A White Christmas!

Dear everybody,

Christmas was great!  Thanks for the packages and stuff!  It was great to see your friendly faces on Skype (those who were there, that is)  Christmas for us here in Idaho was what they call a no first-contact day, so no tracting, etc.  So we had a great time visiting members of our ward here and there.

However, as good as Christmas was, my favorite day was on Saturday.  Why?  Because I attended two baptisms!  Hooray!!!!  Both of them were very great.  The younger guy is James, and for that baptism I got to sing a special musical number.  And then the WML invited me to play piano for the changing time, so I was glad to oblige.  The older guy is Jim.  The member on the left baptized him, but they asked me to be in there to help him up out of the water, just in case, since his back isn't the best.  Both were great.

I do have to say, though, that after teaching Jim for so long, I was so glad to see him follow the example of Jesus Christ in this way!  I was really touched by how impacted he was by the experience.  I have seen so many miracles over the course of teaching him, and saw more miracles at the baptism, so overall it has been an incredible experience.  Jim bore his testimony of his whole experience, and it was something I'll never forget!  He told of how God had been calling him and of the experiences that led him to be introduced to the church and then to know that this really is Christ's church on the earth.  It was amazing.  I love that man so much!

That experience definitely is going to be a motivation for me to continue serving the Lord with all my might, mind, and strength!  I love seeing others change their lives for the better through accepting the restored gospel of Jesus Christ!  The transformation is amazing.  Absolutely amazing.  Not only does it change them, but it is changing me, as well!

In other news, I just love the other little things that are interspersed throughout each day that keep me going.  One was going to one family for help in fellowshipping another family we are teaching who has three children, and them just taking initiative and saying "Yeah we'll totally invite them over, get their son involved in Mutual, and take care of everything."  So cool!  Another was teaching Hans, the Swedish husband of a member in one of our wards.  We taught him about prayer, and he said "Ok, well let's pray then!  I'll say it!"  Haha by all means!

Hmmm... other than that, Happy New Year, everyone!  I am excited to see more growth in myself over the course of this next year.  I know that the only way I'll really be able to realize that growth is through making goals for myself.  So that is what I'll be doing this next week!

Love you all!  I pray that each of you have the best 2014 that you can!  I know that as you seek Heavenly Father's help in improving yourself, He will help you, support you, and give you the experiences you need to be able to become who He wants you to become.

--Elder Usevitch

 

 

 

All is Merry and Bright!

Hello everyone!

This week has brought more miracles.  I love it!  Yes there were struggles of course, but that's just boring and down, so let's talk about the good times. :)

One miracle came from going out with President Winder Wednesday night.  We started out by contacting a family to invite them to the ward Christmas party, and it turns out that President knew them!  Crazy story which I cannot spend too much time on, but it consists of President and Sister Winder praying to meet someone they could help a week or two ago, then meeting a waitress at Cracker Barrel who was a member and helping her develop a greater desire to come back to church.  Turns out that she is in our ward.  Coincidence?  I think NOT!

We had some great lessons with other families as well. My favorite was reconnecting with an investigator we had never met who is a junior in high school.  He told us about how he really liked learning about the gospel but then school and choir got in the way and he was too busy now.  Man, I testified with all my heart and soul about how seeking the Lord first will really bless him in his schooling.  If nothing else, four years of that in high school and two more years at BYU taught me that one lesson!  Needless to say, he committed to read the Book of Mormon and pray everyday this week.  He is the coolest guy ever and I am excited for him!

What more can I say.  I don't even know.  Christmas is in full swing and it is fun to be able to sing and play carols for people!  So far, no member has taken up on my offer to go caroling to their neighbors with them, but I hope to change that soon....

And to end, a FANTASTIC quote from President Hinckley.  I love it:

"For you, my dear friends, the sky is the limit. You can be excellent in every way. You can be first class. There is no need for you to be a scrub. Respect yourself. Do not feel sorry for yourself. Do not dwell on unkind things others may say about you. ...  Polish and refine whatever talents the Lord has given you. Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, but with great and strong purpose in your heart." 

          New Era, Nov. 2003 - "DAUGHTERS OF THE ALMIGHTY"  (Don't judge me.... )

 

Awesome.  Just awesome.  My favorite part is the scrub sentence.  I cracked up so hard, haha!  But I love his message!  We have ENORMOUS potential!  We just need to work hard to realize it!  The Lord knows what we can do, so let's go out and DO IT!!!  Let us be good examples!  Let us share His gospel!  Let us proclaim the glad message of Christ's gospel to the world!  The Lord will strengthen us!  We know what the outcome will be - Christ will conquer all.  Let us choose to be on that side now and forever!

Love you all!

--Elder Usevitch

Cooooooooold!!

Hello everyone from the frozen wastelands of Boise!

We have been getting some crazy weather up here!  Pretty abnormal, I hear, but whatever.  Saturday morning we woke up to almost 4 inches of fresh snow.  That presented a great service opportunity for us to help some people in the two wards we serve in and make some more connections.  Then that night it got down below zero I think, although exactly how cold I'm not sure.  Here's one picture I took from our car's data:

And that was Sunday night, too.  I think Saturday night it got a little colder than that.  Brrr!!  It hasn't been too bad though with a good coat and a good car. :)  I am still alive, although I might be buying some thermals today just to help a little.

We had a ward Christmas party this past week for one of the wards, and it was a great opportunity to meet people!  We got to help serve food, and I loved being able to meet members and nonmembers in that way.  These wards are quite a bit bigger than the last one I served in for sure!  I am excited to draw from the potential that is here.  There is work enough to do ere the sun goes down!

And as a side note, I still am surprised at how many people I have met here that have El Paso connections!  In the past week I have met 3 or 4 people who lived in El Paso, with a few more who have relatives that have lived there!  Most of them were there a while ago, but it's still fun to find those connections.

The big miracle for the week was in meeting with one of our investigators James.  We had talked about how we wanted to set a baptismal date for him this lesson.  We walked in and started the lesson, and he said "Yeah, I'm thinking I want to get baptized somewhere around Christmas."  Haha, he pretty much set the date himself!  So it's looking like we're going to have a white Christmas in more than one way..... No pun intended..... Just kidding....

In other news, the first night I got to this area we went to the ward mission leader's home to meet him and his wife.  She was super excited to learn that I played piano and sang.  She had me play something for her, and I was happy to do so on her phenomenal 10 foot grand Steinway.  Turns out that she used to be the head of the music department at BSU, and honestly that doesn't surprise me from how she wasted no time in getting me involved with this and that and telling just about everybody in the ward that I am musical.  Those music people know how to get you and get you QUICK!  (cough cough MOM cough cough)  Haha I am pretty stoked though!  Music is the BOMB!  And it is a great missionary tool.  More updates on that later.  It has already helped us build relations with one part-member family in the ward.

The thought for the week comes from 2 Nephi 31.  It talks about how "the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water."  After thinking about that, I can really agree!  The process of repentance and baptism is designed to jumpstart us onto the path of discipleship.  If we only get baptized without repenting, it is just like walking up to the gate, going through the motions of opening it, and not actually going through.  If we view baptism as the end-all, we just stay inside the gate, leaning on the fence without going anywhere.  However, if we view it as a beginning of a journey, then it serves its true purpose of helping us come to Christ.  And oh boy, what a journey that is!  Sometimes I look back and think "Man, if I only knew what I was getting into when I got baptized...."  And then I think of all the great joys and blessings I have received, and of course it is all worth it.  Following God is always worth it.

Love you all!  Have a fantastic week.  Hopefully you're not as cold as it is up here, but I guess if you are then we can just enjoy the cold together.  Yay for winter! :P

--Elder Usevitch

Transfers!

Hello everyone!

The sad news is that I am leaving the ward I have been in for the past 3 transfers.  Things are really bumping there, so Elder Taylor will have a lot of fun serving and training a new missionary!  I am super excited.  I am now moving to the Boise West stake with Elder Lehmuller from Chicago.  Picture included (excuse the weird face...):

So I am pretty stoked.  It will be a great transfer!  Yeesh it's only in pictures that I realize how huge I actually am....  Carazy to see sometimes!

