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!

Amazing Times!!

First off, I have to say THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE EMAILS!!!!  Holy COW it is so awesome to hear what is going on in your lives!!!  There is so much good happening that is so incredible!  I just wish I could be there to share in each and every one of those awesome experiences!

But actually, not really.  I'm on a mission.  So Nanner nanner nanner!!! [Thumb on nose and fingers wiggling in the air] :)

Haha, wow I wish I had more time to address everything you talked about in your emails.  But first I must tell you about this week.  Or maybe about 1% thereof!

To set the records straight, I am serving in the Amity Stake up here - I think it's on the border of Meridian and Boise, but I'm not super sure, actually.  We cover 5 wards, and I can successfully say that I know the names of the bishops and ward mission leaders in each.  Keeping track of who lives where in what ward is hard, but it's coming.  Slowly. :)

This week started off rough.  We had so many great appointments, but slowly, one by one, they fell. Dropped, Canceled, Rescheduled, you name it.  For those RM's out there, we would probably have had 8+ member present lessons, but we ended up with ... zero.  With all the craziness, we couldn't get to meet with anyone that we had members come with us to!

It was rough, but Elder Nelson and I dug in, prayed to know how we could improve, and asked for greater faith and miracles.  We learned how to give stronger commitments to everyone, we kept persevering, and miracles did come!  We found a few people to talk to, to give lessons to, and we have been able to work with members and leaders to get this stuff going!  I am really looking forward to these next few weeks.

We have had some great lessons with a few people here and there, such as a younger couple who are preparing to go to the temple but don't have too much knowledge of the gospel, an older lady Susie who the missionaries have been meeting with for a long time, and a great family who have such faith in God but just don't know about the restored gospel yet.  Haha, that last one we are going to hit hard next week with the Restoration, since previous missionaries haven't brought that up yet.

I have learned more about finding efforts this week, more about extending commitments, and also the Atonement's power to change desires.  I am trying to gain more of a desire to do missionary work, talk to everyone, etc., etc., and as I have relied on the atonement of Jesus Christ to help me change, I have seen baby steps of improvement.  I know that it is only through Christ's atonement that we can change!

Oh how could I forget?  We totally just got a new mission president!  President and Sister Winder are from SLC and they are awesome.  I'm excited to see what they will bring.  Plus, this also brought down the area seventy, and I got to participate in a ward council with him giving some great insights.  Love it! 

End with questions.  I LOVE questions.  Questions are the key to learning!  Here are some examples if you can't think of any for yourself:

• How can I spiritually prepare myself for revelation on how to further the Lord's work?
• What can I do to bring my desires and actions into closer harmony with the teachings of Jesus Christ?
• How can I better rely on the Atonement to help me change my desires?

I know this is such a great work!  I know that the gospel has been restored!  I know that Christ lives and is directing this work.  I am so grateful to be a minister for him.

Love you!

--Elder Usevitch