Week 33: Trio Training Transfer

What a week it was.  It was long and stressful, but it was good.

Tuesday we drove up to Orlando to meet our new companions.  Elder Changchum and I are trio training a visa waiter named Elder Hekking.  He was originally called to the Madagascar Antananarivo Mission but because of visa complications, he is temporally assigned here for at least a transfer.

A little bit about my companions:

Elder Changchum is from Bangkok, Thailand and lived in Utah for 5 years before coming on his mission.  He's been out since June 2017 so he's the most experienced of the three of us.  He has a thick Thai accent and is super funny.  It's fun to listen to him talk because it's simple English and sometimes I can't understand what he said.  He also knows a bit of Mandarin which is cool.

Elder Hekking is from Cincinnati, Ohio.  He is fresh out of the MTC and spent six weeks there learning Malagasy, the native language of Madagascar.  He was born in New York, then lived in France until he was nine years old.  He is fluent in French but doesn't have an accent which is super cool.  It's safe to say that I am the most boring person in my companionship.

This week, I've heard Thai, French, Mandarin Chinese, Malagasy, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.  It's awesome because even though I'm in Florida, I see and experience a lot of different cultures.  It's almost like being out of the country, in the country.

As for the week, it was a lot of finding and stopping by either potentials or former investigators.  I am now the one who knows the most about the area so it's been a little stressful, and getting new companions is always a bit of a learning curve, even if you like them.  I introduced my companions to a lot of the members and showed them around.  We also have extra study time for Elder Hekking's language study and the first 12 weeks study.  The extra study time is both edifying and exhausting.

Elder Hekking is hitting a brick wall.  I see it and it reminds me of when I first came in the mission.  I don't feel like I had as rough of a time, but it's possible that I did.  Elder Changchum and I have had to talk to him about our experiences and calm him down.

I really hope and pray that this transfer is a successful one.  I know I am where I am and with who I am with for a reason.  I love my mission.  I love my companions.  I love the members and people we teach.  I still have hard days and I'm stressed a lot, but I have joy in the work.  I love every minute of it.

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it." (Mosiah 2:41)

I love this scripture.  Even though we all go through trials, when we keep the commandments, we can find joy in hardship.  I know that to be true.

Something else I've also been thinking about is how divine the things we go through are.  I know that everything is part of God's plan. 

“None of us ever fully utilizes the people-opportunities allocated to us within our circles of friendship. You and I may call these intersecting ‘coincidence.’ This word is understandable for mortals to use, but coincidence is not an appropriate word to describe the workings of an omniscient God. He does not do things by ‘coincidence’ but … by ‘divine design.’” - Neal A. Maxwell

Have a great week!

Elder Poulsen

Last time seeing Elder Pottle for a time.

A little frog on a member's porch.

 Out proselyting in the Florida heat.

The updated Cocoa Zone

Brother Castro, one of my favorite member families.

The Trio

Week 33: John 7:37-38

I've been studying "The Gospel of Jesus Christ" these past few days.  I read and pondered the "Endure to the End" section.  While studying, I came up with this definition of enduring to the end from parts of the section:

Enduring to the end is a lifelong commitment to do good works, serve others, and follow the Savior's example.

When we do this, we draw closer to God, conquer temptation and sin, and enjoy the Spirit more.  This is a pattern of living that brings peace and joy.  When we press forward and endure to the end, having faith in Christ, we will receive eternal life.

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."  (2 Nephi 31:20)

Elder Poulsen

Week 32: Orevwa Elder Pottle

It was an interesting week.  It's going to be a bit shorter of an email but hopefully it's still worthwhile.

One thing we were able to do this week was stop by Frank.  He's not a member and suffers from Alzheimer's.  I've talked about him before, but his wife loves going to the temple.  Frank doesn't like being alone or away from his wife, so we promised we'd come by and stay with him for a little bit while she was up in Orlando.  I always love talking to him and spending time with him.  He has a big heart, and even though he has a hard time remembering things, he loves talking about his childhood.

We have two potential investigators.  They are both member referrals from Sister Guillaume.  She's a single woman from Haiti is so awesome.  She is not afraid to share the gospel or tell people that they should be better.  I love it!  She always makes us Haitian food and talks to us about her life.  She's taught a little Creole to us which is fun.  I love being in a home and hearing Haitian Creole or Portuguese.  The melting pot of backgrounds is my favorite part of Florida.