Twas a roller-coaster week.  All things went well to get Jim ready for baptism, the interview was held, and I was STOKED!  I was just super duper excited.  And then Jim told us on Thursday that he didn't want to be baptized this Saturday.  A little devastating, to say the least.  But we kept on going along with it, knowing that the Lord knows what will happen.  We invited him to another baptism going on that weekend, and he had a pretty good time.  He was thinking about going to check out another church near his house, but a couple of ward members there at the baptism convinced him otherwise.  So I'm pretty sure that we'll be able to get him baptized here soon.  Super good!

Our Thanksgiving day was pretty great.  We had two dinner appointments back to back, one with an investigator, and then a couple other places to visit that night, but through eating slowly and controlling what I ate, things went pretty well.  I could have stuffed myself more, but ... yeah I didn't really feel like it.  Fortunately people are understanding here in Idaho.  They know what missionaries go through as far as food goes. :)

It was amazing for me to see how much the Lord has taught me these past few transfers.  I think the big thing that happened for me was that I had my testimony solidified that this really is Christ's church here on the earth!  Like Preach my Gospel says, it isn't just another church or just another religion, but truly the truth of God restored again today!  Realizing this has really helped me to be a little bolder in the way I teach and contact.  Really cool to see!

I really know that the Lord is watching out for us!  Through good times and bad, through ups and downs and all arounds.  I am grateful that He is still teaching me and helping me learn from my experiences.  I will be looking to learn more as I continue on.

Thanks for all your support and prayers!

Love, 

--Elder Usevitch

 

PS - for the 2nd picture, Elder Taylor and I both earned the Thomas S. Monson award - new Scouting award as of this year.  Check it out!

 

To BAPTIZE!!!

Dearest friends and family,

My heart is full, and this week was fantastic.  Fantastic.  Sooooo many miracles, in soooo many areas!  I shall proceed, but in honor of Thanksgiving this week, let's do it in the form of thanks:

I am thankful for the chance I had to receive some training this week about finding.  This helped to strengthen my faith that there still are people out there, even in my area, who need to hear the message of the gospel!  This really helped me to have renewed vigor and desire to go out and find and teach.

I am thankful for the opportunity I had to go on exchanges this week.  Three of them!  With three different Elders.  The first was with an Elder Smith, who I actually was with for 3 days at the beginning of last transfer.  I was so excited when I learned that I was going to do a leadership exchange with him, and we had a great time finding some new people for him to teach in his area.  The last one I went on was with Elder Nieto, a missionary from Colombia, and his Spanish accent reminded me SO MUCH of El Paso and home.  I got to practice my broken Spanish with him, and we were just happy and laughing the whole day as we taught, served, and contacted.  One of my favorite quotes of the day was when he told me "It's so funny - you're tall, white, and Polish, but you speak like a Mexican!"  Haha, that's my 17 years in El Paso for SURE!  

I am thankful for my companion, Elder Taylor.  We were able to do some major work this week in finding and teaching, and it is so great to see this area the busiest it has ever been since I came at the beginning of August!  He has really been a great support in everything.

I am thankful for the great gift of the Book of Mormon for teaching me, inspiring me, and helping me feel the Spirit more every day.  What a great resource for me, and what a great tool for others.  As I have applied my mission president's words to use the Book of Mormon more, I have definitely seen and felt great miracles.  Such as one where we went to see Dan: he was a little tired and irritated at first, but as we read from the Book of Mormon he changed so much.  He learned more about the Bible as we discussed what we read, and he was much calmer and happier at the end.  I asked him if he noticed how different he felt at the end compared to the beginning, but of course he declined to respond.  I know he notices it though!

I am grateful for gloves.  They do such a great job at keeping my hands warm. :)

I am grateful to be able to drive a car.  I am so spoiled.  So spoiled.  But that heater is pretty darn hot, let me tell ya! :P

I am grateful for our good bishop, who has inspired the ward council to praying for our investigators by name, and for us as missionaries of their ward by name.  I can testify that specific prayers like that really does make a huge difference!  They are currently applying the idea of asking the missionaries serving from their ward for investigators' names to pray for and then praying for them.  I think that is a fantastic idea.  So if you feel so inclined, would you say a prayer for Jim, Robert, William, Marc, or Tania?  I would really appreciate it.  As would they.

I am grateful for the gift of music.  So grateful.  I would be dead without it.  Life would be bland and terrible.  Music fills me up and drives me forward and gives me such incredible joy!

I am grateful for my family: Mom, Dad, Ryan Jen Ellie and Charlie, James, David, Mark, Robert, Katy, Kimberly, and all the rest of my extended family and extended extended family.  That should include all of you. :)  You all are the best.

Last of all, I am grateful for Jim.  And the Spirit.  And the gospel.  And what happens when you combine those together.  We had a baptismal date set for the 30th with him, but all of last week he wasn't really sure if he wanted to go through with it.  In fact, with one lesson my companion had with him when we were on exchanges, he said he wanted to wait it out.  BUT, on Saturday, we had a great time reading the Book of Mormon with him, and he told us of how the Lord might have been answering his prayers about the church.  We testified to him that the experiences he shared were truly the Lord telling him through the Holy Ghost that this gospel is true.  We then challenged him to make a decision about baptism, pray about it, and then come to church the next morning.

Sunday dawned bright and beautiful.  During Sacrament meeting, Jim leaned over to Elder Taylor and said he wanted to go through with being baptized on the 30th.  And then the talks seemed like they were specifically geared towards his concerns.  Wow.  When Elder Taylor shared the good news to me, MAN I was filled with so much joy!  I am so grateful for the work that the Lord has done on him to help him to change and accept this covenant!

So now we have a baptism to plan for Saturday.  Me in my lack of faith wasn't planning on it happening, so the Lord taught me a great lesson.  Wahoo!!  On goes the work!  Hoorah for Israel!

Love,

--Elder Usevitch

1. The first snow of the year!  Yay!

2. The first fellow Ham that I've found in Idaho!

3. Sweetest pic EVER of the Boise temple.

To Baptize or not to Baptize?

That is the question.  Obvious answer, of course.

Hello Family!  And Friends!  And everyone else.

So.... the bad news of the week is that the baptism for Robert has to be postponed.  BUT, all is not lost.  He is a solid guy and will definitely keep progressing and coming to church.  We had a couple great lessons with him this past week, and it was great to hear feedback from the fellowshipping family that some of the lessons we chose to give were things that he really needed.  The Spirit does direct the work!  Now I just need to keep seeking that Spirit more and more.

After our fantastic zone conference last Tuesday, I set out this week to dive into the Book of Mormon more in my personal study.  There were definitely a couple of days where my feelings were not the most positive and my motivations for the work were lacking some, but as I read in the Book of Mormon, I was uplifted SO MUCH!  I remember one day when I started off reading, and all of a sudden in the middle of my study I looked up and realized that I felt great!  There truly is a power in the Book of Mormon.  I know there is!  I testify there is!  It was so great to take those experiences and testify to my investigators that I know the Book of Mormon will bless them IF they choose to read it and ponder over it.

Fun experience for the week was helping with the ward Rake-Up this Saturday.  We were able to get two investigators to come help with that (Robert was one), and we had a great time raking leaves.  Haha, and by great time I mean that we all woke up in the morning to a couple inches of snow on the ground!  That didn't stop us, though, so we set out and scooped up slushy piles of tree refuse for a few hours.  Love it!

I think one of my favorite miracles this week was finally catching up with a part-member family.  We met the wife a few months ago, and haven't been able to see them since, so this was awesome.  We had heard from the RS President, their neighbor, that their daughter was interested in taking the lessons, so of course our interest was caught and we went by again.  The Lord led us to go at the right time when they were all home, and we talked, met them, and set up a time to go by this week to teach the daughter AND the nonmember father!  We are super excited to be working with their whole family.

