Week 8: 2 Nephi 26:30

I want to keep this short and sweet.  I'm also going to be blunt here, this probably applies to every one of us.  It absolutely applies to me.  Please take this to heart and work on it.  Don't just read my email to hear from me or skim through it without getting anything out of it.  My bishop said, paraphrasing a general authority he heard speak, "You don't fall in or out of love. Love is something you pray and work for everyday. If you aren't loving someone as much as you should be, you've got some work to do."  This applies to every single relationship we have.  Please pray and work for the love of others. I promise, as a representative of Jesus Christ, that if you do that, you will be happy.

Much love,

Elder Poulsen

Week 7: Dios es bueno

I'm not going to sugar coat.  This week was extremely hard.

I miss home a lot.  Two of my favorite artists came to Salt Lake City and I missed it.  I know that in retrospect, those concerts won't matter, but it did make me think about home.  My mom and sister are in Seattle fighting hard, with no promise of anything.  It's been really hard to not miss them and things back home.  I try hard everyday to focus on my purpose.  I work as hard as I can, but sometimes it just isn't enough, and I find myself in heartbreak and tears because I am away from those I love.  I have thoughts of being forgotten and not knowing if things will be the same when I get back home.  I have really tried hard to get past these feelings, but they do come up.  Someone emailed me during the week and said "You are a great man and you will be rewarded for your effort."  This meant a lot to me.  I remember the months leading up to my mission.  I remember when I came out.  It has been a sacrifice.  I honestly can say that I was not beaming with joy to come out here, but I knew what God expected of me, and I know He does not leave our efforts unrewarded.  My family and my future family will be blessed, and that is why I am here.  I am here to bless others.  This is not about me.

We might have hard trials, however, God compensates for our hardships evenly.  This week was really hard.   I had thoughts of quitting, going home, and it was hard, but I was able to experience and equal amount of joy.  

On Teusday, we went over to a less-active's home.  He texted us earlier that morning and told us to come.  He was struggling with some paranormal activity in his life.  He told us that he's always been sensitive to that kind of stuff and that he was very scared.  I could tell from the first time we saw him that he was not his usual self.  We gave him a blessing and dedicated his home.  His whole demeanor changed and we've tried checking up on him this week with no success.  However, we are so grateful he thought to text us in his time of need.  He recognized that God was the only way he could turn.

On Saturday, we went over to one of our investigator's homes to read the Book of Mormon with him.  He wasn't home so we started to bike away pretty deflated, but then we saw 3 kids playing near a playground.  We went over and talked to them.  They were between ages 9 and 11.  2 of the kids were hesitant but the other one was a little African American boy named Raheem.  He was very friendly.  He said the other kids names were "Eggroll Kenny" and "Whiteboy Talon".  Yes, Kenny is Asian and Talon is white, it was pretty funny.  We talked to them about school, basketball, and their families.  They all opened up at that point and were very talkative.  They asked us what our jobs were and we explained that we teach people about Jesus.  Talon said "Well, teach us."  So we taught them the Plan of Salvation.  They responded very well.  They asked questions and were very interested.  Kenny was the one who responded the best.  He told us he felt something warm inside him and we told him that it was the Holy Ghost.  We told them that there was more to our message and they were really excited.  We gave them our number to give to their families and parted ways.  It's in the Lord's hands at this point.  All we can do is hope and pray.

Sunday, we were able to have dinner with the bishop and his family.  He has an awesome family and they really gave me hope.  He told us stories from his mission and we had a good time.  Very relaxing.

This morning, we went outside and our car was gone.  Long story short, it was towed.  We had to go through a long process to get it back.  At first, I was pretty ticked off, but it ended up being alright and we had a different type of P-Day than we usually have.  I saw a sticker on the back of a car that said "Dios es bueno".  This week was a total manifestation that God is good.

I am still hurting from this week, but still healing.  It is an amazing feeling to take one day at a time.  

Moroni 7:13 "But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God."

I don't just say this without meaning it.  I love and care for you all.  Have a fantastic week and pray always.

Much love,

Elder Poulsen

Elder DeVroom

The bishop and his family

P-Day jawns 

Yours truly

Milo.  A drink that was everywhere 

when I went to Singapore and Malaysia.  

Love the taste of nostalgia.

