Elders Ahlman and McMullin with Santa (Brother Houser). Cute!!Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Brrrrr...an Ice Storm on 12/24/09
This is the side of a car after an ice storm on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day was sunny, but a huge snowstorm hit on the 26th.
Mission Update 12/30/09
The last update from 2009! Here's Elder M's email:
Hello Family,
Things are going great! It was very good to hear from you. I did go get the present from Taylor, which was great. Without any disrespect to anyone who has given me a gift throughout my life (all of which I've appreciated), I'd like to say that Tay's scrap book very well may have been the single greatest Christmas gift I have ever received. That being said, I loved all the gifts everyone gave me, most especially the love and service which you have given me. Thank you.
I am very excited to hear how the Book of Mormon reading is going! Please send me updates on that every week. [He sent us all Books of Mormon and asked us to read and mark them a certain way.] Mother, I'm happy you're going through "how to read the scriptures" in Relief Society. That Gene R. Cook fireside you sent me is probably the authority on that topic. Elder Ahlman and I have learned a lot from it, and are learning much more as we apply his teachings into our lives. I can testify that the book is true, and have seen it's affect my life for the better.
So, here's some things that have gone on this week:
Thursday - Christmas Eve - was great! After the morning schedule, we went out to do some stop bys. We delivered some cookies and treats to people we needed to contact (remember how I said we were overflowing with food... This was our solution). We then went to Maple Terrace to teach. We taught Nikita and also saw a few people. After this, we went to the Adams to pick up some things, and say hi to them. Brother Adams gave us a ridiculous amount of talks and other literature. They're great. They also have been doing excellent missionary work - they've got us 3 people to teach in their home, and are working on another! After visiting them, we went to the Whipple's for Christmas Eve dinner and festivities. We had a great dinner, and had some fun with a talent show, showing of Mr. Kreuger's Christmas, and testimonies. After this, we came home and got ready.
Christmas was awesome! We woke up and opened presents. There were some left, which was nice. We went to the Houghtons for breakfast which was great. They cooked some home ground whole wheat pancakes. We had fun having a dart gun war, and sharing a message. Brother Houghton gave us 2 referrals for families in Elder Wiser's area. The Houghtons are great member missionaries. I also got to play the violin there, and made an arrangement of Canon in C for 2 violins and me on piano, which was fun. They've got two kids that play the violin, so we had a little trio going. After that, we came home to apartments and called home to our families! It was great talking to every one! After this, we went to the Housers for appetizers. They had over a few non-members and Jeremy Hwang's family! It was perfect to have the Hwangs in their home, and they enjoyed it. After spending a short amount of time there, we left for the Blackham's home for Christmas dinner. They are great, and we had a good time eating there. After this, we went to visit Nancy and Co., who had Mike C and Nikita over for Christmas. This was the end of our good Christmas.
Saturday was also a good day. We had some finding and stop bys throughout the day. We also had some good appointments. We had a lunch with the Weislers, which was great. We also got to teach quite a bit in Maple Terrace. We taught Nikita again. She's doing great, and is getting excited for her baptism. We also got to teach Gail, who committed to coming to church. We saw Krista and Jessica, and the Gamboas as well. We went to Nancy's for dinner and took Mike with us there. He's been coming out with us a lot lately, and is quite the missionary.
Sunday was a good day. We had some meetings in the morning before church. They went well. We had the blessing of partaking of the Sacrament at church, and also got to learn quite a bit. We heard a great talk on Eternal Families. We also got to learn from Brother Mark Pope, who taught Sunday School! He taught High Priests last week, and did Gospel Principles this week. Let's just say he's doing well. After church, we had weekly planning (usually on Thursday, but it got delayed because we were busy). We then went out to find. We didn't find anyone, but did stop by and had an excellent lesson with Krista and Jessica. We learned a lot throughout the evening about receiving and recognizing revelation, and it will probably go down as one of the most personally productive nights of our missions, if not our lives. We came up with a lesson plan for Krista and Jessica, then prayed before going into their home. A stupor of thought came, and we felt we shouldn't teach what we had planned. We discussed our feelings, then prayed for guidance on making a new lesson plan. The Lord blessed us, and gave us a lesson plan that was radically different from what we had planned on. We decided to confirm our feelings with the Lord, and received a burning in the bosom to confirm that we in with the Lord's lesson plan. The lesson was powerful. The Spirit was truly the "senior companion." Krista prayed in the lesson and the Spirit bore powerful witness of the importance of baptism. I was also blessed with much personal revelation. The great thing about this experience was that it was not an isolated one. We've applied the same principles and have been striving to teach using the Lord's lesson plans. Instead of just going off of the plans we came up with during weekly and daily planning, we're confirming with the Lord that they are in fact what He wants us to teach, and making changes when necessary. We had a couple of other experiences that same night that fully confirmed this is a true order of effectively receiving revelation. We also had a lesson with Nikita, which went well.
Monday was a pretty good day too. We had a good district meeting, then went out to proselyte. We utilized the same method to receive revelation pertaining to finding. This has brought an added measure of companionship unity almost beyond belief. We went finding, and were able to come back into contact with a former investigator who drove by us as we were tracting a street. The Lord truly did put him in our path, and us in his. We later went to visit Maple Terrace, and spent some time there. We left to do stop bys at some less active members' homes. After that, we went to the Matucks, who had us, Mike, and Nikita over, for dinner and a viewing of the Testaments. It was great. The Matucks are doing such wonderful missionary work, They're having us over weekly with investigators to be taught in their home. What a great service.
Tuesday was a productive day. We had the Hesed House after studies, as always. We worked on reorganizing some board games they had. After lunch, we went to Maple Terrace. We had our weekly scripture reading with Mike, We also gave Nikita a new baptismal calendar. We found a new investigator there, and taught her. The Lord put Dorothy in our path, and we're grateful for the chance to teach her. After we did, we went to teach Bill. He's going to read 2 Nephi 9 and 3 Nephi 11. After this, we went to visit Jeremy. He's doing very well. Kay is having her baby today actually! Exciting. After that, we went to the Weislers for a lesson with Krista and 2 of her friends, and dinner. The Weislers are great member missionaries, and helped us out a ton.
Today should be good. We've got Zone Activity today. We're going to Denny's in a few minutes, then are going sledding. It should be fun.
Well, I love you a bunch. Thanks for all you do. Have a great week, and keep reading the Book of Mormon and marking it up! Invite others to come unto Christ and partake of the blessings of the Restored Gospel too.
Love,
Elder Bradley E McMullin
Hello Family,
Things are going great! It was very good to hear from you. I did go get the present from Taylor, which was great. Without any disrespect to anyone who has given me a gift throughout my life (all of which I've appreciated), I'd like to say that Tay's scrap book very well may have been the single greatest Christmas gift I have ever received. That being said, I loved all the gifts everyone gave me, most especially the love and service which you have given me. Thank you.
I am very excited to hear how the Book of Mormon reading is going! Please send me updates on that every week. [He sent us all Books of Mormon and asked us to read and mark them a certain way.] Mother, I'm happy you're going through "how to read the scriptures" in Relief Society. That Gene R. Cook fireside you sent me is probably the authority on that topic. Elder Ahlman and I have learned a lot from it, and are learning much more as we apply his teachings into our lives. I can testify that the book is true, and have seen it's affect my life for the better.
So, here's some things that have gone on this week:
Thursday - Christmas Eve - was great! After the morning schedule, we went out to do some stop bys. We delivered some cookies and treats to people we needed to contact (remember how I said we were overflowing with food... This was our solution). We then went to Maple Terrace to teach. We taught Nikita and also saw a few people. After this, we went to the Adams to pick up some things, and say hi to them. Brother Adams gave us a ridiculous amount of talks and other literature. They're great. They also have been doing excellent missionary work - they've got us 3 people to teach in their home, and are working on another! After visiting them, we went to the Whipple's for Christmas Eve dinner and festivities. We had a great dinner, and had some fun with a talent show, showing of Mr. Kreuger's Christmas, and testimonies. After this, we came home and got ready.
Christmas was awesome! We woke up and opened presents. There were some left, which was nice. We went to the Houghtons for breakfast which was great. They cooked some home ground whole wheat pancakes. We had fun having a dart gun war, and sharing a message. Brother Houghton gave us 2 referrals for families in Elder Wiser's area. The Houghtons are great member missionaries. I also got to play the violin there, and made an arrangement of Canon in C for 2 violins and me on piano, which was fun. They've got two kids that play the violin, so we had a little trio going. After that, we came home to apartments and called home to our families! It was great talking to every one! After this, we went to the Housers for appetizers. They had over a few non-members and Jeremy Hwang's family! It was perfect to have the Hwangs in their home, and they enjoyed it. After spending a short amount of time there, we left for the Blackham's home for Christmas dinner. They are great, and we had a good time eating there. After this, we went to visit Nancy and Co., who had Mike C and Nikita over for Christmas. This was the end of our good Christmas.
Saturday was also a good day. We had some finding and stop bys throughout the day. We also had some good appointments. We had a lunch with the Weislers, which was great. We also got to teach quite a bit in Maple Terrace. We taught Nikita again. She's doing great, and is getting excited for her baptism. We also got to teach Gail, who committed to coming to church. We saw Krista and Jessica, and the Gamboas as well. We went to Nancy's for dinner and took Mike with us there. He's been coming out with us a lot lately, and is quite the missionary.
