12.29.14 - Feliz Noche Buena!

Somehow it escaped my attention last Christmas that the hispanics don't care so much about Christmas as they do Christmas Eve. That is when Christ was born after all. We put a big emphasis on being on out talking with people on both days and handed out plenty of Christmas cards. We really wanted to push the spirit of the day and get to know as many people as we could while their families were home together.
 

Thank you so much to everyone that reached out and wrote me a letter or sent me a package! I felt like a really spoiled missionary on Christmas morning. It was such a fun day!
 

We ate with the Olvera's, they're both returned missionaries from Mexico and I learned a lot of Spanish from chatting with them while we took turns Skyping. It was so good to see my family. Wow. I got really choked up when talked. I didn't feel sad for not being there with them, I know i'm in the right place doing the right thing, but I have come to appreciate so much more the importance of the Eternal family. It is ordained of God, and it is the basic unit of his plan. We learn to follow his plan by living the gospel within our families and with that sacred unit many of the greatest joys and pains of this life will be felt. I love my family, and some time deprived of interaction has helped me to appreciate the blessing God has given to me.
 

This week, we went on a few exchanges, I dented the back of my Dodge Caravan on a Ford on Tuesday, we taught about 15 lessons and went to some really good District Meetings.
 

I've been learning more about consecration. In a monetary sense we know God gives us all that we have, so it is not a sacrifice, but the submission of a child to a parent when we obey his command to give more of ourselves to others. In the same regard that all of our earthly means come from God, who we've become to this point in our lives is equally by the grace of God. As we make plans looking forward to become more committed to be disciples of Jesus Christ, we must continue to rely wholly on his grace.
 

We have a lot to do this week! I love you!
 

Elder Tyler Meidell

12.22.14 - La conferencia de navidad

Merry Christmas!

Wednesday we got up at 4 to pick up some Elders in the zone and arrived in San Antonio by 8 am. Christmas Conference was super fun. it happened in my first transfer last year, so I didn't know anyone, i just followed my trainer around and chatted with the people I'd met in the MTC, but this year I felt like I'd at least met the entire mission. There was a lot of sweet reunions and some crazy good texas barbecue. It was better than Rudy's which is notorious for the being the top of the line barbecue chain. President Slaughter talked about the infinite and intergalactic reach of the atonement, and then after the talent show he shared his 2015 vision for the mission.

A big theme for us these past few weeks has been consecration. I went on an exchange with the District leader Elder Wilson and his companion Elder Fuentez on Thursday. We had a good day, taught about 5 lessons, They both have less than 4 months left on the mission and are pretty well known as the funny guys. They're great elders, I was surprised by how much they talked about the girls they were with before the mission. It wasn't a particularly edifying conversation. The thought that was impressed on me was that the full giving of oneself to Christ required more than just penitence for past transgression. Like we learn in the steps of the repentance process, it is not only to ask to be forgiven for a past wrong, but also to commit to never do it again, and then to never do it again. That last step is abundantly required in consecration. That was the step I felt like I needed to go through myself, and that was what I encouraged those Elder to do as well. In that final decision does the lasting change occur, and can the purifying and sanctifying power of the spirit burn away all past impurities. In that decision to be forever changed by the atonement of Christ will that releasing feeling of relief wash over you.

 

I pray we may all benefit this Christmas season from the infinite and intergalactic atonement made by our Redeemer. I pray we remember and worship him as we celebrate his condescension to mortal birth, from which he, God, overcame all things, and made possible that we may too.

 

I love you very much! I'll miss you at Christmas! We're pretty happy here all crammed into our house.

 

Elder Tyler Meidell

12.15.14 - Una pastorela magnifica

I'm so happy to be in the Round Rock East Zone! we have 11 companionship covering the northeastern corner of the mission. I am serving in the Palm Valley Spanish Branch which encompasses the whole stake.We and a sister championship split the area and we take the eastern half while they cover they west. The inter-workings of our companionship right now intertwine me back to the beginning of my mission. I'm serving with.... Elder Warren!! Again!! He introduced me to Eagle Pass, and now he's spending the last 3 weeks of his mission with me in Palm Valley.

 

Finally, after 5 months of English areas i'm back in the Spanish grind. Even better than that, my more permanent companion is Elder Gonzales from Salt Lake City. He grew up speaking spanish at home, so he's helping us sound less like a textbook when we talk. Elder Warren is giving us a 3 week crash course so we can take over the zone when he goes home for the spring semester first week of January. Elder Gonzales has served with Elder Olsen, and was the one I switched places with when I was ET'd to be with Elder Dewitt.

To wrap up the Anderson Mill area, we had 3 people with baptismal dates when I left, so I feel good I left it better than I found it.

La Pastorela was saturday night and I don't know how to translate that word, but it was basically a nativity party. The latino Christmas food is too good, i love tres leches cake. They had a pretty sweet program they reenacted produced by the Ward Mission Leaders wife sister gonzales. It was the Nativity, as seen by Nephi in the Book of Mormon. There were about 30 non members there and Elder Gonzales and I were just scrambling the whole time not only trying to memorize all of the members names we met, but then try and distinguish the members we didn't know from the non-members we also didn't know so we could figure who brought friends we'd need to visit this week.

The only other things we've had to do as Zone Leaders so far is organize the transportation of our zone to Christmas Conference this Wednesday and meet with a high council representative yesterday to see how well the JustServe program is being implemented in the Zone. We also talk with him about the efficiency of the missionary meetings held by the wards, so he can train the ward leaders on how to correctly hold missionary coordination meetings and focus the wards efforts on the most effective activities.

I'm loving the Spanish culture right now. Compared to the people we talked to in the upper class Anderson Mill ward, the vast majority of people here are open to talking to us, many will set an appointment for us to come back or will let us share a quick message with them. Having already had most of those set appointments fall through, I'm remembering the flaky nature of the culture too. The trick is not to teach lessons, it's to find people committed enough to come out to church. They'll talk about God all day, they won't necessarily live what they say. The religious strain that's spreading is the "creyentes" or believers. Instead of going to catholic mass they just know the believe in God and that's sufficient. A white person if they set an appointment will almost always follow through, the hardest part is just finding the one who's ready and will say yes. The Hispanics will tell you yes, but that rarely means they'll do it.

I'm just copying here a part from President Slaughter's email to us this week.
GIFTS TO GOD

Many “gifts” are given and received during Christmas. Ironically very few of these gifts are for Him whose birth we celebrate. After all, what could Christ possibly desire from us? I will let you be the judge of that. What gift will you offer Christ this year? What could he possibly want? What do you have to offer? Are you willing to pay the price to give the gift?

A few ideas to start you thinking: “Without faith it is impossible to please him” (Heb. 11:6). “Come unto him, and offer your whole souls unto him” (Omni 1:26). “All he requires of you is to keep his commandments” (Mosiah 2:22). “They did lay down their weapons of rebellion” (Alma 23:7).

I love you!

Stay Salty!

Elder Tyler Meidell

12.8.14 - Transferring to be a Zone Leader

Let's get down to the nitty gritty

German was super funny at our last lesson. Everything he says is a little funny because his spanish accent is so thick, but when we called him last night to see if we could stop by for a quick visit he said, "Oh yes, please, I have been a missing you guys." Dang I wish I could type it how he says it. He was excited for us to come over because after saying he wanted to read the whole Book of Mormon he actually made some good progress this week. He read the first book of Nephi, so I thought, well that's a pretty concerted effort. In a really really long round about story format kind of way including witchcraft and demons he said he found it in concordance with the Bible, which was his way of saying he felt like the Book of Mormon was true. We read with him the account of Christ instituting the sacrament in the Americas and invited him to make some preperations to attend sacrament meeting in the upcoming weeks, right now he works as an in home care giver to a few elderly client 7 days a week. He's swamped!

Transfer calls were last night. I've only been here for 2 months! I got Emergency transfered here half way into the last 6 week block and then finished these past 6. I leave Thursday for somewhere to serve as a zone leader. Elder Dewitt is staying here, he was kind of jokingly bummed about it. He definetly didn't want to leave and have to learn a new area his last transfer, but he also didn't want to have to take control while the new Elder gets adjusted here. It'll be a good thing for him, and he'll finish out his 2 years. Put a bow on it. I'm super peeved i'm missing the Christmas party this Saturday, the ward has really grown on me here. I loved it.

