Best P-day at the Zoo

Elder Brayden Knowlden
Week 38

Monday was honestly the best P-Day on my mission so far, Sister Rogers took us to the Southwick Zoo, It was a day well spent!  The best part of the whole Zoo was the open field where deer just roam around and you can feed them corn. We then came back to the Rogers for dinner. As we got home I was able to call my little sister Kaylee for a lesson, we talked about Baptism. As she prepares for baptism, I want her to understand the importance of it, the why we do it and the blessings to come.
     Tuesday we got up and we started out for our Salvation Army Run. After studies we went out to pick up the trailer and furniture at the storage unit. Salvation Army didn't take everything so with what was left we smashed it all at the Weston Chapel.  We were running a little late so we had to push back an appointment with Kyle. Luckily we still had an awesome lesson on Christ and His Atonement. After our Lesson with Kyle, we had a lesson with Evans,  where we talked about tithes and fast offerings. We then invited him to attend sacrament this week and to listen to testimony meeting. He now has a stronger desire to come and attend church! After all that, we were hungry so we went out to eat dinner at a McDonalds. After dinner we did a few more stop byes then came home for the night.
     Wednesday we had Zone Conference all day and we learned a lot. One thing that struck me was focusing on how we can improve just as it talks about in Matthew 19 the young rich ruler. He wanted to improve and follow Christ, Christ asked him are you following the 10 commandments. The boys said Yes I am. Christ responded by saying sell all your goods and follow me. The boy cannot do it he loved his riches more than he loves Christ. A conference talk from 2015 comes to mind. " What lack I yet" As we are doing the best we can we should always ask what is stopping me from progressing. Christ will tell us something personal that we need to work on and something we can do to improve ourselves. After our lunch break we got into our separate zones and had a training on daily contact. It went really well and it gave us insights on how to better help our friends. After our training from the Zone Leaders we had another training from the assistants, our Mission President and the Sister Training Leaders. The sisters talked about using our hobbies back home to make relationships with friends we have today. They invited me to talk about my experience with the young family back in my 1st area of Madison Connecticut. I shared my experience with wrestling and how that really gave me a good relationship with the Young family and their boys. We connected really well and I shared my experiences how wrestling has strengthened my testimony in Christ and how he truly is watching over me. As we connect to people using their personal experiences we can help them strengthen their testimonies as well. In my second area Martha's Vineyard I was going through a hard time, and the Young family sent me emails of encouragement to keep going. After Zone Conference We had a dinner with the Buchmans. The dinner was at John Harvard's we had some delicious steak. After dinner we did some stop byes in Beaver Park. While on the way back to our truck we met a lady named Melissa. She has seen missionaries in her area for over 6 years but none of them have ever talked to her. She seemed really interested and hopes to learn more and we're here to help!
     Thursday was a fun 4th of July, I hope you all had fun as well. In the morning we drove over to visit Brother Paganela. We then all drove to Natick to be in the parade. While we were there we had a pancake breakfast at the Catholic Church on the Main Street. We met lots of cool people, it was also super hot outside. We helped Brother Paganela hand out around 2000 American Flags. We had a wonderful time. On the way home we stopped by the Fire Station to give them flags as well, we met group 3 green squad. After we met them we dropped off some stuff at Brother Paganellas Home. We all then went out for lunch at Boston Market and had a lesson.  One thing I found very cool was as we were going in, a man drove up and stopped us by our truck, he wanted to thank us for Serving God. He did not what to convert us or for us to convert him, he simply wanted to thank us for choosing Christ’s side in a crazy world we live in today. I thought that was pretty cool, because he went out of his way to talk with us. After lunch we came home to shower because we were sweaty, pretty bad. We then were able to go over to the Buchmans home for dinner. They had a friend over and we had grilled hamburgers. I was also able to hold their reptiles. They have a Bearded Dragon, Corn Snake, and a Russian Tortoise. I fell in love with them all. We had a fun time with each other's company while at dinner. We came home then called our families to end the night.
      Friday we had District Council early in the morning, before we left we did our daily planning. After daily planning I packed a couple boxes to send home. We then drove to Franklin for District Council. Today's focus was on A.D.K.A.R.
Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Re evaluate/reward. We Talked about how we can use this for ourselves and for our friends we are teaching. This principle is to help us grow and be a better you. With that it helped give us some insights to better help our friend Kyle. After District Council ended, we helped the Foxborough Sister Missionaries do a contact attempt for a man at a rehab home. We didn't get too far sadly. On the way home, we stopped for lunch at Chipotle Mexican grill, it was pretty good. When we got home, we called all of our potentials. We didn’t get too far and not a lot of people answered, we will try again another day. That took a long time, we then had dinner with Brother Roger's. The rest of his family is on vacation. After dinner with him we came home a talk to Linda. Linda has less active family members, and she has a desire to be baptized. We are gonna help her best we can! She even gave us a late dinner it, was pretty good.

