Base Camp 2-29-16

So this week we did a lot of walking.  Luckily the weather is starting to get warmer.  I can tell that summer is just around the corner, which is what I am looking forward to.  Not much else is going on.  So my ponderize scripture this week is Mosiah 1: 7 which says, "And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should keep the commandments of God, that ye may prosper in the land according to the promise which the Lord made unto our fathers."  So the main thing that stood out to me is search them diligently and you will profit.  Here King Benjamin is telling his sons, and us, that they should search the scriptures diligently.  To search them with effort, work, sincerity, etc.  If we do so, then we will profit.  We will have gain.  We will be blessed.  The scriptures should be to us a tool, a comforter, a guide, a road map, our "baby" so to speak.  The scriptures are very important.  We wouldn't have them if they weren't.  They can help us and bless us so much.  By reading and studying the scriptures every day, my testimony has grown tremendously about the importance of them.  I hope you all can have your own testimonies grow by reading them every day.

Monday was P-day and we went down to Gallatin with the other Elders in our district, and we went bowling.  I got a new high score of 179.  It was fun being able to bowl again since Dickson.  We also played a game of laser tag.  The one at Wahooz is way better in my opinion.

Tuesday we got to go to the Bishop's Storehouse since all of the other companionships were getting transferred.  So we were the only ones there.  When we were there, a guy came in and he works for the church and he is over the southeast region.  He is the uncle/ adopted father of guess who, Ezekial "Ziggy" Ansah (he played football for BYU and now plays for the Detroit Lions in the NFL for those of you who don't know him).  It was pretty cool hearing some of the stories he shared at lunch.  He said he was going to bring him next time he comes in a couple weeks.  I hope I am able to go down on that day.  Then later we had dinner with the Hansen family.  They are pretty cool.  He sings in the band Eclipse.  He also was the first Spanish missionary to get called to the Tennessee Nashville Mission.  How crazy is that?  We then had a lesson with Roger and it was good except one thing.  Darn Satan got in the way again like usual and something came up to where Roger had to leave a couple of days ago to go down to Selmer to help someone.  He is going to be there for a couple weeks.  So he unfortunately wasn't baptized this week, but he said he was going to go to church when he is down there so that was cool. 

Wednesday I gave a training in District Meeting on Patience and Humility.  These are two attributes I definitely need to work on.  There is a new sister in our district that went to Centennial until she moved after her junior year.  So then later we were tracting and a lady pulled up and was really rude. She said she works for the city and that in White House you have to have a solicitor's permit and we tried to explain that we weren't selling anything, but she got worse as we kept trying to explain.  She said it didn't matter and that we had to have one if we were knocking doors at all.  She said that if she saw us doing it again, she will call the cops.  Turns out she called them anyway, haha, because a cop pulled up like 5 minutes later.  We did call our Mission President right after her and just made sure we were good to go.  So this cop pulls up and we explained and she said, “OK.  You guys are fine.”  Which we already knew, but now we have that to support us.  We then went to the White House Church of Christ.  It was kind of boring. 

Thursday not much happened.  We had a lesson with Bro Blaylock.  We also talked with a guy who said that he has had a vision in a dream of Hell.  That dream is what caused him to change his life around.

Friday I hit my 6 month mark and was able to burn a tie.  I am officially at Base Camp, as my trainer would tell me.  Later we had a lesson with Bro McKean.  He is really nice and he always gives us little snacks and goodies. He gave us some sesame sticks which I love so I gobbled them up. 

Saturday started off very interesting.  We were walking to see an investigator and there was a preacher preaching on a street corner so we said hi as we passed.  On our way back a car slowed down as it passed and out of the back window came a Taco Bell bean burrito that was half eaten.  I was in front and it barely skimmed my shoulder, but landed directly into elder Nimmer's chest and splattered up onto his face.  Gross!  That was a first for both of us.  We also got more honking than usual as cars drove past.  Then we had a couple of lessons with Justin in the evening.

Sunday we had church and then we tracted until dinner.  We talked with a lady that may have had a little bit of Alzheimer's because she kept repeating the same thing like, “Do you know where that church is?”  We kept saying no.  Other thea that, our day was uneventful.

Well this week was full of adventure.  We had a rough week lesson-wise which is frustrating, but that is just how it goes.  Even though the life of a missionary isn't always a bowl full of cherries, I still love being a missionary.  If anything, I could be having the worst week ever and I still will learn something new or something that I need to apply into my own life and change.  I love this gospel and I know it is true.  I love the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, as it contains the fullness of the gospel.  It has helped me in more ways than one and I know it can do the same for you.  If you’re not reading the scriptures, start now.  If it is hard to find time then make time, or just pick a number between 5 and 10 and read that many verses each day and your life will begin to get better and start going up.  They are God's words to us and they help us know the direction we need to go to accomplish His will.  I love you all and pray for you and I hope you all have a great next week as February comes to a close and March begins.  Until next time.

Elder Ellison

The Flying Burrito - Somebody threw a half-eaten burrito at us on the street

Another Term In The White House 2-22-16

So for transfers I will be staying here with Elder Nimmer again.  The next transfer won't be the normal 6 weeks, it will be 7 weeks because of the MTC transfer changes in March.  So I am looking forward to serving here some more with these awesome people.  So this week the weather got pretty nice.   I was able to wear my short sleeves again.  So my ponderize scripture this week was 2 Nephi 4: 31, "O Lord, wilt thou redeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin?"  So this is Nephi saying a prayer to God.  These words are definitely something that we can incorporate into our own personal prayers.  I thought it was interesting how in the scriptures it talks about Nephi being large in stature and he is super righteous and obedient to the commandments and seems to have no fear or doubt, but this great man was praying that he will be scared of sin.  So much that he wanted to even shake at it’s appearance.  I just wonder how that would affect us if we truly asked for that as Nephi did.  We may pray about it, but I believe that it will only come to pass if we truly want it and have a desire to act upon it.  This is just something that I thought was cool and something that I could apply into my own life seeing how in today's world, I am surrounded by sin that has been growing stronger since Nephi's days in 500 B.C.

