Jan 19 2015

I love being a Missionary!!!

This week was transfers, it's different without Elder Fontes, but I'm so excited to get to serve with Elder Coggins. We're stoked to be together and serve in Rigby!!!

We had an awesome experience with a family who is housing a Foreign Exchange Student. Her name is Harper. She's 16 & from Thailand.  She's so sweet.  We went to the Temple and watched "Meet The Mormons" at the Visitors Center.  We asked the VC Sisters if they had a Thai Book of Mormon and they did!  We asked Harper if that is the language she knew from home and she got excited and said yes!  Then we told her that she could have it.  She got soooo excited!  She started looking through the pages and had a huge smile on her face.  The Sisters came back and gave us the first 3 lesson pamphlets in Thai as well and Harper got even more excited.  As we waited for the movie to begin she was looking through them reading all about the Plan of Salvation and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  She looked so happy, it was awesome to see! 

We watched the movie (and it was even more awesome the 2nd time!)  I love "Meet The Mormons" i hope you all take your friends again!

After the movie we were mingling in the VC.  We had the idea to ask the VC Sisters if they had the Christus recording in Thai and they did!  We sat there with Harper listening to the Christus in her native tongue.  She had a smile on her face looking down listening to the words.  At one point she looked up quickly and starred at the Marble Christ.  She said she loved the part when He told us to love all our Brothers and Sisters.  We asked her if we could teach her more and she said YES! 

We are so excited to be able to teach Harper.  It's such a blessing to find someone from the other side of the world here in Rigby that we can share the Restored Gospel of Our Savior with.

My heart was so happy.

I am so excited for this new transfer and all the blessings ahead.

Sorry for the Short Email

I love you all 

Stoked to Serve

Elder Soren

Serving in Rigby 2015

Transfers next week.

This week was awesome!  It continues to snow, with piles of it everywhere.  I love snow but its getting to the point that its almost like sand.  It's everywhere. haha

We've been working hard this week and have seen blessings as the Zone recommitted themselves to work.  We doubled our efforts and have been doing awesome in the Rigby Zone. 

Sometimes I get hard on myself about the work but i find a lot of success helping other missionaries in my assignment as a leader.  We got to have a great study with some of the sister missionaries who are struggling a little.  We helped them with their concerns and talked it out with them.  It's amazing to get to know the missionaries we serve, as we do investigators.  Learning about them and their life stories and the righteous desires of their heart.  Helping them in any way we can in fulfilling those desires.  We set goals with them on how to improve, where needs work, and love them.  As we have done this there has been a great change in the Zone.  We literally doubled the success this week and there are a lot of great things that will be happening this month including baptisms. 

I love it!

We got transfer calls this week.

Elder Fontes will be leaving and going to Idaho Falls.  It's weird, 4 1/2 months together, i don't know how i feel.  I think the reality of it hasn't hit yet and will once he's gone.  I think I've learned more than i ever have these past 4 months with him.  & we've had so many blessings.  More blessings prob in my whole mission here in Rigby in the short time together. My testimony has grown so much and so have I. 

My new companion will be Elder Coggins.  He served as one of our District Leaders in Pocatello.  Elder Bebee and I made him a Zone Leader and now were gonna be companions!  He's awesome and i know we will do great together!  

It's gonna be different but I'm excited.  Change is good and bad, it's our attitude towards Change that, we accept the Lord's opportunity to repent and change to be more like him. 

I know this new transfer will be an opportunity to change and grow as everyday is when you are on the errand of the Lord. 

Blessings to be a missionary.  Thanks to God for His love. 

I hope you all had a great Holiday Season and hopefully are excited for this new year ahead. I wish that we all look forward to what's coming and respond to the opportunities of the new year that the Lord brings with haste. 

I love you all and pray for you daily.

Stoked to Serve 

Elder Soren :)

We spent a lot of time with the families we have been able to develop great friendships with and a love for & as Elder Fontes says his good byes, these are some of the people we get to see each week and teach them more about the Gospel.

The Francia family

Darlyn Fox, Shaun and Bryan

The Hassests' our new Ward Mission Leaders

the Priests in the 7th ward

the Jones family

the Neilsons'

the Richins' Family
(Son to my left going to New Zealand, Wellington Mission)

Carol Getsinger

Rocky's Baptism! Happy NEw YEars

This week went by way too quick. Since it dumped snow Christmas Eve things have been a lot colder. Snow Everywhere!. It's fun tho! it makes things a lot more exciting and fun. 

My email today is short but sweet.

Rocky Williams was baptized this week. We've been working with Rocky since i got here. Rocky is legally blind. He is soooo awesome! The whole town of Rigby knows him and loves him. He goes around town riding his 3 wheeled bicycle. We love teaching him and being able to hear all of his awesome stories. He loves Christ and his faith is so strong. He always had things holding him back. For a year there has been missionaries working with Rocky. Mostly Sisters. One of the Sisters that previously taught him is back in Rigby and made it happen. Rocky has taken the next step in his life to be baptized. It was an amazing baptism. 144 people attended his baptism. The spirit there was so strong. I am so excited for Rocky and his decision to be baptized.

I am seeing miracles each day as we work hard and trust God.

Transfers are coming up soon. I'm praying that nothing changes. I love Rigby and the Zone. They are like family to me. 

I hope you all had a warm Holiday Season!

Love you much miss you more

Stoked to Serve 

Elder Soren