I'll get packing and send the new address as soon as I can

Other news, I went on an exchange with Elder Diaz, he told me he became active in the church like a year and a half before leaving for his mission, and it sounds like he's just made huge changes all around. He seems a lot happier than he was a month ago, and coincidentally he's also a lot more committed to the work than he was a month ago. While on the exchange I interview Fatu Semoy, she's from Lebanon. She got state side like 4 weeks ago, met the missionaries through her sister and got baptized on Saturday. That's pretty Good!

 

We did some tree trimming and put up some Christmas lights for some less active members of the ward. I attached a picture from when we were working on that.

 

I was studying a willing heart this week. In being infinitely good, we know God is not innocent, all things are before him and he infintely chooses to do Good. In saying he's innocent, i mean he's not ignorant of the possibility of doing wrong. He is independently righteous, He independently follows the laws of heaven. We on this earth are learning to do likewise in exercising our agency to always do good. I was wondering why some were "More blessed" for having wilfully chosen to humble themselves, having learned of the true nature of God, while those who were compelled to be humble were not held in such esteem. In discussing the state of the heart from the parable of the sowers, the word of God may be planted within us, either through willful obedience or through compulsion, and in both cases the hearer has accepted the Word of God. Now are they done? They have just begun!

 

Those who have accepted the word onto a crusty pathway will never let the seed permeate into their heart and gain strength so when the trials of life come like the sun on that seed it will be scorched and their faith will die. Those who have thorns and briars or worldy desires will choke out the seed in its infancy, and the stony and rocky ground will reject the seed with their unbeleif and it will never be rooted in them. A fertile ground, a heart willing to not only accept the word, but then to proactively nurture and care for it in diligent effort will through their patience and diligence one day enjoy the blessings of Eternal Life.

 

I grasped a little more the "Load" explained that Elder Bednar described last April. Through out independent and willful exercise of faith. Faith to follow the prophet, faith to fulfill a calling, faith to be a little more charitable, faith to endure with patience, in the active manifestation of our faith will the Grace of God be felt in our lives. The lord will bless those that at least accept the word for a time, to encourage the good they've done after being compelled into humility, and he will shower his blessings, revelation and many strengthening trails upon those who are willfully seeking to do good continually.

I miss you!

I love my salty family!

Elder Tyler Meidell

12.1.14 - Dia del Pavo

Such a good Turkey Day!

We didn't eat breakfast, and instead played in the ward turkey bowl. There were probably 28 guys there and the games were surprisingly competitive. Some of the men turned out to be super passionate about church sports. Haha... so that's like every ward. There were some curse words and way more trash talking than football playing but it was a good time. Some of the young men brought their nonmember friends, one was a preacher for another church and I think everyone got pretty muddy and scraped up so it was a success. We hurried back and got ready for the day and went to eat lunch with German. He'd told us he didn't think he'd have a thanksgiving because he had to work and all of his family was out of the country and his friends had moved away. Then he offered to feed us! I guess it was a good reason to do some cooking. He and his Cuban roommate made all the classics. Turkey, cranberry sauce, gravy, stuffing, It was great. We taught him the plan of salvation after that, invited him to be baptized and said he'd like to but didn't know which day for sure. So he's reading in the book of mormon and thinks he wants to finish the whole thing before he ever goes to church or learns anything else. We went over last night and that thought had pervaded, so hopefully we can get him to meet some cool people and overcome that. We invited him to the singles FHE tonight, and if we're lucky he'll come at the end after work. He takes care of dying and handicapped people in their homes and I guess there are many unexpected "incidents."
 

After German we visited a few people we knew would be alone that day and chatted with them and shared little spiritual thoughts. Then we ate at 3 with the Barneys who are so coo! They both served missions and actually just invited their neighbor from Germany to take the lessons. Jackey is really good friends with them, they're like 28, and she said she'd be baptized on the 3rd of January. Jackey was at that thanksgiving meal along with Pamela Dawadi and her husband from Napal. It was pretty cool. We then had dinner again at 5 with another family from the ward and ate MORE turkey and pie and rolls. We visited more families, ate more, shared scriptures and helped some people set up their Christmas decorations.
 

The "He is the Gift" initiative it getting me all jazzed.

What is the gift?

 

God the Father gave us his only begotten son in the flesh, even Jesus Christ. Christ's life and atonement gives the perfect example of discipleship, provides the doctrine of salvation, and transcending all else, overcomes physical death for all mankind unconditionally and conquers spiritual death on conditions taught in his Gospel. Through the atonement, all that appears unfair in this life can be made right.
 

How is the gift magnified through the Restoration?
 

Finally, the priesthood power that offers the baptism to wash away sins, and the gift of the holy ghost to sanctify our souls has been given to men. The mouthpiece of God is on the earth leading the Lords people. The authority to make binding covenants which introduces the grace of God into our lives as we "yoke" ourselves to him is available to all who agree to his conditions. Without it we are helpless indeed
 

How is our Christmas Message Unique?

 

This Christmas we invite you to learn how God reached out again in love to his children by restoring the fullness of Christ's gospel, so that all of his children may wholly benefit from the blessings which ebb from the matchless gift of the Father to you!
 

Discover the gift by learning of the love God the Father and Jesus Christ have for you and what they've done to offer Eternal Blessings to your life and family.

Embrace the gift by learning Christ's restored gospel and living it.

Share the gift with everyone.

 

I love you!
 

Stay Salty,

Elder Tyler Meidell

11.24.14 - "They don't think I know like a butt ton of crap about the Gospel - but I do!"

Let me just tell you I have learned all kinds of superfluous facts about he Bible this week. I am just crazy interested in the Bible right now. I started over in the New Testament, I felt like I should stop where I was in the Book of Mormon, and just start tearing into Mathew. I'm reading very slowly, and the majority of my reading is actually in Jesus the Christ by Talmage. Now that is some serious literature. I can imagine that being the least interesting text to fall into many unwanting hands since its publication, but I just cannot put it down. I've been reading during breakfast, on the toilet, during lunch, during time for decompression at the end of the day. It's never a bad time for Jesus the Christ. I don't think i've even begun to dent its full span of information, however it has been most helpful in explaining parables by giving contextual culture clues from the time, and references to greek origination of words, and the like. I think this was sparked by a lesson we had with some non-denomenational Christians that were just so peeved we felt like Christ's Atonement didn't one time save-all and exempt us from our personal responsibility to become converted to his Gospel. Getting into his teachings it's evident he intended for every individual to come into contact with his teachings and a knowledge of his mission in God's plan and would then have the opportunity to choose by acting upon his teaching or reject it by ignoring it's call to repentance. Again and again he stresses the necessity of bearing fruits meet of repentance, and the complete sacrifice which must be given to obtain the pearl of great price or the hidden treasure in the field. I think i started just wanting to feel validified in my beliefs by going back to Christ's teachings, and it was successful. The other thing that prodded me this way was the fear of being biblicaly incompetent in a wealthy area of the bible belt, especially with all the exposure the church will receive this next month. (Hint.. hint..) So i'm very satisfied with the study to this point.

We had a lot of appointments dropped on us last minute this week.

Our companionship is still.. moving right along. We had interviews with President this last week and he just said, "keep doing what you're doing, not a lot of people could take your place." So maybe that means i'm going to be here for a while? Elder Dewitt has like 8 weeks left as a missionary, so that's a factor now.

I had a little bit of a stress attack on wednesday, I had a cold for most of this week, so I couldn't work out and that normally helps me releive stress, It wasn't a bad cold but I wasn't resting so it was just perpetuated for an extended period of time, because if I rest the missionary work stops. So I was sick and stressed and then I decided I just needed time to think and figure out what we were going to do. It was great, I got some problems figured out.

A huge help was sister Smith who has a son on a mission heard me coughing and loaded me up with drugs. That was a life-saver. I feel pretty much fine now.

We had received instruction Wendesday on 7 things we need to work on as a result of Elder Hamula coming to the mission, and I felt unprepared for the Christmas initiative and how to best incorporate that into our already floundering work. It's going to be a time I always remember from my mission and I would so regret not putting some ingentuity into it.

So you just do your best, and you exercise faith. Revelation seems to come after you've done everything you can do. So that requires the time to sit and plan and think until your brain hurts and try lots of things, then he will give you what you're looking for and in the process make you a little bit better and more prepared to face greater challenges ahead.

