Monday, December 15, 2014

The Elect are prepared and waiting


Hey family!
This past week has been incredible! We have recently fasted as a mission, with the wards included, for baptisms. That we might be able to find the elect and baptized 100 people this month. Its been incredible to see all the miracles that are coming as we all put our faith into one large bucket that is dispensed out to the area of this mission. People are finding their way to the truth! That is exactly what it is. Plain truth that makes complete sense. That is what JJ and LaVaughnda said the last time we met with them for a lesson.
"The truth that was brought back by Joseph Smith completes and perfects everything. There is so much more in the Mormon church than any other church. All the other churches compared to the truth is like a snack compared to a thanksgiving dinner." It truly has been incredible to see their progression as they continue to learn more. Ever since the beginning of meeting with JJ and LaVaughnda I've been impressed with how much they knew. They are well versed in the bible and have a strong relationship with God. I think there is a word for that..... ELECT!! It's been amazing.
Saturday morning the alarm goes off. And Boom! I'm out of bed ready to take on the world. The thought that was going through my head was, " we have an exciting day ahead of us and it's got to be perfect!" All day Elder Aguirre and I prepared everything. Made sure everything was set up and the font was filled. Funny thing about that actually. When we were filling the font we had to get a huge pot from the kitchen and fill it will hot water to fill the font. So we were carrying this huge bucket of water down the hallways to the font because it wasn't going to be filled in time. Luckily that ended up working out and the everything was ready.
The service started out great and the talk was even better. Then it was time for the baptism and as we stood up the nerves kind of set in but it wasn't really nerves. It was excitement. As we approached the doors you could just feel the Spirit growing stronger and stronger. Elder Aguirre stepped into the font first and then JJ followed. Elder Aguirre raised his hand and the prayer was uttered. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. Where for a split second I could feel the love that our Heavenly Father has for these two children of His. I've been with them as they overcame challenges and prepared themselves. All this hard work, I felt like I could feel their relief, or how everything that they had done was worth every second. Now it was my turn to go down. I went down into the font and looked at the crowd, smiled, then guided LaVaughnda down. As she was walking across to get into position she looked at her son Henry. As I thought about it she really is doing this not only for her but for her children. To give her son more than what she has. To give him that opportunity of enjoying this light and love that she felt there at that moment. She grabbed my arm, I uttered the prayer and it was done. At this moment of my mission I had not felt the Spirit so strong until that moment.
Miracles are continuing to happen around the world. Hearing from Cody Savage and other amazing missionary friends I can tell that the Lord is hastening His work. It's evident. I've never seen such prepared missionaries coming into the mission as I do now. I know that this is the Lord's work and that miracles do happen. That everything happens for a reason. I know that God loves us and is watching over us continually. I know that it is by putting the teaching of Jesus Christ to the test that we can know of these things. Not only does it bring purpose to our lives but peace and happiness. Moroni 10:32-33
Shoutout to my Main woman Brynn! Thanks for the delicious candy and the awesome tie. Its the best one i have! Thank you! You are having a boy this time! I am betting money on it! Sorry for kicking off the thing on your knee all those years ago and ruining your dress. Haha classic
I will be skyping at 11am our time so i think that is 12 for you guys? see you soon!

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

JJ, LaVaughnda and Josh The Gospel is Amazing!

Hey!

This past week has been great! We were able to have our Christmas party with the whole mission and it was awesome. I was able to see a lot of my old companions and the one elder from my MTC district. It's pretty funny because it's only Elder Peterson and I that will depart. I don't want to think about that though!

The work is going great in the YSA and Cascade Park wards! We have been working with JJ and LaVaughnda pretty much all this week as we prepared them for their baptism interview this weekend. It's been incredible to see their faith as they accept to live commandments and make commitments and change. They literally radiate the spirit. With every family there is one elect person that accepts the message because they have been prepared and that is JJ. Everything we taught him rang true and he can't put down the material we give him. He continues to amaze us with his faith. His wife Lavaughnda is also incredible! She knows that this is what will be the best thing for her family. She knows she needs it for her son and he little family.

The gospel it truly amazing. Everything about it just continues to blow my mind. Currently I am studying a lot of the general conference talks and one that we have been asked to study is why do we serve. It's been interesting to ponder on the reasoning behind why I serve. In the talk it mentions how we all serve for various reasons and he lists them from a lesser to a greater reason. The first is for an earthly reward, second, a good companionship or go co workers, third, fear of punishment, fourth, loyalty, fifth, hope for an eternal reward, and fifth is the pure love of Christ or charity. This really helps me to determine why I serve and or how I need to change. As we work our way to true discipleship the why behind our service works its way past any type of reward and is directly a result of our love for other individuals. 

Just today we had this awesome experience with our investigator Josh. He has been taught everything and is still stuggling on the faith side of things. He is so smart so it is hard for him. The last time we went over we left him with president uchtdorfs talk on receiving a testimony of truth and light and it was perfect! Josh loved the analogies that he used to describe the way we receive spiritual light. We keyed in on how we must be using the right tools to receive the answers we are looking for. With that in mind our member, Bro Brown, talked a little bit about how he had this question for about a year and he never quite figured it out until one day when boom! Everything makes complete sense. He then looked back and could see that he slowly had been prepared to receive this answer. I love that because that is how God works. He answers us according to our understanding until we can receive the complete truth. (2 Nephi 31:3) and as we continue to be diligent and show our desire to know God, he will continue to show us things until what once seemed hazy or dim becomes clear and apparent (D&C 50:24).

