November 24

One of the recent converts here is a great woman. No one else in her family really believes in God. But this week when we stopped by she told us her son has gained an interest on the subject, which is a major change from before. When Elder Kofoed was here the two of them a long debate about the whole thing, and at first he didn't have a belief. So there's some hope for him.

One of the families had us over for dinner, and had us teach their 8 year old the restoration. They want him to have a good idea of what he's doing when he gets baptized. The family has a really good sense of humor, they were fun. After our lesson, the mom talked to us and told us she was a convert to the church, & that her parents & siblings are anti, and kinda rude too. She doesn't know if any of them will come to her son's baptism, but there might be a chance. She did bring her kids to their rock-band church, so I think they owe her a visit as well.

We met a crazy biker guy. He offered us some beer. He said, "I guess there's nothing wrong with drinking, I guess Christ & his apostles were all partiers." He also disagreed that Prophets wrote the Bible by the Holy Ghost, he told us the Holy Spirit himself wrote the Bible. Yeah, he was nuts.

One less-active had us share scriptures with their son about why it's not good to lie. 2NE 9:34 "Wo unto the liar, for he shall be thrust down to hell." popped in my mind, but I decided not to use that scripture. He might not've understood everything we said, but I think he learned a lesson.

The ward is still adjusting having a new bishop. Another thing, this ward is lacking in priesthood, we pretty much always bless. Before the sacrament our new counselor told the ward, "We will be pleased to have to the sacrament administered to us by the young men, & Bishop Brown," (the former bishop, who was also passing.)

Also our new bishop walked in combined 3rd hour, looking a little distressed said to himself "where's bishop?"

Well, I hope you had a great week. I'll talk to you soon.

Love,

Elder Candland

P.S. Sorry, no pictures this week.

P.P.S. I found a great thanksgiving scripture. It's in Psalm 100:4

November 18

Sorry I wasn't here yesterday. We had our have mission training with Elder Nash. Except he couldn't come, he had an emergency call, & had to be somewhere else. So instead we heard from President Jacobsen, his wife, the assistants, & a couple mission leaders.

At the end, President Jacobsen shared one of his pet-peeves, he said we should never refer to Christmas as xmas. Satan is trying to take Christ out of Christmas, so we should not forget who's Holiday this is for. Also we'll be getting some Christmas pass-along cards, with a link to a video.

We had to drop off the car to finally get it repaired, from when we hit a deer. After we got hit by it, we didn't get the car back until a month later & it still wasn't repaired. So that meant we had to take care of it. And now the other car that's being rotated got put in the shop, so now no one has a car. Which is fine, because now we get to contact people we see on the streets.

I bought some toll house cookie dough to smooth things over with a family that got just a little upset, but I accidentally burned the cookies, which I was sad about. But they're not bad when you take a steak knife to them & sand off the bottom.

We helped one of the members' son set up his second barbershop in town. It looks absolutely amazing & classy. I have to send you some pictures if I get the chance.

Elder Peterson & I get to teach our top investigator again this week. When we walked in he was playing Destiny, & he's telling us about how much he liked it. So of course I had to tell him. Now he want's me to tell you that you did a great job on the game.

Anyway. We taught the Restoration, & he really liked it. He's such a great listener, and he understands & agrees with everything we teach. He already told us he knows the Book of Mormon is true, from reading on verse.

We got him to church Sunday, & he loved it. We had a high counselman say a few things that were pretty deep in gospel principles, but he had no problem with it. It was great the high counselman was there, he had other great things to say.

Just got the conference Ensign. I love the quote from Henry B. Eyring "Human judgment and logical thinking will not be enough to get answers to the questions that matter most in life. We need revelation from God." There's a people we come across that don't get that, it makes so much sense though.

It's been a great week.

Fri morning we saw snow outside (sticking) It melted later that day, but we're getting more, and it's saying on the ground. Looks like winter's here.

Glad to hear from all of you, enjoy the cooler season.

Love,

Elder candlad

November 10

This has been a good busy week.

We cleaned out a couple of older members gutters. It needed to be done, especially before the snow comes & it's too late.

Wednesday I was with Elder Jeppson on a trade-off. We stopped by one of our most promising potential investigators. We talked with him for a little bit, but then we had to get going, so we set a return appointment for 5.

We taught the plan of salvation, and drew it out for him. He really appreciates art, so I was sure to make it look really nice. He liked everything about the plan. As we're wrapping things up I decided to bear my testimony on God being a literal, and very real person, and that as we show faith that we are talking to Him through prayer, we can be more receptive to His answers. I felt the spirit, and when I looked at our new investigator, I could tell he did too.

