Email February 11, 2013

Everything's Coming Up Roses

 

 

First: HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAST WEEK CAYDEN KELLY ADAMS! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

So we saw the first fruits of my missionary work this weekend! Sister Lena Moore was baptized and then confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. When I did the baptizing two people were beaming with pride more than anyone else--Elder Johnson and Brother Hill--and I'm not sure which of the two were more proud of me. The baptism was pretty special but the confirmation, I think, is what touched her the most. She just had tears in her eyes of gratitude and I know it meant everything to her to finally reach this point. And the best part? She's already made herself an integrated part of the ward with friends all over the place and everyone just loves her. In no time she'll have a calling and be bringing others to Christ!

 

On another note, I've officially started to gain weight which is just terrible. Curse this southern food and my inability to say no when seconds are offered!!!! We're still fed so very much here and people want us to be in their homes now because we try and teach investigators in their homes which is always a powerful experience.

 

The weather here is so bizarre--still. I'm never going to get used to it. Today is pretty warm and rainy but yesterday was super cold and the day before that was really quite perfect. . . it makes no sense. No ice storms though!

 

Oh, I did get the package from the Hill's that was sent. I adore that red tie and Elder Johnson loves the white one so it worked out perfectly. Great choices! Thanks for all the stamps, Grandma! Grampa, thank you for that little note you put in there. I loved it.

I've slowly noticed southern words creeping into my vocabulary so if I come home in two years and am calling everyone "sug" (like sugar) or "baby" and its always "y'all" then don't be surprised. Also any word ending in -ing automatically loses the "g". If this keeps up I'm going to have a ridiculous accent--but hopefully not a Harker's Island accent. There was a couple who are from Harker's Island (some famous little place up on the northeast coast with lighthouses and stuff) who spoke in church yesterday and WOAH at that accent. They just got back from serving at the Family & Church History Center in Salt Lake City and apparently the Australians who were there thought they were also from down under. That accent is the strangest sounding thing in the world--but I've apparently acclimated well because I understood every word!

 

We've got a new investigator named Lee this week who accepted a baptismal date on the first lesson which was great! It seems like as soon as we think we're lacking people to teach we stumble on someone we were meant to find. Its kind of amazing how that all works.

 

Abby asked in their family letter this week if we have to work hard everyday to learn the scriptures to do missionary work. The answer, Abby? YES! We study for THREE WHOLE HOURS every single morning from the scriptures! Can you believe that!?! You gotta do hard work to be a missionary but I bet one day you can be a missionary too when you're 19-years old! And Owen and Ella too!

 

Well, I'm running out of time! I love you all! Hopefully a better update will follow next week!

-- Elder Adams

February 4, 2012

We have Sister M's baptism for this Saturday at 10am and she's still going strong! I just love this ward and this area I'm serving in so very much. The members are amazing, the investigators we have are amazing, and each and everyday I learn so very much and I just love it.

This week was actually pretty scary because Sister M left town on Tuesday when we were supposed to have an appointment with her to take care of her sick aunt up in Jacksonville. It was so difficult to stay in contact with her while she was gone. We were so worried she was going to fall back into smoking while she was away but she finally called us up yesterday morning and said that she was on her way back to Kinston. She said she had been pressured by her family to stay up in Jacksonville longer but she couldn't because she was "missing my bible study" (what she calls our lessons) and missing church that day. So she drove home saying she missed us so we set up an appointment to see her last night and it was just awesome. We finally hashed out the rest of the details for her baptism--the songs, who was going to say the prayers and give the talks. She is just so excited.

It is such an amazing blessing to share the gospel. To teach those searching for light but "know not where to find it." It can be discouraging at times to try and give the gospel to everyone you meet and have them reject it, but that's agency. We are agents to act, not agents to be acted upon. We have to choose for ourselves the "better part" no matter how difficult it is. Sometimes the "better part" is entirely different from what we expected, sometimes the Lord tells us and directs us one way and then sends us another way halfway through and its all because He knows better.

One of the videos we have to watch is on this set of Doctrine and Covenants/Church History dvds and its about Zion's Camp. Now Zion's Camp was a militia pulled together by the early church to go and bring supplies and defend the church members in Missouri and the Lord promised them that if they were a part of that militia that "not a hair of thy head" will be harmed. Through much tribulation and difficult Zion's Camp pushed on to get from Ohio to Missouri. Halfway through after seeing many miracles, the Prophet Joseph Smith proclaimed that the Lord had now commanded them to turn back because He would fight their battles for them. Now many of the Saints in Zion's Camp were extremely upset at this. They had traveled so far and gone through much affliction only to turn back?! There was an uproar in the camp--many saying they were going to press on anyway. The Prophet Joseph Smith then warned them that if they weren't obedient to the Lord that the scourge He had protected them from the whole time would no longer be held back. They ignored his prophetic warning and paid the consequences. Many of the members died from disease and dysentery until they humbled themselves and obeyed. When Zion's Camp made it back to Kirtland, Ohio the townspeople mocked them asking, "how is it to know that you made it halfway there only to have to turn around?!" Brigham Young turned to them and said with fierceness, "I wouldn't trade that experience for all the money in the county!"