We got a call on Friday night from President Clark.  He told us that Elder Pottle is going to the Orlando Zone and I'm going to get two missionaries.  It wasn't what I was hoping for, but it'll be a good experience.  Our apartment is also pretty small so it'll be an interesting time.  I've really enjoyed being with Elder Pottle.  We are very similar and work well together.  He's also been really good about helping me get used to the area.  I'm going to miss him a lot.  He's been a great friend and I love him a lot.  We've had a lot of good times, laughs, and countless meals at Gators Dockside (a chain restaurant in Florida).  We've done a lot of good here and I'm excited to continue working in the Viera 1st ward.

The week was pretty slow as for finding.  We invited a lot of people to watch General Conference with us.  Our President wants us to watch it at the chapel and have investigators come.  Sadly no one we are teaching were able to come, but there were plenty of members and it was a good time.

I loved General Conference.  It's never a disappointment to hear from the General Authorities of the Church.  They really do have revelation for us and I know they commune with God.  One thing out of the many things I loved, was Elder M. Joseph Brough's talk.  During his talk he referenced Alma 8:15 "Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God..."  He then said, "We can always rejoice when we keep the commandments... We can and should find joy when we face hard things."  This is a universal truth.  Life can be hard sometimes but we can always find joy if we press on and keep the commandments of God.  I love you all and hope everything is good.  Have a great week! 

Elder Poulsen

I can't believe it's been 3 months with this jawn.

The Sisters were kind enough to let me 

use their blanket during Conference.

Week 32: 2 Nephi 26:12-13

I have been studying 1 Nephi these past few days and using the Institute Student Manual as a guide.  It has been really rewarding and I thought I'd share some scriptures and quotes.  

1 Nephi 20:10 "For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." 

In the Institute Manual, it had this quote in relation to the scripture.  "Intense heat refines metal and removes impurities.  Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles observed that affliction can likewise refine and purify each of us: "Most of us experience some measure of what the scriptures call ‘the furnace of affliction’. Some are submerged in service to a disadvantaged family member. Others suffer the death of a loved one or the loss or postponement of a righteous goal like marriage or childbearing. Still others struggle with personal impairments or with feelings of rejection, inadequacy, or depression. Through the justice and mercy of a loving Father in Heaven, the refinement and sanctification possible through such experiences can help us achieve what God desires us to become."

Elder Poulsen

Week 31: Cocoa Beach

I apologize for the late email.  We had an extremely busy day and things didn't go as planned.  

It's been an interesting week.  Elder Pottle and I somehow convinced the Zone Leaders to let us have a trio exchange with Elder Sharp who is up in the Merritt Island ward.  We are both close to him and wanted to do an exchange before he leaves in a week.  He came down to our area and spent Tuesday together.  We were able to go onto the Air Force base in our area.  I haven't been able to go out there since being here.  We have to get clearance from members who live there or work there.  We went out there and visited a few less-actives who we've never met before.  It was really successful as we had great sit down conversations with them.  Elder Sharp was really loving and genuine.  It was a great example to me because it's not even his area and he leaves very soon, but he was engaged and invested in their lives.  That is a sign of a good missionary.

We taught Mark with the Satellite Beach Sisters.  They are going to take over from here on out because he is moving to their area soon.  It's really sad for us to not be able to teach him anymore, but the lesson went really well.  We talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We read 2 Nephi 31 with him and talked about the importance of faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.  The lesson was full of the He accepted a baptismal date of October 27th and because we taught him three lessons, we'll be able to go!  He is really awesome and the Sisters will be great for him.

On Saturday, our ward put on a family history event at the library.  We helped a lot of people set up accounts for FamilySearch.org and helped them search for families.  It was a really great way to introduce them to the gospel and allow friendships to naturally occur.  Family history has been a tender mercy in my life.  I have seen the blessings of taking family names to the temple and allowing them the opportunity to accept the gospel.  The Spirit is really with us when we do that, testifying to us the truthfulness of the work.

As for the rest of the week, it was pretty normal.  Today we woke up at 4:20 to take a bus to Cocoa Beach with the whole zone.  It was a really good time.  We watched the sunrise and saw cruise ships in the distance.  I always love seeing the ocean and being reminded of my own nothingness but at the same time, the supreme love God has for His children.

