Hey!
Great letter! Yes, how ‘bout that quote by Elder McConkie. It's actually one of the recitations that we have to memorize in the mission. Probably one of my favorite quotes ever!
My Missionary Commission
By Elder Bruce R. McConkie
My 1963 Missionary Commission.
I am called of God. My authority is above that of kings of the earth. By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my master and He has chosen me to represent Him—to stand in His place, to say and do what He Himself would say and do if He personally were ministering to the very people to whom He has sent me. My voice is His voice, and my acts are His acts; my doctrine is His doctrine. My Commission is to do what He wants done; To say what He wants said; to be a living modern witness in word and in deed of the divinity of his great and marvelous Latter-day work. How great is my calling!
About Elder Schneider... I can't remember what I told you before. But Monday he saw a chiropractor who told him that he had a collapsed zygomatic arch, Monday night he saw the mission doctor who told him that he would be fine and he would heal up on his own, but that he needed to get an x-ray just in case. Tuesday he and Kennington went and got the x-ray and it turned out to be at LEAST a fractured zygomatic arch and they would have to go back to get a CT scan. After they read the CT scan they noticed that the zygomatic arch was fractured and was pushed inside his face so that it was hindering the movement of his jaw. There were also two other fractures, one below the eye in the eye socket and then another one just below that on the bottom part of the eye socket/cheek bone. His mother was informed like three times and she actually came down for the surgery. This is because if he went home for the surgery, he wouldn't have the adequate medical facilities. He's from Bonner's Ferry, Idaho. He is also a MAJOR hunter... but that's beside the point. Anyways, he had surgery on Friday and they had to put an incision in the top of his head so they could go down and pop the zygomatic arch back into place and then they had to go up through his mouth and put a plate in his face to fix the other fractures. His companion has been with us in a threesome and we've had to cover both areas as well as Elder Schneider's district leader stuff. His mom is his companion here and they are staying with some members in Schneider’s first area. It was so funny when he saw her for the first time in the hospital. He didn't know what to do! So, in essence, one thing led to another, and a missionary who ran into a Samoan sister missionary, had to get plastic surgery. :D
Yes, by the way, I got your package. Thank you so much! Yeah our "scripture books" were probably not as cool to you as they were to us. We got such a kick out of them! I'll send you the funny pictures though sometime soon. Yes, I am feeling much better now and it's all thanks to pumping vitamin C, airborne, nyquil, and other necessities. MADISON IS NOT PLAYING SOFTBALL!?!?!?!??!??! GET OUTTA TOWN... I DUNNO IF I CAN SUPPORT THAT. I MEAN LAX (lacrosse) IS COOL... BUT... COME ON. Get serious. The phone call home will probably be from the Bagley's home around 8:30-9:00 in the morning. Listen to this, Elder Kennington's family is leaving for Fiji on Christmas day and said that he has to call before ten in the morning because they have to be to the airport after that. He also said that the week after he entered the MTC, his family went on an Alaskan cruise. He's questioning whether he is even going to call at all. HAHA Please don't do that to me... I just want to hear from you guys and anybody else that would like to be present that's cool too! It's up to you. Oh by the way, the Bagley's have a super nice sophomore age daughter who is looking for friends to go to EFY with her. I told her that the twins would love to go. :/ Her name is Celest Bagley, she said she would try to add them on Facebook.
Well this week has been extremely... different compared to most. I've been on exchanges with Elder Waynick (Schneider's companion) most of the time because Kennington had to take Schneider to all of his appointments. He's a brand new missionary. He's awesome and does really well, but he's in the middle of reading the Book of Mormon for the first time and has a hard time teaching certain principles. We had a baptism on Saturday and of course Elder Kennington baptized her so Elder Waynick and I had to do the intermediate message. It's crazy how different everyone is and how weird it feels when you teach with another missionary! Sometimes you just get used to the way others do things and when change happens it blows my mind! It was a great baptism though. Her name was Tiffany Schmidt and she just walked in to church about a month ago. Crazy eh?? The funny thing is last week, another lady named Karolina (from the Czech Republic) just walked in and has been coming to all of the activities as well. I guess when you have to spend so much time doing other things during the week, the Lord just brings His elect to us! She is awesome and wants to be baptized but says that soon for her would be in like half a year... Those Europeans. haha
Oh! Funny story. Well not funny. Crazy. So Waynick and I were street contacting down on 19th Ave and Northern (which has been told to us to be one of the most dangerous intersections in the nation...). While we were talking to some people on the corner, a mass of high school age kids started walking out of a nearby restaurant coming right toward us. They were following after a Navajo looking kid and it looked like they had just been in a brawl with him or something because his face was all bloody. He was back peddling to get away from the kids and when he got about ten feet away from us, one of the high school kids came up and roundhouse punched him in the face! The Navajo kid was knocked right out and fell backwards slamming his head on the asphalt and landing right in the middle of 19th Ave. My adrenaline leaped! All the high school kids scattered and Waynick and I were left there with a few older people that we were already talking to. I ran out into the middle of the road before he would get squashed by a bus or something and dragged him on to the sidewalk. Meanwhile, he's bleeding profusely from his mouth... you know how I love blood. It turns out he was just plastered with alcohol (which may have been a good thing cause wasn't it you that was telling me that drunk people survive a lot more accidents and falls?) haha The cops were called and finally when he came to, he tried to sit up but I told him to stay down and that help was on it's way. He looked at me and said some very choice words as well as some obscene suggestions with a certain finger. Waynick then sat down by his side and as the kid looked over at him, he spit a chunk of blood right on his tie and white shirt. Yeah, after that we just left him and stood back. A lady came up to us, gave us a brownie, and told us that we were angels sent from God to that specific place at that specific time. Haha She at least made us feel like we did the right thing...
So next week we have interviews with President Beck and a Zone Meeting during the same time. I love that kind of stuff so I've taken it upon me to plan out what we are going to do. I read through some of your previous letters and decided that the Parable of the Wasatch 100 was a great place to try to find some missionary application. I think what is going to happen is I'm going to give a synopsis of what the race is and some of the main items involved and then allow the other missionaries to apply each item to a part of missionary work. Then, we'll let them decide where we need to improve. That way it's not us telling them where we need to do better, it's themselves committing themselves. For example, maybe watching weight/staying focused/hydration/keeping your mind on the race could be consecrating your heart, might, mind, and strength on the work. Then afterwards, we'll collectively as a zone choose three or four and focus on them over the next transfer. I'm kind of excited but it's going to be tough!
I recently read the talk from the October conference by Elder Scott. I love the quote: "We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day." As a missionary, I've noticed that it's easy for people to tell when you are putting on a face and trying to act like someone you're not. As long as I/we are the same person in the apartment that we are out tracting, we won't fool anyone. It's hard to do sometimes when you get four missionaries together in an apartment! I do want to become a good missionary. But it takes consistently being what I want to become to make it happen. Sometimes it's hard to be myself out here and that's what I've really been trying to focus on recently. Whether it's with members, missionaries, or investigators it's got to be the same Elder Mouritsen! haha Being around the members of the singles ward is different because it feels like I'm just hanging out with friends sometimes. We're all so close to the same age already! It's a blast though. Anyway, that's my short lil’ message. Just be yourself. haha
Well I hope that all is going well back home! I love ya'll so much! Thank you for the letters. Oh by they way the continuous feed paper with everyone's little message was such a great idea. That was awesome! Man, it was so cool to read. I haven't opened up the presents yet…I promise. But I couldn't resist leaving Madison's CD till the 25th. Nope, not gonna happen. It's amazing Madison, keep up the good work! I found a freakin' sweet suit at Goodwill that fits me perfectly for like 25 bucks so I'm going to buy it next time I get the chance (a.k.a. when it's half off). Brian Regan released a new album?? SWEET! I bet it's good. Thanks for the shirts too! Very much needed.
Love you.
Elder Colton Mouritsen
Monday, December 13, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
November 30 - December 6, 2010: Hinderment or Instrument?
Hey family,
Sorry I am finally just barely getting to email. Today was very hectic! Your letter was extremely heart warming though... tears filled my eyes as I read the words about Devin. It's not that I'm extremely sad but it's just so cool to hear how strong the family is and that each of them are still able to bear their testimonies and share what they know to be true. They are definitely more powerful than I am. Also, that mom and Madi were able to bear their testimonies. And all the kids singing, speaking, and showing their support. That's what brings tears to my eyes.
This week we had our first Zone Leader Council. I feel so inadequate and small! This meeting is where we get instructed by the assistants and Presi
dent Beck as well as have a skills training. We had to practice teaching President Beck. Probably one of the scariest/most intimidating moments of my life. We then went over our numbers for the past month and set goals for the month to come. Wednesday was the Christmas Zone Conference. President was extremely emotional (which is very rare) as he shared stories from his youth regarding Christmas traditions he had when they would give what they could to families that were in need. He shared other stories of missionaries who did the same. It was very powerful.
Elder Kennington & Elder Mouritsen with Santa 
The rest of the week was just normal... haha The airborne couldn't have come at a better time because Friday night I came down with a terrible sickness all of a sudden. Nyquil, airborne, vitamin C, and ibuprofen have been my best friends.
