Week 84, of Brayden's Mission

District Council

Elder Foster & Elder Knowlden

   Week 84, 5-25-2020

Monday was a pretty laid back day. In the morning we did a District video call and played hangman/ Pictionary, it was pretty fun! Afterwards we went shopping and basically stayed at the apt for the rest of the day. After dinner we finished up the Facebook post and we had a good lesson with the Armstrong family! To end the night we remade the Methuen nightly texts because we had a few people to add!
     Tuesday morning we got a call from a member in Billerica asking if we could call her later in the week to share a message. We called her before and she wasn’t interested in one, so it was pretty cool to hear that she wanted one now! Other than that It was a pretty regular morning. After lunch we started to plan for our training on Zone Conference later this week. We had a pretty cool Mission Devotional with Elder and Sister Dudley (Area 70), they talked about the importance of following the Prophet and record how you hear him. We then made lots of calls and texts to all of the referrals we have gotten, Sadly some of them were pranks. We then had our afternoon workout and dinner. At 6pm the Zone Leaders went live for scripture studies on the Facebook page. They talked about the story of Job in the Old Testament. At 7pm we had our Gospel Principle Class with Methuen and our friend Angel came! It was cool to see him their! The Aldrich's were there as well and we talked about the Priesthood, Angel was glad we invited him and he even said the closing prayer! For the rest of the night we called more members to set up appointments.
     Wednesday ended up being a pretty fun day. After studies and lunch we made our way to the Chapel and met the Lynnfield Elders. We had a member bring down her Cello for Elder C. Foster (not my companion) to play and make a video. While they were on the Chapel filming the song we continued to work on our training and did a virtual
Chapel tour with Angel, he really liked it! We talked about the paintings that are all around the Chapel, one thing he liked is that there is something for everyone to do there! After both of us finished up we made our way to North Salem to the Luangraths to drop off the Cello, they live in a beautiful area by a lake. We then came home and it was time for our District work out, I was in charge today and we did a lot of pushups and burpees, for the next couple days my arms were so sore! After dinner we continued to work on our ZC training along with Billerica progress report.  We then had coordination. To end the night we made a few calls and worked on the training.
     Thursday morning we got ready and then "role played" our training, just so we made sure it went and sounded well! At 10 we hopped on zoom and we had Zone Conference, the first half was 5 different training on various subjects. The second half we heard from President Dionne (Mission Presidency), he talked about using his own experiences to share it with others who are experiencing similar things. Sister Mavromaitis talked about getting involved In the community through Facebook. Last but not least, President shares with us experiences from his mission and how it can relate to us. After Zone Conference we had personal studies up until we called Brother Ortiz to share a brief message with him.  After dinner we talked to Angel, but he was currently busy so we invited him to our zoom call at 7 with Methuen. He came along with Betty and the Aldrich's! We went over the Priesthood Organization. The last thing we had for the night was our Gospel Principle lesson with Billerica,  and we went over "Jesus Christ our chosen savior and leader"
     Friday morning after we got ready and had studies we had District Council. The training was on building member relationships with the ones we teach, it went really well! Shortly after lunch we had a Mission Devotional on Facebook training, again...  to me it feels like a lot of repeats because I did the Facebook finding Pilot program in November.  Right after we called our friend Jahely and her husband Eddie and we were able to read the First Chapter of the Book of Mormon with them and help them have a better understanding! We then had dinner and afterwards we had a good lesson with the Nelson's. To end the night we called all of the referrals and set up a time to meet next week with one of them and we started to teach one of them! Both are for Billerica, we haven't found anyone for them so it was super cool to have two people with interest!
     Saturday morning we had an Admin training on when to post what to do to get more. (some of you may have been invited). Afterwards we finished up companion studies and had lunch. We worked on the Methuen progress report and then did weekly planning.  After weekly planning we went to crystal shores conservation area for our afternoon workout. When we got back we had dinner then made a lot of calls and texts up until our lesson with Betty and Sister Stapleton at 8pm. She was able to look over the churches link about the FaQ on LBTQ+ in the Church. It helped her a lot to have a better understanding. We then went over the last few questions in the Baptismal interview, so she can understand what she will be asked. To end the night I ended up giving myself a haircut, just the sides though. It turned out pretty well!
     Sunday morning after we got ready, we had coordination with Methuen, it ended up going really well! Afterwards we had a message from President on the mission group chat asking us to read or listen to a talk, and he wants us to write about what we thought in our weekly email to him. It was about correcting the true Doctrine from not full Doctrine. We then had a awesome Mission Sacrament. We heard from President and Sister Heatons (Hingham Stake President) they talked about personal revelation and paying attention to our spiritual senses. After we were planning on doing a Sunday Service with Angel, but it got pushed back to later in the day. We then met with the Swanson’s and shared a message about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Afterwards we had lunch and then attended the Billerica Ward Devotional. We heard a couple of good talks one of them was a mission farewell. We then called and talked to a couple members and shared short messages. We then had a short Sunday Service with Angel, the Chipman’s and the Aldrich's. We talked about the conversion of Alma the Younger. We then had dinner and afterwards we ended up driving to Pellham NH, to drop off a Book of Mormon with an online referral. He was super appreciative, we then dropped off the "Come Follow me" to Angel so he can read and follow along throughout the week so he can have better insights at Sunday School! To end the night we continued to reach out to members.
   
