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.