Transfers, Transfers, and Transfers!

Oct. 3, 2016

HeyTip of the week: If any of you ever have the chance to send your missionary companion home, don't do it.

It brings upon you a whole bunch of those dumb emotions. When we dropped Elder Jarvis off at the mission home last week, I'm pretty sure that I was feeling more anxious for him than he was for himself. Yep. So don't do it.

With Elder Jarvis finishing his mission and going home early in the week, I was put in a tripanionship

with some of my good missionary friends until Elder Bird came down on Wednesday from Moses Lake. We had an awesome time together covering 3 areas at once, and topped it all off with a bonfire out in Cottonwood Canyon for the YSA's FHE. We had s'mores and hot dogs, and President Finch asked me to lead the group in some sing-along hymns with the guitar. Afterwards, he gave an awesome spiritual thought. He had a big poster hanging up on a tree with a guy showing an iPhone to the crowd. He then explained how we have to be careful when people are trying to chow us things that are "cool" because they could be damaging to our spirits. He then told us that we shouldn't even touch pornography with a ten-foot pole. Then he actually grabbed a literal 10-foot pole from behind another tree and stabbed it through the iPhone. There was a loud crashing sound, and when he ripped the poster away, the pole had been crushed by a bear trap that was hiding behind the poster! He definitely got our attention! Things aren't always as they seem.

So now I'm with Elder Bird from Mapleton, Utah. He is incredible.

He is a super hard worker, and I have a lot to learn from the capacity that he has to love people. He is going to do great things here! The past few days have been super busy. We have been running around and meeting lots of new people. Even though Cottonwood Canyon is really spread out, it is full of potential. We have met several part-member families, and one of them is open to taking the lessons, so we are excited about that :) We also got in contact with Tim, our would-be baptism, and had a good conversation about his plan for moving forward. The YSA has been filling any extra gaps of time that we might have had as well. We are still teaching Gerold, and he is still excited about his Baptism on the 22nd of this month! Maseo also came to all four sessions of conference with us at the stake center and was "amazed" by everything. He had been looking forward to it for a while, so we are glad he enjoyed it :) Gerold also came to the Priesthood session with us and stayed awake, even though he said he was a little confused by the end. Everyone progresses at their own pace :)

I love conference. I especially love the simplicity of the messages they shared with us. What stuck out to me were the several talks about how repentance is something to look forward to and something to be grateful for. It isn't always easy, but the pain and regret that comes with it is always swallowed up in the joy that comes by it. The plan of salvation is based around the savior. We need Him. It's part of the plan. If we were sinless, we wouldn't need him. But I know that our weaknesses are made perfect through Christ. So don't be scared of repentance. Instead, let it make you the happiest you have ever been:)

Love you all!

Elder Moser

Mission Leadership Conference October

Miracles on Miracles

Sept. 26, 2016

This week was pure gold. We were kept busy the whole time, and had tons to do between Elder Jarvis's departing items and the rest of our busy schedule. Maseo Pleasant was also baptized into the YSA last saturday! It was such an awesome experience. His dad was even there to watch him. It was funny, because Maseo's dad is a big black dude with attitude and pretty much just owns whatever room he walks into. So while we were waiting for the 5-10 minutes before the service was about to start, Maseo's dad walked into the room and started clapping and was getting all excited. That went pretty well with the prelude music :) We were glad his dad was there to support him. When Maseo was actually baptized, however, his dad was completely silent. It was almost surprising, but we think he just felt a touch of the spirit. It was so awesome! After the baptism, Maseo took us to Olive Garden for some delicious food, and thanked us for everything we've done for him, even though we are the ones who should be thanking him for letting us be part of his life. Ya'll don't even know. I'm so excited to see where he goes in the church and in his life. Maybe even a mission! 

We also got a referral in the YSA for a 19 year old guy named Gerold. He is super cool. He kind of reminds us of Maseo. Soft spoken, but sincere. Gerold went to his friends farewell talk right before she left on her mission, and he told the missionaries that he thinks he want's to get baptized. We taught Him the restoration at his friend's parent's house, and  put him on-date for the 22 of October. He's a pretty smart guy, so we are amped. He is so willing to learn that we don't see any hold-ups for him. So basically the YSA can be summed up in one word: Murcles. Murcles everywhere.

Speaking of awesome lessons, we had a not so awesome lesson with Katrina, our recent converts girlfriend in the Ward. We were trying to teach her the restoration, but it was just one distraction after another. First, her daughter hit her head on the desk and started screaming uncontrollably followed by her daughter violently throwing up all over. Then, after that got all cleaned up and we could finally start teaching again, a past missionary called our recent convert, Kevin, and he gladly put him on speaker. So not much teaching went down. But hey, not every lesson is perfect. Some of them are super not. Super not perfect. 

