Monday, January 14, 2019
Monday, January 7, 2019
Week 24: More Leaks and Finding!
2019, my full year as a Missionary, it's going to be something. Hope you all are doing well. I'm excited for what lies ahead this year and what experiences I will have. So, let's get right into it! Week 24!
Monday we had District P-Day, and we played a lot of games. We were at a members house in Collierville and Brother Boggs(One of Collierville's Ward Mission Leader) was there too. We played Clue, some cool Tic Tac Toe game using Cards, Take 2 (Basically a interesting scrabble game), and of course Uno. It was a lot of fun so that is always good. Then after we had dinner at the Morrisons and talked about Goal Setting for the new year.
Tuesday we didn't have District Council, because Wednesday was Zone Conference. We planned on trying a couple of people on 311, and then we got ready and left. We first visited Sister Huckaby and read in the Book of Mormon and invited her out to church. And then we went finding. It was successful because we managed to find 2 new people who live right across the street from each other. One was a little old referral and the other was just from knocking on his door. They both were open to take a Book of Mormon and they both said give them 2 weeks to get into it and then we come back. So we planned to come back on the 15th. Then after that we had a lesson with the Beckerdites, and as I've said before, going there amazes me, because they ask some pretty amazing questions. Then we left them with the Pamphlet for Lesson 3 and we are going back Monday night (tonight as I send this email) to review and answer more questions. Then after we visited the Blines and talked with them for a while.
Wednesday was pretty good. We had Zone Conference and we learned a lot from it. From an invitation to talk to 20 people a day (10 per person) ((I'm still trying to figure out how we can do that effectively here since it's not a popular area)), and when it comes to talking to people, it's talking to them AND giving them an Inspired Invitation. Also we are working on asking more inspired questions, because they help thinking and be able to make steps towards Baptism. So that was really good. And we got a couple of calls from Holly Springs, to sum it up one of the members needed a blessing, so we came back home after, and Gary & Mack picked us up and we went, gave her the blessing, and then went to Panda Buffet and had dinner.
Thursday was a little interesting. Woke up to find out our little facet thing on the fridge was pouring water out, most of the night. So we contacted our Landlord to turn off the water so we can figure it out. So it's another repeat basically from the start of my mission haha. Normally we would be in Lamar on Thursday, but we ended up in Byhalia. We decided to check out the pawn shop in Watson (a small town) and we ended up getting a service opportunity out of it, which was really good. After we talked with one the Andersens son for a while, and had some good fellowship there. After that we had dinner at the Cooks, and we had a lesson with 2 of Sister Cooks friends, because they were curious about what we believe, so we answered a lot of our questions and talked about the Restoration. Time flew by so fast and it ended up being 9:15 so we were home late. Whoops. We are going to meet again this Thursday though so that's exciting.
Friday was pretty good also. We went to Lamar and we talked with a less active and got to know her a little bit and we invited her out to church. Then we visited Pat and Floyd for a little and invited them out ot church. Then we visited Mickey for a little and answered some of his questions and talked about family and such. Then after that we decided to go finding on a street. So we park at a members house and tried 2 houses across the street from them and they were pretty successful. The 2nd house we talked about where it talks about a 3rd Heaven and she was interested about that so we plan on going back soon to teach her more about it. And then after that we went to Sister Yeagers and talked with them for a little and shared a spiritual thought.
Saturday we were back in Byhalia and we had a lesson with Elton about Temples with President Hull and it was good. Elton is starting to become more into it and I love it. It's exciting. Sadly the Andersens cancelled so we talked with Brother Wilson about church stuff going on and about more of his life. A lot of members here really go through a lot, it's crazy really. Then after we went looking for a specific building and met a guy who was given a Book of Mormon by his friend just the day before, but he lives in Olive Branch. He gave us his info and we sent it to Olive Branch and actually Olive Branch gave us a referral for someone in Byhalia, so we are meeting that guy Wednesday. Then we went to the Morrisons to get ready for a lesson with the Beckerdites but the Beckerdites had to cancel so we just spoke with the Morrisons and that was it.