I know that this is true and that this is the work of the lord. It's incredible to see how many peoples live change for the sake of the gospel as they come to an understanding of who they really are. Everything that seems unobtainable is lost when we are indulged into the gospel. 
Love you guys!
E. Archibald 

  Elder Matthew Archibald
13608 NE 72nd St
Unit B 14
Vancouver, WA  98682

Monday, November 17, 2014

Thanks Mom video JJ and Lavanda and Raph

Hey family!
This week has been great! We have been booked with a ton of meetings.
From stake conference to zone meeting just meeting meeting meetings
haha. I think the motive for all of those meetings were for us to
realize the work is hastening. The work is truly changing and more and
more people are accepting the gospel. At times we can't really see it
because we are looking from the inside out but from the outside in...
Whew!

When I say more people are accepting it I mean it. We currently are
serving in two different wards and so we have our plates full. The
Cascade Park Ward which is a family ward is incredible! Everyone wants
us to go teach some of their friends and always have people they want
us to try by. That area has three people on date for baptism right now
as well. Two of those are Jj and Lavanda Jones. They are ex convicts and
are so spiritual. We just recently started teaching them and we
invited them to be baptized and they accepted. They are just eating up
everything we have given them and they continue to want more. It's
incredible! We were able to take them to the temple visitors center
and to tour the grounds and it worked out so well. Jj and Lavanda
couldn't help but feel the spirit consistently and the thing that
amazed me is that they recognized it. They are so knowledgeable. The
member asked Jj why Moroni was on top of the temple and he said that
he was proclaiming a message to the world that this is where "it's"
at. It was amazing. That's not all. The member was being gutsy and
asked him who performed one of the first things by proxy. Jj said
Jesus Christ. I never thought of it that way until just then and it
blew me away. At that moment I could see Jj's potential. At least a
little bit of it. Maybe God grants us little specs of that information
or little flashes of his view and it takes us back. Luckily we get to
see Jj and Lavanda tonight! It's going to be great. We are teaching
the plan of salvation.

Another cool story is of Raph Garza. He is about 20 years old and he
was on the edge of atheism. He is taking philosophy in college and he
knows that that isn't the path to go. We continued to meet with him
until he received an answer in such a weird way. He related to all of
this philosophical terms that I had no idea the meaning of but he
knows that the Book of Mormon is true and has began sharing it with
his family. His dad met with us last week and at first he was
skeptical until we described to him how everything fits into God's
scheme perfectly. If God's love is real, He wouldn't leave us here
alone. He has such a bigger plan for us. He is now reading the Book of
Mormon and meeting with us this next week.

Being a zone leader is a lot of fun but stressful at the same time.
Lots of responsibility and lots of things going on but it's good. It's
almost been a whole transfer since I've been called. Time flies when
your having fun! The cd is awesome! I'm probably going to be listening
to Christmas music for the next month straight because my companion
loves it. Haha thank you!
Love,
E. Archibald

Saturday, November 8, 2014

JJ and Lavanda Jones and Ralph the philosopher

Hey mom!
 
I bet it's starting to get a little cold back there. It's starting to cool off up here as well and we are starting to wear our jackets to protect us from the cold and the rain. More the rain than the cold though. It's been raining for the past couple days. At first lightly and then heavy. I enjoy it sometimes just because we have a car. 

This past week has been incredible. We have had a few miracles in the YSA ward and the Cascade Park Ward as well. We have been asked to cover two wards because we are low on missionaries at the moment. Kind of sounds weird since we are almost at 90,000 missionaries. But this week we met with JJ and Lavanda Jones. They recent have gotten married and are looking for some direction. Luckily we stumbled upon them and started teaching them. This last time we saw them we were able to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and invite them both to be baptized in the beginning of December. They accepted! They also came to church this last week as well. From what they've said they already believe what we teach them already. We're just waiting for them to realize how everything plays together. We have the opportunity to go to the temple with them this Friday. It's going to be great!

In the YSA ward we are teaching a few guys that are the same age as us and at first it was different. Now it's a lot of fun! We are teaching this guy named Ralph and he is so smart. Going to school for philosophy and has a different way of looking at things obviously. So recently we have been trying to teach him as simply as possible so that he has the correct principles understood and in his mind. In other words he likes the deep doctrine. He recently received a witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. And he is now planning to be baptized on the 22nd of this month! 

The work is great and I love the new calling. We are always flying around doing something and going to meetings. But it had been great to serve. 
 
Thank you for the shoes and socks. The socks are stellar! Good upgrade mmmm. 
 