Today...We planned a zone activity. Of course, we decided to play softball. We scrounged up a whole bunch of gloves and bats and a ball and then had a nice game at the Country Gables building. You know what they say though...It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. haha Here's a play by play. Elder Choules hits a fly ball to center field. Elder Schneider (district leader in the South district) runs to catch it. Sister Pilimai (super athletic Samoan girl) takes off for the ball as well. BAM!! They meet in the middle smashing in to each other face to face. I have the picture in my mind and it was pretty funny until we noticed that Schneider wasn't getting up. Pilimai jumped right up and was all worried about Schneider. He had a major bloody nose but said that he was good and we needed to keep playing. Like a minute later he's like, "umm... No we all need to stop... my face/jaw is not working." You have to know Elder Schneider to think that's funny but needless to say we stopped the game. As we examined his face, we noticed that there was a gaping hole/divot in the side of his head in between the ear and the eye ball on the right side of his face. We called Sister Beck, who instructed us to go and ask Doctor Cathcart. Me and another elder gave him a blessing and then we drove him to Cathcarts who gave one look at him and then cringed as he said that he thinks he collapsed his zygomatic arch... Yeah I don't know what that is either but it's something that connects your main skull to your jaw bone. He's with us right now at the moment and his eye is starting to black up as well. He got owned by a Samoan sister. haha It's sad but I would feel a lot worse if she got hurt. Cathcart said that he will probably need surgery by an orthopedic or plastic surgeon where they cut a little incision in the face and then stick a balloon in and then inflate it to push it back in place. Anyways, it put a real damper to a good game of softball but I think everything will be fine!
We have several baptisms coming up in the singles ward in the next few weeks. One girl, Tiffany, is here living with her young daughter while her parents live in Cincinnati, Ohio. Well if you remember, President and Sister Beck are from there. So we called them to see if any of their kids could give Tiffany a ride to church. Amazingly, we told them Tiffany's address and it just so happened that the home she would be staying at was in the Beck's home ward! As a matter of fact it was right down the street! She was going to go to church with them, but Sister Beck's daughter never called her... darn... Quite a coincidence though eh?? Nah...
I've made a decision that I am going to prayerfully consider a topic each week to write a talk about. This week the topic that came to my mind for some reason was Living Worthy to be the Giver. I don't have it with me but I thought it was cool. I wrote about being worthy to be the giver by being worthy of Priesthood authority and being worthy of promptings from the Holy Ghost. I asked the question of: Am I a hinderment, or instrument for the work of God? and Who from the Book of Mormon is an example of a hinderment? An example of an instrument? Of course... my answer for the hinderment was found in Mosiah 27, Alma the Younger. As I sought to find an answer for the instrument, my mind turned to Mosiah 28 and Alma 29, Alma the Younger. I thought it was cool because at times we may fall short, we will make mistakes, but because of the atonement of Jesus Christ there is always hope for us to come out on top and become an instrument in the hands of the Lord. Alma the Younger was one of the vilest of sinners, and on the flip side, one of the most powerful missionaries. That's the gist of my talk. Of course a few testimonies here and there and personal experiences/stories but you get the flow of it...
I hope you have a phenomenal week! I don't know if you've seen any of the Christmas cards yet from family members and some ward members... But you will have a few coming soon. Just you wait. :)
I love you very much. Thanks for everything. It'll be weird to hear your voices in less than three weeks. haha Hopefully I'll have mine back by then!
Love,
Elder Colton Mouritsen
Sorry I am finally just barely getting to email. Today was very hectic! Your letter was extremely heart warming though... tears filled my eyes as I read the words about Devin. It's not that I'm extremely sad but it's just so cool to hear how strong the family is and that each of them are still able to bear their testimonies and share what they know to be true. They are definitely more powerful than I am. Also, that mom and Madi were able to bear their testimonies. And all the kids singing, speaking, and showing their support. That's what brings tears to my eyes.
This week we had our first Zone Leader Council. I feel so inadequate and small! This meeting is where we get instructed by the assistants and Presi
dent Beck as well as have a skills training. We had to practice teaching President Beck. Probably one of the scariest/most intimidating moments of my life. We then went over our numbers for the past month and set goals for the month to come. Wednesday was the Christmas Zone Conference. President was extremely emotional (which is very rare) as he shared stories from his youth regarding Christmas traditions he had when they would give what they could to families that were in need. He shared other stories of missionaries who did the same. It was very powerful.
Elder Kennington & Elder Mouritsen with Santa We then loaded up in the fleet of cars and drove to the Mesa temple. Kennington and I were the drivers of our truck and we had six in a little tiny Chevy Colorado. Of course, being the smallest of everyone, I was stuck in the front middle seat with one cheek on the seat and the other lifted and pointed at the elder in the passenger seat. He didn't like that much... We were able to have an awesome devotional in a chapel at the temple and then had the opportunity of doing a session. It was unbelievable to see all those missionaries praying in the Celestial room. I haven't experienced something like that in my life. We were then allowed to walk around the lights and take pictures with people. I ran into Elder Riley Landsaw while he was stationed on the temple grounds to contact and get referrals from anybody that came into his area. It was cool to see a familiar face. Then I just happened to run into the Kings again. It was neat to see all the girls - they are all getting so old and tall! I think each of the older ones are taller than me...
The rest of the week was just normal... haha The airborne couldn't have come at a better time because Friday night I came down with a terrible sickness all of a sudden. Nyquil, airborne, vitamin C, and ibuprofen have been my best friends.Today...We planned a zone activity. Of course, we decided to play softball. We scrounged up a whole bunch of gloves and bats and a ball and then had a nice game at the Country Gables building. You know what they say though...It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. haha Here's a play by play. Elder Choules hits a fly ball to center field. Elder Schneider (district leader in the South district) runs to catch it. Sister Pilimai (super athletic Samoan girl) takes off for the ball as well. BAM!! They meet in the middle smashing in to each other face to face. I have the picture in my mind and it was pretty funny until we noticed that Schneider wasn't getting up. Pilimai jumped right up and was all worried about Schneider. He had a major bloody nose but said that he was good and we needed to keep playing. Like a minute later he's like, "umm... No we all need to stop... my face/jaw is not working." You have to know Elder Schneider to think that's funny but needless to say we stopped the game. As we examined his face, we noticed that there was a gaping hole/divot in the side of his head in between the ear and the eye ball on the right side of his face. We called Sister Beck, who instructed us to go and ask Doctor Cathcart. Me and another elder gave him a blessing and then we drove him to Cathcarts who gave one look at him and then cringed as he said that he thinks he collapsed his zygomatic arch... Yeah I don't know what that is either but it's something that connects your main skull to your jaw bone. He's with us right now at the moment and his eye is starting to black up as well. He got owned by a Samoan sister. haha It's sad but I would feel a lot worse if she got hurt. Cathcart said that he will probably need surgery by an orthopedic or plastic surgeon where they cut a little incision in the face and then stick a balloon in and then inflate it to push it back in place. Anyways, it put a real damper to a good game of softball but I think everything will be fine!
We have several baptisms coming up in the singles ward in the next few weeks. One girl, Tiffany, is here living with her young daughter while her parents live in Cincinnati, Ohio. Well if you remember, President and Sister Beck are from there. So we called them to see if any of their kids could give Tiffany a ride to church. Amazingly, we told them Tiffany's address and it just so happened that the home she would be staying at was in the Beck's home ward! As a matter of fact it was right down the street! She was going to go to church with them, but Sister Beck's daughter never called her... darn... Quite a coincidence though eh?? Nah...
I've made a decision that I am going to prayerfully consider a topic each week to write a talk about. This week the topic that came to my mind for some reason was Living Worthy to be the Giver. I don't have it with me but I thought it was cool. I wrote about being worthy to be the giver by being worthy of Priesthood authority and being worthy of promptings from the Holy Ghost. I asked the question of: Am I a hinderment, or instrument for the work of God? and Who from the Book of Mormon is an example of a hinderment? An example of an instrument? Of course... my answer for the hinderment was found in Mosiah 27, Alma the Younger. As I sought to find an answer for the instrument, my mind turned to Mosiah 28 and Alma 29, Alma the Younger. I thought it was cool because at times we may fall short, we will make mistakes, but because of the atonement of Jesus Christ there is always hope for us to come out on top and become an instrument in the hands of the Lord. Alma the Younger was one of the vilest of sinners, and on the flip side, one of the most powerful missionaries. That's the gist of my talk. Of course a few testimonies here and there and personal experiences/stories but you get the flow of it...
I hope you have a phenomenal week! I don't know if you've seen any of the Christmas cards yet from family members and some ward members... But you will have a few coming soon. Just you wait. :)
I love you very much. Thanks for everything. It'll be weird to hear your voices in less than three weeks. haha Hopefully I'll have mine back by then!
Love,
Elder Colton Mouritsen
Monday, November 29, 2010
November 23-29, 2010: Devin Jensen: A Witness of God
Hello family:
My heart sank at the news of Devin. It definitely was a reality check on life and the Plan of Salvation. There is no doubt in my mind that he is a powerful missionary on the other side of the veil, just as he was while here. President Beck's council is very comforting. He talked about a quote from President Boyd K. Packer. (I may have related this to you before) President Packer said that in all of his years as an apostle, he has witnessed and/or experienced every single emotion possible. All except for one. That one is fear. He's never seen fear in any of the apostles nor felt fear within himself. This is because of the reality of God's plan for each of us, especially the Plan of Salvation. Devin had a purpose here, and he now has a purpose there. It's God's will and the people in the spirit world are extremely lucky to have such a high caliber man serving them. Of course I'm quite distraught about the whole thing but after much prayer and pleads for comfort, the feeling of "everything is alright" came. Though he will be greatly missed, we WILL see him again in the not so distant future. Please tell the Jensen family I love them with all my heart, my prayers are constantly shot towards heaven in their behalf.
