Miracles Never Cease! December 20, 2021

Hello everyone! I hope you have had a good week! Christmas is here! How exciting! What is a Christmas tradition you have? 

This week was so special. The Lord is just so amazing. 

First off is Kris. We met with him twice this week in a members home. We taught him the Restoration and Gods plan for His children. It was so incredible to see him feel and learn this information for the first time. He was just very attentive and listening. He soaked it in. He walked to church on Sunday. We passed him and it was so touching to see him walking with his Book of Mormon and Bible in a case. He is so cool. 

We had a good moment with Katie this week! She wanted to have us over for dinner so we had a member come with us. She also invited a friend. We shared a scripture with them and her friend, Amber really liked it. She was touched by it and wanted to read more! We are hopefully going to start teaching her!

Katie and her brother came to church on Sunday! That was amazing. The spirit of Christmas was in the meeting. 

I wanted to testify that Jesus loves each one of you! He is aware of you. He wants to help you. He will give you peace. 

Love you all! Elder Spencer 

Crazy hair day

Dinosaur Park!

                                                    Lighttheworld cards on a clothesline!

Christ!

My comp put a glass plate in the oven and it totally broke from the heat. Luckily no one was hurt!

Comp Unity, Dec 13, 2021

Hello everyone! Today I felt a huge rush of the Christmas spirit! Have any of you felt that yet?! Merry Christmas y'all!

As missionary companions we often make jokes with each other that we are one or unified in ways outside of missionary work. Like we both might say the same thing or think the same thing. Almost like twin telepathy haha (have no idea how to spell that) anyway Elder Peterson and I experienced unity in a different way this week! Last week, he got sick. Well this week I got sick haha. Well it wasn't very funny at the time. It was actually pretty frustrating. We had to stay in our apartment for two days while I rested which I did, sleeping for 7 hours one day. Elder Peterson was a trooper and we got through it. Luckily it was only two days! God is good and I am now feeling much better!

Even though I was out for two days we managed to find two new people this week! Jeremy and Kris! Jeremy was washing his car and we started talking to him! We read a verse in the Book of Mormon and gave it to him. We are going to try to see him tomorrow! Kris is a friend who we have seen before at the food pantry we work at. We got talking to him and he came to our ward Christmas party on Saturday! (Thanks to some awesome members who drove him) We are going to meet with him and these members tomorrow!

There was some large and destructive tornadoes that came through some states near me (even in Arkansas I think) It is a humbling thought that it could have come here to Alma. I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have of the plan of salvation that those who have lost their lives due to the tornado can still learn and progress and come closer to Christ. It is not over for them or their families. Please pray for those affected by this natural disaster! God is aware of the destruction. He loves all His children!

Love you all! Stay safe.

Elder Spencer 

A Rough One, Dec 6, 2021

Hey everyone! Hope y'all are doing well!

This week was good because we were able to find a new person named Gene! He is a friend from the food bank we serve at and he drove by us when we were walking around. He backed up and said hi. We asked him if he would like to hear a message about Jesus sometime. He said sure! We met with him this week and got to know him a bit better. He is a neat guy! We asked him if we could teach him a message about living prophets and continuing revelation! He said sure! We are going to go back this week to meet with him again!

This week was rough because Elder Peterson got sick... we had to stay in our apartment for two days until he began to get better. That was difficult for me. I am so used to going out and doing things all day so when we slowed down for two days it was difficult. I can't imagine how missionaries did it in quarantine. That would be insanely hard. I am so grateful for their sacrifice and service. 

I realization I came to this week is that my phone is a tool that I can use for missionary work. If I want to dig a hole, I grab a shovel, dig the hole than put the shovel back. Using my phone should be the same way. I need to send a text to someone. So I pick up my phone, send the text than put the phone back down. By striving to do this I can stay focused and don't waste time scrolling. 

Love you all! Hope you are doing fantastic! 🙂🙂 Elder Spencer 

Staying in Alma, Nov 29, 2021

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well!

Got transfer calls and Elder Peterson and I are both staying in Alma for another transfer! I am glad I will be able to stay and continue to work and serve the Lord and the people in Alma. 

We had some special lessons with our friend Francine this week. She has been reading the Book of Mormon and she has been thinking a lot about what we have told her. She is wonderful and we are going to be meeting with her again this week!

Katie came to church again! A member was able to drive her and she came to a baptism after church. I think she felt a bit out of place but hopefully with time she will make some connections and feel more at home. We did have a great lesson with her and her brother at a members house on Wednesday so that is great!! 

Right now I am on an exchange in Clarksville which was my first area on my mission. It is so surreal to be back in the same apartment I walked into as a brand new missionary. It has already brought back so many wonderful memories! Crazy to think that it was a year ago. 

Hope you all are doing well and staying warm!! #Lighttheworld starts this week! Check it out on churchofjesuschrist.org! It is a really great way to spread light to the world!

Love you all! Elder Spencer 

What a Week! Nov 22, 2021

This week was incredible. I testify that miracles never cease and as you put forth effort you are blessed. This week the Lord was able to guide us to three people we were able to find. Various events lead up to this week (mainly in scheduling appointments) which all went through and were successful. 

Francine was the first. She lives in our apartment complex and we met her in the laundry mat. We just started talking with her and got her number to set up a Bible study. We had the Bible study this week and we were able to read a story in the Bible but also share what we believe with her. That included the Book of Mormon which she now has a copy and is reading it!! 