Thanks for all that you guys do! We will talk to you in a week!
E. Archibald 

With great power comes great responsibility.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Ralph Garza and new companion Elder Aguirre

Hey mom!
This last week has been extremely busy but awesome at the same time. Because we are working in the YSA ward we specifically teach guys our age. It's been great to work with them because we get a variety of lifestyles and one similarity we share is the gospel and that's where we come in. It's so exciting to see when they get the message and apply it into their busy lives. 
Right now we are working with a lot of YSAs but one specifically sticks out right now. His name is Ralph Garza. He is a Hispanic guy that has a Christian background but was anti at first. He has been taking the lessons for a while and got closer and closer to baptism until his parents talked him out of it. So last week we went over and taught him about the Tree of Life, explaining the great and spacious building and the mist of darkness that surrounds all when trying to find God's love through the scriptures. He must of understood because the next day he texted us. He had read the chapter we left him and he knew it to be true. He wants to be baptized. 
I've only been here for two weeks but things are going great! We recently had stake reports due for the stake missionary meeting and that was stressful because I did not know what to expect. Luckily my companion had done it before so it wasn't that big of a deal. The zone is doing fantastic and we are just getting started in the transfer. 
It's amazing to see how many people are open to hearing more about the gospel these days. It is another witness that you never know when people will accept the invitation to meet with the missionaries or go to an activity at the church. Extend the invitation and the worst that can happen is them saying no.
I got a package! Thank you Brynn! These oils are awesome and I was in dire need for some more. You are spoiling me! Elder Aguirre is my companion now. He is really into fitness and 'more' fitness so we get along pretty well. We lift weights every morning and I'm starting to get a skinny again. Haha it's nice but we are able to work really well together when we teach and train the zone. 
God truly does answer prayers. When we have real intent and a desire to act upon whatever he receives of with the answer. John 15:16
Love you!
E. Archibald 

This is me and Elder Burk. We had an opportunity to go on exchanges this last week. He was my second companion and it was great to catch up and preach the gospel together!

With great power comes great responsibility.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

"It's All About That Book" video

Hey mom!

Sorry I have been really busy this last p day. I will write a big one next week. I do need a few things though. Sorry I feel needy haha but could you send me some insurance info on the email and through the mail? I need that ASAP. And I forgot my pin for my debit card so that is in the mail and will arrive soon. Could you email me that as well. So one more thing sorry again I was wondering if you could mail me a few things from home. My black sunglasses, and my micronized glut amine bottle that is downstairs. That's if it's still there haha. The first two are the most important. 


The video is great I know! Like I said I will write a bunch more next week. I've been preparing for multiple trainings and meetings every week. The work is amazing and The Lord is also. Thank you for all that you guys do for me you are seriously the best! Love you!
E. Archibald 

With great power comes great responsibility.

Monday, October 13, 2014

Moving Onward and Upward as Zone Leader in Clark YSA Ward

Hey mom!

The week has been crazy! You will see in the pictures this week a lot
of families and close friends in the ward. The reason for that is
that I am getting transferred to a new area. I'm going to the Clark
YSA ward as a zone leader. It's been crazy to see the escalation of my
leadership. One transfer I was a dlb or district leader buddy and then
to district leader then straight to zone leader. It's so much fun to
serve in leadership because you really get to know the missionaries
serving around you as you try to serve them and help them become
better missionaries. I've learned so much these past couple of months
and I can't wait to learn more.

It's been great serving in the Columbia Heights Ward for the past 4
and a half months. The ward here is great and had a huge impact on the
success that we saw these past few months.

At the moment we are getting our investigator Roger ready for his
baptism not this weekend but the next. He has come such a long way
from when I first met him. Now he is ready for baptism and asking me
to baptize him. I was shocked at first because we usually have the
members of the ward baptize the investigators so they have a tie into
the ward but he wants me to do it. I'm pretty excited to have the
opportunity.

This week on Wednesday I was able to see Meet the Mormons with some
other missionaries at the mission office and it was great. I really
loved the football portion and the pilot one. So many inspirational
people that are Mormons! It's great and I think that there will
continue to be more and more as we follow the advice of the prophets
and apostles by reaching our true potential.

A little bit about general conference. It was awesome! It's like a
movie marathon for me. So much inspiration just flying out of their
mouths. I particularly liked Elder Hollands talk on serving the poor
and the atonement. He always just blows it out of the water.
So I'm saying goodbye to Columbia Heights and welcoming the YSA!






Till next week!
Love,
Elder Archibald

I think this dogs name is Tishi. Such and awesome little dog that is a puffball.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Lynn Barnett & Neva Swatzel--Ghost Burger

Hey mom!

This week has been an incredible one! Lynn Barnett was actually
baptized not this last weekend but the weekend before. There is a
pretty cool story behind the whole situation. She was planning on
getting baptized about three weeks ago but ended up getting pushed
back a week because her son actually didn't know anything about it. We
called him not knowing that he didn't know and asked him if he was
planning on doing the ordinance and he called us back and was shocked
because he had no idea that his mother was even meeting with us. So we
ended up meeting with him and found out there are some negative
feelings in their relationship. So it was an interesting process of getting
everything set up. So her son actually was able to do the baptism.
And it was an awesome baptism. There were
about 60 people there and the refreshments were fantastic.

This week we met with this one woman who had been raised by members
but was never baptized and she told us this interesting story about
her life. It made me realize that as we talk to a lot of different
people, they tell us these bizarre stories that
normally a person wouldn't hear about. But when we come around they
end up telling us almost everything it seems. I think it's really the
Spirit that we are granted as we do this work that enables us to get
personal with these people that causes them to open right up to us all the time
and it's incredible.

Today I took on the challenge from Fred. I was to eat
the ghost pepper burger at Burger Bungalow. And I did it. I ate this
huge burger and a pile of fries in less than ten minutes. It was by
far the hottest burger I've ever had. I have some pictures that I will
send next week or this week i will see. But trying to play basketball
after that was a excruciating experience.
Won't be doing that again  anytime soon.
Love you all!
E. Archibald

This first picture is of an investigator Neva Swatzel. She is 91 years
old and still extremely happy and full of energy. She loves the
missionaries!