Week 7: Moroni 10:20-21

I want to talk about something that has been on my mind this week.  I'm going to be brief because it's a simple topic.  Some people have viewed my method of missionary work as unorthodox.  My goal here in Florida is to do things that God wants me to do.  Yes, I will be obedient to my leaders, but I will follow God first, having charity in my heart, and not have a fear of man.  I think that too often we fear man more than we fear God.  Don't worry about what people think of you.  Do what you know is right, even when people oppose you.  Things will work out.  Charity is the most important thing, I cannot stress that enough. D&C 122:9 "...fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever."  Please remember this and stop worrying about what people think about you, it causes too much pain.  I love you all and hope you have a joyful week.

Much love,

Elder Poulsen

Week 6: I don't like barbecue.

On Tuesday, Elder Gallup called our mission nurse because of some medical issues he has been dealing with for a while.  It had progressively gotten worse over the course of the transfer and he couldn't handle the pain anymore.  We went to a doctor for him to get it checked and he was advised to have surgery.  Mission protocol calls for him to go home, so between Wednesday and Friday, we were figuring out what was going on and coordinating with the Mission President.  We found out on Friday that he was leaving early Saturday morning and that I would be getting a new companion.

This came as a huge shock because Elder Gallup and I had just started to connect and really get things going, and it was all going away.  I tried to keep my emotions in check.  He gave me a tie and wrote on the back of it.  He said "Elder Poulsen, thanks for all of it.  The laughs, the love, the support.  You are going to be a great missionary. D&C 6:36"  I am grateful for what he has taught me.  He is a great missionary and I love him.  I hope he comes back soon and we can serve together again.

Saturday morning, my new companion came.  His name is Elder DeVroom.  All of my companions have had really cool names, Elder Riggs, Gallup, and DeVroom.  He's from Sandy, Utah and has been out 20 months.  He's very experienced and very knowledgeable.  He is different from Elder Gallup, so it will take a little getting used to, but I trust God and I know that this situation will work out.

A couple of emails ago, I said Nicolas was on date for a baptism on April 7th.  We had to reschedule, but it is now set for April 13th.  Hopefully by next Monday I can email you all telling you about his baptism.  I'm so excited for that day.  I have seen the difference in his family because of the Spirit.  Nicolas is taking a big step and I am so happy for him.

Time to explain the title of this email.

On Saturday, we had a dinner with the Daniel's.  They are a fairly young couple in the ward and they have a 4 year old daughter named Aela.  She is easily the funniest, smartest, and outgoing 4 year old I have ever met.  She had no problem talking to us and telling us about her life.  She said so many funny things.  One thing she asked was how old we were.  We told her and then she continued to say: "Daddy how old are you?" "29" "Mommy how old are you?" "27" "Wow mommy, you are so old!"  Aela roasted her mom and disregarded that her dad was older.  It was really funny.  At one point, the topic was on flowers and we told her that we had floral ties at our apartment.  She said that they wouldn't look good on us and that we would look gross, but her dad would look cute in one.  I was trying to follow what she was saying so I asked a reassuring question. "If I wore a floral tie, would I look cute or gross?"  She responded and said "I don't like barbecue."  I have never laughed so hard, it was the funniest thing that has happened on my mission.

I've said it before, but I love the members here.  They are so loving and real.  Every dinner we've had has been an uplifting experience.  I really strive to love them, and get to know them.  It's insane how well the Spirit blesses us to remember information about them, and that comes with Christlike love.  Our ward mission leader, Brother Miller, has two crazy boys named Caleb and Konrad.  They love the missionaries and have an endless supply of energy.  The children of the members are so sweet.  They make my heart so happy and I can see the light of Christ that they have.

I hope you have a great week and feel the love the God has for you.

Much love,

Elder Poulsen

A picture Aela drew for us.

Elder Gallup's last night.

Caleb and Konrad.

 Elder Gallup's last night.

Elder Gallup.

Week 6: Alma 26:11-12

I want to talk about the above scripture.  In everything we do, God gives us strength.  Being here, I've noticed that I have done nothing without God and that I would continue to do nothing without God.  He is everything.  For every success I have, I will always boast in God because He is the reason I have everything.  I am so grateful for the experiences I've had.  I'm so grateful for the family and friends that I have.  I hope that this week, we can all remember that we are nothing compared to God, but we are everything to Him.  Through Christ, all things are possible.  I promise that the more we focus on that and strive to become like our Savior, the more happy we will be.

Much love,

Elder Poulsen

Week 5: What the jawn?

I sound like a broken record but these weeks keep going by faster and faster.

We got an email from our apartment complex that their mail system was changed completely.  We weren't able to get over to the leasing office very quick, so if you sent me any mail that was returned, you can now send it again because it is all worked out.