I'm really excited to see him again this week.

We saw another potential the next day, but I think her intentions where to show the error of our ways. We did ask if she want's to read the book of Mormon, and she said no. If we get another chance to see her, I think we'll explain more to them about what the book of Mormon is. Maybe when they know enough about it, they'll want to read it.

Poor Elder Peterson. We had members order little Ceasars for us, but for some reason when we went to pick it up they asked for $16. So without a second thought, he reached into his pocket and handed him his card. I did offer to pay for some of the pizza, but he said that that's ok. So I don't know what'll happen. He's poor as it is this month.

Sunday we had a surprise visit from the stake presidency. They called a new Bishop & counselors. They're good members, it'll be nice working with them.

Later that evening we attended a memorial service for a lady who had passed away. She has 5 children, 25 grandchildren, and 45 great-grand children. And I'm pretty sure they're all active. It's pretty amazing to see the outcome of her choice to be a member of the church when she was in her late teens.

I hear we're supposed to get some snow this week. They say there's a snow storm on it's way down toward us. Not too excited about that, but hey, I'm sure there'll be some good stories to tell.

It's always good to hear from you. I hope you have a good week.

Love,

Elder Candland

November 3

Looks like you're really enjoying Paris. It looks pretty cool.

Elder Peterson & I caught a cold this week, it was bad enough that needed to stay indoors a few days, so this week no much happened.

On our pday we played Chinese checkers with some members. It was fun, although I could tell the lady I was playing against was pretty upset when I beat her.

Tues we helped an older couple rake their yard. There were tons of leaves. probably a good 300 - 500 pounds.

When we were with bishop we visited a woman who needed groceries, so we went shopping with bishop & got her some basic foods. She seemed super grateful, & told us she would be very happy to hear more from us about the restoration of the church.

Yeah, that's about all the excitement of this week. Actually Halloween we spent at a members home. Their son handed out candy with a mask on, & made a bellowing, maniacal laugh as the kids were leaving. Elder Peterson & I were laughing a lot that night.

Also, I found this scripture for Adam. Pro.18:22

Have a great week! Hope everyone enjoys the cooler weather.

Love,

Elder Candland

October 27

Elder Peterson & I got pumpkins from some members. So P-day, we sat out on our balcony & carved out jack-o-lanterns. (kinda) I'll send you pictures.

The ward isn't going to have a Halloween party, just trunk or treating. It's a lot easier to do for a small ward. But oh well. I'm sure there will be some families will come for that.

We went to a less actives home with some members. She was perfectly frank about how we'd love to see them at church. She commented on how much this guy knew about past missionaries, she said, "Wow, you're an answer to my prayers, you could be the new ward mission leader!"

Before we left we mentioned how bishop told us if they came to church that we would have a ward potluck before trunk or treating. He laughed at that, said he would try to be there.

They didn't come. Actually, we ended up seeing them again with another member. He gave him a lot of grief, it was pretty funny. As we left the member said, "See you at church sunday!"

There's an other members here who's such a funny guy. He's the guy that builds his own costumes for conventions. He told us the song, white & nerdy, is a song about him.

Anyway, he fed us this week. He made us these massive sausage spheres with a deviled egg in the middle. They were great! 

We watched the primary kids program during sacrament meeting. It was great as usual :) & we saw a lot of people come to see it.

We have a new less active we're visiting. She's a student at a community college, who grew up in Nevada. She seems pretty cool. She told us that she was going to some other churches nearby, but that she didn't like them, and her mom recommended she call us. She seems pretty excited to come to church.

That's my week. Other than that we did some service here and there.

Also just thought I'd let you know that Nov 18 we're seeing Elder Nash, By Faith All Things Are Fulfilled - Marcus B. Nash

Enjoy the trip in Paris! & Happy Halloween!

Love,

Elder Candland

October 20

I just read Alma 20 this morning. I love that story. That's now one of my favorite chapters. Ammon is such a Boss!

Elder Peterson did an interview for a couple getting baptized in the other Elder's area. I've met them once before. They are both going to be awesome members. Actually, they were baptized yesterday, so the are already awesome members.

The ward mentioned a service project at a trailer home park, helping people get ready for the winter. It was actually a project set up by another church. Elder Peterson & I where the only 2 members of our church there. I guess some members were worried it was going to rain. Though, pretty much all we did was staple sheets of plastic to the inside of the trailer windows.

We taught our investigator around college campus the plan of salvation, sorta. People our investigator knew kept passing by and saying hi, so we didn't end up finishing the lesson, but he's still doing great.