Sunday was interesting. The 2 hour block felt pretty fast, and actually Elton bore his testimony! He was nervous but he did a fantastic job. After church we finished a few things up and went up to Lamar again and did more finding. A while back Gary gave us a few people to go hit and we went to those houses. We parked at Mockys and she said a prayer with us before we went out. 2/3 houses were home, and it was very welcoming. The first house let us right in without even saying a word haha, and we got in conversations about stuff, hopefully when we go back we can invite her out to church. Then the other house we hit was a little more interesting. She used to be a member, but not anymore. She doesn't have any religion but believes in God and knows the Bible pretty well. She has a lot of beliefs that some Baptists have. It was crazy what she laid out, and I had a lot of scriptures to lay out each of them, but I just didn't know how to go about it. But next time when we go back I will ask more inspired questions and work that out. Then we had dinner at Mockys and discussed what happened and talked more about all that stuff. Overall it was pretty good.
I hope you all have a good week, and always remember that I love you and care about you. Take care.
Elder Braxton Hotton
Attachments:
-District P-Day
-Me and a 3 legged dog
-Elder Jackson's hat and Mag(net) Tag left on the car by Brother Roswell
Monday we had District P-Day, and we played a lot of games. We were at a members house in Collierville and Brother Boggs(One of Collierville's Ward Mission Leader) was there too. We played Clue, some cool Tic Tac Toe game using Cards, Take 2 (Basically a interesting scrabble game), and of course Uno. It was a lot of fun so that is always good. Then after we had dinner at the Morrisons and talked about Goal Setting for the new year.
Tuesday we didn't have District Council, because Wednesday was Zone Conference. We planned on trying a couple of people on 311, and then we got ready and left. We first visited Sister Huckaby and read in the Book of Mormon and invited her out to church. And then we went finding. It was successful because we managed to find 2 new people who live right across the street from each other. One was a little old referral and the other was just from knocking on his door. They both were open to take a Book of Mormon and they both said give them 2 weeks to get into it and then we come back. So we planned to come back on the 15th. Then after that we had a lesson with the Beckerdites, and as I've said before, going there amazes me, because they ask some pretty amazing questions. Then we left them with the Pamphlet for Lesson 3 and we are going back Monday night (tonight as I send this email) to review and answer more questions. Then after we visited the Blines and talked with them for a while.
Wednesday was pretty good. We had Zone Conference and we learned a lot from it. From an invitation to talk to 20 people a day (10 per person) ((I'm still trying to figure out how we can do that effectively here since it's not a popular area)), and when it comes to talking to people, it's talking to them AND giving them an Inspired Invitation. Also we are working on asking more inspired questions, because they help thinking and be able to make steps towards Baptism. So that was really good. And we got a couple of calls from Holly Springs, to sum it up one of the members needed a blessing, so we came back home after, and Gary & Mack picked us up and we went, gave her the blessing, and then went to Panda Buffet and had dinner.
Thursday was a little interesting. Woke up to find out our little facet thing on the fridge was pouring water out, most of the night. So we contacted our Landlord to turn off the water so we can figure it out. So it's another repeat basically from the start of my mission haha. Normally we would be in Lamar on Thursday, but we ended up in Byhalia. We decided to check out the pawn shop in Watson (a small town) and we ended up getting a service opportunity out of it, which was really good. After we talked with one the Andersens son for a while, and had some good fellowship there. After that we had dinner at the Cooks, and we had a lesson with 2 of Sister Cooks friends, because they were curious about what we believe, so we answered a lot of our questions and talked about the Restoration. Time flew by so fast and it ended up being 9:15 so we were home late. Whoops. We are going to meet again this Thursday though so that's exciting.
Friday was pretty good also. We went to Lamar and we talked with a less active and got to know her a little bit and we invited her out to church. Then we visited Pat and Floyd for a little and invited them out ot church. Then we visited Mickey for a little and answered some of his questions and talked about family and such. Then after that we decided to go finding on a street. So we park at a members house and tried 2 houses across the street from them and they were pretty successful. The 2nd house we talked about where it talks about a 3rd Heaven and she was interested about that so we plan on going back soon to teach her more about it. And then after that we went to Sister Yeagers and talked with them for a little and shared a spiritual thought.
