Miracles, August 22, 2022

Hello everyone! At this point, just expect me to email around this time 😄it is becoming a habit.

This week was special. I had the wonderful experience of feeling the Spirit testify through me when I taught. I feel like this happens the most or the strongest when I prepare well. In this case, Elder Lewis and I were teaching a workshop for some new missionaries. It was a wonderful experience. I just felt so energized and excited afterwards! I felt happy and joyful! God is so good.

That night we had a lesson with Sister Linares with the Zebleys. It was nice. She opened up a lot about her feelings and her past experiences. She has a pretty insane background. It could be written in a book one day. We talked about Obedience, baptism and the sacrament. We read from the Book of Mormon and the Bible. It was perfect. She set a goal to work towards baptism on October 8! Please pray for Emily! 

Excitement about the temple is growing here. Everyone is talking about it. A ton of people want to know what it is and what happens inside. We invite many people each week to come to the open house when it is completed! If you have questions about the temple just reach out to me! Or you can read about it at churchofjesuschrist.org 

Love you all! Elder Spencer 

Pause, August 15, 2022

Hello all! I am sorry I am getting this out so late. I don't like it when I do that because it will be short and brief. Not that my others are particularly long but I just have less time to write.

This week I felt weary and tired but also energized and pumped! I realized today when I was with some other missionaries that I was making the choice to be tired and weary. I was slowing myself down by choosing to. Freedom of choice is very powerful. 

Speaking of choosing to do something here is a neat experience I had this week with a Spiritual prompting: Elder Lewis and I were sitting at a park just beginning our 1 hour study session. About 15 minutes in the Spirit whispered to me that we needed to go and visit Joel and Sabrina. I ignored it at first justifying that we had just started our study and we could just go later. But the Spirit nouged me again, Go visit Joel and Sabrina. So I obeyed. I told Elder Lewis and he quickly agreed. We packed up our things and drove to their home. We knocked on their door and proceeded to have a very important conversation with them. They have been struggling to know what path they need to take. Joel struggles to keep commitments, like praying or reading the scriptures, but still wants to meet and learn. Sabrina on the other hand prays and reads but she isn't sure if this is the path she wants to take. So we told them we would come back when they feel they want to commit to the invitations we extend to them. It actually felt really good to just say that and have it openly out there. It was an honest real life talk. Please pray for Joel and Sabrina! 

Being a missionary is definitely hard sometimes. It isn't easy. It is hard to talk to people all day and put yourself out there. It is hard to focus on what matters most instead of being distracted or taking an easier route. But it is the way. It is how it needs to be done. There was only one way for Jesus to follow the Father's will. 

Love you all, Elder Spencer

Crab Salad Sandwich (Thanks Elder Rivera's Dad)

                                                                Zoom meeting attire 

It's been Awhile! August 8, 2022

Good afternoon! At least from Bentonville Arkansas it's the afternoon! 1:58pm! I trust all is well with y'all. Hope you are safe and happy!

This week we met with Lisa, the Levins and Joel and Sabrina! It has been 3-4 weeks since we have meet with them all. Several of them got sick, others had new jobs they were starting etc. So it was just a miracle we finally got to see them all this week! They are all doing good and are still wanting to learn more and progress. So that is a huge blessing. Going that long without some spiritual experiences can be very hard. 

I had a very special spiritual experience this week! We had a lesson with a lady who just wanted to argue. She just did. She said that "no man can see God and live." That statement is accurate. It does say that in the Bible. (Ex. 33:20) However I also knew people have seen God and lived. (Gen. 5:22,24, Gen 32: 30) So I was pondering on when Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ and lived (JSH 1: 16-20) as I was thus pondering I said a prayer asking God how it was possible for this to happen. The Spirit told me. So I asked where I could find an answer. The Spirit guided me to John 14: 21 which reads: "21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." What a miracle that was. God immediately answered my prayer. I invite each of you to pray this week! God will answer.

With Love, Elder Spencer 

                                                                    Foxes in Bella Vista

Power Out, August 1, 2022

Power was a common theme this week for me!

First of all I have been thinking about and studying about Priesthood Power and how one can obtain more. One way is through obedience. Christ was exactly obedient to the will of the Father and He was therefore able to complete the Atonement (Matt. 26:39) Something so complex to understand in its entirety. 

