Almost Done! 11-23-15

Man, I have only one more week until I am no longer in "training."  Crazy!  Transfer calls are this Saturday and I'll find out where I'll be for the following 6 weeks, so if you are planning on sending anything by mail, wait until I know for sure.

It has gotten really cold the past few days with the wind chill.  My ponderize scriptures are now personal ones I am doing.  I must give credit for last week's scripture reference to Elder Jacob Smith. The scripture is 1 Samuel 15: 22.  It is a scripture that I will be looking over probably for the rest of my life.  It says, "And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of the rams."  To obey is better than sacrifice is what mainly stood out to me.  Especially as a missionary you are blessed for your obedience.  That obedience is to the laws and commandments that God has given us.  They are there to guide us and help us because He knows what's best for us even when we may think otherwise, but if we obey them then we will be blessed and protected and everything will work out.  As a missionary we have many rules.  It is hard to keep every rule and be exactly obedient, but it is possible and we do our very best to keep them.  Those rules are there to protect us and to help us to have the Spirit with us continually and always.  I have definitely seen the blessings that have come from being obedient and I have seen the opposite side of them.  When we go to bed too late, we are really tired the next day, even to where we may not have put in our very best effort as we should have.  I know that being obedient is one of the hardest, but one of the best commandments we have been given.

Monday I got my first haircut since arriving in Tennessee.  Other than that, we just chilled all day. That night we went and saw a part-member, less-active family with Br. Rivers.  I shared with them part of the story of Great Aunt Rose.  It is a very good talk from President Uchtdorf at the last conference that I encourage everyone to read. It teaches about how we can be happier and focus on the positive things in life by having faith, which then leads to hope. We then did exchanges with our Zone Leaders and I stayed here in Dickson with Elder Rivera.

Tuesday the 17th - Oh boy, we all need to watch out - haha. (It's a Psych thing for those of you that didn't know). We taught Monica, well, Elder Rivera taught Monica 95% of the time because he speaks Spanish.  He grew up speaking it so he helped out a lot with helping her understand etc.  I just mainly stood there and looked good haha.  Later that night we had a couple interesting things happen.  We were tracting and we knocked on a door and the guy said that he would talk to us if we didn't use "that" book and only the "true" Bible.  Well then, we might need an interpreter who can speak ancient Hebrew - haha.  So then later we were going up to a house and we were only a few feet away when Elder Rivera just stopped suddenly and said, "I don't feel like we should knock here."  I got the prompting just then to stop also.  As soon as he said those words I immediately felt like something was up with that house, but didn't know what.  So we just turned around, left and knocked on the neighbors next door.  They weren't interested, but we asked them if they knew of anyone who would be.  They told us, "You can try them (pointing to the neighbor's house we had just left), but you might want to take a gun with you."  I am so grateful for the prompting of the Spirit which told us to leave because if we didn't, who knows what would have happened.  I learned from Elder Rivera that I need to pay closer attention to what the Spirit is telling me because I tend to walk fast and I wasn't too focused on what it was trying to tell me until E. Rivera said something first.  After that we went and saw John and Tracey.  Tracey wasn't feeling good, but John wanted to take a break from his studies and so we sat outside and talked for an hour and a half.  He opened up to us about his feelings towards religion and how he is searching for truth.  The Spirit was so strong as we talked.  We shared with him many things and he said he would come to church this Sunday (he didn't come, but he said he would be able to next week).  For the first time since being out here, I almost started to tear up as we were talking with him.  I bore my testimony to him of what I knew was true and that I knew he would know of this truth as well through earnest prayer.  It was an awesome experience!

Wednesday we exchanged back and then we went with Marcus to see Mike.  He set a baptismal date for Dec. 5, which he prayed about and felt good about.  We taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We then went and saw Kerry and had a good lesson with her.  We finished up the Restoration lesson with her and answered a few of her questions as well.  I invited her to be baptized when she came to know the Book of Mormon is true and she said she would.  We saw Branden and Kassie and they committed to read 2 Nephi 2.  I really hope they follow through and read it.  They are awesome people and I would hate to not be ale to continue teaching them anymore if they are not willing to do their part.  Heavenly Father wants to answer our prayers and teach us truth, but we have to do our part as well.

Thursday we walked most of the day because our truck was getting the last dent fixed.  Luckily it only took a couple of hours and not a few days this time.  We didn't have any lessons today -bummer.

Friday we tracted a bunch, but no luck.  We then had an awesome lesson with the Valdez family.  She doesn't know a lot about religion so we taught simply and explained it in detail.  Nick expressed how although he has a good job (manager at the Nissan's dealership in town), a family, and a home; he should be happy, but he is not and he knows something is missing.  He recognizes that it is the gospel and he wants to someday be able to baptize his kids and be sealed forever in the temple to his wife and family.  It was an awesome lesson.  I shared the First Vision part of the lesson and it was the most spiritual and best way I have ever said it so far.  A few weeks ago, I had shared it with a man we taught when Marcus was with us and he said that I was too stiff and looked like I was just saying it from memory.  Since that point, I have tried to figure out how I can say it more with the Spirit instead of just by memory.  By watching the Restoration video a lot, I told myself that I need to say it with more feeling and as if I am Joseph Smith remembering it and experiencing it.  So that's what I did.  I really think that it helped portray his experiences better so people understand how he must have felt during that time.  So later today I got a letter in the mail from Hermana Nelson, who is in the Las Vegas mission.  It was a letter saying that when she saw me in the MTC, she knew I was her "eternal companion."  I was like, "What?!"  I don't even know you and I'm on a mission!  Even the ladies who I don't know me can't get enough of all this now - haha.  I was freaked out for a minute, but then I realized I have friend from home in the Las Vegas mission also.  Nice prank Elder Branden Hales.  I am so going to get him back!  I have to admit, it was pretty funny though.