That's how we should be when things don't go our way. One of my favorite quotes goes something like "When the Lord removes something from your hands its so they can be open for him to give you something even better!" So when things don't seem to work out or people go on being imperfect or life events are just miserable--just have faith. The Lord does everything for our benefit. Every trial is to help us grow stronger and greater. We just have to have faith in Him.
 
Alrighty! I love you all! Hope all is well with everyone! Tomorrow is transfers so all the mail is being held at the mission office until after so I haven't received anything you may or may not have sent. But I love everyone and go read your scriptures!

January 27, 2013 Email

So I just finished off my sixth week in the field which means I've just finished filling up my first planner--or would have if we weren't having a seven-week transfer like I said last week!

Anyways, the baptism. It got postponed. Smoking is a killer addiction to quit, especially when we're on the right path and the Adversary is doing everything in his power to stop us. Sister M is still going strong but she still has to go two weeks without smoking so the baptism isn't going to be until February 9th. But that's okay because its still the most important thing in the world to her!

In other news, I'm getting pretty sick which is just swell, but Elder J was sick exactly a month ago so I suppose its my turn now. This week has actually been a pretty rough week. The hardest part of missionary work, it seems, is finding people to teach. Because tracting or street contacting is next to useless. I think the statistics are 1 in every 1000 doors knocked, someone gets baptized. Whereas 1 in every. . . 3 or 4 persons, I think, that is referred by a member gets baptized. So our focus right now is trying to get into members' homes and get them fired up and excited about missionary work so we can help them realize that the Lord is putting people in their path who are ready to receive the Gospel and all that is standing between those people and the Gospel is the members' desire to just go and do it! It might take a little while  but we're pretty sure that if we can provide some powerful lessons with the members we're going to see some real powerful results, just not immediately.

That's probably the lesson of the week: patience. Learning to work on things with all your effort now so that you can see results later. Its a pretty difficult lesson to learn but as a missionary you can really see the value of it. Especially as the weeks seem to grow shorter and shorter. Before I know it I'm going to be counting transfers instead of weeks!

We had an exchange again this week which was actually pretty awesome. Elder W came to my area and Elder J went with Elder S and it was a pretty great day. We didn't have tons of success but we had a lot of fun and we learned a lot. Elder W and I seem to be on the same page pretty frequently, we actually tend to reply to questions simultaneously which is pretty amusing. That night of the exchange we went to teach a lesson with Sister M and Brother W, this absolutely AMAZING man who is the only member in his family, whose wife is dying of cancer, who has an amazing testimony, went with us to that. Well the lesson went swell and all, I took the lead--which wasn't unusual. I've been taking the lead in lessons most of the time just because I don't think about it. Anyways, yesterday at church Brother W paid me probably the greatest compliment I could have received. He said to Elder J and me, "This missionary was prepared the other night!" and I asked him what he meant. He said that he was impressed at how prepared for my mission I was because of how short of a time I had been in the field. 

Make sure those pictures of us at the N's and the H's (stormtrooper helmets and lightsabers) get put on facebook or something for all to enjoy! The N's and the H's just love us so much. We actually had a dinner appointment with the H's early in the week and then Friday night we were going to go share a lesson with them and they ended up feeding us again! That was the night they had to show us the Storm Trooper helmets that their son, L (who is on a mission in Magna, Utah), owned as well as his room which is a shrine to all nerdery--which Elder J and I absolutely loved. And get this--CALLEY HE HAD A DARTH REVAN COSTUME AND WE WOULD HAVE WORN IT BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE TIME!!!!!!!!!! ...I'm pretty sure L and I would be great friends.

Oh, so I guess its been super freezing out west. Well, we finally got our portion of it this week. Last week may have been 75 degrees, but its been below 30 most of the week and down to about 15 at night and super cloudy and we actually had our first ice storm this week. It was SO bizarre. Because I guess due to the humidity that it isn't cold enough to snow even though its below freezing. So it rains and then freezes onto everything. EVERYTHING ends up covered with inches of ice. The trees and other plants were absolutely gorgeous when the sun came out the next day and they were all iced over and the pine trees were crystallized. SUPER miserably cold because of the humidity and all, but it was pretty gorgeous too.