Like you, it's hard for me to concentrate on the week with such news. With Thanksgiving being this week, I just want to focus on things that I'm grateful for. We were able to eat at a member's home in my old area. There was one member, and about 10-12 non members. It's the first Thanksgiving dinner I've had where alcohol was consumed with the meal. I'm grateful for a family who I feel I have taken for granted all my life. Please know my love for each of you. As a missionary, I feel that I've come to realize a little bit more the reality of the unconditional amount of love that our Savior has for us. In turn, that love has helped me to pattern my life after His and express my love easier, and more.
My heart sank at the news of Devin. It definitely was a reality check on life and the Plan of Salvation. There is no doubt in my mind that he is a powerful missionary on the other side of the veil, just as he was while here. President Beck's council is very comforting. He talked about a quote from President Boyd K. Packer. (I may have related this to you before) President Packer said that in all of his years as an apostle, he has witnessed and/or experienced every single emotion possible. All except for one. That one is fear. He's never seen fear in any of the apostles nor felt fear within himself. This is because of the reality of God's plan for each of us, especially the Plan of Salvation. Devin had a purpose here, and he now has a purpose there. It's God's will and the people in the spirit world are extremely lucky to have such a high caliber man serving them. Of course I'm quite distraught about the whole thing but after much prayer and pleads for comfort, the feeling of "everything is alright" came. Though he will be greatly missed, we WILL see him again in the not so distant future. Please tell the Jensen family I love them with all my heart, my prayers are constantly shot towards heaven in their behalf.
Like you, it's hard for me to concentrate on the week with such news. With Thanksgiving being this week, I just want to focus on things that I'm grateful for. We were able to eat at a member's home in my old area. There was one member, and about 10-12 non members. It's the first Thanksgiving dinner I've had where alcohol was consumed with the meal. I'm grateful for a family who I feel I have taken for granted all my life. Please know my love for each of you. As a missionary, I feel that I've come to realize a little bit more the reality of the unconditional amount of love that our Savior has for us. In turn, that love has helped me to pattern my life after His and express my love easier, and more.
Saturday Brother Thomas Hughes was baptized. Despite being transferred two weeks ago, I was still able to attend. We've been working with him for over six months now and it was truly amazing to see his life change for the better. I'm grateful for covenants we can make with our Heavenly Father. I see the baptismal covenant as a win win instead of a pros and cons relation. All we have to do is remember Jesus Christ, take upon us His name, and keep His commandments and what do we get in return? One of the most powerful, essential necessities of life. The Holy Ghost. It's the Holy Ghost who brings peace, comfort, power, and strength. I'm forever grateful for the Holy Ghost. This whole experience reminds me of the scripture in Mosiah 18.
8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
As I heard about all the support of family and friends for the Jensen family, it reminded me of this scripture. Bearing one another's burdens, mourning with those that mourn, comforting those that stand in need of comfort. But most importantly, I think we all can agree that Devin was and is someone who stands as a witness of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that he was in. I think we can add his name to those in Alma 48:17-19. I'm thankful for the Book of Mormon and the influence it has on lives. I'm thankful for the knowledge we gain as members of Jesus Christ's church which has been restored to the earth today. Knowledge of the Plan of Salvation: It happens to be my favorite lesson to teach and has now been made more real than ever. I'm thankful for testimonies of those we love and the strength we receive from them.
Despite this tough trial, I hope that everyone can have an enjoyable Christmas season. We are going to the temple as a mission on Wednesday which will be very exciting. I think it's safe to say that Kennington and I are massive wimps because we FREEZE when we have to ride our bikes and when we go running in the mornings. This morning we went and climbed Shaw Butte and it was 38 degrees without the wind chill. At the top the wind was so freezing and with the sun not even up yet, it made for a cold run/hike. I think it is the first time that my face has gone numb this year. Justin and Melynda got our number and took us to lunch and also brought us some warm running gear. I guess Justin is giving up on running? I dunno. haha. But it saved us because we ended up putting the long sleeved running shirts on over our white shirts and ties and underneath our suits to stay warm last night as we went out on our bikes. The gloves are much appreciated as well.
Please send my condolences to the Jensen family and any extended family members. Let them all know how much I love Devin and look up to him. He's always been the best athlete in the family. I hope everyone can find comfort and peace in the atonement of Jesus Christ especially during the holidays. I love you.
Love,
Elder Colton Matthew Mouritsen
8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
As I heard about all the support of family and friends for the Jensen family, it reminded me of this scripture. Bearing one another's burdens, mourning with those that mourn, comforting those that stand in need of comfort. But most importantly, I think we all can agree that Devin was and is someone who stands as a witness of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that he was in. I think we can add his name to those in Alma 48:17-19. I'm thankful for the Book of Mormon and the influence it has on lives. I'm thankful for the knowledge we gain as members of Jesus Christ's church which has been restored to the earth today. Knowledge of the Plan of Salvation: It happens to be my favorite lesson to teach and has now been made more real than ever. I'm thankful for testimonies of those we love and the strength we receive from them.
Despite this tough trial, I hope that everyone can have an enjoyable Christmas season. We are going to the temple as a mission on Wednesday which will be very exciting. I think it's safe to say that Kennington and I are massive wimps because we FREEZE when we have to ride our bikes and when we go running in the mornings. This morning we went and climbed Shaw Butte and it was 38 degrees without the wind chill. At the top the wind was so freezing and with the sun not even up yet, it made for a cold run/hike. I think it is the first time that my face has gone numb this year. Justin and Melynda got our number and took us to lunch and also brought us some warm running gear. I guess Justin is giving up on running? I dunno. haha. But it saved us because we ended up putting the long sleeved running shirts on over our white shirts and ties and underneath our suits to stay warm last night as we went out on our bikes. The gloves are much appreciated as well.
Please send my condolences to the Jensen family and any extended family members. Let them all know how much I love Devin and look up to him. He's always been the best athlete in the family. I hope everyone can find comfort and peace in the atonement of Jesus Christ especially during the holidays. I love you.
Love,
Elder Colton Matthew Mouritsen
Monday, November 22, 2010
November 16-22, 2010: "Do as much as you can in the time that you have ..."
Hello family!
This week has felt like an eternity. Monday I just said some goodbyes, which was hard, almost like saying bye to family again. Tuesday was transfers and President let us know that there were two new zones made, along with five new districts and seven new areas. I knew that one of the zone leaders in my current zone was being transferred so I was hoping and praying that I would still be in the same zone so that I could go to the baptisms that were in my old area. Well my zone was said last and I was freakin’ out the whole time! I'm with Elder Kennington, from Afton Wyoming, and we live just on the other side of the freeway on 19th Ave and Thunderbird. We also live with two other missionaries in an apartment. I don't really like it as much as living with a member but it's a good experience! Also, our zone got split so we only cover the Phoenix North Stake instead of both the Phoenix North Stake and Glendale stake. Elder Johnson (the elder I replaced) and his new companion is Elder Henrie (from Kaysville)! How cool is that!? We are both very young to be zone leaders and it is so intimidating and I feel extremely inadequate! It's hard to get to know a brand new ward too. We only cover one ward and it's the Young Single Adult ward and it's freakin’ fun! We also have baptisms set for the next 4 weeks in a row which is awesome for a YSA. Since they split the zone, because it used to have 35 missionaries, Phoenix North now has 21 missionaries and 2 districts. We drive a 2010 Chevy Colorado which is pretty dang SWEET! haha We still ride bikes a lot though. Sometimes we just drive down to a busy intersection, park the car, and then just go nuts contacting people. One time we were talking to different people at one time and all of a sudden I look across the road and Kennington is way over there all by his lonesome. It's funnier to tell it in person because he's been out for almost 18 months and hasn't been that far away from his companion in awhile. I, on the other hand, was just talkin’ to people, goin off by accident haha but it's great. Kennington is actually a state champion arm wrestler in Wyoming and has been known to arm wrestle people out here to get them to take lessons... HAHA He's awesome though and is planning on going to Utah State after the mission so we will be seeing each other up there and have already planned to room or something. So Elder Cichy got transferred again as well and he is now a district leader in Peoria. Elder McBride is a stud and I can see him being a DL in the near future! I see him quite often at meetings and what not.
On Saturday I was still able to attend Uncle Howard Emery's baptism from my old area. He's the 82 year old man who looks just like Dick Van Dyke. It was awesome and cool to be able to say bye to all the familiar faces in the Campobello ward. I told them that we would come down in a few years to go see some spring training games with them. You in? There was also a YSA baptism on Saturday night too and Kennington was baptizing her so I then confirmed her in sacrament on Sunday. Welcome to the ward Elder Mouritsen!
It's really cool to be able to see what the entire zone needs to work on. We also have to call President Beck every Monday and go over the numbers for the week and also let him know about the baptisms that will be coming up in the week to come. It makes us want to push harder and get everybody to achieve their goals so that we have something uplifting to report to President. He is quite the intimidating yet unbelievable man!
That's crazy that the new church handbook said that about the Aaronic Priesthood Oath. I would have never guessed. We've been having a lot of strife from it as well. It also says that for the ward mission coordination meeting that only the Ward Mission Leader and Ward Missionaries attend, and also that the full time missionaries don't always have to be at the ward council meetings. Many wards are changing what we've finally improved and are returning back to where they started instead of forward to where they need to be with regards to the meetings. It's hard for them to understand that it's just a general handbook for the entire world. Some have even said that Preach My Gospel is now five years old and needs to be updated for people to follow because it says things about the welfare meeting. President Morris (member of the mission presidency) said that Preach My Gospel is closer to doctrine than the handbook and should still be followed with regards to ward council and the ward coordination meeting. It's funny how they say that about Preach My Gospel... because the Book of Mormon is over 2600 years old. Does that need to be updated too? haha...