Seeing the ward coordinate more to help with the work is the best.  One investigator we were teaching had a few problems and concerns which drove him away from meeting with us, but a lady in the ward visit-teaches his LA girlfriend and has been able to friendship both of them.  Another investigator we were able to finally get introduced to Young Women in the ward, so hopefully she will now start coming to Mutual and maybe even church!  I am so grateful to be working with such an active ward!  The ward really is the key!

To end, I am grateful for what the Lord is teaching me about focusing on Him and the work.  So for some food for thought:

• What does it mean to have an "eye single to the glory of God?"
• How can you focus more on Him each day?
• How can you develop more integrity towards Him?

I'm still thinking about those, for sure.  But I want to share with you that I know that the Book of Mormon is true, and I know that it will bless the life of any person who sincerely seeks to read it, ponder it, and act upon it!

Love you all!

Oh, and I have a NEPHEW!!!!  WAHOOOO!!!!!

--Uncle Elder Usevitch

An apology in order...

As Monday was Veterans Day, Libraries were closed.  Tuesday was zone conference.  And so today is the day that I get to email.  Yay!

First of all, an emotional release is in order:

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

I love all your emails SO MUCH!!!!  What a great gift each of you are to a missionary learning his way in the gospel.  They just pick me up and help me so much.  Thank you Thank you Thank you!

And now to the fun stuff:  first off, the big thing we are working on this week is one of our investigators, Robert, is being baptized on the 23rd!  Yay!!!  I am super excited.  Such a solid guy - he gets home from work around midnight, has to make dinner, and still makes time to read the Book of Mormon before bed around 2.  Then he gets up to go to school the next day.  Wow.  Oh and Mom, the pictures from the one family you got are the family in the ward we are teaching him with.  So much fun!

We had some awesome lessons this week.  Tons of help from the ward, too!  Our big thing now that I didn't figure out earlier is that the ward is SUCH a resource for helping us!  We have been scheduling appointments overlapping each other, which then gives us a need for members of the ward to split with.  Plus, we get to get more work done!  It has been fun to get more and more people in the ward involved.

It is also fun to be working in an area for an extended period of time.  I know most of the ward now through visiting people Bishop has sent us to and also just going down the ward directory and working with everyone!  It's kinda fun to have the HP group leadership sit down with us and ask us who various people off the ward directory are.  And we proceed to tell them who they are, what happened when we visited them, etc.  They have really realized that missionaries are a super good resource. :)

My favorite learning experience this week was through a zone meeting on Friday and then Zone Conference on Tuesday.  I am grateful that the Lord prepared me for receiving the revelation that I did at those meetings.  Let me describe that preparation: there has always come a point each transfer or so where I feel like there is something more that I should be doing, something else that I need to know.  Then it has turned out that I go to a meeting and learn things that help me exactly how I need them!

It's an interesting concept, really - there are times when I have felt uneasy and discontented, feeling like the Spirit is not there.  I have learned that there are three things this could represent. Some of those times obviously are when I have done some sin to offend God.  However, there are other times where I feel like God draws back his Spirit to help me grow.  When I don't feel the Spirit as strong, I search for why, wonder why, and seek out what more I can be doing.  This has happened each time before zone meetings/conferences.  What this withdrawing of the Spirit does is help me get into the attitude of searching and seeking so that when I do go to that meeting, I am ready to receive the revelation He wants to give me.  Then it is up to me to act on that and continue on.  Again, this has been a poor description of the idea I want to convey, but I hope the Spirit fills in the true meaning of what I am trying to get at.

So in this case, I went to zone meeting and conference and learned about repentance and using the Book of Mormon more effectively.  I am excited to apply this knowledge and seek more to help me succeed better as a missionary! 

And for the fun moment of the week, I had someone ask me if I had kids, I had an investigator think I was around thirty years old, and no, Mom, despite you THINKING I look skinny, I am fuller and fatter than ever. :)  Bring on the weight!  I'm now trying to slow down a little so I don't gain even more.  The garbage disposal of all garbage disposals has met it's match: the Idaho Spud.  ;)

Have a great week!  Love you all!

--Elder Usevitch.

No Subject

Hello everyone!

What a week.  Up and down and all around!  But that's normal, of course.  We had some INCREDIBLE, INCREDIBLE miracles.  It was awesome.

My favorite was definitely with Jim.  We had 3 great lessons with him.  The first we challenged him to go to church with the question if this church was true, and we promised him that he would be able to find answers there.  The second we watched the Restoration video at the house of some members.  He then went to church for Fast and Testimony meeting.  I sat wondering if I should bear my testimony or not, but decided to go do it.  I do it every month anyways... why miss a week? :P

So after church, Elder Taylor comes up to me and says that Jim was telling him that he had such a great experience after church.  We decide to set up a lesson for that night, and when we go over, he tells us more of what happened.  He described to us how he really felt the Holy Ghost during church.  He said that during the testimony of one older sister, and then during my testimony, he was really hit hard.  He told me that when I got up and spoke, he was hit hard and unexpectedly with such a great feeling!  We sat there amazed listening to him describe how he just felt so much joy.

Wow.  I am so grateful for the Lord sending His Spirit there to that church for him to feel!  It is again humbling to know that the Lord truly can work through you to bless the lives of others.  He is coming along really well, and he is now praying about a baptismal date for November 30th.  Yay!  He said that if he feels the same way next week at church, then "Bring on the water!  I'll do it right there!"  So guess what we will be praying for this week?  :)

In another lesson, we brought a member along to teach John and Krista.  The member was someone who we have been trying for about a month or so to come with us, and finally it happened!  We knew that he and John had grown up together in the same ward, and that was why we wanted him to come, but we didn't know that there would be so many more benefits.  Turns out they all like reading, they get along in other aspects, and it is just a perfect fit.  We are really looking forward to having him come along to help them out.

Haha as I write these things down I realize that I can't give the full picture, the full story, but at least you can get a taste of things that are happening.  I can't wait to keep going on and on!

I was thinking this week about different weaknesses of mine that have been coming up more, and while it is super hard to deal with and humbling, it is also good for me to realize what I need to work on.  I think that just like the Lord does not allow us to be tempted above that which we are able to bear, He also does not reveal to us what our true nature and weaknesses are more than we can handle.  Line upon line, precept upon precept, He teaches us who we really are so that we can slowly work and change.  If it was all at once, we would be totally overwhelmed!  I am grateful for his patience as I struggle and continue to change.

Love you all!  Have a fantasmigorical week!  The gospel is true!

--Elder Usevitch

The Arm of the Lord

Hello everyone!

Do you know what's so exciting?  To see miracles.  To see the Lord doing the heavy lifting and giving you the results.  This week has just been FULL of that!

To give you a taste, one day we went to visit a guy in the ward and we noticed a girl out trying to fix her bike.  We went over and helped her out with that, and then she accepted an invitation to hear the lessons with us.  Another day, we were trying so hard to plan and figure out how we could get one of our investigators, Jim, to get excited about the Book of Mormon.  Lo and behold, we go and he says "I have a bunch of questions for you."  He had been reading and wanted to know more about Nephi's vision.  After we talked about that, he then said "Well, let's keep going!"  We then kept on reading.  In another visit we had with him, he was just even more excited about what he had read.   Of course, he remembered how he had told us how he wasn't sure if the Mormon church was for him, so he added "Now don't get any ideas..." We know better though.  He is starting to feel the POWER in the Book of Mormon!

Then, a lady in our ward brings two more people in for us to teach.  She helps out some from the homeless shelter in getting settled here, and that in turn opens the door for her to share the gospel.  One of those was Marc, a guy from Oregon who literally walked into the shelter, and she was the first person he met.  We had the most amazing first lesson with him!  The Spirit was just so strong as we taught and testified of the Plan of Salvation.  I was so grateful for what I have learned about teaching for the past few months, for that really helped me to work with my companions to bring the Spirit there!