My "Love Letter"

Saturday we helped Sister Carlson with some things in her home because she had surgery a few weeks ago and couldn't do much because she can barely walk.  We then went and helped a lady move into her new home.  After that we didn't have any lessons at all.  All of our people that we went to see weren't home or didn't answer.  It was a bummer, but those nights happen, I guess.  I also heard the song "Fields of Gold" in Wendy's. (We sang that song in choir this last year).  Good memories!

Sunday we had 4 investigators at church and we taught Mike half of the Commandments.  We had a good lesson with him.  It is awesome to see him keep progressing.  We also taught Kerry and just shared with her the 5 minute First Vision video.  The Spirit was really strong as we watched that.  We had dinner later at the Palmers.

That was my week.  Hope everything is going well for all of you.  I pray for you guys constantly.  Keep listening to the Spirit more and it will guide you throughout your life.  Take time to read the scriptures and pray too.  Those things are so important and valuable to our progression in the gospel. Love you all and miss ya.

Elder Ellison

This Ninja found himself a sword - for training purposes, of course.

Learning A Lot This Week 11-16-15

So this week our Area Book app had an update.  However, once it was updated, we could no longer open the app or use it for a couple days which made life hard. We couldn't look up any addresses or put in lessons or anything.  My ponderize scripture was Mosiah 18: 19 "And he commanded them that they should teach nothing save it were the things which he had taught, and which had been spoken by the mouth of the holy prophets." Out here on a mission, we teach a lot of people.  There are also a lot of different churches with many different beliefs.  For us, we only teach people the things which the Lord and the prophets and apostles have taught us.  Just like this scripture, we also need to listen to the prophets and apostles and do what they have asked. When we do those things, we are blessed with opportunities to share them with others as well.  We all need to pay attention to those opportunities that come into our path and then take advantage of them by sharing the gospel.

Monday for P-day we just chilled all day and then at night we found 3 new investigators.  After that we went and played Phase 10 with a member and her boyfriend who goes to the Church of Christ.  He has Down syndrome, not super bad, but a little and she has some mental problems because of an accident she had as a baby.  They are great and we had fun.

Tuesday we tracted into a lady that was interested in our message, but we haven't been able to catch her at home since then.  Small world though, the people we had dinner with knew a family of a kid that I played soccer with.  So that was pretty cool.

Wednesday we had Zone Conference with Elder Zwick of the 70.  It was almost all day.  I learned that I need to build my foundation on Christ, read from the Book of Mormon every day for the rest of my life, keep my teaching shorter, simpler, and inviting the Spirit at the same time.  I also was reminded that the past is the past and I need to look more to the future with faith as well as gaining strength through the Atonement.  I also need to make sure that I don't spiritually plateau.  I need to pray with faith, sincerity, respect, kindness, love, and more earnestly.  The spirit was so strong at this conference and I learned a lot.  We went and saw Anthony and tried implementing what we learned today as we taught him the Restoration.  We did it and the Spirit was so strong as we taught and testified.  It was awesome!  Also, on a side note, apparently there was a tornado warning tonight. Yikes!

Franklin Zone Conference

Thursday there was no tornado, thankfully.  We had a good day though.  We taught Mike the rest of the Plan of Salvation and then I asked him if he would be baptized and he said yes.  We had been praying about a date and we were kind of thinking Dec. 5, but we gave him a calendar first and asked which day he thought he would be ready and he said Nov. 28.  We asked him to pray about the 2 dates and then tell us which one he felt was the right one.  We found a few potential investigators while tracting and then went over to see a less-active part-member family. They are awesome. The Father went to the same high  school as elder Wardle 6 years before him. They said they would come to church, which they did, and we have a lesson set up with them for this week and a dinner appointment for next week.

Friday I had my first gyro. (Just for clarification, they are pronounced yero, but I will always call them jiro.)  They were delicious.  We taught a lesson to a guy (total redneck type) that some sisters asked us to go see.  He has been going to Bible School and was interested in learning more about what we believed.  We weren't sure what to expect.  So we started teaching him the Restoration and all through the lesson he would bring up Bible verses totally not related to what we were talking about.  I just did not feel the Spirit at all during the whole lesson.  Like always though, I felt the Spirit as soon as we were able to tell him about the First Vision.  He was kindly “bashing” with us a little, but he was really scattered so it didn't work out too well for him.  He had a hard time understanding how the Book of Mormon isn’t adding to or taking away from the Bible like the scripture in Revelations talks about.  We were trying to explain to him what the scripture meant, but it was no use – he wasn’t listening, just wanted to argue.  We still gave him the Book of Mormon and told him to read and pray about it.  After that we Skyped a family named the Bitzers. Elder Wardle taught them in a past area and they are like his second family.  I finally got to meet them and they are super cool.  We skyped them because they were going through a rough time right now so we were just giving them some support.

Saturday for most of the day we helped our Ward Mission Leader move his parents into their new house that they just built.  Later that night we went to a wedding reception.  We then went and gave a guy a blessing who was in the hospital.  He suffered two minor strokes. He is luckily mostly fine, he just can't feel anything with the tips of his fingers, but still usable.

Sunday we had 4 investigators at church.  We had a healthy “lunner” which was nice for a change. We went and saw a few people with a member and then that night went to the Church of God. There were only 2 other people in the congregation besides us and the preacher.  One of the two people was his wife.  Really small and they didn't do anything too crazy like what we see sometimes.  Our iPads finally got fixed and we had to fill everything back in for a while.

That's my week. Hope everyone has a good upcoming week and hopefully some of you have some missionary opportunities that you take advantage of this week as well.  Miss ya and I pray for you guys all the time.

Elder Ellison

Driver is holding a sign out the window that says, "Jesus Says Forgive" - too funny!