Monday was P-day and we had an awesome lesson with the Cousins about the Book of Mormon and how it can bring even more happiness into our lives.  We also got much needed haircuts.

Tuesday we got soaked again.  It was just a steady drizzle for most of the day.  We had a lesson with Roger and he has been reading the Book of Mormon and he believes it is true.  He definitely is so close to getting a testimony that it is true.  We then had a lesson with a less-active member and his son about faith, prayer, answers to prayers, and the Book of Mormon.  I shared a thought towards the end of this conversation that just came out and I don't know where it came from, but I thought I would share it with you.  It isn't the exact wording, but it is along these lines:  Faith is something we act upon, even if it is just a sliver of faith.  Just to have the faith to act, to get an answer to our questions.  We all have questions that we want answers to and God is the one that can answer all of them.  In order for us to receive these answers, we have to have a sincere desire to know the answer, no matter what it is and no matter how long it takes to get it.  God may answer your question immediately, or He may say, "I want to see how faithful and desirous you are to know the answer to your question." He wants to see if we will search diligently, pray continually, and have faith that we will get our answer in His time.  We also may feel like we are just talking to a wall, but even if we think that, we still must pray and act on the faith we have and trust that He hears us.  I know He listens to every prayer.  I know He will always answer our prayers.  I know that He will never leave us on our own.  If it seems that way, just know that He is always there and look to Him for guidance. 

Wednesday we held a funeral at our District Meeting for a dying sister missionary.  After that we had only 1 lesson during the rest of our day which is a bummer.

Thursday not too much happened either.

Friday we got to go to the temple in the morning.  It was really cool.  There were a bunch of missionaries there.  It was a very spiritual experience like it always is.  We also planned for the next week.  Later we had another lesson with Roger - we wanted to see where he was at.  He said that he is almost there to know that it is true.  He also said that this is something that he wants to do.  He even said that he is leaving town soon for a couple weeks and that he was wanting to go to church where he will be staying.  He even knows where the church building is down in that area which was really cool to hear. 

Saturday we had been invited a couple weeks ago to go to a Seventh-Day Adventist Church so that's what we did.  After the service they invited us to go eat lunch with them.  All of the food was vegetarian, but there was a lot of good food.  I liked everything I had except one, so that was good.  Too bad there wasn't any meat though.  We didn’t have any luck on lessons, but luckily it was warm.  We also got transfer calls at dinner as well.

Sunday was an interesting day. President Anderson came down and went to Ward Council with us.  Then we got a new bishop counselor, so we got to hear a lot of great testimonies.  President and Sister Anderson gave their testimonies and so did the Stake President.  It was an awesome Sacrament.  We also got 2 referrals and one of them is a 12 year old girl that has already said that she wants to be baptized.  Later that evening we were trying to contact less-actives that were a bit farther away since we have the miles for it this month.  We drove almost to the Kentucky border.  We met a guy who doesn't believe in the Jesus story.  He is the first one I have met like that out here in the Bible Belt.  We then knocked on another less-active’s door and they apparently moved a couple years ago and the guy we were talking to was really nice.  He said that he does the musical ministry at a church in town and he asked if he could pray for us before we left and we said sure.  So we said a prayer on his front porch.  It is always cool to me when people just ask if they can pray for us no matter where we are. 

Well that was my week. Roger is hopefully getting baptized this Saturday so that is going to be really cool.  The weather looks like it is going to start getting warmer now, which I am excited for.  I am so grateful to be a missionary and to serve in the best mission in the world.  I am grateful for all of you and your support.  Keep up the good work wherever you are at this time in the world.  Just remember always that your Father in Heaven loves each of you individually.  More than we can comprehend.  We should never turn our back on him, but always remember that his hand is outstretched and will always be there for whenever we are ready to trust Him and grab on.  I know that Jesus Christ lives and that through His sacrifice we can be made pure and cleansed from sin.  I am eternally grateful for Him and to know that I can get strength and help from Him in my times of trial.  I love you all and miss you.  I love this gospel and I love my Savior and Heavenly Father.  Have a great week everybody.

Elder Ellison

Seeing The Tear Stains On The Plates 2-15-16

So this week turned into a really good week.  We had 13 lessons this week.  Our teaching pool is starting to grow slowly, but surely.  We also froze on multiple days when we didn't have the car.  My face and fingers were numb.  It sucked when we were tracting.  The wind is the only part of it that is bad.  Other than that it was good.  We have transfer calls this Saturday so I shall see if I stay or head off somewhere else.  Transfers are next Tuesday as well.  My ponderize scripture this week was Doctrine and Covenants 84: 85 "Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure upon your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man."  So while ponderizing this scripture, I obviously saw the main part of knowing what to say in the very moment, but there was something that I noticed that was a little better.  It is right in that second line about treasuring up the words of life.  The words of life are the scriptures.   When we treasure up the words of life, we not only continually read them like we are supposed to, but we memorize them.  When we memorize the scriptures, they will be on our thoughts regularly.  They can be there immediately to get rid of an evil thought.  We will constantly be rehearsing God's words to us throughout the day.  In a devotional about temptation I have heard, it talks about how Jesus, when he was tempted three times by Satan, said three scriptures to counter Satan's attacks.  He had memorized these scriptures and when evil and temptation came from Satan and he said them, Satan had no power over Him.  Satan couldn't do anything in response because he was subject to those words because he is subject to God and those are God's words.  So I have been working on not only reading and studying, but also memorizing scriptures that I can use to kill temptation when it comes.  I encourage all of you to try it as well.

Monday we didn't do too much on P-day.  We did have a great lesson though for family home evening.  We shared the "Hope of God's light" video and talked about the importance and why we need a Savior.

