It was amazing! Starting at the MTC was hard, I wanted to get out there and start preaching! Finally I was let loose out of the MTC a little more than 2.5 weeks after I got in that place. My first mission field was the plane. I bought a missionary copy of the Book of Mormon(greatest missionary tool ever) and had it in hand waiting for my first opportunity to share the gospel. When I got on the plane to Florida I sat by this guy named Bob. Bob was a very interesting character from the looks of him, but I had him just where I wanted him, sitting down trapped sitting right next to me and my friend El Libro De Mormon. Needless to say I taught Bob till I was blue in the face on that plane and placed my first Book of Mormon. I was so excited about teaching Bob and Baptizing everyone in Florida I just looked past the fact that Bob would go in and out of consciousness when I was teaching him because he had a little too much to drink. I just wanted to preach the Gospel and BAPTIZE!.. You get the picture? And Preach the Gospel and Baptize I did, for two years and loved it!
Starting out in Daytona I went wild, my trainer Elder Sorenson would let me contact people in the park, I went hog wild train to preach and Baptize all the homeless people in the city, I soon found out there was a lot of them, and got to know a lot of them by name. But.. come to find out my preaching to the homeless came in handy as we found a less active... after teaching him the whole first lesson, he told me he was a member. And my companion made the connection of who he was. Crazy stuff! But my homeless preaching days were only the beginning!Next I went to Kissimee, and found tons of Success as Elder Anderson and I caught that area on fire. We would bike and Knock all day long.. just how I liked it, good hard work! I also got to train a brand new elder in that area, Elder Stewart(my only son.) In that area alone I was able to see over 10 Baptisms! It was the best!
The Mission Kept Getting Better as we worked harder, knocked more doors, and increased our faith in the Lord! Baptisms begat more baptisms!
I began to learn some important lessons in my life.
1. Obedience- I saw a lot of missionaries who were not as happy as I seemed to be, I realized that submitting your will to the Lord not only brings you temporal blessing but the lord blesses you and imparts his joy with you, and you become one with him as you enjoy seeing his children except the gospel.
2. Patience- Every missionary has tough companions, I am not going to lie I had a few! I learned to be patient with them, where they were at in their growth, and learn how to be still and follow the spirit and let the spirit guide me and my actions in how to deal with each individual companion and situation.
3.Faith- Faith Precedes the Miracle... When I believed with all my heart and acted on it, I was able to see mountains moved before my eyes, the sick healed, and covenants that opened the door of Salvation opened.
4.Work- This is the underlying lesson to it all, WORK! The Harder I Worked the greater the harvest the Lord blessed me with! It is as easy as that!
5.Fun!-Missions are a Blast!
I served in many different capacities on my mission and loved them all! I love every companion I ever had, even when I wanted to pull my hair out because of them! I love every person I met! I loved the mission!
I served for 25 months! I served a month Extension with Elder Aaron Fielding Dunn. We drove a 15 passenger van, yes we even had to have "special van training certified" to drive it. Crazy eh? WE STROLLED AROUND IN THAT VAN FOR DAYZ! It was the best. Our extension consisted of driving, training, knocking, teaching, inviting people to be baptized, knocking, teaching, inviting people to be baptized, sleeping on the ground, and eating Little Caesar's Pizza. Setting records in every area we went to opened my eyes to one thing, every area is prepared by the lord, he really has prepared his vineyard. There is no such thing as a "dead area" only "dead Servants." Wherever the servants of the Lord work hard, he blesses them abundantly with baptisms. There are Elect people everywhere, so help them feel the spirit and invite them to be BAPTIZED! I know there are people everywhere who are ready for this step! It is amazing!
The mission changed my life! I will go on few more before I die! I know Christ Lives! He is the Only Begotten Son of the Father! By Him the worlds are and were created and the inhabitants thereof! There REALLY is NO other way where by man can be saved, except through the merits, Mercy, and grace of the Messiah, the Lord Omnipotent. Christ Restored his Church on the earth today! Joseph Smith was called to be a prophet! HE did see God and Jesus Christ! All the laws and ordinances of the gospel were restored with the corresponding powers of the priesthood to officiate them! The Book of Mormon Is the word of God, also being the convincing evidence to both Jew and Gentile that the above stated are true. How do I know these things? I know because I have seen, I have felt, and the Spirit itself beareth witness with my spirit that these things are True, and this is how the REALLY are!
Like I Said, "BEST 2 YEAR SABBATICAL EVER!"
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