First few days in sunnyside

Hello everybody!

I hope you all have had a great week!

So this week was pretty crazy! Lots of stuff going on. Leaving Pasco was pretty hard but it was good to be able to say goodbye to some of our investigators. I have faith that they will get baptized in the future. It was just kind of crazy that both of us got transferred out. I thought I was going to stay there for at least 1 more transfer but the last few days here in Sunnyside have shown me that I need to be here.

The work here in Sunnyside is going really well. We have a goal as a district to have 15 baptisms before the end of the transfer which will take a miracle but that is what we are expecting. Something that we are trying to do is instead of just thinking about what we need to do, we pray about it first. We end up saying a lot more prayers throughout the day but that is kind of the point. The first day that we tried it we had some really good things happen. We ended up being in the exact places that we needed to be at the right time. The next couple of days we got a little lax and we didn't have near as much success but then we recommitted ourselves to it and we had some really good miracles happen. We were able to find someone that had been taught by missionaries before and he still had his Book of Mormon from 3 years ago. Then to finish off the night we had an amazing lesson with a recent convert where she told us why she decided to start learning about the gospel. Lets just say that we all now know that the Lord works in mysterious ways but he knows what he is doing and He loves us very much.

Hope you all have a great week and see many miracles

Transfer Calls Again

Hello everybody!

So this past weekend we got transfer calls again. The time is going by so fast, its hard to believe that transfers are already here. Both my companion and I will be transferred out of Pasco. I'm going to Sunnyside and my companion is going to Othello and he will be learning an Indian dialect from mexico. It was a pretty big shock to everyone that we are both leaving but I guess the Lord needs us in different places.

This week was pretty tough for teaching but we ended off the week pretty good. For some reason we have been having trouble getting a hold of our investigators and potentials but the few lessons that we did get were really good and pretty productive. Interesting thing that happened as we were talking with Isaac's family to say good-bye. They really appreciated all the effort that we have put into teaching them. They kept saying that we may have planted the seed but others may come for the harvest. I have faith that they will get baptized one day.

Yesterday we had a pretty good Easter Sunday. We had lunch with an investigator family and they are from El Salvador and their neighbors came as well (they are members that we spend a lot of time with). It was super good to see member missionary work as it should be. We stayed pretty quiet because they were having their own good conversation and becoming better friends which will really help since we are getting doubled out. Also we had a couple of other really good lessons so it was a really good end to a long week.

I just want to share my appreciation for the Savior as well as my testimony. I know that He lives and that performed the Atonement for all of us so that we may return to live with our Father in Heaven. Without him there would be no way to return to the presence of God. I am so grateful for the strength the Atonement gives me to keep moving forward and I know that it can bless all of your lives as well, we just have to have faith in Jesus Christ and act on that faith. Follow the prophet, his words guide us to Christ.

Your Friend,

Elder Young

Quote from General Conference

Hey everybody!

I hope you all have been having a great week and have seen many miracles.

The weather here has been really nice, around 70 during the day and 40s at night. It makes it easier to go out and talk with people when the weather is cooperating with us instead of fighting against us.

This week was a little slower for teaching but it was still a pretty good week. The lessons that we did have were pretty good and we hope to see some people progressing pretty soon. One lesson that we had with a couple was pretty short but it was a powerful testimony to me of the power of the Book of Mormon. We read Enos with them and talked about how pray can help us find the answers we need in life. I love how simple yet powerfully the Book of Mormon teaches true doctrines.

One of my favorite quotes from General Conference was from Elder Hallstrom. He said

Several decades ago I was serving as a bishop. Over an extended period I met with a man in our ward who was many years my senior. This brother had a troubled relationship with his wife and was estranged from their children. He struggled to keep employment, had no close friends, and found interaction with ward members so difficult he finally was unwilling to serve in the Church. During one intense discussion about the challenges in his life, he leaned toward me—as his conclusion to our numerous talks—and said, “Bishop, I have a bad temper, and that’s just the way I am!”

That statement stunned me that night and has haunted me ever since. Once this man decided—once any of us conclude—“That’s just the way I am,” we give up our ability to change. We might as well raise the white flag, put down our weapons, concede the battle, and just surrender—any prospect of winning is lost. While some of us may think that does not describe us, perhaps every one of us demonstrates by at least one or two bad habits, “That’s just the way I am.”

This talk definitely taught me that there is always something that we can do and the atonement of Jesus Christ can help us overcome anything if we are just willing to have faith and to act.

So something the church just came out with is http://mormon.org/BecauseofHim in preparation for Easter. It would be a great opportunity to share with anyone you talk with about Christ and the church.

Have a great week and look for the lord in your life!

Elder Young

General Conference

Hey everyone!

General conference was a great experience. I loved all the talks and the spirit that was felt there. The general authorities definitely have put a lot of focus on remaining strong and keeping covenants and the commandments.

This week was pretty good for teaching as well. We did have some miracles before and after sessions of general conference. We tried the plans that we had set but they had fallen through so we decided to stop and think about who we needed to go see and who the Lord needed us to go see. After the priesthood session we were able to visit a family that has been going through some rough times and we were able to share things that we learned from the conference. We also had some success getting a hold of some investigators and referrals that have been difficult to find. Little miracles happen when we follow the spirit.

Something that I liked from Elder Hollands talk was that he talked how God and Jesus Christ are not smooth Gods and they demand hard things. It really shows that they expect hard things out of us because they love us. True friends stand between us and a bad decision and that is exactly what they do, as well as the prophets and apostles. They are true friends to the whole world.

Hope to hear from you all!

Elder Young