Elder Peterson, Andre, Pauline, teaching in the prison

Hey mom! 

Sorry about the past week! I will make it up somehow! Congratulations Brynn! 36 seconds has got to be a world record or something. I'm sad I can't be there to see him grow up for a few months but I will catch the walking and talking stage I think. Welcome to the family kip! 

Happy birthday dad! You turned 30 for the 25th time right? Im pretty sure my math is right. You look good in the photos! It's been a long time. And it won't be too long until I'm back home. 8 months from the 22 I will be home and it just keeps counting down. Crazy. As for the rain up here, it has only rained about twice since I've been here. We had a flash flood warning but that didn't happen. Luckily where we are we don't see rain very often. Vancouver and Portland see rain but we are a bit further away in the mountains. 

Right now my companion is Elder Peterson. We were actually companions in the MTC right at the beginning. So it's been fun as we have been working together. I'm continuing to learn more every day. The Lord seems to humble me in every situation possibly haha. It's interesting. Elder Peterson is from Burley Idaho. So he grew up on a ranch and is the 13th of 14 children. He kind of reminds me a Bailey Keetch but not sure who I could relate him to back home. I hardly remember anyone back home. I've got a lot of names on my mind haha. But everything has been going great! This week we are so so busy. We are planning a few trips to attend meetings down in Vancouver and also we are starting up a meeting for the 2 wards we cover. A member missionary meeting. We all meet together and have a district meeting with the members of the ward and practice ways that we can do missionary work with our friends and also just easy ways to talk about the gospel. We are pretty excited about it. This will be our first meeting but we will see how it goes and get back to you this next p day. Along with all the meetings we are seeing a boy named Andre. Him and his mom are taking the lessons along with some Old Testament reading just to give him a basic knowledge of God and the scriptures. It's been so much fun working with them. Recently we have invited his mother Pauline to read the Book of Mormon because we were originally there to teach Andre and she has been asking slot of questions. She actually has been keeping her commitment to read and hopefully soon we can start getting her to come to church with her son. Little miracles like those are continuing to happen all around Elder Peterson and I. This last Sunday we had two couples approach us and ask us if we can teach the lessons to their non member relatives. OBVIOUSLY we said yes. Even though we are getting pretty booked. The Dalles 1st and 2nd Ward are the best I've served in so far. So much work to do here and it's great. We are also teaching people in the prison. I wanted to share a little about a guy named Belander. He has been in for a few months now until he gets a final say on when he goes to actual prison. We have been working with him for a few months and the genius is doing great. He has read the whole Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants once and is going through it again. He is making some great progress. It was pretty funny, about a month ago Elder McDaniel and I had to split and teach two at the same time and Belander got in the subject of women. He pulled out a picture of his "x" and he told me about her a little. She had tattoos everywhere just like him. Belander has a tattoo on every part of his body. It's awesome to see that change that has come as he has met with us. Anyways, he eventually told me that he wanted to date a Mormon woman when he got out. And I asked him why. He said that it would be good for him to have that kind of influence in his life and they just are different. He really has come to like the ensigns I think. So that day I left him with the woman of the Old Testament. The Ensign haha. It was pretty funny. 

This past week I was able to read a little article by Elder David A. Bednar and he spoke of the enabling power of the atonement. He used the example of Nephi when his brothers bound him. And how he prayed not for his circumstances to change but that he might be empowered to overcome and change the circumstances he was in.

1 Nephi 7:17

17 But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound.

Nephi understood the enabling power of the atonement and how God really is able to help his children. We are here to learn and grow through the experiences of mortality and so if he was to take them away from us without giving us that opportunity of experience it would defeat his purpose. Instead he allows us to see that with his help it is a lot easier. Not that the burdens aren't there but that with him we can accomplish more. I know that to be true! I see it every day. 

Love ya mom! 

Elder Archibald

Mother's Day appointment

Hey mom! Sorry I wasn't able to write to you individually this week. Dad and Michael got one so you should be able to hear from them. I've got a lot of things to share with you we will just have to share them next Sunday when we skype. I will be available at 4 pm my time. I believe that is 3 your time but I'm not sure. Things are going great. The transfer is finishing up and everything is looking good. I'm going on 16 months soon. Crazy! Well love you. Everyone looks so happy. I'm sorry to hear about Connie dummer. And I'm glad Zach is still looking as young as he used to. It's going to be great to see them with a new baby. I'm crossing my fingers for a boy! 

Keep these questions in this email in mind as we skype. There is a lot happening! 

Love you! 

