April 24th, 2018

Biking Through Fire

This week seems like it didn't really happen.  What do I mean? All the days have blurred together.  It has felt like one really long day.  It's getting hot.  It was 95 degrees today.  And it's not even considered summer yet.  I might die.  I chug so much water every day.  I might die.  It stays warm at night too.  It leveled out at roughly 75 degrees in the nighttime here.  Too warm.  And the wind?  It's also hot.  I didn't know wind could be warm like that, but I don't know....this is the desert. This is how it is.  The heat is starting to be visible on the roads and sidewalks.  🔥

Otherwise, I am doing fine.  My companion and I have been tired lately. The heat makes a big difference.  I'll hit the bed between 9:45 and 10:30 most nights, and before I know it BAM it's 6:30.  No covers needed.  At least we have ac and ceiling fans.

We've been working and working.  We had a new person at church and she has been taking the lessons. We have had many return appointments with people we have been finding and the teaching pool grows every day.  Majority of people are not home or tell us to go away a second time, but diligence and perseverance make a huge difference.  I'm excited to see where this transfer is headed.

So...I'm going to go on a tangent that may make me and my district look bad.  My current district leader is 21 months out, and is more familiar with the policies of the last mission president.  He was transferred here not too long ago from Preach Springs and Havasupai Falls.  So...the Grand Canyon.  The rules are different over there apparently too.  So our district has been doing things like having district council/meeting at a members homes, which previous had been allowed, or going to certain areas on p-days to do shopping, or whatever else.  Well, because of this, which to us we thought was allowed and not against the rules...well now they are.  So the joke in our district now is that we have been really good at making rules for the whole mission.  Go us!

We're still working with those families.  It has been a slow slow slow process this last week though.  Everybody is at different levels of progression, and it has been tough to meet with them...but we're making it work somehow.  We also had a few first lessons too.  Typically when we meet people for the first time, they are busy, so we teach them something simple and leave them with a pamphlet or a Book of Mormon for them to read or do before our actual next appointment.   Well, we've finally been able to teach some people, and it has been a good feeling.  It is a good feeling one gets in the heart when one feels like they are fulfilling their purpose.  And they've accepted next appointments too. Woot!

The Book of Mormon is so awesome.  Everyone should read it.  Captain Moroni is my favorite hero in the Book of Mormon I think.  You should all read the Book of Mormon.

Alma 48
17 Yea, verily,verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.

That's about it for now. Still workin!  Still tired!

Elder Moore

Pictures: we went to Boulder City last p-day to visit some antique stores and go bowling (it's in our zone) and I saw this Predator.  I found an Alien inside the actual store but didn't have time to get a picture.  the other picture is me using duct tape to fix a tear in my pants.  Another is a bracelet a member made me.  It's cow-bone beads, leather straps, and a wolf charm.  Aaaaaaaaaand weed lotion.

April 17th, 2018

Wait, it's transfers already?

Hello Friends and Family

Well, here we are at transfers again.  Again, what happened to me? What is my fate?
Well...
Nothing.  Yup.  Nothing.  Still here. Still with Elder Perez. Honestly, I'm glad I'm here still because there are some amazing people we are working with, and I want to keep teaching them the discussions and aiding in their conversion.  There are great people here.

Honestly, transfers are way less exciting when nothing is really happening to you.  Here's to another 6 weeks!

Tonight we had a Family Home Evening with a member family, and their investigating neighbors.  The investigators have been coming to church these past 3 weeks and they have had a hard time scheduling appointments with us, but we finally taught the mom and her kids at this FHE.  The spirit was very strong and very present.  We also set up another time to meet with the whole family.  It is so cool.  They have been fellow-shipped like crazy by the ward members, who also happen to be their next door neighbors for quite a ways.  They will be fun to help and work with.

There is another family we are working with.  They recently moved here from California.  They had talked the day before they moved that they wanted to start going to church and taking their kids there too.  They both knew and agreed that The Church of Jesus Chris of Latter-Day Saints was the one they wanted to join.  Well, they moved here to Henderson.

When they were moving in, my companion and his previous companion ran into them and they were excited because they were going to reach out to the Missionaries anyways.  The Lord works in mysterious, but awesome ways.  I have had the opportunity to help this family progress towards conversion and finding lasting joy.  It has been awesome!  They have receive the restored gospel very well, and will progress further as they strengthen their faith in Christ.

There is a part-member family that missionaries have been working on for a while.  The dad is a member and is progressing towards receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood.  The mother is not a member but she goes to church, and believe it or not, has a calling in the "activity days".  They have left it up to their children to decide if they want to get baptized.  The oldest son, a deacon, was baptized a  year ago, and the next oldest is soon to graduate primary and go onto young women's, wants to get baptized as well.  We have been teaching and helping this family progress and it has been awesome!  They are all progressing and we have been able to see the blessings and the subtle changes in this family as they start to return back to Heavenly Father.

We have this single mother and her two daughters who have members who are their friends down the street, and she has started taking lessons and even agreed to come to church next Sunday.  She is a super nice lady and her daughters have actually been to church already. The prior missionaries had struggled to keep in contact, and one day me and Elder Perez were out working on Saturday and felt that we should stop by her place.  She happened to be in her garage and she agreed to hear the message of the restoration!  She had begun reading the Book of Mormon and next time we will teach her more and help her strengthen her faith.  It is awesome!

The Lord is providing us with so many opportunities to help and serve others.  I am deeply humbled by all of the many blessings I have seen this transfer, and I await the great many things that are to come.  I am so grateful for these things.  The Lord works wonders in modern day.