With another of our investigators, Robert, we went to the Boise temple to tour the grounds.  His girlfriend's dad explained what we do inside, and later as we were teaching him he described feeling just a warmth come over him as that was being explained.  We had a great lesson after, and he committed to setting a baptismal date in November.  Wahoo!  He is such a solid guy.  I can't wait to see how the gospel keeps helping and changing him!

So yep, what a week!  The one sad thing that happened was that Elder Kinderknecht was transferred to be with another missionary, so now we only have Elder Taylor and I left.  He will be missed for sure!  We'll keep on trucking here - things are always going up!

I thought a lot about commitment this week. (Thank you SO much, David, for starting me off on that one.)  What I have realized is the following:  Our commitment to the Lord shows in ALL areas of our life!  Everything really plays off each other.  This is partially why the Lord gives us commandments such as the Word of Wisdom:  as we become more committed and diligent physically, we develop a greater capacity to be committed spiritually, emotionally, mentally, etc.  Likewise, if we improve mentally, it will have repercussions in other areas, and so forth.

So, what that was to me was a big wake-up call.  For if I want to be really committed to serving the Lord, I need to be committed in every aspect.  For if I make excuses in one area, I usually will make them in all.  If I am lazy in one aspect, I probably am lazy in all.  And if I am not diligent in a certain thing, my diligence in all else suffers.  A chain is only as strong as its weakest link!

I can be more committed to the Savior by making slow improvements in every area of my life!  I realize now that if I show more commitment in any area, my capacity to be committed improves.  And if I improve in all, then those improvements will play off each other and my progress will be exponential!  This is why we are asked to offer our whole souls to Christ - it is only by giving our ALL to Him that He can help us become like He is!  Each link in our chain will be strong, and we will not break under pressure or temptation.  Life is a game of fixing weak links.

Thank you ALL for your prayers in my behalf!  I feel them.  I know the Lord is there.  He is there for all of us!  Let us get closer ourselves and then invite others to "Come, join with us!"

Love,

--Elder Usevitch

No Subject

Hallaballoo, everyone!

I had another great week in the mission field.  The weather has been nice, the trees are spectacular, and hearts are warming up to the gospel despite the few frosts.  Transfer calls were yesterday, and all three of us are staying here in this area!  I am really excited for that, since there is a lot happening in the next month or so.  We have a great Halloween neighborhood/ward party, Rake up Boise, and a ward rake up coming, all of which bode well for future opportunities to teach....

Had two exchanges with other missionaries this week.  I like being able to work with other missionaries to be inspired and to try to inspire.  One crazy experience we had was knocking doors in one apartment complex.  It was basically the most successful tracting experience ever.  We got 2 or 3 return appointments, had a great conversation with a guy who used to be Special Ops in the Army, and shared a lunch with a Muslim family.  It just so happened to be Ede that day, one of their big holidays (kinda like Christmas, they said), so we joined and had some delicious rice, lamb, meatballs, and homemade yogurt.  Yum.

It's crazy how the Lord works out miracles in many different ways.  On my other exchange, we stopped to talk to a lady outside the house of one of our appointments.  She was out walking her dog, and we had a good conversation.  I was a little disappointed when we didn't get to tie it into the gospel, but moved on.  

Imagine my surprise when a lady in our ward calls us the next day to tell us that she has a friend at work who she invited to come to church to hear her sing.  Her friend was super excited to come, and then told her about how she met some missionaries the day before.  She said that usually missionaries she has met try to push the gospel on her, but these ones were different and just had a really nice conversation with her.  Upon being asked for a description, she told of how one was really tall from Texas, and he just had a great smile.  (Pride alert....)

Soooo crazy!  So this lady comes to church, I met her again, and ... wow.  Sometimes just being happy and smiling can be a great missionary tool!  I'm so glad I learned the value of being happy. =D

I had a great time this week learning more about the principle of grace and salvation.  I looked again at one of my favorite talks - the one by Brad Wilcox with the piano lesson analogy of grace.  LOVE that talk.  Everything just made so much more sense as I tried to explain it in our companion study.  I just love those times when it feels like revelation just keeps flowing into you!  It is amazing to understand more that Christ paid for the full measure of our salvation, and we do not do good works to pay any part of that, but we do so to access and use the power of His Atonement.  As we use that enabling power, we are able to improve and become more like our Father in Heaven.

I know the gospel is true!  I am so grateful to be learning that more and more every day.  Thank you all for your prayers and support.  I really do feel it every day that I go out and serve.

Love,

--Elder Usevitch

WHy do I have so many things to say that it gets super long and...

First off, I would like to say, that I have had my knowledge renewed again this week that music is my fuel.  Man.  I love it so much!  The times that I am happiest, I always have a song in my head or my heart!  Sometimes I wonder if I bother others with my random singing, but I don't think about that too much because I am having too much fun lifting up my voice and pouring my heart out!  Singing when I get up, singing in the shower, singing during the day as we go along, singing when we come back at night, and singing right before I go to bed, ahhhhh....... :)  Of course, it would be nice to have time for more piano, and it would be nice to have a harmonica or recorder, but singing works well with multi-tasking, so it is what I resort to.

If you ever get down, if you ever feel sad,

If you ever feel happy, or feel like you're glad,

Then SING IT AWAY and pour out your heart,

And feel all those feelings come out and ...

Ok, so I have to admit that I am bad at being impromptu Dr. Seuss.  Come up with your own ending and make that terrible poem better. :)  But singing is great to just feel your feelings come out and make you feel better!

Anyways, now that I have gotten past explaining my abnormal obsession in that area, I have news!  We got a message that I received a LARGE package in the mission office.  I was super confused, until I found out more.....

Whoa.  Whoa.  Can you say BRAND NEW 2014 Chevy Cruze?  Only 8 miles on it when we got it?  Well, I can. :)  Haha, that was a HUGE surprise.  So our missionary work has changed somewhat, I have to say!  At least I will be warm this winter, granted only if I stay here and don't get transferred...

Other than that, we had some great times this week in teaching.  We found a guy on the street and invited him to see the inside of the church on a tour, and he accepted!  We also had an amazing time teaching one of our investigators, Robert, in the home of his girlfriend's family.  Teaching the Plan of Salvation with a family there to testify of it's importance is super sweet.  I really feel like he felt the Spirit in that lesson!

Thanks for all your prayers for me!  I really feel their help.  Just like I felt it during General Conference when they prayed for missionaries in just about every prayer.  The Lord really listens to prayers!  In fact, story time....

We have an investigator who has a hard time with prayer and says he has never had a prayer answered.  He has been meeting with missionaries for a long time, and we have made very very slow progress.  We had Stake Conference this past week, and they broadcasted it from the stake center to our building.  Right before Dan got there, the video broke down.  He got there and joked it was because he came that it was broken.  After a few minutes, he said to me "Will you join me?"  I was super confused at first, and then he said "Let's say a prayer to help it work!"

Whoa.  Dan?  What?  I was shocked, but we each said a prayer, and a few minutes later, it came back on.  I was humbled by his example and his words that "We're in a church, the LORD'S HOUSE, so why don't I see anyone else praying to help it to work?"  Yeah, he taught me a huge lesson.  It was awesome.

Love you all!  Thanks for all your stories and inspiration to me!  It helps me so much. 

--Elder Usevitch

Stepping it UP!

Kkkssshshskksh... Hello again from Boise North!  This is the Elder speaking. Kkshhsshhkhshs...

What a week.  The Lord has been kind!  We had a bunch of meetings to go to, such as a new missionary meeting for me and my companions, zone meeting, and then General Conference.  Sometimes I like it when I listen and am happy and inspired and things are great.  This time around, though, the Lord took this week to let me know that I need to take another step up and get on a new level of missionary work.

Challenge accepted.

