leaving: Elder Olsen, Sister Zschoke, & Elder Higgins
• 3 new members are coming: Elder Boyd (my companion, who was just serving in Blacksburg YSA, short move) Sister Banks, & Elder Degooyer.  I was so excited, especially for Elder Degooyer coming - he was my last zone leader in Charleston, and I think he's just what the doctor ordered to turn Radford area around!  Such a great missionary! 

Well, that's all foks!  I'm expecting to hear what everyone's favorite Conference talk is! 

Love, Elder Brenchley!

Because He Lives

Well, this was a good week!  Elder Olsen goes home in 12 days, and boy, he's stressing out!  It probably doesn't help that I always remind him how soon it is coming!  No need to fear; I'm working him hard! 

This week we picked up four new investigators!  But, for those, we only taught two member-present lessons.  How does that work out?  I'll tell you!

Mar. 23, Mon:  For P-Day, we went fishing.

I only caught one fish, but we'll get them next time! 

 

Fishing was very enjoyable. 

Brother Clower took us out to Subway, and then we went to Sister Horne's and Johnny Brown's.  Sister Horne's nonmember mother, (who we call "Ma," I don't know her real name) was really interested in the 13 Articles of Faith.  We shared them with her, and she stated, "That's GOOD."  She probably would come to church, but she has to stay home with her bedridden husband. (We call him "Pops."  Again, I don't know his real name.)

Mar. 24, Tues:  We had district meeting here in Floyd.

Back (from L to R): Sister Zschoke, Sister Lively, Elder Higgins

Front: Elder Ballard, Elder Brenchley (Me), Elder Olsen

{How great do we look?!?}

 

 

I planned the most for this meeting.  I opened it up to discussion on everyone's thoughts about our mission conference we had on Sunday, and everyone shared something that I didn't pick up the first go around.  For my portion, I went about sharing Ammon and King Lamoni's story (Alma 18), and how we, as missionaries, can better discern our investigator's concerns and teach them exactly what they need. 

After district meeting, I began our exchange with the zone leaders.  Elder Moses came with me to Floyd.  We performed a lot of service today, and got to know each other real well and learn from him a lot. 

This evening, we taught Jodie, he's a former investigator who Elder Olsen has taught twice.  I've never met him, so Elder Moses and I were two new faces.  Here's Jodie's situation: he's living with a less-active, named Katie (not married).  They both have kids; 3 girls, 3 boys - exactly like the Brady Bunch!  Anyway, does this whole scenario sound familiar at all?  We got an understanding of what makes them happy, and simply laid it out for them.  The steps to happiness and the temple are: prayer (personal, couple, family), scripture study, Family Home Evening (which we are going over Monday to do with them), and going to church.  It's that simple.  That's another great thing I love about this gospel; how simple it is, as long as we do what we should be doing.

Mar. 25, Wed:  We had more service on our schedule today, volunteering at Angels in the Attic. 

We had a lesson with a recent convert named, Brother Witska.  He can't hear real well, so you almost have to shout! :)  "WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT VERSE?" 

We also had Branch Missionary Coordination and the Branch missionaries, the Banks', came!  They came on Sunday for the first time since I've been here, so they're reactivating themselves!  They added a lot of great input and it turns out they know our investigator, Amos.  They offered to have him over for dinner/lesson. WooHoo!  We just found the perfect fellowshippers!  THAT, to me personally, was a tender mercy we needed! 

Mar. 26, Thur:  We had a member-present appointment with the Sunberg's to go see Julie, a referral.  20 minutes before our appointment, she cancelled.  I've seen that way too much on my mission!  

We did have a good back-up plan, and went to a less-active named, Cathy Huff.  She's the only African American lady in our ward (except the Jeppeson's kids from Ethiopia).  But, there is still a great deal of diversity here in Floyd County. 

At basketball tonight, we had a really cool experience.  This 20 year-old guy named, Ricky, was guarding me and I was guarding him.  We got to talking about exactly who I was, and what I was doing.  During games, I was teaching him about the many churches and that we believe in one Restored Church.  I told him afterwards we could get him a pamphlet and a Book of Mormon.  He was so anxious to get those!  We exchanged phone numbers, and HE set-up an appointment for Saturday!  WOW!

