"Going to Miss the -20 Degree Weather"

Elder Moe & Douglass - Their last day as companions. Elder Moe is
leaving for parts unknown...until tomorrow when he finds out.

Nov. 28, 2016

Dear Family,

I hope you all are so exited for the Christmas initiative this year it is going to be so good. I really love that speaker you got me it is so nice when we show the holiday videos. (Every time I spell holiday I have to think about it now because I want to spell it Holladay)

It’s so crazy to see that Dallin and Brad are home! Have they changed a lot? I was telling President that I feel like I have grown the most in this area and with these companions. (Elder Moe is getting transferred, but didn't say where!?) I am going to miss the crud out of Elder Douglass. He is so awesome. I really have grown to love him! He is someone I will definitely hang out with after the mission.

"Mother Mae's! They make us cook our own food!"

This last Sunday we gave talks and taught a Gospel Essentials lesson; it was kinda crazy. That is one thing that is going to be weird about going home. Dad, I will just go with you to all the other church meetings when I get home. Our lesson was on service and we only had a few people there but it was awesome. Something that I shared is how much it means to us as missionaries when people are welcoming and kind when we bring investigators and less actives. That may seem like a little thing, but sometimes it can make or break people’s conversion. I am sure you already do, but please remember that. When you are doing the 25 days of service, or just want to do something awesome, call the missionaries and see if they have anyone you can do something for. That would make their lives, I promise.

The set up in the garage looks awesome! I forgot what the garage looked like...

"Meet Oscar"

It has been snowing like crazy here in Evanston. I like driving in the snow; you just have to drive slower and Ti-Wi never goes off. We had the window open the other night and I felt this cold wet stuff on my head; the next morning when I woke up, the wind was blowing like crazy and it was just pure white outside... I was like we are definitely in Wyoming. I am a little sad I am going to miss the -20 degree weather and the feet of snow, but I am sure Elder Douglass will enjoy it for me. We have to be down in Salt Lake at 4 today and it’s supposed to snow today even more. If we can make it across the Wyoming border, we should be fine though because they salt the roads.

This week I went on exchanges with Elder Her! He is this Hmong kid from California that is super cool. His brother served in the OTM (Oklahoma Tulsa Mission) and said he loved his mission and goes back all the time. That was a proud Oklahoman moment for me.

I love this gospel and this mission. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God

"P-Day in Park City. Elder Bade and I went hiking up a mountain
 and it was kind of raining, so our clothes were in the dryer."

"Park City district meeting. Sister Antunes last one."

"I made a quiche for Thanksgiving breakfast."

Elder Moe & Elder Douglass - Elder Moe on his toes? What?!
He NEVER does that...

Elder Douglass, Zach, Berry and Elder Moe

"Answered My Question on What Hell Was"

November 21, 2016

Dear Family,

Hallelujah I am still a dork! 

This has been an amazing week! 

I am including some journal stuff. Mom your selfie with the screen printer cracks me up. I don't know what’s happening with transfers. I really feel like I am figuring things out, so more than likely, it is my time to go... 

Dad I love your insights about the Book of Mormon. I have been experiencing the same thing as I have read through strait. I am starting to figure out the Book and how it all comes together and it's something I have never appreciated before. I am shooting to finish it and Preach My Gospel 4 times this last year of my mission. You can do it Dad. It'll help with work and it will seem like God will fill up the time you "sacrifice" with blessings and things will happen that are amazing and out of your control.

This week I listened to the talk by Elder Uchdorf (O How Great the Plan of Our God!) from this last conference and wow, I love it. It set me on the path that almost totally answered my question on what Hell was. It also made me think a lot of that judgment day. He talks about how glorious that day will be and also that there would be sorrow for the opportunities of a greater future missed. Those words struck me with the fear of God. It sounds like a negative thing, but it made me want to be better and do better. It filled me with burning desire, motivation and drive to "wake up and do something more"; I am grateful for that. It was not a fear that discouraged me or made me want to quit; it helped me see that I have so much more to go to be ready to stand confidently before my God.