Saturday we were back in Byhalia and we had a lesson with Elton about Temples with President Hull and it was good. Elton is starting to become more into it and I love it. It's exciting. Sadly the Andersens cancelled so we talked with Brother Wilson about church stuff going on and about more of his life. A lot of members here really go through a lot, it's crazy really. Then after we went looking for a specific building and met a guy who was given a Book of Mormon by his friend just the day before, but he lives in Olive Branch. He gave us his info and we sent it to Olive Branch and actually Olive Branch gave us a referral for someone in Byhalia, so we are meeting that guy Wednesday. Then we went to the Morrisons to get ready for a lesson with the Beckerdites but the Beckerdites had to cancel so we just spoke with the Morrisons and that was it.
Sunday was interesting. The 2 hour block felt pretty fast, and actually Elton bore his testimony! He was nervous but he did a fantastic job. After church we finished a few things up and went up to Lamar again and did more finding. A while back Gary gave us a few people to go hit and we went to those houses. We parked at Mockys and she said a prayer with us before we went out. 2/3 houses were home, and it was very welcoming. The first house let us right in without even saying a word haha, and we got in conversations about stuff, hopefully when we go back we can invite her out to church. Then the other house we hit was a little more interesting. She used to be a member, but not anymore. She doesn't have any religion but believes in God and knows the Bible pretty well. She has a lot of beliefs that some Baptists have. It was crazy what she laid out, and I had a lot of scriptures to lay out each of them, but I just didn't know how to go about it. But next time when we go back I will ask more inspired questions and work that out. Then we had dinner at Mockys and discussed what happened and talked more about all that stuff. Overall it was pretty good.
I hope you all have a good week, and always remember that I love you and care about you. Take care.
Elder Braxton Hotton
Attachments:
-District P-Day
-Me and a 3 legged dog
-Elder Jackson's hat and Mag(net) Tag left on the car by Brother Roswell
Thursday, January 3, 2019
Week 23: More Baptisms and Teaching!
Happy New Year's Eve! Hope you all have had a good Christmas and was happy spending time with those you love. This past week has been really good, and we had another baptism! It was really exciting. So, let's get right into it.
Monday after emails we got ready to go Caroling with our District in Collierville, Tennessee. We had Brother Roswell drop us off there, and the whole time he was poking around with us. Oh he's awesome, he really is haha. Then we went Caroling with a RM who lives in Collierville, he served in California. It was really fun. We only caroled two houses though, because the 2nd house invited us in, but it went really well for the Sisters. So that was exciting. Then we went to a dinner we were invited to in Collierville as well, and me and Elder Jackson ended up being Wise Men for a Nativity Program. And it was really funny. A dog tried to be a sheep. But that was all of Monday.
Tuesday was really good, and not gonna lie, it was pretty hard also. I made Pancakes, which turned out really good.... Surprisingly. And then we were able to talk to our families! I loved talking with them, but at the end, it was rough for me. I'm not going to hide it. I want to show that even some missionaries have a hard time even when having Faith in the Lord. I really miss you all, family and friend, and pray that the Lord will be with you always. After we called home, we walked around the neighborhood a little, met a few people, and then went to dinner at the Roswells. It was really good and we got hot sauce from them. Yayyy haha, then after dinner we came home and meditated for a little.
Wednesday was pretty good. We studied, planned, and then started doing some early contacting before President Hull took us to his place where we had dinner with the Hulls, Brother Wilson, and Elton. And it was really good and fun. Then after President Hull went with us and had a lesson with the Beckerdites, and they asked a lot more amazing questions. It's really cool to see that. I'm excited to see them get baptized soon.
Thursday was pretty slow, but we made a lot of progress. We did a lot of contacting, and planned for long term finding which was really good overall. And we made food as well. It was nice. Sadly a few of the appointments dropped through but we got a lot of contacting in and long term finding in.
Friday was really awesome! We had the Animal Shelter and cleaned up a few things, and helped drill in the walls together. Then after we came back home, ate lunch, and did studies, and then drove up and had District Council, and that was really good. We practiced a lot of scenarios. It was funny really haha. Then we had Taco Bell and got ready for Mike's Baptism! The baptism went really well. We've been working with him since before I came out on my Mission, and I'm thankful to finally see him enter the waters of baptism.