Tuesday we did some service on the farm in the snow with the other two sets of Elders in our district.  We are now rotating missionaries around the zone to go to Bishop's Storehouse so we don't go as often.  Later, we had a heart-breaking lesson with Devante.  He told us he wasn't interested anymore and didn't want to be baptized.  Our hearts were just breaking throughout our entire conversation.  His grandma, Sister Cousin, was so devastated.  I feel really sorry for her because she wants her whole family to come towards the gospel and yet she and her husband are the only ones.  I know though that if she has faith and keeps setting a good example, her whole family will one day be living together in the gospel.  We then had a lesson with Roger on the Word of Wisdom.  He had no problems with it really, except coffee, but he said he would give that up.  He is just awesome.  Then we saw a couple less-active members afterwards.

Wednesday we did exchanges.  Elder Ihler came here and I went to Springfield with Elder Draper.  He is from Alaska.  We had some good times.  He is pretty cool.

Thursday we tried people all day, but no luck.  We exchanged back later and then went over with our Ward Mission Leader and had a lesson with Roger.  He hasn't had coffee since our last lesson.  We went over some more commandments.  Then on the way back, we were driving on a straightaway in a convertible Jaguar.  Our Ward Mission Leader works for a Jaguar mechanic shop so he gets to drive a bunch of sweet cars to make sure they are working right or figure out the problem etc.  I will just say it has a very tiny back seat.  I had to lay across all three seats to fit and it was still snug.  Luckily it wasn't too cold tonight because he put the top down and then went from 0 to 65 in like 5 seconds.   It was so cool!

Friday we found a potential investigator during tracting and then we helped Bro. Cousin with his car for a bit.  Then we went out with Justin and contacted some referrals and one of them wants to learn more.  This family is Latino and they love soccer, which is awesome.  They were really nice too.

Saturday we had a very powerful lesson with Bro Blaylock.  We bore our testimonies multiple times and you could just feel the Spirit in the room.  We had asked him if we could reveiw the discussions with him and so we went over the restoration.  We then tracted for a long time and found 2 potential investigators.  It was cold, but luckily no wind.

Sunday was Valentine’s Day.  There was a snow warning during church so church was cancelled.  It didn't even snow really.  It was mainly just really cold rain.  We were just laughing about that for the whole day.  So because church was cancelled, we went to another church.  We went to the First United Methodist Church.  It was good.  We then did a bunch of walking, froze our butts off, and had no luck, unfortunately with anyone.

Well this week I have been listening to some talks by Hank Smith and John Bytheway.  Each of them are great funny speakers and teachers.  In these talks they share all these great scriptures and some of them I have read before and didn't notice some things the first time.  In one of the talks it says to read the scriptures so that you can see the tear stains on the plates. Another one goes through and talks about what you would do if you got to meet all of the prophets who wrote on the plates.  I have recently thought about that a lot.  I want to be able to see the tear stains on the plates and get to know these people individually and know how they felt as they went through these experiences.  My scripture studies definitely could be better.  I may not be super focused and fall asleep sometimes or whatever the case may be.  So I made a goal to change it and do better.  I have started this week to really focus in on what I'm reading.  I imagine myself right there with them going through these experiences.  I imagine myself even being them and writing these things down.  I imagine how they felt as they wrote down their feelings.  I think about how the people were, whether they were evil at this time and how sad the prophets felt for them.  Or how much happiness and peace they had because the people had it too when they were looking towards God.  Since I have started doing this while reading the scriptures, I always have a different feeling then when I read any other book.  That feeling is the Spirit, and since I have changed the way I have read my scriptures, I have felt the Spirit so much stronger as I read.  I can actually picture myself right there with them.  It is my goal and hope to be able to feel somewhat the same things that these prophets did.  I hope to be able to feel those feelings as it talks about the way their people were in such a way that I can feel like they were my people, my brothers and sisters.  I encourage each of you to look at the way you are studying your scriptures and think, "  Could I be getting more out of these things than I am?"  When I see today’s Prophets and Apostles recount a scripture reference, they tear up many times.  They have “seen the tear stains on the plates” and know who those people were and what they felt.  I know that by doing this, the Spirit will be stronger and will teach us more, and we will come to have an even greater love for God, the scriptures, and the much more.  I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.  Have a good week everybody.

Elder Ellison

Pre-Mission Photo With A New Caption

Steele Honey - The Best In The World!  Thanks Steele Family!

Valentine's Day Package And My New Pink Hearts Tie = LOVE

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies From Home - Yuuummm!

Farmhands At Work Again

Go Missionary Work! 2-8-16

So this last week we had very few lessons, but most of the ones we had were good.  We added up our solid investigators during weekly planning and we have 4.  4!  Some people have dropped the lessons and we are having a hard time finding new people to teach.  It is really frustrating.  It is hard to find people who are interested in the Lord’s message and who will take the time to truly seek Him in their busy lives.  I was really frustrated towards the end of this week because we make a lot of plans, but nothing seems to go through.  Then we are just sitting there thinking, “What do we do now since all of our plans have failed?”  I have been praying really hard that soon the work will start picking up again and we will start finding a lot of new investigators.  This is just a down moment in the work and it will always pick back up over time, in the Lord's time since this is His area.  So my ponderize scripture is Genesis 39: 8-9 "But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; there is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"  So this is Joseph talking to Potiphar's wife.  I got this scripture from a talk by Hank Smith called Temptation Killers.  Through this whole thing Joseph recounts everything that he has been given by Potiphar and then instead of saying sin against Potiphar, he says against God.  I like how it starts out with “but he refused”, and then finishes with asking how can I sin against God?  This is something we should all have engraved into our hearts and minds so we can remember those very powerful words in times of temptation.  When something comes up that is evil, we can say these words in our heads immediately and then be able to turn away from it.  Satan and his followers are all around us, tempting us left and right.  We will all fall into some of these temptations, but we will fall into less of them if we think of these words.  As we read the scriptures and look towards Christ, we can jump over those holes of darkness, as well as have the strength to "rock climb" our way out of the ones we have fallen into.  Our Savior gives us the strength we need to overcome these things because He knows how we need to do it.  It comes in many different ways, but it is always there.  We just need to humble ourselves enough to ask for help as well as recognize that we need it.