First Haircut in the Mission- go Sports Clips!

Mad skills, but there must be a hole in my racket!

Back in the saddle.

A Week of Lessons 11/9/15

So this week was good.  We actually had a few days in the high 60s, it was nice.  We had a lot of lessons with people too.  My ponderize scripture was 1 Timothy 6: 17. It says, "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives to us richly all things to enjoy."  My thoughts are that God gives us everything.  Everything we have is because of Him.  So if we are blessed with riches or anything else, we should not boast or be proud or puffed up in ourselves.  Those things are blessings and He can take them away as quickly as He gave them.  We also should use them to help others.  God gave them to us for a reason and that is to help out our brothers and sisters.

Monday was P-day and we did our normal stuff and then went fishing again.  I was the only one to catch 2 fish, but they were small so we only kept one of them.

Tuesday we taught Monica a little bit and extended a soft baptismal invitation.  Then we taught a daughter of a member who is getting baptized in a month.  That was about it.

Wednesday I was in charge of our area because we did exchanges.  Elder Jorgenson came to Dickson to join me.  We had to drop Brenda as an investigator because she isn't focused right now on the commitments she makes to learn and gain a testimony of her own. Then we tracted and got “anti-ed” by a guy who went off on us and then referenced Jude verse 3 saying that’s why he thinks we don't have the full gospel.  I think he got his scriptures mixed up because that one is referring to Jude writing to his brothers and sisters in the gospel that share a “common salvation” and how they need to defend their faith.  So I don’t really know what he was talking about.  Oh well, I know this church is true and that it is the full gospel and I am out here looking for people who are interested and ready to hear it.  Then they can make up their own minds about it after they have taken the time to learn and pray about it.  Later, we went out to Waverly and saw Michael with Bro. Rivers. I also got to drive for the first time since being out here.  It was awesome.

Thursday we switched back companions.  We then went out with Marcus and taught Mike.  We taught him the first half of the Plan of Salvation.  We did that same lesson 2 other times that day.  It was a good lesson with him.  That night we went and saw a less-active member and just checked to see how she has been doing.  Then we rushed over to the church to see another less-active member and taught him the Plan of Salvation.  And the last lesson we had that night was with John and Tracey, also the Plan of Salvation.  They had lots of questions and I think they understood, but they made it a little more complicated for themselves.  They thought it was really deep and difficult, but it wasn't.  It is a simple plan that Heavenly Father wants all of His children to understand.  Other than that, we had a good lesson with them.  I got told I looked 15 years old by a lady we tracted into and 16 by the less-active we taught that night.  Haha.  It was great - I take it as a compliment.  It just means I will look young when I am really old - haha.

Friday we tracted into 2 new investigators.  We are going back next Tuesday to see them.  We also helped some members clean the church that night.  Later, we tracted into a non-practicing LDS guy which was interesting.

Saturday we got up early to go help with Habitat For Humanity.  It was our ward's day and we helped build this lady's house.  We put up doors and painted.  Those days on the farm with all that painting and staining sure helped out, although I think half of the paint got on me instead.  It was on my pants, shirt, name tag, hair, face, arms, and shoes.  It was everywhere.  That took up most of the day and then we went to see a less-active.  He had a sweet Afro.  He had grown up LDS, but started to reject God after his father died.  He has recently started changing his life around and turning back towards God.  It was awesome and he has some crazy stories.  He has been through a lot.  We then went to go see another less-active, but she was asleep with her baby so we talked with her boyfriend instead.  A lot of his thoughts and ideas relate to what the church teaches.  I think we will start teaching him soon, hopefully.

Sunday we taught Michael about service at church during the third hour.  We also had the primary program that day. Later, we tracted for a bit and the first door we knocked on said to come back later because he was sick. He may have been trying to get rid of us, but we said we would come back – so we will.  Then we went to an 8 year old boy's baptism.  After that we went to the Christian Faith Center church.  The minister was kind of funny and then some weird, crazy things happened towards the end.  I had one of those “this isn't right” feelings inside while I was there.  He asked us if he could pray for us, but we declined because we didn't want to get involved with all that stuff that made us feel weird.  We left as soon as we could.

Well we had a good week with lots of good lessons.  I just want to say that I know this church is true.  I know that the Lord blessed us each day.  I know that this gospel changes people's lives for the better.  I know that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His son Jesus Christ.  I know that he was called as a prophet of God and that he restored Christ’s church back onto the earth again.  I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God on the earth today and that he, as well as the twelve apostles, receive revelation to know how to better move this work forward and bless the lives of many.  I know that Christ atoned for my sins so that I can repent of my sins, change, and live with Him and my family again forever.  I know that the Book of Mormon is true.  I have felt the Holy Ghost confirm to me it’s truthfulness.  I am so grateful to be a missionary and called to serve among these wonderful people.  I know that God has been preparing many across this world to be ready to hear His gospel.  I leave these things with you guys in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Elder Ellison

Habitat For Humanity Service

The Gospel Isn't A Trick, It's A Treat! 11/2/15

So this week there isn't much to report.  We have had a lot of rain this week.  It rained 3 days in a row at the beginning of the week.  It is leftovers from the hurricane that just went by.  I still haven't experienced a true Tennessee rainstorm, according to Elder Wardle.   We had some good things happen this week.  Our ponderize scripture this week was Psalms 31: 14-15, "But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God. My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me."  I think this scripture means that the Lord has a plan for us and we need to trust in that plan.  Even though it may not seem like it is what we should be doing, there is a reason He has told us to do it.  Just like Christ said, "Not my will, but thine be done."  If we surrender to His will and do what he asks of us, then we will be blessed in many ways.  It is all up to the Lord's time and all part of His plan.