Mar. 27, Fri:  My Click Day!  Seven months a missionary! 

We didn't drive a mile today in our car.  Our miles are getting real low, so we walked into town and then Brother Hall (1st Counselor in the Bishopric) took us out to Pilot (where the Lafon's, Fraizer's, & Sherwood lives).  It's not even in Floyd County, but in our area. 

We visited some less-actives, but weren't able have any lessons.  But it was good - Brother Hall was handing out callings to all the less-actives in an effort to get them to come back to church! 

We had dinner at the Fraizer's, then talked with the Lafon's about The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

Mar. 28, Sat:  Like I've said before, downtown Floyd is the place to be on Saturdays!  There are so many people, where it's so dead at other times.  The "Because He Lives" (#BecauseHeLives) Easter Initiative started today (very similar to  'He is the Gift" for Christmas), so we were talking and passing out cards left and right!  We ITL'd (Invite to Learn) nine people today! 

We then got a ride with Sister Horne and Bro. Brown up to the Stake Easter program they had at the Radford Chapel. 

After we rode back down, we were able to get Sister Krista Fraizer to come with us to our appointment with Ricky.  She's 21, so we thought she'd be a great fit.  The lesson went great!  Not only was Ricky there, but Dustin, his roommate who we also played basketball with, and Sam, one of their friends, were there - all 20 yr. olds.  They followed along in the pamphlet and asked great questions!  Sister Fraizer did such a good job of testifying of the Book of Mormon and invited them all to read it!  Sweet!  They were a little hesitant about coming to church.  We'll see all of them at basketball Thursday, or hopefully sooner!  Three new investigators! 

Mar. 29, Sun:  We couldn't get a hold of Amos all weekend, so we weren't able to set up a ride to church for him - darn!  I was able to bless the Sacrament today!  Alec was there and the Banks' were there for the second straight Sunday, and Bro. Banks gave a wonderful thought at the end of the 3rd hour meeting on keeping the Sabbath Day holy. 

The rest of the day was so quick; tracting, a lunch appointment, and a dinner appointment! 

Well, WE got to go fishing, so I gotta run! 

 

Everyone should be so excited for Conference this Easter Weekend!  I testify the words are meant to help us receive salvation! 

Please share #BecauseHeLives with everyone on social media! 

And watch the video at helives.mormon.org !

 

Just remember how simple this Gospel it is!  Also, how flawless it is!  Do the basics, and you'll be all right.  3 Nephi 27: 21-22.

I love You All! 

-Love Elder Brenchley

I MET AN APOSTLE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST! AND GOT TO SHAKE HIS HAND! (TWICE)

Hey Ya'll!

I'm especially excited today to tell Ya'll how this week went!  Saturday definitely took the cake, when the whole West Virginia Charleston Mission got to gather in Charleston to hear from Elder D. Todd Christofferson!

Also with him was Elder Larry S. Kacher of the Seventy, and Elder Jack N. Gerard, our Area Seventy.

They all were inspired by God to be there, and to deliver what they had to say to us!  Elder Christofferson commented, "This doesn't usually happen, to get a whole mission together!" 

The experience was awesome!  Elder Christofferson even invited questions, and there were some great questions asked.  Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to get to all of them.  However, as expressed in the subject in this email, each and every single missionary got to shake all three of the Brethren's hand, state our name, and tell them where we were from.  Elder Christofferson looked at my name tag, and pronounced, "Brenchley" right!!!!  He was really funny and relaxed as he spoke. He thanked us for helping The Twelve in their Apostolic calling of sharing the Gospel!  So many good things we heard and learned!  The reason I got to shake his hand twice is because I had the opportunity to give the benediction!  I felt so privileged, and I can openly say; that was one of the most spiritual moments of my life!  Never have I said a prayer that felt so guided by the Spirit, than that prayer I gave 3 feet away from an Apostle.  I will never forget it!  After the prayer, Elder Christofferson shook my hand and looked me right in the eye and said, "Thank You, Elder." 

So, as for the rest of the week, here it goes! 