E. Archibald

Tracting in the Dalles

Hey dad!
Sorry I haven't replied in a week or two! Mom just needs a lot of
attention you know. Haha things are going great out here. We are just
working on finishing up the transfer and getting thing situated with
my companion. He is headed home this transfer and so you know, he is a
little trunky. A little excited to go home haha. That's alright
though. We stay focused and work hard still. This last week we had a
luau for the church and there was a tone of people that showed up. We
had a total of about 42 non members show up and about 6 of our
investigators. It worked out really well.

This Saturday we had a pretty cool experience. We were tracting this
neighborhood and every single door was a nope or I'm atheist or
whatever they could come up with. And the. We came to this door and
rang the door bell and this big guy came to the door and we were
excited to see him and all he said was. Come on in. That is music to
our ears. "It's about to go down." Haha that's what goes through our
heads. As in the spiritual bomb is about to be set off. And it really
was after we found out who he was. He is an excommunicated member that
has struggled seriously  with the word of wisdom and is doing all that
he can to get away from it. Not going close to bars, secluding himself
and all these other things. He had been praying for the past couple
months to have God help him with his issue and low a behold we show
up. We were the first that had knocked on the door for the past 6
months. And so he was surprised to see us. As we continued to talk we
had found out where he was at with his spirituality you could say and
we began to teach him about the power of the atonement. how that power
is at times the only power that will enable us to overcome the trials
in this life. Also that it is the only things that will ultimately
prepare us to receive all that our Heavenly Father has in store for
us. He said he was praying and reading the bible but things haven't
changed. Mosiah 3:19 states what we need to do. This is what we shared
with him.

19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall
of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the
enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and
becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and
becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love,
willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict
upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

As we do this we are able to live worthy and openly receive the spirit
of the lord within our lives which purifies and sanctifies us. As the
people heard this sermon from king Benjamin they heard his words and
gave place for them in their hearts and this is what happened. Mosiah
5:2:

...because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a
mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more
disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.

We told him that as we submit to our father the blessings of heaven
are bestowed upon us. And that all that is wrong in this life will be
made right. The spirit was so strong as we testified of the atonement
and the love that our Heavenly Father has for us. That spirit allowed
us to move the mountain within his heart and commit him to work his
way back to Christ.

A lot of awesome miracles are happening and hopefully will continue.
Thanks for all that you do and I love you!

I had some questions about health stuff. Do we as a family have
prostate problems or bladder problems? I've been having trouble with
my bladder and I'm seeing the urologist for the second time on
Thursday. Just so you know. Idk if you've had that issue before or
something. Other than that things are great. I'm working on just
gaining as much knowledge about everything I possibly can. I wish I
would have read a lot a lot more. I would recommend getting Thomas out
of the video games and reading because from what we see with kids and
video games it's ridiculous. It doesn't do anyone any good to play
games. Though they are fun they aren't good. Anyways! Thanks for
everything have a great week!
E. Archibald


✌️ I leave with you !

Fishing, Rodericks, teaching the First Vision, Ice Cream

Hello family! 

Sorry I missed you last week! Things were crazy with fishing up in the mountains and getting sunburnt. I'm good now though! 

I hope everything back home is going great. Schools is coming to a close here soon which is crazy. I've been out of school for almost 2 years. Yikes! But we are looking forward to summer here in the Dalles. It does get into the hundred and teens sometimes up here which will be brutal but great. People will be roaming the streets and we will be flying around like zombies on doomsday. Haha you can put your own analogy on that haha that one isn't pleasant. Things are looking good!

This past week Elder McDaniel and I had a lot of success. We have recently been stopping by and working with a lot of prospective elders. Members who have not yet received the melcezadec priesthood. So we weren't finding to much success here a little and there a little but we came to the Roderick home. It was really really windy because we are up in the heart of what we call the gorge. So we walk up to this house and knock on the door and this man comes to the door and we ask if dean Roderick is home. He answers and said, no that's my brother. I'm a member though. I was a teacher. We dont know how his brothers records lead us there because he had died 9 years ago. We continue to talk a little more until his wife comes and reminds him his dinner is ready and it will get cold. The nicest way to get us to leave haha. So we said oh ok we understand and he gave us an interesting look like. No don't leave or like he felt something. So we said bye and walked back to the van and elder McDaniel and I got in and had the same thing come to our minds. His brother lead us to him. He is ready to start making his way back. We sat there and talked in the van and then we see his wife coming to the door. After knocking on the window she asks us if we have dinner and we said no. So she invited us to come in and have the two extra steaks that she has. Only on conditions that we don't preach to her. We accepted and ended up eating a 32 oz steak I swear. Long story short she ends up preaching to us about school and the world and her husband found out she asked us not to preach and he was kind of upset. Haha it was a small but awesome experience to be a part of as we were able to break down some barriers. We will be seeing them this week and hopefully helping them come unto Christ a little more. 