Monday was Pday and we went bowling all day with Bro Patterson and Marcus. I got a turkey again for the second time. I still got my butt whooped though.

Tuesday we sorted shoes at the Help Center. Then we went with Marcus and taught a guy named Mike. He is trying to figure out his path in life right now. We had a great lesson on the Restoration with him. We then went and helped Sister Rivers with her visiting teaching.

Wednesday - We haven't had a lot of lessons so far this week, but we did get to have a lesson with a less-active member.  It was a crazy lesson, but at the end we showed the First Vision from the Restoration video and the Spirit was so strong from that.  It was awesome!

Thursday we volunteered at the Help Center again with the shoes. They have a mountain of shoes that we just try and find matches to.  We went to find a referral, but she moved so we ended up teaching the lady that lives there now.  We will see where that goes next week.  Then we taught Kerry again.  We finished up the Restoration and had a great lesson with her.  She even said she would be at church again. (She was).

Friday we got somewhat “antied” by a Church of Christ guy.  He asked us if we were married because we were Elders and we said no.  He tried to find some scripture in the Bible to prove we need to be married to be called an Elder, but never could.   So that was interesting – I still don’t know what he was referring to.  Then we taught a kid named David.  He is a member, but he is the only one in his family that continues to try.  It's sad because he has no support at home.  We had fun playing Scripture Pictionary with him.  He seems to have some kind of learning disability, but he knew more of his scriptures then we thought he did.  

Saturday, Halloween, we went to the Humane Society.  We had a lot of extra miles so afterwards we drove way out in the boonies to see a referral who requested a Bible.  We saw where Loretta Lynn's house is.  She is an old country singer I guess.  Then we saw Michael for a few minutes and he had made major improvement on his addiction – we were so excited for him.  He is so closed to being able to be baptized.  Then we went to the ward party.  I went as Elder Wardle.  My favorite costumes were a family who dressed as Studio C characters.  I loved it!  We went in early – mission rules say we aren't allowed to drive after 6pm for safety purposes.  So we just chilled for the rest of the night.

Sunday we had 3 investigators at church and we gave 2 blessings as well.  I gave one of them.  At night we went to a Church of Christ service.  After that we went to Shaun and Taleda's.  We taught them about the Book of Mormon and he told us that since we have been coming over and he has been reading it, he has quit drinking.  I was so surprised and happy.  It was awesome!  I was able to bear my testimony to them about the Book of Mormon and the church. We are hoping they can make it to church this Sunday. It was a great way to end the night.

Hope everything is going well for everyone. Talk to all of you next week.

Elder Ellison

Halloween Costume - Went as Elder Wardle

Blockhead!

No Longer the "Newbie" 10/26/15

"Track"ting!

So transfers were this week and E. Wardle and I are staying in Dickson.  I will be here for another 6 weeks.  Our Ponderize scripture this week was 1 Corinthians 6: 17 "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit."  The scripture is very self-explanatory.  I think of it as we need to become like Him; do as He would, act as He would, talk like He would.  Along with that, we also need to be open and willing to fulfill His will instead of our own, because He knows what's best for us and if we do what He wants us to, then we will be more united.

Monday was P-day and we spent most of the day at the Patterson's fishing.  The fish we caught would be the fish we got to eat for dinner the next day.  Of course for me, I never have good luck with catching fish so at the end of the day it looked like I was going to be going hungry while they would eat all their many fish -haha.  As luck would have it, we had dinner at someone else's house instead.  They are awesome people and next time we go over there for a P-day we are going to be racing go carts through the forest where they built a track.  Later we went to go see Troy and Phillip, but for some unknown reason Troy is in jail for a few days.  I hope he is OK.

Tuesday we tried to contact people.  During tracting, we spent an hour at a lady’s doorstep as she told us her entire life story.  Unfortunately, that was the extent of it  - no lesson, no discussion, no wanting to talk about God.  It’s so frustrating when you know your message will bless their lives and they don’t want it.  Then we contacted referrals that night, but that was about it.

Wednesday we had district meeting and I did some training on how to find people through faith and former investigators.  I thought it went really well and that the Spirit was there as I spoke.  Later we
contacted and then tracked into some potential investigators.  After dinner we had an awesome lesson with a guy who has been less active for about a year.  He really wants to start coming back to church and really wants to make changes in his life and make it right.  He told us he wanted to rehear the discussions again.  It was awesome.

Thursday we did some service to start off at the Help Center.  We sorted a ton of shoes and we still have more to do.  Then we went and taught a lady named Monica.  Spanish is her native language, but she has decent English.  I wish I knew Spanish better right then.   Then we went and taught Brenda the Word of Wisdom.  It was an awesome lesson.  She is really progressing.  We then asked her if she would be
baptized and we set a date.  We had dinner with an awesome family and then we taught Tracey and John the Restoration.  It was an awesome lesson filled with lots of questions.  We just hope we are explaining things clearly like we think we are so that they understand.

Friday we went out with a member during the day.  We didn't see anybody.  Finally we realized we didn't say a prayer before we left the apartment.  So we said one.  A few minutes later a guy called telling us when he would be home.  So we went over and had a great lesson with Bobby.  He told us he had been cross referencing the Book of Mormon and Bible, studying it, and he asked us if the structure of the church was the same as when Christ was on the earth.   You bet it is and Christ is still at the head of it with His chosen prophets and apostles.  It was a great lesson and he is just an awesome guy.

Saturday we helped at the Humane Society and then went out to part of our area called Waverly.  We didn't really find anyone or catch anyone at home.  We saw one of our investigators named Michael before we left.  He has officially heard all the lessons and he actually is making improvement on his addiction.  Wahoo!  I am so excited for him.  He is getting close to baptism.