Thursday, October 2, 2014

How to Survive High School

Hey mom hopefully you get this before seminary is over.


How to survive high school. Hmmm high school is an awesome place to have a lot of fun. I had a ton of fun in high school but there is a fine line between fun and dumb. Sometimes when your dumb it is fun but soon after you act dumb you look back and say what the? That was pretty dumb idk why I acted like that. This example can be used in many ways. The way I see it is, make your mind up now what you want to accomplish in high school. What do you want to get out of school? Once you have decided what that is, think of things that benefits you in the long run. I was a social bird and that benefited me very little in the field of education. I still learned stuff but I could have learned so much more! The decisions you make now will effect your future. Go to work! I almost graduated 2 years ago! That's wild.
 
A lot of the time we see that we have the luxury of repentance or spiritual blessing but we don't really strive for them like we should. It's just like Elder Dieter Uchtdorf spoke on. "Your potential, your privileges" we have unknowable potential. Through our Savior Jesus Christ we are supers of the human world. Really! We have the "opportunity" to become like God! We know this. Now act on it. 
 
Try this next time you have a hard assignment. Get your homework out and then your scriptures. Say a prayer and start doing your homework. If you come to a wall, flip open the scriptures and read a few verses with the question in mind. The answers might now be found in the text but they are in your head. The Spirit will reveal it unto you. 
 
I know that my Savior lives and that through Him we are not only cleansed from sin but able to become the best sons and daughters of God we can imagine. I know that Joseph Smith restored Christ's gospel again on the earth in its fullness. I encourage all to find our for themselves if this is true if you haven't already. It's changed my life and will continue to do so as I serve. 
 
You guys are awesome! 

PRIESTHOOD LOVE! 
E. Archibald

Monday, September 22, 2014

Lynn baptism set back, Elder Mohler and Minion hats

Hey!
 
Holy moly!
The week has been incredible! We were supposed to have a baptismal service for Lynn Barnett but some stuff happened and got pushed back a week. What I mean by stuff is that her family didn't know about the baptism and they couldn't make it here soon enough. So we are having a ton of her family here in town for the baptism. It's going to be a great day. Teaching Lynn has been a privilege. She knew it was true right from the beginning. They must be from the tribe of Ephraim. She is so open to the gospel and change. When we asked her to live the Word of Wisdom she got right up off of her couch and dumped out her tub of coffee. She has been drinking coffee for over 30 years and just stopped cold turkey! Lynn is incredible!
 
I had the opportunity to train the district this last week and it went pretty well! I trained on the approach we take when talking with people on the streets or at doors. It's pretty crazy how many things you have to do to get a really good conversation rolling. To get both parties fully interested and interacting in the ‘convo’ is hard to do sometimes with the gospel. And that's why we have trainings. I love this opportunity to serve not only the people in the ward but the other missionaries around me. 
 
As for the seminary part, I will send a letter to you in the mail just because that's cooler. That's too bad that your getting released mother! At least now you can pick up early morning swimming and some mid afternoon racquetball to train for some more Olympics! Seriously it would be so much fun. Time flies and your chances are ticking away. That's what I've learned. The time we have to achieve. Our dreams or goals is short and if we don't start now it might now put get done. 
 






Training Elder Mohler had been great! We are getting along a lot better now. The first two to three weeks with every new companion is kinda rough and then you get into the flow of things and it goes great. We are tearing it up here in Columbia heights and love it. A lot of the pictures we take are with Fred Swink. He is by far the coolest member I've met on my mission.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Training new missionay Elder Mohler, teaching seminary

Hey! 

Sorry this week's letter is going to be a little shorter than usual. We have been really busy.
It was an incredible week all together though. We had the opportunity to find, teach and this week baptize! Lynn Barnett is planning on being baptized this Friday and it's going to be incredible. She has come a long way and believe it or not we tracted into her about 2 months ago. Lynn is from Alabama and she has an awesome personality. The mission brings a lot of different experiences and feelings into motion. It's pretty cool to see all the different life styles and how the gospel can bless them in their own way. 
Me, Fred and Elder Mohler
First week of training a new missionary has been great and will continue to do so. We actually had the chance to teach early- early morning seminary yesterday morning. It was at 6:10. These kids are wild but then again they were half awake as we taught the restoration up until the First Vision; the climactic part that wrecks people with the Spirit. Haha it was awesome. This week I will have the chance to train missionaries and go to the temple. It's gonna be a great week! Here's an awesome quote to spice things up a bit. 
"The nature of God is a circle 
of which the center is everywhere 
and the circumference is nowhere." 
 
We love Ghetto Ice Cream Trucks

Losing Weight ---STRANGE


Tuesday, September 9, 2014

District Leader and Adversity Quote

Hey family!
This last week has been incredible! On Wednesday we had transfer
meeting and I received my new companion. I am training Elder Mohler.
He is a stud and he is going to be a great missionary after these next
two transfers. The reason I say that is because this ward and the area
are incredible! We have the opportunity to work closely with the
members everyday as we go to lessons and testify of the truthfulness
of our message.

