My last mission e-mail

7/29/13

Hello Family!

This week has been full of goodbyes but we also met a new lady named Ingra Morel.  She was a referral from the West York elders.  They told us that she knew lots about the church and she had some good questions.  When we met her I quickly found that she knew nothing about the church, so I began explaining to her that we have been called by a prophet to come and share the gospel.  As we were talking her friend came into the room and said that she had talked to Mormons before but didn't know much, other than a man named John Smith started it.  I corrected her by telling her that it was Joseph Smith and then I started explaining the importance of a prophet and why the church needed to be restored.  They were both very inquisitive and kept asking questions about our life as a missionary.  I always love explaining our life as a missionary because you can always count on their jaw dropping.  Everyone finds our service as a missionary to be an amazing thing which is pretty cool. 

On Friday night we were finally able to get Kelly to the church for a tour.  We went over to his house for him to sign our journals and to get a picture with him and after he was done writing something to us he asked if he could go do the tour with us.  It was awesome!  He had lots of questions and he found it very interesting.  We invited him to come to church with us on Sunday but he didn't show.  Hopefully the other missionaries will see him come to church. 

We had a lesson with Ethan Specht on Monday where he told us that he wants to be baptized on Wednesday.  We were shocked that he wanted to be baptized so fast, but we had to tell him that he needed to come to church three times before baptism.  He was pretty sad but we set him up for an interview with the bishop.  The bishop was surprised by Ethan's desire and knowledge for only being an eight year old.  Everything is good for Ethan to be baptized except he needs to come to church and that is a problem because his real mother has him on the weekends.  He wasn't able to come to church this Sunday but his dad, Adam, and step mom, Tami, were able to.  It was a great sacrament meeting as well and I think that Tami and Adam thoroughly enjoyed it.  They are both making great progress in coming back into activity.  I will miss the Specht family and their excitement to learn. 

It is pretty exciting to think that I will be seeing my family this week for the first time in two years!  It really hadn't hit me that I am going home until yesterday when I started packing all my things into my suitcases.  I will be sad to leave the people of Pennsylvania, I have truly learned to love them and I have loved being a missionary.  It is going to be weird when I wake up Thursday morning and I don't have to wear a white shirt and tie.  There are going to be so many things that are new to me it will be quite the experience.

I want you to know that I am so grateful for a family that is supportive of my missionary service.  I wouldn't be able to complete my mission if it wasn't for your loving support and genuine care.  I have learned many things on my mission but one of the most important things that I have learned is how to love and the importance of family.  Yesterday I taught Elders quorum using Elder Richard G. Scott's last general conference talk called For Peace at Home.  It focused on ways for us to center our homes on Christ.  As I was preparing I was able to think of all the things that we did as a family to have a Christ centered home.  I was surprised to find how devoted parents must be to raise their kids in a Christ Centered home, which led me to an even a greater appreciation for my parents and the atmosphere you have been able to create in our home.  The little things that maybe felt small and insignificant to you have made a huge impact on me and have helped shape the missionary I am today.  My mission has been the best two years for my life.  I hope to build upon the experiences and knowledge that I have learned here and implement it into my home life.  I look forward to seeing you all!  I love you!!!

Elder Mouritsen

President Monson - The prophet for the whole earth

7/22/2013

Dear Family,

I won't be able to tell you what went on in my week this week because I am just about out of time but I can tell you when I get home and write about it when I get home.  This week was pretty uneventful and not much happened with our investigators.  Elva is hung up on having a modern day prophet.  She doesn't believe that the Church of Jesus Christ should be the only church with a prophet.  We keep telling her that he is the prophet for the whole earth and that people just have to accept him but she is having a hard time with that.  We did have a good lesson with her on the topic of prophets and she is working on trying to get an answer but she is not reading or coming to church so that can make it hard to get an answer.  We will be working hard to get her to church this Sunday because it will be the last Sunday that we are both here.  Elder Stevens and I are being doubled out.  I am going home and Elder Stevens is going to another area to train because they need Spanish speakers here.  We did receive a disappointing text from Salvador this week that told us that he has found a Spanish church and will be going there but I believe he just said that because he is scared to commit.  We will be trying to visit him every night this week though because I want to say goodbye to him and leave him with my testimony.  Hopefully other missionaries can work with him and he will one day be baptized.  This week we will be preparing the area to be doubled out. 

I love you family!!

Elder Mouritsen

PS.  I have included one of my most spiritual experiences that President Topham asked me to write about and send him a copy.

My spiritual experience took place in Hanover, Pennsylvania when we were teaching our investigator named Paul.  When Paul was first contacted, he told us that he was an atheist and wasn't sure if there could even be a God or a higher power.  His wife was a less active member but we didn't know that until after we started teaching Paul.  Paul told us that we could come back and visit him, but said that he didn't want to be pushed and was not interested in becoming Mormon.

We had the opportunity to start teaching him and his wife was present at each visit.  He enjoyed hearing all the different things that we had to share, but he still didn't believe in God. He did, however, say that if there was a God this would be his church.  He liked the Book of Mormon more than the bible and he thought that Joseph Smith being a prophet was pretty cool, but he still didn't believe that there was a higher power. 

On one occasion, after dinner with some of the members of the ward, we drove to Paul's house for a lesson.  We arrived at Paul's earlier than scheduled and found that his wife and kids were gone for the night, so the house was void of any distractions.  We started the visit by asking him if he had any questions. He asked what our feelings were towards our missions before we came out to serve.  I told him that I knew I needed to serve but I wasn't too excited to leave home.  I proceeded to tell him that I have learned to love it and through my mission I had gained a more complete conversion.  After talking a little longer and saying an opening praying, we started into the lesson that we had planned.  We began the lesson with Adam in the garden which led into a discussion about the Atonement and the need for us to repent.  We did some role playing to help teach these points.  Paul was blown away by the fact that the Book of Mormon teaches about Adam.  As we talked more about Adam and Eve, Paul began to have questions that moved us into a discussion about the Spirit World.  We told him that we lived with God before this life and we made the decision to come down to Earth.  The wheels in his head were starting to turn and he was beginning to understand.  