The glue of my companionship is quoting Nacho Libre, Napoleon Dynamite, and Brian Regan. I don't really get it, but if I didn't know every word that ever came out of those 3 mens mouths I would be totally lost in my attempts to releive tension.

"They don't think I know like a butt ton of crap about the Gospel - but I do!"

I am grateful this Thanksgiving for a very supportive family, and for the atonement which strengthens us. I'm also grateful for restored priesthood power which leads us and gives us direction in our lives.

I'll miss you on Thanksgiving! Show how thankful you are for food by fitting as much of it inside of you as you can! If it doesn't hurt, you're not thankful enough.

I love you!

Stay Salty

Elder Tyler Meidell

11.17.14 - Un sin casa con una casa

Hi! I hope you had a great week!

Dave Brook is an army vet living off of veterans assitance and social security in an apartment by himself. There was a confusion that caused his social security to be turned off. He didn't know why he couldn't pay the rent, he just knew he was behind from all the notices he'd received and his moderate case of paranoid schizophrenia led him to deduce that the bank was skimming money from his checks. He's been a member of the church for 8 years, he attended for little of that time, but has an excellent home teacher and elders quorum president. We were meeting with him regularly in our early afternoon hours to help build the faith he'd once had and in the process he told us about his accusations toward the bank. While leaving one day we saw a constable walking up to his door and knew that it had been going on far longer than he'd led us on to beleive and reported to the bishop what we knew. I say all this just to conclude that if it weren't for that home teacher and elder quorum president Brother Brooks would be homeless and very confused. They figured out his finances, made a cummulative 100 phone calls or so to find a new apartment, organized his legal team between him and his apartment complex and after we'd packed up his house (FULL of stuff - Elder Dewitt said he was just a homeless man who happened to have a house) 10 men from the elders quorum came and moved him on thursday night in 40 degree weather out of his 3rd floor apartment and then into his new apartment saturday morning. Kudos to the ward.

This contrasts with Rob who Elder Dewitt met on exchanges who graduated from Texas A&M but is living out of his car in the park. He asked the missionaries for some help, we told him to come to chruch sunday and meet with the bishop to see what could be done. He said he didn't want to hear a speech from anyone, he just wanted food shelter and money. We hooked him up with our employment specialist and he said he didn't want to go to a career workshop, he just wanted a good lead to a job.. although apparantly none of the leads which our specialist had to offer were satisfactory. We said our organization would help him become self sufficient, although he seemed more inclined to accepting hand-outs. After we told him our procedures were set in place although we'd be happy to do what we could, he denounced our church as evil for not conforming to his needs. There is God's way of happiness as taught to us by the will of the spirit, and their is our own way, which leads to misery according to the will of the flesh. Unless he's happy in the park, I hope he realizes what he'd doing now isn't really working for him.

We had a good experience contacting in an apartment complex the other day. We had 30 minutes before dinner, so looked around and decided which building we'd go to. We walked to one, knocked on a door that had indications of a new born baby around it, and before leaving, there was no answer, I found myself walking to the door right above it. There we found German. He was looking for truth that would fulfill his spiritual needs.

We also started teaching Matt and Evan this week. They both have accepted baptism but we haven't set them with a date yet.

I went on an exchange with Elder Ware. It was hilarious to work in an all spanish area with him again. His area covers 3 missionary areas, but he's only called to teach spanish speakers. So we looked for houses that had evidences of spanish speakers living there, hahaha, it was just silly how accurate his clues were for to finding the hispanos. It was great to speak the language again, i'm on my 3rd transfer in an english area.

Acts Chapter 4 gives an example of christ's apostle's prayers concerning a political problem they had encountered. They did not pray to have the problem removed, nor did they pray that they could in the strength of the lord overcome the problem at hand. They prayed for the blessings which were promised to them concerning their calling as apostles of the Lord. They then received the boldness to speak the word of God as they had asked, and the power to do miracles in the name of Jesus. The heavens answered by shaking the walls of building they prayed in, and giving them according to their desires. By going out and acting, and by magnifying their callings, "the multitude of them that believed were of one‍ heart and of one soul." The effect they hoped for was still attained, and it was done in the Lord's ways. Pray specifically, according to your duty, and it will be given to you.

I love you!

Stay Salty,

Elder Tyler Meidell

11.10.14 - Las carpetas de area

We're still all talking about the council Elder Hamula left with the mission. One point his wife stressed to us were the area books. My thoughts are the conversion of every soul goes through a life long process, and the spirit manages that conversion. In the area books we have ( 1 nephi 9) "an account engraven of the ministry‍ of my people." We record them and contact and teach them as it pertains to the Lord's planned preogression for them. (1 Nephi 9) 5 Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise‍ purpose in him, which purpose I know not. It has brought me a lot of success to organize my contact with the people who have worked with missionaries since the ward started in 2009.

In light of that I trained in district meeting on the use of the area book. I bought everyone muffins to lighten the blow because no one likes paper work, and we'll follow up this wednesday to see if anyone is taking advantage of that resource. Sisters Bills and Leiter i'm sure are all over it, Elders Diaz and Wright may require more prodding. 

One of my Zone Leaders is Elder Ware, who trained me. When I see him he brings up all of the dumb things I did with him my first transfer. Dang it - I can't get away from that. 

I went on an exchange with Elder Wright this week. I was Emergency Transfered here in part for Elder Dewitt and in part for him, for essentially the same underlying reason. The 2 are really good friends and kind of feed off eachother. Elder Wright is from Provo, Utah. He went home for 6 months on a medical release and I figure that is a hard transition to make back into the field. He's been back about 4 months now. We had a really productive day. Their area is booming with work. The Shoal Creek ward works largely with African Immigrants who all seem to know to move from Liberia to Austin, Texas. I think Elder Diaz is starting his 4th transfer here and I think he's baptized some 25 people there. There was a senior couple who just went home who was called to teach all of these people how to read. They had a cool mission.

I don't know if I already said Elder Dewitt has gone home twice for medical purposes, and now we just have the occasional doctors visit while he's out. He is planning on going back to the army after his mission and wants to fly helicopters. 

Brother Furst in our ward manages the royalties from earth to outerspace for some big names. So I guess He's rubbed shoulders working for JZ and lady Gaga and some MLB teams and the like. He and his wife paid for us to go out to some great barbecue this week. No complaints here. It was super good.

We started working a little more closely with the priests in this ward. They all made the commitment to become more converted before their missions so we offered to call them throughout the week to see what they're reading in their scriptures and to suggest other places they can read to learn more, and discuss with them how it applies to their lives. They're crazy. We brought them a huge bowl of candy that we'd procured as people dumped off their extra halloween candy on us during the week. I'm afraid it destroyed the focus of the lesson.

In reading the words of the prophet spencer w kimball he talked about the crucial moments and minutes we should spend meditating and listening after talking openly with God. He may give us additional ideas or simply confirming feelings for having correctly chosen to discuss our trials and successes with him. He will always listen. He knows and love you.

Thanks for all of your support!

I love you!

Stay Salty!

Elder Tyler Meidell

11.3.14 - Segunda de las brujas

This halloween on the mission was a lot different from the one last year in the Mexico City MTC. Last time we had Mexican candy, and there were a lot of fireworks and police sirens. This year, the Barneys had invited us over to dinner, and invited us to get to know some of their neighbors afterwards. The Barneys served missions in Russia and Washington State, so they were a really cool young couple. Their friends were even more interesting. The man was from the Chzek Republic and is finishing up his PhD at UTSA, his wife was from the Congo and managed a bank somewhere in Austin. They were both Catholic, and were just really open to talking about it. They said, so you have 88,000 missionaries serving 2 year missions. So what's the mission, what's the goal? They seemed to know their books pretty well, so I said, We believe Christ leads our church through revelation just as he did through his apostles shortly following his earthly ministry, we also believe in the prophecies of the gathering of israel in the last days; we have been called by Christ to gather Israel from all parts of the earth in preparation for his second coming as testified in the introduction to the Book of Mormon.


They thought that made sense. I love that it just makes such good sense. Another neighbor came halfway through who was from Germany and asked us for a book of Mormon in German she could have before she went back to the mother land. It was great that we had that appointment because otherwise we would've had to have been in our aprtment by 6 on halloween.

