The Gift of Tongues Is Real! It Has Worked Miracles Here With Me!

Hi!!! Again! 

It is weird to be here in Benton City. It definitely is not the same as being in Pasco. Especially from being in Pasco YSA!  Haha. We had fast and testimony meeting this last week. The biggest difference is here the ward is full of old people! The meeting turned more into fast and testimony and story sharing meeting! It is weird being around so many old people. I am going to have to figure out how to do this kinda of work again. The area has a lot of people to teach, but not a lot of people that have been doing anything really. The last companionship kinda just kept teaching people even if they werent going to ever change. they just like to hear a message. So its a little different.I am not going to come in and change it super fast because my companion Elder Matalolo has been here for 3 months and it isnt right to just come and take control when i dont know how the area works. So we will have to see how it all works. The area book was not wrote out. i went through and cleaned that out. I had Elder Matalolo write the lessons that were taught to investigators and the things they have been taught. Also drop the people that have record but arent being taught and making record for the people that are being taught. So the area had a lot of work done in it, but it wasnt taken care of super well. We have some cool people to teach though. Benton is a little town and most of the neighborhoods are trailer parks. There is a lot of spanish and english work.  It has been really good for me especially for learning Spanish. I dont know why but before i have not really been good at speaking to people in Spanish, part of the reason is having companions that are fluent in Spanish so i never really need to carry a conversation, Just kinda be there and add things. But here we are both very much not fluent and i have have to carry the conversations. The gift of tongues is real! It has worked miracles here with me. It is the first time where i have not had to worry about not understanding and not worry about how to say it back. Spanish is just starting to work! it is great i still have a long way to go though. But i am so excited that it is getting better. 

Its been good being a district leader! i haven't had to do anything. I feel a lot more prepared again this time around. Just because i have done it before and i have only gotten better as a missionary. My companion is from St George. He is half Samoan and half Navajo. He is a really good missionary. Not much happened this week yet. we had a really good Zone Conference yesterday with Elder Zaballos of the 70. He taught alot about how to help our investigators. The biggest thing is doing the things to help them understand that they need to do certain things to gain a testimony. It was super good. But thats about all i have to write about today.

Its good to hear that things at home are still good. It was cool to hear the experience about ali and dads trip that didnt work out but at the same time worked how it needed to. That is really cool. I hope everything goes great this next week for all of you! i love you all!

Elder Mortensen. 

This is Elder Matalolo!!

Also Elder Laffiteau, my trainer is in my 

zone! This is his posterity. Mom if you 

don't know what i am talking about ask Brayden, he will know.

This is kinda cool. This is the Lehi clan that was at the Zone conference. Elder Tolman and Sister Daniels. I have been in school with Elder Tolman sense kindergarten. so its weird to see him. There are 7 missionaries total here from Lehi  It's weird. 

Last night in Pasco!

He Feels Like He Has A Family Now Here In The Church

Well Hello!! 

I dont even know what to say about this week. But it was awesome! M-- got baptized!! It was a great day!! it was super powerful!  We had a district council and right after we had to go and start filling up the font. The font looked pretty big and i was excited because M-- is a big guy. But of course it cant go perfect. when it was time for him to be baptized i walked into the water and then him. To my surprise, the water only went a few inches above my knees! the drain wasnt super tight and the water went down, but only a little, the font was just tiny! But it ended up working good. When he was under the water his knee came up, you cant blame him because the water was so shallow. So i somehow used my elbow to push it under. After i talked to the other missionaries and no one noticed that i did that! haha so it worked! After we changed and came it to the room, the spirit was so strong. Elder corral and a missionary that taught him before were teaching the restoration and sharing their testimonies. M-- was super excited after his baptism. He also said the closing prayer and thanked God for the chance that he had to be baptized. I cant even explain how awesome all this was.  This Sunday he turned and asked if he could go and bear his testimony. He was the second one up and shared the greatest testimony i have heard from a convert. He was still M--, he talked about how he loves to lift, but he shared that as he was growing up he never had a family really, he shared how he was taught how to live from being on the streets and in jail. He said that the only thing that got him to the point he is at right now is His father. From knowing him he was talking about God, he doenst know his Dad. He told everyone thanks for what they have done and that he feels like he has a family now here in the church. The spirit was amazing. Elder corral was almost in tears, i was almost in tears, M-- was almost in tears, and everyone we talked to after about it was almost in tears. It really softened the hearts of the members and they know that M-- really is there because he knows that it is true. I always knew M-- had made a lot of changes and he was prepared and has done everything he needs to be baptized, but after sacrament meeting i was able to see that he really has internalized the things that we have taught him. He also found a job and said it is all because of prayer and he was doing what god wants him to do. M-- is super awesome! that was the biggest thing that happened and not much more  happened. We did teach many people other then M-- this week. C-- had to work a ton and we didnt find him.