Our miracle this week was "C". He was invited by a neighbor to come to church. The neighbor introduced him to us after sacrament meeting. On the way to gospel principles, our dinner appointment was talking to us and invited "C" to come to dinner as well. We had a lesson at the end of dinner and at the point of the lesson when we told him that he could pray to confirm the truth of the Book of Mormon and restoration he asked, "Can I do it now?" We said absolutely and taught him how to pray. He prayed and accepted the invitation to be baptized the 17 of December. It was a HUGE miracle and a testament to me that God is in charge of this work. We can plan and practice and prepare but there are certain things that are totally out of our control that have to happen for conversion to take place. I am so grateful for a loving Father in Heaven that showers blessings on our heads as we have faith, be obedient and diligent. I love this work with all my heart, might, mind and strength and I know my Savior is changing me.

Sis.Jimenez, Elder Brothers, Trincado, Bade, Douglass,
Sis. Morgan, Elders Taylor and Moe

Journal entries: 

11-20-16

Yesterday was our investigator's baptism! Wow it was super unreal. We went to chapter 12 in Preach My Gospel, and there is a list 1-10 of what a baptismal service should include; we went through it and got something for each. President Hillier is big on doing baptismal services right; he shared: D&C 84:20 - "Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest" and Elder Holland’s quote about baptismal services being the most powerful meeting in the church - Holy cow it totally was. Bro. Ellsworth, our ward mission leader, did the baptizing. We had Megan, an AWESOME recent convert of about 9 months now, give the closing prayer. She had a really powerful conversion and she was super nervous about the prayer. I have no clue why because she has done great at teaching Gospel Principles! When we called her she was like, “Holy cow, I just instantly am nervous; my heart is going a million miles an hour.”  She then was texting us about how she was probably going to drool and speak gibberish. Lol she did great of course. We had Elder Taylor, Elder Bade, Sister Jimenez and Sister Morgan do a musical number and it was awesome! Elders Taylor and Bade and Elders Brothers and Trincado each had an investigator at the baptism! President Hillier showed up out of nowhere. He decided to stop in on his way up to a Stake conference. Elder Douglass and I gave the talks. After the baptism, while we were waiting, we played a video and gave people the opportunity to bear their testimony. Megan got up and it was so sweet!! We asked our newly baptized member as well before hand if she felt comfortable and she got up and bore a powerful testimony that the church was true. She shared her story and talked about how her beliefs have come to where she is now with so much more hope for the future. It was awesome.

I know that she has started to experience conversion. With Preach My Gospel, planning and all that we have learned and become this transfer, I really feel like we taught repentance and baptized a convert and I am so exited and happy for her. 

11-21-16

Yesterday was our newly baptized member's confirmation! It was super cool; we had Bishop confirm her. We invited Bro. Wagstaff to be in the circle because he had taught her on exchanges. Third ward was so awesome! We had an investigator that came for the first time! He has worked with missionaries a few other times and hasn't made it to baptism, but he wants to do it this time and he is on date for Christmas Eve. We had dinner with a family named the Baxters and brother Baxter asked how he could help with this investigator and we told him we were helping the investigator move a couch right after dinner. We had a short lesson with him, and Brother Baxter got his number and invited him to come and sit with the family at church. Bro. Baxter actually happened to be speaking that Sunday based on the conference talk "I Will Bring the Light of the Gospel Into My Home," and it was everything that our investigator needed.  In Gospel Principals, the lesson was the first one in the manual on the nature and attributes of our Heavenly Father. Wow.. 

Love,

Elder Moe

On splits with Elder Her.  His brother served in the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission!

"Nephi's Brothers are Jerks and Laban Got What Was Coming to Him"

Nov. 14, 2016

Dear Family!

I have plenty of time and am going to write a great letter. :) 

Grandma and Grandpa, sorry for not responding to your emails. I love you guys and read your emails this last week but ran out of time to respond. In gospel principals we were talking about sacrifice and one of the questions was about people in our lives who are examples of sacrifice. I couldn't help but think of you two. All that you sacrifice for your kids and grandkids;  you are great examples to me of selflessness. I know that I am so blessed to have you as my grandparents. I remember when you guys babysat me and Grandma told me to do something and I said, like a little punk that I was, "you’re not my Mom"… wow I was a brat. I remember what Grandma said though - "We ARE your parents, just more Grand.” hahah

Preston and Becca, I am glad that you liked your jackets!

This has been an awesome week. There is so much happening right now. We have an investigator that is still on date for this next week and she has been reading the Book of Mormon and keeping her commitments. It was funny and awesome when she explained about what she read - "Nephi’s brothers are jerks and Laban got what was coming to him." LOL She came to a baptism this last week and the statistic is 80% of investigators that attend baptismal services get baptized themselves. "In the ordinances thereof the power of godliness is manifest." When done right, Elder Holland said, baptismal services are the most powerful meeting in the church.