As I expected, neither of us got transferred. Both of us get at least another 6 weeks together.

Sorry, not much happened this week. There were a few evenings we talked to some family's for a while before we got back to the apartment, since it gets dark so early. But yeah, that's about it.

Looks like you had a busy week.

It's always good to here from you. I hope you have another great week!

Love,

Elder Candland

October 13

Elder Peterson & I have been praying that we'll find someone to teach. Yesterday, as we were fasting we found 2 great people to teach, one of them we pretty much already taught the restoration to. My testimony of prayer has been strengthened out here.

While we're knocking on doors, Elder Peterson & I see a cat going into a bush. What is that cat doing? I thought. Then we see a tiny mouse run out of the bush. The cat reaches over, grabs it, puts it in his mouth, & walks off. Both of us thought that was awesome.

That same day we approach a couple's yard. We start talking to the wife, & the husband tells us Keep on walking. Then the wife apologizes saying her husband is catholic, then tells her husband to be nice. He didn't listen & kept telling us to move on. "Don't listen to him." his wife said. Eventually she knew he wasn't going to change his mind, so all we could do is tell them to have a nice day & move on.

Tuesday on our trade offs, I accidentally locked the keys in the car. So we called the vehicle coordinator, and he told us he would be there as soon as he can. 45 minutes later, he unlocked the car for us, gave us a hug, and drove out somewhere else, I think he mentioned a couple other Elders in distress. But anyway, I guess you're probably not to surprised that happened to me.

We had Elder Hamula come to our stake conference this weekend.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/the-sacrament-and-the-atonement?lang=eng

I had the chance to shake his hand, which is always cool :) He talked about how we shouldn't criticize any of our leaders, but that we should head to what they tell us, because they are servants of the lord. When we criticize them, we talk about nothing new. We all make mistakes. And when we talk about their flaws, we show how flawed we are. He also talked about family history. How are we supposed to teach our ancestors in the spirit world, if we don't know who they are? I did take notes on it, but I can't remember much more than that. He seems like a great guy.

One thing I like about the Book of Mormon is how clearly it explains that we'll be judged according to our works. Some churches don't believe that. The scripture I found is Alma42: 13-15, 22-23. I love the language of this scripture, as well as the language of the rest of the book.

Hope you are doing well, have a great week!

Love,

Elder Candland

October 6

Hi everyone! This has been an exciting week for us, a lot has happened.

Tuesday we talked to a Jehovah's Witness. We had set up a return appointment with her, which gave her time do some research on us, which is always good. We started off with a good conversation, but it escalated quickly. It was probably the most intense bible bash I witnessed. I could tell Elder Peterson was getting upset. She told us how we believe in the trinity, after he explained the godhead, like 3 times. She also wasn't willing to read the book of Mormon, so we weren't getting anywhere. If there's anything I learned, it's that although it may seem the conversation is going somewhere, in the end a Bible bash does not help anyone.

Last week I mentioned how there was a family we helped put in insulation for. When that was done we put up some dry-wall on the ceiling, which is really hard. Us 2 Elders held the dry wall up, & stood on a couple latters, while guy we're helping screwed it into the rafters. We were a huge help. We're all really happy to see his dining room come together.

I had a trade off with the Zone leaders in Lansing. That Was fun. I got to see Brian Scott, my former investigator in Saginaw (AKA Michigan's #1 semi-pro MMA fighter). I guess Elder Davis helped him move into Lansing. I just happened to be on a trade off when they scheduled to see him. Pretty cool, we had a good lesson.

I liked Meet the Mormons. It's definitely going to help out with resolving some myths about the church. It's funny, emotional, & educational, there were a lot of good parts. There's at least one character that relates to everyone. I think a lot of non-members will like it.

I loved this general confereence. My favorite talks where given by Elder Uchtdorf, Elder Holland, & Elder Bednar. I think they're my favorite speakers. I'm definitely going to use the talk by David A. Bednar in my Missionary work. It explains so much about us.

Last night we saw a bee buzzing around in our apartment. Elder Peterson took an empty paper towel roll & nailed it. It hit the wall & fell to the ground. It was still moving, so we trapped it in a mason jar & froze it. Then we tied a thread around it. At that point we were expecting it to start moving around, but I think we killed it. So Elder Peterson taped him to some paper & framed him on the wall.

It's been a good week.

Love you all,

Elder Candland

1. some wood structure (I had a double take as we're passing by this person's house.)

2. Cadillac ATS factory

3. Lansing Courthouse