The other big part of news is Yes, transfers are this week. We finished nightly planning on Sunday and i was just like sweet, no calls that means no leadership for us this transfer. then as i was on my way out of the room i looked at the phone and saw we had a voicemail. It was President. So we called him back and well, we are both leaving this area! it sucks. I will be going over to Benton city. It is west of Richland near Prosser. I will actually be in the same Spanish group i was in when i was in Prosser! i will be in a Spanish and an English ward in Benton city. It is going to be super awesome. I will also be going back to be a District leader. So pray for my district, they are going to need it! Elder Corral is going down to Hermiston near where i started my mission. It is super exciting and weird that i am leaving. I am not excited to leave but i am excited for my new area.

it sounds like a great week end! I am jealous that you already had Thanksgiving! we already had plans to eat it with this super awesome family, but we will be gone, so that wont happen i guess. Its good to hear that Jaxsen did good in his race! that he didnt fall this time! It is so cool that Grandma and Grandpa are on another mission! They are great! i am excited for them.

thanks again for the Email! it is always a great time but also a very fast hour and a half. I will for sure have some new things to write about this week! i hope you all dong get to board of my letters!! but have a great week! i love you all!

Elder Mortensen

Elder Corral, M--, Elder Mortensen

He's looking like a Mormon!!

hello! 

It definitely sounds like it was a fun week! Haha the first thing that comes to mind is Jaxsen crashing in his race. I feel a little responsible for that. I might have jinxed  him from earlier. I told him not to crash! but i hope there was a GoPro on. Haha it makes me laugh that Brianne won all of the Shooting competitions! that is super awesome! For you dad, looking good. Its also kinda funny that Ali probably knows more of what she is going to do in college then me. I should probably put a little of effort into thinking about it. But good for her. 

this week here was awesome! definitely the greatest news i could tell you is we found M--! He is doing great! He is also getting baptized this week!! He is super excited. So are we. Its a little bit stressing though. Right now we are planning the baptism, and another interview with him, and the hardest part is finding him rides. He has to keep working so he can start to save up some money so he can get a car. So there is still a lot more work to do there. It has been really good to be able to see him progress to this point. If there is anything that i would ask for some extra prayers for it would be for that baptism to go good and especially for M--. Thanks for all the prayers that have been said for him already.  

C-- is also doing pretty good. We had a really good lesson with him on exchanges. He wanted more information and was trying to understand more about the gospel. We taught him the lesson of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He really liked it. It was a super good lesson. It was very different to teach with someone that has been on the mission for a while. My last two companions being newer and its just different. once you have been on the mission you start to think more a like. It probably is being more in tune to the spirit and receiving the same things more often. We still are focusing on baptism for him and helping him get ready for that point. 

For A--, she actually moved out to Spokane. So we aren't teaching her anymore. She needed a change in lifestyle. So she wanted to move somewhere different and get a new start.   That for the most part is the people that we are teaching. We are also working with this guy named J--. He is Less active. He is working a job that makes him not be able to go to church on Sundays. So he tells us we are his Church for now. he is also preparing for his Patriarchal blessing, so we are helping him keep learning and keep praying. He is doing good though. 

We did get a chance to do some service this week. We go every week to this place called Union Gospel Mission. We pack fruit and vegetables into boxes and they give them out some where. We have also been working with the City and working in their fields. That is ending here soon because of winter though. 

Well that is what i got for today! i might be more if this keyboard didnt suck. But is does, so sorry! I love you all!! Have a good week!

Elder Mortensen

Ps pictures!

This was on exchanges. Elder Somerville is from Lehi!

I recognized him but didn't know him.

I also carved a pumpkin!  I didnt have a light 

so I put a lamp in it. It actually worked!

Also getting read for the rain! Its been crazy! so it was 

time to pull out he massive jacket that makes me look funny.

We moved into our new apartment and there was a 

football on the roof right out side the window in front 

of my desk. It was to distracting for studies that we 

had no choice but to go get it. And I didnt fall!