Sunday we had church and we had 3 investigators there, one of which was Kerry.  She said she liked it.  We are seeing her again Tuesday.  We also met an returned missionary who is home now, but used to serve in Dickson.  He was back visiting his old areas and he knew E. Wardle.  Then we had dinner with some members and that was about it.

Hope everyone is doing well. I pray for all of you and love and miss you guys.  Just keep being good examples and servants of the Lord.

Elder Ellison

6 Weeks Officially 10/19/15

Well, I have officially been out 6 weeks and I will be staying in Dickson for another 6 weeks with Elder Wardle.  It is starting to get cold here.  The nights are getting in the low 30s.  Bbbrrrrrrrrr.   Our “ponderize” scripture was Alma 39: 1.  "And now, my son, I have somewhat more to say unto thee than what I said unto thy brother; for behold, have ye not observed the steadiness of thy brother, his faithfulness, and his diligence in keeping the commandments of God?  Behold, has he not set a good example for thee?"  It is a little random, but upon ponderizing it I have found a deeper meaning.  I took it and applied it to me and I thought about Christ.  He is our brother and set the ultimate example.  We all need to strive to be like Him in faith, diligence, and steadiness.  Our faith needs to be firm and strong in Him.  We need to be diligent in obeying His commandments and doing whatever He has asked us to do.  We need to be steady and immovable during the times of trial.  If we do these things, then there is nothing that can knock us over in life and we will endure to the end.  If we do better in these areas of our lives, then everything else will fall into place.

Monday was P-day and we had dinner at the Patterson's as usual.  Bro. Patterson asked us to give him a blessing for his mouth.  He has been having a lot of dental work on his bottom teeth.  So I sealed the anointing which makes it my second blessing ever.  I do my best to listen to the Spirit when I say a blessing.  I can definitely see that I am doing His work with these blessings and teaching people.

Tuesday we had trainer/trainee meeting.  We went to Nashville to the mission office building and spent almost all day there.  I learned a lot about how to be a better missionary, companion, servant of the Lord, and receiver of the Spirit.  I also got to see how well I knew the scriptures with a scripture mastery game, but I also saw how much more I have to learn in both the scriptures and Preach My Gospel.  The meeting was definitely a lot better than I thought it would be.

Wednesday we taught a lady named Michelle and the lesson went really well, but she texted us the other day and said that after much prayer and reading from our website and the Book of Mormon, that this wasn't the path for her.  We were disappointed because she was awesome and we thought it went well.  We know that if she keeps seeking God though, that He will guide her and hopefully she will return.  This may be just one small step on her journey to truth.  Later, we went to a First Baptist Bible study.  After that we went and taught Brenda and taught her the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Atonement.  The Spirit was really strong and she was really enjoying it until her 10 year old daughter started acting up.  We weren't able to finish the lesson because it was so bad.  It was a bummer, but before that, it was awesome.  She just needs to start coming to church and then she wants to be baptized.

Thursday we went back and finished our lesson with Brenda.  It went well, but not as well as the night before.  That was an awesome lesson.  We saw Shaun and Talida that night and taught them a scattered Plan of Salvation. We are going to go over it again next time we see them.  Elder Wardle is starting to give me a lot of the responsibility now.  He said that I need to start doing everything, except drive.  I hate it, but yet I like it because it is teaching me and preparing me for the next 2 years.

Friday we tried contacting a lot of referrals and less-actives in 2 towns called Pegram and White Bluff.  We didn't have a lot of luck until night time.  We were in White Bluff, and we were going to see if we could find a less-active member named Kara Jean Curle.  We got to the house and a lady was there and she said, “Come in, come in.”  So we go in and talk with her.  Her name is Kerry Jean Curle -almost the exact name, but no relation.  She hadn’t ever heard of Kara and she has never been baptized nor has she ever stepped foot into a Mormon church.  We were really confused as to why we had her address listed as a member.  She didn't even have a daughter.  So we talked with her and taught her the Restoration.  She said she would read and she is going to come to church this next Sunday.  It was kind of awesome.  I don't think we met her by chance – it was no accident.  I believe that God led us to her.  We left her some videos to watch because she asked for some.  After a rough day that was a great way to end it. 

Saturday we helped out at the Humane Society.  Then we had a lesson with a lady named Cindee and we read Alma 7 with her and taught her as we read.  She said she would only join our church if God told her to, which is exactly what we hope people will do.  Later, while tracting, we talked with a man named Devonte.  He told us we could come back next week and he seems really open.  We taught him a brief Restoration lesson and gave him a Book of Mormon.  Later that night we went and I got to meet the High Priest group leader, Bro. Litchford.  He is a psychologist.  He told us a lot of how the brain works, which I love to hear and learn about.  I could listen to him talk about it all day.  It was pretty fascinating.  He also has a pet tarantula and boa snake.  He is awesome and funny.

Sunday was Stake Conference which was really good.  I learned that if I ever have a question about something that may be controversial, to go and read the teachings of either the prophets and apostles in the scriptures or the current prophets and apostles.  We need to always listen to them no matter what the world says or what we may make up in our own mind. They are representatives of Christ for the world and they are His mouthpiece.  They are truly inspired.  Then we need to take it to Heavenly Father so we can gain understanding from Him about it and feel in our hearts that what the prophets and apostles taught is true.  Now that I have the iPad, I have been able to watch a lot of talks and devotionals which are awesome.  I love to listen to their talks.

Monday is P-day and I will let you all know what I do next week.  Have fun, stay safe, go read or watch some talks - it will help you in your life and things will be better.  And always look for opportunities to serve others.  Until next time.

Elder Ellison

Brenda's Dog - Newt

Almost 6 Weeks 10/12/15

So this is my last week being a “Greenie Greenie.”  After 6 weeks, I will just be considered a regular “Greenie.”  We get transfer calls this Saturday, but Elder Wardle and I will probably stay here for at least one more transfer.  We shall see.  I had a vegetable called oakra this week which was sort of OK, but not the best.