This week has really been pretty awesome. Rough as far as getting new people, but its been an amazing week of learning learning and learning. When things get difficult its always easier when you remember that the Lord is always taking care of you if you're on the right path. That's all you need to remember and even the hardest trial becomes surmountable. If you're doing your part, the Lord will take care of the rest. And frequently that means he'll send miracles. But something I may have said before that David A. Bednar said was that the Israelites who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant and came up to the River Jordan, they were promised that the river would part, just like the Red Sea. But they came up to it with the Ark and it wasn't until they had stepped into the river and gotten their feet wet that the miracle happened. If you read Alma 60, Captain Moroni says the same thing. He thinks that Pahoran is refusing to send his armies aid against the Lamanites and he rebukes Pahoran, reminding him that just because God delivered them from bondage before didn't mean that he would go and fight the Lamanites for them if they refused to help themselves. If we want miracles we have to get our feet wet. Its that simple. So work as if everything relies on you and have faith that it all relies on the Lord. Then we know that everything that happens is for our own benefit. And that's my soapbox to family and friends for the week.

As far as piano music goes, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE if, wherever it is located, someone could send me the Prince of Egypt book, Come Thou Fount sheet music (its the full choral arrangement for like the MoTabs), Nearer My God to Thee and Army of Helaman and Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief sheet music (they're all super beautiful arrangements I miss), and anything else that sounds like a great idea to send me because I know I have tons of music. Speaking of piano music, did I tell you a member of the ward is going to teach me to play the piano entirely improvised? Or at least the basics so I can do the improvising I already do but actually do it well? I'm super excited. Some night this week they're going to feed us and then he'll teach me. I'm so so so so so so so excited. I'm also going to teach Elder W and Elder S to play the piano! Woo!

Calley--I haven't received that package you were talking about at Christmas. So I hope it didn't get lost.
Chris and Anne--yes I did get the cookies in the MTC which was wonderful. I have the tupperware and I plan to send it home to my mom when I next make it to the Post Office along with everything else. Also, yes that  is the Elder Warner who is my district leader! He's from Orem so it all fits even if he doesn't know who y'all are!
Grandma Penny-- I got the letters you sent via the Hills! I'm sure your talk went just fabulously. Wish I could have heard it!

Alrighty! I love you all! Thus ends this weeks' update of the Adventures of Elder Adams in Kinston--the Land Where the Weather Can't Make Up its Mind Whether its Going to be 15 Degrees or 75 in January!

A Few Photos

 Brother H. sent this one of an apparent storm trooper in their home.  I recognize the tie.

Sister N. sent this one of the elders outside the church on Monday. 

January 21 Email

And thus begins my sixth week in the field! Usually it would be the last week of the transfer this week but because of when Christmas was, the previous transfer was cut short a week so it was only 5-weeks and this transfer is 7-weeks. And my training is 2-transfers so, I'm like halfway done with training. Its crazy.

I cannot believe that you coordinated for my birthday though, Mom! That was kind of awesome and it was super amazing to have my Snow Tunnel Cake as tradition dictates every year--along with cheesy potatoes. Thank you all so much, everyone who chipped in to get me that GPS. Its actually better than Elder J's GPS and so we take it around more often than his! I named it Joanne. She's a classy lady. The H's are just about the best and they seem to really like me and they gave us all SweetFrog (a frozen yogurt place) giftcards and it was just fabulous to spend my birthday with the H's that night.

Other awesome news: I GET TO BAPTIZE SISTER M THIS WEEKEND!!!!!! I'm so excited. We had her baptism interview on Saturday night and then asked her to choose who would baptize her and who would confirm her, preferably a ward member so as to build ward unity/friendships/etc. And she asked me to do the baptism and Elder J to do the confirmation. She says, "You two were the ones who found me and have been with me since the beginning, so you better be with me here at the end!" I'm so excited. Its going to be so great. We actually got three investigators to church this week, including Sister M and it was just so exciting. Word is getting out that I play the piano so Relief Society grabs us for their opening exercises so that I can play their opening hymn, and Brother H seems to really really like me so he brings me piano music I can photo copy and he asks me all sorts of questions about playing music. Its so great.

The week itself has been pretty difficult though. Very few lessons, we haven't been able to meet with very many people and its just been difficult. Though we had our first Zone Conference this week which was amazing. Elder P of the 70 came to that and it was just such an amazing Conference. We learned so very much and have applied it and found results so quickly. I played the piano for that as well. It amazes me how few people play the piano or sing or anything out here. Apparently little to no one has musical talent out here so when I'm here to play the piano they all get super excited and are super grateful. Anyways, Elder P described his job as being President and Sister B's visiting teachers, which I thought was amusing, but it was just such a great conference and they really taught us all so very much.

