Alma 29:9

Alma 29:9
I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Keep smiling


So this past week has been a rollar coaster. Problems with my comp and a member and she told me she was calling pres. that night. My companion wasn't speaking to me because he seemed to be mad at me so i went and asked my ZL who is in our ward as well this was sunday, and he called pres and warned him and then told my comp. Well he got all pissed at me said i went behind his back when he wasn't talking to me. Kinda all a funny situation and it all seems to be my fault for some reason. Just drama that i didn't know i would have to deal with. Got all cleared up tho just wished it didn't have to be all my fault, like everything else is with this comp.
other than that the work has been pretty good. We have alot of appointments and it just seems to be going from this person to that person and hopefully not too late haha. Some people are stubborn other's are not. None seem to come to church tho. Frustrating when that happens. People may think i am not doing anything cause i have only had one baptism but i don't really care in the number's portion of mission work. Maybe i seem to be here for the wrong reasons for some. I think i am here mostly for myself. To change my life and to make those goals that i need for life. The more important one's anyways. You accomplish that by helping other people. Telling others about the gospel message strengthens your own testimony.
I like what it has done for my life and i can't think of stuff to say right now. I am trying to just get me to say more than i have been. It is prolly the hardest thing i have done in my life. Talking to people. Sometimes ya just don't want to do it. it is hard to get me to say stuff. I hate that if i get to speak i have to talk over someone to get something in. That is just what i don't do.
Glad to hear about everyone's week.
I talked to Elder Kerby dad and he said that his dad served in Colombia so how did you know him. I think he is really close to going home but not sure.
No one that is exciting news to talk about this week. At least i can't think off the top of my head right now.
Thanks for the food advice. I have eaten all those things haha. I get fed alot tho i just can't cook anything for myself that tastes good.
Thanks for the letter and next week might include some pics of a baseball game! i think i am going to be disobedient and go to a game. tired of all this so next week i won't write on p-day and i will just go to the baseball game next thursday and write ya then haha
Keep smiling everyone

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Hi y'all


It's me. I know i need to be more myself but it is hard. Last transfer i know i was trying to be the "missionary me" which i guess isn't that bad but i know it is not who i want to be. Another thing tho is i don't know all of me yet. That sounds weird but i am still trying to figure out who i really am and who i want to become. Alot of my desires were worldly things before and the mission is for sure changing that. My desires are changing and it is a little tough to get adjusted and not lose who i was before at least the good things. It is weird tho, i feel like alot of the times before my mission i could just get people to like me. I don't feel like i did anything spectacular, like shooting for example. I never felt like that was anything spectacular and everyone liked me for it. It is kinda the same way here. Everyone just seems to like me. I don't know what i am doing but it just happens. That is one quality about myself that i don't know where it comes from. There are those that i can tell don't like me as much but you get those everywhere and i just am trying to work hard.
Before this companion, i didn't really know how to tell you the honest truth. I don't want to blame it on my companions but i am a new person and everyone just told me i knew what to do. not until this transfer did someone actually tell me what to do. I know what to do now and i just need to work on getting things to tumble out. I still have a hard time teaching. My mind goes blank when i get in someone's home and it is easier to let someone else talk. I love this gospel but i have a hard time explaining things still. I know i shouldn't and hopefully it will come. As i study more for what i am doing that day it helps. That is something i hear never seems to come but for the older one's it seems to come so i think it might come with time but i know i have to put effort in.
Something i wished i had was an ipod with all that church crap on it. I feel like i could study a little better cause i could just pretty much google something with the church stuff. Don't take for granted them computers cause they come in handy. I find tho when you use the resources that the church has it is easier. Also them object lessons. They work good. Maybe you can think of some and send me ideas. I wand to start to make those and get to using them cause it is better for me to teach and i think it is better for the people i teach as well.
This week that tatoo guy i told ya about kinda dropped us but not really. He just said it has to come on his time, which it does. They did thank us for bringing that peace in their lives again which made me happy cause that is what the gospel does is bring peace so i think we were as successful as we could be. And his wife came to church with the little girl they have which shows super good improvement. He will come around eventually i know that. I think everyone will eventually. They just got to or i guess we won't be seein them haha.
We have been trying to get things going through the members and it is fun. We have been doing alot of service, one has been digging a hole. That was nice i should get some pictures from Elder Schaap next week cause i don't take them as often as i should. I need to do better but i want to get them from my comps as well and stick them on this hard drive!
Today we went laser tagging! that was super fun. Good work out. I sucked at it but oh well! had a good time. I think we are going to try paint balling next transfer, gotta try everything once haha.
Bed bugs like never go away once you got them mara, just don't. Annoying x@#&% anyway. I have been getting bit on my hand the past couple of nights. I am in a corner so i think that is where i am getting them and my comp doesn't want to change the room around. Whatever i guess. I only have two weeks left in that apartment prolly.
Crazy but i will not be considered green after this next week. 6 months goes by fast.
so christmas lights. Well it was the first call out night. Fawcett locked us three in their room. We were kinda wrestling and he got the door to where we couldn't open it. then he started to axe through the door ways. While we were wrestling they shot a bottle cap on a water bottle right in my butt. in the good spot. so i thought while they were putting clothes in the cracks in the door i would get the one who shot me back (Dillon) Well then they just turned on me again and i kinda gave up and they tried to tie me to the chair with whatever they could grab. Fawcett has a better video so hopefully i can get in contact with him and get him to send it too me. After we had the pillow fight where Dillon got bloody. then we played some games haha. We cleaned the apartment a total of 3 times then wrecked it that night. Super fun.
Well i better git going. Thanks for the e-mails and letters and packages i will not say no too haha. I like those things make me feelers feel good. like the e-mails.
Love Elder Stoor