Gratitude also brings power. It shows you can't rely on yourself. It shows you how much you have been given. It helps you become humble and submit to serve. You see others differently. You see in a small way how God sees them. 

Our power went out this week in our apartment. No power for 2 hours. The Spirit taught me during those two hours. Here are some of the impressions I received.

•Am I physically prepared if the power was out for 2 weeks? Enough food and water?

•Just like we weren't expecting the power to go out we won't know when Jesus is going to come again

•Am I spiritually prepared if Christ came today? (Romans 13:11-14, Alma 5:26-40)

•Repentance is everything 

I learned another valuable lesson about the dear Sisters in the church and the role we play in working together in the work. My companion and I were trying to plan a meeting with three Sister missionaries. There was an issue that we were trying to solve but no matter what we tried we could not seem to find a solution. During this moment I realized one of the Sisters had not said a word for the entire duration of the meeting. I asked her if she had any impressions. She did. As she shared the Spirit testified to all of us present that this was the answer to our problem. It was a miracle. How grateful I am for the Spirit and worthy instruments who follow its whispers. 

Much love!

Elder Spencer 

Me wearing a scarf a member made for me!

Tuna Melts 

                                                                                Snail 

Obedience, July 25, 2022

Good afternoon everyone! It's a good day! I got to play the piano while three wonderful missionaries sang. It was so great! Very uplifting! I love sacred music.

I have always been an obedient soul but this week I am beginning to learn why it is so important to follow the commandments of God. Just as I said last week, you can be free as you keep the commandments. This week I also learned, one gains a witness of the truthfulness of something as the try the word. (John 7:17) One example I have seen in my own life is following God's law of health (Doctrine and Covenants 89, the Word of Wisdom) As I have lived that I have been blessed with health and knowledge. Another example is following the command to keep the Sabbath day holy. As I have gone to church and strived to serve others on this day I have been rejuvenated and lifted. I have felt God's love for me and witnessed Him. 

Obedience takes faith. You have to believe that the promised blessings will actually happen. 

I just want to bear my testimony that obedience is central to everything you do. The good and the bad in this life hinges on weather we are obedient or not. We can build trust with God as we are obedient to Him. So take courage and follow Him. He followed the Father's will so we can follow His through the Spirit. 

Joel and Sabrina were able to come to a baptism! That was special. Lots of lessons canceled but it's okay! God had a different plan for us. 

Love you all! Elder Spencer

-A stick bug!

You can be free! July 18, 2022

Hello everyone! 

This week was just so wonderful! I am beginning to understand how keeping Gods commandments actually makes us free. It is an interesting thought because many people view them as restrictions or rules that limit, but I have started to learn that they are actually laws to give us more freedom!

Here are some scriptures I found on freedom that comes from keeping the commandments:

-Book Of Mormon

   -1 Nephi 2:2-4 (page 3)

   -Mosiah 5:8 (page 158)

   -Mosiah 15:8 (page 176)

-Doctrine and Covenants 82:10 (this one is very interesting when you think about bonds)

-Holy Bible

     -John 7:17

     - Matt. 7:24-27

I am just giving y'all the references because I don't want to take away the excitement of reading the scriptures on your own! I invite you all to read these scriptures and ponder how being obedient to God's commandments bring more freedom!

I saw many miracles this week! God is so good. Here is one:

Elder Lewis and I were walking down the street to to see a friend down the road. Out of the corner of our eye we saw a young man washing his car. We went up to him a stuck up a conversation. We asked him if he believed in God. He said he did and that he actually met with missionaries before about 5 years ago. Recently he has been working a lot and hasn't given very much time for God. We asked him if he would like to give more time for God (implying that we could come back and have an appointment.) He said sure, just his soap down and asked what we wanted to share. I was astonished! We just jumped right into the Restoration lesson. Right there on his driveway. He listened intently the whole time. My companion recited Joseph SMith's experience with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in a grove of trees behind his home. After hearing that we asked Mason how he felt . He said it sounds like a "crazy experience but I felt peace." We all felt the Spirit and we invited him to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. The next day we had a church tour with him and he liked it. He is going to try to get work off on Sundays so he can come to church as well! 

Joel and Sabrina are doing well. Sabrina prayed for the first time in many years on our lesson on Tuesday. That was special. Joel hurt his lower back so he couldn't come to church. We gave him a blessing afterwards in his home. That was a special experience. He felt relaxed and calm.

Love you all!