As we finished up the lesson and bore testimony we could tell that Paul was deep in thought and was amazed at the knowledge that he was receiving.  We invited him to say the closing prayer and he agreed he would.  We then asked if he would pray to know the truth, specifically if the things that we taught were true.  He said he would, even though he was hesitant.  He began the prayer a little shaky but after a while he started to express the desires of his heart.  As he was praying and asking the question, I was praying for him to get an answer, and as I did, I began to feel a burning in my bosom.  The prayer ended and we all kept our heads bowed.  After some time had passed, I raised my head to see Elder Spohn with a huge smile staring at me.  It was a smile just as big as he was and we both could feel the Spirit and knew that it had touched Paul.  Paul raised his head and said "Wow! I have been feeling the goose bump feeling all night but that was something unlike anything I have ever felt".  He kept trying to explain what he had felt, but he couldn't.  He knew for himself how he felt but couldn’t adequately express those feelings to us.  There was no doubt he had felt the Spirit!   He said when he had started his prayer he didn't know what to say, but pretty soon he was saying things that he would not normally say, and everything sounded so beautiful. 

As we sat there taking it all in I felt impressed to invite him to be baptized.  I was shaking inside as I invited him, because I could feel the Spirit working through me.  He responded by saying baptism is a huge step, but he could not deny that he had felt something not of this world.  He told us that he wanted some time to ponder on the whole experience but in the meantime he wanted to start taking the things that we taught into his life.  I invited him to do that more seriously. 

Good stuff is happening in this ward

July 15, 2013

Hello Family!

This week hasn't been anything special but we did get to teach Tony and the Spect family.  We taught Tony about the restoration using some red plastic Solo cups that we set up like the structure of the church the way it was when Jesus Christ was here.  We talked about how Joseph Smith had restored the Church in same way in these latter days.  Tony seemed to understand the authority and organization better and the member that was with us was able to give some good thoughts and insights about the restoration.  At the end, Tony asked for the member’s number and asked if he could start driving with him to church on Sunday.  We were glad to see that Tony and Brother Moul were hitting it off and establishing a good friendship.  We also tried to see Elva that same day, which was Friday, but she never answered her door.  We did however get to visit with her on her porch on Saturday.  She brought up some concerns, one being about the Joseph Smith and another being some Word of Wisdom issues.  We had planned for her baptism to be the 27^th of July but she said she wants to be completely clean before she gets baptized.  We agreed, but then she said that it could take a year.  I am glad that she is taking things seriously and it's good to see that she has the desire to repent.  She still didn't come to church this week, so our new focus will be to find out her concerns about going to church.  We will probably try taking her on a tour of the church so she can feel more comfortable when she actually does come. 

This week we saw the Spect family who we have a lesson with tonight.  The mother is a member and her biological sons are members but not active. Her husband is not a member and he has two kids named Ethan and Felicity and none of them are members.  We have been teaching Ethan and Felicity for a couple of weeks now and last week Ethan joined the cub scouts at the church which he was very excited about.  Ethan wants to be baptized so we have been focusing on him and Felicity when we teach because he is 8 almost 9 and she is 7.  The lessons that we have been having with them have been good but we have had to come up with some new ways of teaching because they are kids but they are both attentive and very good kids.  Ethan is into magic, so every time we go over he shows us one of his new magic tricks.  It is fun to teach them because they are so willing to do what we invite them to do and so excited about doing it.  We will be trying to get their father more involved tonight by asking him some good questions and we will be talking about Moroni 10:4-5 with them. 

Salvador is struggling.  We have tried to contact him several times this week but he has hasn't called us back or answered his door so we don't know what is going on with him.  I believe he is trapped in the worldly things.  We will keep working with him but not making it so much of a focus. 

I am amazed with the ward here and their excitement to get involved with the missionary efforts.  Our ward mission leader is gung-ho about getting us more work.   He and one of the ward missionaries have come up with a great plan to get all the members involved in the missionary effort.  Each week there will be two families signed up and their job is to come up with something for us to do whether it is helping their neighbors move or showing them how to make a Mormon.org profile.  The members with be giving us something to do instead of us always coming up with something for them to do.  Good stuff is happening in this ward as far as missionary work so that is exciting. 

I love you family!

Elder Mouritsen

My parents sent me a new car for my birthday

July 8, 2013

Hello Family,

Thanks for the birthday package.  I got the package Wednesday exactly on my birthday and I really enjoyed everything that was in it.  The new garments are sooo white it's incredible!  It brought a big smile to my face to see all the pictures of you and the Kramers at the temple and at lunch.  Also, thanks for the birthday cards that you sent me and Syd, thanks for your letter.  Anyway, besides the package and a family that had us over for a pizza party, my birthday was a pretty normal missionary day.  They also bought me two packs of strawberry Twizzlers, so now I have Twizzlers for dayz!! 

That same day we were able to teach Elva about the plan of salvation.  She especially enjoyed our discussion about the Spirit World.  She said that since we have been teaching her she has been sleeping better and her relationship with her daughter is getting better.  She said that she was going to come to church this week but, unfortunately, she didn’t show up.  That day we also taught our investigator named Tony.  He wasn't feeling too well, so we didn't get to stay for very long.  We did, however, teach him about repentance and he said he was going to start writing down his sins and start repenting for them but he wasn't going to tell us because some of the things he's done could send him to prison...  It was nice to see him, and it seems that he has a big desire to be better.  It’s just sad that his health is so bad but he probably wouldn't be talking to us if his health was good.  God knows what he's doing. 

The 4th was a very normal day.  We didn't do anything different except we had to be in our house at 7:00pm.  Sadly we couldn't see any fireworks from our house because the trees are so dense. 

On Friday we had an appointment with Elva, so we rode our bikes downtown to her house only to find that she had to leave.  We were pretty frustrated because she made the appointment.  We also had a member meet us there and we were sweating profusely.  It has been so hot and humid here the last few days.  We might as well have jumped in a pool and then entered into someone’s house for a lesson because that's what we look like when we get to people’s houses.  Luckily, that night as we were getting ready for bed the zone leaders knocked on our door telling us that they had some supplies and a gift for us.  They had been at zone leader council in Pittsburgh.  They pulled out a set of keys and told us that we got a brand new car to drive!  I was so happy!!!  Since then I've been telling people that my parents sent me a new car for my birthday.  I guess the church keeps sending cars to this mission, so now we have about 95 cars in the mission.  There won’t be any more walking areas opening up for a while.  Lucky for Mitch, haha. 