We are teaching a few others that are super solid.

We have had some exiting things happening with another one of our investigators (he is in his 30s)! He was a referral from a family in one of our wards. The father of the family has such a powerful testimony. His wife passed away a few years back and he has come out from that trial so strong. His daughter is coming back as well and she has started coming to church all by herself in these last few weeks.

We had a lesson with them and their referral friend last night. We taught the Word of Wisdom and obedience to Gods commandments. We asked him if he felt like he had received an answer to his prayers about whether or not he should get baptized. He said not yet, but we still had a super powerful lesson. That same night during call-ins, he and his girlfriend texted us about setting a baptismal date!  His girlfriend texted us first and was like "HE IS READY TO SET A DATE!" 

We met with the High Council this past Sunday and talked about the change in the mission having ward focused and stake focused areas. After Elder Douglass and I talked for a while, we decided to focus more on working with our ward and stake leaders. It has been pretty hard, but we have had little miracles that have helped us to gain more trust and work better with our ward and stake leaders.

This is from my journal:

Today we are going on exchanges with Elder Bade and Elder Taylor! Its gonna be sweet. They took over the other half of our area this last transfer so it will be just like going back. I am going to not take over and really see how I can help Elder Bade. Since we switched, he says like once a day people mistake him for me. Lol We must look alike. He is pretty crazy athletic. He taught me how to do a round off yesterday and he can do all kinds of crazy flips! I want him to teach me more this transfer.

We had 5 baptisms in the Summit/Evanston zone this week. We have been blessed with a ton of opportunity lately.

Things that I have learned that I love:

-Planning invites revelation. 

-Finish. Giving up is not an option.

-Being clean feels so good.

-There isn't one thing that has all the answers, but Preach My Gospel is pretty dang close to having it all.

-The Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book on earth and a man will grow nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book.

I know that this gospel is true. We have to exercise faith in our Savior, REPENT, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost and Endure to the end.

Love,

Elder Moe

"I Finished the Book Of Mormom and Preach My Gospel Again"

Evanston/Summit Zone conference

Oct. 31, 2016

Dear Family,

It has been a great week! I feel like we are finally getting on our feet!! Park city is so different from Evanston and we hear that it is hard to be diligent when half your day is spent at the Family Tree. We are trying to motivate inspire and minister.  

We had a zone conference on Tuesday here in Evanston and the new zone is working great! Members and missionaries are going to be coming together a lot more in our mission and other surrounding missions. I will explain more in following emails. It has been neat focusing on only 3 wards. We had the Star Valley temple dedication this Sunday and it was so cool. Sister Bednar is from Star Valley and Sister Ballard is from Cokeville. Elder Bednar asked sister Ballard to get up and bear her testimony and she got super emotional. 

Elders Moe & Douglass

I finished the Book of Mormon and Preach My Gospel again this morning. Again, I know that they are both inspired by God. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to preach this gospel. I feel like Ammon in saying that I can not say the smallest of how I feel. I feel like Alma and Amuleck and so many others as they boldly and powerfully call others to repentance.

I am so sorry for how short the letter is. I love you!

Evanston/Summit Zone

Nov. 7, 2016

Dear Family,   

This week has been amazing. Brother Donaldson, the Mission President in the San Antonio mission in district 2, came and did training in our mission. He knows President and Sister Hillier. It has changed my mission and my life. I feel like while on my mission, I have been just waiting for that day. He talked to us about The Doctrine of Christ, the Book of Mormon, Preach My Gospel, teaching skills and so much else. It was so amazing. My words are falling super short. I feel like a pillar of light has descended into my mission and I have been revealed a book that has been buried in my bag. It has the answers. It has the things I have been searching for. I feel like in this last week I have been able to tell the Lord at the end of the day that I have given it my all; that I worked my hardest. I know the Book of Mormon is SO true - 2 Nephi 33

   

Hey Preston,  I love you so much, and Becca, you still can’t do a pull up. Mom and Dad, I love you and hope you see a different son when I get home. I am so blessed.

   

The Book of Mormon Is true. I know it and I know that God knows it.

Love,

Elder Moe

We did some sheetrock demo as a district! I had a lot of sheetrock boogers.