Elder Spencer 

Joel and Sabrina and Goodbye Elder Thomas! July 11, 2022

Hello everyone! This week was a mix of happy and sad.

To start off with the happy! We had a few great lessons with Joel and Sabrina! They are progressing and wanting to learn as much as they can. We had a lesson with them on Tuesday and we talked about how you don't need to know everything to make a choice. Faith will always be required. Than action. We read from the Book of Mormon in Alma chapter 32 where it says you need only believe. That conforted Joel and Sabrina a lot because they felt like they needed to know everything, when most of what they are learning is new information. We invited them to take a step of faith and set a goal of when they want to be baptized. They said August 18th! I am so happy for them. It was a joyous day! They came to church yesterday. The talks were exactly what they needed to hear as well. It is amazing how the Spirit works. 

The sad news is Elder Thomas went home this week. He was a good companion and a good friend. I miss him and the zone misses him. He worked hard and really helped a lot of missionaries here. He definently left a mark. I am grateful for the time I had to serve with him. 

I had an exchange with Elder Sodenkamp this week! He is a great missionary and I love him! We did role plays the entire day! In the car, in the apartment, while walking down the road. It was cool! Definitely an eye opener for me. 

I love yall and hope you are well! 

Elder Spencer

Judi's Here?! July 4, 2022

Hello! Sorry this will be short but I will tell you a miracle!

On Saturday we were walking around inviting all to hear a message about Jesus Christ. I all of a sudden had the prompting to walk 20 minutes east to a lady named Judi. We had stopped by there a few weeks ago and found out she came to our church years ago. So we walked over and invited her to church! We'll Sunday rolls around, and my companion runs up to me. Judi is here, Judi is here. I was amazed. It was a miracle. We sat by her and sung some American songs. She said it brought back a bunch of memories for her. It was a sweet experience. 

Joel and Sabrina also came to church!! Their atheist son Austin than decided to come last minute!! After the meeting he said "everyone here is so happy!" He wants to come again next week! It was truly a glorious Sunday!!

I love you all! God bless you! Elder Spencer 

                Canada Day Baby!

Trio life

The Temple, June 27, 2022

Hello everyone!! 

This week was incredible! Elder Thomas and I worked hard and were super bold! We made this commitment with each other that if one of us starts a conversation with someone the other has to ask if we can share a message! It was super great! A few people let us share scriptures with them! 

We had two incredible lessons with Joel and Sabrina this week! They are so special ❤🙂we met at their house on Tuesday and as soon as we walked in we could feel the Spirit! She had a few questions for us like" What does a church service look like?" We explained that we have a prayer, song, partake of the sacrament, have a few speakers and than close with a song and prayer. They asked about church organization and such. Her second question was "How long does it take to join the church?" We were flabbergasted! She said she knows she will have to stop drinking coffee and tea but she wants to learn more! 

We had a second lesson with them at the church and a couple in our congregation! They hit off really well and became fast friends. We showed them the building and discussed the various rooms and people that meet. We ended in the chapel and talked about the sacrament and that is helps us remember Christ and baptism. Through that gate we can recieve the Spirit. We testified that the Spirit is the greatest gift we can have. 

The next day, Saturday, we had a special and sacred opportunity to go to the Kansas City Temple! It was incredible. My companion had a friend going for the first time! She was able to be baptized for her grandma who passed away and another member was able to be baptized for her son who committed suicide a few years ago. It was a very tender experience and we all felt much love!!

Transfer news: I am staying and receiving Elder Louis! I have met him twice before and he seems like a great missionary! I am excited to work with him! Elder Thomas will be with us for 5 days until he flies home July 6th.

Happy Canada day on Friday my fellow Canadians!! 🇨🇦 🍁 🇨🇦 🍁 

Love, Elder Spencer 

Sweat! June 20, 2022

Hello everyone! I want to tell you something. You are loved. There is someone that cares about you. There is someone that is helping you. There is someone that is pulling with you. There is someone that is crying with you. There is someone that is suffering with you. There is someone that is rejocing with you. If you don't know that, believe it. Belief brings hope ❤🙂

This week was amazing! We worked hard and saw miracles. We prayed for specific blessings and recieved them. We exerted every effort to invite all to come unto Jesus. Here is a small story of a big blessing: 

On an exchange with Elder Bingham we had about 15 minutes before our next appointment. So we decided to walk 5 minutes down the road. That is when we met Joel. He was spraying his weeds and we started talking with him. He and his family haven't been to church for a year since they moved to the area so we invited them! As we were walking away I felt to invite them for a church tour. As we were talking his wife came out! She knew who we were and knew about General Conference! We gave them a Restoration Pamplet and a Book of Mormon! They said they would read and have questions! We are going back tomorrow! It was incredible. What a special blessing. 