This week was really slow.  Sorry my letter is so boring.

Love you family!

Elder Mouritsen

P.S. Happy birthday Sydnee

My last zone conference

July 1, 2013

Dear Mom and Dad,

It sounds like you had a fabulous week and what a coincidence that you and Matt where on the same flight to New Orleans.  I am so happy to hear that the Kramers loved their vacation to Utah and that the sealing session was spiritual and uplifting for everyone.  I received an email from the Kramers not to long after I read the email from you guys.  They told me that they loved it and they are already planning to come back next year with their kids.  Thank you family for making their experience in Utah special and memorable. 

Well, just like your week I had a good week as well.  On Tuesday we went to the visit one of our investigators named Tony.  He is the guy that we helped move when I first got here to York.  When we got to his house we had a good lesson where we talked about the history of the Bible and the Book of Mormon and when and where they took place.  He really enjoyed it and said that he always learns more from us than he has ever learned in all the years he has gone to church.  After our lesson he asked us to help him clean up his house so it would look good for his daughter when she flew in from Florida.  I cleaned up his attic bedroom and tried to make it look like it was my own.  I got it looking pretty good but I wasn't sure what to do with the chair that looked like a high heel shoe.  With the help of Elder Stevens we got it all figured out and Tony loved it.  We were able to get everything cleaned up just in time for his daughter to show up.  She was very nice.  She was baptized in 2012 and is now the Laurel President and is planning to serve a mission.  She and Tony came to church this Sunday and it seemed that Tony is getting more comfortable with the people at church and is started to take church more seriously. 

On Wednesday we planned to teach one of the active families our new "member missionary lesson".   We have been creating this lesson and preparing to present it for a few weeks now.   Brother Smith, who is a Radiologist, came and picked us up in his S class Mercedes.  I have never been in such a luxurious car.  I now know why Mercedes’ cost so much money.  He let me sit up in the front and he turned on the massagers that were in the chair.  This car had everything you could think of.  It had heating and cooling in the seats.  When we took a turn, the seat would push me back.  It felt like you were floating when you drove because the suspension is so nice.  I definitely recommend one! 

We ended up eating lunch with the family and then shared our "member missionary lesson".  We had some good participation from all the members of the family and they seemed excited to do some of the new ideas that we presented for them.  After the lesson we helped them put a new pump in their fountain outside. 

That night we were downtown trying to visit Elva.  While we were talking with her outside her house a Mexican guy who was across the street called me over and started telling me that someone had stolen his phone.  He told me that he would like for me to call his phone and talk to the guy that had stolen it and try and get some information out of him and then call the cops so they could retrieve the phone.  He couldn't call the cops because he was illegal and they would've sent him back to Mexico so he wanted me to do it.  I told him that I couldn't get involved with his worldly problems but I could help him spiritually.  He then invited us to his apartment to talk more with him and he wanted to show us his bible.  It was perfect timing because it had just started raining.  We went to his apartment but it was a shared apartment.  He only rented one room but got to use all the facilities.  He opened his bedroom door to show us his bible and as soon as he opened the door I was hit with a pungent odor.  His room was stinky, but he had almost nothing.  He and his brother had been sleeping on the floor with a couple of blankets as their padding.  After seeing his bible we went to the front living room and sat down.  He told us more about his problems then I explained the Book of Mormon and tried to give him a copy.  He said he didn’t have any money to buy it but I told him that it was a free gift from us.  He got very excited, I proceeded to explain more about the Book of Mormon and then I ended with a prayer.  He started crying and gave us a hug.  I don't think anyone has ever prayed for him before and no one has given him a gift like the Book of Mormon before.  I felt good that I was able to brighten his day.  We will be going back tonight to try and see him. 

Elva is enjoying learning but still didn't come to church.  We will be working hard to get her there this Sunday. 

Saturday night we were picked up by Jose Calix a member of the ward who speaks Spanish and English fluently.  He picked us up for dinner and when he got in the car he told us we were going to pick up Salvador as well.  I was so excited!!!  Salvador was all dressed up and ready to go when we got to his house.   He and Bro. Calix were able to get to know each other better.  The dinner was delicious and it seemed that Salvador really enjoyed it.  After conversing together we went into the family room and with the help of brother and sister Calix we taught the plan of salvation to Salvador.  He told us that everything just makes sense to him and it’s all very logical for him.  It sounds like he knows Joseph Smith was a prophet and he is going to start taking things more serious now.  We bore our testimonies to him and invited him to read Alma 32.  On our way home he and Bro. Calix talked and Salvador said he was going to come to church after work.  He did just that!  As I was sitting in Sunday school Elder Stevens called out to me and said Salvador is here.  I was explaining to Tony the organization of the priesthood but quickly went and brought Salvador into where we were.  I then began talking to Salvador about the organization of the priesthood.  It was a great experience for me and it sounded like Salvador enjoyed it as well because he said he would be back but, he did say that he didn't expect that there would be so much English.  Hopefully that doesn't scare him away like it does a lot of Spanish speaking investigators. 

It was a good week and I hope I can have an impact on these people before I get shipped out!

I love you family!

Elder Mouritsen

P.S. We had zone conference this week.  It was my last zone conference so I gave my departing testimony.  It was weird that it was my last zone conference.

We were so close!!

June 24, 2013‏

Hello family,

This week was one of the hardest weeks of my mission.  We had a lot people that we planned to see and visit but almost every one of them canceled.  We did have one lesson with Elva that went well.  We watched the Joseph Smith movie and afterward she felt an anxious but peaceful feeling.  I told her that I get similar feelings when I feel the Spirit.  I usually get those types of feeling before I speak in front of a big group.  I get anxious but I know and can feel that everything is going to be alright.  She planned on coming to church with us on Sunday, but she didn't have anything to wear.  We talked to some of the sisters in the ward and they bought her a brand new dress.  Everything was set for her to come.  We also had a member going to drive in his car while she drove in her car to show her the way.  We had a seat saved and she even had the dress.  Anyway, Sunday morning came and as she was waiting outside for the member to show up she started feeling sick from the breakfast she ate, so she ran upstairs.  In the meantime, the member showed up and was knocking on her door.  After knocking a few times he left.  Soon after, he was at the church with us without Elva.  We called Elva and told her the directions to the church.  She said she would try.  A little while later she called and said "I am lost".  She was at Weis Market which is about 100 yards from the church, but by then she was done with trying and was running out of gas.  We were so close!!  She is still planning to be baptized on the 27 of July.