This week was zone conference. It's always awesome to go and listen. We are always the ones talking and it's a good change to see someone else up there and sit and listen. The APs trading was fantastic. I felt like they were talking directly to me. It was centered on following the spirit. Being sensitive to spiritual prompting some and why it is so important. It reinforced my understanding of that important principle. As we go out and we strive to serve the lord the only effective way we are able to serve him is by following his spirit. We have individual qualities and talents that when joined with the spirit brings the converting power to those individuals that only we can influence. It's incredible when we receive a glimpse of that happening. This last week on exchanges i was trying my best to focus on following the spirit to a T. I received a prompting to knock and door and no questions asked I did it. And nothing. So we continued on. Knocked a few more doors as we walked down the street and on our way to a prospective elder I looked over and saw a woman in her kitchen and I just knew I needed to knock the door. Instantly we walked to the house and knocked the door. Taught them the restoration and left her with a copy of the Book of Mormon. Every single time we share the first vision you feel and see a change within every person. They are feeling the spirit and they don't recognize it. But that's not all. We finished teaching them and on our way out we start teaching her brother that is coming over. He ends up being so solid! He is about the be a father of two and is around 25 years old. It was awesome getting to know him! He sounds like he is from Wyoming actually. Loves fishing, hunting, and all the awesome things you do inwyoming. He just ate up the gospel and we will be seeing him this week as well. This whole experience really built my testimony. At first i didn't receive anything from what I thought might be a prompting. But after the trial of my faith I receive and witness that the spirit was there to guide us. It comes to show that we must act upon all the things that we think might be a prompting. We can have courage with the knowledge that even if it is just a thought God will see that we are trying. And we are being righteous we need not to worry about the outcome.

Love life out here in the Dalles! Right now my arms are so so sore from working out so there are probably some spelling errors. Thanks for everything. Mother's Day is coming up really quick! Skype date! 

I don't look like I'm all there, I was in shock haha. Cascade locks ice cream was amazing! 

I've really come to LOVE soft served ice cream.

Love

Elder Archibald

Elder McDaniel, Herman Smith, Dunbars, Submitting to God's will

Hey family!

This week has been pretty good. We had the opportunity to hear from our mission President and the APs this thursday. It was great to see where the mission is headed. These last few months ther has been alot of changes within the mission because alot of the leadership is leaving. Its crazy to think im one of the oldest missionaries in the room. Weird! Im not even that old (mission age). We are pretty excited with the new way we are doing things because leadership is young and we are having to build up the mission again. So if I get moved to the Yakima Mission i will have some experience with starting out fresh. At least a little bit.

Elder McDaniel and I are doing great. The area is loaded with a ton of great people and the members are even better! Elder McDaniel is from Mesa Arizona and he is a 6 4' beach god. Im trying to help him get his abs back because he is in pretty rough shape haha. No just kidding. He is going home this transfer and so we are trying to get him in the best shape for summer that is coming up. I miss working out like i used to! Not really. Today we did a workout that is called DTP. Its a workout that i did back home and it definitely destroyed us today. We both couldn't walk straight and probably won't be able to for the rest of this week but thats ok. The work will distract us from the soreness. 

The zone is doing great! We are working with, like a said, alot of young missionaries. They are stellar! So much more prepared than i was when i came out. We are just working on teaching the that basic of effective finding, teaching, and administering to the investigators needs. Its alot of fun. This week we have a zone meeting on wednesday. They usually only happen monthly unless we need the zone to know something immediately. Otherwise we have district meetings because we are still in a district. But being a zone leader really just adds on alot of different paper work and presenting perfromance to the stake. We are able to go to a meeting called the Mission Leadership Conference. Its a blessing to hear from our Mission President. That man is inspired! Its been awesome working with him.

I was able to meet Hermana Smith ( Alli Smith ) at transfers this last transfer and she recognized my name but not me. Haha i knew her but she didn't know me. Kinda awkward but thats what us a missionaries live for. Those awkward moments that we just have to embrace haha. 