Sunday was a good day. We had some meetings in the morning before church. They went well. We had the blessing of partaking of the Sacrament at church, and also got to learn quite a bit. We heard a great talk on Eternal Families. We also got to learn from Brother Mark Pope, who taught Sunday School! He taught High Priests last week, and did Gospel Principles this week. Let's just say he's doing well. After church, we had weekly planning (usually on Thursday, but it got delayed because we were busy). We then went out to find. We didn't find anyone, but did stop by and had an excellent lesson with Krista and Jessica. We learned a lot throughout the evening about receiving and recognizing revelation, and it will probably go down as one of the most personally productive nights of our missions, if not our lives. We came up with a lesson plan for Krista and Jessica, then prayed before going into their home. A stupor of thought came, and we felt we shouldn't teach what we had planned. We discussed our feelings, then prayed for guidance on making a new lesson plan. The Lord blessed us, and gave us a lesson plan that was radically different from what we had planned on. We decided to confirm our feelings with the Lord, and received a burning in the bosom to confirm that we in with the Lord's lesson plan. The lesson was powerful. The Spirit was truly the "senior companion." Krista prayed in the lesson and the Spirit bore powerful witness of the importance of baptism. I was also blessed with much personal revelation. The great thing about this experience was that it was not an isolated one. We've applied the same principles and have been striving to teach using the Lord's lesson plans. Instead of just going off of the plans we came up with during weekly and daily planning, we're confirming with the Lord that they are in fact what He wants us to teach, and making changes when necessary. We had a couple of other experiences that same night that fully confirmed this is a true order of effectively receiving revelation. We also had a lesson with Nikita, which went well.
Monday was a pretty good day too. We had a good district meeting, then went out to proselyte. We utilized the same method to receive revelation pertaining to finding. This has brought an added measure of companionship unity almost beyond belief. We went finding, and were able to come back into contact with a former investigator who drove by us as we were tracting a street. The Lord truly did put him in our path, and us in his. We later went to visit Maple Terrace, and spent some time there. We left to do stop bys at some less active members' homes. After that, we went to the Matucks, who had us, Mike, and Nikita over, for dinner and a viewing of the Testaments. It was great. The Matucks are doing such wonderful missionary work, They're having us over weekly with investigators to be taught in their home. What a great service.
Tuesday was a productive day. We had the Hesed House after studies, as always. We worked on reorganizing some board games they had. After lunch, we went to Maple Terrace. We had our weekly scripture reading with Mike, We also gave Nikita a new baptismal calendar. We found a new investigator there, and taught her. The Lord put Dorothy in our path, and we're grateful for the chance to teach her. After we did, we went to teach Bill. He's going to read 2 Nephi 9 and 3 Nephi 11. After this, we went to visit Jeremy. He's doing very well. Kay is having her baby today actually! Exciting. After that, we went to the Weislers for a lesson with Krista and 2 of her friends, and dinner. The Weislers are great member missionaries, and helped us out a ton.
Today should be good. We've got Zone Activity today. We're going to Denny's in a few minutes, then are going sledding. It should be fun.
Well, I love you a bunch. Thanks for all you do. Have a great week, and keep reading the Book of Mormon and marking it up! Invite others to come unto Christ and partake of the blessings of the Restored Gospel too.
Love,
Elder Bradley E McMullin
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Mission Update 12/23/09
We had a nice talk with Elder M. on Christmas. It was good to hear his voice. It was a pretty short visit (relatively), so I don't have too much to report from the call, but we sure enjoyed visiting with him! He had several appointments at members' homes throughout the day, so that was good to hear. Quite different from last year when he was in the Stockyards! Here's his email from a couple of days before Christmas:
HELLO FAMILY,
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE EVE! I hope all is well in Tempe. Our phone call in 2 days should be great. Just like the missionaries in Tempe, we're going to a member family's home for Christmas breakfast.[Our missionaries here in Tempe came to our house for breakfast.] We'll be at the Houghtons. After that, we'll come home and have the phone calls. I'll probably call at around 12 our time. After I call, you'll have to call us right back, so it's counted as an incoming call. We've just got the rule for this years Christmas calls too... Only 40 minutes. It will be ok though, but we should probably set up some sort of system of who gets to talk when, and for how long, etc. You come up with that... I'm excited to talk to everyone! I've also got a Christmas package that I'm going to send home that will unfortunately come late. Sorry I'm such a procrastinator. I'll just tell you what it is though, so you don't have to wait too long.
The gift is a copy of the Book of Mormon for everyone, and a challenge that goes with it - read that copy of the Book of Mormon, and mark it in a particular way... by Easter! After you've finished it, write your testimony of the Book in the back. I'm looking forwards to hearing about your experience. I've been doing a very similar challenge that our mission gave to us, but with the goal being Christmas. I have discovered I am incapable of completing a cursory reading of the Book of Mormon (I read about 8 chapters before developing a more thorough marking system, and annotating nearly every page), and will not complete the challenge by Christmas. Even with my tearing apart of the Book of Mormon, I should finish before too long. I've given you more time than our mission gave us, so you should be able to thoroughly read the Book of Mormon quite easily. You do have to buy your own red and blue colored pencils though. Thanks!
So, this last week has been great. In order to save time on the phone, I'll write about as much as I usually do. Here is the week:
We had a great Wednesday. We did some preparation and also went to play soccer at the Stake Center. It was pretty fun. After that, we went to teach Jeremy Hwang. He's doing great, as is his family. We didn't get to teach his wife that day, but it was still good. After that, we went to dinner at the Neuders. They're doing great with their missionary work. They're giving out 6 copies of Joy to the World to their friends, and are going to invite one of their friends to take the missionary lessons before New Years! We're very excited to see how the Lord blesses them for their missionary efforts.
On Thursday we had quite a few appointments fall through, so it was a somewhat abnormal day. We had some good finding opportunities though, and did have some good lessons. We taught Nikita again, and she recommitted to progress, and set a baptismal date. Chiquita has had some bad things happen to her, which really shook up both her and Nikita. That put a momentary halt in their progression unfortunately, but Nikita is doing great. Chiquita should be fine too. We also found a new investigator in Maple Terrace named Nicole. She expressed interest in baptism, and accepted a date as well. We got to teach Jessica Langston, which went well. The Langston family is doing great. We took Mike out with us to do some stop bys, which didn't really lead to much of anything. After that, we took Mike over to Nancy's with us for dinner. We taught about preparing for the temple. They're both doing great. Brandon is doing well too, and is going to be ordained to be a Priest soon.
Friday was good. We had Zone Conference, which was good. We had a lot of the normal stuff, but watched the movie "The 4th Wise Man," which was pretty fun. I conducted the first half of the combined session, and Elder Ahlman conducted the second half. Our Zone training went well too. Lunch was catered by our Ward, which was pretty fun. After Zone Conference, we did stop bys and finding before dinner. We got taken out to eat by the Housers. They got us a T-bone steak and ribs, which was really nice. It was very good. We taught them there at the restaurant. After that, our day was pretty much over.
Saturday was a really productive day. We had MCM in the morning, which was great. After that, we had some finding time. We found one potential investigator that committed to attending church! That fell through due to some maintenance workers helping her do something at her home on Sunday, but she wants to learn and come to church. We're going to teach her today actually. Anyways, we eventually went to Maple Terrace. We first taught Wilma with Mike. She's pretty deaf, but it was a good lesson. After that, we taught Nikita with Mike. She's doing great, and is looking forwards to progressing. Without any solicitation from us, she's been praying for help preparing for baptism! After teaching her, we went to teach Krista and Jessica. Jessica committed to being baptized! Krista wants to as well. Now their only concern is choosing when. They're torn between getting baptized now, or waiting for their brother to turn 16 and be baptized by him in July. We're going to teach them today, and help them with that. After that, we visited Sister Apodaca. We then went to teach the Beans, which went very well too. We then went to the Stavrons for dinner. That was very fun and very good. They're doing great, and are going to Georgia for dinner. Since Brother Stavron won't be in town for his Sunday School class, Mark Pope will be teaching!
Sunday was a pretty good day. We didn't have morning meetings, which was kind of nice. We did have a great day at church though. Nikita loved it. Krista and Jessica sang in the choir, which was pretty fun. We also heard some great talks and some great musical numbers. After church, we had some good appointments, all of which with members. We helped the Eldgredges with their missionary work. They're going to distribute some media, and help a friend with family history. They're going to try and set up that friend with the family history center in the Stake Center, which should be great. Hopefully they'll be able to get a pedigree chart, and possibly have missionaries deliver it and a message! We later had dinner with the La Plants. They're a very nice family. They're coming up with 5 names of people to share the Gospel with. The Adams are doing well too. We visited them, and helped them with their missionary work. They set up a time for us to visit with one of their friends to give her a Christmas DVD. We aslo had a meeting with the Assistants to discuss the Zone and needs for transfers.
Monday was a good day. We had President's Interviews and District Meeting at the mission office. That went very well. Our mission is doing great. We've already broken the (at least recorded in somewhat recent history) record for most baptisms in a year, and are very close to reaching our mission goal of 275 baptisms! It will come right down to the wire, and will require almost all of the baptismal sets to go through this next weekend. We're praying they do! After this, we had an appointment with Krista and Jessica. They're doing well. We also had a dinner appointment with the Capeners. They invited a whole bunch of people over for dinner and FHE. They had the Hoyts, the Houghtons, the Israelsens, and Jeremy Hwang's family over. It was really fun, and was a great experience for Sister Hwang. In addition to dinner and a lesson, there was also a huge lightsaber and nerf gun fight with all the kids. Elder Ahlman and I got mob attacked, which was pretty funny.
Tuesday was Elder Ahlman's birthday, which went well. We had the Hesed House, like always. After that, we went to visit Mike. We also went to teach Roger, who is doing ok. He's going through a lot, and is really doing well. After teaching him, we went to teach Lorenszo, and ended up teaching a couple of his friends. One is a Hesed House resident, and the other is Bill, who lives in Maple Terrace. We see Bill almost every time we're in Maple Terrace, and he's turned down our offers to learn so many times it's become a sort of running joke. He really does want to learn now, and seems like he'll progress well. After this, we went to read the Book of Mormon with Jeremy. He made a detailed chart of who wrote what scriptures including the Brass plates, both sets of Nephi's plates, the Old Testament, New Testament, and Doctrine and Covenants. He also made a family history chart of Lehi's family, even including Israel and Joseph of Egypt. Let's just say Jeremy is doing really well. He got the Priesthood on Sunday too! After that appointment, we went to the Houghtons for dinner. They're doing really well, and are having us over for Christmas breakfast, which should be great. After that, we went to teach Nikita at the Matucks. They're another great family, and gave Elder Ahlman a birthday Cubs scarf. I also got one because "they missed my birthday." They're doing really really well, and are happy to continue helping us teach investigators.