 

There was a confusion with some of the transfers (oh yeah, it was real transfers last week and Elder Dewitt and I are staying in Anderson Mill) as 3 companionships were doubled out of the zone. The sisters in the McNeil ward passed off an investigator to us who was attending their ward named John. He has a lot of qualms with the church. He believes God wants him to keep studying and learning about it, he's reading the Book of Mormon for the second time, but there are a lot of things he feels he can't fully assimilate to, not out of physical disability, but out of the principle. One such being the Word of Wisdom. Why would that be a requirement for baptism if it was not given by way of commandment? Another is, Why are people so irreverent in the chapel - and not in the catholic chapel? Things like that. So he's getting nit-picky, but it is making me study more thoroughly. I think he has a point about irreverence. The Word of Wisdom is a calibrater to determine how willing a person is to become a desciple of Jesus Christ, since we've also been taught that God gives us no temporal but only spiritual commandmentes, and that were are commanded to live by every word that comes form the mouth of God and whether it comes by the mouth of God or his servants it is the same.


We taught 4 female college roommates from Concordia Lutheran School with a recently returned missionary named Paul. We said, paul, we won't say anything, just smile at them and everything will work out alright. He did great.


They actually did have a lot of really good questions for us and all accepted reading and praying about the Book of Mormon so we'll check back in on that this Tuesday. When we transfer them over to the sister missionaries we'll see how interested they really are.


I interviewed 2 people for baptism for the Mt Bonnell ward. One was really ready, the other was not. It was the first time i'd had to indicate that, and help a person to take additional time and preparation to accept the baptismal covenant. She was really angry at me, but it sounds like she's had some good experiences this week in continuing to prepare.


I appreciate your prayers!

I love you!
Stay Salty!

Elder Tyler Meidell

10.27.14 - No hay ninguna bolsa

My beef with Austin right now is two fold. It's the capitol of Texas, it is very forward thinking, liberal, go green, and techy. So, when going to the grocery store, bring your own bags from home, because no one will provide you with plastic bags to take your groceries home in. They are saving the environment, without telling people. They just wait for you to show up at Walmart and look around like an idiot for someway to carry your milk and bread and eggs and meat and fruit home all at the same time. The other beef I had doesn't actually influence me because we wash our car (2014 Ford Fusion - so smooth) every week at a public, wash your own car, stop. If I had the desire to wash my car at home though, that would be an offense against the city of Austin. They are saving water.

The Anderson Mill Ward is fun. The priests are funny guys, and they come out to lessons with us when they can. The members all have a lot of experience in the church, so we're just trying to keep things new and interesting for them. They had the haloween party and trunk or treat this last saturday. It was very well decorated, and they had a pretty good turnout. I took one picture, but I forgot my camera so i'll get you that another day.

This week, we taught sister sutton, a returning less active, the stop smoking program. She has a good friend that is helping her through it, and so far she's doing good! Really proud of herself. Elder Cunningham texted me and said James did get baptized, so that's awesome! We met a cool black guy named David, and a really spiritual earthy kind of fellow named Collin who we're teaching now.

The big highlight was a visit Friday from Elder Hamula from the 70. We talked about how conversion is just as much a requirement to enter Heaven as baptism is. He reviewed some statistics from our mission, told us to do a better job updating our area books, opening our mouths and reaching out to everyone we meet, amongst other things.

As a part of his remarks, we listened to speakers for 5 hours, he talked about consecration. It's very evident that love is the complete giving of oneself for another, In that sense Christ loved his Father perfectly, he fulfilled every part of his plan, he lived to obey him. Christ also loves us perfectly, he gave himself as a sacrifice in place of us. We, to become one with Christ and the father must do likewise. Love is consecration. In Acts 5 annonias dies after holding back a small portion of his wealth for himself, the rich prince is turned away even after obeying all of the commandments because he could not sell all he had and give to the poor and follow Christ.

Every one must individually kneel down before God, and pray to know how to return to be with him again just as Adam and Eve. He is the only one who can reveal that to us. We must ask, ready to act on the answer we will receive, and then listen. He will talk to us in his scripture, through his annointed servants, and by the power of the spirit to our hearts and minds.

From D&C 101 in regards to the fulfilling of blessings. Even the blessing of a testimony of the truthfulness of these things.

59 And the servant said unto his lord: When shall these things be?

60 And he said unto his servant: When I will; go ye straightway, and do all things whatsoever I have commanded you;
61 And this shall be my seal and blessing‍ upon you—a faithful and wise‍ steward in the midst of mine house, a ruler‍ in my kingdom.
62 And his servant went straightway, and did all things whatsoever his lord commanded him; and after‍ many days all things were fulfilled.

I bear testimony of a God who governs perfectly with justice and mercy. Because he is perfect we can exercise our faith perfectly in him.

I love you

Stay Salty

Elder Tyler Meidell

10.20.14 - Una Emergencia!

There was a big bloody emergency this week!

Ha! well it turned out to not be that big of a deal.

I was so excited in the Canyon Lake Ward last Monday, because we'd met with James, he was ready to be baptized, we also met with Rebekkah Vidal, worked with her and prepared her to be baptized. I felt like, aaah, finally all of the hard work is bearing fruit (side note: we'd contacted the mission president in bakers field to see if he would let James Son skype into the baptism, he said it was cool, that's going to be awesome) now I can enjoy it for a little bit. Jokes on me! at 10:25 Monday night the assistants called us and said I would be Emergency Transfered to Anderson Mill Ward, English Speaking (not that big of a deal, Canyon Lake was English speaking too) in Austin, Texas, with the preface that an Elder needed some extra encouragment there. So we stayed up late, I packed up my stuff and we headed out early to meet the other Elders in San Antonio who were also asked to make a mid transfer change. We sat in the parking lot for 3 hours while one Elder complained to president that he didn't want to leave his area, it was his last transfer and he was serving with his best friends, plus his new are was full bike. After he was pacified we drove up to Austin, stopped at Buccees, the biggest gas station of all time. I bought a T-Shirt there, and a burrito.. and then met our new companions.

I'm serving with Elder Dewitt! Great guy, love him to pieces. I was transfered because he and his last companion really didn't get along. So that was a lame reason. We've been working on some stuff together and it's been a long but interesting week. I've been asked to call president Slaughter every few days to update him on how we're doing, so there is quite a bit of emotional tension that goes on, but we've managed fine.

In the Anderson Mill Ward, it's a whole new beast. The area is really wealthy, so tracting feels like.. why would you ever want to do that? A Reno comparison would be like covering the neighborhood off Mayberry, combined with the Galena Ward. People get really irked when you knock on the door, and apprehensive like I want to sell something. I've been told to stop soliciting so many times. I don't solicit. We have been doing a lot of brainstorming to find more effective ways to work through the members, and encourage and support them as they contact their friends. Let me just say, I am not a huge fan of white people lately. My bias lies with the Hispanics. It's a fun ward though, the members are very strong.

The Shoal Creek ward in my district had 6 baptisms this weekend, so it was a really good experience to go on an exchange with Elder Diaz and interview 3 African American Families to say they were good to go. They were all good to go!

I love you! I hope you have a sweet week!

Stay Salty!

Elder Tyler Meidell

10.13.14 - Nivel 3!

James Richard is a non-smoker! Boom. There were a few close calls. He decided to buy a house this week, and a bunch of work equipment was damaged in some accident (of course it was) so he was getting really anxious with all of the financial struggles with his bank and from getting behind with work. He says though, "I've made a promise to God to not smoke another cigarette, i'll sooner cut my left hand off than break that promise." So it hasn't been easy, but he says he's proud of himself. He hasn't stopped drinking coffee all the way, down from 3 pots to 1 cup a day so that'll be the objective tomorrow and then baptism on the 25th.

He's realizing he has kind of a temper problem without cigarettes, haha. He said he's got some serious road rage and he got mad at the news a few nights ago. Whatever Ebola related decision made him yell, "you bunch of idiots!" and storm out of the house to go do some work in his garage. Now he's really having to put the atonement into work in his life to put off the natural man so he can be more like the gentleman he wants to be. I'd  never looked at cigarettes, or any drug for that manner, in that way before. They depress your nature, and simultaneously kill you. You don't realize you need Christ's help because you've drugged yourself into becoming a false identity. It'll be better, when the same spirit which has power to posses your body in it's mortal frame, will take it back up in the resurrection, and your true nature has been changed when drugs will no longer be able to supplement your personality.