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Hello


Hello,
i ain't trunky or homesick so don't worry about it. I was before the phone call tho. Bad. I was almost to the point of talking about coming home. The past three weeks have been tough. My companion is hard to get along with but i haven't been trying as hard as i should be. He isn't as bad as everyone says but it just happens. I know i can make the best of it tho.
When i talked to you guys i felt good. Thought about bringing up me wanting to come home but something told me not to. During our conversation i felt good. Seemed to feel the Spirit. It was real calming to be able to hear your voices. Then two days later we had CDM's, so interview with President. He was pretty bold with me and told me i have been complacent on my mission. I looked back and said yes i prolly have. Then he said i wondered why and i think it was because of your companions. I don't want to blame it all on them but it was a big part of it. I have had companions who prolly just go through the motions and so that is what i thought you did. It seemed to work. They seemed to have success and i thought it would be fine. Then Goodman came here and it has been and adjustment. As much as i know hard work you can't compare it to missionary work cause it is completely different. Yes i know it is part of it but mainly just a different type of work than i am used to. During my interview, he said that is what i want you to learn. He says i don't condone alot of what Elder Goodman goes about things, but he does know how to work and i want you to learn that from him. I said i already have and i am just trying to get adjusted and start going. You learn alot from your companions on how to do things and you take the strengths and mold them all together and most of what i hope to be i am learning from Elder Goodman. Before i was pretty new and just kind of did what my senior did, but i think i am figuring out how to do things and how to go about my day. I made a promise to learn more and become who i am going to become and not just think about it. I think i have done that alot. Thought about who i want to become and have not put forth the effort to become it. It is going to be fun and i am going to enjoy doing it.
Later that night this was yesturday, we had a super spiritual lesson. I think this is the strongest i have ever felt it in a lesson and one of the strongest times in my life. I could feel it in me. It was telling me what to say, bringing me things from my own life that would help this man. It was really intense. Mark is his name. He is a tattoo artist from Germany. His wife is a member but has not been coming and seems to have a testimony. They are having trouble as a couple and some of it is over religion. Her family is mormon and super active. They want them to be active too and the dad is trying to get them to go to church so their daughter who is 4 will have the good standards. Mark is Atheist tho. He taught me alot in the hour we were there. We went over tattoo's, Spirit, Church, What we need to do to be happy and why we need to do it, and then of course Heavenly Father. It was just one of those moments that make you realize why you are here and it was cool to be able to feel the Spirit as strong as i have these past couple of days.
I know who i am becoming and yes it is going to take time to get there but i am gonna do it. I look back and say i wish i woulda done this a little better. or done this different. Learned more before my mission but i can't change the past so i just have to work harder at studying and also just being able to get the words that need to come out out haha.
Thanks for the e-mails and for the support you have given me these first 5-6 months. Can't believe it has been that far but guess that is life.
Can i get Nathan's e-mail address so i can send him somethin cause there is no way i will be able to write him. thanks
hopefully the s-d card will get there tomorrow, i hope nothing happened too it. Mail takes too long to get to me and too long to get home.
Colton is now in the MTC in the longest day of his life haha. at least it was for me. Not that it wasn't good but those first 6 hours oh boy they are long haha. MTC was good and it was a good experience but i don't think i want to do it over again.
We just got done bug bombing our apartment. That was fun hopefully all the bed bugs will go bye bye.
Went disc golfing again today but didn't take any pictures. Next week maybe.It is a fun course. Not nearly up to par with Soda's but it is fun. I think i might become an avid disc golfer when i get home haha. It is just fun to do.
I hope this week you all have a little fun! take some pics so i can see and i might remember my camera and take some more pictures for you all to see
See Ya
Love Elder Stoor!
p.s. i like mail so all you who haven't written me yet....COME ON!! hehe