We have been walking around a lot this week to try to talk to more people and I saw three miracles from this:

1) We were able to talk to at least 10 people each day!

2) My shins stopped hurting! What a tender mercy!!

3) So many people offered us cold water. People here are so kind. God truly does watch over His servants. We sometimes had so much water we couldn't drink it all 😮

I love you all!! God bless! Elder Spencer 

Elder Holland, June 13, 2022

Hello everyone! What an amazing this week was. 

Elder Matthew Holland came to our mission for a mission tour. He is just wonderful. He is very kind and teaches with power. He explains doctrine simply and he is bold. Most importantly he teaches with the Spirit. Elder Thomas and I were very blessed and honored to spend a lot of time with him! We probably spent the most time with him out of all the missionaries in the entire mission. We spent 11 1/2 hours with him. On Tuesday he came to our Mission Leadership Council. That was wonderful. He talked about setting stretching and reachable goals to become an escalator mission instead of an elevator mission. I liked the analogy and learned about gaining positive momentum. After that meeting Elder Holland and President Collins came into our apartment to plan with us! (We definitely didn't rush home to clean before they came in haha) That was really cool. We role played a daily planning session and he encouraged us to use the format of weekly planning to plan each day. Very insightful. He asked us how we were each doing and that was touching. He really does care and wants us to be happy.

It gets better. We drove him in our car to a teaching appointment that night. I was driving and he sat in the front seat. Talk about pressure. I did my very best to not have Tiwi (a device in our car which gives us driving tips) coach me. I only got one "check your speed!" It was very honoring to be in the car with him and just talk with him. He is just a normal man like everyone else. The lesson with the Levins was great! We talked about the Great Apostasy and the Book of Mormon. Elder Holland taught powerfully and Sister Levin felt the Spirit. He left a wonderful blessing and prayer on their home afterwards and the whole family was touched by his words. It was a beautiful experience.

After we walked out of the lesson he just put his arm around me and told me how proud he was of me. I just felt so loved.

I love you all! Elder Spencer 

Elder Thomas and I in our Apartment with Elder Holland

     MLC with Elder Holland

                                                   Gaint 4 zone, Zone Conference 

A Full and Tiring Week, June 6, 2022

Hey y'all! This week went by fast and honestly it is sort of a blur.

Our entire mission has less missionaries and less cars so our miles are getting cut down again. Elder Thomas and I only have 716 miles to use for all of June so we biked a bit this week to say the least. Our apartment is 6 miles outside our area so even to get to our area we have to use 12 miles. We've been making it work and the Lord is blessing us. I am so grateful for my healthy body that allows me to bike and a bike that I can use to get around.

We had two lessons with our friend Lisa this week and we also did some service for her! She has come to church three times in a row! In our lessons we talked about the Book of Mormon and the talk Why 1820 by Hyrum Smith. It's a BYUI devotional. Very good. I highly recommend it.  She really liked the part that talked about George Washington and the war of 1812. That is what enabled America to have religious freedom and the church to be restored. She committed to read the Book of Mormon for at least 15 seconds each day! When we followed up with her she said she had been reading for a minute and she had done that three times!  It is wonderful to hear her doing that. 

Elder Matthew Holland of the Seventy is coming to our mission tomorrow! It's going to be amazing. He is going to do an MLC with us tomorrow morning and than in the afternoon he selected some companionships to plan with in their apartment. Well he picked Elder Thomas and I! (I also think it's because we are the closest to the church.) So he will plan with us and than come to a lesson with us that night! Should be a very special experience. 

I have been learning a lot about how to have the Spirit with me and what deception looks like. Anything that is good comes from God. Moroni 7: 16-17 reads:

"...for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil;..."

That scripture stood out to me. As I have lived the gospel I have felt good. I have been invited to do good. I have been persuaded to believe in Jesus. I haven't felt miserable or down trodden. I haven't been confused. It has been laid out simply before me and as I have made choices that are good I have been able to feel the Spirit. My dad taught me that "when I keep the commandments I will have the Spirit to be with me, and that is prospering in the land." (Alma 36:30, Moroni 4:3) I invite to you practice gratitude this week. That is a way to remember Christ, to know Christ and to have the Spirit with you. 

