Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Zone meetings, NGI's, and Sharon Jones


Hey family! 
Elder Williams and Matthew
This past week has flown! It's crazy how I hit a year this week. It's been a good one and it's going to be interesting to see if I've changed very much. I'm going to be reading a few journal entries from the beginning of my mission and see where I'm at. This next year I will be video logging each month on my camera so that when I'm done with my mission I will hopefully and about 12 25 min videos of me talking about people and I will see how far I have come. 

This past week we had our zone meeting with our really young zone. Everyone that we train are below 8 months except the APs. Elder Williams and I are so excited for this next transfer. We have a lot of obedient and hard working elders and sisters. Something new that we have been pushing is called and NGI. An NGI is a new statistic that we came up with that is a new investigator invite. Where we invite our new investigator to baptism on the first lesson so that we will be covering all the aspects of the work. Inviting to baptism, teaching lessons, finding, and setting the expectation in one statistic. It's pretty awesome we think. Hopefully it will work out. 

I had the opportunity to train the zone on our identity. I pulled some scriptures firm doctrine and covenants 138 about how there were noble and great ones before we came to earth and that we received our first lessons so that we could bring salvation to those of the world. It's really interesting because a cross refernce was made to Abraham 3 where it talks about how there were noble and great ones and that God stood among us and said, "these will I make rulers..." And that he saw that we were good. That reminded me of the earths creations and that when everything was the way God wanted it says that they is was so or good. God thinks the world of us. He loves us and knows us all so well. I know this because imagine the war in heaven and how a third of the host of heaven was cast out. God prepared all of those children as much as he prepared us and to see them rebel and us fighting for God really must have meant something. I know it did. 

Right now we are teaching Sharon jones. JJ and lavaughnda jones mother. She is eating the gospel up. She is on date for the 21st of February and wants her son to baptize her as well. It's been incredible to think that about a month ago Jj and LaVaughnda were just baptized and 3-4 months ago they were on their driveway smoking and drinking. The gospel changes our desires and sanctifies even the most troubled or dirty soul. I know that this is true and that it is because of our savior Jesus Christ. That through the Book of Mormon we can know almost all the mysteries of God. That he speaks today just as he did a couple thousand years ago. I love you and hope the next week is full of fun. Have a great week.
E. Archibald

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Being a Zone Leader


Just to answer the questions you asked. Before I do that I just want to say that I always read your letters. If I didn't get one I would kind of be a little down because it's nice to get an update on everything awesome in the family. 
The holidays make it harder to do missionary work. People are usually open but it gets to cold to teach on doorsteps so that's kind of a downer but people are always receptive to the gospel message but it just depends on how in tune to the spirit you are and how good of a missionary you are. 
Being a zone leader is a lot of fun. We get to have stewardship over a group of missionaries about 16-24 missionaries. We a responsible to follow up with the district leaders so that they are empowering the districts or their people because the district leaders are more involved with the individual missionaries. We also get to go to a meeting which is called MLC which is a meeting for the leadership of the mission where we receive instruction on what our zones need and what to train them on. It's a lot of fun. We do a number of things that really put me out of my comfort zone but it's good because I learn so much. We also go in leadership exchanges with all the missionaries throughout the stake to help them with their work and how to be more efficient. It's an awesome opportunity. I love it. 
And I also love your letters.
Any other questions?
E. Archibald

Monday, January 5, 2015

Raph Garza and Janathan Bourlan Feeling Your Prayers

Hello family! 
 
It was great to see all of your smiling faces this last week! It's crazy to see how many of you have changed and get so big as well. Thanks for being the most awesome family out there. Couldn't do it without you all!
 
This week has been great! The weekend before Christmas we had a baptism for Raph Garza. We have been teaching him for about 4 1/2 months now and it's been an awesome journey. I've really seen the change within him as he got to this amazing stage of his life. That's really what is the most incredible thing we can experience in this life. Becoming better or rising up. That time when we can look back and see how much we have changed is such a blessing. Or it can be. That's why it is so important to make the correct decisions because we are always changing, always going in one direction and if we aren't going forward, we are going backward.
 
Sorry for the delayed message from the previous week. Time just always gets its way with me. There is never enough it seems. But this week is transfer week. My companion Elder Aguirre is going to the north stake with one of our good friends Elder Brasher. They are going to be zone-leaders up there and they are going to do great! Luckily I get to stay in the best zone in the mission! Ya buddy! I'm getting an Elder named Elder Williams. He is going home soon (like two to three transfers soon) so I might be in this area for a few months buts that's fine with me because I love the YSA. I get to work with peers and the work is a lot more fun. I've learned a ton while I've been here and am pumped to continue on the learning train. 
 
We have been experiences some pretty cool things this past week. We are meeting with Jonathan Bourlan and he is a good guy. One of those guys that are really sincere and could benefit a ton from the gospel. We were able to commit him to baptism this past week for the 14th of February. Please pray for our investigators! Have miracles ceased? Nay, they have not. 
 
Thank you for all of your support so far and prayers. I can feel them. I don't know if I have mentioned this before but there was this time when I was writing in my journal a week or two ago. And randomly I felt like someone was praying about me or for me. It is something hard to explain but I could just feel it and I can't explain how appreciative I am of that. I've been learning a lot which means I had learning experiences and because of those prayers I've become better and risen up a little higher each time. 
The love is real. 
The support is real. 
God is real. 
I love it! 
 
Special shoutout to Makayla! It was great to see you over the break! I hope basketball gets better and your team sees some more success even if it's not shown in wins. Enjoy high school when you can. It comes and goes and then your almost 21 and you are scared of what's next. Make the best of what you've got in front of you. Looking back is bitter like a pillar of salt. Haha you got me? 
Love you family! 
E. Archibald