We've been fed SO much this week. Lunch and dinner, every single day this week, someone has fed us. Its been almost ridiculous. We're always so stuffed. But we're working out in the mornings though so I guess its all just fine. I'm still the same weight I was when I entered the MTC so I'm not complaining too much. Its mostly just been another week in the field though, nothing else particularly life changing to report. 

Tell Mawmaw thank you so much for Pawpaw's scarf and the candy.

Steven, oh my goodness at the chocolate.

Calley, still haven't received the second package you said you were going to send for my Birthday (you told me about it around Christmas, I think?). Hoping it didn't get lost somewhere.

Thank you all for pitching in for my GPS. I'm so so so so so so so so grateful for that. Thank you for that. Its going to be so very helpful.

As far as the copyright thing goes, I've no idea about that whatsoever and have heard nothing about it so . . . whatever you do, that's fine with me I guess. Though I have received some letters from friends asking why they aren't getting my emails so if you could send a mass email to all those addresses I gave you and link them to the blog or whatever it was you're using, that'd be great.

Also, mom if you could get a 3-year driving record copy for me and get that faxed or mailed to the Mission Office. My Drivers License # is 197302409 and the Mission Office fax is (919 850 0897)

Well, I love you all! Write me! I'll write ya' back!

Cody's Birthday

20 birthday candles.

Sister Hill from Kinston 2nd Ward sent me these photos that they took of Cody's birthday.  They had him and his companion and 2 other missionaries over for dinner that night and had a party for him.  She made him a snow tunnel cake with the recipe I sent her.  He has had a snow tunnel cake for his birthday for as long as we can remember.  They also had steak and cheesy potatoes-another recipe I sent her.  I sent his birthday package to their house because things are taking so long to get to him with having to go to mission home first and then to him.  They held it for him and she even wrapped it up so he could have something to open.  We sent him a GPS, a tie for his Tie of the Month club, some vitamins, tea tree oil and a chocolate orange. She sent me a great email with the link to all these pictures and said that he had a great time and they were so glad that they could feed the missionaries that day.  This is what she put at the end of her email.

"I just got your email saying you have seen the pictures so disregard the above paragraph!! But...NO, I didn't hug him...Jeff did it for me! HE is WAY too obedient to have a female hug him...and that is a great thing! For example...all of a sudden my kitchen emptied out tonight...all four missionaries ran outside...I walked to see where they were going...they had all rushed out of the house because my husband had gone to get something out of his car...THEY DIDN'T WANT TO BE IN THE HOUSE WITHOUT A PRIESTHOOD HOLDER BECAUSE ONLY ME AND MY DAUGHTER WERE IN THERE! It was hilarious because she and I were both busy doing something else...we didn't even know Jeff had gone out!

 

Anyway...what a great group of elders we have! Thanks so much for sharing him with us...and if it is any reassurance there is not an unhappy bone in that boy's body! They are gone to an appointment with an investigator now. They are really rocking and rolling this area! Have a great night!"

I told her to give him a great big birthday hug from his momma and so that is what the hugging part is about.  All of her emails say how happy he is and how funny he is.  It sounds like from his letters and the Hill's emails that really is happy and doing well.  

 

Photo Opp

Brother Hill from Cody's ward sent this picture to me last week.  He said that he saw them out tracting and so he told them stop and let him take picture.  I asked Brother Hill if they were cold because Cody looked humched over but he said that he was just being goofy-typical Cody!  He said it hadn't been that cold.  I was grateful for that!  Of course this week it got really cold and one time I looked on my weather app for Kinston and it showed snow!

January 14, 2013 email

It will be official on Thursday! I'll be a month old in the field, but I'm already six-weeks old altogether! Can you believe it? Its still so ridiculous to me that its already been so long!

CONNOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! I looked at my watch for the date the other morning, saw it was the eleventh and went, "WOAH! Connor is 16! That's ridiculous! He's getting so big!" Well, buddy, I'm glad to hear you're doing well! Sorry I can't/couldn't be at your ordination to a Priest. You're so lucky to get the opportunity to become a priest, be able to bless the sacrament, and even baptize someone! That's a big deal! You're a good man, Connor Mckay Adams! And I love you! You're going to be an awesome priest and an awesome missionary one day! I love you!

We started doing Insanity, with me leading it of course, on Saturday morning. We get up at 6, start at 6:10 over at Elder W and Elder S's apartment down the street, and we all destroy ourselves physically to start the day off. Its going great and we're all loving it! I've got to do something to keep from gaining 50-lbs. Elder G, one of the President's assistants started here in Kinston and said he gained 32-lbs in his 6-months. I'm not gonna let that happen, though if Brother H keeps taking us to King's I'm going to be in trouble regardless.

