Preparing Ourselves for His Coming

This week was great and I was able to learn more than I ever thought possible about myself and about the importance of opening my mouth to everyone I see.

So on Tuesday we went out and met with a lot of formers in area book who hadn't been met with in about a year. No one came to the doors, but we were able to talk with 2 or 3 people out walking their dogs on the street and have a good conversation about what we as missionaries do and it was super cool. We had a lesson with the Forgrave family (members) and also had a lesson with the Tucci family (members). At the Tucci house, we taught with Brandon, who is 18 and deciding if he wants to go out on a mission or not. So it was super good to give him this opportunity to see first hand what "Mission life" is like.

Super sad thing happened that I found out about. I don't know if you remember Carol Hoeningman who lives up in Chardon. Well, apparently something happened literally the day after I left, and she passed away Jan 10th :'(. They had the funeral for her this last Saturday. She was a really really sweet lady and super kind in every way.

Wednesday we had the Marysville Zone leaders in our area for training visits. We started off the day by driving to Powell to the church bldg and going to district council. I gave a training/role play on "How to Begin Teaching" (chapter 10 in Preach My Gospel), and I think it went very good! All the missionaries who I give trainings to always say they are super impressed by how I present them and that I give them in my own unique way. We had a guy from Sandy, Utah come and talk to us about marketing and selling our product, "The gospel". His name is Mark Peterson, and he owns Apple Spice in Sandy. He is friends of Elder Bower (driving coordinator), so that's why he was here.

I went out with Elder Kamerath Wednesday afternoon. All 4 of us went and helped Elder Weidman move furniture into the storage shed in Powell. It was a couple washers and dryers, shelves and beds from an apartment. Maas360 also decided to give up on Wednesday afternoon and it deleted ALL missionaries area books and all the apps.  Not just for the OCM, but missionaries worldwide. So we were driving blind for about 2 hrs, but then it came up and started working again, and we had a good time! We found 1 new person up in Sunbury. His name is Greg Laycock. He has a Book of Mormon and was talked to 3 or 4 yrs ago by sister missionaries, and we met him while he was out walking his dog, so we walked his dog with him :). He said we could come back anytime and meet with him and help him answer his questions. We also met with John (member) and his caretaker, Abduul. Abduul said he would love to come to church with John, so that is sweet!!

On Thursday we went to Polaris to Elder Bowers apt and Elder Yukihiro had a video conference call with the APs, President, and all the DL's in the mission to train them on being good leaders and having good, model areas. We then went to a gated community in the afternoon and tried to meet with a guy named Joydeep Gupta, but he said he was just leaving the house. So we decided to do a little tracting and started offering service to people as our approach. They said they were all good, and one guy even asked if we had licenses to be doing what we do (I lost my ministerial certificate . . . :)), but other than that, no one came our way. We had a lesson with Brother Edgson. It was supposed to be the whole family, but everyone else was at a choir concert.

Friday we met 2 new people again! Do you remember Gina Young who I told you about last week? Well, we tried to stop by on Friday and see her but she wasn't home. Her 2 sons were though. Tareek and Dakota answered the door and they asked us what we do and wanted to hear our message. We shared the restoration and why we as the missionaries go out to the world to teach the Gospel. Tareek said he has been searching recently for truth and really wants to know where he can find it. We gave him our number, and the address to Powell church bldg, and invited him to Church. God works in mysterious ways and I'm so glad we could find them.

Saturday was an incredibly WET day. I have never seen it rain so hard in such a short amount of time. But did we go out in the rain and preach the gospel? Behold, I say unto you: Yay :).It was so much fun! We walked up and down the streets in Lewis Center and everyone we talked to at the door step said we were crazy and to stay warm. We were hoping they would've let us in to get warm, and share a message ;). It stopped raining by the afternoon and we met with a guy who is a preacher for a church over in Powell. We talked to him for 25 minutes on his front porch. He was super interested, so he gave us his number and said to call him and we can talk more and go get lunch. Double win! ;) We talked with 2 Hindu people and 1 Egyptian. That was quite fun! The Hindu people couldn't understand English and we couldn't understand them, but hopefully they could feel the spirit. The Egyptian said he would read the Restoration pamphlet we gave him and call us if he was interested, we also invited him to church. We had really good lessons with the Obarr family (members) and the Nielson family (members) that night. We talked about the ward mission plan and gave them each a Member Missionary tag that they could wear and use everyday to remind them of their calling and purpose.

Sunday we had ward council at 10:30, and then church at 12, and then a zone wide conference call on messenger with the zone leaders to go over the zone focus for the transfer. We also have zone conference this week on Tuesday at the Galloway bldg.

It was a super great and amazing week! Time seems to be just flying, and I know that when we are in the service of our fellow being, we are only in the service of our God and we have the ability to lose ourselves in the work. (Mosiah 2:17 :)

I have learned so much about the Gospel of Jesus Christ this week. I was able to reflect on a year ago when I first started my mission papers and how far I've come since then. I am forever grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who has blessed me so much on my mission to learn all that I need to and hopefully to help others on their spiritual and life journeys as well.

I've been thinking a lot about the challenge we should do this week, and I've had a lot of ideas come to mind. The challenge I have decided on is based on the title of this email: Preparing Ourselves for His coming. I want to extend this challenge: As we prepare for April General conference in about 2 months, I want us to truly focus on what we are doing everyday to have the Spirit more abundant in our lives and how we can be closer to our Savior Jesus Christ. Just picture, if the Savior himself was standing right beside you right now, would you be saying or doing the things you were doing? I invite all of us to ponder and pray this week, and always, how we can be closer to our Savior. And as the 5 virgin's with their oil ready, be ready for the bridegrooms coming.

Also, go and read Joseph Smith's account of the first vision to prepare yourselves for Conference. The work is hastening in it's time, and Christ is getting everything ready for His coming. So we must be ready.

I know this Gospel is true! I have seen the joy i'ts brought to my life, and I know that families are central and eternal to His plan of happiness. I'm so eternally blessed to know that families are together forever, through Heavenly Fathers plan. I always want to be with my own family and the Lord has shown me how I can, the Lord has shown me how I can. (The best primary song ever :)).

I invite all of us to open our mouths everyday and talk with everyone, and be the example of who Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are, and who we are. Be confident in yourself, and pray to know what to say in the time that you very most need it. "Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word; and then shall your tongue be loosed, yea, unto the convincing of every man." - PMG chapter 1.

I care about you all so so much and I pray for you everyday. I miss you a lot, and I know we are all being blessed everyday. Keep praying and immersing yourselves in the scriptures everyday, and do what you can do, in the best way you know how, and the Lord will accept your effort - Marjory Pay Hinkley.

I love you forever and always!
Elder Dylan

P.S. Study conference talks from Oct and April 2019 general conferences, and make an individual mission statement and vision to what you're wanting to do to strengthen your testimony and become who you need to become. "We Can Do Better and Be Better - President Nelson. A super good talk.