                 Moroni 8:25-26
   "25 And the first fruits of repentance is baptism; and baptism cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins;
26 And the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God."

     This right here is the Gospel of Jesus Christ! When we receive the remission of our sins we too will have a humble heart that will lead us closer to Christ in our lives! My favorite thing is being able to have the Gift of the Holy Ghost to be our constant companion. He will help give us comfort in times of need! I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

19 months only 5 more to go.

Elder Foster and Knowlden with their homemade masks

our District Zoom Call

After a good workout

Wood Duck 

Some beautiful flowers

a cool waterfall in the park

Salem Town Forest

Salem Town Forest

Hanging out at Salem Town Forest

Sunset Picture

Our Apartments

Week 83 -19 months!  5-18-20
 
  Monday, ended up being a really fun but long day! After we got up and ready we called the District for a game, sadly only the Lynn Spanish Elders joined in. We played a couple games of "Eye to eye", I tied in the first game but lost in the second. After the call we had a snack then went out on out hike. We went to Salem Town Forest. It was really pretty. It was lightly raining and so peaceful! Well, we kind of got lost for a little bit but we had an adventure finding the way back! After the hike we went and did our shopping for the week then came home. Elder Foster bought a drink and was super excited to drink it until we read the ingredients and it had green tea in it  #WordofWisdom. When we got back to the apt we called and talked to family. I had fun because my parents are in Oregon with my Brother. I was able to talk to him along with my two nieces I don’t’ talk to that often! After dinner we did some contacting up until our lesson with Brother McAdam. He is a really cool member here in the Methuen Ward. He loves the Missionaries! Such a cool guy and I hope to get to know him even more!
     Tuesday morning I had some good studies, at 10am I Skyped my doctor to check in for my 60 day check up. It was cool to get to know her more, she is also an animal lover! She has four Alpacas, and they just got shaved last week. Afterwards we hopped into companion studies and then lunch. After lunch we worked on our Facebook posts for the North Shore page. We then had a Mission Devotional and we were able to hear a former Hartford Temple Mission President and wife’s conversion story. After the devotional we then hit the Chapel to figure out the Facebook Admin thing. We also printed out the new "Restoration Proclamation", we are going to start trying to memorize it! Wish me luck y'all I'm going to need it. When we got home it was time for dinner and I made spaghetti and meatballs. After dinner we made a lot of calls up until Gospel Principles Class with Methuen, we went over "The Life of Christ" and ended up having our friend Betty join us as well! To end the night we made more texts and calls to set up appointments.
     Wednesday ended up being a pretty good day! Both of our alarms didn't go off but we both ended up walking up at 7. After we got ready for the day we hopped right into studies. I am currently reading in Mosiah about the Prophet Abinadi and Wicked King Noah. I absolutely love the faith and power Abinadi has when he is testifying to King Noah and the High Priests of Christ. As King Noah was upset he wanted to kill him right there, but Abinadi said in...
                     Mosiah "13:3
      Touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver; neither have I told you that which ye requested that I should tell; therefore, God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time."
      The message that Abinadi had was truly important and because of it Alma one of the wicked High Priests was converted and he baptized and taught so many people! Abinadi never saw the fruits of his labor but he did what he could while he was alive! While in comp studies we started to memorize the new "Restoration Proclamation". We then got a call from the AP's and they want us to give a training at Zone Conference next week, of course we accepted! Most of the day we called and texted members and people with interest to try and set up appointments.  For our afternoon workout I had a really good time, it was nice outside so I was on our little balcony. We then called Sister Mejia and her daughter Sister Pitta to share a message with them. We also had coordination with Billerica, it was a pretty good day!