Joel is a man we did some service for! After we split some wood for him we began to talk. He showed us around his property which he is working full time on. By the time he is done the work he will basically be self sufficient!! Banana trees, apples, blueberries,,raspberries, peppers, avocado, solar panels, wood shop, welding shop, fish pond and more. It is really neat the dream he has. Anyway, we got talking and it turns out he likes history and gaining more knowledge. Well we have a good book for that. We gave him a Book of Mormon as well and are hopefully going to meet with him this week!

Katie is the last one. We met her on the street. Elder Peterson and I were walking around downtown Alma when he had to go to the bathroom. We went over to a gas station and Katie was going inside as well. I just started talking to her as she was getting some candy. She asked what church I was from and I told her the church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. I invited her to our service. Some members picked her up and she came yesterday. That was a miracle. I have found that usually people like her -you only meet once, have a brief conversation and extend an invitation- don't actually commit. They are flaky. But not Katie. She even wore a dress and came to the ward choir after two hours of church!!! I was amazed. We talked to her about a lot of things like the Book of Mormon, the temple, ordinances, covenants, and even the Word of Wisdom. I will explain what those words mean below 🙂 

God blessed us this week because we opened our mouths. Literally all of the friends we met with this week was because we started a simple conversation. So try it! You can't go wrong. Just talk about anything. 

Love you all! Elder Spencer 

Ordinance: The action of making a covenant

Covenant: A two way promise between a person and God. The person promises God they will do something and in return God promises specific blessings

Word of Wisdom: A law set forth by God guiding us to eat and drink or intake substances that are good and healthy for our bodies

Elder, Run! Nov 15, 2021

This week was wild!

After receiving some encouragement from our district leader and having a great district council on finding people to teach, Elder Peterson and I decided we were going to exert every effort to find someone to teach. So we set a goal to not come back to our apartment until 9:00pm. We were going to try to be out with the people, walking around and talking to them. Well, we had some interesting run ins; but not with people, with dogs 😮

On Friday we encountered three dogs at three different times during the day who were not tied up/on a leash. It was scary! The first one was at mid day so we saw it coming. It came up to us and barked. I slowly walked away with my front facing him. I talked to the dog and just told him we were passing by and didn't want to bother him. He stared us down, guarding his family. The next dog did the same thing except this was at night when it ws dark. Luckily the house porch light was on so we saw him running up to us. But the same thing. We just talked to the dog and were fine. But then the third dog. We came to an intersection and were deciding which way to go. We decided to go right. We walked 5 steps when Elder Peterson just stopped dead in his tracks. I was wondering what was happening because we had just decided we were going to go right when he said, "dog." I shined my flashlight a head and sure enough there it was. It began to move swiftly towards us. Elder Peterson started booking it to the car which was down the street a ways. I didn't quite realise how fast the dog was moving or where it was because it was dark so I just started to walk away from the dog. Then Elder Peterson looked back and said "Elder Run!!" I heard the dog barking and Elder Peterson said later that the dog started to run after us. I than just kicked it into gear. I ran down the street and didn't look back. I heard dogs barking but I just ran. I fumbled with the keys and unlocked the car, got in shut the door and was panting for breath. No injuries and no dead dog. What a blessing. So lesson learned. Maybe it's not a good idea to walk around at night. 

A thought for this week is that even when the work you are doing doesn't turn out the way you think it should you can still feel successful no matter the outcome. Despite all our efforts to find a new person this week we didn't find anyone. But I still feel successful. Why? Because I feel the Spirit testifying through me. I am seeking to develop Christlike Attributes. I am trying to obey. I am serving others. I am learning from other missionaries. I love the people here and desire to help them come to Christ. That is what has brought me joy this week. I know you can feel joy this week too!

Love you all! Elder Spencer

Popeye the Sailor Man Statue (Alma Arkansas is the Spinach Capital of the world!)

Beautiful sunset

Fishing pond

                                                                Feeding an apple to a horse

Chastised and Zone Conference! Nov 8, 2021

Hello everyone! I hope you are all going well!

This week I was able to meet with some members and go to church! What a great ward I am in! I feel blessed to be able to serve with these wonderful people of the south. The southern hospitality is real. 

We had Zone Conference this week! How wonderful that was! Everytime I am with President and Sister Collins I am lifted and strengthened. I love them and am grateful to know them and serve with them. I also got to see all the missionaries in my zone! That was so wonderful! I am so glad I am not working alone in this work. Bouncing ideas off each other and learning from each other is always good to do. 

I was chastened by the Lord through my district leader this week for my finding efforts. I feel like I didn't give my full effort in finding this week and it resulted in us not finding any new people this week. I have been resolved to begin a new this week and strive to do all I can to find someone who is ready to hear the message of the Restored Gospel.

One thing that stood out to me in my study of the Book of Mormon this morning was Alma 29:13. Part of the verse says "...God hath called me by a holy calling, to preach the word unto this people..." the calling of a missionary is holy and the assignment I have in Alma is a holy one. To preach to them the word of God is what God has asked me to do. Therefore if I am to be obedient I must do it. Than I shall have "much success, in the which my joy will be full." (v.13) I hope for this. 

I love you all!!  Elder Spencer