While it is hard to hear correction from the Lord, I am so happy that He did that!  I really needed a wake-up call to get myself going!  Like it was said in GC, He knows what it takes to get us to be like him, and He is going to do all He can to help us along that path!  I am grateful for what I have learned about goals while I have been serving, because I can now make ways to develop myself and see my progress grow as I work to achieve those goals!  I love the times when you get fired up about doing things, because that provides the fuel for the times when it will invariably get rough.

We had some amazing miracles this week.  My favorite one was stopping by a less-active family that we had been by many times before.  This time, however, we were invited in for the first time by the father.  We came in and started talking with him and his wife, and she almost immediately started bursting into tears, telling about how she had lost her job and they weren't sure about whether they would be able to pay the rent to keep their house.  She said we stopped by at exactly the right time that they needed it.

It's times like that that I am so humbled that the Lord is willing and able to work through me as an instrument in His hands.  We were able to talk to them, comfort them, give them both blessings, and then refer them to the bishop.  They were worried because they hadn't been active in over 15 years, and didn't want to just call to the church only when they needed help, but we reassured them that the bishop would love to meet with them and help out.  Bishop had a great meeting with them, and I'm looking forward to see how this experience starts their return to activity!

The Lord really loves each of His children.  He is doing the heavy lifting in this area.  He needs us, ALL of us, to make the next step for Him and be His hands!  How are you working with the family to increase your missionary efforts?  I loved Elder Ballard's talk on that.  Little things - start out with little things!  Inviting people over to feel the Spirit in your home, praying for opportunities, developing more friendships, meeting more people, talking to everyone, etc., etc.  There is so much potential in each of us to bring more people to the fold.

Studying the doctrine of the gospel also helps us gain desire to share, I know!  So the questions for today come from 3 Nephi 27:16.  After you read it,

• What does it mean that you will be "filled" after you have repented and been baptized?
• How have you been filled because of your decision to follow Christ through baptism and confirmation?

That really reminded of the line from the song "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need" that states "my cup with blessings overflows."  The Lord has really filled my life with so much because of my decision I made long ago when I was 8 to follow Him. I am so grateful for what He has done!

Love you all!  Thanks for all your examples!

Taters and onions,

--Elder Usevitch

P.S. If anyone has a copy of the sheet music to that song, I will pay you big bucks to get it. :)  Extra cash if you can find the arrangement that the a cappella group Reprise sings.  The piano part in that is SWEET!

Fall is Falling!

Halllooooooo!!

We have been enjoying on and off rain over the past 2 weeks.  Granted, some enjoy it more than others, (like those who stay inside and don't bike around all day) but it has been really nice and cool.  Can't complain!  We just don the jackets and go out.

This past week has been pretty great, with some great lessons and experiences.  I am really thankful for what I have been learning from everyone about having a good attitude, because there have definitely been some times where I could have let my spirits fall, but I have forced myself to not let it happen!  Singing songs helps a lot in those situations. :)  But despite the rain, the cool, and everything else, Heavenly Father has really helped us in the work.

I would have to say that my favorite experience from this past week would be our lessons with Patrick.  We found a member in the ward to bring with us, and they hit it off right from the start!  They both went through similar upbringings and experiences, and instantly connected.  That was a real miracle, especially because Patrick admits that it's hard for him to trust people at first.  That lesson really made him think and wonder, and in the one we had a few days later, he said that he has seen his attitude change 100% at work.  He is more calm and collected, and he said "I would have never guessed that this would have come from the Book of Mormon!"  It was great to hear him share his testimony of how he knows that the Book of Mormon is true.  He wants to get baptized, although he says he still needs time to think about it more.  Soon!  Soon!

That experience really helped confirm to me the truth and reality of what I am doing as a missionary!  He was the first investigator I have had who has come to know the Book of Mormon is true.  Just hearing his testimony has fueled me to keep on trucking in this great work.  Plus, I can use his words in example as another testimony to others who I am teaching right now.  He is such a great guy.

The other success story is with the less-active Susie we have been teaching.  She has continued to not smoke, and she came to church and met with the bishop afterwards.  She was super scared to do that, but we had given her that little push and encouragement, and she did it!  Later on she texted us and thanked us for helping her with that.  She said she really did feel that weight lifted off her shoulders that we said she would feel.

And the other success stories are new investigators we have found!  And there are more successes on top of those successes!  The Lord is really helping and blessing us with a lot.  As we keep our spirits up and work hard to invite others to come unto Christ, He has blessed us with such amazing opportunities.  I hope that we can continue to do that more until we are really working hand in hand with the ward to fill our schedules with teaching and more teaching and more teaching and.... :)

Elders Taylor and Kinderknecht are opening up, working hard, and doing a great job.  I really love serving with them.  I can't wait to see what they will do over the course of the rest of their missions.  

Gotta go right now, might have time to right more later.  We'll see...

Love you all!

--Elder Usevitch

A wonderful week!

Dear family, friends, acquaintances, and others,

Things in the Idaho Boise Mission are going great!  We are slowly moving forward with this new mission.  This past week we had Elder Martino of the 70 come and give some training at a zone conference, and it was a great experience.  He is an amazing man, and he gave us some amazing ideas!  The big focus was having us work with members to find and to teach.  I've heard it before, but he gave new insights and ideas.  I look forward to applying them and seeing things soar!

Elder Taylor and Elder Kinderknecht are two awesome missionaries!  I really love serving with them. While at times they may be a little quiet since their still getting into the swing of things, they have been a great asset to the work.  It's a super fun experience to be able to serve with them.

Man, what shall I share from this past week?  It seems like it just kept ramping up and up.  We had some great lessons, and we're looking forward to keeping that up and improving.  We really want to help some of our investigators really start progressing toward baptism, so hopefully we can inspire them with that this week.

One of my favorite quotes from Elder Martino was actually from Pres. Hinckley.  In giving some advice to missionaries, he said he had 3 things for them to do:  1. Smile.  2. Smile bigger.  3. Smile all the time. :)  I thought that was really something that I wanted to work on, knowing it would help to make me happier in the work.  So I wanted to set a goal, but setting a goal to smile more is cheap, broad, and utterly useless.  After more thought, I came up with the idea (inspiration!) to make 3 other people smile during the day. Haha, that is one of the coolest goals I have ever set!  Try it sometime! You have to smile to get someone else to smile!

Basically, that just made my week amazing.  I think that's the happiest I have ever been thus far on my mission!  Just smiling helped to change my entire attitude.  Everything just went well, even though things went wrong.  Attitude is really everything!  And I had no idea that just a smile can really change everything.

Yesterday was just the best of the best though.  Sundays are so much more amazing when you know people at church to talk to!  I had such a great time talking with others, laughing with them, and just enjoying their spirits.  Add that to some amazing meetings after church with our ward council and ward missionaries, and I was so uplifted!  That evening we taught, uplifted, and helped others.  And to end it all, with Elder Taylor's pushing, we helped one of our less-actives stop smoking right then and there.  She broke all her cigarettes and flushed them down the toilet!  She has really been moving forward, and we are super happy for her!

Thank the Lord today for everything He has done for you!  I am so grateful for His help and guidance!  Here are the questions of the day:

• Read 1 Nephi 10:23.  Why should we be happy that we have agency?
• How are you grateful for the freedom that you have been given?
• How can you find more joy in acting according to the Lord's will?

HaHA!  It's been a great week.  I truly know now a little more of the joy of missionary work.  By knowing some of the pains and sorrows and trials, I have been able to appreciate more of the good.  I know the Lord has sent us here to find JOY, and JOY I will find!  Yeah! 

Love you!

--Elder Usevitch

A crazy week!

Hello everyone!

 

Yeah with transfers and everything, it was all over the place.  We didn't get to teach as much as normal, but we did get two new elders all settled in!  My two new companions are Elder Taylor who just recently moved to Grand Junction, CO, and Elder Kinderknecht (say Kinder-kinect) from Delta, CO.  Pretty great!  They are two awesome missionaries who are ready to serve!  I'm excited for this next transfer.