      Thursday morning I was pretty awake, I got up and worked out which was pretty nice to do! After we got ready for the day we hopped into studies, it went really well! During comp studies we started to memorize the Restoration Proclamation. We had lunch then had an awesome Mission Devotional on the story of "The Brother of Jared". We then did our weekly planning and set some new goals! Later we called and talked to Kenny and Desiree, they were a referral from the Spanish Elders. It went well and we are teaching them again next week.  We then called Brother Ortiz but he didn’t pick up so instead, we called         home and talked to our families for a little bit. For our afternoon workout we did it via Facebook messenger with the District and did a fun abs workout! After dinner we had a great lesson with Angel again and talked about where we came from. He is super excited to be able to work towards baptism! At 7 and at 8 we had Gospel Principle Lessons, one with each ward! At 7 was with Methuen and our friend Betty joined, at 8 we did it with Billerica and a less active member, Brother Howard joined us. It was super cool to see them on the call !!!
           Friday ended up being a pretty good day. I woke up pretty energized and basically after my morning prayer went straight into my workout. Today was a leg day, so lots of squats! We both then had personal studies, I ended up reading the scriptures out on our balcony because it was such a nice day! After studies we had District Council. Todays training was how to have effective studies, especially during this time we have the opportunity to have longer and deeper studies! After District Council we had lunch then made our way to the Chapel. We recorded Elder Foster singing a hymn for Sacrament on Sunday. I decided to have fun and draw on the chalk board while he did that. By the time we finished up we came home and reached out to a few members, then I did my afternoon workout. After dinner we had three awesome lessons! The first was with the Haslams, they are pretty cool and with them we helped them set up a Family Mission Plan! The second lesson was with Bishop Bursell and his family, they are pretty cool and their daughter is studying genetics for animals and the whole family has had many animals as well, I really liked them! The last lesson for the night was with Brother Baustert in Billerica. He loves the Missionaries and is always looking to help them out.  We were able to share Mosiah 24:13-15 with him and it helped give him a lot of peace. To end the night I called my parents and wished them a Happy 38th Anniversary!
     Saturday was a pretty good day, I have been so much better at getting up on time to workout. The past transfer was hard because we were just barely into isolation/quarantined to our apts. After my workout/getting ready for the day I hopped into studies. The past few mornings I have been on our balcony just to get some fresh air! After lunch we reached out to our friends we are teaching and invited to watch the area Devotional tomorrow with Elder Christopherson. We then worked on the progress record of the week for Methuen. After that we worked on the Facebook post and came up with some ideas to be creative! We took a little break and walked around our complex again checked out the little wetlands on the property. When we got back we practiced the "Restoration Proclamation to the World" while we worked out. After dinner we reached out to a bunch of referrals we have received recently but sadly a few of them have been pranks, and they aren't truly interested. To end the night we had a lesson with Betty and the Stapletons where we went over the Baptismal interview questions so we can see where we can help her out! She is confused about a couple things but we will continue to help her out!
     Sunday morning, right after we got up and ready we had coordination with Methuen. For some reason over Zoom we couldn't see or hear anyone. Luckily Brother Stapleton sent out a link and it worked! We then had lunch and hopped into a lesson with the Luangrath Family, and once again Zoom was being strange! They then sent us a link and it worked! It went pretty well and they are a pretty cool family! Right after our lesson, we had our Mission Wide Sacrament Service, it went really well. We heard from the Black Stone Valley Stake President and his wife.  They talked about "by small and simple things" it was pretty cool! After Sacrament we had lunch and then reached out to a few people. We then met with Brother Swanson and his wife Zarah. Turns out Brother Swansons mom was in town from NY. We talked about being courageous in scary times! After our message with them we then had studies and because it was so nice outside I had studies on our balcony again. For Comp studies we started to memorize the second paragraph of the "Restoration Proclamation". We then had the awesome opportunity to watch a devotional from Elder Christopherson! It was only for our Mission (members and non members). He talked about the importance of church, both in the home and in the chapel. We then had dinner, and to end the night we worked on some Facebook post ideas and contacted a lot of people! To end the night we did our Sunday call ins with the rest of the District Companionships. We didn’t do anything special today but I hit 19 months, 5 more to go!