Today should be good. It's not a Preparation day, but we're allowed to email. We've got some good appointments set up, so it should be great.
Well, you all take care. I'm looking forwards to talking to you. Thanks for all you do! Have a great Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.
Love,
Elder Bradley E McMullin
HELLO FAMILY,
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE EVE! I hope all is well in Tempe. Our phone call in 2 days should be great. Just like the missionaries in Tempe, we're going to a member family's home for Christmas breakfast.[Our missionaries here in Tempe came to our house for breakfast.] We'll be at the Houghtons. After that, we'll come home and have the phone calls. I'll probably call at around 12 our time. After I call, you'll have to call us right back, so it's counted as an incoming call. We've just got the rule for this years Christmas calls too... Only 40 minutes. It will be ok though, but we should probably set up some sort of system of who gets to talk when, and for how long, etc. You come up with that... I'm excited to talk to everyone! I've also got a Christmas package that I'm going to send home that will unfortunately come late. Sorry I'm such a procrastinator. I'll just tell you what it is though, so you don't have to wait too long.
The gift is a copy of the Book of Mormon for everyone, and a challenge that goes with it - read that copy of the Book of Mormon, and mark it in a particular way... by Easter! After you've finished it, write your testimony of the Book in the back. I'm looking forwards to hearing about your experience. I've been doing a very similar challenge that our mission gave to us, but with the goal being Christmas. I have discovered I am incapable of completing a cursory reading of the Book of Mormon (I read about 8 chapters before developing a more thorough marking system, and annotating nearly every page), and will not complete the challenge by Christmas. Even with my tearing apart of the Book of Mormon, I should finish before too long. I've given you more time than our mission gave us, so you should be able to thoroughly read the Book of Mormon quite easily. You do have to buy your own red and blue colored pencils though. Thanks!
So, this last week has been great. In order to save time on the phone, I'll write about as much as I usually do. Here is the week:
We had a great Wednesday. We did some preparation and also went to play soccer at the Stake Center. It was pretty fun. After that, we went to teach Jeremy Hwang. He's doing great, as is his family. We didn't get to teach his wife that day, but it was still good. After that, we went to dinner at the Neuders. They're doing great with their missionary work. They're giving out 6 copies of Joy to the World to their friends, and are going to invite one of their friends to take the missionary lessons before New Years! We're very excited to see how the Lord blesses them for their missionary efforts.
On Thursday we had quite a few appointments fall through, so it was a somewhat abnormal day. We had some good finding opportunities though, and did have some good lessons. We taught Nikita again, and she recommitted to progress, and set a baptismal date. Chiquita has had some bad things happen to her, which really shook up both her and Nikita. That put a momentary halt in their progression unfortunately, but Nikita is doing great. Chiquita should be fine too. We also found a new investigator in Maple Terrace named Nicole. She expressed interest in baptism, and accepted a date as well. We got to teach Jessica Langston, which went well. The Langston family is doing great. We took Mike out with us to do some stop bys, which didn't really lead to much of anything. After that, we took Mike over to Nancy's with us for dinner. We taught about preparing for the temple. They're both doing great. Brandon is doing well too, and is going to be ordained to be a Priest soon.
Friday was good. We had Zone Conference, which was good. We had a lot of the normal stuff, but watched the movie "The 4th Wise Man," which was pretty fun. I conducted the first half of the combined session, and Elder Ahlman conducted the second half. Our Zone training went well too. Lunch was catered by our Ward, which was pretty fun. After Zone Conference, we did stop bys and finding before dinner. We got taken out to eat by the Housers. They got us a T-bone steak and ribs, which was really nice. It was very good. We taught them there at the restaurant. After that, our day was pretty much over.
Saturday was a really productive day. We had MCM in the morning, which was great. After that, we had some finding time. We found one potential investigator that committed to attending church! That fell through due to some maintenance workers helping her do something at her home on Sunday, but she wants to learn and come to church. We're going to teach her today actually. Anyways, we eventually went to Maple Terrace. We first taught Wilma with Mike. She's pretty deaf, but it was a good lesson. After that, we taught Nikita with Mike. She's doing great, and is looking forwards to progressing. Without any solicitation from us, she's been praying for help preparing for baptism! After teaching her, we went to teach Krista and Jessica. Jessica committed to being baptized! Krista wants to as well. Now their only concern is choosing when. They're torn between getting baptized now, or waiting for their brother to turn 16 and be baptized by him in July. We're going to teach them today, and help them with that. After that, we visited Sister Apodaca. We then went to teach the Beans, which went very well too. We then went to the Stavrons for dinner. That was very fun and very good. They're doing great, and are going to Georgia for dinner. Since Brother Stavron won't be in town for his Sunday School class, Mark Pope will be teaching!
Sunday was a pretty good day. We didn't have morning meetings, which was kind of nice. We did have a great day at church though. Nikita loved it. Krista and Jessica sang in the choir, which was pretty fun. We also heard some great talks and some great musical numbers. After church, we had some good appointments, all of which with members. We helped the Eldgredges with their missionary work. They're going to distribute some media, and help a friend with family history. They're going to try and set up that friend with the family history center in the Stake Center, which should be great. Hopefully they'll be able to get a pedigree chart, and possibly have missionaries deliver it and a message! We later had dinner with the La Plants. They're a very nice family. They're coming up with 5 names of people to share the Gospel with. The Adams are doing well too. We visited them, and helped them with their missionary work. They set up a time for us to visit with one of their friends to give her a Christmas DVD. We aslo had a meeting with the Assistants to discuss the Zone and needs for transfers.
Monday was a good day. We had President's Interviews and District Meeting at the mission office. That went very well. Our mission is doing great. We've already broken the (at least recorded in somewhat recent history) record for most baptisms in a year, and are very close to reaching our mission goal of 275 baptisms! It will come right down to the wire, and will require almost all of the baptismal sets to go through this next weekend. We're praying they do! After this, we had an appointment with Krista and Jessica. They're doing well. We also had a dinner appointment with the Capeners. They invited a whole bunch of people over for dinner and FHE. They had the Hoyts, the Houghtons, the Israelsens, and Jeremy Hwang's family over. It was really fun, and was a great experience for Sister Hwang. In addition to dinner and a lesson, there was also a huge lightsaber and nerf gun fight with all the kids. Elder Ahlman and I got mob attacked, which was pretty funny.
Tuesday was Elder Ahlman's birthday, which went well. We had the Hesed House, like always. After that, we went to visit Mike. We also went to teach Roger, who is doing ok. He's going through a lot, and is really doing well. After teaching him, we went to teach Lorenszo, and ended up teaching a couple of his friends. One is a Hesed House resident, and the other is Bill, who lives in Maple Terrace. We see Bill almost every time we're in Maple Terrace, and he's turned down our offers to learn so many times it's become a sort of running joke. He really does want to learn now, and seems like he'll progress well. After this, we went to read the Book of Mormon with Jeremy. He made a detailed chart of who wrote what scriptures including the Brass plates, both sets of Nephi's plates, the Old Testament, New Testament, and Doctrine and Covenants. He also made a family history chart of Lehi's family, even including Israel and Joseph of Egypt. Let's just say Jeremy is doing really well. He got the Priesthood on Sunday too! After that appointment, we went to the Houghtons for dinner. They're doing really well, and are having us over for Christmas breakfast, which should be great. After that, we went to teach Nikita at the Matucks. They're another great family, and gave Elder Ahlman a birthday Cubs scarf. I also got one because "they missed my birthday." They're doing really really well, and are happy to continue helping us teach investigators.
Today should be good. It's not a Preparation day, but we're allowed to email. We've got some good appointments set up, so it should be great.
Well, you all take care. I'm looking forwards to talking to you. Thanks for all you do! Have a great Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.
Love,
Elder Bradley E McMullin
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Mission Update 12/16/09
Only one more week until we get to talk to our dear Elder!! I'm sure looking forward to it. Here's his email for the week:
Hello Family,
Things are going pretty well. We're getting excited for Christmas! It will be great to talk to you, and hear how you are doing. Can you believe it's already been a year? It has gone by so fast!
So when is winter break for school? Finals? Good luck on those! What are you doing for the Christmas season too? We've got a few appointments on Christmas Day, so we'll have to email you next Wednesday to set up a call time. Christmas is our P-Day, but we'll probably email at lunch break, just like we did before Thanksgiving.
Here's some answers to questions that were sent to me:
I have not got anything for Christmas yet! They're holding all of the boxes in the mission office and are going to give everything out at Zone Conference. It's going to be a zoo! It will be fun to catch up on all of my "12 days!" [We sent him little gifts to open for the 12 days of Christmas, starting on Dec. 13. Oops, that day passed! I guess they'll have 5 or 6 days to open at once!]
Last week it did snow a lot after I took the picture! It was a pretty intense storm. It warmed up for a day or two, and a lot has melted. Since then, it's been in the teens a lot though. All the ice is frozen solid, and sounds like breaking glass when you step on it.
Ok there you go.
So, here's a few more of my questions... Mom, how did the baptism go for the convert? Is this new stake presidency doing the same thing as the old - where they attend the baptism and buy them a set of scriptures? I was really impressed when I heard about that! Who are the counselors in the young mens presidency, Dad? How are you doing, Caitlin? I haven't heard from you in forever! You too, Tay. G&G as well.
Grandma, can you drive with your shoulder injury? We had a part member family we were working with whose mother had the same thing. She couldn't drive, so we had to try and find her a ride.
