Answers to Prayers

Funny: I got humbled a bit this week. We went over a member’s house for dinner and he was telling us that he had made his dinner really spicy so not to take too much. Well all I heard was "I don't believe you can handle spicy food". After loading up my plate with a small mountain of food. I dove in, I inhaled the first plate and got half way through the second when all at once the spice hit me like a brick wall. My eyes teared up and my mouth started smoking. I was finally able to breath after half a gallon of milk and lots of bread haha.

Spiritual: The Lord is so very mindful of all of our prayers. There was a family in our area that we had been trying to visit but for one reason or another we never had the opportunity to, until the Lord was ready for us. We had just finished an appointment and we were anxious to go home and get some lunch. We drove by and the thought came that a shorter way home would take us by their house. As we drove by, we decided that we might as well stop. A man opened the door and tears started forming in his eyes. He told us that earlier that day he had prayed that we would stop by. Unfortunately, he was about to head off to work but we rescheduled and are excited to go back and get to know him!

Where I am at: It has been a great week out here among the cowboys. It is for sure different but I think we are making the adjustment well. There is so much work to do here it is incredible. The Spirit has been moving here for a long time and it is now beginning to show. We have found so many new people in the past few weeks and this week we are hopeful to help some of them to commit to baptism. 

The Lord uses missionaries: it's super effective!

Funny: as it turns out not only can you catch Pokémon on Pokémon Go but you can catch some new people to teach! We were visiting a former and he invited us to a Pokémon go raid. Well, we didn't actually play Pokémon go but we sure talked to everyone. Turns out that a lot of them were returning members or non-members and most were interested in meeting with us Haha. Also, they did catch their Pokémon too.

Spiritual: there is always something very spiritual about whitewashing. It seems as though there is a new sense of energy and purpose here. Everyone was commenting how they can feel it. We have had a slew of spiritual miracles. Everything from spiritual help in guiding us in the new area. To people being home at times when they told us they usually are never home. It is often in these small miracles that the hand of God is most manifest.

Where I am at: it has been a big week of culture shock! There are lots of things that are different here than my last few areas. One of the best is that there is drinkable water! Oh, it is so nice. We also get fed dinner by members almost every night and we have a massive ward of about 150 active members. It is so different but such a great place. Thankfully Elder Curtis and I are going to keep our rez skills sharp by planting a garden in our back yard. We are both very excited for this transfer.

Love y'all
Elder Black

Cortez Homeboy

Funny: Well, this week we convinced the Senior Couple that we indeed had the best area. We took Elder Walker out a few times this week and each one was filled with food. The highlights were taking him out to Tonelea and the Whiterocks fed us massive Navajo Tacos, and we helped rototill a nonmember’s garden and they fed us 24 oz steaks. It was incredible and forever will Elder Walker be saying that Tuba City 2nd Ward is the best haha!

Spiritual: We had an incredible visit with the White family. We had gone over a few times in the past but only the daughter had seemed very interested. It was getting a little bit frustrating. When we went over this last Wednesday, we only were able to catch the Father home. He invited us in and for the first few minutes we just sat in silence. It seemed that whenever anyone tried to speak, they couldn't. Finally, the Father broke down. He told us that he used to be an active member but after some bad mistakes he just felt that he wasn't able to come back. We talked and by the end of the lesson we had helped him to understand that God loves him no matter where he is or what he has done. It filled my soul that I get the chance to be a witness of such miraculous change in people and to have the Holy Ghost to guide me as to what they need.

Where I am going: I am sadly being booted off of the rez :( I am headed instead for Cortez Colorado! From everything that I have heard it sounds like a great place to go. In addition to that I am fulfilling the old curse on the Durango Zone, that is that if you serve there once you are destined to serve there again. Well, here I go... In other news, Tuba is being left in the capable hands of Elder Standley and Elder Sorensen so I have no doubt that great things will continue to happen. It is such a blessed area and a great place to have served. I will miss these people a lot!

Love ya'

Elder Black

Fasting and Feeding

Funny: I had kinda a funny experience while fasting this week. In my prayer to open my fast I had asked that I could have the opportunity to gain a stronger testimony of fasting. Well the fast started and I woke up the next morning starving. It was rough, I was beginning to wonder if I wasn't going to make it, it felt like I was back in priest quorum. Well after church we did some studies and were preparing to go see some people when a member family texted up asking if we had eaten. We went over and had some Delicious ribs, afterwards we went and saw a returning member family. While we were there the other ward elders told us that a member was insisting that we come to their house for dinner. We did so joyously. We had just gotten in the truck when yet another member texted us telling us that they had made pizzas for us and that we were required to come over and eat. Well, in the end we were bloated and my testimony of fasting has grown quite a bit haha.

Spiritual: Once again the miracles that happen on exchanges are endless. I was able to go with Elder Asher this week and it was fantastic! We went to a couple that we had been trying for a long time to start teaching but we just hadn't been able to get in. Well, we pulled up and this time we noticed that they had a garden that wasn't tilled yet. We knocked on the door and asked if we could till their garden. They couldn't today but we rescheduled for another day and then as we were about to turn around and leave, we heard the door open again and they invited us in for a glass of water. The conversation turned to the Gospel quickly and they expressed how they had done some research of their own and had gotten into some bad information. We were able to clear it up and we are excited to go over and have another meeting. I am so grateful for chance to serve this people and see such great miracles!

Where I am at: We got some rain down here but now we are back to the warm and dry, life is great and we are enjoying all it offers. For transfer predictions, I am thinking that I am gone. I can feel it in the air that I am needed somewhere else, but we will see. There are a lot of good things going on this week. The Whiterock family is on date to be baptized this week and it seems that they are going to make it! It should be a great event! We are very excited for this adventure.

Love ya'

Elder Black