                     Joshua 1:9

     "9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."

     Life is scary at time and full of misunderstanding! This scripture had given me so much comfort in times like these, where I don’t know what is going on around the world. This promise is given to us as we "be strong and of good courage". Our Savior Jesus Christ truly is watching over us "whithersoever thou goest". I am beyond grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and the Love he has for me!  I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Week 82 Family Mission Plans with the Members

Teaching Angel

Happy Mothers Day to my Mom Stephanie

Eating some Ham off the bone

Griffen Park Fountain

Methuen Face Book Training with our District

Elder Foster and Elder Knowlden at Griffen Park

Griffen Park Fountain

Week 82- 5-11-2020


     Monday was a pretty good day, we did the usual shopping hiking and called the family. We went on a hike/walk at Griffen Park in NH. To end the night we had a couple lessons with members in Billerica. The Jenson’s and the White’s. We shared the Family Mission Plan along with the scripture of Mosiah 24:14-15. It has been really cool to see how the members we have been meeting with see how God has helped them "ease their burdens".
     Tuesday morning after we finished up our studies, we had another Mission Wide Facebook training, it was to help us have better insights on when and what to post on the area pages. Afterwards we had lunch and did a short companion studies. We then went to the Chapel to do some Family History Work and I found out I am related to 17 people from the Mayflower, 12 of them I am directly related to! It was cool to learn that especially sense I served in Plymouth as a past area! I was also able to write the last few letters to members in my last area. I finally hit over 300 letters written on my mission, the 300th was of course to my Mom for Mother's Day! After we finished up we then came home and had dinner. After dinner we had a great lesson with the Butterfields (Methuen) and then the Methuen Gospel Principles message. To end the night we did some Facebook finding and made a couple calls.
     Wednesday, well today is the first day of the new transfer and Elder Foster and I are staying together! After studies and lunch we made our way to the Chapel to get a change of scenery and worked pm our Facebook post, we also worked on the Billerica Progress report. When we got home we had dinner and relaxed for a few minutes. We then made a lot of calls up until coordination.  It went really well, and we were able to set a few things we want to implement this transfer!  To end the night we got a call from our beloved Zone Leaders, and starting Sunday we will be in charge of the Zone Facebook page!
     Thursday we were pretty busy! We had some time for studies which was awesome! While I have been reading the Old Testament cover to cover I have officially hit the Book of Isaiah! It will be a long one, but a good one! After studies we called Brother Adam's and checked in on him to see how he has been doing. Afterwards we had two back to back meetings. The first one was on the new Facebook group for musicians and artists. The second meeting was for all the District Leaders and their companions. I was really there for the support for Elder Foster. Shortly after we had a lesson with Brother Ortiz and we shared a message on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Afterwards we had dinner. The first lesson we had after dinner was with Angel, we talked about what happens after we die. We also talked about Baptism and he accepted to be Baptized when this is all done! It was been so cool to see how much he has grown in the past few weeks we have met with him! After we met with the Powell Family and shared a short message with them. Right after visiting them we had our Gospel Principles message with Methuen Ward. Today we talked about scriptures, only the Aldriche’s joined in today but it was super fun!