The weather here is ridiculous. Just as soon as I got my package with the thermal Gs in it, it decides to warm up. Like seriously warm up. To about . . . 70-80 degrees during the day. Its so weird. Its apparently supposed to get miserably cold here soon but still! Its still pretty warm. What's strange is how when it rains it gets super cool but then as soon as the rain stops it warms up so much. Its so strange. We've also had TONS of fog this week. Calley, how in the world is fog formed and stuff like that? I need to know. My useless trivia supply was lacking in that area and I was disappointed in myself--and my companion was surprised that I didn't know as well.

Well, my fourth-week in the field yielded just about as much as the previous week--not much, but we still had some awesome experiences. Monday night we continued to teach Sister M, Sister J, and Brother M, once again at a member's home--this time the A's. We get there about 7:30, sit down at their dining room table to have the lesson and then BAM! The power went out. Apparently someone had ran into a power pole with their car somewhere in Kinston and the entire city was out for about 2-hours. So we just broke out a bunch of candles--scented and unscented-- and had our lesson by candlelight! It was actually a pretty great experience and teaching those three (its time-consuming to write out all three of their names in our planners and stuff so we usually just write and refer to them as "MJM" or as I prefer "JM^2" (Jay-Emm-Squared)), they totally make up for our lack of success with anyone else during the week. Just two days previous we had given them all blessings to help with the Word of Wisdom, but we usually meet with them three times a week or so. Anyway, we were teaching them how to receive revelation through the Book of Mormon and how they could find strength by studying the scriptures. The lesson was going great. But Sister J stopped us for a minute because she had something she wanted to share. And she looks at me and says that she did what we asked, she went home and wrote about her experience when we gave her a blessing. And she started to tear up as she explained how everything I said in that blessing pertained exactly to her situation and exactly to the things on her mind and exactly to what she needed. It was such an amazing experience. I can't believe how blessed I am to be able to be a part of things like that.

The next few days yielded very little, but Thursday we had a "Training Meeting" where President and Sister B, their assistants, and all the training missionaries and their trainers in the east half of the North Carolina Mission came. It was wonderful to see three of the awesome friends I made in the MTC, but the Meeting itself was extraordinary. We learned SO very much. And we taught each other so very much. President and Sister  are just so wonderful. I know without doubt I'm in the right place at the right time--confirmed once again!

We taught just Sister M that night, the other two were unavailable because Brother M had a death in the family and had to go help with funeral preparations. Once again an amazing lesson and this time in the H's home. Sister M is just on fire. It doesn't matter what commandment we give, what we teach, or what we invite her to do, she does it and does it willingly. In fact she had cut down so much on cigarettes, going from about 20-22 a day to 5 that day, in preparation to be cigarette free starting on that Saturday. She has to be cigarette-free for two-weeks prior to her baptism and she's doing it! One day at a time! And she told us how the Book of Mormon almost follows her around the house as she works so she'll pick it up and read a little, set it down, doing something, and see it and start reading again. But then she told us something just awesome. She said that a year ago she had been feeling very lost and she said that she prayed for the Lord to guide her to a church so she could know what she needed to do. And then she said, once again, she knows that her prayer was answered when we found her at Brother M's that night a few weeks ago. Sister M is just golden. I love her. I can't wait until her baptism on the 26th! If you could, pray for her to have the strength and continued desire to not smoke so she can be ready on the 26th. Because other than that she is SO ready!

When I was in the MTC I had the opportunity to watch the recorded video of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's family and his program/talk they gave at the MTC over Thanksgiving. I think I mentioned it before. Anyway, he said something in it that was so thought-provoking. He said, "Why are we the ones who have been chosen to receive this Gospel and to receive the honor of sharing and preaching it to every kindred, tongue, and people?" Then he said he didn't know the answer to that question but to ponder it, and think about how massive a calling and honor it is to be able to serve the Lord. That's something that has been on my mind all week--why have I been so blessed as to receive so many huge revelations (seriously big ones too), amazing experiences, and sacred spiritual gifts? Why do I get the opportunity to serve and love these people? Why did the Lord wait so long on me to turn around and find a better path? And why did the Lord fight so hard for me to be where I am right now when I see other people go through similar circumstances and end up in far worse places? I still don't think I have an answer, and I highly doubt I'll get one for a while--though I know if its the Lord's will that I will in fact receive an answer. But I decided it gives me hope. It gives me comfort to know that even as imperfect as I am, that the Lord still trusts me with so much. Nephi in the book of Helaman isn't a prophet, or at least he doesn't receive all the keys and authority of a prophet for a while. In fact, he is just a missionary, who goes about preaching repentance, doing good, and performing phenomenal miracles--and then eventually the Lord tells him that he will give unto Nephi the power to command the trees, the mountains, and oceans, that he will have the power to smite the earth at his word--because the Lord knows that he will not do or ask for anything contrary to the Lord's will. And then he also received what we refer to as the Sealing power that allows us to have eternal families, thus making him a prophet. But what hit me most about all of that is faith. We have to have faith (and then act on it) in the Lord, and then he will in turn have faith and trust in us. If we trust the Lord, he'll trust us with greater and greater responsibilities, authority, people, blessings, and happiness. . . that's pretty amazing. All of our relationships are two-way streets. So if we can just learn to trust the Lord, we'll be trusted by him. So we know we're on the right path, that we're doing good, and we'll receive more and more and more until we become like him. That's the beauty and power of the gospel. You receive more if you want more. If you don't want more, you lose what you have. Its that simple.