Monique helped us teach the Acosta family. She did a great job. She actually knew their oldest daughter from high school. He got a promotion at work, and so he worked through the weekend and they didn't make it out to church. We tried to explain, yes God has answered your prayers to be able to provide well for your family. Yes, this is a test to see if you'll obey the commandments when you no longer feel wholly reliant on the Lord to provide for you, because whether you feel like it are or not, you are wholly dependent on him for your sustenance. We all are.

All of the spanish speakers in the mission had a meeting on Tuesday. We talked about making spanish study plans. It was a big help to me, I was getting disoriented with my study hour. I had been translating conference talks or ensigns into spanish by hand, and would then study my mistakes to learn a new phrase or grammer principle; but I didn't have a goal or a purpose to it, so my retention and application of those principles was poor. I have.. a little bit more direction now, and some new ideas of ways I can study to mix things up a little bit. To give guidance to missionary's studies they set up a a 3 tier system with requirements to pass each tier that will guide missionary's to learn and apply spanish so they're more successful in teaching situations. I passed the third tier this last transfer, There was a translating, common errors, and sentence correction test you needed to score an 85 on, a few pamphlets you had to translate, and a number of scriptures to memorize. I still feel like my understanding is really shallow. It's hard to really get into it in an english area. My heart goes out to the Spanish called Elders that still haven't served in a Spanish area.

Taking the invitation from conference to re-study joseph smith history I was impressed by the clarity of the explanation of what was being restored in the last dispensation through joseph smith. When Moroni appeared to him he clearly related from scripture the components of the priesthood keys, gathering of israel, the work of the dead, and on, that needed to be given to man in order for a fulness of Christ's Gospel to exist on the earth. Study the footnotes and see how God unfolded his great plan of the restoration from the very beginning!

I love you and I miss you!

Stay Salty!

Elder Tyler Meidell

10.6.14 - Que tan larga esta la vida?

I done did it. I done lived for 20 years. That is way more than I was planning on. I hit 20 and then realized.. I need to start figuring what to do for the rest of my life. I mean how long am I supposed to hang around on this earth for? People live for what.. 40, 50 years? Modern medicine and sanitation standards have increased life expectancy to 76?! The word of wisdom keeps you around another 3 years?! The more I live the gospel, the more I have to keep figuring what to do to keep myself busy.

Luckily for me! 10 hours of General Conference with the help of the Holy Ghost saying, "yup you need to work on that," "yup you could do that better," created a good list of things that i'll need many years to make a dent in. The question was raised to myself, how am i preparing to receive the last saving ordinance - a temple marriage? As I worked to set a few specific goals that would help me allow all of the blessings of my patriarchal blessing be fulfilled, I felt prompted to make a few reasonable changes in the way I was focusing efforts on developing christlike attributes, studying the scriptures, magnifying my priesthood calling and so on. I was happy to see that a few actions could bring big results in several different categories of my life.

On October the 2nd, we had a normal day. We woke up and worked at. I at some cereal. We studied for an hour. studied together another 2 hours, studied Spanish for an hour, made some chicken Alfredo, finished half of our weekly planning session and then took off to help Sister Sebastian put some wooden siding on her house. After an hour and a half we taught a lesson to a man named chico, then our dinner appointment fell through so I took the cake mom mailed me to the Haight's house and they were nice enough to let me blow out some candles they had. We then taught the Acosta family about prophets and prepped them for conference, and we had a quick pump up visit with James Richard. A few other visits fell through during the day but we stayed really busy. As far as missionary work goes, i'd do it again.

Brother Richard stopped smoking! Boom!! Well, almost, he hasn't smoked in 5 days. He has had nicotine in him since he was 4, so we're waiting for him to complete the 7 day program before we can say he's got most of it out of his system, but so far he said, "If I knew quitting was going to be this easy, I would have quit 20 years ago!" That is the result of many prayers from many people and the power of God. Last week he was getting anxious if he didn't smoke for an hour or two. He has been really excited, more than anything I think,  to email his son on a mission and to tell him he finally quit! The part that got him through the first few hard days was this contract we made him sign as a part of the program saying in conclusion that he was making a promise to quit to himself, his family, and to God. He saw that he was promising God to quit and his eyes got big, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes and then exhaled really long and slow. He then bent over and signed the paper and from that moment he just said, "I can't smoke, I promised God." I think he had a good experience at priesthood session and Sunday Morning session too.

Brother Acosta said he watched an hour of Sunday morning session on his computer at home. He won't read the Book of Mormon very consistently, but he has replaced coffee in his diet with smoothies. So, little by little i guess.

Our leaders are called of God. I love our living prophet Thomas S. Monson and sustain him.

I love you!

Stay Salty!

Elder Tyler Meidell

9.29.14 - Conozca a los mormones!

Has everyone already heard about the church produced movie, "Meet the Mormons?" I hope so. It should come out in select theaters by request of locals starting October 10th. We got to see it early at Zone Conference this last week so we could talk it up and so we can know what people are going to be learning about the Mormons. I really liked it! I laughed and cried and when it ended I wanted to be a better person. So that's what makes a movie good right?

The update on iPads is that ... we'll get them before the end of the year! Which is what they said last year. So, whatever. I hope we do though.

A quick thought, this morning I as Elder C and I were switching spots in the bathroom I came out to find his gallon of gatorade/crystal light drink spilled all over the inside of the fridge. So I spent this morning doing some mopping. I usually don't mention little stuff like that, but just so everyone knows that those things happen.

After 4 weeks of meeting with the Acosta family they finally came to church. All 7 of them. We filled up a center pew. So that was a happy day. The San Antonio temple president and his wife came and spoke so I was really pumped for them to give a great talk on eternal families. They spoke on the 13th article faith.. so their thoughts on the holy ghost were hitting the peak of my understanding and just soared over Francisco Acosta's. The family left after Sacrament meeting claiming the grandma was diabetic and needed to eat. I believe that was true... to an extent. We'll go see them tonight for the final results.

A great logistical crisis this week was trying to get Monique Guerrero to the temple to do Baptisms for the Dead. We got it done Friday, and had a 23 year old return missionary take her named Jeremy. We tried super hard to get this temple date going and Jeremy just picked her up and dropped her off, no stop for ice cream on the way home, nothing. Haha, we gave him a hard time for the rest of the weekend.

James Richard has been visiting his Dad in Alabama all week. He  made it sound like they just sit around and smoke together. Hopefully he's ready to quit forever as soon as he gets back.

A great group of Foothill Ward Activities Day girls sent us some pancake mix this week. They were delicious and let us mix up the routine.

Here's a picture of some of the missionaries I'm serving with. Elder Olsen, Hilario, Giles, Shorts, and sisters Pectol and Beaumont.

I love you! I miss you!

Stay Salty!

Elder Tyler Meidell

9.22.14 - Carne de cedro ahumada

Smoked Pig!

If you're going to get a bunch of people together in Texas, you barbecue. We helped the ward plan the 18th annual pig party, and it was a pork-roasting good time. One does not simply ... fry up a 100 pound pig, nor may you claim to barbecue if you're not committed to spend at least 12 consecutive hours doing it.

Bishop Pinto smoked the butterflied 100 pound pig body for 14 hours in preparation for the feast. Brother Marhsall and Brother Duffy watched 12 hours for the 8 slabs of brisket to delishen, and brother Reid managed 8 hours smoking 20 savory chickens. We fed armies with beans and potato salad and a desert table..

I actually think only 200 people came, and we'd prepared for 350. So we fed the whole ward again after church on Sunday. We got nervous when a freak rain shower hit us while we were setting up Saturday morning. We got 4 inches that morning, on all sides of the lake, except for on bishops ranch, haha it stayed completely dry the whole time. Still, a huge number of people assumed it was canceled.

Brother Richard came out to church, the sacrament meeting theme was overcoming temptation, the gospel principles class was on the don'ts of the word of wisdom, and priesthood talked about being in the world, but not of it. Do you think someone wants that guy to stop smoking already?! Hopefully he took a few things away from the services yesterday. Elder Cunningham and I looked at each other petrified  during gospel principles when one guy pipes up, "well if all of our sins smelled as bad as cigarettes no one would want to come to church." *Facepalm* Yes he smells really bad, but have a little more class please!

In other news, Sister Vivas from Reno Nevada is in my District AGAIN! Booyah! I am excited about that. Boo. Yah. She replaced Sister Beaumont who went home.

