YOLOSTONE

Didn’t email last week because we went to Yellowstone Park the whole day. It was sooo beautiful. So much wildlife and scenery. We went with Grandpa Glenn from Rigby. It was a blast. I know it may seem like i have to much fun on my mission but it's important to relieve stress. Work hard play hard. It definitely helps a lot. We only get to go to Yellowstone once on our mission so we had to take it up since it's so close. We had a good time there, Buffalo, Hot Pools, Geysers, Elk so many awesome things to see. 

The Work has been really good. We were able to teach a ton this week. We had dinner with Trent Lee and his wife Nikki and their little 5 week-old baby, Rowdy. The one we gave a blessing to a few weeks ago. He’s home from the Hospital now and is getting stronger. We were so happy to hear they could take him home and that we could have dinner with them at the Dayton’s. It was such a special night. We had a great Gospel Discussion after dinner and now Trent wants us to come over every Tuesday and Friday to teach him. "Miracles"…. We have dinner again with them tomorrow night at the Dayton’s and we really look forward to going. I love this family. Trent is rough around the edges, but has such a good heart. His son’s birth changed his perspective on life and he has the desire to have a better life for his family. THE GOSPEL BLESSES FAMILIES. 

We got a phone call this week, a Brother Hansen who just moved with his family from Oregon. He said they have a foreign exchange student living with them who is leaving in a week back to Germany. She wants all the lessons before she goes. He told us how she had a very Spiritual experience when the family visited the Boise Temple. She told us there was just an over whelming feeling that came upon her. It brought tears to her eyes and made her heart pound. She thought something weird was happening to her but when she found out she wasn’t the only one that was feeling that way, when they told her it was the Spirit she was so happy.

Her name is Nadine she’s 18, we’ve seen her everyday for a week sometimes even twice a day. She just soaks everything up and wants more! We took her to a baptism on Saturday and she said when the men were confirming the little girl she felt the Spirit touch her heart, similar feelings to the experience she had at the Boise Temple. God blessed us with her just to teach her the Gospel to take back home.  She wants to be baptized when she gets back to Germany. She’s so awesome! We have a lesson with her tonight and tomorrow. She’s gold. She was also impressed with President Uchtdorf's English. Of course we had to show her our German Apostle... lol

Things are so good in the Valley. The Lord has been teaching me so many wonderful lessons, especially while training. I am so grateful for all the times he tests us, and i have felt the joy from passing through those tests with Patience. I know that patience is truly a virtue. It’s not easy but it's worth it. 

I am so grateful for the patience of my parents.  It’s such a crazy experience. i feel like a parent haha. I feel like my mom sometimes i even say some of the things she would tell us. "Can you clean your stuff."  "WAKE UP its 6:30!"  i even said this one once, "There are too many things i need to do right now i don’t have time to stress about that!" hahahahhahahah. It’s such a good learning experience. I already knew my mom was right growing up, but mom you were right.... haha

The Lord always delivers us from the trials we face and once they are over we are so much stronger. 

President Hancock comes in today, excited for the Spirit he will bring

Love the mission.

Stoked to Serve 

Elder Soren

with Grandpa Glenn from Rigby

Lunch :)

the sister missionary is from Hilo, reppin 808 State

Rigby Missionaries. I miss Rigby!

Driggs Week 3

This week was pretty awesome! We found 2 new families that we are going to start teaching regularly this week. They are both awesome families. Elder Johnson and I have been praying to find and teach more families and the Lord has blessed us! 

We met a recent convert who moved here with her family, Sister Sheline. She has 2 kids and her husband works on the cargo ships in Somalia. He was a Navy Seal and now gets hired to protect the ships from the pirates! It's soo rad. Sister Sheline told us about her conversion story. It was soo awesome. She is the sweetest Sister ever. She told us about her feelings of light and love as she was learning more about the Gospel. 

        She told us about how she was apprehensive to tell her husband because he was inactive at the time. But she had courage and was baptized and now their goal as a couple is to be sealed in the temple. The Spirit was very Strong as she told us her story. She also told us how her parents were here the other week and she got to be a missionary to them. She said, "even though they believe differently than I, I did my best to help them understand.  When I knew they were coming I started to study for them and tried to find answers and things I could share with them.  I expected this glorious moment where it would click with them and they would feel the way i do, that wasn't the case.”  She said they asked her questions that she didn’t know the answers to.  What she said was so special, especially for only being in the church a few months. "I don’t know the answer to your questions but I do know that it is true and the way I feel is right."  Her faith was unwavering, especially even when her parents questioned her beliefs. I felt a very sweet spirit when she described this. 

I am so grateful to be able to meet such amazing people here. Their testimonies definitely strengthen mine. There are so many Faithful members here.

Last Sunday i experienced something pretty awesome. It was Fast and Testimony Meeting in our new wards. As missionaries we bare our testimonies each Fast Sunday. I’ve done this ever since Elder Duano my trainer told me to go up that first nerve racking Fast Sunday being a new missionary. For some reason those feelings of nervousness were back as I sat in the pews this past Sunday. It was weird. I’ve done this a million times, 3 - 4 times every Fast Sunday. Why am nervous? I sat in the front waiting for my turn wondering if i should just pass this Fast Sunday, a lot of different thoughts came into my mind. But I said a little prayer in my heart and moved up to the podium.  From the moment I made the decision to leave the bench, is when I felt the enabling power of the Atonement give me strength. I bore a confident testimony to the members of the Victor 2nd ward. I felt a complete difference as I concluded in the name of Christ. I felt the Saviors strength help me accomplish what I needed to do. 