Mar. 16, Mon:  Elder Olsen and I played some intense games of 1 on 1 in basketball and recorded all of them on my camera.  He's quick!  I've got to get into better shape!  

Then Sister Miller was signed up to feed us.  So, her daughter, Beta, and Alec came and picked us up and took us there.  We were able to have a great lesson after dinner on The Parable of the Sower. 

Mar. 17, Tues:  Today was St. Patrick's Day, and I forgot to wear green!  Woops! 

We had District Meeting in the morning, then after, I went on my 1st exchange as a District Leader.  I went with Elder Ballard to Radford, and Elder Higgins and Elder Olsen went to Floyd.  We had a great time, and I felt really privileged to work in Radford with Elder Ballard.  He was actually about to get married back home, and then he felt really strongly he needed to serve a mission, so I have a lot of respect for this Elder!  We were able to teach one of their Investigators an 8 minute Plan of Salvation, and answer a ton of questions!  Yeah! 

Part of their area is Radford University.  It's really different from any other area!  There's tons of people our age walking around, including plenty of cute girls (it wasn't easy)!  But, man, we stood out walking around campus as missionaries!  We were able to hand out two Book of Mormons and get  phone #'s from 2 potential YSA investigators!  NOTE TO SELF: Not a good idea to be on a college campus on the night of St. Patty's Day! 

Mar. 18, Wed:  We exchanged back, and Elder Olsen & I spent a good portion of the day tracting.  We were able to give a copy of the Book of Mormon after a long day of work! 

Mar. 19, Thur:  We had an appointment with Sherwood, but he walked out the door as we got there. :(  

We were able to contact a referral today; her name is Julie and we set up a return appointment for tomorrow. 

We got to play basketball, and one kid about my age was really interested in who we were.  He left before I could give him a call.  Next time!

Mar. 20, Fri:  We helped the Miller's (w/ Alec) move their huge food storage supply to the house next door they are moving into. 

We had a lesson appointment with a former investigator today, but she wasn't there when we went over, but her husband was there, so we taught him the Restoration, and picked him up as a new investigator.  And we hope to catch both of them home together sometime!

Both our appointments for Sherwood and Julie fell through, so that was tough! :(  

Even our dinner appointment with Sis. Horne & Bro. Johnny Brown fell through.  So, we decided to go to this hippie pizza place.  We struck up a conversation with the two gentleman at the next table, and we were able to talk with them about who we are.  They were really friendly and really admired us, so they paid for our dinner!  WOW! 

President Salisbury called me and asked me to give the benediction tomorrow!

Mar. 21, Sat:  See above statements about Elder Christofferson. 

In order to get up to Charleston, we had to wake up @ 3:00 in the morning to drive up there.  We carpooled with the Radford Elders, so I slept most of the drive there and back.

 We were able to teach Sister Guthrie today with the Sundberg's (who are perfect fellowshippers for her).  She's been going through some depression, so we had a powerful lesson with her on God's love for each and every single one of us.  It seemed like most of us were in tears, especially Elder Olsen - he has such a good heart! 

At the end of the night, we were able to teach Amos the blessings of Baptism, and explain how we are so ready to help him get there!  He wants us to meet his parents, too!  woohoo.

Mar. 22, Sun:  Church was great today!  The problem is; church starts @ 9:00, and the majority of the people roll in @ 9:15.  Amos didn't come, and he didn't respond to any of our texts.  Alec came today, and Beta was able to come with him!  They are so great for each other!  The Banks family came for the first time in Elder Olsen and my tenure here. (Bro. Banks is the one we play basketball with).  He informed us of all the March Madness news!  Utes in the Sweet 16 - Woo HOo! 

We had a wonderful little Baptism after church - another 8 year old girl!  The family had us over for lunch after, as well!  

We were able to have some good discussions with people today while tracting!  We handed out two copies of the Book of Mormon with a "Come by anytime!" card.

We also taught Venee Finley and picked her up as a new investigator.  She's a Jehovah's Witness, and says she won't be a Mormon, but is interested in our beliefs.  We just have to get her to read the Book of Mormon! 