Well, that is all for now .  I am happy, healthy, and working.  I have learned a lot and have been truly blessed.  I have found that having an eye of faith and getting my boots on the ground have produced many great and wonderful blessings.  It is an Honor to serve My God.

-Elder Moore

April 10th, 2018

Sickness and Cleaning... ugh

Dear Friends and Family

This week was good by Missionary standards I suppose!  We found a lot of new people who are interested in learning more.  We had 2 families at church, plus one random guy who was insulted when I tried to shake his hand.... We are teaching a few families too.  It's so awesome!  Families are much more fun to teach because the family teaches one another whenever they share experiences.  It's a great thing to witness.

My companion has been sick.  We went to the doctor and he got checked up and then we had to go pick up meds.  Interestingly enough we met an investigator who has been meeting with missionaries for a long time, and she mentioned how she wants to go to church finally!  She even requested a blessing the last time we saw her, which apparently she has rejected for a long time.  People do indeed change, even if it takes years to happen.

So here's the thing about Henderson.... nothing super interesting tends to happen unless we as missionaries or as a district make it happen.  With my companion being sick and us mostly teaching people every week or every other week...not much to share.  Last week we had pizza for about 4 days in a row.  The members and even our district leader all ordered pizza. It was....challenging.  Delicious in the moment, but the stomach can handle only so much tomato sauce before it decides that enough is enough.  Luckily it was Fast Sunday for us.

My companion and I had to turn in early because he is so sick.  His meds also make him drowsy, so he is supposed to sleep off the sickness tonight, basically.  The mission nurse suggested we take a sick day...ugh.  I decided to clean.  My companion got up and he was surprised.  "Elder Moor, I am actually super surprised.  This is actually very clean and organized....I did not expect that."

I have been crying a lot lately.  Why?  The spirit.  Especially in my prayers.  I have so many reasons to be grateful.  The Lord is blessing me, my family, this area, my companion, my district....all of it.  I have been very humbled by his mercy and his compassion in all of it.  I am Grateful for My Father in Heaven.  I am Grateful for my Redeemer.  I Know He Lives.  He is My Savior.  This is His Church. This is His Work.  What a grand blessing!

Well, thanks for everything everyone!  Sorry for a shorter not nearly as exciting email... perhaps next week will be different?  It will be transfers after all .........................

-Elder Moore

Oh I found a goofy picture of me and zoomed in on it.

April 3rd, 2018

AWWWW YEAH

Dear Friends and Family

This week ruled
Allow me to describe the contrast of last week with this scripture

Ether 12
6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive not witness until after the trial of your faith.

Last week was a tough week and then we saw miracles.  This last week we continued to have some awesome things happen.  Tonight (I'm drafting this the night before) we had an awesome miracle.  General Conference was so amazing and awesome.  We had little Caesars pizza for dinner tonight.  It was a good week.

First off let's talk about General Conference....HOLY CRAP IT WAS THE MOST AWESOMEIST GENERAL CONFERENCE I EVER WATCHED EVER
I started tearing up when the Elders were asked to sustain the Prophet. I felt the confirming burning of the spirit in my heart and heard the words in my head "That is The Prophet of God". I sustain him so much.  What an amazing blessing it is to have a Living Prophet upon the earth! We are so blessed to be a part of such hastening work!  This truly is the Last Dispensation.  I'm soooo humbled by the thought that I get to be in service to My God here and Now.

When he announced the Temples being built in all of those places I started crying (my comp and I both recorded the fact that I do indeed cry in our journals).  The Lord is hastening his work!  The Words of President Nelson are so powerful...(paraphrasing) "We Invite All on Both sides of the Veil to Come Unto Christ."

Those other changes were good too.  It will be a blessing for everyone!  Some of the changes they've made recently to missionary work (like months before I got here) is also a good reflection of the universal changes they're making in the Church now.  It's been interesting to see. We got a new chapter 9 in PmG and even just Preach my Gospel itself changes from a regimented memorized stuff to more...revelation based lessons. It's awesome!

Today we did a lot of service.  We pulled weeds from the ground for like 4 hours.  The rest of our plans fell through and we were somewhat upset because of it.  Well, we made the best of the situation and tracted.  We met a member who was cool and nice and he talked for a minute and then we kept tracting.  Well, we finished out the street with not much success.  I looked on our maps and felt like we needed to go down a particular street.  It was about 8:15-8:20 when people don't answer doors and potentially pull guns.  Well, we started knocking and eventually came upon a man cutting tile outside his door.  He barely spoke English.  My companion, Elder Perez, is from Mexico so they talked.  I felt the spirit so strongly even though I had no idea what they were saying.  This man was excited and ready for the Gospel.  Looking back on the night all events and revelatory choices led up to that moment.  Me and my companion felt the spirit so strong, and with a Prayer of thanks for such a wonderful experience, we returned back to our place.

It was a great week.  I literally shouted for joy and yelled in a pumped-up-football player jacked-up kind of shout at my district leader through the phone, I was so pumped.  This is going to be another great week.  This area has struggled to find people to teach apparently....and we have improved every single week to help the area grow, and Inviting others to Come Unto Christ.

I am so grateful and humbled by the Lords Mercy and Love to me and Elder Perez at this time.  Push through your trials, my friends.  He will consecrate your efforts to grow and improve and you will see countless blessings unfold.  He Is Our Father and He Loves Us.

Have an Awesome week everyone!

-Elder Moore

Oh two random pictures.

One is my companion with a pizza pointing to "THE MAN"
And another is another missionaries knife.  I was playing with it on exchanges while my district leader was making phones.

Oh and lunch with the Spanish Elders