My personal goal to be a living witness of the Restoration was taken by the spirit and transformed into a personal conviction to be more virtuous. I didn't think i'd ever actually pick that attribute, It didn't seem as appealing as the others, but as i've studied it I've see how powerful of a principle it is. A requirement for missionary work (D&C 4) a means coupled with charity to gain confidence in the presence of God and to learn the doctrine of the priesthood. (D&C 121) It is most easily measured by your thoughts, desires and actions when you believe no one is watching. I love the example of Joseph in Genesis 39.When he was tempted by Pottifer's wife he consistently put her off because of the decision he'd made beforehand to live the commandments. Since that firm desire to live righteously was fixed within him, he ran away without hesitating when she found herself home alone with him and wanted him. We can exercise mental self control as we seek after those things that are "lovely, of good report and praiseworthy" (AoF 13) all the time, and especially when we're tempted. Let it be a decision made, so when the moment to be tried comes, we choose to be virtuous without second thoughts. When Christ walked through the masses and a sick woman reached out to touch his cloak, the moment she touched him she was healed and he indicated that virtue had gone out of him. Virtue is pertinent for spiritual power.

I love you!

Stay Salty!

Elder Tyler Meidell

9.15.14 - Boudan de Cocodrilo

Oh man. After door contacting and being run off by an anti-Mormon and his swamp wife we offered to help them clean up their yard because we saw some tools around back. They made a few comments, but we just walked back there and picked up some gloves and started working. They watched us move rocks and cut down their little sapplings for a second and then joined in. During the 30 minutes we spent with them they really warmed up to us, they told us about all of their religious background that left them not going to church, a lot of the really intimate and personal trials they were going through, and then for 10 minutes the wife raved, "Oh my gosh, I looove Alligator Boudan (Boo-dAhn). You know that show swamp people, that's total BS, I'm from the Louisiana swamps and there is nothing better there than Alligator Boo-dAhn." Some of the time it felt like the couple was trying to tell God, by means of us, why they felt like they should be excluded from having to go to church. It was a silly 30 minutes.

We got transfer calls last night. We're both staying another transfer! Actually the whole district is except sister Beaumont who is going home, so sister Pectol will receive her second trainer.

We rescheduled James Richards date to the 18th of October. Bishop Pinto came to the lesson last night and we explained priesthood power, his potential to receive it, and hopefully helped him increase his desire to quit smoking. He's at about a pack a day, as opposed to 2. So it's good progress, but it could be better. We'll keep working.

I like the Alma 17-24 missionaries, because when they started teaching people they asked them outright, will you believe everything I tell you? The 2 Kings said yes, and whey did they say yes?! From the example of Christian living they saw in the two missionaries. From the service they offered in their Kingdom. From the tremendous power by which miracles occurred in their lives. From the confidence they lived which derived from their understanding of the plan of salvation. From the Love they showed to the people around them. The evidence of the Restoration of Christ's church is found in the lives of the members. I am working to better my self so that others recognize in me the attributes of one who is living the restored gospel. So when I tell them that by abiding by these precepts theirs and the lives of their family will be blessed beyond any other means the evidence is seen in myself. They'll believe it and they'll see it in who we are - before we ever tell them who we are.

May we live so ourselves.

I love you!

Be the Salt of the Earth!

Elder Tyler Meidell

9.8.14 - Fe y Valencia

I am so proud of the faith and courage Monqiue showed this week. her family was very hesitant of accepting her after being baptized, but she continued on faithfully and her mom and sister came to her baptismal service Saturday night and It seemed like her little sister really felt the spirit. Her sister came to church with her Sunday.

Brother Gilmore has been less active for a few years. He's 26, manages a local Walmart and spends all of his spare time playing online video games. His fantasy land has extended a bit too far, because he really hasn't come to terms with the fact that he's not really active at church. He's met with the missionaries quite a bit, and his non-member girlfriend with him, they finally made it to church this past Sunday, and honestly I think felt really uncomfortable the whole time. They're not used to such public settings, I guess we can just hope they'll get acclimated with time!

Brother Richard made church again, he seems to actually be changing his work schedule around the church times. He is heading to Laredo this week so we're praying he stays on track to be baptized the 20th. He still has huge Word of Wisdom struggles to overcome. His wife has high anxiety of meeting new people, so I have still never seen her. I guess she has no plans of quitting cigarettes, so only miracles will allow him to do it alone.

I'm feeling hesitant to let my teenage years move by.. and the frustrating part is I can't pause and savor them a little more. I'll turn 20 soon enough and that's that, I'll be living with one foot in the grave, basically dead. Haha.

My favorite experience from this last week was with the Acosta Family. They invited us to dinner, we talked a lot about prayer. They had been taught by missionaries twice in the past 4 years, and let us in because they preferred Spanish. A crucial first conversion point is for the head of the family to say a prayer asking God to know if Joseph Smith is a prophet. Brother Acosta had never prayed out loud and no missionary could make him, haha. We invited after much testimony and explanation that we could not receive his answer for him, but that he can receive an answer for his family, we invited every member of the family to kneel, and had each 6 people in the family say a prayer, thanking for one thing and asking for one thing. It was a special experience to hear each child thank for their father and for the hard work that he did for them. The father then prayed and asked to know if what we shared was true. There was a sweet spirit in the room.

My understanding of priesthood power increased a little more this week. God makes covenants with his children. He always has. He hopes that we will live our lives righteously and die in the faith so we'll be prepared to live in his presence. Living righteously is living by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. He has taught us me must be baptized to be saved after this life. In baptism we accept the conditions of his first covenant or sacred promise. We promise to remember Jesus Christ, take his name upon us, and obey all of the commandments. God predetermines the conditions of this agreement and regulates its acceptance through his priesthood power. The Keys of his priesthood ensure that all those that enter into his binding agreement do so with a full knowledge and desire to do so. Those who accept it without the correct authority are then not held under higher condemnation as would a covenant breaker. Those under covenant receive the additional and necessary assistance of the comforter throughout their life to guide them through the life long process of repentance as they live the principles of the Gospel. In addition God then can distinguish who is in his flock (Have taken Christs name upon them by authority and serve Christ) from those who aren't yet. Ultimately those baptized by authority and receive the gift of the holy ghost by that same authority can be "Sealed His" by the Holy Ghost or the spirit of promise, and not sealed by the spirit of the devil.

There are holes in my explanation, but God regulates his ordinances and covenants through his priesthood, which power and authority can only be exercised upon terms which he too has determined.

I love you!

Stay Salty!

All in!

Elder Tyler Meidell

9.1.14 - El Dia de Labor

Today is a special day. The whole United States of America gets a P-Day. Doesn't P-Day feel good? Take your tie off. Soak it in.

 

The libraries are closed, which is inconvenient for missionaries, but the Marshalls let us come by and use their laptops to email on. Brother Marshall just made us a mouthwatering bacon, provolone, turkey breast and tomato grilled sandwich. All of these kind favors make we want to remember to be really nice to the missionaries in my area when i'm older because the members here are really nice to us.

 

We're excited! James Richard came to church,  Monique passed her interview and is as ready for baptism as can be. We were getting the program together, and we had to break some of the traditions of the ward. There was a few things where they thought, that's just the way it's always been done. We don't do welcome's at the end of baptismal services, it's not that scary of a change!

 

James Richard! He's put on his shirt and tie, and came to church. I think he had a good time, and as we were getting ready for sunday we suggested to the gospel principles teacher that she prepare her lesson around eternal marriage because we wanted to get James to involve his wife in the church He dodges every question or remark made about her. I'm in his house 3-4 times a week and i have Never seen her. Another investigator, Adolfo, and 5 of his kids came to church so I went with him to the spanish gospel essential class and didn't get to hear all of James' responses to the lesson. From what Elder Cunningham told me he had never thought in his life about Eternal Marriage. It was almost alien. He believed that you picked a mortal mate that you could endure your life with, and then in Heaven you got paired up with whoever your soul mate was. That soul mate may have lived on earth 600 years prior to yourself but you the two of your were a predetermined pair. It's an interesting idea, but I don't find much doctrine to support it. I do know however, that any two people dedicated to living the gospel and want to have an eternal marriage can grow in love for the eternities.

 

I went on an exchange with Elder Olsen. He's one of the 3 trainees in the district, and we had a fun exchange. He was super easy to talk to, and then all of the sudden once we met someone on the street he would just stop talking, and when the conversation would fall to him his voice would drop 3 amps and be very soft. It was hard to figure out what the issue was, being a big husky rugby player that was joking around with me I couldn't understand why he wasn't so jovial with everyone. Anyhow, we got a little deeper into it and I think he's going to grow a lot in the next few weeks.