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Hi


Yes Mother's Day, Has it been almost 6 months already? Time fly's. It is weird but lots of people are going home and i am almost right in the middle of the mission age's out here. By the end of next transfer i will be on the older side i think. That is weird. My companion is good. He is not as bad as everyone else says he is. Sometimes i just think how bad it would be to be my companion then i don't think too bad of him. He is a good missionary and hard working. Every companion is different and has a different style of working and when you are the junior you just have to adjust alot more than the senior does. But when i have to be senior i will prolly take alot more of the style we are using now than those in the past.

Work is good. We had an exchange and they had a couple of good meetings. I don't know if i have told you about the Napoli's or not but they are from Napal and live in our complex. Most don't speak English and some can't read and alot of them are baptized. Once they were baptized they just fell into activity one by one. It is sad and it is just a burden on the ward but hopefully we can get them re-activated. My first transfer here only 1 or 2  came every other week and now we have had some there every week which is good. It shows the ward we are doing something at least. That is the thing i hate most. Being Judged. Judged by missionaries, members, and then prolly the worst one, myself. I hate it it is like we have to put on a show the whole time and i don't like doing that. I guess it is what you do to gain the trust tho.

Elder Bednar came last Saturday, that was pretty cool. He is legit. It was kind of a ask questions and they would answer them. Elder Jarrod(area seventy), 1st counselor in the new bishopric, and elder snow( i think just barely released pres. of the seventy) were there and just answered ?'s we had for them and how to go about better doing things. I like those meetings and it will be a feeling in the meeting i will never forget. I hope to have another 12 apostle come back while i am here so i can have it again cause it was just a good getting ?'s answered meeting. I didn't ask any but all the ?'s i had were answered by the Spirit. Funny how that happens. It was good because we were able to see the environment we need to give our investigators. He would just open it up to ?'s and repeat the ? and then teach doctrine sometimes not even related to the ? but still somehow answering it. and then asked if he did and he seemed to cover it haha.

We had a party at Sis Simms house this last week. Had 5 non-members there.  A couple wanted to bash so my comp did and shut them up and then stressed one out so much that she had to go have a smoke. haha People and the Trinity i don't know how you can even think of Jesus being 3 in 1 if you believe in him at all? Idk anyways the one we were hoping to get interested i think we got so hopefully see success from that.
Mother's Day! crazy well i guess that would mean me calling at 8:30 here which i could do for the whole family. I will explain it better on the phone but i might be calling earlier i will call mom prolly on a member's phone. Text ya on the mission phone prolly dad cause i think that is the only one i remember haha i hope it is 399-2573 if not maybe in the morning you should text my number xxx-xxx-xxxx that is sunday morning for a time to call ya mom during the day.

i take it that Mara is done with school? is it crazy you only have 3 more of those and i am home haha not getting trunky but it will go by fast. I can't believe that after this one i will only have 2 more phone calls home.
Well i am doing fine here i like this area i am just afraid pres. will wait till july and then stick me on a bike in the heat of the summer. That will be nice haha. Course maybe i will lose weight. I have been trying to go running more often to try and slim down but i don't know if it is working or not. I have lost like 20 lbs since coming on my mission. Guess i will be happy if i can lose 20 more haha My pants were tight in the MTC and now they are lose so i guess that is nice.