 

We had a few good lessons, but the highlight was how we got a bunch of our investigators out to church this week!  That just made my day.  Last transfer we struggled.  Actually, the last two transfers.  Yesterday, though, was an all-time high, and I'm looking forward to keeping that up!

 

Funny story of the week:  the day the two new elders came in, we had a meeting in the morning, then ran home to make some lunch before we had a district meeting that afternoon.  We made a bunch of PB&J's, and I was trying to wolf them down so we could go.  Unfortunately, at one point, I grabbed my sandwich and took 5 or so massive bites .... only to look down and see that it was actually Elder Kinderknecht's.  Uh... hehehe... yeah he was pretty surprised at that.  Should've seen the look on his face!

 

We got all set up with bikes and unpacking eventually, and now this week is going to be a hard push to keep the area up and moving!  I can't wait to see what we can do this transfer!  I know I need to keep my faith and hopes up, and as I do the Lord will bless us with miracles.  I know that is true.  It has been and will continue to be interesting as I take the lead with the companionship, but I see now that the Lord is just helping me to learn and grow even more.

 

Love you all!  Thanks for everything you've done for me!

 

--Elder Usevitch

 

Picture time! 

 

1.  An interesting shot at the old Idaho Penitentiary...

2. My new companions!

 

TRANSFERS!

Hello everyone!

 

First off, yes, libraries were closed yesterday, so I could not write.  So today is email day!  Yay!  I have to start off again by saying THANK YOU SO MUCH for emails!!!  I seriously have the best family ever.  I would give a lot just to be able to talk to each of you for a few hours.  But all is well though, there will be plenty of time in the eternities for that!

 

This week was absolutely, insanely awesome!  We started out the first few days just BUSY as all get out!  So many lessons each day, seeing so many investigators learn, grow, and progress, it was the coolest thing ever!  One of our investigators, Pat, we had two lessons with, and he was so receptive.  I love that man so much!  We even talked about him getting married to his girlfriend he is living with, which ended up being a great experience.  We'll see what he says when we meet with him tonight, but they both understood why he needed to get married before he gets baptized.  I look forward to keep teaching him.

 

Other investigator meetings went well, especially the day we went out with the Elder's Quorum President from our ward.  He was able to connect with a bunch of the investigators and less-actives that we met with, which was super duper cool.  One LA we visited showed us his music studio - he used to go touring with bands as a back-up, and for all you guitar fans, he has a real Les Paul Pro electric guitar.

 

If you are as clueless as me about what that means, well it is a guitar that they only made 1200 of, a guitar that the Beatles used to play, and a guitar that, as the EQP put it, is the Corvette of all guitars.  Pretty awesome.

 

So our week started off with a bang, and continued with a bang.  AKA as I was biking along Thursday, my inner tube exploded.  My companion almost thought I had been shot.  Pretty funny!  So we walked for the rest of that day, got a new inner tube the next day, and Saturday as we rode down the hill, I heard ssss sss  sss ss.... and found out that it had gone flat. Big gash from something or other.  And bike shops happen to be closed on Labor day, so I'll go by today and see if I can get a patch kit.  Oh well.

 

In other news, my comp got a little sick again, we have been dealing with massive amounts of rust in the water from the well the house is hooked up to (Poor comp - stained his whites orange.  Multiple times. I have been... Lucky? Blessed? :) 

 

BUT NEVERTHELESS!  "The truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear; till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say, 'The work is done!'" --Joseph Smith

 

One thing I have been thinking about today is freedom.  Mostly because I visited the Old Idaho Penitentiary yesterday. So here are things I will be thinking about this next week:

• How can our agency enhance or limit our choices?
• How can we find freedom from sin through Christ?
• How can we help others find that freedom and light?

I know that through Christ we can truly be freed from the bondage of sin! I am so thankful for the help and strength He has given me to overcome!  I look forward to continuing to share that with others.

 

I still love you all!  Thanks for all you do!

 

--Elder Usevitch

Thru Test and Trial

Hello everyone!

 

First off, yes, libraries were closed yesterday, so I could not write.  So today is email day!  Yay!  I have to start off again by saying THANK YOU SO MUCH for emails!!!  I seriously have the best family ever.  I would give a lot just to be able to talk to each of you for a few hours.  But all is well though, there will be plenty of time in the eternities for that!

 

This week was absolutely, insanely awesome!  We started out the first few days just BUSY as all get out!  So many lessons each day, seeing so many investigators learn, grow, and progress, it was the coolest thing ever!  One of our investigators, Pat, we had two lessons with, and he was so receptive.  I love that man so much!  We even talked about him getting married to his girlfriend he is living with, which ended up being a great experience.  We'll see what he says when we meet with him tonight, but they both understood why he needed to get married before he gets baptized.  I look forward to keep teaching him.

 

Other investigator meetings went well, especially the day we went out with the Elder's Quorum President from our ward.  He was able to connect with a bunch of the investigators and less-actives that we met with, which was super duper cool.  One LA we visited showed us his music studio - he used to go touring with bands as a back-up, and for all you guitar fans, he has a real Les Paul Pro electric guitar.

 

If you are as clueless as me about what that means, well it is a guitar that they only made 1200 of, a guitar that the Beatles used to play, and a guitar that, as the EQP put it, is the Corvette of all guitars.  Pretty awesome.

 

So our week started off with a bang, and continued with a bang.  AKA as I was biking along Thursday, my inner tube exploded.  My companion almost thought I had been shot.  Pretty funny!  So we walked for the rest of that day, got a new inner tube the next day, and Saturday as we rode down the hill, I heard ssss sss  sss ss.... and found out that it had gone flat. Big gash from something or other.  And bike shops happen to be closed on Labor day, so I'll go by today and see if I can get a patch kit.  Oh well.

 

In other news, my comp got a little sick again, we have been dealing with massive amounts of rust in the water from the well the house is hooked up to (Poor comp - stained his whites orange.  Multiple times. I have been... Lucky? Blessed? :) 

 

BUT NEVERTHELESS!  "The truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear; till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say, 'The work is done!'" --Joseph Smith

 

One thing I have been thinking about today is freedom.  Mostly because I visited the Old Idaho Penitentiary yesterday. So here are things I will be thinking about this next week:

• How can our agency enhance or limit our choices?
• How can we find freedom from sin through Christ?
• How can we help others find that freedom and light?

I know that through Christ we can truly be freed from the bondage of sin! I am so thankful for the help and strength He has given me to overcome!  I look forward to continuing to share that with others.

 

I still love you all!  Thanks for all you do!

 

--Elder Usevitch

From the Boise Boy

Hello Everyone!

 

Sorry about not emailing yesterday.  We got a ride with the assistants to go to an activity, and they ended up being busy right at the beginning taking care of some visa waiters that just came, and ... well to make a long story short, we got to the library late and it closed.  Bummer!  So they let us come email today instead!

 

We had some great lessons this week!  One of which was with Ryan, whose girlfriend is in the ward.  It was amazing to see how much of what we were teaching he already knew!  He is a really great guy.  School started today, so it might get harder to meet with him, but I think it will all work out.  We had asked him to pray about setting Sept. 21 as a baptismal date, and he did!  Buuuut.... he said he prayed and felt like April was the date he wanted to go for.  Haha, what do we say about that?  Kinda funny.  We'll keep working with him to see if we can move it up, but only time will tell.

 

We had a bunch of people that we had worked to invite to church, and we were really excited to see them there, but it ended up that only one came.  So frustrating!  Satan is really working hard out here.  We had a quick storm that blew through, which was nice for the water, but it knocked down a concrete wall that one of our investigators was working on, so he got called in to fix it Saturday and Sunday.  It's ok - next week will be better.  I know it! :)

 

Bike was giving me trouble with a flat for a few days.  You remember those things we call stickers or prickers?  Up here they call them goatheads (look at one and see if you can figure out why), and they are a constant struggle.  Until yesterday, where I bought some of that green slime you can put in to self-heal the inner tube.  Best stuff ever!  Nothing can stop the work from progressing now! :P

 

We both gave talks in church this last week, which was a great opportunity!  The counselor asked me to speak on how the Atonement motivates me every day.  Funny he should ask, because that is something I have been thinking about for a looong time.  It is a struggle trying to teach something you don't completely understand, but I was able to learn a little bit more from it!