We are frustrated with Salvador because we set up appointments and then he will cancel them right before we get there and we usually have a member with us.  We will be giving him some time to get his new schedule figured out, but we keep telling the members to go by and say hello, hopefully they are doing just that.  We will be going to his house sometime this week to give him the Addiction Recovery booklet.

This week we ran into a woman preacher.  We knocked on her door and she immediately invited us in, but we had no idea what we were getting into.  Anyway, she pulled out her bible and said "let’s have a lesson"; we started teaching her about the Godhead.  We quickly found out that she does not believe in the Godhead but believes in the trinity.  We definitely stood for our beliefs but she was yelling at us the whole time, not intentionally, but that must be the way she preaches.  The Spirit was never present as she talked and by the end I don't think we had the Spirit either because she wouldn't let us explain anything, which was making us angry.  She had Elder Stevens say the prayer at the end but she told us that she would finish his prayer because she thought that we ended in the name of Joseph Smith.  It was quite the event.

Yesterday, we passed by and she was outside and gave us folder with 14 pages supporting her claims.

Love you family!!!

Elder Mouritsen

I'm glad to finish my mission with Elder Stevens

June 17, 2013‏

Hello family! 

This week was pretty slow and not too many exciting things happened but Elder Stevens and I will be staying together for another transfer which is good.  I thought he was going to get transferred out and I was going to get a Spanish companion to finish my mission but I am glad to finish with Elder Stevens.  We get along really well, which always makes the work more enjoyable.  Yesterday we got home from the working and Elder Stevens told me he wasn't going to talk to me for the rest of the night because I kept telling him that he had been making so many nice comments about people today. (I was saying that sarcastically)  Anyway, he decided he wasn't going to talk to me even during planning so I ended up planning by myself and got a little upset with him because his goofing around was causing tension during planning.  Then he decided to throw a paper airplane at me while I was reading that said "Sorry for not talking... Will you forgive me" I wrote back saying yes, but he still didn't talk for the rest of the night.  We then started getting ready for bed and he started praying by his bed while I brushed my teeth.  When I came out of the bathroom he was gone.  I checked all the closets, under my desk, the kitchen and even outside.  I then came to the conclusion that he was gone or under one of the beds.  I hurried to look under my bed and there he was squished under my bed.  I took a picture and then he climbed out from under my bed still without saying a word and climbed into his bed. 

He is talking to me today and we have both been laughing about the situation. 

This week we were able to have two lessons with Salvador: The first lesson, we watched the restoration DVD and asked him what his feelings and impressions were.  He told us that he could feel the Spirit and everything made sense to him.  I then invited him to be baptized and he said yes but he said he would need to pray about the date that we had set for him.  We set him for July 13^th.  The second lesson that we had with him we learned that his work schedule would be changing and that he has some addictions that will probably set him back a little for baptism but we are getting the ward involved and I am praying that things can work out.  Keep him in your prayers that he will be able to get Sundays off and will be able to quit his addictions. 

We also taught a guy whose name is Magic Johnson and that is no joke.  Somehow we got his number and ended up calling it.  We said we could come over.  We taught him the restoration and he had some question but he wouldn't pray with us because he said he was Muslim. 

Things are going well and I’m happy to hear that the Kramers will be coming and you will be able to meet them and go to the temple with them.  Take lots of pictures. 

I love you family!!!

Elder Mouritsen

Elder Bednar visited our misson!

June 10, 2013

Hello Family! 

This week has been exciting and very spiritual. 

We started the week off by going out with one of our Spanish members named Bro. Calix.  He loves working with the less active Spanish members.  We went out with him and he was able to get us some appointments set up for later in the week with some less active Spanish members.  We also took him to meet Salvador our main investigator.  Bro. Calix and I talked to Salvador outside his house for a few minutes and Bro. Calix was able to bear his testimony and tell part of his conversion story.  Salvador enjoyed meeting Bro. Calix and Bro. Calix said he would invite him over for dinner and a lesson next week.  Going out with Bro. Calix got us off to a good start. 

On Tuesday we were able to meet with a girl named Monique.  Monique is only 19 but she wants to change her life because she is tired of her rebellious ways.  We ended up teaching her at the library which was alright.  She was just asking lots of questions that were more about our lives and how we grew up.  We did however teach a little bit of the restoration which she found interesting.  She says she could never be Mormon because we have so many rules, but we'll help her understand that rules free us. 

We also had a lesson with one of our investigators named Tony who has every health problem imaginable.  He has been taught by the missionaries for three years but has never come to church so we focused on getting him to church and he came!

Wednesday was the best day as far as lessons go in the York area.  We gave a blessing to this man from Texas that was driving his truck through Pennsylvania when he all of a sudden had a heart attack.  Someone he knew was able to contact us and asked us to go give him a blessing.  It was a good experience. 

Later, we taught this lady that we ran into during our visits with Bro. Calix.  She was interesting and when we walked into her house we also met her sister and her sister’s girlfriend.  That was a little weird...  The lesson went well though and we will be seeing her again soon. 

After that we went and taught a woman named Lanzo.  We found out that she has never been back to church since she was baptized more than 10 years ago so, we are going to start teaching her all the lessons again.  She is a nice lady and likes to have the missionaries come over but she is not a fan of church. 

The best part of the day was our lesson with Salvador.  Bro. Coy, who is a Spanish teacher for the high school, came and taught with us.  Salvador had read the whole entire restoration pamphlet and expressed to us his thoughts about it.  He told us that it all makes sense and he loves how the church is big on families.  He really seemed to connect with Brother Coy which was good and Bro. Coy left him an assignment to read Joseph Smith’s testimony.  He said yes and then closed with a meaningful prayer. 

Nothing much happened on Thursday or Friday.  Friday we were supposed to have a lesson with Salvador again but he canceled because he had to wash his clothes.  We were bummed that everything that night fell through but we got over it.  Some other missionaries came and stayed with us on Friday night for the big meeting with Elder Bednar the next day.  One of the missionaries that came and stayed with us was a missionary that is waiting for his visa to Brazil.  We told us all about how visas work.