Monday not much happened although we did chase a skunk.  Yes that's right, a skunk.  Maybe not the smartest thing, but we did and luckily it ran away from us and didn't spray us.  But that was the first one that I have seen that was alive and not squashed into the pavement.  So it was pretty cool.

Tuesday we worked in the Bishop’s Storehouse.  Then later we tracted into a guy named Robert.  He let us right in and we both prepared ourselves for the imminent bashing because this never happens.  But luckily nothing happened and he was a really cool guy.  He even offered to buy us pizza  while we talked, but we politely declined.  We had a great conversation and then he showed us what he did.  He took us into his back shop which now I was like, “Oh boy, we just shared all this and now he is going to just come down hard core.”  But my fears diminished as I saw what was inside the shop.  It was tons and tons of baseball bats.  He said he had over 10,000.  He sells them to companies.  It was pretty cool.  It also rained a ton that night and we got soaked head to toe.  We walked in sopping wet at the end of the night.

Wednesday we had District Meeting and after that we tried to contact a former investigator.  As we were walking on the road, some people called us over because they thought we were JW.  We were there for like 30 seconds and when we started walking away, a cop pulls up with his lights flashing.  He opened his door and asks us what was going on?  We said they just called us over and that was it.  He then went over and talked to them while we went on our way.  Not a minute later, about 7 more cops/firefighters/ambulance all showed up at this one house.  We were so curious as to what was going on that we passed by about 4 more times to see, but nothing went down as far as we know.  It was pretty crazy.  Later all of our plans fell through so we went to a Wednesday night service at Christ's Church.  They weren't too crazy and the sermon was good, just boring.

Thursday we got to work on the farm.  We mainly did inside stuff because it was a little chilly outside in the morning.  Later we taught Devante the Gospel of Jesus Christ and set a baptismal date with him.  We set it for February 20th.  It was so sweet.  Then we went right after that and taught Roger the same lesson.  It was good except he was a little tired.

Friday we went out and tried a few people with a member, but had no success.  We did have one lesson with a less-active member, but that was it.  It was a very boring evening.

Saturday we had no lessons, so nothing to report.

Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday, which I am super bummed that I couldn't watch.  Also happy 17th to my sister.  So Roger came to church today which was awesome and he is planning on coming next week too.  We then went to a Church of Christ evening service so we could avoid getting destroyed by football fans.  All of our other plans fell through again.

This week, like I said earlier, has been a little frustrating, but I know that just like on a jump, you have to go downhill first before you can spring up far beyond where you started.  I know and have faith that in the Lord's time, things will spring back up and we will have much more success.  Our investigators we have now are awesome, the frustrating part is that there are so few of them.  I know we will start seeing changes here shortly.  This is just a trial that I am having which is teaching me some things that I need to know at this time such as patience and trust.  There are many more, but those are the two big ones that I see.  This is the Lord's area, and I know that He is going to take care of it and His people.  Just like you see throughout the scriptures, the people aren't always ready at certain times, but then some start to listen.  Just remember that in your own life.  When things go down, they will always turn back up in time if you stay on the Lord’s side.  I love you all and hope you have a great week and a happy Valentine's Day Sunday.  I wonder who my valentine will be this year?  Oh yeah........ The scriptures.  Good bye y'all.

Elder Ellison

Batter Up!

Just A Lizard On My Shoulder - No Big Deal

From Cold to Hot! 2-1-16

Well this week was completely opposite of last week.  We had snow until Monday morning and then Friday through Tuesday we were in the 60s, and I am not complaining one bit.  It is really weird to think that in January and February you can have 60 degree weather.  But this week has been good and full of spiritual highs and awesome lessons.  My ponderize scripture is Alma 44:3, "But now, ye behold that the Lord is with us; and ye behold that he has delivered you into our hands. And now I would that ye should understand that this is done unto us because of our religion and our faith in Christ.  And now ye see that ye cannot destroy this our faith."  In this moment a general, Captain Moroni, is talking to the Lamanites.  I thought of this scripture as if I would be saying it to someone, or even Satan himself, who is trying to tear down my beliefs, hopes, and faith.  My testimony, and yours, is and should be, the strongest thing we have. When we have a testimony, it is something that we know or believe is true.  It is because of this, my testimony, that no one is going to destroy my faith.  I know, especially as a missionary, that the Lord is with me and it is because of my continually growing faith in Him.

Monday we played games and emailed with the Springfield Elders.  Later that night we had dinner and Family Home Evening with the Cousins like usual.  The lesson we taught started out by having them choose someone to do anything they wanted them to.  The catch was when we read their requests out loud, we flipped it so they had to do it instead of the person they chose.  The funniest was that one of the girls wanted her cousin to feed the dog a piece of rib meat with his mouth.  Well that backfired on her major -haha.  It was hilarious!  The moral of our message was to be good examples and don't ask people to do things that you wouldn't want to do yourself.  (Mathew 5: 14-16, ye are the light of the world)

Tuesday, sadly, we only had one lesson, but it did go well.  Not much else happened except we went on an exchange with Bro Cousin, which fell through because the lady wasn't home for our appointment that night.  Darn it.  When we got back, the Cousins had made pork belly for dinner, which was pretty good.

Wednesday we didn't have too much.  We got a ride back from District Meeting with Springfield, except they had to get their brakes changed so we had to wait a bit.  Then later all of our appointments had to reschedule, which sucked.  So that was our day.

Thursday we had Zone Conference, which was the best one I have been to so far.  I definitely felt the Spirit super strong during the trainings that were given.  I learned so many things that were said and from the Spirit.  The Spirit was trying to teach me something during the Sister Training Leader's message.  They told us their topic, but it was hard for me to simplify it into a heading on my notes so I just wrote something down and didn’t think too much about it.  They then asked us to make a new note and ask the question, "What does God want me to know?"  So after that training I was just skimming over my notes I had taken that day and saw the heading that I had just thrown down.  It read, "Love makes a good leader."  (I would change that to a great leader.)  I read that and was so amazed.  It is definitely something that I have been trying to work on continually, just loving everyone.  I feel like that is what I needed to learn most of all that day - it stood out to me most of all.  Later that night we went out with Justin and had an awesome lesson with one of our newer investigators named Roger Grayson.  We talked about the Plan of Salvation.  We all bore our own testimonies throughout the lesson and I just can't wait to see how he progresses.