Thanksgiving is actually our P-Day so I won't be writing any letters today! We just get our regular hour to email and then it will be a normal work day. Since we went to the baptism for Howard, there were many members from the Campobello ward there and one of them, Sister Capuano, invited us over to dinner at her home for Thanksgiving. She is a great cook and we are very excited because dinners are very scarce in the singles ward. I can't wait for the package though! Those are the best. We also received word that we will be having a Christmas Zone Conference on December 1st which is going to be a talent show/ devotional and then we will be able to go to the temple and do a session with half the mission. There are so many missionaries now (around 196 by end of December in the amount of land that used to carry only 150) that they had to split the temple days. It'll be an awesome experience though.
I read a quote recently that really opened my eyes for some reason. It had something to do with preparing now instead of looking and waiting for opportunities to arise in the future, because of change. Examples like, "I can't wait to graduate high school, then all will be better" or "It would be awesome to hold that certain calling" or "as soon as I'm off on my own, then everything will be good." Why have those unnecessary battles in our minds when we could be just focusing on what we're doing now? Thus, helping us to prepare for what’s to come by not worrying about it by doing what’s right in the present. As a missionary, I hear the comments all the time like, "Man, when I'm home all will be well" or "if I only had a better companion, or a better area, or a more helpful ward." It all comes back to the ghost of Christmas Present quote: "Do as much as you can in the time that you have because suddenly, you're not there anymore!" I could guarantee that every missionary who has returned home, has had the thought at least once of being back in the mission. So why not just live in the moment? Love what's going on right now. I think it was Elder Worthlin who spoke on the topic of, "come what may, and love it." Who cares what the future could possibly, maybe, hopefully bring. It's what happens now that will determine the outcome! So why not make it benefit us and those around us in the greatest way possible!
Anyway, Kennington has been running me every morning! It's been awesome except for that it's been so long and my legs were only in biking shape so my IT bands (I think at least, the ones that run from the hip socket along the femur to the knee) were killing for some reason! After a few runs they have worked themselves out though and I'm already back to 140 pounds. It's cold here now too! Not 18 degrees or anything but when I didn't even come out with any long sleeves or running gear it takes a toll on ya! So if you have any sweet long sleeved shirts, I'm only a state away! haha
Love you all so much. Thanks for everything. I'll write everybody back on Thursday...These past three weeks have been nuts!
Love,Elder Colton Matthew Mouritsen
P.S. Get on those people up there to send letters! haha
This week has felt like an eternity. Monday I just said some goodbyes, which was hard, almost like saying bye to family again. Tuesday was transfers and President let us know that there were two new zones made, along with five new districts and seven new areas. I knew that one of the zone leaders in my current zone was being transferred so I was hoping and praying that I would still be in the same zone so that I could go to the baptisms that were in my old area. Well my zone was said last and I was freakin’ out the whole time! I'm with Elder Kennington, from Afton Wyoming, and we live just on the other side of the freeway on 19th Ave and Thunderbird. We also live with two other missionaries in an apartment. I don't really like it as much as living with a member but it's a good experience! Also, our zone got split so we only cover the Phoenix North Stake instead of both the Phoenix North Stake and Glendale stake. Elder Johnson (the elder I replaced) and his new companion is Elder Henrie (from Kaysville)! How cool is that!? We are both very young to be zone leaders and it is so intimidating and I feel extremely inadequate! It's hard to get to know a brand new ward too. We only cover one ward and it's the Young Single Adult ward and it's freakin’ fun! We also have baptisms set for the next 4 weeks in a row which is awesome for a YSA. Since they split the zone, because it used to have 35 missionaries, Phoenix North now has 21 missionaries and 2 districts. We drive a 2010 Chevy Colorado which is pretty dang SWEET! haha We still ride bikes a lot though. Sometimes we just drive down to a busy intersection, park the car, and then just go nuts contacting people. One time we were talking to different people at one time and all of a sudden I look across the road and Kennington is way over there all by his lonesome. It's funnier to tell it in person because he's been out for almost 18 months and hasn't been that far away from his companion in awhile. I, on the other hand, was just talkin’ to people, goin off by accident haha but it's great. Kennington is actually a state champion arm wrestler in Wyoming and has been known to arm wrestle people out here to get them to take lessons... HAHA He's awesome though and is planning on going to Utah State after the mission so we will be seeing each other up there and have already planned to room or something. So Elder Cichy got transferred again as well and he is now a district leader in Peoria. Elder McBride is a stud and I can see him being a DL in the near future! I see him quite often at meetings and what not.
On Saturday I was still able to attend Uncle Howard Emery's baptism from my old area. He's the 82 year old man who looks just like Dick Van Dyke. It was awesome and cool to be able to say bye to all the familiar faces in the Campobello ward. I told them that we would come down in a few years to go see some spring training games with them. You in? There was also a YSA baptism on Saturday night too and Kennington was baptizing her so I then confirmed her in sacrament on Sunday. Welcome to the ward Elder Mouritsen!
It's really cool to be able to see what the entire zone needs to work on. We also have to call President Beck every Monday and go over the numbers for the week and also let him know about the baptisms that will be coming up in the week to come. It makes us want to push harder and get everybody to achieve their goals so that we have something uplifting to report to President. He is quite the intimidating yet unbelievable man!
That's crazy that the new church handbook said that about the Aaronic Priesthood Oath. I would have never guessed. We've been having a lot of strife from it as well. It also says that for the ward mission coordination meeting that only the Ward Mission Leader and Ward Missionaries attend, and also that the full time missionaries don't always have to be at the ward council meetings. Many wards are changing what we've finally improved and are returning back to where they started instead of forward to where they need to be with regards to the meetings. It's hard for them to understand that it's just a general handbook for the entire world. Some have even said that Preach My Gospel is now five years old and needs to be updated for people to follow because it says things about the welfare meeting. President Morris (member of the mission presidency) said that Preach My Gospel is closer to doctrine than the handbook and should still be followed with regards to ward council and the ward coordination meeting. It's funny how they say that about Preach My Gospel... because the Book of Mormon is over 2600 years old. Does that need to be updated too? haha...
Thanksgiving is actually our P-Day so I won't be writing any letters today! We just get our regular hour to email and then it will be a normal work day. Since we went to the baptism for Howard, there were many members from the Campobello ward there and one of them, Sister Capuano, invited us over to dinner at her home for Thanksgiving. She is a great cook and we are very excited because dinners are very scarce in the singles ward. I can't wait for the package though! Those are the best. We also received word that we will be having a Christmas Zone Conference on December 1st which is going to be a talent show/ devotional and then we will be able to go to the temple and do a session with half the mission. There are so many missionaries now (around 196 by end of December in the amount of land that used to carry only 150) that they had to split the temple days. It'll be an awesome experience though.
I read a quote recently that really opened my eyes for some reason. It had something to do with preparing now instead of looking and waiting for opportunities to arise in the future, because of change. Examples like, "I can't wait to graduate high school, then all will be better" or "It would be awesome to hold that certain calling" or "as soon as I'm off on my own, then everything will be good." Why have those unnecessary battles in our minds when we could be just focusing on what we're doing now? Thus, helping us to prepare for what’s to come by not worrying about it by doing what’s right in the present. As a missionary, I hear the comments all the time like, "Man, when I'm home all will be well" or "if I only had a better companion, or a better area, or a more helpful ward." It all comes back to the ghost of Christmas Present quote: "Do as much as you can in the time that you have because suddenly, you're not there anymore!" I could guarantee that every missionary who has returned home, has had the thought at least once of being back in the mission. So why not just live in the moment? Love what's going on right now. I think it was Elder Worthlin who spoke on the topic of, "come what may, and love it." Who cares what the future could possibly, maybe, hopefully bring. It's what happens now that will determine the outcome! So why not make it benefit us and those around us in the greatest way possible!
Anyway, Kennington has been running me every morning! It's been awesome except for that it's been so long and my legs were only in biking shape so my IT bands (I think at least, the ones that run from the hip socket along the femur to the knee) were killing for some reason! After a few runs they have worked themselves out though and I'm already back to 140 pounds. It's cold here now too! Not 18 degrees or anything but when I didn't even come out with any long sleeves or running gear it takes a toll on ya! So if you have any sweet long sleeved shirts, I'm only a state away! haha
Love you all so much. Thanks for everything. I'll write everybody back on Thursday...These past three weeks have been nuts!
Love,Elder Colton Matthew Mouritsen
P.S. Get on those people up there to send letters! haha
Monday, November 15, 2010
November 9-15, 2010: "Everything happens for a reason"
Hello there!
This week has been phenomenal. Regarding a coat, when it gets below 65 degrees we have to wear our suit jackets so I think a better alternative for some reason would be to wear some V-Neck sweaters underneath for warmth. The coat would be great, and I think if I were serving up in Cottonwood or Prescott I would say definitely get it! But since down here it won't get unbearably cold, a few dark sweaters would be great. Mom, you got great taste for that kind of stuff. I know it!