Saturday was a once in a life time opportunity.  We had Elder Bednar here with three members of the quorum of the 70.  Elder Bednar taught us for about three and a half hours in a new and unique way of teaching.  He did not give a talk but he had us read three of his talks beforehand and he asked what our impressions were from the talks and what we learned.  He would listen to what the missionaries had to say and then he would comment on what they said.  He then opened the last hour and a half up for questions but we couldn't ask dumb questions like “where is the sword of Laban”.  He didn't open his scriptures once but quoted many by memory.  He never said "you know" “um” or “uh”.  Everything was said or answered as a statement or with a scripture.  His visit was everything I expected and more!

Sunday we ended up having Tony come to church.  He thought it was pretty long but he got pretty excited when an elder in elders quorum said he was getting rid of some bug spray and lawn feed for free.  He got him some free stuff and went home happy!  Haha.  Salvador didn't end up coming to church but Bro. Coy went and saw him after church and then we stopped by later to see why he didn't make it.  He told us that he got done with work at 2:30 and was super tired and had no gas.  It was a good excuse but he really enjoyed it when Bro. Coy went over and just talked to him.  The members here are great! 

Well I love you family!!!

Elder Mouritsen

Sweat and sore legs

June 3, 2013

Hello family!

This week we met a man named Salvador he is from Mexico.  We met him on the street at just the right time.  He was in despair and didn't know what he was going to do and we ended up being right there to talk to him.  Coincidence, I think not.  Anyway, we visited him again a few days later and were able to do some teaching.  I had planned on teaching him about the restoration with one of the priests in this ward but once we got in the house and started asking him some questions we found that he didn't know much about God, so we used the Bible to explain that God has a body of flesh and bone.  Then we helped him understand the Godhead because he was confused about that as well.  The Spirit was strong and he ended the lesson by saying a simple prayer but in the right form.  We met with him again on Saturday and talked about prophets but we didn't have much time because we had another appointment.  We did invite him to church before we left and he said he would be there.  On Sunday he didn't show up until four because he was stuck at work but he came and I ended up giving him a tour of the church building.  He really enjoyed it and was amazed with some of the art.  I was able to explain the painting of Christ giving his apostles the priesthood. Then he saw the painting of the First Vision where Joseph Smith is kneeling with God and Jesus standing above him.  It was his favorite picture and it gave him a visual of God and Jesus both having bodies.  It was a great experience and I hope to have more in-church tours with people.  

On Saturday we were walking back to our bikes through an alleyway and knocked on one last house thinking it was a Spanish house, instead we met James.  James is about 6.4 and super skinny at 160 lbs.  He came to the door and told us that he was having problems with his woman but his alcohol level was right so he was feeling okay.  He invited us to talk with him but before we sat down and started talking with him I asked him if he was drunk?  He said “Noo!”  Then I asked if he was going to remember the things we would tell him and he said "Of course!  Don't make me change my mind!"  So, we sat down on his lawn chairs out in the front of his house and started teaching him about the restoration.  The gospel could sure help him.  We should be seeing him again this week.  

We are starting to have some progression in this area but it has not come without sweating and sore legs.  

Well family I love you and pray for you!

Elder Mouritsen

Finding investigators

May 27, 2013

Hello family!

This week was full of finding investigators.  It seems like that is all we do these days but we did have some good experiences.  

On Tuesday we helped some members in the ward clean up their house to get it read to sell.  We wiped down the base boards and moved boxes.  We were rewarded with some pizza and Dr. Pepper.  We felt good helping but it did take a long time.  After getting showered and ready we went to the Olive Garden with one of the single sisters in the ward.  The waitress was taking a long time towards the end and the sister that took us got a little upset with the waitress so, after we all left, Elder Rudd and I went back in and apologized to the waitress.  We felt good about doing that and hopefully it had a big impact on the waitress and she will try and be faster next time.  

Wednesday we had an exchange and I stayed in our area and Elder Ramos came with me.  It was good.  We were able to ride our bikes down to the inner city and talked to all the Hispanics.  We ended up getting some good potentials but nothing too great.  This area has the more Hispanics than any other area that I have been in.  They will always listen to us when we stop them on the street but it is very hard to get a sit down appointment with them.  After walking the streets all afternoon we rode up the Queen Street hill to our dinner appointment with a man named Kelly.  Kelly is not a member and he wasn't even an investigator but we called him a few days earlier because he was a potential and he invited us over for burgers.  When we got to his house he was a little confused because he was expecting Elder Stevens because Elder Stevens was the only one to have met him.  Kelly quickly warmed up to us and we were able to have a good conversation while his nephew cooked the burgers.  He was very interested about the church he kept asking “how many people go to the church and how would the people perceive me”.  After dinner we were able to teach him about the Restoration which he found to be very valuable information.  A little later he drove us home with our bikes in the back of his truck.  He said he had been out to Utah a few times and he loved the way people lived there and he wants what they have in his life.  

We also had a Zone training meeting in Harrisburg with President Topham.  He told us that on June 8th Elder Bednar would be coming to speak to us.  We have been given three talks that we need to read and he will be discussing them with us.  President said it will change our lives.  After zone training on our way home we stopped by Three Mile Island which is a nuclear power plant and it is where they filmed the movie Wolverine.  

We had some other good contacts this week and we now have two investigators which is much better than zero.  

I love you family!

A bike blessing

May 20, 2013

Good morning family!  

It was great to read your letter and it sounded like you had a great experience with the Kenleys.  I’m glad you got a little taste of what I had experienced for 8 months.  Their son spoke in our ward yesterday; he is the 1st councilor in the stake presidency here.  He shared a funny story that reminded me of Elder Kenley's stories.  I am so glad that you finally got to meet Keaton Stewart.  He is a funny guy.  I was glad to have him as my trainer.  I am jealous that you guys get to go to the temple with the Kramers.  That will be so cool and I’m sure they will enjoy it.  We won’t even have to come back and tour my mission because you will have met everyone that I have associated with by the time I get home.  