Friday we did weekly planning and then had a lesson with a less-active member.  We read and discussed 2 Nephi 2 which went well.  I really hope we figure out how we can best help him.  That was all we had for today.

Saturday it got up to 64.  We went out with our coats in the morning and by lunch time, we were just sweating.  We didn't use our coats the rest of the day.  Nothing happened until the evening.  We had a dinner and a lesson with the Holcombs.  We had asked her to have questions for us and she did, except we think during her research she read anti stuff because that is what her questions were mainly on.  I still haven't experienced a ton of anti, but Elder Nimmer was able to answer all the questions really well.  It definitely will help me later.  We then had another lesson with Roger.  It is awesome to see that a lot of his beliefs go right along with ours.  We had prayed earlier and felt like we could set a baptismal date with him.  So we asked him if he would be baptized on February 27.  He said he would, which is awesome!  He doesn't know 100% it's true yet, but he said the answer he got was to keep searching, which is what he is doing.  That date is the Saturday after transfers, so we shall see what happens.

Sunday we didn't have too much going on except church of course.  It was another warm day.

So even though we have a small teaching pool and aren't teaching very many lessons at the moment, we are still having great lessons with the ones we do have and the people we are teaching are awesome.  The work has grown a ton as compared to last transfer.  I believe that it is due to our desire to be more obedient.  My District Leader told me last night when I was reporting our numbers for the week, that it has gone from 0 in most of the categories to way more.  Our goal is to be teaching about 15 lessons a week by the end of the transfer.  I know we can do it through the help of the Lord and by putting our trust in Him.  We are continually striving to change, do better, be more obedient and I can see the changes that are coming over time from doing so.  I love this work and I love the Lord and my Savior, Jesus Christ.  I hope you all have a wonderful week and have fun with the Super Bowl, Go Team.  I can't wait to tell you guys about the miracles next week.  Peace out y'all.

Elder Ellison

Feels Like Summer - E. Zimmer & I

I'm "Psych"-ic - I Love It!  Thanks Shalie!!!

Good Times While Getting The Brakes Fixed

Zone Conference

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow! 1-25-16

So this week was crazy. We did some major replanning and we froze our tootsies off.   We also had an amazing miracle this week that I will talk about later.  So my ponderize scripture was Doctrine and Covenants 100: 5-6 which says, "Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men; For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say." As a missionary this scripture gives me such great comfort.  All the Lord is asking me to do is go out and open my mouth and preach His gospel.  One thing that stood out to me is how it says that I need to speak the thoughts that are put onto my heart.  Usually I speak the thoughts in my head, but when I thought about this I realized that I am supposed to have these things engraved upon my heart.  I need to be speaking from my heart, not just from my mind.  When it comes from my heart, people will be able to feel my sincerity and the true meaning behind my words.  I also love this scripture because down here in the Bible Belt, we get a lot of “anti” thrown at us and run into a lot of preachers from many different churches too.  When they speak to us with their well-trained words and try to stump or confuse us, it is hard to know how to reply sometimes, but with the Lord's help, we are able to stand firm and bear testimony when needed.  In verse 7 it says that we will have the words we need if we speak in His name with meekness and solemnity in heart. This is His work and we must be humble enough for His direction and help.

Monday we didn't do too much really.  We just chilled in White House.  It is harder to make it down to Madison now that we have to switch the car on Wednesdays.  The Elders we were trading with got replaced with Sisters.

Tuesday we worked at the Bishop's Storehouse for most of the day.  Then we went tracting.  We had a fun dinner with a family as Elder Nimmer and they recounted hilarious experiences from when he was here in this same ward earlier in his mission.  Tonight we are supposed to get a huge snowstorm overnight of about 1" of snow.  People were freaking out down here  -haha. That's nothing!

Wednesday we had a Worldwide Missionary Devotional from some of the General Authorities.  It was really good.  One thing that stood out to me the most was Elder Dallin H. Oak's comment about how we need to pray for help during our mission so that we may be able to fulfill everything we were supposed to and not have any regrets at the end.  That is something that I definitely want to make sure doesn't happen for me.  I know it won't if I make sure to work hard everyday.  Later that day we got “antied” during tracting.  So that was fun.  It was worth it though because just a couple doors down we had an awesome Restoration lesson at a doorstep with a guy.  He seemed pretty interested so we are hoping to be able see him more.  We did get a snow storm, but it was just a little “dusting”.  Also, I finally get to start driving. YES!!!

Thursday was an OK day, but the night got way better.  We tracted for 2 hours and didn’t have any luck the whole time.  We got into a slight bash, very minor, with a preacher.  None of his comments made any sense.  Later that night though, we experienced a “miracle.”  We were contacting some people and when we were done, we still had 2 hours to fill.  As we started heading to the store, since we had ran out of food, a family’s name came to my mind.  We stopped by on our way and they were finally home (we had tried multiple times before).  We went in and were making small talk, just trying to get to know them.  We ended up talking with the dad alone for a while and he shared his whole story with us about the church and some questions that he has had.  95% of the talking was him, and we mainly just listened.  The Spirit was definitely there while we talked.  He told us that while we talked, some of his questions, after 12 years of searching, had finally been answered.  We didn't do anything really except say a few things here and there.  It just clicked for him and we knew that it was the Spirit teaching him.  He told us that he has never talked with missionaries like this before and that he was finally more receptive.  Towards the end, his teenage son was there and he asked him if he wanted to come to church this Sunday.  It was so cool to see the Spirit touch this guy and help him through his questions.  Afterwards, we were lucky enough to get to the store for some food because of what was to come....