I've learned so much. And its crazy to me how much the Lord has changed me in such a short time. Things aren't easy. In fact there are times when I start to think its getting hard, but I really do love it here. And the end of the day I realize I don't want to be anywhere else.

I love you all so much! I got letters from Kim and Dalley and oh, by the way, Mom, that letter you sent through DearElder that also emailed to me? I didn't get that until Friday so . . . I don't know when you sent it but it sounds like it took forever. Also, those kashi granola bars and stuff you sent? Those were awesome. I loved them. A lot.

Just so you all know, you haven't had fried chicken until you've gone to King's BBQ. Brother H eats there literally every day for lunch. And its so good. But you can feel your arteries clogging as you take each bite. Additionally, I don't want to ever go home until they get a Bojangles out west. Chicken and biscuits. So good. . . we get fed so well here. You'd think the trial would be missionaries not ever having enough food, but in reality our trial here is having WAY too much food. Everyone makes sure we're taken care of and we eat at a members' home like four or five times a week if not more. Its always good stuff--though we did eat Tilapia the other day and it was . . . really not my favorite.

Go read your Book of Mormons. In fact, go read 3 Nephi from like chapter . . . 9 to the end. I just finished 3rd Nephi and wow. There is so much good stuff in there. Its amazing. And go into your reading with a question, having the faith and belief that you'll get an answer--you might now, but you WILL eventually get an answer and you WILL learn more than you would have, I promise you that.

I love you all! Write me! Tell me what you learned in the Book of Mormon or something if you have no idea what to say!

FYI

So I learned the other day that the emails that missionaries send are in fact copyrighted by the church and they are not supposed to be sent out via email or social networks with personal or private information in them.  So in the future if you see just initials where there should be names know that I edited the letter and changed the names to initials to protect the information.  You just never know what could happen and we wouldn't want Cody or any of the people he writes about to have any trouble over something that was in writing.

Email from January 7, 2012

Momma! (I'm getting a little Southern. I've said y'all an innumerable amount of times now.)

Can you believe that I've been in NC for three weeks now? I can't hardly believe it. But wow at some of the experiences I've had in such a short time.

This previous week was one of very little success, comparatively speaking. We only taught a few lessons and the Miller Family, who we have been teaching for a little while, is super combative about everything. We're pretty sure they've been reading anti-Mormon literature online and their home just doesn't invite the Spirit. So we're hoping to be able to teach them in a member's home here soon so that the Spirit can just blow them away and they'll hopefully be less argumentative. We say the simplest doctrines like "God is everyone's Heavenly Father so that means we're all Spiritual brothers and sisters!" and the dad gets all angry about how he refuses to think of this person or that person who committed this atrocity or something as his brother and the Spirit just leaves. Its so sad. The week had a lot of no-show appointments and not very many people would talk to us, but I have no fear! Each week will be a new challenge!

But on a better note! Last night was one of the most amazing experiences yet! We have been teaching Sister Moore, her cousin Brother Murphy, and their friend Sister Jones (who may or may not be pregnant. . . ) for the past few weeks and its been amazing. Sister Moore came to church last week and this week and she just loves it all so much. But we taught them in the Nock family's home so that the lack of smoke and the already prepared spiritual environment could have a more powerful effect and wow. Just. Wow. The lesson was pretty great. The spirit was so powerful. And it was all about helping them follow the Word of Wisdom. They're all struggling to stop smoking.

Sister Nock brought up how her husband smoked for 35 years and that eventually he needed a blessing to help him quit. So we explained what that was and let them know it was an option if they so chose. They each asked for it. And Sister Moore and Sister Jones BOTH asked me to give that blessing. And I was just amazed. The Lord spoke through me because they were not my words. And when I gave Sister Moore her blessing I said things that I had no idea where they came from. But then when I gave Sister Jones her blessing they were even less my words than before. I said things about her understanding the situation she's in and how difficult it was and she kept nodding her head "yes" during the blessing, like she was agreeing with what was being said. I am so blessed to have been able to give that blessing. Wow. Just. Wow. Ask Sister Nock how she felt during that blessing, Mom, because it was just amazing.