This week, nothing too terribly exciting happened.  We did have our first lesson since I arrived in my new area.  It was with a 19 year old girl that has been investigating the church for about 9 months.  Her mom and brother are members but she is still trying to find out if it is right for her.  We taught her about the Holy Ghost and we shared a Mormon message called “Patterns of Light”.  If you haven't seen it I advise you to watch it.  She enjoyed the video.  She also shared a good experience that she had.  She came to the realization that she needs to pray more often and not just in times of need.  We will be going to see her again this week.  

Our ward mission leader has an exchange student from Venezuela that is staying with them until the end of the school year.  We went over there twice this week and I practiced Spanish with him.   He is a cool kid.  The first time we went over, he and I talked about his experience here and about his country and the different things that he like to do.  He comes from a very educated family that is Catholic but he is not religious himself.  Our ward mission leaders’ wife was smart though and told him that I would like to practice the missionary lessons with him.  When we came back the next time we started with a prayer, I taught the first lesson and he paid close attention to the information and to any errors that I made.  I had him ask me questions so I could practice answering common questions that people have and then I closed with a prayer.  It was a win-win situation, he got to hear about the restoration and I was able to work on my Spanish.  I don't know if he is very interested but next time we will go through the plan of salvation and maybe that will spark his interest.  

Story-

Wednesday night we had dinner with a family from the ward.  He is a recent convert and she is a returned missionary.  They are awesome!  They now live outside of our new area but they still invited us to dinner.  The other missionaries were going too but we decided that it wasn't super far so we would bike to their house for dinner.  Big mistake.  We start our journey to their house and I started speeding off because my bike is a little faster than Elder Stevens’ bike.  He told me that he would yell out when I needed to turn because I didn't know the way.  Well I got too far in front of him and couldn't hear him anymore.  I ended up going all the way down the hill when I was supposed to turn close to the top of the hill.  Well, Elder Stevens stayed up at the turn until he realized that I had gone way too far.  So he took off looking for me.  There was a fork in the road and I took one way and he took the other so now we were both separated from each other, breaking the rules, and I had no idea where I needed to be going.  So, I start going back up the hill searching for Elder Stevens.  We finally found each other after I asked a mailman if he had seen another biker go past.  Once we found each other we figured we would still be able to get to the members’ house from the bottom of the hill it just wouldn't be as fun.  So, we started our trek up the first hill which wasn't too bad but then we got to the second hill and it kept going and going so by the time we got to the top we were both sweating like no other but, we were close and there was only one more little hill to go.  I went first because I knew the way from that point on.  I got about 200 yards in front of Elder Stevens and when I looked back he was standing next to his bike.  I rode back and found that he had tried riding over some orange construction fencing and it caught his gear shifter and ripped it off.  The bike was completely broken.  We chained the bikes to a nearby tree and the other missionaries came and got us.  

After dinner the other missionaries took us to the church and from there we called one of the members with a truck and he came and picked us up.  We started telling him what happened and he told us “I'll do you one better than just pick up your broken bikes.  Why don't we go to Kmart and we'll get you some new bikes”. 

We said, “No, we don't want you to do that.  Our bikes just need repairs”.  But, he was persistent.  He ended up taking us to Kmart and getting us some brand new Schwinn bikes!  I couldn't believe it I don't think I have had a new bike since I was 11 years old.  These bikes are awesome and we feel so much safer riding them then those other bikes.  Both the brakes work and the back wheel doesn't twist into the frame like the last bike did.  We feel so blessed to have received new bikes.  In the last few days that we have had them we have put them to good use and my legs have never been so sore.  

That is pretty much it for my week.  I love you family!!!

Elder Mouritsen

I knew at that moment why I stayed in Hanover.

May 6, 2013

Dear Family,

This week has been a good week but also pretty sad because I have had to say good bye to all the people that I have been working with for the last 6 months.  I am being transferred to York this week.

We have been trying to see Jesi and Kaitlyn as much as possible this week.  They have both been spending a lot of time at the Mebius house.  The Mebius’s are the members that took Jesi in and they have also taken Kaitlyn under their wing.  Kaitlyn doesn't live there but she goes over to their house after school almost every day.  Sister Mebius is having Kaitlyn do some spring cleaning for her.  The other night, after Kaitlyn had finished cleaning, she and Sister Mebius had a heart-to-heart talk.  Sister Mebius told her that she has so much potential and she is a beautiful girl that can do so much good in the world.  Sister Mebius also told her that she loved her.  Well, a couple of days later we got to meet with Kaitlyn and she told us about this experience and she told us that she started to cry when Sister Mebius was telling her these thing because no one else has ever told her anything that nice before.  She told us that it made her feel so good and it gave her more confidence and helped her not to feel so self-conscious.  This really hit me hard when she told me this.  I have always had loving parents and people around me that have loved me and said nice things to me.  To hear a 15 year old girl say that no one has ever told her she was worth anything or that they loved her was pretty heart wrenching.  She says she wants to be baptized.  We just need to teach her everything and make sure she is in it for the right reasons, which I feel she is.  She said she is the happiest she has ever been and she has also started calling Sister Mebius Mom.  I know she is in good hands as well as Jesi so I am excited to see what happens with both of them in the future. 

This week we also went and met with one of our families.  We were supposed to meet with them last Sunday but the mother sent us a text telling us that they would need to change the appointment.  On Wednesday I sent them a text to see if we could stop by but they replied no, it was not a good time.  I was starting to get a little bit worried that something happened in their family but I wasn't sure what.  We didn't go over on Wednesday but on Thursday I decided that we better stop in and see if everything was alright.  We didn't text or call we just went over and knocked on the door.  Their son let us in and we went up to the family room where everyone was sitting.  We started shaking every ones hands and when I got to the mother I asked "how's everything going" and she said "not very good" she immediately began to cry while telling us that their daughter was pregnant.  It's hard to know what to do in those types of situations but what they needed was for someone to listen and that is exactly what we did.  We listened to everything that they had to say and we added some spiritual things and some personal experiences with them.  I shared with them the story of my parents and that seemed to help them gain some trust in us and let them know that our families are not perfect and we have gone through similar challenges.  We left and they were very appreciative that we came by.  They didn't want us there at first but then they realized that we are just there to give support and uplift them.  I was very glad to be a missionary at that time and I knew at that moment why I stayed in Hanover. 