That's too bad you were sick! Don't forget to pound the Airborne, that stuff is magical. We had Stake Conference this weekend too. Our stake president, President Hettinger, is one of the coolest guys I've ever met. A few weeks ago he was in his church meetings one Sunday and all of a sudden his vision in his left eye disappeared. He couldn't believe it so he talked to some neurosurgeons in the stake and asked them what he should do. They told him he should go to the hospital immediately because there could have been some issues with the occipital lobe in the rear of the brain. He did so and came to find out that he had had a minor stroke in the right occipital lobe which affected his left eyesight. He was there for several days and while he was there he had his wife bring him two essential items, a toothbrush, and his scriptures. She also brought him some music that he loves by a group called Jericho Road. They sing the song Amazing Grace which he especially loves. Ironically, his nurse’s name was Gracie, and she came in the room and noticed the scriptures and asked him if he was Mormon. He told her yes and she then told him that she lives on 35th Avenue and Thunderbird and has been meeting with the missionaries in the Country Gables ward named Elder Mouritsen and Elder Nelson. President Hettinger was thrilled and they ended up talking for quite a long time. He then invited her to dinner at his home a few weeks later (which we will be going to this Wednesday). Well, when we met Gracie we were riding our bikes in the parking lot of her apartment complex and she stopped us as she rolled down her window and asked us, "Hey do you guys teach lessons?" HAHAHAHA WHAT?!?! No.. well uhh... umm. yeah sometimes? YES! We were flabbergasted. She is solid, except for that she is single and in her twenties so we will be passing her over to the YSA elders. Needless to say it was cool to get a shout out from the stake president in stake conference. He applied it to the fact that Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us in this life. He had a plan for him to run in to Gracie because of a minor stroke. He had a plan that we as his instruments were there in the parking lot to meet her that day she talked to us. Everything Happens For A Reason!
Yesterday, the state of AZ all had a broadcasted stake conference from Salt Lake. President Monson, Elder Cook, Bishop Burton, and Sister Barbara Thompson spoke. It was kind of crazy to see that each of the topics were quite different.
Another cool story: A few days ago we were contacting and ran into this woman named Rayanna. She said we could come back in a few days and talk with her more so we got her address and left. Two days later we went back to her home, knocked on the door, and a man with answered the door. We asked him if Rayanna was home and he said that there was no Rayanna that lived there. His name was Doug and despite the fact that we were quite bugged that we had just knocked on ANOTHER false address that was given to us, we started talking to him about the Book of Mormon. We left him a copy and then committed him to read and pray. 2 Nephi 31-33 came to mind and he said he would. We set a return appointment for yesterday and had one of the most spiritual lessons of my entire mission. We went in, and in his soft spoken voice he told us that he had read what we asked him and he was intrigued to learn more. We sat down and began reading the intro to the Book of Mormon, talked about it and committed him to pray. The spirit was penetrating, and nobody could deny what was present in that room. With that, I said How about we say a prayer right now? He said yes and we knelt down and I offered a prayer asking Heavenly Father to please help us to know that the Holy Ghost was with us and that the Book of Mormon was true. At the end of the prayer we just sat in silence and let the Spirit speak for about 15-20 seconds (which felt like eternity). We asked him if he would like to come to church with us, his response was, "Well... uhh... I'll have to see if I have clothes." It was so sincere and we let him know he would be fine in the clothes he was wearing at the moment. It was seriously one of the greatest nights and it just so happened that the bishop's son was on exchanges with us so he was able to witness it as well. He's 17 and preparing for a mission.
Well. I just received news that I am being transferred. I'm quite astounded because being a DL and a trainer for one transfer and then leaving so that Elder Nelson can take over the area is quite unheard of. I wonder what the Lord has in store for me now. Pretty nervous and shaking at the very moment I write this. One of the Zone Leaders in the zone is getting transferred as well and then another elder named Elder Schafer from our district. It's nuts and I can't believe it! I'll have to let you know at a later time where I go and what happens.
Girls. As for you and your diligence in choosing for yourself that you will do what Heavenly Father has asked and go to church, you will be blessed. I promise. You guys inspire me. I've seen lives change here and people exercise a little more faith and perhaps even leave their comfort zones to do what God has asked. Tom Hughes, the man who used to hold the Book of Mormon in one hand, a beer in the other, and a big lump of chew in the lip, is now getting baptized on November 27. We gave him a Priesthood blessing a few days ago and it was amazing to see tears flow into his eyes as he witnessed the windows of heaven pour down upon him. I promise this church is true. There is nothing like this work. It's the most fulfilling, devastating, loving, and fun work in the world.
I love you all very much. The weather is getting very...cold down here. :/ It's like 75 for the next couple days. Crazy. Nights are kinda chilly though but Mom the blanket you gave me keeps me perfectly warm! Oh and sorry I didn't write anybody back last week. We had a zone activity and played death ball (dodge ball with only one ball. Everyone against everyone just running frantically around the basketball court. Champion 2/3 times. That's what’s up. Haha jk.) so we didn't have much time to do anything during that day. Hopefully I'll get time today.
Love you
Love,
Elder Colton Mouritsen
P.S.
President just called. I have been called by the Lord to be a Zone Leader... I'm quite nervous at the moment and am shaking uncontrollably.
Love you.
This week has been phenomenal. Regarding a coat, when it gets below 65 degrees we have to wear our suit jackets so I think a better alternative for some reason would be to wear some V-Neck sweaters underneath for warmth. The coat would be great, and I think if I were serving up in Cottonwood or Prescott I would say definitely get it! But since down here it won't get unbearably cold, a few dark sweaters would be great. Mom, you got great taste for that kind of stuff. I know it!
That's too bad you were sick! Don't forget to pound the Airborne, that stuff is magical. We had Stake Conference this weekend too. Our stake president, President Hettinger, is one of the coolest guys I've ever met. A few weeks ago he was in his church meetings one Sunday and all of a sudden his vision in his left eye disappeared. He couldn't believe it so he talked to some neurosurgeons in the stake and asked them what he should do. They told him he should go to the hospital immediately because there could have been some issues with the occipital lobe in the rear of the brain. He did so and came to find out that he had had a minor stroke in the right occipital lobe which affected his left eyesight. He was there for several days and while he was there he had his wife bring him two essential items, a toothbrush, and his scriptures. She also brought him some music that he loves by a group called Jericho Road. They sing the song Amazing Grace which he especially loves. Ironically, his nurse’s name was Gracie, and she came in the room and noticed the scriptures and asked him if he was Mormon. He told her yes and she then told him that she lives on 35th Avenue and Thunderbird and has been meeting with the missionaries in the Country Gables ward named Elder Mouritsen and Elder Nelson. President Hettinger was thrilled and they ended up talking for quite a long time. He then invited her to dinner at his home a few weeks later (which we will be going to this Wednesday). Well, when we met Gracie we were riding our bikes in the parking lot of her apartment complex and she stopped us as she rolled down her window and asked us, "Hey do you guys teach lessons?" HAHAHAHA WHAT?!?! No.. well uhh... umm. yeah sometimes? YES! We were flabbergasted. She is solid, except for that she is single and in her twenties so we will be passing her over to the YSA elders. Needless to say it was cool to get a shout out from the stake president in stake conference. He applied it to the fact that Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us in this life. He had a plan for him to run in to Gracie because of a minor stroke. He had a plan that we as his instruments were there in the parking lot to meet her that day she talked to us. Everything Happens For A Reason!
Yesterday, the state of AZ all had a broadcasted stake conference from Salt Lake. President Monson, Elder Cook, Bishop Burton, and Sister Barbara Thompson spoke. It was kind of crazy to see that each of the topics were quite different.
Another cool story: A few days ago we were contacting and ran into this woman named Rayanna. She said we could come back in a few days and talk with her more so we got her address and left. Two days later we went back to her home, knocked on the door, and a man with answered the door. We asked him if Rayanna was home and he said that there was no Rayanna that lived there. His name was Doug and despite the fact that we were quite bugged that we had just knocked on ANOTHER false address that was given to us, we started talking to him about the Book of Mormon. We left him a copy and then committed him to read and pray. 2 Nephi 31-33 came to mind and he said he would. We set a return appointment for yesterday and had one of the most spiritual lessons of my entire mission. We went in, and in his soft spoken voice he told us that he had read what we asked him and he was intrigued to learn more. We sat down and began reading the intro to the Book of Mormon, talked about it and committed him to pray. The spirit was penetrating, and nobody could deny what was present in that room. With that, I said How about we say a prayer right now? He said yes and we knelt down and I offered a prayer asking Heavenly Father to please help us to know that the Holy Ghost was with us and that the Book of Mormon was true. At the end of the prayer we just sat in silence and let the Spirit speak for about 15-20 seconds (which felt like eternity). We asked him if he would like to come to church with us, his response was, "Well... uhh... I'll have to see if I have clothes." It was so sincere and we let him know he would be fine in the clothes he was wearing at the moment. It was seriously one of the greatest nights and it just so happened that the bishop's son was on exchanges with us so he was able to witness it as well. He's 17 and preparing for a mission.
Well. I just received news that I am being transferred. I'm quite astounded because being a DL and a trainer for one transfer and then leaving so that Elder Nelson can take over the area is quite unheard of. I wonder what the Lord has in store for me now. Pretty nervous and shaking at the very moment I write this. One of the Zone Leaders in the zone is getting transferred as well and then another elder named Elder Schafer from our district. It's nuts and I can't believe it! I'll have to let you know at a later time where I go and what happens.