I bought some disc's today for disc golf. Had a good time. Elder Goodman did that in Arizona like 5 times so we will prolly wake up and go every p-day morning not a bad course. Didn't have my camera but it is like the one in poky except flat. I don't think i can find one in Maryland that will beat soda's but there are 17 in the mission i think so i will have to check them all out eventually hopefully. This one is practically right by the apartment so it is nice. Thought of the good times in Young men today that is for sure. I am a little rusty but still shot 1 under on 8 holes. hehe

hope everything is going good. Sounds like i get to miss some more work on the ranch. what a bummer hope you guy's have fun and hope you can get it done without me haha

Thanks for the e-mails. keep them coming religiously haha
Love ya Elder Stoor

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Hi Hi Hi


Hopefully i can get most of the pictures on the hard drive i got this week so i can send home the s-d card for ya'all to look at. My companion is interesting. Sometimes he is a struggle to get along with. other times it is great. I don't like it when things are too much of a competition when it comes to working hard or being obedient and i could easily turn it into that. He tells me everything i do wrong which is good. Sometimes he does it in a good way and other times it makes me mad. I told him one think i didn't like and he got all butt-hurt about it and didn't talk to me for the rest of the day haha. I don't like that part about him when he can dish it out but he can't take it. It is completely different with each companion and he is forceful with alot of people. I think there will be a talk about that this coming week. prolly tomorrow. With some people it is fine and they need to be pushed. With others it is not a good thing to push people. He is good tho and i am going to learn alot. Everyone i have talked to doesn't really like him and he knows that. That is what he likes to do is make people mad and push them to the limit and i laugh at him sometimes cause that isn't what i want my reputation to be. President told me today in an e-mail that He purposely put me with him for a challenge for me and to see how diligent i could become. I know i am going to learn alot from him and i appriciate the opportunity but there might be a couple of talks this transfer cause i am not just going to let him run the whole show like he wants to do and he is going to let me put some input in or things might not go so good for him cause his last couple companions he has just run over cause they are new missionary's. 2 out of the 3 companions have been my age and have not stood up to him at all and i am not just going to let him run over me. There is going to be give from both ends or there won't be give at all. I am too stubborn and not afraid of him because he is an older missionary and he doesn't think i know how to work. It will be fun tho and i love the fact that he is a hard worker cause we will get alot done this transfer.
Thanks for your letters this week. Next week i will send pictures cause i gotta go cause i don't want to make all the people wait. I will put pictures on my hard drive and get them to ya all of them. I will try and get the letter sent next weekend.
Happy Birthday tomorrow mommy. You're an old lady now. Hope it goes good for ya.
Congrats on the graduatin mara and you can make it through till the end and i would suggest that if you don't have a desire to come on a mission then don't cause you will go home for sure if you don't have a desire to be here and that would not be good. But if you had the desire then coming on a mission should be good for ya. Just get over your flirting ways with the boys before you come out cause it is annoying when all the sisters get in there flirt mode.
Glad to here school is almost out. It would be nice to have a break every once in a while haha. glad someone gets one.
This week was alot of testing people out and making sure we meet with the ones who are interested and getting rid of the cheese. We have a lady names Sister Simms do missionary work and it is fun to see the joy that is coming to her. Makes me think of the thinks that are happening to me and the happyness that is coming as i am talking to people about the gospel. It is becoming easier for me every time i do it. I do think i am going to try when i come home is to bear my testimony in church every single time. I have learned it only gets to grow when we share it so you guy's need to all start standing up in church and saying something. Doesn't have to be long. Brigham Young was converted by a simple testimony and that is all it takes. He was taught for a year before one man just stood up and said i know it true. I have felt it because i have done the simple steps it takes for the Lord to answer my prayers. When we bear our testimony's often. They grow faster and they will increase in size and make it easier for us.
Thanks so much for everything and hope this next week will go good for ya and no the last e-mail did not make me homesick. I don't let that happen to me anymore. I know it will never be the same because i have grown alot and i am a different person and when i get home i will prolly be wanting to move on and get going on the other things in my life. It would be nice to come home on the weekends tho but i enjoy what i am doing too much.
Till next week.
Love,
Elder Stoor