Tuesday we had our truck back from the shop which was nice.  We went and saw Kristen at work and she said she just had a stressful week and blocked out everyone for a few days.  She didn't end up getting baptized last Saturday. :(  Later we went and saw a man named Bobby.  We tracked into him and we taught him about the Book of Mormon and he really liked it.  It was an awesome lesson and we answered some of his questions too.  He is an awesome guy.  We then went and had Taco Tuesday at a member’s home.  They were delicious.  We also saw Shaun and Taleda.  We talked with Shaun for a bit and then he told us he had been reading the Book of Mormon every morning this week with his kids.  It was awesome - he is really progressing.  We were really stoked and honestly, a little surprised too.

Wednesday I went on an exchange to Fairview with Elder Nalder.  We got there and set out on the bikes.  I used his companion’s bike and let's just say his seat is not very comfortable.  My butt was sore for a few days after that.  We didn't see anyone all day until after dinner.  A member took us around and we saw a man named Joe.  He was cool and wanted to plan a time where we could sit down and talk with him and his family.  He has even read a few pages of the Book of Mormon already.  It was awesome!

Thursday we went and volunteered at a place called Meals On Wheels.  We put together portable meals for people.  It was interesting and fun to learn how they do it.  We then went and did some contacting.  We found a few people that wanted to hear more of the Discussions.  Later we had dinner with some members and then went on splits.  So not only was I a new missionary visiting a new city, but I’m going on splits with a member I just met to visit an Investigator I’ve never met and would be in charge of the discussion to boot.   I was so nervous and a little lost too.  The member drove us to Centerville and I met Johnny.  He was all over the place, but since I was the only missionary there, it forced me to talk more and I actually liked it.  We taught him a great lesson and answered some questions.  It was great.  I could definitely feel the Spirit there.  The member helped out too because he was a convert and shared his story.  We then went and saw a lady named Tammy and even though she didn't have time to talk, I was able to bear my testimony to her of the Book of Mormon.  I felt really good about it afterwards.

Friday we switched back and E. Wardle and I went to a town called White Bluff all afternoon.  We contacted less-actives.  We were totally in the back country – real, live red neck territory.  I’ve only seen that type of area in movies - it was awesome to see in real life.  We had dinner with a recent convert and then went back to Dickson.  We went and saw two brothers name Troy and Phillip.  They are by far my favorite people.  They are so funny - you can hardly tell what they’re saying, but it doesn’t matter.  Elder Wardle says they are usually drunk when we see them, but they weren’t today.  I also trimmed my companion’s hair today.  I did a good job, if I do say so myself.

Saturday we helped out at the Humane Society again and walked the dogs.  I mostly did some “socializing” with one of the dogs because she is very nervous, but super sweet.  After that we went to Brandon's and he said he watched about 45 minutes of conference.  That was great because we were hoping for 15.  The Spirit is chipping away at him bit by bit.  Later that day we went tracting and we knocked on a door.  This guy comes out and the first thing he says is "Do you guys want to come to my church?  You’re inviting me to yours so why don't you come to mine?"  We threw him a curve ball by saying, “Sure.”  We would have gone yesterday, but it was during our church so we are going to the Wednesday night Bible Study.  When we asked him what time and what type of service it was, he didn't even know, but we’ll figure it out.

Sunday was an exciting day.  So we went to church and taught a man named Michael that is really close to baptism.  After that we went out with Bro. Rivers and saw a lady that is less-active right now, but she did watch conference.  That night we went to a Pentecostal church called Power And Praise.  We were invited by one of the ministers.  It was like a rock concert and people were jumping up and down and running around the room.  The preaching was crazy too.  After the preaching, they were praying and speaking in "tongues"(seemed like gibberish to me).  We saw what they call someone “receiving the Holy Ghost.”  It was crazy – I’ve never seen anything like it.  I am definitely learning a lot about the different ways other churches worship God.  Feeling the Spirit means something totally different to me – a lot more peaceful.  Afterwards we went and saw Shaun again.  We taught him the Restoration and he asked us to give him homework, like scriptures to read and stuff like that.  It was awesome.  He is really progressing.  Afterwards we were driving to the church and Troy (one of the brothers we saw on Friday) was walking back home from a gas station and we slowed down in the middle of an empty road and said, “Hi.”  He came over and just hopped into the truck haha.  We were just like, “OK, I guess we’ll drive him home.”  Probably for the best because he wreaked of alcohol and was pretty much drunk.  I have to admit I laughed hard afterwards.  Drunk people say and do the weirdest things.

I will talk to y'all next week.

Elder Ellison

True Missionary 10/5/15

So this week we had the "true missionary experience."  We walked everywhere.  So that was fun. We got honked at a ton for no reason - don't know why.  Some one yelled the "q" word at us -haha.  It's the life of a missionary and I kinda like it (except for the name calling, of course).  It sucked though because we couldn't get very far walking and we had trouble figuring out what to do that was close.   We knocked on a lot of doors.  This week was awesome though with conference and my birthday week.  Apparently when you have a bday on your mission, people find out and you have like a week-long birthday.  I got some brownies and ice cream yesterday during conference from a sister, so it was sweet -haha. 

Monday was my 19th birthday.  We went bowling and I destroyed Elder Wardle!  Maybe it was some birthday luck because I scored a high of 162 and got a turkey for the first time ever.  We then went to the Patterson's, like we do each Monday, and they made some pasta dish that was delicious and an apple cake which was good too.  Sister Patterson made me a tie and she let me choose the fabric.  Once we got home, Elder Wardle got me the craziest shirt ever; a tye-dye rainbow t-shirt with a crazy cat on it.  I rocked it anyways!  It was a good birthday and as an added bonus, it landed on a pday -awesome!  Sad part though, we were able to watch Richard G. Scott's funeral. 