Saturday was really good also! We helped Brandon and Gary with the Church building putting up the roof. And then we switched into other clothes, and then we visited Elton and talked about Missionary Work and challenged him to share the message of the Restoration to people. Which he liked a lot, and we know he will help out a lot. Then we visited the Andersens, and had really good conversations with them and actually going to start teaching them which is a really big step. We are very excited for that. Then we tried a few other people and then came home and planned for the new week and send out reports.
Sunday was pretty good also! I got to confirm Mike, which was pretty good. I know I need to work on focusing on relying on the Spirit for what to say. Then after church we came home, ate food, and then did some Baptismal Forms for a while. And then after we had dinner at the Millers and Mocky and Mickey joined us. We had Tacos, it was good. Then after we talked about our message with the daughter, and we are going to start teach her as well! It's very exciting! Then after we shared a message with the Rogers. It's very exciting to see the Part-Member families slowly start to work out!
This week was just more miracles and blessings. And I hope y'all have a fabulous New Year and I hope 2019 treats you all well. I love y'all!
Elder Braxton Hotton
Attachments:
-Me and my family
-Mike's Baptism!
-Me in Wise Man form
Monday after emails we got ready to go Caroling with our District in Collierville, Tennessee. We had Brother Roswell drop us off there, and the whole time he was poking around with us. Oh he's awesome, he really is haha. Then we went Caroling with a RM who lives in Collierville, he served in California. It was really fun. We only caroled two houses though, because the 2nd house invited us in, but it went really well for the Sisters. So that was exciting. Then we went to a dinner we were invited to in Collierville as well, and me and Elder Jackson ended up being Wise Men for a Nativity Program. And it was really funny. A dog tried to be a sheep. But that was all of Monday.
Tuesday was really good, and not gonna lie, it was pretty hard also. I made Pancakes, which turned out really good.... Surprisingly. And then we were able to talk to our families! I loved talking with them, but at the end, it was rough for me. I'm not going to hide it. I want to show that even some missionaries have a hard time even when having Faith in the Lord. I really miss you all, family and friend, and pray that the Lord will be with you always. After we called home, we walked around the neighborhood a little, met a few people, and then went to dinner at the Roswells. It was really good and we got hot sauce from them. Yayyy haha, then after dinner we came home and meditated for a little.
Wednesday was pretty good. We studied, planned, and then started doing some early contacting before President Hull took us to his place where we had dinner with the Hulls, Brother Wilson, and Elton. And it was really good and fun. Then after President Hull went with us and had a lesson with the Beckerdites, and they asked a lot more amazing questions. It's really cool to see that. I'm excited to see them get baptized soon.
Thursday was pretty slow, but we made a lot of progress. We did a lot of contacting, and planned for long term finding which was really good overall. And we made food as well. It was nice. Sadly a few of the appointments dropped through but we got a lot of contacting in and long term finding in.
Friday was really awesome! We had the Animal Shelter and cleaned up a few things, and helped drill in the walls together. Then after we came back home, ate lunch, and did studies, and then drove up and had District Council, and that was really good. We practiced a lot of scenarios. It was funny really haha. Then we had Taco Bell and got ready for Mike's Baptism! The baptism went really well. We've been working with him since before I came out on my Mission, and I'm thankful to finally see him enter the waters of baptism.
Saturday was really good also! We helped Brandon and Gary with the Church building putting up the roof. And then we switched into other clothes, and then we visited Elton and talked about Missionary Work and challenged him to share the message of the Restoration to people. Which he liked a lot, and we know he will help out a lot. Then we visited the Andersens, and had really good conversations with them and actually going to start teaching them which is a really big step. We are very excited for that. Then we tried a few other people and then came home and planned for the new week and send out reports.
Sunday was pretty good also! I got to confirm Mike, which was pretty good. I know I need to work on focusing on relying on the Spirit for what to say. Then after church we came home, ate food, and then did some Baptismal Forms for a while. And then after we had dinner at the Millers and Mocky and Mickey joined us. We had Tacos, it was good. Then after we talked about our message with the daughter, and we are going to start teach her as well! It's very exciting! Then after we shared a message with the Rogers. It's very exciting to see the Part-Member families slowly start to work out!
This week was just more miracles and blessings. And I hope y'all have a fabulous New Year and I hope 2019 treats you all well. I love y'all!
Elder Braxton Hotton
Attachments:
-Me and my family
-Mike's Baptism!
-Me in Wise Man form
-Pancakes I made
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