Friday we had an actual, major storm.  Our area was hit the hardest.  We had ice in the early morning, but then for the rest of the day, we had a full-blown snowstorm.  At about 9:45am it was at 8" and by the end, it had gotten up to a foot.  We were told to stay inside and only walk to people who were close by.  Luckily we had the Cousin family nearby, so we went over and had a lesson and dinner with them.  So that was our day.

Saturday we couldn't drive due to the amount of snow so we walked.  We taught a guy we had tracted into and had a great lesson with him.  The questions he had and things he shared with us were exactly what we were there to teach him about.  We went tracting afterwards and during that, some guys were riding their ATVs on the icy roads and doing cookies.  A news channel came and interviewed one of them so we walked right behind him as the camera was filming.  People will see us missionaries on the news now - haha.  It was hard not to look or smile or whatever, to be noticeable.  We wanted them to interview us so we could tell all of Nashville of our wonderful message :).  We then had dinner and a lesson with the Holcombs, a part-member family.  We talked about the blessings that come from the temple. We think that lesson may get her to start thinking about it a little more.

Church was cancelled Sunday because of the snow.  It finally started melting a little and we were able to drive the car today, very carefully of course.  We just tried contacting people the whole day, but had no luck.  We did have to come in a bit early and park the car because the roads were getting pretty icy.  Mom don't freak out, I am fine and safe -haha.

So that was my crazy week.  The huge storm definitely made it feel more like home.  It was pretty funny because we wanted to help people shovel their driveways, but we didn't have shovels and everyone out here either has 1 cheap one or nothing.  The snow helped us – we knew people were home if there were no tire tracks in their driveway.  I definitely soaked my feet and froze them walking in it all day though.  But my week was good and I have no complaints.  Hope y'all had a good week as well and I look forward to writing you next week.

Elder Ellison

Snow - Yes!

8 Inches - Later It Got Up To 11 Inches

Bad Idea!

Snow Soccer

A Little Snow Won't Stop Us!

It's Gonna Take Work! 1-18-16

My feet are super sore after this week.  We walked everywhere!  We need to do a lot of work to build up our teaching pool.  We are going out and trying to find those people that God has already prepared and who are waiting for us to come and knock on their doors.  There was one thing that I learned this week that I really liked.  We are not just out here to find people that are being prepared or that need us to prepare them, but we are trying to find the people that Heavenly Father has already prepared.   I’ve thought a lot about that and it is a subtle, yet interesting shift in how I see things out here.  It was super cold this week.  I busted out the thermals for the first time and they helped a ton or else I would have been an icicle.  So my ponderize scripture for this week was Luke 17: 33 "Whosever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosever shall lose his life shall preserve it." Throughout my scripture studies in the Bible, this scripture has been repeated multiple times so there is definitely something important to learn.  During my ponderizing I thought about it as selfishness.  This is not my work, not your work, but it is His work.  As we seek to save our life, that is ok to do, but what if God asks us at the end, "How many of my children did you help?" And we respond with, "Uh no one, but myself."  We are all brothers and sister and we are here to help each other.  It also goes with “putting off the natural man.”  Being selfish can be a very destructive thing.  Throughout my life I have thought about me too much.  Being on a mission has shown me that when I do that, I will not have success or will not put forth my best effort.  I have had to work on forgetting myself and just focus on serving my companion and the people I am teaching.  We are promised through this scripture that if we are forgetting ourselves, we will still be blessed in the end.  I still have a lot to learn and to work on in regards to this scripture and many of the other scriptures I have ponderized in previous weeks, but I know the Lord can help me through these things as I put in the effort.

Monday we cooked our roadkill possum.  We had it for dinner.  It was surprisingly good.  It tasted like beef or a roast in a way.  It may have been because we made it in a stew, but it tasted good.  So that was our last night as a trio.

Tuesday we went to transfers and I got my new companion, Elder Nimmer.  He is from Orem, Utah. He has been out for 18 months and he loves soccer, which is awesome.  Too bad it is too cold to play much.  I was really scared and nervous for taking over this area for my first time, but so far, the week has gone fairly well.  I have prayed for opportunities to help my trust in God grow and well, I got my opportunity now.  So be careful what you ask for because it will happen – Haha.  And be ready to work for those things you ask for as well.   We tried to see a few people and then went tracting.  We found 4 “potentials,” which was really cool.  We are working really hard to change some things to help this area grow.

Wednesday we contacted a referral and will be going back in a couple weeks to see him.  I gave a training at our District Meeting on listening.  I was told it went well.  Unfortunately, we didn't have any lessons today.  We did meet a guy from Norway or Sweden (or one of those countries) and he comes from a religion that believes in like Asgard and those things.  I didn't know that people believed in that stuff, but it was interesting to learn.  Also, Elder Wardle The Great, went home today and was reunited with his family after two years of hard work and service to the Lord.  Sure will miss him. Thank you Elder Wardle!

Thursday we walked a ton and didn’t have any luck throughout the day, but later we had a lesson with Natasha and Eric.  We went over the Articles of Faith.  It was a good lesson and we were able to find out where she is at with wanting to learn more etc.  He is a member, but she isn't.  We then went with Justin to see another part-member family and they are super cool.   It was fun getting to know them. We also met a lady whose dad is from Iceland, which was cool.

Friday we walked a super, long distance because everyone is worth the walk, even if they aren't there.  We didn’t have any luck today though, so not much to report.

Saturday we had 2 lessons with less-active members.  They went pretty well and we had a good dinner with the other Elders and a family in the ward.  So we had a pretty good day.

Sunday we had a broadcast for church and got to hear from Elders Hales and Rasban, along with 2 other people.  They shared some good messages that were mostly on parenting.  It helped me a little to know what to do in the future.  We tracted for most of the afternoon and pretty much froze because of the wind.  We then went to a youth fireside where they talked about the importance of Family History work.