She Looked At Him And Pretty Much Told Him That He Needs To Start Doing More And Then His Faith Will Be Enough And He Will Know It Is True

Hello! 

Well... this was another crazy week! It was a good one though. But yes you are right, that is the life of a missionary and you wouldn't want it any other way. Guess what, M-- came to FHE! the thing is we still dont really know what happened to him, but we did find him and get a chance to talk to him. Elder Corral was talking to him and asked him about baptism. He said he hasn't done anything wrong. So Its at least on his mind and he is trying to be ready in a way. We still haven't been able to  teach him or meet with him again, but he seems to be doing good. His life is just crazy. He actually for some reason got kicked out of where he was living so he is now in Richland. So we cant really just go look for him over there. But He is planning on coming to FHE again today. Its been a wild ride with him. I cant wait until he has a car. right now we are finding him rides to everything he wants to come to. So it is a lot of work. This is a big part of YSA work for some reason, finding people rides. 

We did get another chance to teach C-- again. He has a lot of questions. the big thing for him is he doesn't understand the need for the Book of Mormon. We have answered all his questions with our thoughts and scriptures and testimony and then we just told him that now it comes down to him reading and praying and getting an answer that its true. Then he will know why we need it. He is for sure sincere and is putting some work into finding out if it is true. It was a good lesson. At the end It was kinda an awkward time but i felt like i needed to share a scripture from the Book of Mormon about the Atonement and bear him my testimony. It was actually really cool. After the lesson Elder Corral said that it brought the spirit in really strong. That is something i realized that i want to do more of. Just as we are talking to people wherever i might be to share a scripture and a testimony with them so they can feel something. So if we come back or when other missionaries come back they can remember that they felt something. At the end of sharing with him, his friend asked if she could share a scripture. She shared a scripture in James about how we need works. She looked at him and pretty much told him that he needs to start doing more and then his faith will be enough and he will know it is true. It sounded a little nicer then that, but that was the message. It was super awesome!

the studying is still super cool. I am just going in logical order so probably not perfect chronological order but there is a lot of different things that stand out as i have read it this way. Mostly to see the little differences of the stories they tell of Christ. Also to see what stories and events are told by more then one person and sometimes just one person. putting it together in this way just helps it make a lot of sense. 

The YSA branch is great. They actually do feed us almost every night. Better then any other branch i have been in so far. it makes me realize how funny it is when a big family ward says its too hard to feed the missionaries everyday. They just need to look at this branch and see that its not to bad. Its good to get a chance to talk to the members more. It is an easy time to just get to know them and then get to the point we can encourage them to do more missionary work and ask to teach their friends. That is probably the best part of YSA work. It takes a true friendship before any work gets done. We have great friendships and are now ready for the work to take off! 

Lehi still sounds great!! it sounds like lots of things are still going on. I am a little jealous that you got to go to the Mountains! I haven't seen those is a long while! Whenever i see a picture of them i am just like, Dang, we dont have those here. But its all good i guess. Sounds like Jaxsen is still doing great with his biking. I hope he never crashes to bad, but if he does at least you have video of it on that GoPro! 

Thanks for the Email again! it was great!! i love you all!

Elder Mortensen

 PS Just to answer one on your questions, my favorite thing to eat is Breakfast foods!! i have pancakes or eggs for most of my lunchs. 

also we have pictures but we will have to send them next week, they are on E. Corrals camera and right now i am with E. Owen ( he was is my MTC District) because our companions are in the Choir and are at practice right now. They have a choir because the 70 that is coming next month requested one. SO that is where E Corral is!

He Also Saw Many Miracles And Said They Were From God. So He Knows. We Might Just Have To Help Him Realize It Again

Hello!! 

this was a crazy week. I dont really know why but for the last half of the week i felt like by brain was on overload! There was a ton going on in my mind and it was crazy! It was Probably the weirdest feeling headache that i have ever felt. But i guess it was a sign of working hard. The days and weeks just keep on flying. They have all been so good though.  This week we finally got in contact with M-- again! We had a few lessons planned that he said he was going to be able to make it to. But he didnt show up to either of the lessons that were planned.  It is great that we now have a little more contact with him, but we still dont know what happened or what is still happening. he did move up here to Pasco finally. we dont know exactly where. There is this big neighborhood behind Walmart that he said he lives in. so we might just have to go knock the whole thing to find him. Because of the people he lives with he would still rather meet at the institute building for the lessons. We hope that we are going to be able to find him this week and get a chance to talk to him. He will come around soon enough. He had a great time at church. Something that he wasnt able to have in the same way anywhere else. He also saw many miracles and said they were from God. So he knows. We might just have to help him realize it again. 