As far as our New Year's went, we didn't do much. We were actually asked not to proselyte by President Bernhisel so we ended up not doing a whole lot. Which was good because my companion was still really sick and needed another day to recover. So I ended up spending most of the day reading my scriptures which was pretty nice. 

I just cannot believe how much I've personally changed in just a few short weeks. I don't know if y'all can tell just through email but I'm just amazed at what the Lord can do when we're open and willing. Watch out, there might be a whole new person meeting you at the airport in a couple of years! A new and improved one!

One thing I'm learning is that you can be obedient, you can follow the rules, and you can still have fun. You don't have to be a stickler to follow with "exact obedience" (one of the emphasized things in our mission) and its a tricky line, I think. One piece of advice I was given before I went into the MTC was "obey by the Spirit of the Law but don't let it run away from the Letter of the Law" and its something I hope to learn to a greater degree over these coming months.

We have 170 missionaries in the mission right now. And its estimated that the world-wide number of missionaries is going to jump from 50,000 to 90,000 over the next two years. So in all reality there is a good chance my mission could be split while I'm out here. So if you hear anything about stuff like that, let me know!

OH! Mom keeps asking about my companion and I keep forgetting to tell about him. His name is Elder Joshua Johnson. He's from Bountiful, Utah. In high school he was a water polo star--not a high school sport but like . .. community or something. Um, he's been out about 13 months, I think. I don't know what else to say.

Calley-- thank you for the history lesson! I knew I was on the right track. Poor baby camels. I got your package--BODY PRODUCTS AND SEES CANDY!!! You know the way to my heart for sure. I'll write ya later.
Jared-- I promise to write you today!
Suey and Ryan-- The little notes from the kids are seriously the cutest thing ever. I LOVE that so so so so so much. I'll send a letter sometime relatively soon.
Grandma Penny-- I got the red package inside my mom's package and am currently wearing the tie! Thank you so much!
Grandma Dottie-- I was going to say last week, I know we only spoke for like less than two minutes on Christmas but I was so glad you were there and I could hear from you for a minute!

I'm running short on time but I love you all and look forward to hearing from you! The updates on what is happening there is really nice.

Love you all! Go read your scriptures!

Letter from 12-31-12

So, this week was Christmas and wow what a week! These members here take such good care of us! We were invited to a pretty rich families home for breakfast and they gave us all TONS of presents. I made as big a haul as I would have at home! And they fed us so much food--stuffed french toast, peanutbutter-chocolatechip pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, eggs... it was wonderful. And the whole day was like that. We had two other huge meals with other families and received so many gifts of food and other objects of note. And the gifts are still coming. Some of the members at church yesterday gave us so much chocolate. I'm going to get SO fat.

So Christmas day we were super busy just going from home to home being fed all sorts of pies and tasty foods and then the next day we had to get back to work. And really, I looked forward to it. We met with some of our progressing investigators and found some new ones, but the people I told you about last time, Sister Lena Moore, Sister Leslie Jones, and Brother James Murphy, we committed Sister Moore and Jones to come to church. And they came yesterday. And they LOVED IT. The ward members here are such a huge help. We try as hard as we can to have a ward member with us for each and every lesson we teach because their testimony builds the investigators testimony too to know that someone besides these lovely boys in suits has gone through and tested out the Lord to find out if things are true.

We taught all three of those investigators last night. And we felt very impressed to teach them the Word of Wisdom and get them to commit to it even though they all smoke like chimneys. All of them committed to it. All of them. Even Sister Jones who would leaven meetings at church to go outside to smoke, she sincerely committed to stop smoking, drinking coffee, and tea. They know they're on the right path and it is such a huge blessing to see them progress. You can see it in their faces that there is a change happening in their lives. They're happier. Their countenances are brighter. There is a light in their eyes that wasn't as bright before. And I love them so much.

Poor Elder Johnson has been getting sicker and sicker the past few days. It started out as just a small cold but he's hurting pretty bad today. We're going to Walmart this afternoon to get a bunch of drugs for him because the miniature drug store I brought with me surprisingly hasn't been able to cut it. So keep him in your prayers!

I love this work so much. Its just about the greatest blessing in the world to be able to participate in it. It becomes an honor to say the closing prayer in sacrament meeting (yesterday) and to give the members who feed us a spiritual message--which, most of the time, is inspired and helps them with issues we had no idea they were facing. Even walking an accumulative 20-miles in two-days (Elder Johnson's bike tire popped the other day) becomes a blessing. I love doing this so much.