Well that was my week and I am really glad that the Lord has trusted me to take over the area and for giving me the chance to work on putting my trust in Him more.  The White House area is not mine, nor Elder Nimmers, but it is His.  So we are working on making sure we are doing His work and being as obedient as we can so that we can receive the blessings the He wants to bestow upon us and this area.  We are working on doing our part and we know that if we continue to do that, we will be blessed.  Our Mission President has promised us that if we are being obedient and working hard, then we will see others come to Christ and have a baptism every transfer.  We are striving to be able to have that promise fulfilled as we do our part and are accountable for it as well.  Hope y'all have a great week and new year.  I would also like to ask you to look this year for opportunities to be able to bear your testimony to the people around you.  This is something that we are asking the members in our ward to do right now and I know if we truly seek them and ask God to give them, they will arise and the Work of the Lord will continue to march forward.  I love you all and pray for you often.  Until next time.

Elder Ellison

E. Nimmer & I 

Transfers Again 1-11-16

So this has been a crazy week since we are working 2 areas.  We were in Springfield the first 3 days and in White House the last 3.  So we did a ton of packing and planning for that.  We actually got snow on Sunday and it stayed on the ground.  Not like anything back home of course, but it was colder than home that day too, which was weird.  My ponderize scripture for this week is Alma 38: 5 which reads, "And now my son, Shiblon, I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day."  That scripture really applied to me this week.  Recently I have been trying to learn how I can put my trust in God more.  It comes with great relief to me that when I do, I will be helped and strengthened through my trials, troubles, afflictions and will be lifted up at the last day.  I remember one of the talks given in the last General Conference by a sister whose family motto was "It will all work out."  I know that I am supposed to and will always go through hard times and challenges, but if I put my trust in God, then it will be easier and it will all work out in the way He wants it to.  He can shape that trial and move it in the direction that can help me become better and learn something that I need to learn.

Monday we just chilled.  We then had an awesome Family Home Evening with the whole Cousin family.  We taught the Plan of Salvation and then invited all of them to come to church and a few of them did, which was awesome.

Tuesday my dad turned the big old 21......+ 30. So happy birthday!  We were in Springfield today and served in the Bishop’s Storehouse for most of it.  Later we taught some people the Plan of Salvation.  It went well.  We then went and bought a bunch of food for the people we had just taught as kind of a Secret Santa thing, but for the new year.  Elder Ihler got some money sent to him to spend on one of their investigators, so we chose them.  We also found a potential investigator.

Wednesday we had our District Meeting and then tried to catch some people home.  We also tracted and found 3 new/potential investigators, which was awesome.  We had dinner with a less-active member and an investigator, which was really good.  We tried a few more people, but didn’t have any luck.  We then packed up our stuff and went back to White House.

Thursday we got our apartment inspected and we passed.  We tracted and found a “potential” out of it.  We then drove down to the church to wait for the member that took us to Nashville a few weeks ago.  He came to take us to the temple because he was going through for the first time.  Elder Ihler was his escort and there were 5 of us total.  Elders Ihler, Mortensen, McKown, Rock, and me.  It was really cool to be able to go.  For me, I felt the spirit really strong as I prayed a bunch.  I probably said 4 separate prayers.  We didn't get back until 1am - oops.  I was so exhausted.

Friday I was able to go to the farm for the first time.  We had breakfast with Sister Durham and then did some work she needed help with.  We then tried to catch some people home, but had no luck.  That night we made a little campfire that didn't work out too well because the wood was kind of wet.  It was mostly just burning cardboard and paper.  So the church has changed the way transfers are handled world-wide to where we don't have Transfer Meetings anymore.  Now we just arrive, get our new companion, then leave.  I am not too sure how I feel about that.  I was hoping to hear Elder Wardle’s departing testimony, since he goes home Wednesday.  At least I will get to see him and say goodbye.  Transfer results:  I am staying here and E. Mortensen is going to Paducah.  I am getting Elder Nimmer as my new companion - back to a duo.  I am really nervous because I will be taking over the area now.  I just hope that we can do good work here and I won't fail at the plans and stuff like that.  That's where my ponderize scripture comes into play.  Although I am nervous, I have been asking God to help me put my trust in Him more and that is what He has done.  I definitely know He answers prayers.  I will be leaving this area all up to Him.  It is His area and I am just the tool in building it up as part of His kingdom.  It should be a fun next transfer, even if I'm scared and sad that E. Mortensen is leaving.  I can't believe that I am at 4 1/2 months now.  Next transfer will be 6 months, which is weird.

Saturday E. Mortensen packed up a little bit and then we tried some people.  We went out with our Ward Mission Leader to see some people too, but no luck, which was a bummer.  We went back to his house for dinner and got haircuts from his wife.

Sunday we had church and then helped Sister Durham move some furniture so the painters could paint the walls.  We then went to dinner at the Thompson's.  He is the Chiropractor in our ward, which is awesome.  He was also a tight end for BYU a while ago.  We had an awesome dinner and we got some much-needed adjustments.  I felt so much better after that.  I was deeply in need of one.  We then had to go to Springfield for the night so we could drive the car back to White House in the morning in preparation for transfers the next day.

This week I have deeply thought about the importance of testimonies.  I used a little game my mom sent me that helps with testimonies.  After the game, we extended the commitment for them to share their testimonies with someone this year. They said they would except for one, who said that they were going to work on building theirs up until they could share it.  I thought about that and how they were willing to work on it.  I also watched a talk by Elder Holland recently called "Lord, I believe."  It is a great talk.  In there he invites each of us to lean upon his testimony if we do not have one yet or if ours isn't strong enough.  I would like to invite each of you as well to share your testimony with people around you whenever the time occurs or, if it isn't strong enough yet, then to work on it.  Just by doing that, you are exercising your faith so much that God will help you gain that testimony.  My testimony may not be like Elder Hollands, but I hope that it helps some of you find yours and builds yours up.  I know this to be true.  I know that this church is true.  I know that the Book of Mormon is true.  I know that God is there and that He lives and hears each of our prayers.  I cannot express how much this gospel means to me.  If I hadn’t had it in my life, I don't know how I would have gotten through some of the things I went through.  It pains me to see people out here who do not have its fullness.  It pains me to see people out here reject us to come and teach them so that their own faith can grow from what it is already.  I know how much this gospel can bless their lives and can make them so much happier.  I love my Heavenly Father and my Brother and Savior, Jesus Christ.  I know that He suffered for each of my sins, pains, temptations, and afflictions individually, along with each of yours.  I know that because He was resurrected, we also may be resurrected and live with God and our family forever.  It is a great blessing to know these things and to know that we can always find mercy and joy through Him.  I know that because we all fall short of the glory of God, it is because of repentance that we can again be able to return back to His presence.  Put your trust in God and all things will work out in His way.  Maybe not the way we want, but that is OK because it is for our good in the long run.  I love all of you and can't wait to see how much you all have grown spiritually through these next 2 years.  Talk to y'all next week.