I have been using the institute student manual to go along with my Book of Mormon reading and studies.  Something that hit me hard was the story of Nephi going into Jerusalem the third time, not knowing what he should do.  Here's what it says:  

"Sometimes it takes courage to be led by the Spirit. There will be times when the world’s logic and reasoning will suggest a course of action that is contrary to the Lord’s teaching. Elder John H. Groberg of the Seventy challenged us: 'Be willing to take reasonable risks. We live in an age of reason, logic, facts, and figures. These can be useful if kept in subjection to faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ. But if they ever take precedence over faith in Him, then they are not useful and can be very harmful. I have found in my life that most of the good decisions I have made may not have been made if they were based solely on logic or reason.  'Nephi was determined to do what God wanted him to do even with logic to the contrary. The scriptures tell us in 1 Nephi 4:6 that he went forth not knowing beforehand what he should do but knowing he should obey God and get the plates.  'I suspect had he listened only to reason, Nephi and his brethren would still be waiting outside the walls of Jerusalem. I sometimes wonder if by our listening to reason and logic too much, and not trusting God enough, we may find ourselves waiting outside the walls of His holy city.'"

I encourage each of you to start trusting in the Lord a little bit more.  Know that He works in mysterious ways and that logic cannot fully explain everything.  Heed the counsel of King Benjamin when he said, "...believe that [God] has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend." Mosiah 4:9.

Have a wonderful, blessed week.  I love you all.

Elder Poulsen

Elder Pottle, Elder Sharp, and me at Second Light Beach

Just the Viera District in a canoe

A family in our ward has an old

slot machine from The Golden Nugget

5:30 a.m. bus ride

Transfer calls are on Saturday.  

We are both hoping to stay.

 I love these people

Week 31: Alma 26:22

We all often have the question in our hearts as to why we go through hard things or why a loving God would allow bad things to happen to good people.  That is a question we hear sometimes while we are proselyting.  This question is answered often in the Book of Mormon, but one scripture I came across the other day explains that without sadness and pain, there would be no joy or peace.

2 Nephi 2:11 "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one..."

Elder Poulsen

Week 30: Happy Fall Y'all

What a quick week.

We had interviews with President Clark on Tuesday.  Every time I meet with him it gets less and less awkward.   My first interview with him in the middle of my first transfer was about five minutes.  It consisted of him asking how I was and then him telling me the area was probably going to be shutdown.  In this most recent interview, he cracked up laughing and gave me lots of great advice.  He said something so profound that hit me hard.  He said "It doesn't matter how many trees you chop down, if you don't chop them down looking at what they can become, they become worthless."  He said this regarding the way we look at investigators, members, or missionaries.  I've gained more of a relationship with President Clark and have learned so much from him.

After interviews, we went on exchanges with the Zone Leaders.  I went to the Melbourne area with Elder Thomas.  We were able to go onto the Deseret Ranch which is owned by the church.  There are miles and miles of land that is used for cattle ranching.  There are members and non-members who live there so we taught a lesson and went to dinner.  It was really cool because they are all very southern and have thick southern accents.  I felt the Spirit the entire time I was with Elder Thomas.  This was one of the best exchanges I've been on.  Elder Thomas is so loving and spiritual.  I was able to realize things that I need to improve on and ways I can become a better missionary.

Funny side story: one morning, Elder Pottle wanted to eat a protein bar, when he opened the cupboard, I heard a soft scream.  Not a blood curdling scream, rather a surprised scream.  I instantly knew that it was a "I saw a cockroach and now I don't know where it is" scream.  I laughed as I watched Elder Pottle search through every item and cardboard box in the cupboard.  We finally found it and got rid of it, but this occurs way too often for it to be abnormal.

Sunday, we had atleast ten non-members at Sacrament meeting because of the primary program.  Our ward seriously has the cutest primary kids.  The Spirit was so strong in the meeting.  Even though most of the non-members that came aren't interested in the gospel, we hope that the program planted a seed for their future.

After church, we met with David and taught him the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He is so prepared to hear the gospel right now.  He told us that he read Alma 36, highlighted verses, and memorized verse 30.  He said that he went through his own apostasy.  He is ready to hear God's voice and progress in the gospel.  It amazes me how the Spirit teaches people and how little missionaries actually do.  I feel like I'm just a witness to a marvelous change.

Mosiah 4:10 "And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them." 

I can't believe we are starting week five of the transfer.  I've gotten to the point where I've forgotten things about the world.  I can't remember names of popular songs or movies.  It's hard to remember trips I've taken and things I did before my mission.  At this point, I only really know how to be a missionary.  It has been very rewarding to forget myself and allow the love of Christ to flow through me.

Have a great week!

Elder Poulsen

It still feels like the middle of summer to me

Roach huntin'

People here honestly have the hardest time spelling/pronouncing my name