     Friday was a pretty busy day as well! DLC at 9 and we got some insights on how this transfer will go. We will most likely be spending it all inside. We also found out, by July 1st we will have 285 missionaries, we currently have 133! Afterwards we then had studies till District Council started. Basically we just reported what happened in DLC. After District Council we called and checked in on Brother Howard then had a lesson with our friend Jahely. With her we talked about the importance of the Book of Mormon and we answered some questions she had. After dinner we then had a good lesson with the Grubbs family (Billerica). After them we had our first Gospel Principle class/message with the Billerica Ward! It went really well, only 4 members but hopefully in the coming weeks more will be able to join! To end the night we called and talked to Brother Sturgis (Methuen), with him we went over the Family Mission Plan and shared Mosiah 24:14-15
     Saturday right after studies we had a training because we are now the Page Admins for the Northshore Stake. Afterwards we had lunch and finished up studies. We then were about to have weekly planning but we ended up having a lesson with our friend Stephen, he is the father of a recent convert Michael in Methuen. Michael had been such a huge help for him! We were able to answer some questions of his and share Mosiah 24:14-15. Afterwards we finished up weekly planning and had dinner. We made a bunch of calls and then to end the night we met with Betty Ma and Sister Stapleton. We went over Baptism our first covenant and receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost. With her we invited her to pray about a date for baptism. We know the date she gets will be the day that she will be ready!
     Sunday was a pretty busy day as well! After we got ready, we had coordination with Methuen and it was probably the best one we've had yet! We then had time for studies and after we had our Mission Wide Sacrament Service.  We heard some good talks, my favorite one was by a Stake Presidents Wife in the New London Area (Madison, my first area). She talked about the parent trap and right now we are all in our "isolation cabins". After we hopped right into a Sunday Service with the Chipmans, Aldriches and our friend Angel. It was super awesome and even Angel loves to participate and shares awesome insights, he even said the closing prayer! Right after that we had a message with Brother Swanson and his Wife Zarah who isn’t a member. We were able to share a short message on mothers because obviously today is Mothers Day! We finally had a short break, but shortly after we joined the Billerica Ward Devotional and we heard some talks from the members. Afterwards we planned on how we can best make posts for the Facebook page because we are now the Admins. Afterwards we called home to talk to our moms and wish them Happy Mothers day! It is always so fun to talk to my mom, she is my best friend! After dinner we did a lot more contacting and hopeing to set up appointments for the coming week. To end the night I called home again because my parents are in Oregon with my cousins, it was fun to see them all!


                   Alma 56:47-48

    "47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.
 48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it"

     As I read this scripture, I found out that the mothers of the stripling warriors are all converts! It was about 20 years before this they were all wicked but because of the Faithfulness of Ammon and the Sons of Mosiah, they saw the truthfulness of the Gospel for themselves! When their mothers came to the Gospel they raised their sons in righteousness!

     Here is My amazing mother who did just what those mothers did and she raised me in righteousness! I am so blessed for having her, be my best friend here on earth! Happy Mother's Day to you Mom -Stephanie Knowlden, I love you so much!   and a Happy Mother's day to all the Mothers out there!
 

