Hey y'all,
My English is getting worse the longer I am out here, lol. Suddenly my "ing's" are starting to disappear. Now instead of sitting and doing emails I am sitt'in and doing emails. I am doing my best to keep from getting to lazy with my English but its hard work. And I found out that for the rest of this transfer at least, maybe longer, these emails will be very short because my companion has very little friends or family that emails him so sitting here while I email is hard on him. Depending on what happens in two weeks with transfers will decide how long these need to be kept short.
I will go ahead and tell all of you some great news though before I get going. Last Sunday Pedro came to church and we got to meet him. He has been an eternal investigator for the past two years but for the past 7-8 months had disappeared and no missionaries have seen him. We met with him last week and talked about his concerns and why he has not been baptised and the spirit was very strong. He knows everything that he has been taught is true, stopped drinking, no longer hangs out with his friends that were bad influences, and enjoys church, but it sounds like he was worried others did not really WANT him to be baptised. After our talk with him he agreed to prepare for baptism on the 18th of next month! It is such a miracle. Not only is it the first baptism is way over a year, but Pedro is finally going to be able to enjoy the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost and in a year he will be able to receive the blessings of the temple. WOW :-)
Well I need to get going, but I love you all and you are in my prayers,
Love,
Elder Inman
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Amelioration
Cool word this week huh :-)
For those who do not know what amelioration means, since I didn't until I was told, it means to grow or accelerate. The area still has not grown very much but because of some events that have transpired this week I have personally grown about as much as I have any other week of my mission, if not more. It is amazing how trials and tribulations can be such a wonderful thing, and I am beginning to be thankful for them (not that I want too much more or anything). I will go ahead and give a quick run down of last week and then hopefully explain what I mean a little better.
As most of you who read this know, my second transfer with my trainer was spent inside for a large majority of the time because of his ankle injury which resulted in extensive surgery after his return home a couple weeks after. That transfer was not the most productive in the normal missionary sense, however I was blessed to grow in patience and gospel knowledge during this time, and then the following transfer the area exploded and we were blessed with many people who accepted the covenant of baptism. It looks like that may be the case for some of this transfer as well.
On Tuesday of last week my companion was injured. There is no cool story to explain how it happened though, he was just getting ready for the day and hit the ball of his foot on some weights as he was trying to step over them. When I came out a few minutes later he was sitting reclined in a chair and it looked like a golf ball was glued to the bottom of his foot because the swelling had already gotten so bad. He got up to go get a mirror to see it better and as soon as he put pressure on that foot he tumbled and cringed, so he got back on the chair and elevated his foot while he tried to deal with the constant pain. We were sure it was broken so we called some other missionaries over to help with a blessing, and they were positive it was broken as well. The worst part about a broken foot for him is that since he is so close to going home anyway, 21 months, they will just send him home early to have it taken care of and he wouldn't be able to come back.
We gathered around him to perform the blessing and were amazed to be part of a modern day miracle. I performed the blessing and in the middle of it I felt prompted to tell him that he would not be going home because there are still people in this mission who need him. I didn't want to say it though because I knew it was broken and was afraid it was my own mind trying to tell him he would stay and not the spirit, so I continued the blessing trying to get around it. The spirit gave me the same prompting several times though so finally I spoke the words I knew were needed and ended the blessing in the name of Jesus Christ. I didn't know what it meant but we all knew he would not be going home early. When we finally got him to the emergency room both doctors told him it was pretty bad and most likely broken so we were not sure how the blessing was going to come into affect. Then the x-ray came in and it turns out there are no visible breaks or fractures and that he will just need to be in a wheel chair or crutches for 10 days to 3 weeks. Later when we were discussing it we came to the firm belief that his foot had been broken but was healed through the power of the priesthood.
So he is not going home :-) But, our work is still very limited because of his injury since even with me pushing him in a wheelchair there is only so much he can do before the throbbing pain causes him to need a break at our apartment. After a couple days of very little work and being stuck in doors for so long I began to get a little down. Thoughts of 'why' began creeping into my mind. Why do my companions get hurt so often to the point of not being able to work? Why am I usually put with missionaries who are at the end of their mission and enjoy talking about their home plans so much? Why am I stuck in a completely dead area where there have been minimal baptisms since it opened 10 years ago? Why is my family having financial struggles while I am serving as a missionary? Why, why, why so many times over.