Tuesday we turned in our truck for repairs.  We went to the Patterson's again for lunch and to do some service.  We were going to burn a bunch of piles, but it rained all week so it was too wet to start up.  We then had interviews and our District meeting.  President Anderson is awesome!  He taught me some cool things to help with my missionary work and study.  We then went to Logan's steakhouse with a member for dinner.  It was good to have a steak.   

Wednesday was an interesting day.  A kid named Marcus, who is home right now because of back problems, drove us around since we didn't have our car.  We went and saw a man named Keith,  I may have told you about him already.  We had a good lesson and the spirit was so strong, but then there was a knock at the door and Keith said, "Come in."  In walked the preacher to his church, which he hasn't attended in years, and he was picking Keith up to take him somewhere.  He told Keith not to listen to what we said because it was different then what he says.  Before we left, Elder Wardle asked Keith if we could say a prayer.  The preacher immediately said, "You can pray, just not with me here because I believe we pray to a different God."  Last I checked, there is only one Heavenly Father and we read of Him from the same Bible.  So then Elder Wardle said, "Keith, can we say a prayer with you before we leave?"  He would have said yes had the preacher not been there, but he said no instead.  Sad.  We didn't even talk to the preacher at all, but he took over and controlled Keith.   It was weird.  I had to laugh a bit after we left.  Not sure why some Christians have to be so rude to other Christians.  Later that night we went tracting and a 16 yr. old kid opened the door and let us in.  We taught him the 1st discussion and it was a great lesson.  It will be interesting though because the church he currently goes to is a family church on his grandpa's land and his family wasn't there, so we hope they will be open to hearing more.  We then went to Tracey and John's house and talked with them.  We asked if they would watch conference and they said they will try.  We asked 4 people/families to watch, but only committed. 

Thursday was a rough day.  We talked with lots of people and walked all day, but no lessons and nothing much really happened. 

Friday we walked a ton and we went to Brandon's home and they fed us dinner.  We had a great discussion that sparked their interest on the Plan of Salvation.  We are praying real hard that they will be more open to learning about the gospel. 

Saturday we spent all day at the church just watching General Conference.  There were a ton of awesome talks.  There was a BBQ in the gym before the Priesthood session.  I loved all the talks and it is so cool to hear Elder Rasband, Elder Stevenson, and Elder Renlund get called to be the new Apostles. 

Sunday we spent all day again at the church watching the rest of conference.  It was sad to see President Monson struggle while giving his talk.  One of our investigators came to the afternoon session.  It was awesome and we showed her around the building afterwards.  I think she really liked it. 

Monday so far we still don't have our truck and I gave my first Priesthood blessing to my companion.  It was a cool experience for me.  Our truck will be done by tomorrow so no more walking.  Yes!  Well until next week.  See y'all later.

Elder Ellison
  

Best Week Ever 9/28/15

Hey y'all. This week is going to be "jus a party."  Starting it off by turning another year older and ending it with General Conference. Couldn't be any better!

So I got 2 ticks on my leg the first week I was here.  Luckily they hadn't burrowed in so they came off pretty easily, but I still have scabs.  Gotta love the South!  The weather is getting cooler-ish, but is still hot some days. Hopefully this week isn't too hot because our car goes in the shop tomorrow to get a dent fixed.  I have been trying to keep up my ninja warrior physique - haha.  Morning workouts consist of lots of push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups.  We don't have any other missionaries nearby to play sports with or any place to work out, but I hear there is a YSA ward somewhere that plays basketball every weekend (I think it's far away though).

America Ninja Warrior - Here I come!

Well Monday we waited half the day for our electricity to be turned on so not much to report.

Tuesday I had grits for the first time at breakfast and it wasn't as bad as I thought. Not something I would eat everyday though.  I also ate deep fried catfish the other day.  It was disgusting.  It tasted like dirt mixed with fish.  We have spent most of this week knocking doors because we are trying to find more people to teach. So this past week was a little frustrating because of that.

Wednesday I went on my first exchange with the Zone Leaders. I went to Franklin, TN with Elder Porter. He is a Spanish speaking missionary. We got there and went tracting and ran into a 20-22 year old guy named Chris. He had questions for us and we talked for about 20 minutes. He was super cool and nice. There was one time during our conversation where I said a word after his comment like "yeah" and it was in a way that I needed to continue my sentence and keep talking.  I was in trouble because I didn't have anything to say and no words came to my mind.  So I opened my mouth and started speaking and the whole time I still didn't know what to say in my brain, but words were just coming out of my mouth.  Now I think I know what people mean when I hear them say that the Lord helped them know what to say.  I never experienced anything like that before - it was awesome. The Zone Leaders are going back again to talk to him later this week. Next we went with one of the president's counselors to see a lady that had been baptized not too long ago.  She was in a rehab hospital counseling center. She had almost attempted suicide the day before so she put herself in there to get help. Within 5-10 minutes of talking to her, I could already feel God's love for her and I instantly loved her too. We were able to give her a Priesthood Blessing.  It was so cool and the Spirit was so strong.  Afterwards, we went to an appointment in Spanish.  I sat there the whole time trying to pick out the words I knew from freshman and sophomore Spanish.  I didn't get very many.  On the upside, we went to a place called Sweet Cicis for frozen yogurt, probably the best I have ever had, and got it for free because a member owns it.  Sadly though, I didn't see Travis Rosen from American Ninja Warrior - he is from Franklin.