A super awesome miracle we saw this week was we received a referral from the Relief Society President in the Kennewick YSA. Her friend C-- lives over here in Pasco. We were able to have a good lesson with them both. He grew up Christian and dosent remember much but still believes in Christ. So it was kinda hard to teach him because he know a lot but there is a lot of holes in what he knows. but he accepted all that we had to share about the Restoration. He also accepted a baptismal date! He said that he would be baptized when he knows that these things are true and when we invited him to a date he first said that it seemed to early. We were able to help him understand the importance of putting a date as a goal to work toward and we were able to bare testimony to him.  He accepted a date for the 12th of November. We hope that we will be able to start working with him more and more this next week so he will feel ready for baptism. 

That is the big thing that President White is pushing, Baptism! He has told us a promise he was given from one of the Seventy, as he always focuses on baptism that the missionaries will follow and success will happen. As a mission we are trying to invite everyone to baptism. Of course every lesson as it was before and more and more as we are just talking to people on the streets and at their doors. It is going to be hard and probably awkward at times, but that just seems to be how missionary work is. 

My interview went really good with President White. the 20 minute interview went 10 minutes long but it was still one of the shortest ones. President was there for 10 hours doing interviews. One of the biggest changes from that interview is how i study. He invited me to study a little different than i have probably ever before. He was right. It is to read the 4 gospels in chronological order. To skip back and forth and as teaching or events come up in the Book of Mormon, to read them there too. He said it will help to bring the bible and the Book of Mormon together and i will understand them better. an example, i dont remember how many of the 4 Gospels has the birth of Christ, i think it is 3 of them. But than as i read those to go to the Book of Mormon to read of the prophecies and signs of his birth.  It has been really cool. It has been kinda hard, but it actually feels like a scripture Study, not just reading them. 

well that is for sure the big parts of my week. Another thing that just came to mind is after church we had a "linger longer". it is just a pot luck after church to get the members to stay and then have a good time together. It was great and we also got all the leftovers!! 

It sounds like there is still a lot of fun things that are going on back at home. i think that it is super cool the activity they did with the refugees. That would for sure be something you would always remember. I am sure it is something they will always remember too. Mountain biking still looks fun, even if its not a great as soccer. But its alright. I bet it has been fun for Jaxsen. Good luck with the ward. I hope you all have a great week! talk to you next week! well kinda. I Love yo u all!! 

Elder Mortensen

Ps: This wasnt staged! this is just another normal day as a missionary! ties, candy, cookies on the ironing board shaving and eating some good food. Its great being a missionary!

Also i wanted to let you know mom, that i dont just eat sandwiches anymore. I improved my cooking skills. 

It's Hard To See Someone Going Through So Much And Know We Have The Things That Will Help, But They Don't Know That And Wont Do Some Of The Things That Really Will Help Them

Hello!! 

This was a crazy week! It was for sure a weird one! well the biggest thing on my mind, its not to fun, M-- disappeared! After his interview last week he was all good and ready to be baptized. his date was 2 days ago. But we havent seen him and havent been able to get in contact with him. He lives in Kennewick still so we cant go and look at his house so we did the next best idea. There is this taco truck that he is at all the time. He kinda just hangs around there. So we ate a lot of tacos during a couple of different days, but we didnt find him. He did text back one of our members inviting him to an activity. He didnt end up going but the good thing is that he answered. He also loves Facebook so the members can help us out with that. There is a lot of things that work on investigators in a negative way when they are close to baptism. This, i am sure, is what is happening with him. It might take a little more time, he does love the church, so he will come back some time soon. its kinda been a little crappy because of that, but it was a good week still. A-- fell into some more bad habits and didnt really want to talk to us because she felt guilty. We talked to a recent convert that she lives with and she said that A-- is just having a hard time with life and everything about it right now. Its hard to see someone going through so much and know we have the things that will help, but they dont know that and wont do some of the things that really will help them. this week has obviously been super full of prayer, with our two main investigators falling off a little. 

We had exchanges this week and i went with our district leader in his area. Before the day started i told him that we are going to work in his area but find a YSA for our companionship to teach. We did! We were knocking around at 11 just before lunch. there was this guy named I--. We had a really good lesson with him. He is hard to explain. he is opened minded kinda. He told us that he dosent believe in God because he cant prove it. But he also cant prove that god isnt real so he believes there could be a god. So it is going to be interesting to teach him. He is reading the Book of Mormon and there is a lot of power in that, so there is a lot of hope for him. he is pretty cool. 