Well, things are going great. Here's some of what's happened within the past week:
The rest of last Wednesday was awesome! We had our Book of Mormon P-Day, which was good. We went out to proselyte in the evening, which went well. We had one appointment that tubed us. It was really cold out, so we froze as we walked up to her house. After that, we had a dinner appointment... With Jeremy Hwang and his family! It was really good. We had Bee-Bim-Bop, which is a delicious Korean dish, and also some Kai-beh, which is great too. Jeremy's wife is very nice, and was pretty open to our lesson. She's due in a couple weeks, but hopefully will start coming to church after the child is born. We taught about Eternal Families, which went well. We have another appointment with them for tonight actually.
Thursday was pretty good. We woke up and saw it was sunny out, so we were happy. It was 8 degrees, and -16 with wind chill! After our studies, we went out to shovel a family's driveway. They gave us some needed hot chocolate. After that, we did our weekly planning, which went well. Weekly planning is a pretty big ordeal. We go through and set a lot of goals, and how to achieve them. It's pretty effective at keeping us focused on what is most important. After that, we went to teach Roger! The Lord really began answering our prayers. Roger really is getting it. He loves the Book of Mormon, and was able to have many of his life long questions answered by it. While reading it in his personal study, he was given the confidence to attend church (which he did)! We had a good lesson there, and are happy to see his progression. After that, we went to do some more stop bys in Maple Terrace. We then went out tracting! We found a new investigator, which was great. Sebastian lives very close to Krista and Jessica. After tracting, we went to teach Krista and Jessica. The lesson went well, and both committed to come to church (Krista did). After that, we went to visit Denise. The lesson there went very well. She's quite busy, but is doing alright. It's pretty funny, her mother who passed away was actually something of a mother figure for Solomon Strickland! After visiting Denise, we met with the Spanish Elders and exchanged. Elder Ahlman went to be with Elder Melton in the Spanish area, and Elder Ferrel came to be with me in Naper 4. We then went to the Matuck's home for dinner and a lesson. We taught about Gifts of the Spirit with them, which went well. Other than Sister Matuck being a little sick, they're doing great! They're setting their eyes on the temple and being sealed.
Friday was a pretty good day for Elder Ferrel and I. After our studies, we went out proselyting. We met an awesome family in our parking lot. The Lord led us to meet Asencion, a Spanish woman that prefers English over Spanish, which is great, because the Spanish steal so many investigators. She lives close by with two kids. She brought up baptism when we talked with her, so hopefully she'll progress well! After that, we went over to the hospital to give Sister Glaviano a blessing. While there, we taught some visitors Sister Glaviano had, and helped her prepare to share the Gospel with others that were going to come in. It was pretty awesome actually. We also got the single best parking spot in the garage... They had a spot for clergy which was even closer to the enterance than the handicapped spots. Awesome. Anyways, after this, we went to visit Nancy and her family. They're doing well. They were getting ready for Brandon's birthday. We had a great lesson there. Afterwards, we went over to the Gamboas to get some work for the Spanish Elders. Sister Gamboa had to leave for work, but we taught Alex and Lidia, and gave them both a pass a long card to hand out. After that, we went to the Beans' home, and taught them. They're a really nice family, and are also pretty funny. They're very similar to Elder Gardner. After that, we went to the Israelsens for dinner and a lesson. We got a referral from them, which was very nice. After this, we exchanged back, then went to teach the Housers. We helped them make plans to share the Gospel with others. They're giving out several copies of the Book of Mormon, and some other media from the Church. You ought to do the same!
Saturday was a pretty interesting day. We had a great MCM. We also had quite a few appointments, but ended up not teaching much at them. We helped the Beans put up insulation over their windows. It was pretty wild, and some scented oil was spilled which made everything stink. It was pretty funny though. After that, we took Stephen Bean with us to visit the Langstons. He fellowshipped with them really well, but we didn't get to teach. It was alright though... He got Charles excited about church, and activities. We then took Charles and Stephen over to Brandon's birthday party. While there, Elder Ahlman and I cooked hamburgers and pizza. Most of the Young Men came to Brandon's party, which was great. After this we had a dinner appointment with the Zinns. It went really well, and was pretty fun. We were able to set them up with a ton of media to hand out to their friends. They're pretty excited for this missionary work, and are excited to help others come unto Christ!
Sunday was pretty good. We had some good meetings in the morning, and a great Sunday at church. Brother Pope attended High Priests the week before, and volunteered to teach this week. So, a week after being confirmed a member of the Church, he was the teacher for the High Priests Group! After church, we did some finding. It was pretty cold tracting, but it was worth it. We found a great new investigator that pulled up to a house right before we went to knock on it. We also talked to some Hispanics and kind of helped them set up a garage door and opener. After that, we had an early dinner with the Harris family. They are awesome! They cooked us steaks. The grill didn't really work well, because it was so cold, so they took the half grilled steaks inside and put them in the oven. They were delicious. The Harris family is doing great missionary work. They made us a ton of fliers for the Christmas Devotional, and invited 8 or so people, I believe. They've also given out a copy of the Friend, and have invited a family to be taught by the missionaries! We're very excited to see the blessings that the Lord pours upon them for their service! They also gave us a box of Captain Crunch. Anyways, after dinner there, we went to the Woodridge Pageant. It is a huge production put on by the Woodridge Wards. It's of the Nativity, and is complete with live animals and everything. They even had Hollywood spotlights shining from the church building that you could see from miles away. It was pretty intense. They had a ton of things going on inside as well, so it was a great experience for everyone.
Monday was a pretty good day. We planned Zone Conference for a good chunk of it. We also had to go to Pep Boys to get our oil change. That unfortunately took forever. After that, we took out a young man to teach with us. We went to the Mitchells home to help them with service, and also to teach them. They're doing great with their missionary work. They're giving out some media, and gave us a referral! They're also preparing to go on a mission. We're excited to see their ministry continue. After that, we went to the Eldredges' home for dinner. We taught them, and set up another appointment to help them plan their missionary work. They're a great family, and have helped us out a lot. It was actually on a team teaching excursion that Brother Eldredge took Elder Denter and I to visit the Zacas. This started the chain of appointments that led to Kayla's baptism (they're doing well, and are excited for church to change from 9AM to 11AM for the new year). After this, we went over to the Nielsen's home (where we taught Kim Christie) to swap with the Naper 6 Elders. After eating ice cream with the Nielsens, Elder Baum and I went over to Brother Mitchell's son's home to do a baptismal interview for Brother Mitchell's grandson's friend, who will be baptized this weekend. It went very well. Elder Baum and Elder Hathenbruck had told us his name was David Martinez when they first set him for baptism a month and a half ago. I forgot his first name, and was praying for "Brother Martinez" for quite some time. I found out there that his last name is actually Ramirez. I don't know who this Brother Martinez is that I was praying for, but I hope he appreciates the prayers! Anyways, David is awesome. He'll be a great member. After that interview, we exchanged back. We split because we had an appointment with the Rosas in our area. Elder Ahlman and Elder Kotowski helped them plan their missionary work. They're awesome. They've brought over 7 friends to church since I've been here. They also were instrumental in the reactivation of the Matucks, and have been great support for the Popes. They're now going to hand out some media. We're excited to see the opportunites that come up for them to invite others to take the missionary lessons as they distribute these gifts.
Tuesday was a pretty good day. We had the Hesed House, which was good. After that, we went to Maple Terrace and taught some people there. Mike is awesome, and has really been helping us out a lot. He really likes Pepsi, so we think we're going to get him a big bottle of Coca-Cola for Christmas! We also taught Lorenszo, who committed to coming to church. After this, we did stop bys, which went well. We didn't really get much out of doing it though. We also made a lot of calls and got a list of more people to stop by. After this, we went to the Matucks for dinner. We had a great lesson with them, that was truly given to us by revelation in Companion Study in the morning. We read a lot of 1 Nephi 17, and made some specific comparisons to their lives. Their next step in preparing for the Temple is going to be getting their Patriarchal Blessings! They came up with that, and are excited for it. They're going to talk to the Bishop about that on Sunday.
Today should be good. We've got some fun stuff going on during the day, then an awesome line up of appointments for the evening. We're going to teach Jeremy and his family, go to the Neuders' home for dinner, and finally meet with the Adams to help them plan their next steps for missionary work. The Neuders have done an awesome job with their missionary work so far, and are working on giving out 6 DVDs. The Adams have brought over 3 people for us to teach in their home since I've been here (2 planned, 1 unwittingly). We're very excited to see the missionary zeal of this great Ward continue to increase.
Well, things are great. I hope you're doing well! I love you a lot, and am looking forward to talking with you. I'm glad I'm out here, and have the opportunity to share the Gospel with others. I know it is the way for us to inherit Eternal Life, and am to excited to help many of God's Children prepare for the life to come. I've got a great hope of a better world, and plan on living there with you.
Well, I'll talk to you next week (write and talk)! I hope you have an awesome week. My companion is typing some stuff up still, so if you want to write anything back now, I'll probably be able to answer it. [Sadly, I was gone when the email came, so no chance to email back. :-(]
Love,
Elder Bradley E McMullin
Hello Family,
Things are going pretty well. We're getting excited for Christmas! It will be great to talk to you, and hear how you are doing. Can you believe it's already been a year? It has gone by so fast!
So when is winter break for school? Finals? Good luck on those! What are you doing for the Christmas season too? We've got a few appointments on Christmas Day, so we'll have to email you next Wednesday to set up a call time. Christmas is our P-Day, but we'll probably email at lunch break, just like we did before Thanksgiving.
Here's some answers to questions that were sent to me:
I have not got anything for Christmas yet! They're holding all of the boxes in the mission office and are going to give everything out at Zone Conference. It's going to be a zoo! It will be fun to catch up on all of my "12 days!" [We sent him little gifts to open for the 12 days of Christmas, starting on Dec. 13. Oops, that day passed! I guess they'll have 5 or 6 days to open at once!]