Girls. As for you and your diligence in choosing for yourself that you will do what Heavenly Father has asked and go to church, you will be blessed. I promise. You guys inspire me. I've seen lives change here and people exercise a little more faith and perhaps even leave their comfort zones to do what God has asked. Tom Hughes, the man who used to hold the Book of Mormon in one hand, a beer in the other, and a big lump of chew in the lip, is now getting baptized on November 27. We gave him a Priesthood blessing a few days ago and it was amazing to see tears flow into his eyes as he witnessed the windows of heaven pour down upon him. I promise this church is true. There is nothing like this work. It's the most fulfilling, devastating, loving, and fun work in the world.
I love you all very much. The weather is getting very...cold down here. :/ It's like 75 for the next couple days. Crazy. Nights are kinda chilly though but Mom the blanket you gave me keeps me perfectly warm! Oh and sorry I didn't write anybody back last week. We had a zone activity and played death ball (dodge ball with only one ball. Everyone against everyone just running frantically around the basketball court. Champion 2/3 times. That's what’s up. Haha jk.) so we didn't have much time to do anything during that day. Hopefully I'll get time today.
Love you
Love,
Elder Colton Mouritsen
P.S.
President just called. I have been called by the Lord to be a Zone Leader... I'm quite nervous at the moment and am shaking uncontrollably.
Love you.
Monday, November 8, 2010
November 2-8, 2010: "Works his heart out in a good cause"
Hello dearest family,
Yes I did get the massive pack of letters! That was awesome! Thanks for the pictures as well... Everybody ALREADY looks different than they do in the photo from last spring that we took as a family. That's nuts! I can't believe it's already been six months by the way... I feel like we were just barely at the Christmas party up in Tremonton and Kyler was a few weeks in the MTC oh and Jill just crying her eyes out cause Kyler was gone. haha. Well that stud of a missionary has nearly been out a year now! This year has flown by!
So Monday was November 1st of course and what was the temperature here? Oh just 93 degrees. When you are outside, not thinking about what the date is but just basing it on the temperature, it feels like it’s the beginning of August. Then when you realize that it’s November - it's the weirdest feeling! It feels like the year has gone by so much faster. Fall has totally been blown over and I still feel like I'm going to wake up one morning and have to go scrape the ice and snow off a windshield. Monday night we had a baptism for a young lady in the ward whose step mom is a member and was a good influence on her to decide to be baptized. She is extremely shy though so nobody was invited to the baptism. There were literally seven people there. Her immediate family, Bishop Johnson, the ward mission leader Brother Rodriguez, and the former Bishop, Brother Hunter. The step mom bore a powerful testimony and then I was asked to baptize her. Elder Nelson gave a little spiritual thought and then Brother Rodriguez and Bishop Johnson said some words. It ended up being a very uplifting experience.
Tuesday was when I spoke at the Zone Meeting. I thought it was going to be in front of the entire Zone Conference (two zones) but it ended up just being our zone, which happens to be one of the biggest in the mission, if not THE biggest. I was the last person on the program so I had less than ten minutes to give a fifteen to twenty minute talk. haha I've come to realize that you have three different talks every time you speak: the talk you prepare, the talk you present, and the talk you wish you would've presented. Maybe I'll send ya the hard copy of my talk but I don't really think I used it much when speaking, it was more of a discussion. As I read through Preach my Gospel, I found the pages where the previous prophets of this dispensation have quotes regarding missionary work. I noticed that the words "responsibility" and "duty" are used nine times and I pointed out how not only is it our purpose as missionaries to bring the gospel to all the world, but it's our responsibility. Then there's some quotes about how every member is a missionary. You can make the connection. In my talk I actually used the "Hope Poem" except I called it the "Sense of Urgency Poem" this time. I'll send you the hard copy...
After zone meeting I went on exchanges with Elder Sentman. He's a 27 year old college graduate who is with a brand new 19 year old missionary named Elder Buttars. It's funny when we talk about how when Elder Buttars was born, Elder Sentman was getting baptized and already making covenants with the Lord. It went well and then the next day after district meeting we switched back. Then, that same day I went on exchanges with one of the Assistants, Elder Westbroek. He happens to be from Grandma Connie's home ward. The reason for this exchange was so that he could go over all the leadership responsibilities and roles of the district leader on a more personal level. We were then together the rest of the night and had some awesome lessons. Elder Nelson was with Elder Choules and they had each of our bikes so Elder Westbroek and I had the truck that the mission provides for the assistants. We went to our lesson that night with Crystal and her daughter Ellie at the apartments on 35th Ave and Bell. We had a great lesson and then on our way out to the truck we noticed that it was no longer parked in the place that we had left it. Actually, it was no longer anywhere in the parking lot at all! We had no idea what was going on and started freakin' out a bit. Since it was already 8:30 and very dark outside there were not many people out. We walked over to the leasing office and of course it was closed. We seriously had no idea what happened. The only two solutions were it was stolen, or towed. We were parked in a perfectly fine spot with no handicap sign, no number for a reserved person, and it wasn't even a covered stall! We sat down on the curb, dumbfounded and Elder Westbroek called the Spanish Assistants. They laughed their heads off of course but told us to try to find a number for a towing company or the non-emergency police. We had neither of course. We called and talked to Elder Skonard (the vehicle coordinator in the mission) and he said we probably needed to call the police. We decided to walk over to a more secluded area and say a prayer. As we walked over, we went under some covered stalls and noticed a sign posted to the top. It said, "No Head Out Parking!" Yup, that was it. The place we parked was just a whole lot more convenient to back into... The number for the towing company was located next to the sign. Of course we called, and they had the truck. They had taken it all the way down to south Phoenix. We continued on with our prayer. The Spanish Assistants still came and got us and took me back to Elder Nelson and then had to go with Westbroek to get his companion. $120 but he got his truck back. Hahaha We laughed about it but the cool thing was that Elder Westbroek and I ended up getting to just sit and chat about missionary work and favorite memories. It ended up being a very humorous, yet awesome experience.
Saturday was a great day. I called Sister Mock to see how her Uncle Howard's (82 year old investigator) appointment for his knee surgery went. She said it went well and then said that Uncle had something to tell me. He got on the phone and in his cute little east coast sounding accent, he said, "I...Wanna get baptized." It was so cool! We planned the day for November 20th and it is now set in stone. He's very excited! Later that night I got a call from Chris Baird (recent convert since August 28th). He asked me an odd question: "Hey, I have the priesthood right?" Well yes...why? "And with that priesthood I'm able to baptize?" Yeah what's going on?? "Well... My son Adam wants to be baptized all of a sudden." NO WAY!! That seriously is nuts! Adam is married to a member but has never really been interested until his dad became a member. He asked Chris to baptize him. Ahh man it's so cool to see families come together in the happiness that the gospel provides. It's even cooler to see them express that through gratitude to their Father who has provided them with it.
In my talk since I was short of time we focused mainly on the part of the Lombardi quote that says "works his heart out in a good cause, and lies exhausted on the field of battle,-- Victorious!" We read Helaman 5:4,14-21. We talked about how Nephi and Lehi dedicated their lives to the Lord in His great cause. About how they took it upon themselves all the remainder of their days to preach the word of God. They went from city to city, baptized 8,000 people. I asked them how many contacts they must have had to baptize that many people. Tough crowd. Verses 14-21 talk about how Nephi and Lehi taught with power and authority in this great cause. They didn't quit even after all the success they had, they knew there were more souls to save. At the end, I quoted Vince again and asked, "Elders and Sisters, is there any greater cause than this?" There are people out there, who are "only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it" (D&C 123:12). It's my testimony that we’ll do all that we can to lie exhausted on our fields of battle, wherever they may be, -- Victorious.
I love you all and I'm so thankful for your prayers and all you do. Yes a jacket would be great! It's still very warm during the day but who says one shouldn't be prepared. I could also use maybe 1 or 2 more long sleeved, fitted 15 1/2 white shirts! :) That would be great.
I get letters throughout the whole week! Not just on P-Day. They immediately forward it to me as soon as the mission office gets it.
Thanks again! I love you so much. I too pray for your safety and success in whatever task may come.
Love,
Elder Colton Matthew Mouritsen
Yes I did get the massive pack of letters! That was awesome! Thanks for the pictures as well... Everybody ALREADY looks different than they do in the photo from last spring that we took as a family. That's nuts! I can't believe it's already been six months by the way... I feel like we were just barely at the Christmas party up in Tremonton and Kyler was a few weeks in the MTC oh and Jill just crying her eyes out cause Kyler was gone. haha. Well that stud of a missionary has nearly been out a year now! This year has flown by!
So Monday was November 1st of course and what was the temperature here? Oh just 93 degrees. When you are outside, not thinking about what the date is but just basing it on the temperature, it feels like it’s the beginning of August. Then when you realize that it’s November - it's the weirdest feeling! It feels like the year has gone by so much faster. Fall has totally been blown over and I still feel like I'm going to wake up one morning and have to go scrape the ice and snow off a windshield. Monday night we had a baptism for a young lady in the ward whose step mom is a member and was a good influence on her to decide to be baptized. She is extremely shy though so nobody was invited to the baptism. There were literally seven people there. Her immediate family, Bishop Johnson, the ward mission leader Brother Rodriguez, and the former Bishop, Brother Hunter. The step mom bore a powerful testimony and then I was asked to baptize her. Elder Nelson gave a little spiritual thought and then Brother Rodriguez and Bishop Johnson said some words. It ended up being a very uplifting experience.