Tonight we actually had this sweet experience. Today was p-day so we
weren't able to go proselyting until later but it was an awesome p day
leading up to a more exciting night. So to start our night off with
tracking. The first three doors were kind of rough with no one
interested. So we walk up the to fourth door and low a behold we have
someone who actually will listen to what we have to say. We ended up
teaching him the restoration and applying the message so well to what
he needed. As we were wrapping everything up we extended the baptismal
date for the 4th of August. He accepted! It's truly incredible to feel
and share the powerful message of the restoration on doorsteps. And to
feel that Spirit anywhere and everywhere is also incredible. It has
really opened my eyes to the way we think and perceive things. Its
amazing when we can teach someone when there is something hectic going
on in the background and still feel the Spirit as strong as ever.
There are definitely those times where it's a little different but
that's why God gave us adversity. It makes us work harder for those
moments and appreciate them more when they come. I read this sweet
excerpt on adversity today it reads;

"Adversity is a reality of life. Without adversity we could not
understand or appreciate joy and contrast to sorrow, righteousness in
contrast to wickedness. Often, the problem is not so much the
situation itself but rather our attitude toward the situation and the
events and relationships around us. Howe view the situation is the key
to dealing with adversity. Perceiving things from a higher perspective
invariably leads to greater understanding and frequently to the
discovery of effective solutions." Also ( 2 Nephi 2:11)

I love the mission and the opportunities that I have had out here.
It's truly changed the way I perceive things and will continue to do
so as I continue on. God truly does live and he does know each and
every one of us and does watch over us. He makes that known every
single day! We aren't looking hard enough. My challenge to you is to
pray to witness God's hand in your life daily.
Is he really there?
Find
out for yourself.
He's waiting!
Love,
E. Archibald

Monday, September 1, 2014

Growing through our trials and District Leader

Hey family!

This last week has been an incredible one! It really has showed me
that I can do hard things. Throughout all of it I've really come to
understand the importance and power of prayer. It's really incredible
to teach investigators this and see them really witness it for
themselves.



We went and saw a recent convert last night that had been
sick for the past few weeks and she asked us for a blessing. I was
picked to do the initial blessing after the anointing. As I laid my
hand upon her head and started to speak I could feel the spirit so
strongly and I comforted and aided her with her afflictions. But there
is more to the story. I've recently been asking to be more charitable
and thoughtful to our investigators and the people we
administer to. This blessing was a clear answer to that prayer.

So on Wednesday this week my companion and I went to a leadership
meeting. You may ask why? I have been called to be a district leader
for a few missionaries. It's going to be great but there is more. I've
also been called to train a new missionary! It's going to be great!
It's going to be a little different at first but I'm sure he will do
good. I actually don't know who it is yet but I will find out on
Wednesday.

God does not want us to be comfortable. He wants us to continually
grow and make ourselves better and if we aren't then God is going to
change that. That's why he sends us trials, and gives us callings.
With the knowledge of this it brings peace and comfort to us as we
face our trials and take on these callings. It's because we know that
we don't have to face it on our own. We can be inspired and aided not
only by others but by our Savior. Where we fall short, H
know this to be true.

Shoutout to Travis! Have fun up in Washington or Oregon! It's such a
sweet place. If you go to Oregon be prepared to say. Hmmm interesting.
Haha have fun!

The pictures are pretty recent. And there will be more of elder Kelly
and I and then the new companion. Miss you!
E. Archibald

e fills in. I

Chris Campos and Lynn (Great Chemisty)

Hey!
This last week we had a baptism for Chris Campos! He is nine and about as smart as a 13 year old. That is true most of the time. I say most of the time because we have to bribe him with candy bars if he gets the questions right. He seems to answer every one of them at that point.
This last week we ended up seeing Lynn four times. She is a new investigator from last week. I'm sure I mentioned it in my last letter but I will recap just in case. She is from Alabama and was a chemistry teacher. She has been so prepared and we happened to tract into her last Saturday. We met with her on Tuesday and committed her to be baptized on the 13th of September. She already knows the Book of Mormon to be true and the church to be true as well. Where has this woman been and why is she not baptized already. We call her a platinum gator! We ended up leaving her with a commitment to have a church tour on Thursday, attend a baptism Saturday, and the confirmation on Sunday. She is seriously incredible and I do not know what to do. Just teach her and work towards baptism. Usually there is a huge concern but she is already past all of those. As far as we know haha. 
This week I've learned a lot about the word CHANGE. It's an awesome word isn't it. The opportunity to alter the outcome of our actions by changing something we do or think about. As we change to become like our Heavenly Father our thoughts change. They change from negative to positive or from a little positive to something higher than that! I've seen this multiple times as I have gone out and proselyted amongst everyone. It's an incredible process! 
I thank all of you for your support and love!
E. Archibald

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Lynn and being parched

Hey family!

This week has been incredible! Everything is going great except for
the heat. It's weird that August is the hottest month out here. It
seems like it's usually when everything starts transitioning into
winter back home. That is Wyoming though. But luckily I'm getting used
to the weather, besides that is what gets people to interact
with us. Sometimes we have to be more sly about it to test their good
nature. We use the "we have been walking for a while and are parched.
Could we get a drink?" That works almost every time. And as we do so
we constantly are having 30-45 min lessons with each person. This
method works!