 

That is a great thing to ponder.  How does the Atonement of Jesus Christ motivate YOU everyday?  I would love to hear thoughts and ideas!  One of my favorite quotes from PMG is "As your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ grows, your desire to share the gospel will increase." 

 

I know that this gospel is true!  I am so grateful to be learning a little more everyday!  It is rough when I want to know so much all at once, but I know as I strive to just learn a little day by day, the Lord will give me the knowledge and understanding I desire.  I am so grateful for His love for me and His kindness and patience.

 

Kinda long letter today  Hopefully you're not too bored right now. :) Love you all!

 

--Elder Usevitch

The Work is Infectious!

Hello y'alls!  Thanks for the emails again!  I love getting mail and hearing what's going on with you.

So yes, my companion has been sick for this past week.  Hacking up a lung almost!  At first I went on splits and exchanges to keep doing some work, aaannndd...  then I got sick. :)  Bum-mer.  It's all good now - I went to the doctors today, got some antibiotics, and life is going well.  (Dad, email me later with any more questions you want to check up on.)

But other than that, this week was pretty great.  We did have some crazy smoke that engulfed the city for a few days.  That I think is what pushed me over the edge with my sinus trouble.  It was pretty gross.  I hear the fires are pretty big right now up north in Idaho, though!  Biggest in the US right now, I think.

I had a great answer to prayer experience this week!  I was out on splits and our appointments dropped and backups weren't home.  I was running out of ideas quickly, and I was getting worried that I wouldn't have much else to do.  So I said a quick prayer that we would be able to find someone to talk to and teach.  Then, we drove by a former investigator that I had found in the area book.  He was home, we got to read the Book of Mormon together, and we are going back this week!  Yeah!  I'm pretty excited.  He's an awesome guy.

This letter is going to be short today.  But, to balance that out, I will include pictures.  :)  Finally I remembered my camera and cord, and I also remembered that I should send pictures.

But more feasting for the mind is in order:

• Think of the sun, and the light and warmth it gives.  Now think of how we can choose to stay under its influence directly, or we can choose to get out and go inside or under a tree, etc.
• Now think of the light and warmth of the sun as a metaphor for God's love for us.  How do you choose to walk in God's light and love?
• What pavilions do you place between yourself and God's love? (President Eyring, anyone?)
• How can you better choose to "walk in the light of His love?"

I'm still looking for and learning ways I can better walk in God's light and love.  This metaphor has grown extensively in my mind, with many other facets to think about.  I'll have to share it sometime.  After I write it down and really figure it out, of course.... :)
Love you!
--Elder Usevitch

 

Poor Katy's Letter. :(

 

Contents of a certain package... Thanks James and David!

 

Tall People woes in the place I live.  Too tall for the hallway and doorway downstairs....

Everything is Bigger in Texas

Dear Family,

Yes, apparently the title of this email is true.  Because 98% of time, that's what people say when they find out where I'm from.  So I just smile and laugh and flaunt my Texas pride. :)

This week has gone well!  I'm trying to think of specifics, so let's see here.... It's fun to work in this ward because the bishop recognizes his importance of helping us find work to do.  As he puts it, Christ never wondered what he was going to do next or where he should go.  He followed the Spirit, made decisions, and followed them, and most of the stories we have now are about people that were placed in His path along the way.  I really like that analogy, and it's true with us!  The bishop gives us lists of names to visit, we plan out where we'll go and who we'll see based on that, and then it's amazing to see what miracles we find along the way.

I think the coolest thing that happened this week, though, was in zone meeting.  The leaders had an opportunity to Skype with the member of the 70 over missionary work and got some new ideas about how to teach.  They showed this new method to us, and VOILA - a light bulb went on in my head!  I was finally able to see how everything I learned about teaching before my mission could finally be brought in to apply here!

It was nothing new, just focusing on us helping our investigators uncover the lesson within themselves instead of us just teaching them.  Basically the way I see it, up to this point I have been a professor of missionary work, a lecturer of truth.  Some can get something out of that, but most just let the words fly on by without thinking too much about them.  The latter especially happens if they aren't super interested.

Now, though, I see how instead I really need to be more of a TA or a tutor, in effect!  I can help them out by asking questions to see where they are at, what they know, and what they want, and then teach them by asking more questions, giving brief explanations and clarifications, and referring them to the "textbook" as it were - the scriptures.  It's definitely different, it takes more effort, but I am STOKED to implement it more!  This is really what I love to do - this is more of my style of teaching!

We used this new style that night after we learned it, and it worked so well!  I love helping people along like that so much better than just throwing information past them!  One of the lessons was with Pat, an awesome guy who works laying concrete, and he really was able to connect with what we taught him.  We set a baptismal date for next month with him, and we'll be right there to help him achieve that!  Pretty awesome.

Welp, I love you all!  Here are some more questions I was thinking about this week:

• How is faith in Jesus Christ a principle of power?
• How can I develop more faith in Christ?
• What would I be able to do if I had more faith in Him?

I know that as we develop greater faith in Jesus Christ, He gives us power to do His will, whatever that may be.  He gives us power to overcome challenges and concerns, and He gives us power to act in His name as we believe in Him.  We show that faith by being faith-ful.  I know that having faith in Him is key to succeeding as a missionary for Him!

Love you ALL!

--Elder Usevitch 

North Boise!

Yep, that is where I am serving!  In the Boise North Stake!  Part of my area also covers Garden City - a small little town surrounded by Boise.  And I only cover .... one ward now!  Pretty Crazy!

Thanks for all the birthday wishes!  It is super crazy that I am 20 now.  Wow.  I don't even know what to say!  For my birthday, I got a new companion, a new ward, and I also got to play basketball for the first time in a month or so.  Pretty sweeeeet!

All I can say about my new area is that it is very different.  Very different indeed.  Gaa I forgot my camera again - sorry no pictures today.  :(  We live in an older lady's house.  She is 87 but just as gung-ho and active as ever!  Just an awesome person.  Unfortunately I am too tall for the hall in the basement, but that's just a small matter.  I should be used to that by now!  (I've only hit my head twice so far.... ) Thanks a ton, James and David, for the pictures you sent me!  It was great to see you are alive and doing well!

Anyways, yes it is a very new thing to be in only one ward after being in five.  And on foot instead of in a car.  Still figuring out if I can get a bike somewhere.... I might be able to get one from another missionary who is almost as tall as me.  I'll figure it out though!

Umm... so let's see.  This last Saturday we helped out with a wedding and a baptism for an investigator.  Investigating no more!  She is really a great person.  I loved the testimony that she bore about how the gospel had just totally changed her life in the past few months.  It is amazing to see how that happens!  That's something that I am still looking forward to - helping someone realize what the gospel really is and see the change that comes in their life as they accept it and are baptized.  This area.  It's going to happen.

The bishop here in this ward is pretty awesome, too!  He has really narrowed down how missionary work is supposed to work in his ward, and what is successful and what is not.  He personally meets and develops friendships with everyone in the area he can!  He has helped his ward do service projects with other churches, met other pastors, and just is a great example of loving others.  It was his idea to be the trial ward for the mission - right now, our area is the only one to cover just one ward!  It will go well.  I know the Lord is helping us!

By the way, did you know that our mission is the smallest geographically in the entire world?  Pretty crazy.  Did not know that!  And we will have 200 missionaries here by the beginning of next year, I think!  It's insane.  The Lord knows what he is doing, though!  Can't deny that!

I love the gospel!  I'll keep on keeping on!  The road is rough at times but I cannot deny that the Lord is there for me!  Thank you family for your support!  I love you all.  

Love,

--Elder Usevitch

The Lord protects his Missionaries

Isn't that so true?

