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