The first door we knock on in this  apartment complex let us right in.
Lynn is her name and she is an old school teacher from Alabama.
So she pretty much taught us how in
today's world a lot of things are wrong with the way it is run. We get
that a lot. We just smile and teach what we know. While we were
teaching her the Restoration we found something. I was making myself
comfortable and by doing so I sat on a book, I pulled it out and handed
it to my companion not looking away from Lynn. He picks it up and asks
her why she has an our Heritage book produced by the church. Lynn is
prepared and it's incredible! Her son is a member and she has been
kind of curious about the whole organization of the church. We left
her with a Book of Mormon and a commitment to read but she said that
we left too little of an assignment. So we ended up just saying that
if she reads the chapter she can start from the beginning and read as
much as she would like. That's not it though, she then wanted to make a
contribution toward the church. Another person wanting to give me
money for the church! That is awesome.

The work is amazing and the Lord is so good.
I've recently found a lot of strength knowing that
through my Savior Jesus Christ I can really find the answers and
strength I need to really progress the way my Father in Heaven would
like. It's amazing to know of the love and patience He has for me
and the rest of His children as we do what we  can and
we can know of the gospel's truthfulness found in the church of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

I love my family and I miss you
Love,
E. Archibald
guys!

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Beth Hellsinger

Hey family!
This last week has been great! Elder Kelly and I are getting a lot better at being unified and it definitely shows. He stumbles I pick back up. I stumble he picks me up. And sometimes when that doesn't happen it's kinda funny haha. 
But the highlight of the week is centered around Beth Hellsinger. She is the mother of two investigators that we have and at first she had no interest at all. So we shrugged that off and continued to teach her sons. But as we did so she began to be interested. We didn't know this until this last week when we dropped by unexpectedly with a random fellow shipper that happened to relate very well with them. Beth expressed that she has these thoughts that she needs to read the Book of Mormon but didn't know why and it kept on coming back. It's been incredible to see how God has slowly prepared her to make these commitments and steps to draw closer to her Heavenly Father. She knows that by reading and praying it does exactly that. I know that because the Spirit was so thick in that room we were swimming in it! 
This really shows me that everything really does happen for a reason. Just look back in time to an event in your life that altered your plans for that day or that summer. I look back to when I broke my arm. I am here on my mission because I broke my arm. When I see my scars I see the step that God had me go through to be here in this place now. 
It reminds me of the story of the man and the bush. When the the man is the gardener and he cuts down the bush because the gardener knows that the bush needs to be. The bush is very unhappy at first but thanks him later because it was what was best for the bush in the end. As Latter Day Saints we are able to see much wider than just a peep hole of our existence. We understand our purpose and plan that God has for us. So all we can do when bad things happen is know that God has a much larger plan for us. 
Lean not unto thine own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5 
He always provides if we are doing our best.
-Elder Archibald

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Lily and Eliouse

Hey family! 
This last week has been pretty amazing. Elder Kelly and I are continually teaching and trying to find time for some letter writing haha. Work is going great! It sounds like the missionary work back home is going great also! 
This first picture is with our investigator Lily. She is Chinese and can cook some bomb food! As for the teaching she has really progressed. A while back she prayed to ask if God could help her with interpreting and understanding. A month later she could understand 1 Nephi 8. Lily is set to be baptized on August 30th. 
The second picture is of last weeks baptism and it was amazing! The first in the ward for two years. Kinda crazy. Everything in the baptism worked out perfectly and I was actually asked to be a spotter because she felt more comfortable with me in there. The one thing that stuck out to me while we were teaching Eliouse was that when we put her on date for baptism we promised her that her sick sister that was in the hospital would be there. And she actually made it. Everything lined up perfectly and it ended up being the best baptism that the mission presidency has seen in the mission. 
The last picture is of the hike that we went on today. It was up to the top of Beacon Rock. It was pretty sweet! You could see the entire gorge. It was pretty fun but the humidity and sun was pretty hot. But so far I am loving Vancouver. Not a big fan of Portland but Vancouver makes up for it. The weather here is amazing even though it rains almost everyday from fall to spring. 
I have learned so much this last transfer! The people we meet and are bringing closer to Christ and his teachings. It's amazing to have the opportunity to help others and bring them through the trials and tribulations that they have. We wouldn't be able to do this without Heavenly Father's help! It's an awesome feeling to know that God has our back as long as we are doing what's right. 
Love you!
E. Archibald 










Monday, July 14, 2014

Eric Christensen and a change of heart

Hey family!
This week has been incredible! 
Elder Kelly and I have been pushing as hard as we can to bring as many people closer to Christ through baptism. The one thing I've noticed in the midst of all this is that my love for each investigator is amazing. One investigator named Eric Christensen showed up to church for his first time two weeks ago and again this last Sunday. Right when I saw Eric I was so excited because this man is changing his life. When people progress and start changing I see how much the gospel really will change their lives and it's incredible. There are few things that are better than sharing the gospel with someone and helping them to become the best person that God wants them to be.  
On Sunday we had the opportunity to introduce 7 investigators to the ward and I've never been so happy in my life. This following week is gonna be a doozy but we will keep you posted next week.
That's pretty cool that you get to be the usher for the temple! Maybe in the future you could move to Utah when your retired and work there! That would be something. It's incredible to see the amount of organization and work that goes into running this church. Think about it; missionary work which is a huge matter,  temple work which is also another huge thing. I could go on but that's a huge subject.  
Hope Fossilfest was fun and stuff. I forgot it was happening this weekend until it was Sunday morning. 
Love you guys!
-Elder Archibald

Eric makes it to church

Happy late birthday to my mother!
 