Well, thanks for listening!  I love Missionary Work!  I Testify this is an amazing work!  Elder D. Todd Christofferson is an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, as well as the other 14 members of The First Presidency and The Twelve.  There was no denying that Spirit!  We are so blessed to be led and guided by these valiant men!  I can't wait for Conference in two weeks! 

Please everyone, prepare for General Conference with questions! 

I love you all! 

-Elder Brenchley

8 Minutes

Hey Ya'll! 

Some really cool things happened this week!  I can't wait to hear everything about what's going on in Ya'lls lives.  But, I'll just get to the great things, miracles that happened this week! 

Mar. 9, Mon:  Today was [Blacksburg] Zone P-Day.   

Back: Me, Elder Olsen, Elder Ward (Blacksburg YSA), Elder Boyd (Blacksburg YSA), Elder Clawson (Blacksburg ZL), Elder Moses (Blacksburg ZL) 

Front: Sister Lively (Dublin), Sister Zsschoke (Dublin), Sister Erickson (Blacksburg Sister Trainer Leader), Sister Francis (Blacksburg Sister Trainer Leader)

We got together as a zone at the Blacksburg chapel and had a blast building unity and playing fun games.  [The Radford Elders were not there, though].

{Shades}

L to R: Sister Erickson (she came out with me for my transfer, and is 5' 10") Sister Francis (going home this transfer with Elder Olsen), Me, Elder Olsen

I got word from President today that it's just too far from Floyd to Beckley for me to attend any of my old investigators Baptisms. :(  Ah well, while very saddening, I will just have to let Elder Caldwell and Elder Payne in Beckley 2 reap the rewards!  It doesn't decrease my happiness for all of them, though!  I'm so excited for each and every one of them! 

Sister Guthrie signed up to feed us tonight. She's been doing really well, as we're helping her come back to church. She's single though, so we couldn't eat at her house without a male there.  We were scrambling to find someone.  But in the end, Brother Johnny Brown (the Branch's most recent convert) came up clutch!  He's always looking to serve - such a great guy with a great testimony.  We taught her the importance of having a testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith.  She got really emotional, and it's so great to see her wanting to have the Spirit with her always. 

Mar. 10, Tues:  We spent the whole day walking, and trying people, and knocking doors.  We found some good potentials, and saved a lot of miles because we didn't have to drive. 

But, out here in Floyd, you get the country feel!

Mar. 11, Wed:  We recently signed up to do service at this place called, "Angels in the Attic."  It’s very similar to Desert Industries, except its run completely by volunteers, and a lot less organized.  We spent the whole morning unloading, loading, and sorting through lots of stuff.  I found a couple treasures!  I talked to some good people, and had fun doing it.

After our scripture study class with Sis. McCormick, Bro. Hammond, & Bro. Witska, we had dinner with the Relief Society president’s less active daughter and her family.  She and her husband have a "yours, mine, and ours" family, with six kids living at the house.  So, a lot of potential for bringing a great family unto Christ.  When we were giving our message about prayer, the husband didn't stick around, and neither did half the kids.  So, we'll keeping working there. 

Mar. 12, Thur:  Last week, I got a call that I was invited to an "Extended Mission Leadership Conference."  They decided to gather missionaries, but not all, to cover the cross-sections of the mission.  So we had to wake up @ 4 in the morning to meet up with the zone leaders in Radford.  Elder Higgins and I went with the zone leaders up to Charleston, while Elder Ballard and Elder Olsen worked the whole day in Radford.  The meeting was absolutely great!  Two staff members of the Missionary Department in Salt Lake came to speak to us.  Bro. Jackman instructed us on preparing for using iPads in the mission.  And Bro. Donaldson instructed us on planning more effectively, teaching more simply, and using a 8-minute lesson format to teach the Restoration.  The purpose was to build a new culture in the mission.  

Elder Caldwell also was invited to attend the Extended Mission Leadership Conference, so I was able to ask him how things were going in Beckley 2.  So, Matt & Rebecca finally got married!  So, it's now Matt and Rebecca Brownin!  Matt is down to just 1 or 2 cigarettes a day!  So, he's almost there!  The Snuffer's have been snowed in, so they or the missionaries haven't been able to meet/go to church.  Kevin and Deloris Hall, who I mentioned in previous emails, have read the Book of Mormon and come to know it's true!  They have come to church and are on date for Baptism April 26!  I always hear how fun it is to get updates from missionaries who serve in your previous areas, so this was my first experience!  