 

Transfers are going down, everyone. Elder Jarvis is going home, and I'm getting a new companion that I've never met named Elder Bird. Elder Jarvis and I have grown so much together that it is unreal. I know that we were put together to learn. We have had so many revelatory experiences together, and we are practically brothers. I'm so grateful that the mission allows me to make these kind of friendships :)

Peace out, everybody. Love ya!

Elder Moser

President & Sister Finch

Speaking on the Holy Ghost

​Maseo and President Finch

The Three Burritos: Elders Jarvis and Tietjen

Cowiche Canyon Hike

The Lower Valley District

Exchanges with my boyz means s'mores time

Zone Conference, Pit-bulls, and Baptisms!

Sept. 19, 2016

First of all, YSA continues to be the best. It is so much fun. last week, as part of President Finch's inauguration, we had FHE at his (our) house. It was a cool 70 degrees, the sun was setting over the valley, and there were tons of people there, and several non-members and less actives. It was super fun. We got killed playing dunk-ball by President Finch, played volleyball, and made s'mores around their fire pit. Maseo also came, and he was in heaven the whole time. He jumped right in playing the games with everyone, and made tons of new friends. It was the perfect activity for him! He also kept telling people how excited he was to get baptized. We had a few lessons with him last week about the commandments, and he is so ready and excited to live them all. We had president Lewis out with us on Friday night to teach him about the law of tithing, and Maseo was so willing to live it that yesterday at church he strolled right in with his tithing envelope to give to the Branch Presidency. It is one of the best feelings watching someone start to live the commandments, especially when they do it so willingly! He is so ready to get baptized this Saturday! We've become really good friends with Maseo and can't wait to see where a life in the gospel takes him! 

So Joseph, a guy that we taught for a while, dropped us last Sunday. On Monday, he was T-boned by a truck on his way to work. He wasn't hurt, but his truck was totaled. We will let him think about that. For real, though, I about swallowed the spoon I was eating my milkshake with when I noticed that it was his car on the road. We're just glad he's ok.

Zone Conference was last week, and President Lewis asked us to conduct it. It was pretty fun, especially since the program for those meetings get rearranged like 20 times during the actual conference. It was very uplifting, though, and was exactly what we needed to hear. My favorite part was a musical number from some sisters from the Southern part of the mission. They sang 'Precious Savior, Dear Redeemer," but it was a different arrangement and it was super pretty. The spirit was so strong that, as some have explained to me, "I was about to throw up." Apparently that's a thing with some people. 

After Zone Conference, we went on exchanged with the AP's. I was with Elder Cannon, and we were in the ghetto. We taught one couple that was hilarious. We were reading out of the Book of Mormon with them, and we were talking about the verse that says, "and I know that the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand." We read it, and then the boyfriend, Jesus, just sat there for a while and said, "So it was like in sign language or something?" Yes, Jesus. The Book of Mormon was translated from it's original sign language. They had the most innocent yet hilarious translations of the scriptures I have ever heard, and it was kind of a game to not shoot down their comments entirely, yet somehow show them what it actually means. Good times :)

So we were knocking on a door last week, when a pit-bull came sprinting full speed from around the house directly at Elder Jarvis. This thing was mean. It was trying to kill us. It almost reached him while he was running away when it got yanked back so hard by the chain it was on we thought it was going to break it. I jumped off the porch as it got to me, and noticed that the beast could reach the gate, the only entrance. After a few minutes of debating whether to climb the fence or make a run for the gate, we eventually made it through the gate right as the owner opens up the screen door to tell us off. She was mad because her dog would have been liable for any injury we could have gotten. It's in those moments I pray for Christlike charity.

So that's the week! Some awesome spiritual experiences and a baptism set up for this Saturday, and some more experience that reaffirm the fact that I'm never going to get a dog. At least not one from Yakima.

Love you all!

Peace and Blessin's,

Elder Moser

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An Email

Sept. 12, 2016

I guess I'll start off this Email by telling y'all that I got bit in the butt by a dog. I have never been scared of a dog in my life, and I've dealt with hundreds of them on my mission. Usually, a mean looking dog will calm down once you let it smell you and after you pet it. But last week, while stopping by a referral for YSA, a dog cornered me against the door I was knocking and my own fear, and as I was walking away, it jumped up and bit me. I have never been more angry at an animal in my life, nor have I used my scriptures as a weapon against flesh-eating nasties. But hey, I'm still here. 