Tuesday was when I spoke at the Zone Meeting. I thought it was going to be in front of the entire Zone Conference (two zones) but it ended up just being our zone, which happens to be one of the biggest in the mission, if not THE biggest. I was the last person on the program so I had less than ten minutes to give a fifteen to twenty minute talk. haha I've come to realize that you have three different talks every time you speak: the talk you prepare, the talk you present, and the talk you wish you would've presented. Maybe I'll send ya the hard copy of my talk but I don't really think I used it much when speaking, it was more of a discussion. As I read through Preach my Gospel, I found the pages where the previous prophets of this dispensation have quotes regarding missionary work. I noticed that the words "responsibility" and "duty" are used nine times and I pointed out how not only is it our purpose as missionaries to bring the gospel to all the world, but it's our responsibility. Then there's some quotes about how every member is a missionary. You can make the connection. In my talk I actually used the "Hope Poem" except I called it the "Sense of Urgency Poem" this time. I'll send you the hard copy...
After zone meeting I went on exchanges with Elder Sentman. He's a 27 year old college graduate who is with a brand new 19 year old missionary named Elder Buttars. It's funny when we talk about how when Elder Buttars was born, Elder Sentman was getting baptized and already making covenants with the Lord. It went well and then the next day after district meeting we switched back. Then, that same day I went on exchanges with one of the Assistants, Elder Westbroek. He happens to be from Grandma Connie's home ward. The reason for this exchange was so that he could go over all the leadership responsibilities and roles of the district leader on a more personal level. We were then together the rest of the night and had some awesome lessons. Elder Nelson was with Elder Choules and they had each of our bikes so Elder Westbroek and I had the truck that the mission provides for the assistants. We went to our lesson that night with Crystal and her daughter Ellie at the apartments on 35th Ave and Bell. We had a great lesson and then on our way out to the truck we noticed that it was no longer parked in the place that we had left it. Actually, it was no longer anywhere in the parking lot at all! We had no idea what was going on and started freakin' out a bit. Since it was already 8:30 and very dark outside there were not many people out. We walked over to the leasing office and of course it was closed. We seriously had no idea what happened. The only two solutions were it was stolen, or towed. We were parked in a perfectly fine spot with no handicap sign, no number for a reserved person, and it wasn't even a covered stall! We sat down on the curb, dumbfounded and Elder Westbroek called the Spanish Assistants. They laughed their heads off of course but told us to try to find a number for a towing company or the non-emergency police. We had neither of course. We called and talked to Elder Skonard (the vehicle coordinator in the mission) and he said we probably needed to call the police. We decided to walk over to a more secluded area and say a prayer. As we walked over, we went under some covered stalls and noticed a sign posted to the top. It said, "No Head Out Parking!" Yup, that was it. The place we parked was just a whole lot more convenient to back into... The number for the towing company was located next to the sign. Of course we called, and they had the truck. They had taken it all the way down to south Phoenix. We continued on with our prayer. The Spanish Assistants still came and got us and took me back to Elder Nelson and then had to go with Westbroek to get his companion. $120 but he got his truck back. Hahaha We laughed about it but the cool thing was that Elder Westbroek and I ended up getting to just sit and chat about missionary work and favorite memories. It ended up being a very humorous, yet awesome experience.
Saturday was a great day. I called Sister Mock to see how her Uncle Howard's (82 year old investigator) appointment for his knee surgery went. She said it went well and then said that Uncle had something to tell me. He got on the phone and in his cute little east coast sounding accent, he said, "I...Wanna get baptized." It was so cool! We planned the day for November 20th and it is now set in stone. He's very excited! Later that night I got a call from Chris Baird (recent convert since August 28th). He asked me an odd question: "Hey, I have the priesthood right?" Well yes...why? "And with that priesthood I'm able to baptize?" Yeah what's going on?? "Well... My son Adam wants to be baptized all of a sudden." NO WAY!! That seriously is nuts! Adam is married to a member but has never really been interested until his dad became a member. He asked Chris to baptize him. Ahh man it's so cool to see families come together in the happiness that the gospel provides. It's even cooler to see them express that through gratitude to their Father who has provided them with it.
In my talk since I was short of time we focused mainly on the part of the Lombardi quote that says "works his heart out in a good cause, and lies exhausted on the field of battle,-- Victorious!" We read Helaman 5:4,14-21. We talked about how Nephi and Lehi dedicated their lives to the Lord in His great cause. About how they took it upon themselves all the remainder of their days to preach the word of God. They went from city to city, baptized 8,000 people. I asked them how many contacts they must have had to baptize that many people. Tough crowd. Verses 14-21 talk about how Nephi and Lehi taught with power and authority in this great cause. They didn't quit even after all the success they had, they knew there were more souls to save. At the end, I quoted Vince again and asked, "Elders and Sisters, is there any greater cause than this?" There are people out there, who are "only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it" (D&C 123:12). It's my testimony that we’ll do all that we can to lie exhausted on our fields of battle, wherever they may be, -- Victorious.
I love you all and I'm so thankful for your prayers and all you do. Yes a jacket would be great! It's still very warm during the day but who says one shouldn't be prepared. I could also use maybe 1 or 2 more long sleeved, fitted 15 1/2 white shirts! :) That would be great.
I get letters throughout the whole week! Not just on P-Day. They immediately forward it to me as soon as the mission office gets it.
Thanks again! I love you so much. I too pray for your safety and success in whatever task may come.
Love,
Elder Colton Matthew Mouritsen
Monday, November 1, 2010
October 26 - November 1, 2010: A Sense of Urgency & 140 Contacts/Week
Whats up?!
Holy cow when did you girls get so dang cute? I don't know how to say this but when other missionaries see pictures like those they ask how old you guys are. Then they ask if anybody is writing you. I tell them that you guys are 10, 13, and two 15.5's. (I would think that that would make them not ask if anybody is writing you) But they come right back with the, "soo... is anybody writing them?" HAHAHA don't be surprised if you get a letter or two in the near future. I would love hard copies of those pictures though! One question, what the crap is L-Mo's pumpkin? The only thing I can get is a scary lookin' cyclops? or... A great white shark? Yup. That's all.
I would love for you to send me the letters you write as a hard copy as well! I only get barely even once chance to read them and there is so much good stuff in there I would love to read them again. I don't "need" packages though but if you feel so inclined they are always so appreciated! Elder Nelson has already gotten like 8 of them, hahaha it's hilarious! He averages about two letters a day too but he'll notice how that dwindles down to maybe one or two a week after about three months.
This last week was utterly insane. I haven't been so busy in a long time! Monday, was P-Day and we just wrote letters. So that was nice. The Zone Leaders and I talked and we committed everyone to get the goal of 140 contacts and 5 new investigators this week and some of them weren't too thrilled with that. Tuesday I was on exchanges with a missionary named Elder Johnson in his area. He and his companion's numbers have been quite low recently and I was going to see if I could spark anything to get them pumped. It's been really hard for companionships to get the goal of 140 contacts a week, especially for these guys. Last week they got a TOTAL of 21. When I got over to their house on Monday night we started planning for the following day. He told me what he had planned and it consisted of morning scheduling, street contacting/tracting, lunch, street contacting/tracting, dinner, street contacting/tracting and then splits. Geez! I thought that with all that street contacting there is no way they shouldn't get the goal. I told him we would be setting a goal and we weren't going to go in for lunch until we had gotten 20 contacts. His response was, "well then we probably won't be having lunch." Lunch was scheduled for 1:00 and we were done with morning schedule at 10. One thing led to another, and we had 20 contacts before noon. After lunch we continued to street contact and ended up finishing the day with 43. I made him commit to me that they would get 140 in the week. He now knew that it was possible and didn't ask any further questions. I also told him and his companion that they had to call in nightly to me and tell me how many contacts they got during the day. Later that night after we had switched back they had to visit the zone leaders and I guess both Elder Johnson and his companion Elder Schafer were just stoked about missionary work! They couldn't wait to get the goal and watch their numbers rise. It felt good to hear that.
Wednesday was a leadership meeting from 10:00 to 3:00 for all the district leaders, zone leaders, and assistants. This meant that poor Elder Nelson had to cover our area with another new missionary. It was so fun to pile in the Zone Leaders’ truck with all the other district leaders in the zone. Our relationships are so strong and we laugh and have a lot of fun together. We also get down to business and help each other out with how we can handle our districts. My district is the biggest but doesn't have any sister missionaries and I guess all the others do (there's three other DL's). There has been a lot of drama dealing with them which is really funny to hear them vent about. Anyway, the meeting went well and when I returned I found out that Elder Nelson had gotten like 38 contacts! He's a stud!
Thursday was another leadership meeting from 10:00 to 4:00 for all leadership and trainers. It was cool to see Cichy there. Once again it was very busy. Elder Nelson was with his third companion of the week. (Monday-Me, Tuesday-Elder Schafer, Wednesday-Elder Nelson (different Nelson) Thursday-Elder Buttars). He helped out Elder Buttars in his area and got them back on track to get the 140 contacts.
Friday I was on exchanges again with a guy named Elder Gibson. This exchange was totally different than the first. The entire day was filled with appointments and we barely had enough time to contact at all. They did well but this was just another day where Elder Nelson was on his own in our area. And he also had his fifth companion of the week, Elder Choules. I felt bad about being gone so much and I know he doesn't like it but the week still showed to be a good week with numbers. It's good to be with an awesome companion who loves to work.