Then I was blessed to read exactly what I needed. In my personal study I randomly decided to open up in the bible dictionary and read about King David. There was a small part that told how all his trials in his youth, which dwarf my own trials, prepared him for the throne later in life. When I read this all of the scriptures and talks I have read about trials came flooding into my mind and my heart was changed through this experience. Each of us are preparing for a throne in the Celestial Kingdom which should be our top goal in life, and that is not possible without trials. Joseph Smith said that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things will never build the faith needed to reach exaltation, and he also counselled to be thankful for any trials we are "blessed with". What I am going through now is not only preparing me for the rest of my mission but also for everything after. How can I expect to be a righteous husband, father, and friend when I get back if I do not accept every trial out here with thanks and vigor? According to Bruce R. McConkie we cannot receive exaltation if we are not able to abide by the laws of consecration and sacrifice, so if I shurk any callings I have right now and do not devote myself completely, despite anything else, how can I honestly say I am willing to live those two laws? Realizing all of this and understanding it had a huge impact on me and I feel very grateful that my Father in Heaven has trusted me enough to give me these trials right now, because he will never give me anything I cannot handle. Greater trials means that I am growing and am prepared for greater blessings as well.
Of course there is so much more I want to say but my time is running short and this entry is already really long . Before I get off there is just one quick story I wanted to tell you about the converting power of the Book of Mormon. Our elders quorum president, Brother Hawkins, told this to us yesterday. He said that someone he is working with had some questions about the church so he decided to give him a Book of Mormon to answer those questions (such an incredible member missionary). His friend has been reading it every morning with breakfast for some time now, and has continued to come to him with questions. A couple weeks ago he came up to Brother Hawkins and told him that the Book of Mormon is 'ruining his life, or at least changing it'. He said that since he has been of age he has had a subscription to Playboy, but when it came time to renew it he just couldn't do it and now has a closet full of those magazines he needs to get trash. He also said that he loves going to baseball games and every time he does he grabs a score card and a beer, but this last time he couldn't force himself to buy the beer. He is not a member of the church, and is not even meeting with the missionaries, but the Book of Mormon is changing his life because he continues to study it and pray about it. That can and will happen to anyone who is willing to read from its powerful pages, and I promise it will bring joy to anyone that takes that sacred challenge.
Love,
Elder Inman
For those who do not know what amelioration means, since I didn't until I was told, it means to grow or accelerate. The area still has not grown very much but because of some events that have transpired this week I have personally grown about as much as I have any other week of my mission, if not more. It is amazing how trials and tribulations can be such a wonderful thing, and I am beginning to be thankful for them (not that I want too much more or anything). I will go ahead and give a quick run down of last week and then hopefully explain what I mean a little better.
As most of you who read this know, my second transfer with my trainer was spent inside for a large majority of the time because of his ankle injury which resulted in extensive surgery after his return home a couple weeks after. That transfer was not the most productive in the normal missionary sense, however I was blessed to grow in patience and gospel knowledge during this time, and then the following transfer the area exploded and we were blessed with many people who accepted the covenant of baptism. It looks like that may be the case for some of this transfer as well.
On Tuesday of last week my companion was injured. There is no cool story to explain how it happened though, he was just getting ready for the day and hit the ball of his foot on some weights as he was trying to step over them. When I came out a few minutes later he was sitting reclined in a chair and it looked like a golf ball was glued to the bottom of his foot because the swelling had already gotten so bad. He got up to go get a mirror to see it better and as soon as he put pressure on that foot he tumbled and cringed, so he got back on the chair and elevated his foot while he tried to deal with the constant pain. We were sure it was broken so we called some other missionaries over to help with a blessing, and they were positive it was broken as well. The worst part about a broken foot for him is that since he is so close to going home anyway, 21 months, they will just send him home early to have it taken care of and he wouldn't be able to come back.
We gathered around him to perform the blessing and were amazed to be part of a modern day miracle. I performed the blessing and in the middle of it I felt prompted to tell him that he would not be going home because there are still people in this mission who need him. I didn't want to say it though because I knew it was broken and was afraid it was my own mind trying to tell him he would stay and not the spirit, so I continued the blessing trying to get around it. The spirit gave me the same prompting several times though so finally I spoke the words I knew were needed and ended the blessing in the name of Jesus Christ. I didn't know what it meant but we all knew he would not be going home early. When we finally got him to the emergency room both doctors told him it was pretty bad and most likely broken so we were not sure how the blessing was going to come into affect. Then the x-ray came in and it turns out there are no visible breaks or fractures and that he will just need to be in a wheel chair or crutches for 10 days to 3 weeks. Later when we were discussing it we came to the firm belief that his foot had been broken but was healed through the power of the priesthood.
So he is not going home :-) But, our work is still very limited because of his injury since even with me pushing him in a wheelchair there is only so much he can do before the throbbing pain causes him to need a break at our apartment. After a couple days of very little work and being stuck in doors for so long I began to get a little down. Thoughts of 'why' began creeping into my mind. Why do my companions get hurt so often to the point of not being able to work? Why am I usually put with missionaries who are at the end of their mission and enjoy talking about their home plans so much? Why am I stuck in a completely dead area where there have been minimal baptisms since it opened 10 years ago? Why is my family having financial struggles while I am serving as a missionary? Why, why, why so many times over.