I think I know how old you are but I don't want to shoot myself in the foot if I'm wrong. Your birthday was a very special day. We had 4 out of 6 of our investigators that are on date and at church this Sunday. It's been amazing to see them progress. I've never been so happy when I see someone striving to get to church no matter what. I guess I will explain. So we have been teaching this guy named Eric and he is a very busy guy. He drives trucks everyday and we have been teaching him for a few months now. He desires to be baptized and read the Book of Mormon but when he reads he gets dizzy and he has trouble making it to church because of work. So we focused on how we could help him. We got him a CD copy of the Book of Mormon and planned a way that he could make if to the last hour of church. It's music to our ears when investigators are making progress! So we are sitting in elders quorum and we look back and see Eric. He is out of breath and still has grease on his arms and camo pants on. It was pretty funny but that wasn't my concern. He made church a priority and came just to catch a little of church. Maybe all of this was because we gave their kids a snickers bar the day before haha. 

Hmm mom. I want to share the first memory of you in my head. I just remember laying on your lap while you held a bath towel over my head that was gushing blood. Haha random thought but here is a better one. Remember the photo shoot when I was like 6 or something? Because i do. I remember you made me wear my shorts up to my hips and us Archibald kids have high hips! I looked ridiculous! At least that's what I thought back then.

I would like to thank you for the example that you have been to me and helping me with my mission. This is the best thing that has happened to me and the hardest so far. I hope you had a great birthday!
 
Love, 
Elder Archibald

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Happy Birthday! I'm Twenty

Hey Brother & Sister Archibald,
Just wanted you to see your missionary son celebrating his 20th birthday!!

Elder Archibald and Elder Kelly live with us.  (Thank you so much for sending a box with "Happy Birthday" on the outside!  It put us on alert to ask just when that birthday was coming up and bake a cake.)  The ward mission leader, Brother Allen Rhyasen, lives three doors up the street from us and he dropped in during dinner to bring Elder Archibald a birthday present - candy treats, Mountain Dew, and Book of Mormon CDs they could give out to investigators.  The elders left quickly after birthday cake and ice cream to get on to their next appointment for the evening.  They are working super hard and currently have 7 investigators on date for baptism, I think.

Just a birthday update for you,
Sue Lowe




Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Brian, Josh and Jordan--following the Spirit

Hello family! 
It is my birthday and I'm going to be twenty. That is pretty weird and it's even more weird that I've almost been out here for six months. Time flies when your busy. 
The miracles are amazing on this end also! We have been working really hard to find people to  teach and this week we have really focused on bringing them closer to Christ and God more than just teaching them about our church. That's our whole purpose, because with that knowledge or relationship it will lead to action-which leads to accepting the church. This week we found these two teenagers when we were tracting and at first they didn't let us in. They said, "Thanks for stopping by but we aren't really interested." Then we asked to just come in and have a prayer and blessing upon the home and it worked! When we got in we had a small talk to break the ice then taught them some of the plan of salvation. Brian and Josh, the two teenagers, are so humble and open to hear a message they want us to come back. This week has been another incredible one that's for sure. 
I would have to say the highlight of the week was Thursday. That day we took the traveling assistants to the president out for a day and show them what we were working on. We loaded the day with teaching appointments and less active visits and it was going to be an amazing day. So when the plans actually started working out it really showed me what kind of missionary I could become. The assistants are pretty inspired and know what questions to ask. With that said, we ended up running into a kid named Jordan--actually the first door that we had knocked on and it was coincidence that Jordan had been praying to find something that would help or that could bring him closer to his Heavenly Father and we knocked on the door just after that prayer. First we become their friend and just share from the heart, nothing written down or why we were there, addressing concerns and inserting principles into an average conversation. Jordan is the definition of solid and we ended up leaving him with a Book of Mormon and a commitment to read. 
The Lord continues to bless us missionaries with people to teach. It is amazing! It helps to realize how a lot of the time you have to really be in tune to the Spirit so that you can ask inspiring questions instead of something you said before because it gets robotic and boring. I would like to thank you so much for those of you that are praying for me and my investigators. I can definitely feel those prayers.
That's awesome that your helping the missionaries out with proselyting and teaching. And yes I do agree with you on the blunt question of 'will you follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized' on the first lesson but it sets the expectation and no one is confused or beating around the bush. It's really amazing when you do go though because they see how important it is right off the bat instead of three lessons down the road. 
You are doing a crazy amount of missionary work now! That's exciting! Idk if I am just noticing it more around or what but the work has been increasing everywhere dramatically. It's definitely the sign of the times. Thank you for the package also! It was awesome and fun to follow. Everything was needed and is awesome. Could you thank the young women for sending me a box with a bunch of letters and candy. That was also awesome. Love the support ! 
I gotta go so happy Fourth of July and birthday mother! It's crazy how old we are getting. I will send you pictures every week. It's probably the best thing to do so.
Love ya,
E. Archibald

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Putting God's Word to the Test

Hey family!! 
 
This Week has been outstanding! 
 
We started it off great finishing pday a little earlier than we were supposed to and went straight to work. Got two new investigators in one night and it just continued to get better throughout the week. 
 