Sunday was the day to get everybody's numbers. I was nervous to hear if there were any companionships that didn't get the goal we had set at the beginning of the week. Elder Schafer and Johnson had told me the night before that they needed to get 33 contacts on Sunday to achieve 140. It was a major relief to get the call that said they had done so. Ahh man it felt sooo good! The other companionships called in, Elder Buttars and Sentman-147 contacts, Elder Gibson and Choules-143, Elder Mouritsen and Nelson-143, and Elder Johnson and Schafer-140. The funny thing is the zone leaders Elder Kennington and Johnson...108! HAHA! They felt pretty dumb. Later that night I got a call from Elder Kennington. He said, "Elder Mouritsen, you inspire me. We've been praying to know who to have speak in our zone meeting on Tuesday and you are the answer. Your topic will be 'A Sense of Urgency.'" I'm grateful for the opportunity but did they know they told me a day and half before the conference and the next day was P-Day? I literally have no time to prepare haha, so last night I prayed fervently that my mind would be opened and thoughts and impressions would come to me concerning what I should say. I came to the conclusion that if you have a goal to sleep at night, don't pray for this, because I was wide awake for the next hour with a flush of thoughts and impressions pertaining to my topic. I got up to write them down several times so that I wouldn't forget them in the morning.
Some of my thoughts were flashbacks to when I spoke in Stake Conference. The quote by Vince Lombardi, "I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause, and lies exhausted on the field of battle, -- VICTORIOUS." A story came to mind from a man in one of the ward's here. He is from Sierra Leone, West Africa. He barely survived the brutal civil wars by running on foot to Liberia where he was able to be protected in a refugee camp. The rest of his family was not so lucky and were killed as they tried to do the same thing. It was a miracle as he was able to be sponsored by a group in the U.S.A. and be sent here with his wife. While in the refugee camp he met two missionaries. He said that they are the most influential people in his entire conversion and life. He said that if he had all the wealth in the world, he would give all he could to the cause of missionary work. I think he recognizes the Sense of Urgency that is required to bring this great cause to all the world. I thought about the Sons of Mosiah, who pleaded with their father to let them go preach to the Lamanites because "they could not bear that any human soul should perish...even the very thought that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble." It's true though, the Lord has told us that he is going to harvest His vineyard one last time and that time is now. There needs to be a great sense of urgency. Check out the talk by President Monson, The Rescue. I guess his Biography is titled with the same name as well. I think he knows how urgent we need to be.
Regarding the Holy Ghost, I can think of one talk from conference which was by Elder Bednar. He talked about how important it is to always be worthy of the Holy Ghost. I often remind myself to "never question [my] worthiness" because as it says in the Doctrine and Covenants, "if ye have not the spirit, ye shall not teach."
I better get on with it though. "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear" and I need to prepare for the talk tomorrow. President Beck is going to be there. SCARY! I love you all so much! Don't forget to send pictures! Maybe even some good hunting pictures, surprisingly there are a lot of hunters down here who want to see some. :)
Love you.
Elder Colton Matthew Mouritsen
Holy cow when did you girls get so dang cute? I don't know how to say this but when other missionaries see pictures like those they ask how old you guys are. Then they ask if anybody is writing you. I tell them that you guys are 10, 13, and two 15.5's. (I would think that that would make them not ask if anybody is writing you) But they come right back with the, "soo... is anybody writing them?" HAHAHA don't be surprised if you get a letter or two in the near future. I would love hard copies of those pictures though! One question, what the crap is L-Mo's pumpkin? The only thing I can get is a scary lookin' cyclops? or... A great white shark? Yup. That's all.
I would love for you to send me the letters you write as a hard copy as well! I only get barely even once chance to read them and there is so much good stuff in there I would love to read them again. I don't "need" packages though but if you feel so inclined they are always so appreciated! Elder Nelson has already gotten like 8 of them, hahaha it's hilarious! He averages about two letters a day too but he'll notice how that dwindles down to maybe one or two a week after about three months.
This last week was utterly insane. I haven't been so busy in a long time! Monday, was P-Day and we just wrote letters. So that was nice. The Zone Leaders and I talked and we committed everyone to get the goal of 140 contacts and 5 new investigators this week and some of them weren't too thrilled with that. Tuesday I was on exchanges with a missionary named Elder Johnson in his area. He and his companion's numbers have been quite low recently and I was going to see if I could spark anything to get them pumped. It's been really hard for companionships to get the goal of 140 contacts a week, especially for these guys. Last week they got a TOTAL of 21. When I got over to their house on Monday night we started planning for the following day. He told me what he had planned and it consisted of morning scheduling, street contacting/tracting, lunch, street contacting/tracting, dinner, street contacting/tracting and then splits. Geez! I thought that with all that street contacting there is no way they shouldn't get the goal. I told him we would be setting a goal and we weren't going to go in for lunch until we had gotten 20 contacts. His response was, "well then we probably won't be having lunch." Lunch was scheduled for 1:00 and we were done with morning schedule at 10. One thing led to another, and we had 20 contacts before noon. After lunch we continued to street contact and ended up finishing the day with 43. I made him commit to me that they would get 140 in the week. He now knew that it was possible and didn't ask any further questions. I also told him and his companion that they had to call in nightly to me and tell me how many contacts they got during the day. Later that night after we had switched back they had to visit the zone leaders and I guess both Elder Johnson and his companion Elder Schafer were just stoked about missionary work! They couldn't wait to get the goal and watch their numbers rise. It felt good to hear that.
Wednesday was a leadership meeting from 10:00 to 3:00 for all the district leaders, zone leaders, and assistants. This meant that poor Elder Nelson had to cover our area with another new missionary. It was so fun to pile in the Zone Leaders’ truck with all the other district leaders in the zone. Our relationships are so strong and we laugh and have a lot of fun together. We also get down to business and help each other out with how we can handle our districts. My district is the biggest but doesn't have any sister missionaries and I guess all the others do (there's three other DL's). There has been a lot of drama dealing with them which is really funny to hear them vent about. Anyway, the meeting went well and when I returned I found out that Elder Nelson had gotten like 38 contacts! He's a stud!
Thursday was another leadership meeting from 10:00 to 4:00 for all leadership and trainers. It was cool to see Cichy there. Once again it was very busy. Elder Nelson was with his third companion of the week. (Monday-Me, Tuesday-Elder Schafer, Wednesday-Elder Nelson (different Nelson) Thursday-Elder Buttars). He helped out Elder Buttars in his area and got them back on track to get the 140 contacts.
Friday I was on exchanges again with a guy named Elder Gibson. This exchange was totally different than the first. The entire day was filled with appointments and we barely had enough time to contact at all. They did well but this was just another day where Elder Nelson was on his own in our area. And he also had his fifth companion of the week, Elder Choules. I felt bad about being gone so much and I know he doesn't like it but the week still showed to be a good week with numbers. It's good to be with an awesome companion who loves to work.
Sunday was the day to get everybody's numbers. I was nervous to hear if there were any companionships that didn't get the goal we had set at the beginning of the week. Elder Schafer and Johnson had told me the night before that they needed to get 33 contacts on Sunday to achieve 140. It was a major relief to get the call that said they had done so. Ahh man it felt sooo good! The other companionships called in, Elder Buttars and Sentman-147 contacts, Elder Gibson and Choules-143, Elder Mouritsen and Nelson-143, and Elder Johnson and Schafer-140. The funny thing is the zone leaders Elder Kennington and Johnson...108! HAHA! They felt pretty dumb. Later that night I got a call from Elder Kennington. He said, "Elder Mouritsen, you inspire me. We've been praying to know who to have speak in our zone meeting on Tuesday and you are the answer. Your topic will be 'A Sense of Urgency.'" I'm grateful for the opportunity but did they know they told me a day and half before the conference and the next day was P-Day? I literally have no time to prepare haha, so last night I prayed fervently that my mind would be opened and thoughts and impressions would come to me concerning what I should say. I came to the conclusion that if you have a goal to sleep at night, don't pray for this, because I was wide awake for the next hour with a flush of thoughts and impressions pertaining to my topic. I got up to write them down several times so that I wouldn't forget them in the morning.
Some of my thoughts were flashbacks to when I spoke in Stake Conference. The quote by Vince Lombardi, "I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause, and lies exhausted on the field of battle, -- VICTORIOUS." A story came to mind from a man in one of the ward's here. He is from Sierra Leone, West Africa. He barely survived the brutal civil wars by running on foot to Liberia where he was able to be protected in a refugee camp. The rest of his family was not so lucky and were killed as they tried to do the same thing. It was a miracle as he was able to be sponsored by a group in the U.S.A. and be sent here with his wife. While in the refugee camp he met two missionaries. He said that they are the most influential people in his entire conversion and life. He said that if he had all the wealth in the world, he would give all he could to the cause of missionary work. I think he recognizes the Sense of Urgency that is required to bring this great cause to all the world. I thought about the Sons of Mosiah, who pleaded with their father to let them go preach to the Lamanites because "they could not bear that any human soul should perish...even the very thought that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble." It's true though, the Lord has told us that he is going to harvest His vineyard one last time and that time is now. There needs to be a great sense of urgency. Check out the talk by President Monson, The Rescue. I guess his Biography is titled with the same name as well. I think he knows how urgent we need to be.
Regarding the Holy Ghost, I can think of one talk from conference which was by Elder Bednar. He talked about how important it is to always be worthy of the Holy Ghost. I often remind myself to "never question [my] worthiness" because as it says in the Doctrine and Covenants, "if ye have not the spirit, ye shall not teach."
I better get on with it though. "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear" and I need to prepare for the talk tomorrow. President Beck is going to be there. SCARY! I love you all so much! Don't forget to send pictures! Maybe even some good hunting pictures, surprisingly there are a lot of hunters down here who want to see some. :)
Love you.
Elder Colton Matthew Mouritsen
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