Member Referral, Mar 28, 2022

Hello everyone! I hope you had a great week!

This week was amazing. I was able to talk to more people and find some great scriptures about where we came from! 

At the beginning of the week we had an incredible lesson with a member referral. The woman, Dionna, works with the Sister and has been wanting to change her life after God gave her a second chance. She has a 3 year old and is trying to figure out how to raise him and improve her life. We taught her about the restoration of the gospel and how much joy it has brought us. The members were able to share their life experiences and testimony to which brought a perspective we couldn't offer. Definitely an amazing experience and we are having another lesson this week!

A member of our branch also died this week. Elder Rivera and I were able to give him a blessing right before he passed. I have never seen anyone die before. Quite the experience. He is in a better place now, reunited with his loved ones. That would be quite the reunion. We went to the viewing and graveside service. 

I love this gospel and I love being a missionary! This weekend is General Conference and I hope you can watch it! The Prophet of God is going to speak to us and give us guidance for our lives. 

Love y'all!

Elder Spencer 

Big Marshmallows!

Before and after mildew pics

O Ye of Little Faith, Mar 21, 2022

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

This week there was some disappointments. This happens a lot in missionary work. I started to feel discouraged because we were doing lots of stuff that was important but we weren't spending a lot of time finding. I also passed a lot of people and didn't talk to them. I didn't open my mouth to be filled by the Spirit. I didn't have enough faith. To make matters more difficult 5 people told us they were going to come to church and none of them came. That was a tough one to swallow.

So while I was sitting there with my feelings I had the opportunity to serve. The branch asked me to play the piano for our church meeting. As I played, my worrying and frustration melted away for a moment as I was able to play hymns. My feelings were replaced with peace and happiness. I was at least able to share one thing I had to a group of people who needed it. 

We are going to try to meet with Dionna tomorrow. She had to cancel last week. I hope it will go through. 

Hope y'all are well.

Elder Spencer 

-A big pile of brush a member cut up

-I stitched a hole in my vest up

-A spider I killed in my apartment

-Chicken fried Steak

-Our new Nissan Rogue!

Miracles and Snow, March 14, 2022

Hello! I hope you all are doing fantastic!

This week was amazing! We got snow, so that was cool but so unexpected. 

We have been working a lot with members and we have begun to earn their trust. This week we had some break throughs with the work! A member found a mom and her son who want to meet with us! We had two lessons with them this week! Ronda (the mom) was really excited and was asking us a bunch of questions the entire lesson. Alex (the boy) was a bit more resurved but by the second lesson he opened up a lot. we taught them about the restoration of the gospel and they seem to be egar to learn more! We are going to try to help Alex meet some young men this week!

Another member reffered her friend Dionna to us also! We have been trying ot contact her withlittle success but than finally TODAY she got back to us and said that she could meet with us and the member friend on Friday. I pray that it will go well!

We also had a meeting with our friend John. He is awesome. I love John. We discussed priesthood authority and reading the Book of Mormon to see if what it says is true. He recommitted to read it and has been. 

I love being a missionary. I love Jesus Christ and God. Y'all are awesome!

Love ya,

Elder Spencer   

Crab Sandwich

Buttered chicken 

Member Service and Leftovers, March 7, 2022

Hello everyone! I hope you had a great week 

I love the sunshine but I also love playing in the snow. I love Mena because it is sunny right now in March but I miss Canada because I can play in the snow there. 

We had a tornado siren go off yesterday at 9:30pm. It was insane! Or at least for Elder Rivera and I it was. We packed up essentials in a bag (phone charger, granola bars, water, scriptures, journal, wallet, knife, phone, a change of casual clothes) and floored it to the church building! We checked the weather on the computer and it said it was moving away from Mena. We are safe and sound now. Just rain and some wind. Crazy experience!

We did service for a member about every single day this week. We helped one member pick up rocks out of his water melon garden. Another we helped move a piece of furniture. A couple we helped pack boxes because they are moving soon! It was awesome. Built better relationships with them.

The members also pitched in for food a lot and we literally survived purely off leftovers for the entire week! I will admit. I didn't like leftovers back home. But on the mission they are a life saver! They come in clutch!

Miracles are happening everyday. Take a second to find one that happened to you today.

Love you all!

Elder Spencer 

Pday Stake out at the church 

We found some baseballs behind a field!

We Punched out our car windows, Feb 28, 2022

Hello everyone! I hope you had a great week!

This week I did something I have never done before. I punched the glass window of our car and it shattered! Just kidding! We had an ice storm this week and our car was covered in a sheet of ice. Elder Rivera had the genius idea to roll down the car window and then break the ice! It looked super cool! I will send a video below.

We also made some cookies for our neighbors this week. Trying to get on the Sister Missionary game! 

A huge miracle this week was our friend Bob and his two kids, Matilda and Milo came to church! It was awesome to see them come! I hope they will came again soon!

We had a really touching special miracle this week. So every Sunday, Elder RIvera and I take the sacrament to Sisters Corbett and Hansel. Well it was Saturday and we were close to their house. Elder IRvera said he felt we should visit them. I was hesitant because after all we were going to see them in less than 24 hours, but we went anyway. Some back story to this. Sister Hansel's husband died about a year ago and she really misses him. The other week Rivera and I were walking around and we came to a cemetery. We usually don't go in cemeteries because no one is in them but we went in this one. We were walking down the path and lo and behold we came across Brother Hansels grave! When we went to see sister Hansel in Saturday we told her about our experience! She started to cry and said that the last two days had been really hard for her and that she was really missing her husband... we were led by the spirit to see her and share this experience with her. God is one of miracles! 

Love you all!

God bless

Elder Spencer

A Week to Remember, Feb 21, 2022

Hello all! I hope you are well. 

This week we did service for a couple, Rose and Frank. We helped them move in from up north. It was awesome! I am so glad we could help them! I love helping people! They were asking us a bunch of questions like, can we eat breakfast and can we eat pizza! It was funny but they sincerely wanted to know more about our religion! We were able to explain some of our beliefs to them. They even tried to not swear around us and when they did they apologized. Sorry, I totally can't spell right how haha.

We met with John and he knows he needs to be baptized. He is praying and pondering about which church he should join and doesn't want to make a hasty choice. I pray he will be able to feel the spirit and peace with the decision he makes.

This week my Great Grandpa Halvorsen passed away. He was the Candy Bomber in Berlin after the war. He is a hero and helped so many people. He was an angel. He served and gave of himself selflessly. I am going to miss him and am so glad I got to know him for a short time while here on earth. I know I will see him again one day and that brings me peace. 

Love you all lots!

Elder Spencer 

World's largest hill!

Moving truck ramp from truck to the front patio! So sick! 

Rivera sleeping  

O Remember, Remember Feb 14, 2022

Hey everyone! Happy Valentine's day! Sending candy hearts and chocolate to you all 

This week I really thought about remembering how the Lord has blessed you in the past. He is a God of miracles and great tender mercies. When times of trial come remember how you have been blessed before. That will help you.

Alma 5:6 says: 6 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this church, have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them? And moreover, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from hell?

Ponder on that. Study your family history. You'll be surprised what stories you read.

We had Zone Conference this week! It was amazing. I love President and Sister Collins so much! I felt power and testimony from them. It was an uplifting and enriching meeting.

I love you all and Jesus does too!

Elder Spencer 

Hike!

Product of Canada 

Making cookies with a member