Last week it did snow a lot after I took the picture! It was a pretty intense storm. It warmed up for a day or two, and a lot has melted. Since then, it's been in the teens a lot though. All the ice is frozen solid, and sounds like breaking glass when you step on it.
Ok there you go.
So, here's a few more of my questions... Mom, how did the baptism go for the convert? Is this new stake presidency doing the same thing as the old - where they attend the baptism and buy them a set of scriptures? I was really impressed when I heard about that! Who are the counselors in the young mens presidency, Dad? How are you doing, Caitlin? I haven't heard from you in forever! You too, Tay. G&G as well.
Grandma, can you drive with your shoulder injury? We had a part member family we were working with whose mother had the same thing. She couldn't drive, so we had to try and find her a ride.
Well, things are going great. Here's some of what's happened within the past week:
The rest of last Wednesday was awesome! We had our Book of Mormon P-Day, which was good. We went out to proselyte in the evening, which went well. We had one appointment that tubed us. It was really cold out, so we froze as we walked up to her house. After that, we had a dinner appointment... With Jeremy Hwang and his family! It was really good. We had Bee-Bim-Bop, which is a delicious Korean dish, and also some Kai-beh, which is great too. Jeremy's wife is very nice, and was pretty open to our lesson. She's due in a couple weeks, but hopefully will start coming to church after the child is born. We taught about Eternal Families, which went well. We have another appointment with them for tonight actually.
Thursday was pretty good. We woke up and saw it was sunny out, so we were happy. It was 8 degrees, and -16 with wind chill! After our studies, we went out to shovel a family's driveway. They gave us some needed hot chocolate. After that, we did our weekly planning, which went well. Weekly planning is a pretty big ordeal. We go through and set a lot of goals, and how to achieve them. It's pretty effective at keeping us focused on what is most important. After that, we went to teach Roger! The Lord really began answering our prayers. Roger really is getting it. He loves the Book of Mormon, and was able to have many of his life long questions answered by it. While reading it in his personal study, he was given the confidence to attend church (which he did)! We had a good lesson there, and are happy to see his progression. After that, we went to do some more stop bys in Maple Terrace. We then went out tracting! We found a new investigator, which was great. Sebastian lives very close to Krista and Jessica. After tracting, we went to teach Krista and Jessica. The lesson went well, and both committed to come to church (Krista did). After that, we went to visit Denise. The lesson there went very well. She's quite busy, but is doing alright. It's pretty funny, her mother who passed away was actually something of a mother figure for Solomon Strickland! After visiting Denise, we met with the Spanish Elders and exchanged. Elder Ahlman went to be with Elder Melton in the Spanish area, and Elder Ferrel came to be with me in Naper 4. We then went to the Matuck's home for dinner and a lesson. We taught about Gifts of the Spirit with them, which went well. Other than Sister Matuck being a little sick, they're doing great! They're setting their eyes on the temple and being sealed.
Friday was a pretty good day for Elder Ferrel and I. After our studies, we went out proselyting. We met an awesome family in our parking lot. The Lord led us to meet Asencion, a Spanish woman that prefers English over Spanish, which is great, because the Spanish steal so many investigators. She lives close by with two kids. She brought up baptism when we talked with her, so hopefully she'll progress well! After that, we went over to the hospital to give Sister Glaviano a blessing. While there, we taught some visitors Sister Glaviano had, and helped her prepare to share the Gospel with others that were going to come in. It was pretty awesome actually. We also got the single best parking spot in the garage... They had a spot for clergy which was even closer to the enterance than the handicapped spots. Awesome. Anyways, after this, we went to visit Nancy and her family. They're doing well. They were getting ready for Brandon's birthday. We had a great lesson there. Afterwards, we went over to the Gamboas to get some work for the Spanish Elders. Sister Gamboa had to leave for work, but we taught Alex and Lidia, and gave them both a pass a long card to hand out. After that, we went to the Beans' home, and taught them. They're a really nice family, and are also pretty funny. They're very similar to Elder Gardner. After that, we went to the Israelsens for dinner and a lesson. We got a referral from them, which was very nice. After this, we exchanged back, then went to teach the Housers. We helped them make plans to share the Gospel with others. They're giving out several copies of the Book of Mormon, and some other media from the Church. You ought to do the same!
Saturday was a pretty interesting day. We had a great MCM. We also had quite a few appointments, but ended up not teaching much at them. We helped the Beans put up insulation over their windows. It was pretty wild, and some scented oil was spilled which made everything stink. It was pretty funny though. After that, we took Stephen Bean with us to visit the Langstons. He fellowshipped with them really well, but we didn't get to teach. It was alright though... He got Charles excited about church, and activities. We then took Charles and Stephen over to Brandon's birthday party. While there, Elder Ahlman and I cooked hamburgers and pizza. Most of the Young Men came to Brandon's party, which was great. After this we had a dinner appointment with the Zinns. It went really well, and was pretty fun. We were able to set them up with a ton of media to hand out to their friends. They're pretty excited for this missionary work, and are excited to help others come unto Christ!
Sunday was pretty good. We had some good meetings in the morning, and a great Sunday at church. Brother Pope attended High Priests the week before, and volunteered to teach this week. So, a week after being confirmed a member of the Church, he was the teacher for the High Priests Group! After church, we did some finding. It was pretty cold tracting, but it was worth it. We found a great new investigator that pulled up to a house right before we went to knock on it. We also talked to some Hispanics and kind of helped them set up a garage door and opener. After that, we had an early dinner with the Harris family. They are awesome! They cooked us steaks. The grill didn't really work well, because it was so cold, so they took the half grilled steaks inside and put them in the oven. They were delicious. The Harris family is doing great missionary work. They made us a ton of fliers for the Christmas Devotional, and invited 8 or so people, I believe. They've also given out a copy of the Friend, and have invited a family to be taught by the missionaries! We're very excited to see the blessings that the Lord pours upon them for their service! They also gave us a box of Captain Crunch. Anyways, after dinner there, we went to the Woodridge Pageant. It is a huge production put on by the Woodridge Wards. It's of the Nativity, and is complete with live animals and everything. They even had Hollywood spotlights shining from the church building that you could see from miles away. It was pretty intense. They had a ton of things going on inside as well, so it was a great experience for everyone.
Monday was a pretty good day. We planned Zone Conference for a good chunk of it. We also had to go to Pep Boys to get our oil change. That unfortunately took forever. After that, we took out a young man to teach with us. We went to the Mitchells home to help them with service, and also to teach them. They're doing great with their missionary work. They're giving out some media, and gave us a referral! They're also preparing to go on a mission. We're excited to see their ministry continue. After that, we went to the Eldredges' home for dinner. We taught them, and set up another appointment to help them plan their missionary work. They're a great family, and have helped us out a lot. It was actually on a team teaching excursion that Brother Eldredge took Elder Denter and I to visit the Zacas. This started the chain of appointments that led to Kayla's baptism (they're doing well, and are excited for church to change from 9AM to 11AM for the new year). After this, we went over to the Nielsen's home (where we taught Kim Christie) to swap with the Naper 6 Elders. After eating ice cream with the Nielsens, Elder Baum and I went over to Brother Mitchell's son's home to do a baptismal interview for Brother Mitchell's grandson's friend, who will be baptized this weekend. It went very well. Elder Baum and Elder Hathenbruck had told us his name was David Martinez when they first set him for baptism a month and a half ago. I forgot his first name, and was praying for "Brother Martinez" for quite some time. I found out there that his last name is actually Ramirez. I don't know who this Brother Martinez is that I was praying for, but I hope he appreciates the prayers! Anyways, David is awesome. He'll be a great member. After that interview, we exchanged back. We split because we had an appointment with the Rosas in our area. Elder Ahlman and Elder Kotowski helped them plan their missionary work. They're awesome. They've brought over 7 friends to church since I've been here. They also were instrumental in the reactivation of the Matucks, and have been great support for the Popes. They're now going to hand out some media. We're excited to see the opportunites that come up for them to invite others to take the missionary lessons as they distribute these gifts.
Tuesday was a pretty good day. We had the Hesed House, which was good. After that, we went to Maple Terrace and taught some people there. Mike is awesome, and has really been helping us out a lot. He really likes Pepsi, so we think we're going to get him a big bottle of Coca-Cola for Christmas! We also taught Lorenszo, who committed to coming to church. After this, we did stop bys, which went well. We didn't really get much out of doing it though. We also made a lot of calls and got a list of more people to stop by. After this, we went to the Matucks for dinner. We had a great lesson with them, that was truly given to us by revelation in Companion Study in the morning. We read a lot of 1 Nephi 17, and made some specific comparisons to their lives. Their next step in preparing for the Temple is going to be getting their Patriarchal Blessings! They came up with that, and are excited for it. They're going to talk to the Bishop about that on Sunday.
Today should be good. We've got some fun stuff going on during the day, then an awesome line up of appointments for the evening. We're going to teach Jeremy and his family, go to the Neuders' home for dinner, and finally meet with the Adams to help them plan their next steps for missionary work. The Neuders have done an awesome job with their missionary work so far, and are working on giving out 6 DVDs. The Adams have brought over 3 people for us to teach in their home since I've been here (2 planned, 1 unwittingly). We're very excited to see the missionary zeal of this great Ward continue to increase.
Well, things are great. I hope you're doing well! I love you a lot, and am looking forward to talking with you. I'm glad I'm out here, and have the opportunity to share the Gospel with others. I know it is the way for us to inherit Eternal Life, and am to excited to help many of God's Children prepare for the life to come. I've got a great hope of a better world, and plan on living there with you.
