Hello there Ya'll!
All is well here in Peoria! It is very weird to cover some of the same streets that I covered back in Phoenix North except that I'm just a few miles west. Our family ward is smaller and when we drive down Peoria Road I can look all the way down the street to the mountain that we lived near when I served in Phoenix North. It is so weird because when I heard that I was getting transferred, my mind was set on being sent so far away. In reality, I could get back to my old area in less than 2 minutes from the furthest east boundary of our wards. Being so close, so many great memories are brought to light as I think about what transpired over the past 20 months. I loved the opportunities that I was given there. Saying goodbye to the members was like saying goodbye to my family all over again. It was very hard. I have honestly had to work hard to keep back the tears. I know that I will be able to see them all again in the future though and that keeps me going. Mark Coleman wrote me an unbelievable letter before I left that I am going to save for you to read when I get home. Katie Redd emails me almost every week to tell me about what is going on in the ward. Many people have also expressed interest in coming to my homecoming. This is another good reason for living so close :).
Monday night I went and said bye to the James' family. Sister James was not there because of a relief society meeting. I talked to Mike (recent convert) and Sister James' parents who were there when we all went through the temple. I love those people. Afterwards, I couldn't handle the thought of not saying bye to Sister James after all that she did for me. We went to the church where her meeting was held and made sure to find her so I could say an adequate goodbye. She cried and gave me a hug :/ haha but said that she is going to do all that she can to get the family to come up to Utah for my homecoming also. I'm not thinking about it much but I think that it will be a grand reunion!
So when we got to the wards here we noticed that a lot of the investigators were doing anything but progressing. You asked if there was a reason for both missionaries getting transferred out. The answer is that I don't really know but for me to train a new missionary it would have to happen because I wouldn't be able to train in a Zone Leader area. President Taylor was particularly emotional when it came to this group of new missionaries that came out. Three zone leaders were released to be trainers. The other two were elders that I was in the MTC with. (Elder Halligan and Mendenhall) After getting our new companions, we sat together and got to know each other. President Taylor came over to Elder Brothers and me and when he made eye contact to tell us about the experience he had in having us be together, he couldn't get the words out because he was in tears. He is an extremely emotional and spiritual man. Apparently he felt very strongly about Elder Brothers and me being together. I know he is right.
Like I said the area was pretty slow and we didn't have many investigators when we got here. We began to use the ward roster to find new people to teach. We visit less active members and part member families in any spare moment that we have. If the person we are trying to find isn't there, then we knock the street to find out the reason that Heavenly Father sent us there. It's been slow for a little while, but at the end of each day we are able to look back and find out just why we were sent to the places we went. We have found many new people to begin teaching. One great experience we had happened last night. It was about 8:30 p.m. and we were quite bummed after having a born again Christian try to bash with us and several other doors slammed in our face. I could tell that it was wearing on Elder Brothers. It's hard to keep a good attitude in times like those but it's extremely important. The last door we knocked was SUPPOSED to be a prospective elder/less active member. When the door opened, a Hispanic man, his wife, and two kids came to the door. We asked them if "so and so" was there. The older man looked puzzled, looked at his son and told his son to speak to us. The 13 year old boy spoke English and Spanish and was able to interpret. He told us that the person we were looking for was not there. His mom then said something in Spanish and he translated by saying that his mom knows someone that is a missionary like us. To our surprise, they then invited us in. We talked for a little while to get to know them. They are from Mexico. They went to the Catholic Church while there and now attend a non-denominational English speaking Christian church even though they can't understand. Being from Mexico, I was very surprised at how modern and nice their house was. Usually they are not that way. We found out that the father is a woodworker by trade and builds amazing cabinets and tables. From what I could see, he was extremely good at what he did. As we talked, they asked us if we wanted to have some lemonade and stay for dinner. We told them we had just eaten but that we would love something to drink. We sat around the table and the dad then told his son to tell us that he would love for us to teach them because they can understand some things even though they can't speak it back. We proceeded to teach them about the restoration of the gospel. Though they looked puzzled, I know they felt the spirit. At the end of the discussion, the mother asked us if we would pray for her family and her home. We did so. Upon our departure, they told us that we could come back anytime we wanted if we ever needed anything. We told them that we would get Spanish missionaries to come by and teach them further. They were very happy at the thought. They continued to offer anything and everything they had, including free beautiful cabinets for our kitchen. Maybe someday! It was amazing to see how the spirit could have an effect on an entire family though we couldn't speak the same language. Just a testimony to me that the spirit can touch anyone that is willing to listen. The language of the spirit is spoken spirit to spirit, and we are all spirit children of God and speak the same spiritual language deep down. We just have to find it. Next Saturday we will be going over there to teach them with the Spanish elders. I can see them being future leadership in the church. This experience was awesome for Elder Brothers to have. At the end of the night, he made the comment; "Now I see why we knock on doors. It's for the one that will finally listen. Now I see." We receive no witness until after the trial of our faith. Our faith was tried many times with doors being slammed and people trying to prove us wrong, but it's AFTER our faith is tried that we can receive answers. It was a great experience.
To answer your questions concerning the bike. Elder Buttars and I started riding a little bit before I left. Elder Brothers doesn't have a bike at the moment but when he does we will start riding. At the moment we drive a 2011 Ford Fusion. It's a pretty sweet car! :)
Once again, thanks for all that you do. I truly love and appreciate your letters and support. I can't believe that it is already 2012. It blows my mind.
I love you. Please know that!
Love,
Elder Mouritsen
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