It all kind of started when we had our zone meeting on Wednesday. There were some guys from the MTC that came and taught us about the principle of 'dropping' people and making ourselves known and finding out what the investigators are trying to get out of meeting with us. We had a lesson at 12 that day and so we put it to the test. We told the investigator why we were there and what our purpose was. We ended up 'putting' him on date for baptism on the 26th of July. Seriously I didn't think this week could get any better than this. But it literally was just starting. We met with Eric later that day and we ended up 'putting' him on date for baptism also. At the end of the week we had 6 people commit to being baptized. And 8 new people agreed to meet with us. This week has seriously broken some records and the whole time we were focused on talking and converting as many people as possible. At times we skip meals because there are teaching opportunities at those times. 
 
My testimony has truly grown on the principle of sacrifice and trusting in the Lord. Not only in the blessings of teaching opportunities but also in my teaching and social skills. The mission is the best place that I could be at this point. Elder Kelly and I will keep this fire going so that we can show that the Lord can trust us. The one thing that I have really noticed is the ward is starting to offer up a lot of their time to go out on exchanges. I can definitely feel all the prayers that are in my behalf. I can see that my teaching skills have dramatically increased. I love the work here and the field is ripe and ready to harvest!! I truly know that to be true. We ended up teaching 33 lessons throughout the week and it never gets boring sharing the same message. The beauty of it all is that every time we share a message it's different because of the person.
 
Love you guys and thanks also for the support. 
 
Love, 
E. Archibald

Monday, June 16, 2014

New Companion Elder Kelly and Tariq

Hey mom, 
This last week has been a great one! 
I will just start off with transfers. Wednesday morning I got a new companion named Elder Kelly. He is from South Carolina and loves rap music. He is missing music in other words. Haha we get along fairly well because I can beatbox somewhat as he freestyles as we tract. It's a lot of fun. 
This last week we taught a ton!! Pulled in about 20+ lessons and a few people attended church. This week we are moving in on those progressing and inviting them to be baptized. We have four that we will be meeting with. 
On Friday we had the opportunity to meet with a teenager named Tariq. He has autism but with that there is something so incredible about him, a photographic memory. He can read at an incredible speed and remember named and people like Alma and Helamen- stuff like that. The way he communicates with us is through writing on a dry erase board. But it gets even cooler because his dad holds his hand so he doesn't shake and then interprets the writing because it isn't actually letters. Tariq is a well educated kid but he just has autism which limits his ability to concentrate for very long. Luckily in the midst of all of this we were able to teach a lesson on Mosiah 18. We asked him to read two verses but instead he read the whole chapter. He is so incredible and he got it from his parents but from God. I believe that God has something huge in store for him because Tariq wants to be baptized. But he doesn't want to give up coffee. Those drinks! Haha hopefully we can help him to realize how much better it will be for him without coffee. 
We are also meeting with this single mom named Corianne. She is incredibly nice! I wasn't able to teach her the first lesson but we taught her the Plan of Salvation. I think the reason why I like visiting with her so much is because she communicates so well and is extremely spiritual but at the same time smart. A perfect mix of logic and faith. People like her have such a huge impact in others. It's incredible.
You were speaking about birthdays. Happy birthday to everyone!! I wish I could be there. I had an idea for my birthday. Since we rarely had parties for me I figured you could all get together and celebrate my birthday and then send all my presents from my friends to me haha. Just kidding. If you are planning on getting me some stuff I have some ideas of what I need haha. I feel bad for even saying something but I promise they are pequeno. Love everyone!
E. Archibald

P.S. Dad,Miss you so much! Hope you had a good Father's Day and birthday a while back sorry I didn't send you anything. I remembered but I forgot on the Monday prior. Stay cool so I can come back and do some cool father son bonding stuff. Love ya

Monday, June 2, 2014

Home teaching and Sheryl the Trekky



Hey dad,
Sorry I missed your birthday last week, it was the day after my four month birthday haha!

I am getting close to 6 months out crazy right? I knew when you told me you were in the bishopric that you would be really busy. I'm betting you have to be up to speed on your home teaching, which is another thing haha. We had a huge spill about home teaching in PEC this last Sunday and it was kind of boring but it is a good because if people don't really know how to home teach it gives us an opportunity to go out and interact with members while contacting less actives. I never thought I would be excited to do the home teaching stuff haha!. Back home it was a pain but then my priorities weren't what they should have been. 
I know Brynn will do her best because she seems to be the best when it comes to getting the job done with her siblings. I would encourage that the whole family listens to the belief window/ self worth talk done by Hyrum W. Smith. It's really good. Its about an hour so it may take some time but it is a really good thing.


It really helps people to narrow down what people are thinking or why they are acting a certain way. My companion and I use it sometimes when people are rude to us. Recently I have been learning a ton about the gospel. The amount of questions we can ask and the answers to every one of those questions is amazing. I have been learning about the apostasy, how Christ's church was built (through doctrine) and why certain things have become the way they are today e.g. the trinity. Its pretty amazing how much information is really there. Ive also noticed that the more that I learn,  the easier it is to express my take on things in ways that people can understand and then work into depth if they have questions. 

This last week we found four new people that are coming closer to the gospel: Roger, Teela, Sheryl, and Kent. They are all older and have completely different lifestyles. They all have one thing in common, they all are trying to increase their faith in Christ!  I would have to say Sheryl is my favorite because she is actually a Treky haha. She loves all the Star Trek movies and collects action figures and things from the movies haha. Its kinda funny but awesome. 

Last week was great!  Hopefully it continues on to the next. 
Hope everything at home is good also! 
Have a great week!
Love 
E. Archibald