Saturday we started to teach Andy again. We met at a dog park it is pretty fun. She's been gone for a few weeks so it was good to catch up with her and see what she remembered. She had four dogs with her and three of them were being crazy. She asked a lot of good and valid questions that we helped her best we could. We also have a few questions to study so I can better help her next time we meet. After Andy we met with a lady named Adelsa. She has a strong desire to find a faith for herself and for her kids. She is not too familiar with any religion and wants to see what is best for her and where she fits in. She sees us as a sign that we have came to meet with her, we are so happy that we are here to help. After her we were super hungry and we went out to Subway to eat. Along with that we also had a fill up our tire with air because it was leaking. After we filled up we stopped by to talk to Evans. We caught him as he was leaving to go see a friend.  We reminded him about church tomorrow, and he said he will be there! After Evans, with him leaving we had extra time, we decided to do stop byes at two members that live close to him, both are less active.  They seemed to have moved a few years ago. The other claims to have never been a member and she doesn't know why her name is on the records of the church, now we are confused. After those stop byes we went to meet our friend Francis. We helped him better understand about the Priesthood, he has a strong desire to hold it after his baptism. He is so close and we are so happy for him! To end the night we spent the rest of it with Brother Roger's. We had dinner with a dessert of a chocolate molten cake. We also strengthened our member relationship with him, and talked about the importance of sacrament in church attendance.

[ ] Once again it was a very amazing Sunday, the testimonies were all focused on Christ. Elder Foutz, Elder Kilpack , and I all bore our testimonies as well. I bore my testimony about the story of Peter walking on water. Just as Peter has faith he still fell, Christ was still there to pick him up and walked beside him. Coincidently, the lesson in Sunday school was on the same thing. Christ will give us all 2nd chances we need if what we're doing is to have faith in him. Even as a missionary I can fall because I’m human, I am imperfect, but I am trying my best and that's what matters. At Church our friend Evans was able to make it, and it was his very 1st time . In Sunday school when he introduced himself he said "This is my 1st time here, and it will not be my last". It was so cool to see that his experience at church was a good one, and it was focused on Christ. After church we came home and we did our weekly planning. Other Foutz has a couple things he wants to work on and we're here to help him. The 1st, he wants to be better example, so I invited him to read in “Preach My Gospel chapter 6”, Christ like attributes (Humility), Along with listen to a talk titled "The Priesthood Man ". Both of these have helped me to be a better example on my mission. The 2nd thing was to find motivation in missionary work. I told him a saying from wrestling I learned, "Sprint past the finishing line" I Love the saying, It has helped me keep pushing even when I want to quit. That saying means don't give up before it's over. After a weekly planning we had dinner, this the 1st time we ate at our apartment for dinner this transfer. After we did a few stop byes In the Beaver Park area. We ended up dropping a couple people due to the fact we can never get in contact with them. We will still try because we have faith in them. Right before we left we talked to a less active member and we have an appointment set up to share a message next week. On the way back to the truck we talked to a lady walking outside named Maria, she has strong faith in Christ and she thanked us for choosing Christ that you should pray for Safety while sharing a message on Christ. It surely was an uplifting week for me!

                     Mathew 14:31

  "31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"

     At times like Peter we too can doubt, when the storms of my life get too strong we fear. We should continue to trust in Christ have faith in him and remember not to doubt Him, and the love he has for us. When we feel we are sinking to depths of the ocean in the storm, we have prayer, scriptures, and we also have church. Christ’s love is infinite, you will always have his hand held out for us to hold on to. Christ will always walk with us, even when we doubt. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.