Some hardship in the ward, Eddie Flesher, who was baptized last March had a miracle recovery after being baptized but now is seeing some traces of cancer come back. He was going to do the stop smoking program with us, but just couldn't get up the strength to do it.

Elder Cunningham got a Greeny Package! WoOh! It was classic, his mom tried to send him lots of fresh fruits because that's what he likes. Haha, but they got really moldy in the mail, except for the zucchini bread, that was delicious.

As a result of Elder C growing up in Utah and still being a little wet behind the ears, when I was printing off some baptismal invitations with brother Haight, the ward mission leader, I heard him telling Monique that she was really just a Golden Investigator. Haha, I don't think I'd heard that term before being a missionary, but I knew what an investigator was, I imagine that was a strange experience as he explained to her how golden she was. Haha, it was a little uncomfortable to listen to. We talked about it after.

As i studied on the priesthood this week the very first thing that is always explained sunk in a little deeper this time around. The priesthood is the power and authority of God given to man to do works of salvation in his name. It is not the power to do anything, it is specifically for the bringing of gods children toward salvation. Any ordinance done under its power is done with that purpose.

I love you.

 

Stay Salty,

 

Elder Tyler Meidell

8.24.14 - Peca

I would love to tell you about some of the people we're teaching in the Canyone Lake area! The two people who are progressing towards baptism are Monique and James. Monique is planning on being baptized the 6th of September and was just one of those choice souls that was ready to hear and accept everything we had to say. In all honesty, she had already read the entire Book of Mormon before i'd met her. She recently moved back to this area to live with her Dad after graduating from high school in Arizona in 2014. She's 18. She lives in a little cottage behind her parents house (i emphasize the little because her parents live in a double wide trailer). She was introduced to the church by a friend in high school, she read the Book of Mormon, attended church some over there and upon moving to Texas found an LDS friend of her family, Sister Campbell, who is old and very sick, to be staying with her family. They hit it off great, and Sister Campbell helped her progress until missionaries stopped by looking for sister Campbell and met Monique. It's mostly a nice story. We attempted to meet her parents the second time we went to visit her and when the dad came home to see us sharing a message with his family he exploded and told us we could never come back on his property again. We haven't, and have been meeting with Monique at the church building as she's been able to get rides from sister Campbell and other ward members in the area. She's been to church that past 2 weeks and is one lesson away from being ready for the baptismal interview. I think the best way I could describe Monique is quick to apologize. We really do want to involve her whole family, that was the plan right from the get go. We'll just need to see if we can't coerce the father to attend his daughter's baptism.

Brother James is about 50. His story is quite unique. He has worked all his life, and yeah. Haha, he has worked very long days all of his life. He said most holidays and weekends were spent pulling telephone lines. He is one giant freckle (Peca = freckle). I am genuinely impressed by the man, as far as taking advantage of the light he had in his life up to this point, he has been living his life very well. I was quick to judge when I met him because of the huge about of cigarette smoked that filled my lungs when I walked into his house and the rough nonchalant attitude he exuded, but he is a genuinely good person. He came home from work for years and took his son up the mountain and showed him around the outdoors. His life aside from work revolved holistically around his son James Jr. His son James started dating an LDS girl in high school and he got very close to her family. He was baptized i'm sure over a long process and when he and this girl parted ways he was close enough with her family (Brother Haight's family who is my ward mission leader) that when she moved out of the house and he started fighting with his mom he moved into the Haight house and there put in his mission papers and ultimately left for a mission to Bakersfield California spanish speaking where he is currently serving. I guess as his dad inquired as to where he was going or what he was doing, he said dad, "you analyze thing too much, you just wouldn't get it." So that confused the heck out of him, and made him a little peeved, but he loves his son and supports him so he helps him pay for his mission. Brother Marshall the second councilor caught James senior by the arm and brought him in to Elder Quorum one sunday when he was quietly trying to sneak in, grab a donation slip, and sneak out. They took a picture and sent it to his son on a mission. The missionaries passed by his house one time before Elder Cunningham and I got here and when we went by to follow up on the visit I believe he let us in originally just to feel out what missionaries were all about, presumably to figure out what his son does. He grew up Nazarine, and went to plenty of church's and from all of his religious background he took all of the basic principles and applied them into his life. He pays 15 % of all his income to a variety of charities and organizations, he would read the bible pretty consistently but not really understand too much. He prays often and give thanks for what he has and believes that God helps a man who helps himself. He had rationalized some sin in his life by saying things like, "well God put tobacco on the earth, it's obvious he wants me to use it." Or my favorite, "If the wind blows up a girls skirt am I going to turn my eyes in shame? No, god has given us a beautiful world, and I will say thank you to God for the beauty in it."

 Because he deep inside has a desire to follow the commandments and we could provide him with the restored doctrine it has been amazing to see as his attitude and perspective has changed. To not fault to him he started using tobacco because his dad started giving him dip to chew on when he was 4, he's a heavy smoker and there will be a wrestle over keeping the sabbath day holy by not working, so it's been a slow slow process, but I think in order to stay close to his son he wants to be baptized so they can go to church together when he gets back from his mission. At this point he's read up to Second Nephi, but not a lot was understood or applied.

To end, I captured a picture that epitomizes the man who is Elder Cunningham. A driven missionary who takes time to care for stray kittens.

 

Kittens for Everyone!

 

I love you!

Stay Salty!

Elder Tyler Meidell

8.18.14 - Mas Lomas Bonitas?

A Texas-sized spider the size of my palm.

Eagle Pass had a big neighborhood called pretty hills, I know have a whole area made entirely up of truly pretty hills.

A normal day for me in Canyon Lake, would look a little like this. Elder C and I get up at 6 and go run. I run for 15 minutes at a decent pace, and then we turn around and he gets to take as much time as he wants to get us back home. We go about 4 miles or so. Haha, I know my pace pretty well but didn't tell him his distance each day because he was beating himself up about how out of shape he was (he's really not) and then we drove out our average run the other day and he realized how far we'd been going and he got all mad yelling, "you made me run 4 miles every day?! My legs are killing me! What's wrong with you?!"

But then he thought about it and realized he ran 4 miles every day and felt pretty good about himself, haha so we keep at it.

We eat some cereal with a banana cut up on it, I've eaten that every day for at least 6 months now. Too good, i love me some raisin bran. I usually study Spanish while I eat and then we start personal study at 8. We study to receive revelation for the people we're teaching. We regroup at 9, talk about studies, go over principles of teaching and we have until 11 (an extra hour for trainees) to plan lessons, practice lessons, go over teaching skills and doctrine. We sing in Spanish every morning, and pretty much every personal prayer I've had since the beginning has been in Spanish which was really hard at first because I didn't feel like I could properly express myself to say an effective prayer, I just hoped God knew what I was getting at and understand, haha.

This is where we live ... and this where all the forest
 people we teach live, and the squirrels we teach.

Next we study Spanish for an hour and specifically go over words and grammar that applies to the lessons we'll teach that day.

We eat lunch for an hour (The menu this week has been chicken taco salad - elder c is a no dressing kind of guy - he confessed to having a fat phobia hahaha) and then we're off for the day!

We've been teaching 3 or 4 lessons a day, and we're getting a lot better at planning stuff that is closer together, but still, the ward feeds us every day at 5 - which is great - we just have to plan our whole day around the area the dinner is in so we don't spend 45 minutes going to and from the dinner. I swear I spend all day sitting in the truck talking to Elder C.

 

Training is fun because we get to have firsts all over again. First lessons, first time sharing the spiritual thought at dinner. First time someone tells you where to shove the picture of Christ you just offered them ... haha all good experiences.

My invitation to everyone this week, especially to family, is to write me about the things they're learning in Preach My Gospel. If you have any questions refer to the last few paragraphs of Elder Ballard's 2014 conference talk called "following up." I really want that promised grace. If you have questions about the best way to study PMG just ask! This week in Chapter 11 pmg the district discussed what we can do when extending a commitment to help the person through conversion and ultimately to the temple. PMG talks about having the person write down the invitation and then we as missionaries will have daily contact until the commitment is completed supporting and uplifting all the while. People don't seem to want to change unless they're invited to.

I love you!

Stay Salty!