Elder Ellison

Leap of Faith!

We are so cool!

Dinner 

Free Haircuts!

What - Snow?

Nashville Temple - Love It!

Happy New Year! 1-4-16

So Happy New Year everyone!  Also, congratulations to my cousin, Savannah, for getting married.   Wish I could have been there.  Well, my dream winter is coming to an end.  The temperatures were in the low 40s this week, but luckily we have the car until transfers.  I am currently in a trio, last week and this coming week.  One of the Elders in the other area of our ward went home to straighten some things out, but is planning on coming back out soon.  It was sad.  So other than that, the week has gone well.  My ponderize scripture this week is James 4: 10, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." I have recently been trying to humble myself more.  I know that when we are humble, the Lord can mold us and shape us into who He NEEDS us to be.  I love the quote in The Restoration movie when a man is sick and he says to Joseph, "My pride has brought me very low."  Joseph responds with, "Now the Lord can lift you higher."  I just love that line because he humbled himself and the Lord was able to bless him.  I know that by being humble I can surrender myself to the Lord and do whatever it is that He needs me to do.

Monday actually started late Sunday night.  We had to drive to Springfield at 11:15pm and didn’t get to sleep until 3:45am.  We had to get up at the usual time so we only got like 3 hours of sleep. We stayed in White House for P-day and did some service.  We helped a member pull out some of her concrete frames.  Then we had a really good Family Home Evening at the Cousin's. 

Tuesday, because our District Leader went home, his companion became the new one.  I got to go on an exchange to Gallatin with Elder Blackburn.  He is from Layton, Utah.  We worked at the Bishop’s Storehouse for a while and later found two “potentials” during tracting.  We had a lesson on the Plan of Salvation with a pretty cool guy.  We even set up a baptismal date with him.

Wednesday I stayed in Gallatin and we did service for a lady.  We trimmed her flowers and shrubs and then asked if she would be interested in hearing our message.  We set up a return appointment.  Nothing really happened during the day, but we had an awesome lesson with a member.  We taught the Restoration and it went really well.  They liked our message, except the man has trouble with believing in modern day prophets.  We had a good discussion though.

Thursday we exchanged back.  We had interviews with President Anderson, which were good.  For some reason, for the first time ever, I teared up when he asked me to bear my testimony on the Book of Mormon.  I could have said more, but it was hard to go on after saying just a few things.  (I will expound on it later).  So we got back and went tracting and found a “potential.”  We had to be in by 6pm though because of all the crazy New Year’s people driving on the roads.  So since we were on our property, we went over to our landlord’s home and played a game.  They had a football game on, which I didn't mind too much -haha.  We stayed up and did our New Year’s count down.

Friday we got the whole day off.  We call it Super P-day.  We were able to watch certain approved movies.  A member, the one who took us to Nashville, brought us a 63" TV and DVD player so we could watch in our apartment. The Gallatin Elders came over as well and we watched 6 movies throughout the day.  We watched Minions, Catching Faith, Inside Out, Cars, an old western, and Ratatouille.  If I wasn't a missionary, I probably would have had more fun just staring at the ceiling than watching movies all day, but since this was a once-a-year thing, and I never get to watch TV, it was good.  We had a blast.  It was nice being able to relax for the whole day.

Saturday we were back to work and we tried a couple people, but we were only able to teach one less-active member.  Later that night, I think it was a mixture of tiredness and a slice of key lime pie, we made some awesome video clips with a nerf gun. 

Sunday we went to church at our new time – 11am.  Afterwards, we drove to Springfield to spend a couple days there since now we have to cover two areas temporarily.  We will return to White House Thursday morning.  We tried a lot of people, but were only able to make contact with a few.  We taught the Restoration to three ladies, which went well.  We met with a less-active and talked with him for a bit too.  We set up a few return appointments.

So that was our week.  I mentioned earlier that I would expound on my testimony of the Book of Mormon:   I know that this book is true.  As I read it every day and study it, which is the real key, I am learning so much.  I am currently reading about Captain Moroni and some of the war chapters and I am noticing all of the missionary verses that are in those chapters that I never saw before.  I also have a desire to change as I read it.  It makes me just think about my home life and how I want to change some things when I get home.  One of them being, reading this book everyday.  I wasn't the best at it and I want to change that.  This book is changing me and my life.  I love Joseph Smith's comment in the Introduction about how a man will get nearer to God by abiding by it’s precepts, than by any other book.  I know that statement to be true.  I cannot express how grateful I am for this book.  I KNOW this book to be true.  I know this book changes lives for the better.  If you are not reading this book, then start now.  If you are reading the scriptures and not this book, that is great, but your learning, studies, and knowledge will be enhanced tremendously if you include the Book of Mormon.  I just read a wonderful talk in the January Ensign entitled Were My Studies Sufficient?  It talks about how important the Book of Mormon is.  I hope you all add this to your resolutions to read it every day from now on.  I can promise you that you will find more joy in your life, understand more things spiritually, changes for the better will occur, and so much more.  I love each and every one of you.  I hope you all have a great 2016.  And I leave y'all with this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

Elder Ellison

And Then There Were Three - Trio

Back-Breaking Work at the Bishop's Storehouse.  They are heavier than they look!