We saw Mike again this week.  We just stopped by to see how he was doing and he let us right in.  We were able to talk to him for about 45 minutes.  He is still interested so I guarantee that Elder Adams will pursue that more after I leave.  I would have loved to teach him more and see his progression but I will get the scoop after Elder Adams has worked with him for a while.   

There is a guy in our ward named Brother Reid and he has a disease that has pretty much paralyzed his body.  He can still move his limbs, just really slowly.  He has trouble breathing but the doctors can't figure it out.  They have been doing testing on him for over 3 years now and they have only ruled things out but have not come to a conclusion of what is causing his condition.  It is really sad.  We had dinner with them this week and we talked about challenges that we face in life and why we have them, and he became really emotional about his situation.  I could feel the Spirit so strong and you could tell that this disease has really changed his and his wife’s whole life.   He is only 55.   

We spent most of Saturday and Sunday saying goodbye to people.  Sunday night however we were able to go and see the Gaylord’s one last time.  I had spent that morning thinking of what I would want to leave with them and I decided that I would share my conversion story and my testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.  We went to their house and after talking for a little bit and telling them I was leaving I shared my testimony.  I ended by telling them that I am serving my mission so I can share the gospel with others so they can have the joy in their lives like I have had in mine.  Jennifer said she knew they needed to start reading the Book of Mormon.  We ended the lesson with a prayer and their younger daughter agreed to say it.  She gave a nice simple prayer.  It was her first time praying out loud but she did a great job.  I love the Gaylord family and I pray that they can have the happiness I have. 

I love you family!!

Elder Mouritsen

A Day of Service

April 29, 2013

Hello family,

It has been a pretty typical week but we were able to have some productive teaching experiences.  Transfers are coming up next week and it is very possible that I will be transferred to another area, so I am going to be gearing up for that this week by getting my last visits in with all the investigators and people that I have been working with.  I don't want to get transferred from this area because there is so much work going on here that I have been a part of which makes getting transferred hard. I trust that everything will work out for the best though.

On Monday after our P-day and after having dinner with some members we decided to go by the Gaylord’s because we heard that Cierra had just gotten her wisdom teeth out so we wanted to see how she was doing.  We ran to the grocery store near the Gaylord home and got Cierra some ice cream because I remembered that ice cream was my favorite thing to eat when I got my wisdom teeth out.  We got to their house and they welcomed us right in.  We saw Cierra laying on a chair looking pretty miserable but I think us bringing ice cream made her feel a little better.  We started talking with the family but we quickly found out that their favorite TV show was on and we were disrupting it.  They had it turned off because they know that we can't watch TV but their DVR wasn't working so we told them that they could turn it on and we wouldn’t watch it.  Jennifer didn't care to watch it but the girls did so we kept talking to Jennifer.  Then Cierra said that she was having a lot of pain but she can't take pain medication because it makes her really sick.  Jennifer then suggested that we give her a blessing.  During the commercials we explained blessings and the priesthood and then during the next commercial break we gave her a blessing. It went really well except towards the end someone came to the door and the dogs started barking so loud I couldn't hear myself think.  I ended the blessing and she thanked us.  We left soon after that but they invited us back for dinner the next night. 

Tuesday we had exchanges with Elder Jones the new zone leader. We saw Paul and decided that he doesn't really want the gospel in his life at this point so we decided that we would probably be dropping him the next time we see him.  We want him to accept the gospel and progress but he doesn't want it so there is no point in wasting our time when we know he isn't going to do anything.  We also saw Jesi.  She is living with a family in the ward which is helping her get on her feet.  It is good for her to see how a family should function.  We had her answer our questions as we acted like we didn't know anything about the church.  I think it helped her learn and internalize things.  After our lesson with her we went to the Gaylord’s for dinner.  They had made us bacon wrapped chicken, loaded potatoes and asparagus.  It was delicious and after we ate we taught the plan of salvation.  The whole family was attentive and asked questions.  Temples were even brought up and we were able to talk about the importance of temples and how families can be together forever.  Jennifer said, "I want to be with Rob forever." We ended our lesson and they fed us some delicious angel cake with strawberries but the best part was when Jennifer offered the closing prayer.  She had not prayed in front of us before and was a little hesitant to do so but she ended up offering a really good prayer from her heart.  I pray for the Gaylords nightly and hope they can find out the truth for themselves. 

Wednesday we had district meeting where I taught about the importance of church attendance and how we can get our investigators excited to come to church.  After district meeting we went to this awful Chinese buffet.  It reminded me when we ate that Chinese food in San Francisco and after picking our first entree we couldn't find anything else that looked good.  It was bad!  Nothing much happened after that until the Book of Mormon class.  I thought that Elder Adams and the other missionaries were going to teach it so I didn't prepare anything but no one was taking control of the class and the people were getting restless so I eventually stood up and started teaching about the brother of Jared and his faith and obedience.  It ended up being a really good class but I will never go unprepared again because it was so disorganized.

Thursday we were able to teach the Fishers about the plan of salvation and the member that was with us invited them to church.  By the time we finished, the whole family was in the room listening and all the kids said that they would come to church if their parents went.  I love how the gospel can create a crowd of people because everything is so interesting and their spirits are drawn to the message of truth.  When Sunday came, Loretta, the mother, and her daughter were called into work so they weren't able to come to church.  It was sad but we know that they will come as soon as they can. 

  

On Friday we helped Adam Fuhrman put in a clothes line.  It was really fun and reminded me how much I like to build and make things.  It took a better part of the day to do but Adam was very grateful for our help. 

On Saturday we were part of the state wide service project to help clean up the state parks.  We worked alongside many members from the ward on one of the state parks near our apartment.  There were many different service projects going on in the park.  I was part of the ditch digging crew.  We dug a ditch and put a perforated pipe in the bottom so the amphitheater would not flood anymore.  It was nice to do some manual labor for a change and my back was even sore the next day.  It was fun to work with the ward and I was able to get to know some of the families better.  We left the park around 12:30 to have lunch with the Sherfy family and help them clean out their garage.  After garage cleaning we went to the Shanahans and did some sheet rock taping.  It was cool to learn how to tape sheet rock.  Out of all the things I have done I have never taped sheet rock so it was nice to learn.  Our day ended up being a day of service which was nice and made the day go by really fast.  I know that if we give selfless service we will be happier. 