Love you all and God bless!

Elder Spencer 

The Best Exchange of My Entire Mission! May 30, 2022

Hello everyone! I love you all and hope you are well. 

I would love to tell you about the best exchange I have ever had. It was with my dear friend Elder Case. He was my Zone Leader in Springfield and is now the AP. I look up to him as an excellent example of boldness and powerful spiritual teaching. He truly does everyone can to have the Spirit with him. I hope I can be like that one day. Side note. Speaking of having the Spirit with you, my dad taught me something cool about that. Read Alma 36:30 and than Moroni 4:3. Than ask "What does it mean to prosper in the land?"

Anyway the exchange. The entire time we were together Elder Case and I were just building each other up. We were expressing pure and genuine gratitude to each other and that was very healing and energizing. I strongly encourage you to express gratitude. Elder Case was bold with a few people we met including Tony. He was making fun of us at first for not drinking coffee or smoking but as we talked with him he literally had a change of heart right before our eyes. He went from poking fun to sharing struggles he was having to giving us his phone number so we could invite him to church! 

Then we went to a member's home and Elder Case invited them to pick a specific date they would invite a friend to learn from the missionaries! They accepted. Very powerful.

Finally, we went to visit a member and I knocked on the door but there was no answer. I heard voices and I thought it was coming from inside but Elder Case turned around and saw a couple walking down the street with their dogs. We thought it was the member. But it wasn't. Their names are Zach and Micah and she has relatives who are members! They gave us their address and said we could come back anytime!!

I love you all! God bless 

Elder Spencer 

Walmart Headquarters, thousands of miles of biking trails and the temple distribution center! May 23, 2022

Hello everyone! What a week! 

I transferred out of Mena this week. I will miss the members, friends and my companion a ton! Mena was such a wonderful area and I am grateful I was able to serve there for a few months! I said goodbye to many members my final days there and I was sad to leave. Mena will always have a place in my heart.

My new area is in Bella Vista Arkansas! I live in Bentonville Arkansas about 5 minutes away from the temple that is being built! This week the distribution center opened! It was very exciting and the temple is coming along nicely. 

Bentonville is the headquarters of Walmart and the mountain biking capital of the world! There are bikers everywhere! So if you want to come down and bike you should also pay me a visit 🙂😁❤

My companion is Elder Thomas and I love him! We do everything we can to have the Spirit with us so we can help and serve others. I love feeling the Spirit! Joy, happiness and peace are some of the attributes of the Spirit.

A miracle that happened this week was we were getting our groceries today and a lady offered to pay for them! How kind! Love you all! Elder Spencer 

My turtle friend

The Temple

Elder Thomas and I

A huge Torta

The Cardston Temple! A 3D version a member made here in Metfield!

                                                                        Taking a nap

Moving From Mena, May 16, 2022

Hello everybody! I hope you have had a great week! This week I have felt so much of God's love for the members, friends and other missionaries. That is such a special feeling. It lifted me and helped me so much.

The Wagners had a tithing miracle this week. They found an apartment but it required a large security deposit they had to pay in two weeks if they wanted to get the apartment. We started praying for them and Sister Wagner starting reaching out to friends and the VA. Before we left their house we invited them to pay tithing, promising them they would be blessed. Two days later Sister Wagner texted us telling us the deposit was payed! Here is the miracle. She was contacting the parties mentioned above and than she remembered she could pay her tithing online. So she went to do it but she couldn't because she doesn't have a bank account. So she set aside the money she would pay for tithing to pay it in person on Sunday. Than, not even 10 minutes later the VA called saying the entire sum was payed for the deposit. Than a friend also sent them more money so they can equip their new place. The Lord saw their obedience and blessed them with more than they could receive. What a miracle.

Transfer news: I am being transferred to Metfield to be a Zone Leader with my old district leader Elder Thomas! I am super pumped! It is gonna be a great experience to learn, grow and serve. Metfield is the name of the ward. I think it is somewhere near Bentonville, or Bella Vista Arkansas. 

I am so grateful for my time in Mena. It has been wonderful. I love Elder Rivera and will miss him. 

Love you all!! Elder Spencer