I find myself every few mornings looking at myself in the mirror after getting ready and just getting excited, saying to myself, "I'm a missionary!!!! I'm a missionary!!! I'm a missionary!!!" and flailing like I'm wont to do.

The other day I went on an exchange with Elder Sosa, a spanish speaking missionary from Honduras, and Elder Josh Warner went with my companion. I basically just accompanied him to his appointments wherein they spoke spanish the entire time but it was so awesome to hear the gospel being taught in another language. In one of the lessons I remember sitting there, hearing them speak and catching enough of the language I had picked up my freshman year of high school to sort of know what they were talking about, and I was screaming in my heart because I wanted to talk to these people so badly. And then out of no where Elder Sosa turns to me and says, "I know you want to bear you testimony, so go ahead." And I did. I wanted to share my testimony to these people who only a few of them understood English so badly and I had that opportunity. Leaving their home I felt a twinge of jealousy because they got to teach Felipe and his family every week and I loved them. But then we saw them at church yesterday and it was enough to know that they're on the right path and progressing and they know it too.

One thing, with less active members, we've learned is that the first downfall of pretty much any member is when they stop reading the Book of Mormon. So family and friends, READ THE BOOK OF MORMON! And I promise you will see a change in your life. It hit me this week, thinking about history and how in 2 Nephi and Jacob the Lamanites swear that they will destroy the Nephites and their records--why would Satan always want to destroy our records and our writings? I asked that question to Elder Johnson and he posed the question to me--well, what's the worth of history?

If you look back at other civilizations, from my knowledge, there, so often, is a destruction of their writings. The Library of Alexandria was destroyed, I forget who destroyed who but some city had all of its writings thrown in the river by the Mongols (Calley, get back to me on this one) so that the river ran black with all the ink. So think about that. And read your scriptures. If you are truly looking for an answer, or strength, or anything, the Lord will give it to you through the strength and power of the scriptures.

Oh, Mom and Dad, I really wish we had done some bike research because I'm thinking my Walmart bike is kinda crap. I'm planning on sticking with it for a while because I don't want you guys to spend more money on me than you need to, but if an opportunity or something arises wherein I could get a decent bike, that'd be wonderful. But I do not want to go out and just buy another because that is a ton of money.

Gifts from the family and friends that I have received so you know that I did in fact get them and that the USPS did not steal them--

Flowers Family-- I got the little package with the giftcards to Subway. Thank you so much! The package you said from Uncle Jim's work has yet to arrive though!
Pitts and Gessels-- I got your visa/AmericaFirst cash card. Thank you so much. I can't believe how much you all have given me--on top of how much it costs to ship me stuff.
Calley--I got your letter. I sent you one last week so I don't know if you got it yet. I'll reply to you by physical mail, but in the meantime, go read Mosiah 4. I was reading it this morning and for some reason it made me think of you.
Steven-- I look forward to hearing from the people we meet how one 19-year old man managed to destroy the entire United States Postal Service in one night because I just got your package and letter yesterday. I look forward to filling up that journal with my adventures rebooting the universe or fighting Walt Disney's Ghost.
Grandma Dottie--I got your letters and visa gift card, but my mom said to look for a big red box of stuff? I have yet to get that.
Grandma Penny--My mom said you sent presents but I don't have those either.
Aunt Dawna and Nichol-- I got your card thank you!
...that's all I can think of off the top of my head so if you sent something and I didn't list it, I could have gotten it and just forgot so write me and I'll get back to you on it!

I love you all so very much! This is truly the work of the Lord and I learn so much each and every day. Its exhausting and hard and can get pretty miserable (especially with this bone-deep cold and wind), but I love it. The Lord is constantly making me stronger and I keep praying that he'll increase my capacities for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual strength. And that's what I want you all to do. What are you going through right now? What Christ-like attribute do you need more of to get through it? Whatever it was that came to your mind, pray about it, ask for it specifically. Tell the Lord exactly what it is you need and have the faith that He'll give it to you.

Everything He does is for us. He loves us and only wants us to grow. The only thing He asks of us is to follow His commandments. That's all! And even if we're perfect, we are still an "unprofitable servant." We can do everything in our power and still be in debt to him--because as soon as you start to follow His commandments He will immediately bless you. Immediately! And that is your wages for your works and actions! So really, we only end up deeper in debt! He loves us so much and truly asks so little. So please, keep the commandments. Ask for strength to repent, to be better, for those Christlike attributes, and read the Book of Mormon. And I promise (here is my missionary training!) that you will be blessed beyond your imagination.

I love you all! I'm out of time! Write me! I'll send off some individual letters here later! And if you want to get me something I could always use stamps!

Love,

Elder Cody Adams