I learned a lot from this experience. I realized that the Atonement is something that gives us power to DO. But it doesn't always work if we are not willing to do. Only until we take the first step, acting on our Faith and trusting that He will guide us, is where this power enables us to accomplish the task ahead. If we sat on the bench and waited for someone or something to push us we would never experience this, and we could be sitting a long time and the opportunity to learn a life lesson will pass. Confidence comes from knowing that the Savior has descended below all things and has risen above all things. We may have confidence in our selves to do some things, "But in the Strength of the Lord we can do ALL things." 

Action is what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about. Even when we don’t fully understand, or "Know all the answers". When we exercise Faith and act, that is where we see our selves doing things that we thought were never possible. All things are possible because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 

Now we can’t just take someone’s word for it, we must, "experiment upon my words" to know for yourself. 

I love this quote I read from President Kimball, 
"Real intelligence is the creative use of knowledge, not merely an accumulation of facts."

As we use the knowledge we have in a creative manner, we come to gain a testimony of truth, of whichever principal or action we act upon.

This is what came to mind as I pondered and studied this week. It’s been a while since I’ve rambled on about my thoughts. I hope my words may be of some benefit to your week, if it's false thennn pray about it. haha

Love you all from Driggs, ID

Stoked to Serve 

Elder Soren

         cheesee missionary/view of nature photo

Elder Lui- from Utonga/ Utah

Getting to know Driggs

This week was a rollercoaster, so many ups and downs so many learning experiences. There are so many people who are ready to be taught. Since we got here I’ve just put everything in the Lords hands because i knew i couldn’t do this by my self. There has been so many miracles that happened this week. 

We had Zone conference this week. It’s President Brinkerhoff’s last conference. He goes home at the end of the month, along with most of all my mission friends, like Elder Duano, Elder Thomas, Elder Jones. It was pretty sad to know they are all going. It’s been such a great experience serving with all these Elders. 

Our new mission president is, President Hancock, from Arizona. He comes in the first week of July. So he will be my mission president for 3 months.

We got a Voicemail this week letting the mission know who the new assistant to the President is and its Elder Fontes. We served in Rigby together for 4 1/2 months. i was so proud for him and excited for him. He is happy and determined to help the new mission president get adjusted. I’m so happy for him!

This week we had some awesome experiences. We had a really awesome lesson with the Barnes Family. Rod Barnes asked a lot of good questions and even told us about 2 very spiritual experiences where he has felt the holy ghost. As he described how he felt the spirit in the room was so strong. I really love the Barnes family they are so amazing. 

After Zone Conference we went and gave a little 3 week old baby a blessing. One of the members in our ward has been working with his friend Trent Lee, i think i mentioned him in the last email. But they’re Non members and their son is in the NICU. We walked into the room where all these little babies were in incubators and other types of beds. It was so sad to see all these little babies struggling to hang in there :( we talked to Trent’s wife Nikki about what the priesthood was and how the blessing works and taught her a little bit of what’s going on. Rowdy the little boy was wrapped up in a blanket sleeping. He is struggling with getting some of the medicine that his mom was taking, out of his system. We laid our hands on his sweet head and gave him a blessing of healing. His mama was crying and the Spirit was definitely strong. We just got word today that he is doing a whole lot better and we are now having dinner with His parents and Brother Dayton tomorrow to see if we can start teaching them. This was such a special experience.  

Elder Johnson is doing well. He is learning a lot and growing everyday. He is already really good at talking with everyone and random people we see. He knows how to be sociable with anyone and especially the members. I’m learning so much from him and am excited to see what happens these next few months. 

I am so happy to be a tool in the Lords hands willing and ready to do the things he asks of us. 

Today for pday we went to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and went on a hike with Elder Thomas before he goes home in 2 weeks. soooo crazy. The Hike was super fun. The Grand Tetons are so beautiful. I am so grateful for all of our Heavenly Fathers creations. We are so lucky to live on such a beautiful earth. 

Stoked to Serve 

Elder Soren

The Grand Tetons

District with Elder Thomas (his last two weeks)

with Elder Johnson

Me and Elder Thomas, one last time…or not
see you in Hawaii :)

Driggs Week 1

This week was great. Elder Johnson and i been able to figure out most of our area and feel pretty confident with getting through the White wash. We have been able to contact all of our investigators and have lessons with them. We have met with all the bishops and ward mission leaders. We have set goals and established expectations for the work in the wards. We feel that we are caught up to speed with everything and things are headed in the right direction.

Elder Johnson and i had our first baptism together this Saturday for Olivia Dayton! We taught her the last few lessons she needed and got everything set up for the baptism! It went really well the spirit was so strong there. Olivia's mom and step mom attended and they are both non-members. I hope and pray that the spirit touched them. I know it did because it filled the room. We hope to see if we can start teaching her step mom soon.

We both volunteered to speak in our wards so that the members could get to know us. Yesterday we spoke in our Victor 1st ward. Elder Johnson did such a great job for his first talk on his mission. I was so proud of him and how even though he was nervous he did his best and it went very well. He has been sharing a lot more during lessons and has a great personality that relates to those we teach. 

I am doing well, the first week was pretty stressful but things have settled and everything has been great i am confident in my assignments and i pray that the Lord will lead and guide me to fulfill them.

Something one of the members told us, was "how important our missions are because this is the time when God teaches us who we really are. And who he needs us to be. We also come to know who the Savior is." i have found this to be so true. 

i have definitely seen this, this past few days. The Lord has been molding me and teaching me so many things about my self. And there is so much that i have learned from Elder Johnson. 

I am excited for this transfer and this opportunity to learn all the Lord needs me to learn.

Stoked to Serve 

Elder Soren

Elder Johnson's 1st week