Well, I'll talk to you next week (write and talk)! I hope you have an awesome week. My companion is typing some stuff up still, so if you want to write anything back now, I'll probably be able to answer it. [Sadly, I was gone when the email came, so no chance to email back. :-(]
Love,
Elder Bradley E McMullin
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Mission Update -- 12/9/09
Here's Elder M's email for the week. It was sure good to hear from him (as always). My favorite day of the week!!
Hello!
I'm glad to hear how things are going. I'm sorry you're having such cold weather, Grandma! It's been great here. We've only had a few inches of snow, and the wind has been pretty calm... It's only expected to get up to 40 or 50 miles per hour. Not bad, huh!
Well, I'm glad things are going ok for everyone. Sorry about your ear infection, Tay! It sounds like Cater is having some fun trips. Have a good time on them. Thanks for sending me your 50 for 50 list, Dad! Keep it up! What's new on your busy agenda, Mom? Are you doing a gift drive or anything? Grandpa, are you keeping busy at the Chamber still? Have you finished the Book of Mormon? I hope all goes well over this next week!
We've had a wild week here. Here's what has happened:
Last Wednesday, we played tennis and soccer. This was a good call, because it was the last day we were able to for a long time. It was still pretty cold, but it was fun. After spending time with other missionaries doing that, we went over to the Popes for another Thanksgiving dinner. We brought some other missionaries too. Elder Gates did the baptismal interview. Brother Pope passed with flying colors! It was a great night of excitement.
Thursday was pretty good too. We did some finding and planning for District Leader Council. We also did some service for Sister Glaviano, and helped her plan for her missionary work. We also taught Lorenszo, and cried repentance unto him. We taught Roger a little later with Mike. Roger is doing well, and is progressing. He really gets everything we teach, and is reading the Book of Mormon. He's got a bright future, and we're pretty excited for him. We did some other stop bys in Maple Terrace. After that, we went to the Richards' home for dinner. They're a young couple, and are very nice. We also helped them make some plans for missionary work, which was great.
Friday was a pretty good day. We had District Leader Council after our morning schedule. District Leader Council is a meeting where all of the District Leaders from our Zone come, and we teach what we were taught in Zone Leader Council. It's a council, so we have a lot of input from everyone, and it's pretty productive. This one went well. After that, we went out to find. We found a new investigator by tracting. After that, we went to teach Krista and Jessica. They're doing well. Krista is reading the Book of Mormon, and is doing great. She's at least to 2 Nephi now. Krista also committed to come to Mark Pope's baptism. After that, we went to teach the Gamboas. They're great. After that, we went to dinner at the Adams.
It's pretty funny... We've been keeping track of what we've had at all dinner appointments this transfer. As of Saturday we had either a bird (mostly chicken, but turkey twice) or lasagna. We have had SO MUCH CHICKEN it is insane. It's good, but we're ready for beef.
Saturday was awesome. Brother Pope's baptism was great. It was pretty packed too. We had Sister Bentley, one of their friends from Arizona, give the talk on baptism. Brother Bentley baptized Brother Pope. The Rosa family did a musical number. Brother Masters, Sister Pope's brother, gave the talk on the Holy Ghost. The Stake President, President Peterson, gave some remarks. Elder Ahlman and I said the opening and closing prayers, respectively. Brother Pope also bore his testimony, which was perfect. It was a touching event. Sister Pope's family was awesome. They are so excited for the baptism, and Sister Pope's full activation. Everyone is excited for the Popes to go to the temple in a year (especially them). After the baptism, we went to teach the Zacas. They're doing well. After that, we went back to prepare for Stake MCM. The Naperville Zone is doing quite well. After that, we went to our Ward Christmas party. It was really fun. They had a bunch of fun, food, and a great talent show. We were impressed with how talented the members are. That took up a lot of time, and afterwards our day was over.
Sunday was one of the best days ever. In the early morning, we had a productive Stake MCM which went well. After that, we had a great fast and testimony meeting. We heard the testimonies of Mark and Lily Pope. They were powerful. We've heard Mark's a lot, which is great, but it was especially touching to hear Lily's. Their relatives and friends also bore their testimonies. The Spirit of God was truly burning like a fire in our hearts. President Duffield confirmed Brother Pope as well, which was powerful. We were grateful to have the opportunity to stand in the circle for that. After church, I was able to confer the Aaronic Priesthood to Brother Pope. It will be pretty fun for him to get his priesthood line... Because of a weird connection we found. His middle name is Edward, after his father. His father's name is Edward Ralph! He's excited to go through the temple for Edward Ralph Pope. Anyways, after that, we left church. We went over to the Petersons' home for our monthly break the fast lunch! It was great, as always. We then went home to do our weekly planning, which we held so late in the week because we were so busy. We then went over to our second dinner appointment with the Mitchells. That was also great! We had ham and "heavenly potatoes", which was awesome. It was very close to one of our family favorites, ham and scalloped potatoes! We were stuffed afterwards though. Over stuffed. They're moving, so they gave us some of their food storage too, which was nice. After that, we went over to the Christmas Devotional, which was great. From there, we went to the Harris family home for dessert. We had a good time there. Needless to say, we really over ate on Sunday. The Young Women from the Ward also made us a huge basket filled with treats for Christmas, which was nice. We also got to teach Priests Quorum about how to teach lessons to investigators. It was a good day.
Monday was pretty good too. We had a great District Meeting. Elder Gates is a great missionary, and has exceptional District Meetings. After that, we went on exchanges with Prestbury. I had Elder Dearinger with me in Naper 4. We went home for lunch and planning. We went to Maple Terrace so he could have an experience. We got to teach Brad and Sue, so he got it. After that, we went to visit David. We then went to teach Krista and Jessica. They're doing well, and are progressing. Jessica was really ill, so we gave her a blessing. I annointed, then Elder Dearinger gave his first one in the mission field. He did great. After that, we went to dinner with the Housers. They took us out for Indian food. It was pretty good. After that, we went to visit Brandon. He's doing well. We taught him about teaching the Gospel, and had him practice teaching a couple of principles. He did really well.
Tuesday was an alright day. We did some tracting in the morning after studies. We found a referral for the Spanish Elders... Just like always! We then went to the Hesed House. They had us decorating. It was pretty fun, because we got to climb all over stuff to hang some lights. We exchanged back there. After that, we went to Maple Terrace for a while. We read some scriptures with Mike, and talked to a few people. After that, we went to the Gaffneys' home and taught a friend of theirs there. That went quite well, and we've got another appointment with Dean. At this point, it was really nasty out. It was snowing pretty hard. We went and got Mike, then all went to Nancy's home for dinner. Now that I think of it, this was actually our first time having at a members home the whole transfer! We had tacos. We then taught about temples to Mike and Nancy. Mike's about to get his endowments, and Nancy is working towards her temple reccomend too.
Today should be pretty good. We had some good studies this morning. I read the Allegory of the Olive Tree pretty in depth. Mark Pope thinks it is the most boring part of the Book of Mormon, but I really enjoy it. We're going to read the Book of Mormon for the rest of the day too, so it should be a good Preparation Day. We're also going to Jeremy Hwang's home for dinner! That will be awesome.
Well, I'm doing well. Thanks for your prayers and support! I love you so much. I hope you have a great week. Let me know how it's going for inviting someone over to be taught by the missionaries. I haven't heard anything about that...
Taylor and Caitlin, please write me a letter! I'll write you one very soon. Sorry I don't. I do love ha though. [He did mean to put "love ha" instead of "love ya". Family joke :-)]
Love,
Elder Bradley E McMullin
Hello!
I'm glad to hear how things are going. I'm sorry you're having such cold weather, Grandma! It's been great here. We've only had a few inches of snow, and the wind has been pretty calm... It's only expected to get up to 40 or 50 miles per hour. Not bad, huh!
Well, I'm glad things are going ok for everyone. Sorry about your ear infection, Tay! It sounds like Cater is having some fun trips. Have a good time on them. Thanks for sending me your 50 for 50 list, Dad! Keep it up! What's new on your busy agenda, Mom? Are you doing a gift drive or anything? Grandpa, are you keeping busy at the Chamber still? Have you finished the Book of Mormon? I hope all goes well over this next week!
We've had a wild week here. Here's what has happened:
Last Wednesday, we played tennis and soccer. This was a good call, because it was the last day we were able to for a long time. It was still pretty cold, but it was fun. After spending time with other missionaries doing that, we went over to the Popes for another Thanksgiving dinner. We brought some other missionaries too. Elder Gates did the baptismal interview. Brother Pope passed with flying colors! It was a great night of excitement.
Thursday was pretty good too. We did some finding and planning for District Leader Council. We also did some service for Sister Glaviano, and helped her plan for her missionary work. We also taught Lorenszo, and cried repentance unto him. We taught Roger a little later with Mike. Roger is doing well, and is progressing. He really gets everything we teach, and is reading the Book of Mormon. He's got a bright future, and we're pretty excited for him. We did some other stop bys in Maple Terrace. After that, we went to the Richards' home for dinner. They're a young couple, and are very nice. We also helped them make some plans for missionary work, which was great.
Friday was a pretty good day. We had District Leader Council after our morning schedule. District Leader Council is a meeting where all of the District Leaders from our Zone come, and we teach what we were taught in Zone Leader Council. It's a council, so we have a lot of input from everyone, and it's pretty productive. This one went well. After that, we went out to find. We found a new investigator by tracting. After that, we went to teach Krista and Jessica. They're doing well. Krista is reading the Book of Mormon, and is doing great. She's at least to 2 Nephi now. Krista also committed to come to Mark Pope's baptism. After that, we went to teach the Gamboas. They're great. After that, we went to dinner at the Adams.
It's pretty funny... We've been keeping track of what we've had at all dinner appointments this transfer. As of Saturday we had either a bird (mostly chicken, but turkey twice) or lasagna. We have had SO MUCH CHICKEN it is insane. It's good, but we're ready for beef.