Just to briefly explain what "What the jawn?" means:  Elder Gallup, Elder Cruz, Elder Lester, and I all spend a fair amount of time with each other, even though the other Elders are Spanish speaking and are in a different area.  We share a car with them, go to service and meetings together, and their ward meets in the same building as ours.  Whenever we are with eachother, it's a good time.  "What the jawn?" has become the new thing.  You basically just use "Jawn" as a replacement for anything.  It doesn't mean anything and I'm not even sure where it originated but it has become a staple.  Just a little story to show us that missions can be fun, just as much as they can be hard.  It's the same with all of life.

Tuesday was a really fun day.  I did an exchange with Elder McArthur and went to Elder Williams on the east side of UPK.  It was a really busy day.  We started by biking over to a recent convert named Ray.  He's a classic Floridian.  Southern accent and super funny.  He said the hardest thing to give up was sweet tea because he had been dranking it since he was a baby.  However, it was not hard to convert to the gospel.  He had always been very confused because there are so many religions and denominations, but as soon as he read the Book of Mormon, he said it was easy to understand and it was without a doubt, the word of God.  He has a very strong testimony and just recently went to the temple to do baptisms for the dead.  It was a very spiritual discussion and we left feeling happy.  We biked around and talked to a few people without much success.  

After lunch we started to bike to the Pegero's home.  They are a less-active family that lives in a trailer park about 5 miles from us.  Elder Williams and I were biking along the highway with cars zooming past us at 65 mph.  It was super nerve wracking, especially because Florida drivers are some of the worst in the country.  About halfway there, the chain on the bike I was borrowing slipped off the track and got stuck.  I couldn't pry it out so we were stranded on the side of the road.  We called Brother Pegero and asked if he could come pick us up.  His truck was full of trash so he asked his neighbor if he would and he gladly came and picked us up.  His named is Mr. Dubey.  He's a Vietnam War Veteran.  Very real and very funny.  He wasn't interested in reading the Book of Mormon with us but he was very friendly and I hope I see him again.  We read the Book of Mormon with the Pegero's.  Brother Pegero's granddaughter, Kylie, really liked me for some reason, so we spent a while looking at and taking pictures on my tablet.  (I've attached some below.)  She is the sweetest little girl with the light of Christ.  

After we read with them, we invited Brother Pegero's son, Omar, to be baptized.  He said he would and wants to be baptized on April 8th because it is his dad's birthday.  They don't live in my area, so I won't be able to continue to teach him but I will be able to attend his baptism which is very exciting.  After we finished, Brother Pegero fixed the bike and we were able to ride home.  It was a day full of love, gratitude, and mercy.  It really humbled me to be mindfully grateful for what I have.  I am so grateful for the people God has blessed me with.

Thursday, a member family took us to a restaurant.  Before we sat down, a man called us over to his table.  He was a Vietnam War veteran and was eating with a World War 2 veteran.  They asked us why we were dressed up for such a casual place and we explained that we were missionaries, spreading the joyful word of Christ.  They weren't too interested in our message but the World War 2 veteran reached in his pocket and pulled out a $20.  He handed it to us and said "You're doing good out here.  This is for breakfast tomorrow."  It touched my heart and I felt inspired to be more loving and charitable in my life.

General Conference was this weekend and we were able to watch it at our church building.  There was a lot of inspired change that is happening and it just reafirms that the Lord is hastening His work.  This Church has inspired leaders and they know what God wants for us.  Harken to their council and we will be on the right path.  My favorite talk was by President Oaks.  By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.  Sometimes I get it in my head that I need to do great things all the time, but reality is, the small things we do everyday are the things that define our character.  Remember to do the small things.  Pray daily, search the scriptures, be charitable, and be a disciple of Christ always.  These small things we do are the things thay will bring great miracles into our lives.

Yesterday was Easter, marking the most important day in the history of the world.  I was constantly reminded of Christ's suffering in Gethsemane.  He suffered for each and every one of us.  He loves us infinitely and always has His hand outreached for us.  I hope that you felt His love this weekend and continue to spread that to every one.

Much love,

Elder Poulsen

Week 5: Matthew 5:44

This conference was a strange one.  A lot of changes are coming to The Church and it just shows us that the Lord is hastening his work.  He works in small means and sometimes it can be confusing to us.  

Remember to do those small things that make us great.  Smile at someone, bake cookies for your neighbor, what ever it is, do something small because I promise you that it is not small in the eyes of the Lord.

Alma 37:6-7  "Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.  And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls."

Have a very peaceful and joyful week.

Much love,

Elder Poulsen