Then I was blessed to read exactly what I needed. In my personal study I randomly decided to open up in the bible dictionary and read about King David. There was a small part that told how all his trials in his youth, which dwarf my own trials, prepared him for the throne later in life. When I read this all of the scriptures and talks I have read about trials came flooding into my mind and my heart was changed through this experience. Each of us are preparing for a throne in the Celestial Kingdom which should be our top goal in life, and that is not possible without trials. Joseph Smith said that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things will never build the faith needed to reach exaltation, and he also counselled to be thankful for any trials we are "blessed with". What I am going through now is not only preparing me for the rest of my mission but also for everything after. How can I expect to be a righteous husband, father, and friend when I get back if I do not accept every trial out here with thanks and vigor? According to Bruce R. McConkie we cannot receive exaltation if we are not able to abide by the laws of consecration and sacrifice, so if I shurk any callings I have right now and do not devote myself completely, despite anything else, how can I honestly say I am willing to live those two laws? Realizing all of this and understanding it had a huge impact on me and I feel very grateful that my Father in Heaven has trusted me enough to give me these trials right now, because he will never give me anything I cannot handle. Greater trials means that I am growing and am prepared for greater blessings as well.
Of course there is so much more I want to say but my time is running short and this entry is already really long . Before I get off there is just one quick story I wanted to tell you about the converting power of the Book of Mormon. Our elders quorum president, Brother Hawkins, told this to us yesterday. He said that someone he is working with had some questions about the church so he decided to give him a Book of Mormon to answer those questions (such an incredible member missionary). His friend has been reading it every morning with breakfast for some time now, and has continued to come to him with questions. A couple weeks ago he came up to Brother Hawkins and told him that the Book of Mormon is 'ruining his life, or at least changing it'. He said that since he has been of age he has had a subscription to Playboy, but when it came time to renew it he just couldn't do it and now has a closet full of those magazines he needs to get trash. He also said that he loves going to baseball games and every time he does he grabs a score card and a beer, but this last time he couldn't force himself to buy the beer. He is not a member of the church, and is not even meeting with the missionaries, but the Book of Mormon is changing his life because he continues to study it and pray about it. That can and will happen to anyone who is willing to read from its powerful pages, and I promise it will bring joy to anyone that takes that sacred challenge.
Love,
Elder Inman
Monday, August 9, 2010
Short
Hola,
I do not have much time to email in my new area because our schedule revolves around the bus, so as long as I am in Eldorado my emails will most likely be much shorter. This has been an interesting first week however, so I hope I can still fit in enough to show what my new area is like.
- My new companion and I are getting along pretty well, just not as well as prior companions and I. When we are not out working, times like lunch and at the end of the day, we get along great. We have already had a lot of really fun conversations and met a couple families in the ward who seem pretty cool, but then for some reason we tend to get a little heated when we are actually out working. I feel he is a little pessimistic much of the time, but he keeps saying that I am overly optimistic and unrealistic because I firmly believe this area can pick up and be very successful while he thinks it has a chance of being shut down soon. But I am learning a lot of patience and also am developing far greater humility since I am having to learn to not argue and just let things slide off my back. I think this is going to be a great transfer, or couple of transfers, and am excited to see how I learn and grow as well as how the area changes. He is going home in 4.5 months so there is a possibility I will end up being with him until that time so I need to just push my pride out of the way and enjoy it.
- The rumors I heard about the area being dead are very true. For a long time now the average amount of lessons per week, mostly to less actives, are 4-5 and as of right now we do not have a single investigator. It is also a very small area full of wealthy people so tracting is even less effective then I am used to, and the ward doesn't even have the ward mission plan up and running yet, which is one of the reasons this area might be closed eventually. However I know we are here for a reason, I am just unsure of the reason right now. We have already begun trying to get the ward more excited though, and we are beginning the program we used in Ventana to get the ward excited about missionary work. I am confident this area will improve, but we could still use all the prayers you would like to give us.
- I am happy to report that being in a biking area is actually pretty fun. To my surprise I am still able to out bike my companion, largely due to me having a much better bike, and it feels great to get so much exercise each day. I am told the excitement of biking wears off, but I love it right now.
Well I am already about out of time so I have to go ahead and sign off. I hope all of you are doing great though and I am still sending many prayers your way.
Love,
Elder Inman
I do not have much time to email in my new area because our schedule revolves around the bus, so as long as I am in Eldorado my emails will most likely be much shorter. This has been an interesting first week however, so I hope I can still fit in enough to show what my new area is like.