On the drive back to Blacksburg, to avoid toll roads, we drove through Beckley on the 3 1/2 hour drive. (It was like Coming Home, going through Beckley!  We drove right through my old area.  The other Elders in the car probably got tired of me pointing out where all the members and investigators lived!) :)

Mar. 13, Fri:  (Another Friday the 13th?)  We had zone meeting this morning, so we stayed at Radford's apartment in order to save miles.  The zone meeting was great; going over everything we learned in the Leadership Conference.  The zone leaders often turned to me to help teach what we learned.

After zone meeting, Bro. Mike Fraizer, who works at Virginia Tech, took us out to lunch on campus.  It's such a sweet campus!  I was able to go the bookstore and buy a VT shirt.

We then contacted Sherwood, the Lafon's next door neighbor.  Sherwood looks just like Uncle Si off Duck Dynasty!  We contacted him with Caleb, and we were able to teach the 8-minute Restoration to him!  It wasn't exactly 8 minutes, but using the format to teach simply really worked out.  We brought up Baptism by the Priesthood Authority and he said it made sense!  We picked him up as a new investigator and have a return appt. for Sunday. 

After, we helped the Lafon's find some names to take to the temple for the Branch's youth temple trip tomorrow! 

Mar. 14, Sat:  Today was another great day.  We had to push weekly planning back to Saturday.  But, we were still able to get out and work, and found three new investigators today!

We found a really good potential as well, who we left the Restoration pamphlet with.

We found an 80+ year old couple named, Jim & Molly.  They let us right in, and we had a Restoration lesson with them.  They are both Methodist, but are both interested in learning about what the Mormons believe.  Two new investigators!

Then we had dinner with the Sundberg's.  We taught them the 8-minute Restoration, and invited them to pray for someone they could invite the missionaries to meet with for 8 minutes.

Then, the very last of the night, we were able to meet with Amos, who I have mentioned earlier.  He cleaned up really good from when we last saw him.  We picked him up as a new investigator and we were able to teach him the Restoration.  It was kinda of difficult because his roommate, Orlando, kept interrupting, talking about how much he loved us missionaries, and we were “Angels Without Wings.”  Amos brought up a couple concerns; saying he has already been baptized, and he thinks God is only a Spirit.  But, he said he was coming to church tomorrow, as long as we found him a ride. 

Mar. 15, Sun:  We got Bro. Hammond to give Amos a ride to church.  Amos enjoyed it and said he had to leave for work early, but he'd stay for all three hours next Sunday.

Sister Guthrie also came to church with her grandson. (WooHOO!  2 weeks in a row!)

The Jeppson's youngest daughter got baptized after church, so that was fun.

Alec, however, wasn't able to make it!  Bummer!

The Lafon's had us for dinner, and then Caleb went with us again next door to teach Sherwood.  He'd read the whole Restoration pamphlet, and so we were able to teach him the Plan of Salvation.  He really understood the 3 Degrees of Glory, and we answered his question on God/Jesus being the same God.  He says he's already been baptized, though, twice, so he feels that's good enough.  He's always home, so he's real down to earth with us coming over whenever, but we have an appointment with him Thursday! 

{Missionary Meal Calendar here in Floyd.....we don't go a day without!!!}

 

So, we had a real good week!  Four new investigators there at the end of the week, but I can see it continue to grow!  It was really exciting, also, as I collected numbers from the district members, and then passed them on to the zone leaders; everyone had a certain excitement in them!  Everyone is just pumped right now!  We all get to hear from an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ on Saturday in Elder D. Todd Christoffersen, so we will be preparing all week for his words he has for us! 

I would just like to invite all of you back home to pray and to ponder about someone who you could invite to visit with the missionaries for just 8 minutes, and see the miracles that come from it!  Every member a missionary! 

Love You All!

Love Elder Brenchley