But don't worry Mom, I just put that in to catch your attention.  Nothing happened, haha!  Of course, now something probably will this next week just to spite me.  But I know that no matter what happens, as long as I keep the rules, Heavenly Father will protect me!  Thanks for all the prayers you give in my behalf!

This week... Hmm.... Well, first off, I forgot my camera, so unfortunately no pictures this week.  Bummer.  I had some great ones to send on!

We were able to talk to a bunch of people this week!  Some good, some not the best, but I have loved the opportunities to share my testimony with everyone we meet!  Of course, when you get the whole grace/works/you're-not-a-Christian argument twice in a day, sometimes you just have to smile, bear testimony, and leave.  There are always comebacks to give, but they never listen, so whatever.

I got to go on exchanges again this week!  This was my second time on a bike.  We got to go around and talk to so many people!  Got caught in a huge but brief cloudburst, man it was awesome!  Oh... something just clicked... That must be why I got all those spots on my shirt.  Duh.  I had tried hard to not go quickly over the little gutters of water in the street, but I totally forgot about the rain we went through.

Anyways, in one instance, after biking for a long distance to find that the person we were trying to meet wasn't home, I wanted to make sure that we didn't just do that for nothing. Even though our dinner was soon, we looked around and started talking to a lady taking out her trash. She just so happened to be a less-active member who didn't come to church because she said she felt guilty about something.  It was so great to be able to work to build her up and help her out!  We encouraged her to come back and shared our testimonies of how the Lord loves her.  Those kinds of times are really my favorite - when you really can sense a need someone has and help show how the restored gospel of Jesus Christ can help meet that need!

Oh and Dad, guess what?  You remember Jason from Studio C?  Yeah we had dinner with his brother.  And his parents live in the same ward.  Small world!  We had seen him before and talked about Jason and Studio C, but at dinner I chose not to bring up his brother because I remember you and what I like to call the Jim Usevitch syndrome.  You know what I mean.  :P

Other highlights - got to set one baptismal date with a younger guy, Nate, and we have two more dates in the works with two more kids, aged 9 and 13.  Awesome!  Miracles!  The 13-year old reminds me a little of Mark.  You two would have fun, I feel like!  (PS Mark!  What's going on?  I want to hear from you sometime!)

Yep, and the members here are amazing!  I have loved getting to know them and the awesome leadership here.  Sundays are just the best for that purpose.  Helping them fulfill their callings is another one of my favorite missionary activities.  Teaching Primary is always fun. :)

And now for the moment of Ponder:

• Who are you?  How would you define yourself?
• How do you view yourself?  Who do you see yourself becoming?
• How does your Heavenly Father view you?  Who does HE see yourself becoming?

I am so grateful for the perspective the gospel gives me!  I know that I am a child of God with divine potential!  I know as we live the gospel we can see so many blessings come into our lives.  The Lord is just waiting to bless us!  He has blessed me so much already.  I am so grateful for his patience and help.

Love you!

--Elder Usevitch

Missionary Work is AWESOME!!!!

So much to write.  So little time today.  Sorry!  Here are some highlights of what being a missionary, to me, is:

• To teach 3 first lessons in one night.  Super hard to adjust each to different people, but super great!
  
• To be uplifted by leaders.  New missionary training meeting was amazing!  Fired me up to keep going!  I broke out all my MTC advice on planning and it has been so cool to see how it really does work!  Amazing! ;)
• To see how the Lord does help us go to the right place at the right time to uplift and help investigators.  Like Sara said, "It seems you just show up right when I need some help!"  The Lord is watching over His children!
• To open to the right scripture right when you need it.
• To find those who are prepared to come back to the fold, and to be there to help.
• To learn that you are there to "teach, and not be taught" (D&C something-or-other...sorry.)  I don't have time to listen to you spend 10 minutes explaining your theories of probability and multiverses (AKA multi-universes).  Blech.
• To work with members of the ward:  Leaders, Priests, visiting home, giving challenges, etc., etc.
• To be fed by member---  I mean WHAT?!? Why would I ever even put that in here.... My apologies.  :P
• To learn what it feels like to be an angel - one who brings the word of God to another, uplifts them, teaches them, and gives all the glory to God.
• To get an investigator out to church!  FINALLY!  Sara was SWAMPED with ladies as soon as she got there.  It was SWEET!!!! I love the members here!
• And finally, let's get out of these bullet points because this next lesson experience was my favorite of this week

I went on splits with a member of the ward, who converted 2 or 3ish years ago.  We taught a lesson to Sam and Joann, who are pretty strong in their faith but accepted us going by.  We taught Joann once, and she was pretty defensive, but it was different this time around.  Sam had questions about what we taught about the priesthood, the apostasy, and other things.  We were able to take the Bible and the Book of Mormon side by side and lay before him the scriptures.

Wow.  It was incredible.  I have to say I felt bad because the brother there (he was Polish, by the way. :) didn't say a word after we started.  Mostly because I kinda dominated too much.  I have never seen the Spirit change someone so much during a lesson!!  Sam was blown away.  I really hope he remembers that experience and seeks the truth as he said he would in the Book of Mormon.

No questions today, sorry. :(  Gotta run.  Good luck with everything!  Love you ALL!!

--Elder Usevitch

No Subject

Hello my Family!

This week was great!  Not too many set appointments with investigators because of it being the week of the 4th and all, but still great!  We had some great first lessons with some, continuing on with others, and including a few referrals and other things, it was a pretty good week!  Again, not one out of the 10ish people we invited to come to church ended up coming. (We have two families we're teaching, plus others)  Super disappointing, but oh well.  We keep working!

I wish I could remember some of the great experiences we have had so far.  As of yet, no one is really progressing, but that might change soon.  We had an amazing experience teaching one investigator last night!  We met with Sara, her boyfriend Dan, and their 4 little kids.  When we got in, Dan just wanted help.  He just said they were struggling with respecting each other in their family, and they needed more love and peace at home.  It's hard for him to maintain order since he is a truck driver and is gone a lot, but he basically asked, "Can you just share some scriptures or something to help us out?"  Super humbling.  Sara was in tears at the beginning, and I could tell there was just tension.

At first I just was trying to think of any scripture I could share, but what we ended up emphasizing was how they needed to have a common goal as a family.  And we decided to be bold and say that the goal they needed was to live the gospel and work towards being baptized and confirmed.  We taught Dan the Restoration since we hadn't gone over that with him before, and then committed them all to read the Book of Mormon every day.  I think the Lord really prepared them to hear our message today!  I can't wait to see what happens!  Dan has one side of the family that is LDS, and he knows how happy and stable they are, and he sees how his other side isn't like that.  I think he is receptive now, and having him come along will help Sara and the rest of the kids come, too!

So much I wish I could share.  So much!  But one thing I will be working on this week is trying to better find people's needs and teach to those instead of going through lessons.  This past week or so we have a few times where we just had an agenda and just went through that, and it has not been the best.  Watching the District videos for my training helped me realize that I need to get back on track again.

The Lord loves each one of you!  I have seen His efforts in my life so much!  He has strengthened me through His Spirit to be bold and stand firm in my testimony, even when others are trying to sway me!  It's sad to have someone tell you you're wrong and have been brainwashed and blinded by your parents to be a part of the Church, but that is SO not true.  I just wish they could understand the truth.

And now, the Food for Thought moment:

• How would you define success in missionary work?  Make a list of what you think that means.
• Now, go through that list and see which of those are dependent on your agency, and which are dependent on that of others.
• How can you better magnify your calling as a missionary by focusing on those things that you can do and finding joy and success in that?

I have come to love the definition of missionary success in PMG Ch.1.  Look it up!  We need to jump for joy each time we even get to share our testimony or talk about our beliefs!  Redefine success!  I know that as we do our best in what we can do, we will find fulfillment and we will be blessed by the Lord.  Wish I had another hour to talk on that. :P

Love you ALL!

--Elder Usevitch

Moving 6 tons of bricks.  Each brick is 61 lbs.  YEAH!