- My new companion and I are getting along pretty well, just not as well as prior companions and I. When we are not out working, times like lunch and at the end of the day, we get along great. We have already had a lot of really fun conversations and met a couple families in the ward who seem pretty cool, but then for some reason we tend to get a little heated when we are actually out working. I feel he is a little pessimistic much of the time, but he keeps saying that I am overly optimistic and unrealistic because I firmly believe this area can pick up and be very successful while he thinks it has a chance of being shut down soon. But I am learning a lot of patience and also am developing far greater humility since I am having to learn to not argue and just let things slide off my back. I think this is going to be a great transfer, or couple of transfers, and am excited to see how I learn and grow as well as how the area changes. He is going home in 4.5 months so there is a possibility I will end up being with him until that time so I need to just push my pride out of the way and enjoy it.
- The rumors I heard about the area being dead are very true. For a long time now the average amount of lessons per week, mostly to less actives, are 4-5 and as of right now we do not have a single investigator. It is also a very small area full of wealthy people so tracting is even less effective then I am used to, and the ward doesn't even have the ward mission plan up and running yet, which is one of the reasons this area might be closed eventually. However I know we are here for a reason, I am just unsure of the reason right now. We have already begun trying to get the ward more excited though, and we are beginning the program we used in Ventana to get the ward excited about missionary work. I am confident this area will improve, but we could still use all the prayers you would like to give us.
- I am happy to report that being in a biking area is actually pretty fun. To my surprise I am still able to out bike my companion, largely due to me having a much better bike, and it feels great to get so much exercise each day. I am told the excitement of biking wears off, but I love it right now.
Well I am already about out of time so I have to go ahead and sign off. I hope all of you are doing great though and I am still sending many prayers your way.
Love,
Elder Inman
Monday, August 2, 2010
Transpose
Sam, Elder Inman and Elder Thatcher
The really big group is the surprise going away dinner for me and of Course my comp is in there.
The Reitz and me, one of my fave fams
Group pic is my district this last trans(....I'm really wondering about some of the style choices...)
The Haughts and me, another fave fam
- I am being transferred... We got transfer news on Saturday night, and as we were walking to our apartment my companion jokingly said that I will be sent to Eldorado, which is north east Albuquerque.
So finally we got the call about our transfer news and I am being sent to Eldorado, a biking area, with my new companion Elder McCarroll. I was crushed and decided to splurge with some ice-cream and then went strait to bed after praying for the strength to go into the companionship with excitement and an open mind. The next day, of course, was the Sabbath and during testimony meeting the spirit filled me and it was confirmed that the assignment I had received really is inspired and it will help me grow into a better missionary and there are people who need our companionship to grow closer to Christ. It is so much easier to say I have faith when everything is going great, but my faith has grown so much more through a trial as small as this. I am beginning to understand what Joseph Smith Jr meant when he said to be thankful for trials.
- During testimonies Jeremy and his friends who brought him into the church, Brendan, stood up and bore beautiful testimonies. Jeremy testified of the truthfulness of the gospel and about the trials he has gone through because of the severe opposition coming from his family. Last week his Uncle came up to him and handed him some papers for him to sign saying that he will be re baptized Catholic because of his mistake being baptized LDS. Jeremy took the papers and threw them away in front of his uncle and walked away. He said that he felt fine at the time but then later broke down crying because of the pressure he has been receiving. Please say a prayer for him. I know he will be just fine because of his incredible faith, but of course he could still use some prayers.
- Yesterday was my last day with the Ventana Ranch ward as a whole, and it was incredible. It was announced at the pulpit that I was leaving so right after sacrament meeting I was flooded with people saying goodbye and telling me how much they have loved having me in the ward. I felt so much love it surprised me, and it was extremely difficult so say goodbye to everyone, especially as people were crying and kids were running after our car yelling for me to stay. I love this ward so much! The Chavez family invited us over for dinner so we went over at about 5pm last night, and were surprised because decorations were up all over the place, and several tables were set up. They have a lot of kids but not near as many as the chairs that were set up, so we were a little confused. Then about five minutes later people started pouring in and I realized they had set it all up as a going away dinner for me. I had to hold in the tears as I left there realizing I wont be able to see these people I care about so much for at least a couple years.
- And just a real fast side note. This last week I was on an exchange with a brand new missionary, Elder Kamhout. We had a great day of tracting and visiting people on bikes and then right before dinner we had to drive over to an appointment. Since it was his area he drove but he was pretty nervous because he didn't get his license until just 4 months before his mission and he was a pretty bad driver. He glanced into his mirror to change lanes and didn't see the car coming up because it was in his blind stop, then pulled very quickly right into the car. The other person's car was pretty beat up, and ours didn't look great either, but we were blessed because no one was injured. It was a pretty interesting day, and a sad way to break him into the mission life. He is still doing great though.
Well I have to get going so I can say bye to more people and get my packing finished. Its amazing how much STUFF I can accumulate with 6 months in an area. Even though my new area is pretty sad sounding right now I am looking forward to seeing the changes that will take place in it and am already hoping for another 6 month area, at least. I love my mission so much!
Love,
Elder Inman
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