Elder Tyler Meidell

8.11.14 - Garcia Baptism

Here are a few from our district, with the page's and Sister Vivas from Northern Nevada!

We also have one from the Garcia's baptism.

 

 

8.4.14 - Cuando me Bautice

The song, "when I am baptized" translates to "cuando me bautice," and during the baptism of Liz and Gaby we sang that as the opening song. As we expressed musically how we wanted our lives to be as clean as earth right after rain, we started to see a few rain drops fall through the open door to the gym that looked through the open door to the kitchen and through the glass door that led to outside. By the end of the song the rain had crescendo-ed  and the spirit sweetly testified of the truthfulness of the ordinance. The rain only lasted a few minutes and it was dry by the time everyone left 45 minutes later.

We just received our transfer calls last night and they are very exciting on the border! President said 28 missionaries went home this week (including Elder Ferry who lived in my apartment) and something like 28 new missionaries came in. So Sister Vivas (from Reno) is staying in Eagle Pass and training a new missionary. Sister Shaffer is leaving Eagle pass and training a new missionary. Elder Goodman is staying and training, and Mora is leaving to... who knows... I'm guessing Austin. Elder Olsen is staying in Eagle pass and training a new Elder. Woo! Super excited for him. He's going to tear it up. I am leaving Eagle pass, doubling into a new area (which means both of the last missionaries are gone and I'll have to work off of whatever notes those missionaries leave me) I'll be training a new missionary and I have been assigned to be a district leader. All I can say is... I have faith that God will show me what to do, because I don't know, haha. Whoever I'm going to be serving with, I already love him. Elder Burdge will be staying in Eagle Pass.

The work this week was pretty great. We got ready for the baptism, and didn't really teach too many other lessons that weren't to recent converts. Nearly all of the recent converts in Eagle Pass moved into our area and so we're just attending to a lot of needs. We're trying to construct a smooth transition for the people that have been recently baptized from the stage of relying on us to lead them along the straight and narrow path to have them rely on the strength of the branch. They're all progressing, at very different paces, and I'm very proud of the faith their showing in staying strong, because some very hard trials have come into a few of their lives.

One of the most shocking parts of being a missionary is being introduced to the happiest and ugliest aspects of life. As a minister of the Gospel and a representative of Jesus Christ we've set ourselves apart from the world, and for that reason we can administer to the needs of God's children who are caught in the jerks and trips of the world. It's requires an increase of faith first on our part to be able to trust in the blessings of the Gospel enough to invite a family we love, without enough money to get by, to leave the work they have and look for another that will allow them to keep the Sabbath Day holy by not working on Sunday when work is sparse. We have to develop faith and testimony enough ourselves in the comforting power of Christ and his mercy and love, to invite a family to either marry or separate from a loved one who is not willing to live the law of chastity. When these families live the commandments, miracles are wrought before their eyes in small and simple ways. When their faith falters, like Peter sinking into the ocean when he leaps out from the boat to walk to his savior and is dismayed by the winds and waves around him, the world drags them down into sorrow and frustration.

I would plead to these people to keep their eyes perpetually fixed upon the savior. To covenant with him and yoke themselves to him because his yoke is easy and his burden is light. With eyes, vision, willpower, what have you, fixed on him the tempests do not surprise us, they cannot overtake us. He has the power to calm the seas. Let's show our faith in him.

Trials may not go away, but the grace of God can strengthen us to support our heavy burdens and find not only peace but joy amidst times of hardship.

I love this Gospel. I love our Savior Jesus Christ. He is the only one who could take upon himself our pains so he could forgive us and succor us according to our needs.

I love you! Stay Salty!

Elder Tyler Meidell

7.28.14 - Damage Control

I'll just jump into it!

The "real Slim Shady" baptized his mom Saturday night. When it's a baptism week ... stuff hits the fan. After it all, the baptism had a really great turn out, "J" got her under the water in one dunk and she, just like everyone who gets baptized, look like a different person. There is light in her face and happiness in her eyes.

I went on an exchange with Elder Goodman and I found a 50-pound melon.

I'll jump back out of it.

I'm sorry, I don't know what happened ... the week just flew by.

I feel like we're doing a lot of damage control with recent converts as they make all of the necessary adjustments in their lives to live latter day saint lives. There are lots of hills and valleys of faith and lots of hills and valleys commitment. Each of them are moving at very different paces with very unique circumstances.

My studies this week centered on agency. I loved a comment made during the Priesthood session of the last general conference. Elder Randall said that agency is your power to become. So true! We have a tremendous gift, given to us by God, with which we first chose before this life to come to the earth and receive mortal bodies. Agency is our ability to choose Christ. Adam and Eve progressed our ability to make correct decisions when they partook of the fruit and gave us the knowledge between good and evil. We couldn't be agents for good, without there being a wrong path to follow. We will be judged by our works and our desires, and our works and desires are the results of our decisions, meaning our decisions make up who we are. God will see our mind and our body at judgment and have a history of everything we ever thought or did.

The council I give is to educate your agency so you can make choices that will lead to your own salvation. Come to know the Truth I touched on last week, and what things Christ admonishes us to do so we can be saved, so you can exercise your agency accordingly. The power is in each one of us to make decisions, and ultimately to make the greatest decision, to keep our second estate and choose to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. Then, to live everything that is implied by accepting Jesus Christ as our savior.

It is so worth it. We're not really living until we're living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love you so much.

You are the Salt of the Earth - Stay Salty!

Elder Tyler Meidell

7.21.14 - Sandia!

Oh the mighty watermelon had a great run these past few weeks. The city had a moment of excitement when the harvest started and street venders took advantage by getting an early jump on the sales for 5 dollars a pop. As the Walmarts and HEBs entered the market it dropped to 3 dollars and the streets sold 2 for 5 dollars on every corner, then a few weeks later the melon was old news. Everyone had gorged themselves that the main swing of melon season didn't impress anyone in Eagle Pass and a warehouse was literally giving away 300 crates of watermelon for free just last Friday. Someone gave us 6 melons for free so we went around and gave them to some less active members and had a good opportunity to chat with families that didn't speak to us much otherwise.

We achieved 110 degrees this week! Onward and upward. My mom's voice of council to always wear sunscreen continues to echo in my ears as I leave the apartment every day.

Ella has been looking for work and she finally scored her dream job! She told me she got the job she'd always wanted and I was all excited I didn't even ask what it was! I assumed child care in a school or something because that's what she's always done, and then in conversation a little later it comes out she's starting today drawing people's blood. Her words, "You can't imagine the excitement of when you strike the vein and blood starts to pump into the tube." What the weird ...

At church yesterday we had Juana again who is excited for her baptism this coming Saturday. We also had the "G" family, but they snuck out after sacrament meeting so we couldn't get them to learn anything else in the following classes. The "G" girls, "Lizzy" (16) and "Gina" (12), went to mutual on Wednesday and made cookies! They said they had a great time! Sweet. We also had "Marty" at church. The week prior we had "George" with us too, which makes 2 weeks in a row a random guy I met drunk in the street has kept the card I gave him and actually made it out to church that next Sunday. Awesome. They both wont' meet with us but they want to keep coming to church. The last time we met with Marty he led us around his backyard which was brimming with fighting cocks. He fights roosters in the deep brush because it's illegal. He has 35 big 'ol Roosters, and 50 Hens and some 200 chicks running around. It's really cool. I don't have any idea how no one in his neighborhood has caught on to his schemes because those roosters never shut up. One rooster is sufficient to wake you up in the morning and he's got 30+ cawing and cooing and crowing all the live long day.

I upgraded my personal studies this last week. I bought a school binder, dividers and some other study materials so I can start tracking my studies by date, theme, questions answered,  lesson plans, and trainings. I have gotten so much more out of it. While studying prophets I read in preach my gospel that prophets receive truth by means of revelation and in turn teach the truth to the world with authority. I asked myself, what is truth? I have so much more to go, but truth is the way things were, are and will be. The truth of this world is that God has a plan to save all of his children. The truth is that we have the ability to follow or reject that plan. The truth is that we live in this world in a state of mortality and weakness. The truth is the that the atonement of Jesus Christ is the only power able to make us immortal and perfect enough to enter into the presence of God again. The Truth is that key truths necessary to access the power of the atonement were lost with the death of Christ and his apostles and that God restored those truths with the Restoration of his Gospel in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The truth will set men free.

I love you you much

Stay Salty,

Elder Tyler Meidell