Speaking of YSA, things are going pretty well. We got 3 new referrals last week, and most of them didn't have dogs, which was cool. Also, Brother Finch was called as the new Branch President, which totally caught us all by surprise! We are super excited because Brother Finch is an awesome guy, but we are a little bummed that our Finch monopoly is coming to a close. Joseph also came to church for the first time yesterday, something that he had been looking forward to for a long time, to see if this was something that was really for him. That night we got a text from him explaining that he felt weird about how we elect our leaders (lack of understanding) and that he doesn't feel like this is something for him. It was hard to take, especially since we didn't have time to explain the process because we didn't know the presidency was getting changed. It's tough watching someone's doubts slowly overtake their faith, but it's inevitable when the seed isn't taken care of. We feel like he has a good basis, and I hope that missionaries will teach him again later. 

Maseo, on the other hand, is doing amazingly well. last week we had 2 lessons with him, and in our first lesson after reading out of the Book of Mormon for the first time, he literally asked us what he had to do before he got baptized. Myself, Elder Jarvis, and Grayson, the member that knows him from high school, were all in shock. But not really, because that's just the kind of person Maseo is. He's on date for the 24th of this month, and we are so excited for him!

In Cottonwood Canyon, things have been a little slow, mainly because the YSA is picking up like crazy. We did teach one of our recent convert's girlfriend, Katrina, because she told him that after seeing the change in him, she wants to get baptized. We are excited for her too, but we want to make sure that she is doing this for herself and not for Kevin. Tim is finally doing better. He came to church yesterday, and it turns out that the reason he hasn't been available is because his well literally went dry, which is very uncool. It's funny how Satan throws a wrench in people's plans right before they are about to get baptized. But not really.

In other news, Nate Martin, a member of the Blackfoot NW Stake, has a cousin from Blackfoot that I met this week while helping a member move out of his house. So there's the weird connection for the week :)

There's the week! We are loving it! Be careful around flesh-eating beasts! 

Peace and blessin's,

Elder Moser

Two Men.

One Corolla. 

Thousands of souls.

RMs and A Wedding!

Sept. 5, 2016

Another week of miracles, and another week of dodging Elder Jarvis's trunky comments! Haha, just kidding. Kinda.

Both Max and Joseph came to FHE last monday for the YSA. They loved it! It was Joseph's first time, and he ended up saving our team's behind in dodgeball, so he's pretty much a hero in the YSA now. :) Joseph is still moving forward and he's still living the word of wisdom, but he's starting to have doubts. We just reassured him that we don't receive a witness until after the trial of our faith. Even Joseph Smith experienced spiritual darkness and anguish immediately after he prayed to know which church was true. Joseph is awesome, though, and we know that he want's to find out for himself. We also got a referral from the sisters yesterday for a 20 year old guy named Maseo. He is pretty much the nicest guy I've ever met. He works at American Eagle and is a people person, so he fits into the YSA. Yesterday he came to church, and we set up an appointment for this upcoming week! We are also getting a bunch of other referrals in YSA that we hope to meet soon!

We got to teach Randal and Christie last week, and they are doing great. Randal is a super shy guy, but he's progressing! Christie said that she's even caught him reading the Book of Mormon a few times! 

Tim and Jennifer's wedding was last Saturday, but due to some weird unseen problems that would take about 3 1/2 days to explain, his baptism has been moved to later this week. Basically, it was off the chain stressful for them and a can of pop exploded all over me while we were helping set up for it. But everything will work out!

Speaking of weird, the Finches have been out of town the past few days, and we had 3 RM's from this mission staying upstairs that were here for Tim's wedding. Cody, Porter, and Ian. It was so weird seeing them in our house. Also, Coby Johnson got back form Pittsburg a few days ago and decided to hang out with the 3 amigos last night, so it was basically all we could do to keep from going upstairs when we were supposed to be planning. It was so good to see them all again!

I can't believe that I'm a month away from my year mark. In the words of a poet, "Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin', into the future." Sorry for the worldly reference, that's just what comes to my mind like everyday. 

Alright ya'll. Love ya. Keep reading them scriptures and smiling! We've got everything in the world to be thankful for!

Peace.

Mission Leadership Conference 9/1/16:

MLC

Our area has a forest in it.

Ex) Elders Wilkey, Barbour, and Rosenkrantz

Monday in the Office ---
(I think we forgot to write due to the holiday....Shoot.)