This next week is going to be good. We are going to do a lot more member work. We have been trying to get that going but it hasnt worked super good yet. We also have interviews with president. Those are always really good. They usually are a few hours behind at the end but this week we dont have to worry about it because we are the first two interviews. We also hope we will find M-- and help him with whatever he is going through so he can keep progressing in the gospel. We are excited.

Sounds like everything back home is going really good! thats good to hear! especially that Jaxsen did good in his Bike race! Thats awesome. i hope that everything keeps going great! I will be excited to hear back next week! have a great week! I love you all!

Elder Mortensen

 

Ps i do have a picture. Its with B--. He is one of the people we knew in Prosser. He was an investigator from the other elders. He got baptized! the first time we met him the other elders introduced us as Stumpy( Elder Harward) and Ugly(me). when he opened the door he said, i dont want to call you this but i dont know your name. so he just called me stumpys companion, Ugly. It was funny

We Need To Really See What Matters Most To Us, What Has More Value, Then Choose It

Hello! 

Wasn't this week just great! it is kinda weird that we were doing the same things for like 10 hours this week! that doesn't happen very often. The conference was great though. Something that stood out to me a lot is how often the gospel of Christ was talked about. If it was either repentance, grace, joy, or things like that. The Gospel of Christ kinda covers everything so its obvious that its talked about all the time. But i realized more of how it needs to be always a thought in our mind.  This was for sure on my mind a lot because the day before, on Friday, We had the Doctrine of Christ training. Its a training that you go to in your second transfer, or if its our companions second transfer. They taught about having a perfect brightness of hope as we are living this Doctrine. If we really trust God and his promises. We all have a lot of promises made to us, especially as missionaries. President White taught us that we need to do the things necessary for those blessings then ask for them and expect them to come. For me i do the things that i am suppose to, but dont always ask God to show me the blessings. It seemed kinda weird for me, to ask for something that i am already promised i will receive. But as i do this i either receive more or at least recognize more of the blessings that i receive. It makes counting my blessing a little easier for me. The thing i liked most about conference was the promise of Joy. I dont remember who it was exactly or exactly what he said, that is what notes are for i just dont have them with me, but i think it was Elder Stevenson Invited us to have more Joy in our lives. it kinda seems weird, making it sound like a choice to have joy. But it really is. I was reading in the Book of Mormon in the book of Mormon. In chapter 8 verse 38 it says.  Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies-because of the praise of the world?  It helped me understand that it is a choice. We need to really see what matters most to us, what has more value. then choose it. We need to not be afraid of the praises of criticizing of the world and choose the things that will give us Joy. It was a great thing that was able to come clear into my mind. I hope it came out good when i typed it. The spirit works great with me in my head, but my fingers and words dont always work super great with the thoughts i was given. Conference was so great thought!!

The first two sessions we were at the institute building where we have church and watched it with the YSA. There was breakfast before, games and a barbecue in between and they gave us all the extra food after. So it was great! We watched the other sessions in the Stake Center. I worked out really good for us.

This week was like cut in half because all the meetings and conference. Not a ton of missionary work got done. But... M-- did have his interview with president and he is getting baptized!!  It made us so happy you have no idea. We dont now if it is going to be this week or the next we hope this week if we can get a hold of him. He is kinda hard to get a hold of. We are so excited for him. He is so great.

Its great to hear all the great things from this week. Its pretty cool that some friends from North Carolina come down! that i am sure was a ton of fun. I hope everyone got as much out of conference as mom did!! i will have to make sure i study a little bit more to catch up with her. and i hope that none of you gained as much weight over conference as i did! because if you did, i am sorry! But have another great week! i love you all a ton!!

Elder Mortensen.

Ps  Mom i just wanted to let you know that i definitely know that you have a really strong testimony and are converted to Christ, living like him to the best of your ability. There is nothing that has more impact on me than you and the example of Charity that you have shown during my whole life. You are a unfailing light that helps lead me in the way of joy that was talked about so much this last weekend. i love you very much for that and for everything else.

also pictures!  

There is nothing better then locking our trainees out side for a little. 

Elder corral also got a bunch of car oil dumped on him. He wasnt to happy about it. 

even more because i thought it was super funny

Its not my face to look at so sorry, but it is just as funny