Saturday was awesome. Brother Pope's baptism was great. It was pretty packed too. We had Sister Bentley, one of their friends from Arizona, give the talk on baptism. Brother Bentley baptized Brother Pope. The Rosa family did a musical number. Brother Masters, Sister Pope's brother, gave the talk on the Holy Ghost. The Stake President, President Peterson, gave some remarks. Elder Ahlman and I said the opening and closing prayers, respectively. Brother Pope also bore his testimony, which was perfect. It was a touching event. Sister Pope's family was awesome. They are so excited for the baptism, and Sister Pope's full activation. Everyone is excited for the Popes to go to the temple in a year (especially them). After the baptism, we went to teach the Zacas. They're doing well. After that, we went back to prepare for Stake MCM. The Naperville Zone is doing quite well. After that, we went to our Ward Christmas party. It was really fun. They had a bunch of fun, food, and a great talent show. We were impressed with how talented the members are. That took up a lot of time, and afterwards our day was over.
Sunday was one of the best days ever. In the early morning, we had a productive Stake MCM which went well. After that, we had a great fast and testimony meeting. We heard the testimonies of Mark and Lily Pope. They were powerful. We've heard Mark's a lot, which is great, but it was especially touching to hear Lily's. Their relatives and friends also bore their testimonies. The Spirit of God was truly burning like a fire in our hearts. President Duffield confirmed Brother Pope as well, which was powerful. We were grateful to have the opportunity to stand in the circle for that. After church, I was able to confer the Aaronic Priesthood to Brother Pope. It will be pretty fun for him to get his priesthood line... Because of a weird connection we found. His middle name is Edward, after his father. His father's name is Edward Ralph! He's excited to go through the temple for Edward Ralph Pope. Anyways, after that, we left church. We went over to the Petersons' home for our monthly break the fast lunch! It was great, as always. We then went home to do our weekly planning, which we held so late in the week because we were so busy. We then went over to our second dinner appointment with the Mitchells. That was also great! We had ham and "heavenly potatoes", which was awesome. It was very close to one of our family favorites, ham and scalloped potatoes! We were stuffed afterwards though. Over stuffed. They're moving, so they gave us some of their food storage too, which was nice. After that, we went over to the Christmas Devotional, which was great. From there, we went to the Harris family home for dessert. We had a good time there. Needless to say, we really over ate on Sunday. The Young Women from the Ward also made us a huge basket filled with treats for Christmas, which was nice. We also got to teach Priests Quorum about how to teach lessons to investigators. It was a good day.
Monday was pretty good too. We had a great District Meeting. Elder Gates is a great missionary, and has exceptional District Meetings. After that, we went on exchanges with Prestbury. I had Elder Dearinger with me in Naper 4. We went home for lunch and planning. We went to Maple Terrace so he could have an experience. We got to teach Brad and Sue, so he got it. After that, we went to visit David. We then went to teach Krista and Jessica. They're doing well, and are progressing. Jessica was really ill, so we gave her a blessing. I annointed, then Elder Dearinger gave his first one in the mission field. He did great. After that, we went to dinner with the Housers. They took us out for Indian food. It was pretty good. After that, we went to visit Brandon. He's doing well. We taught him about teaching the Gospel, and had him practice teaching a couple of principles. He did really well.
Tuesday was an alright day. We did some tracting in the morning after studies. We found a referral for the Spanish Elders... Just like always! We then went to the Hesed House. They had us decorating. It was pretty fun, because we got to climb all over stuff to hang some lights. We exchanged back there. After that, we went to Maple Terrace for a while. We read some scriptures with Mike, and talked to a few people. After that, we went to the Gaffneys' home and taught a friend of theirs there. That went quite well, and we've got another appointment with Dean. At this point, it was really nasty out. It was snowing pretty hard. We went and got Mike, then all went to Nancy's home for dinner. Now that I think of it, this was actually our first time having at a members home the whole transfer! We had tacos. We then taught about temples to Mike and Nancy. Mike's about to get his endowments, and Nancy is working towards her temple reccomend too.
Today should be pretty good. We had some good studies this morning. I read the Allegory of the Olive Tree pretty in depth. Mark Pope thinks it is the most boring part of the Book of Mormon, but I really enjoy it. We're going to read the Book of Mormon for the rest of the day too, so it should be a good Preparation Day. We're also going to Jeremy Hwang's home for dinner! That will be awesome.
Well, I'm doing well. Thanks for your prayers and support! I love you so much. I hope you have a great week. Let me know how it's going for inviting someone over to be taught by the missionaries. I haven't heard anything about that...
Taylor and Caitlin, please write me a letter! I'll write you one very soon. Sorry I don't. I do love ha though. [He did mean to put "love ha" instead of "love ya". Family joke :-)]
Love,
Elder Bradley E McMullin
Brother Pope's Baptism
Elder Ahlman, Sister Pope, Brother Pope, Brother Bentley and Elder M. on Mark Pope's baptism day.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Mission Update 12/2/09
Things are going well in Aurora, IL. Sounds like the missionaries had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Here's Elder M's update:
Hello Family,
I'm glad to hear things are going well. That's great that you all had a great Thanksgiving! I hope you get feeling better from your accident, Dad. I also hope that you get feeling better from your ailments too, G&G. You're in my prayers.
Things have been going very well here. This last week was great. Here's a little bit of what happened:
Thanksgiving was awesome. We woke up, got ready, then had a Turkey Bowl with the Naperville 6th Ward. It was very fun, wet, and cold. After that, we had a Zone Turkey Bowl. That was also very fun, but wasn't wet or cold because we had it inside. After that, we came home and showered. We got ready to eat. We went to eat a little bit of food at Brad and Sue's, then went for the real deal at Nancy's. We had 10 missionaries over there. It was pretty fun. The food was great, as was the company. That was pretty much it for the day actually.
Friday was great. We had District Meeting in the morning which went very well. One thing we talked about was praying right before tracting to ask the Lord where to go. We've prayed for streets, then just done a lot around the area, and always pray before tracting, but don't always pull over to pray and ask where to go as well. We pulled over to pray when we had a half hour open, and were led to a street where we found a new investigator. Elizabeth invited us in, and we were able to teach her. After that, we had some appointment fall throughs, but were able to go early to teach in Maple Terrace. We taught Gail, a woman that we've talked to quite a bit, but has just recently accepted the invitation to hear the lessons. That went very well. She felt and recognized the Spirit, and is doing super well (actually preparing for baptism, but we'll talk more about that later). We also taught a couple of other people that became new investigators, but have not really gone anywhere since. After spending a while at Maple Terrace, we went to the Gaffneys' home, and ended up teaching Sister Gaffney's boyfriend too. We were led to meet yet another new investigator there. After that, we went to the Gamboas' home and taught Alex about preparing for a mission. We then went to the Matucks' home for dinner.
Saturday was also a good day. We had some fall throughs and unsuccessful finding, but were able to find another new investigator and teach Gail again at Maple Terrace. After that, we ate lunch. We then went out to find and teach, but didn't get much for a while. We did get a hold of and get an opportunity to teach Krista, Jessica, and yet another person the Lord put into our path to teach. That went well. They're all racing us through the Book of Mormon, but are going to take it seriously and read thoroughly. After that, we went to teach the Plan of Salvation to Chiquita. She is doing really really well. We're excited for her upcoming baptism on December 19th. After that, we went to Nancy's home for dinner and a lesson.
Sunday was great. We had a great day at church. We had quite a few investigators there, so it was great. Everyone is getting excited about Mark Pope's baptism. It is incredible how unified our Gospel Principles class is. Everyone that attends just loves it. We're all edified, and feel the Spirit strongly. It's so packed every week. We had to rob another classroom this Sunday, which was pretty neat. After church, we went to lunch at the Jones' home. They are great, and are doing some awesome missionary work. We were able to help them plan their efforts for a few of their friends. After that, we had some finding time and some study time. We didn't find a new investigator, but did get a potential I believe. We then had dinner with the Neuders, which was great. We had good food, a good time, and were able to help them make some specific plans to share the Gospel. They're doing a great job, and are inviting some friends to a Ward Activity this weekend. After dinner we did more tracting, and were led to a new investigator by the Spirit. Yolanda is great, and we're hoping to see her progress. That ended a great week.
Monday was a very good day. We had Zone Leader Council, which went well. We learned a lot, and are excited to see the improvements all will make as we put what we learned into action. After ZL Council, we had a few appointments, including a great one with Gail. She felt the Spirit, and recognized it. She accepted a baptismal date for January 2nd, and prayed for help in preparing for it. She got quite emotional, and was confused at first, but understood it was God speaking to her. We're very happy for the changes Gail is making in her life. The Lord has really blessed her, and us. Mike C has also been instrumental in helping us find and teach those who are humble in Maple Terrace. He was there for the lesson, and has been right by our side in helping others come unto Christ. We hope he can go on a service mission at least at some point. After teaching Gail, we went to the Christensens for dinner, which was great. After that, we went back to Maple Terrace and taught Chiquita and Nikita. We made them a baptismal calendar, and taught some 2 of the "Big 3" commandments. They accepted them, and are doing great. Nikita hadn't come to church, because she was embarrassed about not having church shoes. She's committed to come regardless (and has since got shoes from Sister Matuck), and is doing well. They also prayed for help preparing for their baptism. After that, we went home and got ready for an exchange. I went with Elder Baum to be in Naper 6.