This week we have been working with the Dunbars. Brother and Sister Dunbar and working toward the temple and have the goal to attend on the 5th of may. We have had the opportunity to go over and teach her the temple prep lessons. Im learning alot haha. There is so much to the gospel. That is what they continue to say as well. She is taking all the gospel standards and principals to heart. She loves the feeling that she receives as she lives the word of wisdom because she knows the difference it has made in her life. She continues crack down on soda and bad eating habits and is just on fire. This couple has really strengthened my faith. They continue to look for more and more principles that will enable to be better people. That is seriously so awesome. Its been incredible to have the opportunity to work with them. 

I would like to thank you for that book. The peter potential? I think that is the name of it. It really was motivating. It is so true as well. I believe that we are able to do much larger things as we come unto our savior. That he worked a miracle with fish and loaves of bread and the thought of the miracles that he could do with a life is inspiring. I feel like I've felt a little bit of that. As I've submitted my will to the fathers at least tried to I've seen the blessings. Thats really the hardest part. Hands down the hardest thing we do on this earth. Is literally doing everything that he would have us do. I know that by submitting our will to our father as a child submits to their father we will be blessed beyond comprehension. I love the gospel and my incredible family! Keep being awesome. BTW, I feel like i just wrote an email yesterday. and its almost Mothers day already. have a good week!

E. Archibald

The Dalles Zone as Zone Leader

Conference--Dalles Zone- MMA fighting--Onions & Jalapenos

Hey family!
Conference was great! A lot of extremely powerful talks about Christ
and the plan of salvation. It seemed like it was all focused on
missionary work. All the beliefs or things we hear were proven wrong
very simply. Maybe I just am looking for that haha idk. But I watched
general conference at the stake center here in the Dalles. 10 hours of
conference is like Christmas for the missionaries. We get to hear the
inspiring words of the people we talk up everyday. It's nice. You may
ask. The dalles? Yes I have been transferred to the dalles. Transfers
were last Wednesday so I have not yet received the package you sent
but I will probably get it this Thursday.

This transfer I was moved back to be a zone leader in the eastern area
of our mission. President Taylor is setting up the dalles zone for the
Yakima mission in July. In other words I'm going to be in a different
mission when it comes time to come home. I'm pretty excited about it
actually. I get to see a lot more of the north west and work with
another mission president. A lot of people have come up to me this
past week at transfers and just asked me how I was feeling about the
change and I just expressed my excitement. I received a few
compliments and it has just been a good week. Lots of things continue
to come at me. Leadership opportunities and a old companion that is
going home Ina transfer and learning how to fight. We have a member in
the Ward that is teaching us how to mma fight on p days. At least
today he did. He told me to work on punching my nose in the mirror.
Haha I'm learning a lot of cool worldly things and also a ton of
spiritual things. Studies are going great. Working on finishing the
Book of Mormon again and also the doctrine and covenants.

The people up here in the dalles are incredible. We have multiple
people that are just waiting to be baptized. We just have to teach
them haha. Isn't that the best struggle out there. Them having to wait
because we haven't taught them enough. One specific family that we are
working with is a couple, Amanda and Vincent. Less active father and
non-member mother. She is starting to come around and really listen to
what we have to share with her. As she continues to read she slowly
understands what the book of saying. That's something I realized that
I struggled with before the mission. I didn't know scripture language
at all. Luckily I get to catch up. 😜🔫 haha it's a lot of fun though.
We are also working with other families that I'm still getting to know
since I've only been here for about 4 days.

This past weekend we taught almost everyone we came in contact with
about the atonement of Jesus Christ. We hear almost all the time that
he died for all of our sins. That's true but there is more. Alma
7:11-12 we see that it's not just the sins that he suffered from but
everything that we could possibly go through. So that he could know
according to the flesh, how to succor his people. He died on that
cross so that all of us could lives prosperous lives. To have an
opportunity to feel of gods love as we are worthy of it. So that we
might not perish, but have everlasting life. The atonement truly is
the only way we are able to experience gods love in this life. Through
Christ we feel and know that father and his plan. Christ didn't just
die to have immortal life he died so that we can enjoy the life that
we have been given.

It's such a privilege to share the message of Christ to these people.
Easter was great. Elder McDaniel and I tore up an Easter egg hunt this
last Saturday in between sessions. Had some hot dogs with some
jalapeño mustard. Wow that was good. I'm experiencing a whole new
world with jalapeños and onions and peppers. You wouldn't believe the
food I eat mother. It's crazy how things just happen like that.
Learning a lot, loving life, and I have quite a bit of time left so
it's going to be great!

Love,
Elder Archibald