Hey everyone. I'm emailing this week from soaking wet
Bristol, VA. It has been raining so much
here that there have been flood warnings across our whole mission. It's been crazy! We finally got the rain we have been missing all
Summer and Fall. Also, next Monday, our
P-day will be moved to Wednesday due to a Half-Mission Conference with Elder
Neilson, President of the Missionary Department and in the presidency of the
70. We are going to be meeting with him
for most of the day so that is what is happening next week. Well you probably want to know about our week
which was decent and the reasoning behind my subject title so let’s get into
it.
Monday we sat outside and froze with the
sisters as we played a bunch of board games. I also got a haircut which was probably the
best one I have ever gotten from a Great Clips. Not much else happened that day.
Tuesday we do service at a member’s farm each
week. We picked strawberries and then started
pulling up the stakes that hold up the tomato plants. They have a huge field of them. We work there with the Sister Missionaries
too. Towards the end, we took some of
the rotten tomatoes that are everywhere and started throwing them. Elder Anderson and I had the stakes and so we
played Babe Ruth for a bit. Yes, we did
get sprayed with tomato juice in the face when the stake and tomato made
contact. After lunch there, we went back
and showered of course. We later tried
to see some potentials we found last week, but no luck with that. That evening we went out with our Ward Mission
Leader and saw a couple less-actives.
Wednesday we went and saw a lady named Miss
Rush. She has been meeting with
missionaries for almost 4 years now. She
feeds us and takes good care of us and in return we teach her our beliefs to
help her understand more. After that
visit we met with some investigators named Dakota and Chris. We mainly just
fellowshipped and got to know them a little better. Chris can make huge rings with his vaping. It’s pretty cool actually. Too bad he will have to give that up if he
joins the church -haha. That evening we
had a Book of Mormon class at the church. I would really like to get some non-members to
it to help them learn more about it.
Thursday we had District Meeting which was
pretty good. That afternoon we tracted
for almost 4 hours. For the first 2 1/2
hours no one was home, wanted to listen, and some wouldn’t even take a Light
the World card. It was starting to get
dark and when it is dark, people are winding down. That’s usually not the best
time to knock doors, but we had such a pitiful first part that we were
determined to make the end of it count. Still,
no one was interested, but we handed out triple or more of the cards than
before. So that ended our work on a much
better note and I count it as a success for the day.
Friday we weekly planned. Later we had to refill the car with fuel and
get some air in the tires. After about 4
different gas stations that either were out of service or didn't have the type
of gas we needed, we finally found one. This
is where my title will somewhat make sense. At one of the gas stations we stopped at, an
older gentleman came over and started talking to us for a few minutes. We gave him a card and he thanked us, like
most people do out here, for what we are doing. He told us that we should be grateful and
happy if we are able to help one soul that day and sometimes we may not even
know it. He said to just think; if we
helped 1 person a day for a year, that is 365 people we have helped. Wow! What great insight on that! There really is a success every day with at
least one person. It also goes along
with the Light the World initiative of helping just one person each day and to
continue doing it even after Christmas. You
too can help at least 365 people in a year. Later we met with a man named Don. He is an older gentleman - like in his 80’s
old. I will just say that cleaning is
ESSENTIAL! His house was not the worst
one I have been in, but to describe it, the moment you open the door a wave of
rotten mold mixed with urine smell rushes over you and you don't get used to it
- even after an hour. Boxes and clutter are
everywhere with mice climbing all around. Yes, I really did see and hear the mice. My appreciation for clean living continues to
grow over my mission. And just remember,
that is not the worst I have been in. We
saw a couple more people that day, but not much else happened.
Saturday we went out with some of the Priesthood
of the ward and tried to visit a few less-active men. We then saw Miss Rush again. We had a good gospel discussion with her. After her we met with Josh and Kara. We originally were going to meet Josh, but
Kara just came and joined in. She is actually
way more interested than he is. He was a
little too focused on the football game. I will just stop and say that my self-control
to not watch sports has grown, but it takes just about all of my strength to
not look - haha. Anyways, we taught
the Restoration and invited them to our Ward Christmas Party on Saturday.
Sunday we had a great Testimony Meeting at
church. Later we had a lesson with David
and then got to watch him and Sister Young get married. We later visited with the Fonsecas and then played
a couple games with them.
This week I just want to take a moment to
express my love for this work in which I am involved. It kind of occurred to me that I love being a
missionary. I love serving the Lord and
being able to share my testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ with people every
day. Even the bad moments or weeks, I
love it. Back when I was still somewhat
new to mission life, I easily could have gone home after my time was up and
been fine. As I think now, it is a
little bit of a scary thought that one day down the road, I won't get to be
doing the things I am doing now. I know
that I can still be a missionary even when I am home, but it will not be the
same. The joy I get to feel each day as
my companion and I get to help people and see their lives change is
indescribable. I love being a missionary
and having this chance to devote all of my time and efforts to serving the Lord
and fulfilling His work and the plan He has for me each day. There is nothing I have done in my life up to
this point that is greater than this. I
have come to learn and know what it means to love the work and people. I know that this is the true and full gospel
again on the earth and that we can gain eternal salvation with our loved ones
and Father in Heaven again through the sacred ordinances performed by God's
proper authority. These are my thoughts
and feelings that I wanted to share this week with you all and I close in the
name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Elder Ellison
Tour Of His Bristol Missionary Apartment
I Ask Him To Video All His Apartments Just So We Can See Where He Lives
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