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