Thursday we switched back to our normal companions and went back to tracting some more. We tracked for about 2 hours. While tracting we taught the Restoration to a lady and she liked it, but she lives far away so hopefully we can see her again.  I talked to my first anti-Mormon and it was definitely interesting and kind of funny. I knocked on this door and an 80-something year old lady comes out and immediately goes off on us.  She has some weird ideas about Mormons too.  For one, she thinks we go to school for 2 years to teach people that the Bible is wrong - what?  She only reads the King James version of the Bible (uh, so do we) and she doesn't believe you need to be baptized.  She must have missed those verses in the Bible.  We tried to share what we really do, but she wasn't interested in learning what we are about.  She did say that her son had joined the church and that it broke her heart. We hope that her son will continue to love her and be patient with her.  That might be a challenge, especially if she talks to him like she did to us.  That night we went to the Bennet's home for dinner. They are super healthy people - dad you would like them.  We talked about Abe Lincoln and the book The Lincoln Hypothesis, which I am going to read when I get back.  It is all about how Abe read the Book of Mormon and knew Joseph Smith and how God told him certain things needed to be done and put into law.  It sounds cool and some of you guys might like it too.  We then went to Brandon and Cassie's.  We talked, but not much about the gospel.  He said he probably wouldn't convert or come to church, but we just invited him to try it and read and pray anyways.  He said he would.  Also I heard that Richard G. Scott died which was sad.  I learned that the last time the church had to call 3 apostles in one conference was 1906.  So will be a historic conference.

Friday we went through our list of old contacts that had previously been taught, but had stopped, for whatever reason.  We contacted them to see where they were at and if there was anything we could do for them or if any were interested in learning more.

Saturday we went to the humane society to help out - we walk and train the dogs. It was really fun. They are nice dogs and it's sad that they are just stuck in there. After that, we went and visited people again from the area book. That night we went to a defense class thing for a lady we are teaching.  Her company is called Damsel In Defense, so if you like cute defense gadgets, MOM, then check it out.  It was pretty cool.

Sunday was Fast Sunday. After church we taught Kristin about how knowing that the Book of Mormon is true is essential to her conversion.  I shared how I knew it was true along with Elder Wardle and the two members that had joined us that night.  It was awesome.  We then gave her a Priesthood Blessing to have strength to get over her smoking.  She also said that the cinnamon we gave her had really helped.  It was very spiritual in there and her kids were actually quiet for the first time too.  Afterwards, we went out with a member named York.  He moves like 100 mph, all the time.  We went to see a family named the Mockerys.  We talked with him and they had 2 pigs that we were able to pet -super cool.  Then we went to the Riggs home to give their kids some toys.  We talked with them for a while and when we left, we saw the super lunar eclipse happening.  I guess it's when the moon is closest to the earth while there is a lunar eclipse.  Because it is so close when it is covered, the whole thing looks red and it's called a blood moon.  It happens like every 70 years.  I don't know if any of you saw it, but it was pretty cool.

Well today is my birthday and my companion made French toast for breakfast.  It's weird.  It doesn't even feel like it's my birthday.  I don't know why, but it's a weird feeling.  Now I am watching the funeral for Richard G. Scott.  We are going bowling again later.

Birthday Bowling

Also thank you for all the quotes. Please continue to send them as you come across them. My goal is to have one for every entry for the next 2 years.  Hope all of you have a great day, a great week and love conference.  Until next week.

Elder Ellison

Moving Already 9/21/15

So this week has been alright.  We had a lot of meetings and packing and cleaning.  Things are still good though.  Don't worry Dad - I have vegetables, fruit, and almond milk. So I am trying to make sure I stay healthy haha. Also for my journal entries I am trying to end each one with an inspirational quote. If anyone has some good quotes and who said it, could you please send me them through email?  Thank you. Also my new address is 114 Oak Avenue Apartment 5 Dickson, TN 37055.

Monday was P-day and we went bowling for like 3 1/2 hours for $10.  It was nice. I got a high of 128. We went to dinner at a member's home and we had chili.  Bro/Dr. C was there and he gave me my first chiropractic adjustment since being here, so that was great.

Tuesday we had to drive to Franklin for an emissions test. It was really hot and I was sweating when we went tracting later. We had dinner at a member's house and we went and visited other members and less-actives that live around them.

Wednesday we taught one person at night. We tried something new while tracting. We asked people survey questions. It seems to be a good way to begin conversations with people.  Hopefully we can start finding more people to teach.  It is hard to get past the peepholes in everybody's door.  Once they see us, they don't open the door before we've even had a chance to say Hello.

Thursday we had a zone meeting and I finally got my iPad.  Later that night we had a Japanese dinner. Then we went and visited Tracy and John. We had a good conversation and I hope they want to hear the discussions soon.  I also got my first letter from my Aunt Diane. Thank you for that.

District - Dickson

Travel to Zone Conferencce

Trainer - E. Wardle

Friday we got our new apartment so we started packing up everything and cleaning.  That is how we spent most of the day.

Saturday was my brother's birthday, so Happy Birthday!  We were packing and cleaning the whole day and the APs came to help us move the bigger stuff. We also taught Kristen again and we gave her cinnamon Jolly Ranchers.  Apparently cinnamon helps prevent smoking - like it gives you a bad taste or something.  So let's hope it helps her quit.  I had my first deep fried fish down here.  It was really good.

Sunday we went to church, went tracting, then went to a dinner appointment that night. We had enchiladas. They were delicious! We also went to a Pentecostal church and that was really interesting. Afterwards, we went to see Shaun. He was a little drunk, but he opened up to us a little and he said that he actually had read a little of the Book of Mormon. He said that he was going to read the whole thing so I hope does.

Today we moved, but we don't have any electricity yet so we have to wait to have it turned on. We also deep cleaned our entire place in 2 days.  Man that was rough and disgusting!  Hope everything is going well for everyone else.

Please send me quotes.  Thanks.

Elder Ellison

"Greenie Cape"