We get to stay 6 more weeks in Methuen & Billerica

Muthuen MA

Rhododendron

Muthuen MA

Brother & Sister Chipman

Elder Foster & Elder Knowlden

Outside our apartment in Muthuen MA

Muthuen MA

Week 81  5-4-20


     Monday was a slower day and we didn’t do all too much due to it raining all day. We did a District Call and played mafia, it was different but fun. We went shopping and then basically stayed at the apt all day. We called home and after dinner, we had a couple lessons. We were able to meet with Bishop Koyle and his Family (Billerica) and we went over the Family Mission Plan along with Sharing a message. The kids loved the magic trick I did. To end the night we had FHE and we got to know more about the members all around the mission.
     Tuesday went Pretty well! It was a pretty normal morning. We had lunch and had interviews with President over Zoom. This one was a little more relaxed and we just talked to get to know each other more. He mentioned that I have grown a lot in Maturity these past few transfers. I also talked about coming home a week early for my little Sisters sealing to our family, so as of now I will be coming home on October 16th. After interviews we left the Mission (we had permission). We cover a sliver of a town called Haverhill, the New Hampshire Mission has the other part. We made a few free Bible posts and someone who lives in Haverhill wanted a Bible. We reached out to the Sisters that cover where he lives and they were unable to drop a Bible off, so we were able to do it. When we got home we sat down and then made a lot of calls with members of the Billerica Ward. These members, Bishop asked us to check in on. Not all answered but we were able to set up a few appointments for the coming week. After dinner we met with Sister McDowell and her Son, Lance who is currently living with her. We were able to share a little message with and get to know them more. After them we had our Gospel Principle message with Methuen, today we only had the Aldrich's and Brother Van Zweeden. We went over the Holy Ghost, and it was cool to hear others insights!
     Wednesday was a rough day, it felt so long! After we woke up and got ready for the day we had studies up until lunch. After lunch we had a lesson with Brother Komulainen (Billerica). We just shared an uplifting message. We found out he is a 32 degree Mason in the Scottish right. After our call with him we made our way to the Chapel for a change of scenery and did an hour exchange with the Lynn Elders. It was a nice little break.  We brain stormed ideas for a quality Facebook post for the local page. We then came home and had dinner. After dinner we had coordination and I was so tired that I had a hard time concentrating. It went well, but to end the night we called and talked to Mushall, she is a referral we got, who was asking about Bible studies. We got to know her a little bit and shared a message. We plan on meeting her next week!
     Thursday went pretty well and we stayed fairly busy. We got ready for the day and had the typical studies. Afterwards we had a Mission Wife training on how to better use Facebook to find people.  It went well, but once again a good refresher. We then had lunch and called home. It was really fun to talk with my family for a little bit! We then had a good lesson with Jahely. Today we caught up with her and answered some questions she had.  Afterwards we did weekly planning up until 4. We then had a lesson with Brother Ortiz, and plan on calling him next week. It was my night to cook for dinner so I made some spaghetti; it was definitely a great homey meal! After dinner we had a great lesson with Angel.  We focused on faith and the importance of reading! We then hopped into another lesson with the Malstrom Family, Hailey Malstrom just got back from her Mission in Provo Utah! She still has that “Missionary Fire” and wants to help us best she can.  After our lesson with, we had our Gospel Principle and with Methuen. Today’s topic was praying to our Heavenly Father. To end the night we made some calls but sadly our appointment never answered the phone.
