Week 99: Crazy

This week was so crazy!! We had tons of great experiences. This transfer we moved from a really nice apartment all to ourselves to a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment close to campus with 4 missionaries. My companion and I are covering the first ward, and now we are going to be finding and teaching on the University of Arkansas campus. Go razorbacks!! It is a sweet gig. We moved in Wednesday night, and Thursday Elder Dike and Elder Cepeda moved in. They are going to be traveling the mission the next 4 weeks, and then they will go home with me. What is interesting about this setup is that all four of us are companions. There were a couple of days where we switched companions twice a day! This is so that Elder Broadhead can learn the YSA work and still go to all of the lessons we have in the first ward. I went to church with Elder Cepeda, and we spent most of Sunday on bikes. It was really really humid, but it was a fantastic day nevertheless. We went to the park and talked to people, we biked to a couple of lessons, and tracted a bit. The Lord rewarded our efforts with lots of people to talk to. We have had some great lessons, some great stories, and lots of great fun in the service of my fellow man. Being a missionary is such a blast. It has gone by so fast! But I'll have some great opportunities to share the gospel when I get home.

I love the Lord. He is so so so good!!!! Sometimes he gives us trials and mountains to climb, but as we keep Christ in our mind, we will always have the strength to overcome the challenges that beset us.

Much love!!

Elder Eliason

 District - Boys will be boys

 District Tough Guys

 District

 Experience Fayetteville

 Spider got the dragonfly

Week 98: My Week

Hey!

This week has been wonderful. We have had lots of opportunities to serve, to bless, to teach, and to find those willing and open to receive the "good news" of the gospel. 

We volunteered at the local watershed alliance and picked up trash along the riverbank of a tributary of the White river. It was loads of fun!

We helped a guy put in trim work in a room of his house

We volunteered at the Habitat for Humanity

We taught some great lessons, and we felt the Holy Spirit carry our message to the hearts of those we were with

I went on an exchange with a great missionary named Elder Rodgers. He's from Washougal, WA and he's been out for about 3 months. We rode the bus to the library to do some studies and on the way, a lady asked him some very unusual questions regarding our salvation in the Kingdom of Heaven if we pass gas. She was very very interesting!

We played basketball with a part member family, and dug some roots into our relationship with them. It was a blast!

Overall, it's been a spectacular week. We have had ups and downs, but that is the spice of life. If it weren't for ups and downs, we would have all things "compound in one," not knowing the one from the other. How grateful I am that we have Jesus Christ, who is there for all of it, good or bad, happy or sad. He is our exemplar. He is our Savior. He is my Savior. I love Him!!

I love you!

Elder Eliason

 Elder Rodgers and myself on that infamous bus

 Elder Petersen, Elder Walton, and myself

 Our district

 Our district 

Elder Barber and myself

Week 97: Weekly!

Hey Y'all!! 

I hope you all had a great mother's day :) My mother is the BEST!!! I love my family :)

We had some really amazing experiences this week. 

To start off, I ran over a groundhog while riding my bike!! I was going fast down a hill, and there was a strip of grass between the road and the sidewalk. In half a second, I saw the groundhog and guessed its intentions to kill itself. Sure enough, it tried to dart to safety away from the road and sidewalk. Unfortunately, my back tire had other plans and squashed it. I am very very lucky it didn't hit my front tire, in which case I would be in the same state as the groundhog. The Lord definitely allowed me to follow promptings to keep my helmet buckled (which I don't usually do) and keep my hands on the handlebars instead of getting a drink like I thought to do. God is good!! (all the time)

I sang at the "House of Prayer Full Gospel" church in Huntsville, AR on exchanges! I sang Come, Follow Me and one other song that I can't remember right now. My companion for the day, Elder Rex, played the piano. It was very odd! I haven't every sang in public before but I think I'm at the point in my life where I can fail at something like that and be fine with it, dust myself of, and get back to work. It was a small congregation, but it was a fun experience!! They definitely PREACH the word there hahahaha

We had some really great lessons this week, as well as some good finding time and service. 

It was Elder Broadhead's birthday on Friday!! We threw a surprise birthday party for him at our Bishop's house, and it was lots and lots of fun!! He's a great companion and a stellar missionary. I found out that he doesn't like surprises too much, though.. :(

We are making some good progress here in Fayetteville!! It's an amazing area with some amazing people. I love it!

Love,

Elder Eliason

 Rainy valley in Huntsville, AR

 Elder Broadhead and some cool shades he found at church

Me on a fence

Week 96: Following His Path

Hey y'all! This week has been really good. We have done lots of service, cleaning out an abandoned school, volunteering at the habitat for humanity, removing invasive plants from a nature preserve, just to name a few!! 

We also had some really cool spiritual experiences. One is with Jonathan. We were coming home one day, and I had the thought to tract an area we had already passed on our way home. We turned around and headed back that way. We went to a certain parking lot, but it was full so we went to a different lot and parked. I saw a man standing outside on the sidewalk and we went up and talked to him. His heart was softened to the Book of Mormon, and we were able to teach him a little about the Restoration of the Gospel. I have seen the fruits of the Gospel in my life. I know it is true. As we testified to him, I really felt the spirit testify to me that I am doing the Lord's work. I know that we can all follow the spirit, not even knowing beforehand what to say or what to do, and the Lord will use us as tools to harvest in His vineyard. I love the Lord!! He is so so good to me. His gospel is wonderful to me :)

I love you all! Have a great week! :)

Elder Eliason

Elders Anderson and Eliason

Elders Broadhead, Anderson and Eliason

Elders Anderson, Eliason and Broadhead