Sunday was a good day.  We had one of our less active members come to church and bear his testimony. He has not been to church in fifteen years.  He said that he had never born his testimony but wanted people to know that he knows the church is true and that the missionaries have changed his life.  He told more of a story but everyone was awake and paying attention to what he had to say.  He told of three specific experiences that he has had with the missionaries that caused him to start coming back to church.  The first experience was when the missionaries first started teaching his family.  Before they were baptized they were always struggling financially and there wasn't much food in the house.  After they joined the church there was always food on the table.  The next story took place when he was living in Mexico.  One day as he was looking out his window he saw two missionaries running for their lives from a group of mobsters.  He quickly ran down and put his unloaded shot gun to their backs and told them to get in the house.  Once they were in the house he told him that he was a member of the church.  They invited him to church but he declined at that point in his life but the devised a plan to get the missionaries out of that bad area alive.  The plan entailed that he would roll them up in some carpet and put them in the back of his truck making it look like he killed two Mormon missionaries.  He got them out safely and from that point no one in that part of the city gave him trouble because everyone knew him as the guy who killed the Mormon missionaries.  He said it saved his life several times.  The last experience was with us.  He said after 7 years of missionaries trying to get him to go to church, Elders Mouritsen and Adams finally did it and now he wants to get the priesthood and his wife is interested too.  He closed by saying that he is at church today because of missionaries and he knows that the church is true. 

We ended up teaching Jesi and Kaitlyn at the Mebius’ house on Sunday night.  We had planned to teach Kaitlyn about the plan of salvation but we got stuck on Adam and Eve because she had never heard of Adam before.  She was very interested and found everything exciting.  She even took notes.  I have a lot of hope for her that she will accept the gospel and it will help lead her to live a successful and happy life. 

I am so glad to be a missionary and be able to help people come closer to our Heavenly Father.  There is no work like this on the face of the earth.

I love you family!!

The Spirit was doing all the teaching.

April 22, 2013

Dear Family, 

I am doing well this week.  It has been a little hectic with some different things that have gone on but it has made the week go by really fast.  I can't believe that this month is almost over.  I was so happy to get your package especially after I found out what was in it.  At first I didn't know what your written letter meant by ‘congratulations’ because it didn't say anything about a scholarship so then I got out the papers and immediately I yelled out "I got the scholarship!" I feel that it is a huge blessing.  Elder Adams said if I was to go to Snow College it would almost be a full ride scholarship.  I will sign and send the papers back as soon as possible.   

On Tuesday this week we had a lesson with one of our new investigators.  His name is Rick.  We were supposed to meet with him and his wife Loretta on Monday night but when we went over to see them no one answered.  We tried calling them with no answer.  I left a message and we both left the house feeling pretty down that they would stand us up like that, especially after having such a great lesson with them the last time we went.  Anyway, after being on a mission for a while you learn to deal with rejection so we got over it pretty quickly.  Tuesday night some of our plans had fallen through so we decided to go over again and see if Rick was home.  When we got there we saw that his door was open. Good sign.  When we got up to the door he was sitting in his chair and told us to come in.  We entered and we both sat in our normal places.  He told us that his wife was at work and that she had to work last night too.  He also told us that he had some fireman training last night and that was why no one was home.  We had not planned on doing a lesson but Rick told us that he had been thinking about all the things that we taught him last time especially the idea that God, Christ, and the Holy Ghost are all separate beings.  He said he feels that is true.  He then started talking about the feelings that he has had since we started teaching him.  At this point he got real emotional and tried to explain the feelings that he has had.  He explained to us the feelings of the Spirit.  He knows what we testify of is true and he is mad at his pastor for teaching false things to him.  It was a very spiritual visit.  We hardly spoke in our visit but we didn't have to because the Spirit was doing all the teaching. 

On Wednesday we had our Book of Mormon class. I taught about the body of the Church.  There was good participation but the best part was that Jesi was there and she brought a friend named Kaitlyn.  This surprised me because Jesi and another friend had been in a car accident the previous Friday where the car was totaled and both of them were rushed to the hospital.  After hearing the story it is a blessing that they are both still alive and have only minor injuries.  Jesi had been released from the hospital on Tuesday.  I was able to talk to her and Kaitlyn after the class and Jesi told me that she doesn’t have a place to live so she is homeless again but, on the plus side, Kaitlyn wants to take the lessons. 

Not much happened on Thursday but we did get to teach Kaitlyn for the first time.  We taught her at the library and found out some information about her.  She is only 15 and she comes from a broken family.  Both her parents are successful but they are divorced and neither one of them are good parents.  Her mom doesn't show her any love and lets her do whatever she wants and her dad is abusive.  She spends a lot of time out on the streets, anywhere except her house.  We taught her that Heavenly Father loves her.  We also asked her what she wants her family to be like when she has one for herself.  We talked about families and at the end we asked her to be baptized if she found that it was true and she said yes. 

Friday we had zone leader training.  It was alright but went a little long and the role plays weren't taken as seriously as they should've been.  It was nice seeing the Kenley's one last time before they make their journey back home to South Jordan where you get to meet them face to face.  When we got back from Chambersburg we had another lesson with Kaitlyn and Jesi where we taught about the restoration.  Kaitlyn had read the whole restoration pamphlet the night before so she knew a lot of the material already.  We just tried to bring it to life for her.  We ended by giving her a Book of Mormon and she said she would see how fast she could read it.  Hopefully she takes it seriously.  Either the Book of Mormon is true or it's not and if it is true then it means that Jesus is the savior of the world, Joseph Smith was a prophet, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only true church on the earth today.  Without the Book of Mormon we have no religion.  I love testifying about the truth of the Book of Mormon. 

After our lesson we went home and waited for Papa Johns to deliver a Pizza that a member has ordered for us.  As soon as we got the pizza we ran over to Al's to have pizza with him.  It was nice visiting with Al.  He needs all the company he can get.  After dinner we helped him clean up his house.  I cleaned the dishes and Elder Adams cleaned up his painting area.  Al is a starving artist. 

Sunday we had church and ended up getting a living situation worked out for Jesi with one of the families in the ward.  We also had another lesson with Rick and his wife Loretta and watched the Joseph Smith video.  They both felt the Spirit and said they would read the Book of Mormon. 

I love you family!!

Elder Mouritsen