Tuesday was pretty great. We went out finding in the morning, and got a potential that let us teach her for about 15 minutes, but was just too busy for a return appointment. After that, we went to the Bishop's Storehouse to do service. The Naper 6 Elders work there once a week. We reorganized a meat freezer, and calculated we moved literally thousands of pounds of meat. We estimated we moved around 20,000 pounds total. It was insane. I had a great surprise there, when in walked the Swensons! It was going to be the Frankfort Branch order pulling night Tuesday evening, so they came early to get everything ready. It was fun to see the Swensons. They're doing pretty well, and it sounds like things are pretty good overall down there in my home Branch. Tony Cammarata is also starting to go to church. They moved out of Frankfort to Alabama, and the Church helped them out a lot. He finally is going to attend, and I would not be surprised to hear about a baptism within the next year. Anyways, after serving at the Bishop's Storehouse (for a really long time), we went to visit some older members of the Naperville 6th Ward. The Dungans are great, and we had an awesome time teaching them. They're doing some good missionary work. After that, we went out tracting, and ended up tracting into a current investigator of the Spanish Sisters. That was pretty fun. We couldn't communicate very well, but we talked about the Book of Mormon, and had a good chat. We also told her to tell the Sisters she prefers Elders. The Sisters should get a kick out of that. After tracting, we went to dinner with the Hammers. The Hammers are a "Celestial family," who I think anyone could learn from. We walked in, then were taken to a back room where we had a song, then all knelt for prayer. They've got 5 kids who all sing their family song, which has lyrics such as "we love to seve the Lord." Their oldest, a 7 year old, is already in Alma in her Book of Mormon reading. Almost all decorations in their home are scripture paintings, or from Church history. They don't own a TV. The kids are well behaved, and have strong testimonies. They regularly take the missionaries out teaching their neighbors and friends, and love to serve the Lord. It was pretty neat. After eating there, and helping them plan some additional missionary work, we left to exchange back. We exchanged at the Matucks. Elder Ahlman and I taught Chiquita and Nikita there. That went really well. The Matucks are on fire. They're loving the Church, and service. We're probably going to have recurring lessons in their home with investigators every week. Having investigators come over to members' homes is ideal. I believe I challenged you to invite someone into our home to hear the missionary lessons before the year ends... How is that going? I hope well, because it has potential to be one of the greatest experiences you or they will ever have.
Today should be a great day. We've had our studies, and other typical morning stuff already, and are ready to go shopping, then have a tennis tournament with other missionaries that are coming over. We also have a dinner appointment with the Popes, which should be great. He's going to have his baptismal interview too, so we're bringing over the other missionaries for dinner and the interview. The Pope's are pretty excited.
Well, there you go. Things are going very well. The Lord has blessed us much, and I'm grateful for it. I'm grateful for all you do for me as well. I love you so much, and hope things continue going well. Just work hard towards righteous goals, and have joy in the journey. Thanks for your words of advice, Dad. I'm excited to give it my all as I finish my mission.
Let me know if there is anything you'd like me to tell you, send to you, or whatever else.
Until next week,
Love,
Elder Bradley E McMullin
Hello Family,
I'm glad to hear things are going well. That's great that you all had a great Thanksgiving! I hope you get feeling better from your accident, Dad. I also hope that you get feeling better from your ailments too, G&G. You're in my prayers.
Things have been going very well here. This last week was great. Here's a little bit of what happened:
Thanksgiving was awesome. We woke up, got ready, then had a Turkey Bowl with the Naperville 6th Ward. It was very fun, wet, and cold. After that, we had a Zone Turkey Bowl. That was also very fun, but wasn't wet or cold because we had it inside. After that, we came home and showered. We got ready to eat. We went to eat a little bit of food at Brad and Sue's, then went for the real deal at Nancy's. We had 10 missionaries over there. It was pretty fun. The food was great, as was the company. That was pretty much it for the day actually.
Friday was great. We had District Meeting in the morning which went very well. One thing we talked about was praying right before tracting to ask the Lord where to go. We've prayed for streets, then just done a lot around the area, and always pray before tracting, but don't always pull over to pray and ask where to go as well. We pulled over to pray when we had a half hour open, and were led to a street where we found a new investigator. Elizabeth invited us in, and we were able to teach her. After that, we had some appointment fall throughs, but were able to go early to teach in Maple Terrace. We taught Gail, a woman that we've talked to quite a bit, but has just recently accepted the invitation to hear the lessons. That went very well. She felt and recognized the Spirit, and is doing super well (actually preparing for baptism, but we'll talk more about that later). We also taught a couple of other people that became new investigators, but have not really gone anywhere since. After spending a while at Maple Terrace, we went to the Gaffneys' home, and ended up teaching Sister Gaffney's boyfriend too. We were led to meet yet another new investigator there. After that, we went to the Gamboas' home and taught Alex about preparing for a mission. We then went to the Matucks' home for dinner.
Saturday was also a good day. We had some fall throughs and unsuccessful finding, but were able to find another new investigator and teach Gail again at Maple Terrace. After that, we ate lunch. We then went out to find and teach, but didn't get much for a while. We did get a hold of and get an opportunity to teach Krista, Jessica, and yet another person the Lord put into our path to teach. That went well. They're all racing us through the Book of Mormon, but are going to take it seriously and read thoroughly. After that, we went to teach the Plan of Salvation to Chiquita. She is doing really really well. We're excited for her upcoming baptism on December 19th. After that, we went to Nancy's home for dinner and a lesson.
Sunday was great. We had a great day at church. We had quite a few investigators there, so it was great. Everyone is getting excited about Mark Pope's baptism. It is incredible how unified our Gospel Principles class is. Everyone that attends just loves it. We're all edified, and feel the Spirit strongly. It's so packed every week. We had to rob another classroom this Sunday, which was pretty neat. After church, we went to lunch at the Jones' home. They are great, and are doing some awesome missionary work. We were able to help them plan their efforts for a few of their friends. After that, we had some finding time and some study time. We didn't find a new investigator, but did get a potential I believe. We then had dinner with the Neuders, which was great. We had good food, a good time, and were able to help them make some specific plans to share the Gospel. They're doing a great job, and are inviting some friends to a Ward Activity this weekend. After dinner we did more tracting, and were led to a new investigator by the Spirit. Yolanda is great, and we're hoping to see her progress. That ended a great week.
Monday was a very good day. We had Zone Leader Council, which went well. We learned a lot, and are excited to see the improvements all will make as we put what we learned into action. After ZL Council, we had a few appointments, including a great one with Gail. She felt the Spirit, and recognized it. She accepted a baptismal date for January 2nd, and prayed for help in preparing for it. She got quite emotional, and was confused at first, but understood it was God speaking to her. We're very happy for the changes Gail is making in her life. The Lord has really blessed her, and us. Mike C has also been instrumental in helping us find and teach those who are humble in Maple Terrace. He was there for the lesson, and has been right by our side in helping others come unto Christ. We hope he can go on a service mission at least at some point. After teaching Gail, we went to the Christensens for dinner, which was great. After that, we went back to Maple Terrace and taught Chiquita and Nikita. We made them a baptismal calendar, and taught some 2 of the "Big 3" commandments. They accepted them, and are doing great. Nikita hadn't come to church, because she was embarrassed about not having church shoes. She's committed to come regardless (and has since got shoes from Sister Matuck), and is doing well. They also prayed for help preparing for their baptism. After that, we went home and got ready for an exchange. I went with Elder Baum to be in Naper 6.
Tuesday was pretty great. We went out finding in the morning, and got a potential that let us teach her for about 15 minutes, but was just too busy for a return appointment. After that, we went to the Bishop's Storehouse to do service. The Naper 6 Elders work there once a week. We reorganized a meat freezer, and calculated we moved literally thousands of pounds of meat. We estimated we moved around 20,000 pounds total. It was insane. I had a great surprise there, when in walked the Swensons! It was going to be the Frankfort Branch order pulling night Tuesday evening, so they came early to get everything ready. It was fun to see the Swensons. They're doing pretty well, and it sounds like things are pretty good overall down there in my home Branch. Tony Cammarata is also starting to go to church. They moved out of Frankfort to Alabama, and the Church helped them out a lot. He finally is going to attend, and I would not be surprised to hear about a baptism within the next year. Anyways, after serving at the Bishop's Storehouse (for a really long time), we went to visit some older members of the Naperville 6th Ward. The Dungans are great, and we had an awesome time teaching them. They're doing some good missionary work. After that, we went out tracting, and ended up tracting into a current investigator of the Spanish Sisters. That was pretty fun. We couldn't communicate very well, but we talked about the Book of Mormon, and had a good chat. We also told her to tell the Sisters she prefers Elders. The Sisters should get a kick out of that. After tracting, we went to dinner with the Hammers. The Hammers are a "Celestial family," who I think anyone could learn from. We walked in, then were taken to a back room where we had a song, then all knelt for prayer. They've got 5 kids who all sing their family song, which has lyrics such as "we love to seve the Lord." Their oldest, a 7 year old, is already in Alma in her Book of Mormon reading. Almost all decorations in their home are scripture paintings, or from Church history. They don't own a TV. The kids are well behaved, and have strong testimonies. They regularly take the missionaries out teaching their neighbors and friends, and love to serve the Lord. It was pretty neat. After eating there, and helping them plan some additional missionary work, we left to exchange back. We exchanged at the Matucks. Elder Ahlman and I taught Chiquita and Nikita there. That went really well. The Matucks are on fire. They're loving the Church, and service. We're probably going to have recurring lessons in their home with investigators every week. Having investigators come over to members' homes is ideal. I believe I challenged you to invite someone into our home to hear the missionary lessons before the year ends... How is that going? I hope well, because it has potential to be one of the greatest experiences you or they will ever have.
Today should be a great day. We've had our studies, and other typical morning stuff already, and are ready to go shopping, then have a tennis tournament with other missionaries that are coming over. We also have a dinner appointment with the Popes, which should be great. He's going to have his baptismal interview too, so we're bringing over the other missionaries for dinner and the interview. The Pope's are pretty excited.
Well, there you go. Things are going very well. The Lord has blessed us much, and I'm grateful for it. I'm grateful for all you do for me as well. I love you so much, and hope things continue going well. Just work hard towards righteous goals, and have joy in the journey. Thanks for your words of advice, Dad. I'm excited to give it my all as I finish my mission.
Let me know if there is anything you'd like me to tell you, send to you, or whatever else.
Until next week,
Love,
Elder Bradley E McMullin
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