     Friday was a pretty good day! After we woke up and got ready, did our studies, I am truly enjoying my studies right now! After studies we hopped onto a video call for District Council! Today was a simple day, we all shared a miracle we witnessed this transfer along with sharing our testimonies. For the role play we played a game of Telestrations, it was pretty interesting doing it over a video call. The reason we did this was to do a fun example on teaching how the Bible was translated many times. This is why we need the Book of Mormon! After District Council we had some lunch then made a few calls. We then called and talked to Sister Lucy Darley (Billerica). We were able to share a short message with her and it really brightened up her day! After our message with her, I ended up packing a couple boxes to send home. I found my facemask that I've been missing for about a week in the box, I was happy to finally find it! We then had our daily call with Brother Howard, he was in a very good mood today, he played us some tunes on his guitar! After the call we then went to the Post Office to try and send some boxes, getting there it just barely closed, we will have to come back another day. When we got back home we called a couple more members and then had our afternoon workout time. We ended up running around the block a couple times, it was a nice day out and we had a great time! We then came home and had dinner. For the rest of the night we kept pretty busy.  At 6 o'clock we had a Mission Wide Fireside. One quote I really liked came from President Russell M. Nelson "God doesn't care how big His Church is, He cares about how faithful His Church is". I love that a lot! Quite a few missionaries go on missions and all they care is about getting "numbers" ( lots of Baptisms). That's okay but it's also important to help them be faithful in taking on themselves the Baptismal Covenant. We then had a long but fun meeting with the Chipman’s. They are so like my parents! My Mom and Sister Chapman Love Crafts, my Dad and Brother Chipman call it "the Crap Room". I thought it was too funny! Sister Chipman shared an awesome experience on how she was prompted to share some things while on our Sunday Service with Angel last week. Both Elder Foster and I knew that the Chipman’s were going to be great fellowshippers for him!
     Saturday went pretty well, it was a regular morning. Right at 11am we had a great lesson with the Rademacher Family (Methuen). We were able to get to know them more and see how we can help them share the Gospel with others. Afterwards we had lunch and finished up studies. We then did a lot of calling up until dinner. After dinner we had 3 really good lessons. One with the Stapleton's, one with the Van Zwedens and with both of them we shared the same uplifting message of Mosiah 24:14-15, and followed up with the Family Mission Plan. To end the night we had a great lesson with Betty and Sister Stapleton. We were able to go over the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We had a special emphasis on the Gift of The Holy Ghost, it was a pretty fun lesson!
     Sunday went really well! After our morning coordination with Methuen, I took a shower and officially got ready for the day. I then did some studies up until our Mission Wide Fast and Testimony Meeting. It was cool to hear a lot of the departing missionaries bare their Testimonies.  We then had a Fast and Testimony meeting with Angel and the Chipmans, we also went over the Come Follow Me for the week as well. We also had the chance to share a message with Brother Swanson, his wife was sad to miss it but looks forward to next week! We finally had a minute to breath before our next lesson. At 2 with the Niedfeldt Family, with them we talked about Moroni’s promise, because the two oldest boys finished the Book of Mormon and Prayed to know the truth for themselves. After those lessons we finally had time for companion studies! It went really well and we looked around to see the new videos on the Gospel Library app. After dinner we then had a great lesson with the Kasteler Family, turns out Brother Kasteler was a Zoology teacher at one point! (I want to be a Zoologist). For the remainder of the night we did some contacting and watched the Young Single Adult Devotional with Elder and Sister Gay, they talked about Personal Revelation.  Before I end this letter, Transfer texts came out and Elder Foster and I will be staying together another 6 weeks!

               Mathew 21:21-22

     "21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
     22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

    This past week I started to read the New Testament and I plan to finish it by the time I go home. I read this passage this week and it truly stood out to me. I love how throughout the scriptures Jesus always talks about Faith. If we have Faith we can really do anything, but the catch is if it be in Gods will. Sometimes things happen to us through our Faith that is an added Testimony to us of Gods Divinity! If we have faith we can literally move a mountain! One thing we can and should do have our Faith strengthened to is pray as we talk to our Heavenly Father about the desires of our hearts. He knows us PERFECTLY! if you truly believe you can receive the things you ask for. It may not be instantly but eventually it can and will come to you. All these things are for our good! I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen