Week 37: Sunny Spring, Happy Spring!

This week was fantastic! We had lots of sunny days and success! 

There was a baptism this week, a 12 year old girl who is being adopted into a member family. She took the initiative in asking us to teach her, and she is amazing!! She was baptized on Wednesday, and was able to enter the temple on Saturday. We were not able to be there, as the closest temple is 5 hours away, but she got up on Sunday and bore her testimony of the Spirit in the temple! She is showing the pamphlets to her friends, and they are interested in learning more! She is super sharp, and it's been great to work with her and other people. 

This week I was reading in Jacob 5, the story about the olive trees in the vineyard. Just as this girl was adopted into a physical family, as we all get onto and walk the covenant path, we are grafted into the House of Israel. How cool is that!

Missionary work really is the most important work we can do, and it is very achievable through the tender mercies of the Lord. I love all of you!

Happy spring!!!

Elder Eliason

Week 36: Popcorn is popping, and the Work is poppin' too!!

This week was amazing!!

We had tons of service, ranging from helping out at an animal rescue center to working on the farm. We were able to work and see the fruits from our labors, as well as the fruits of missionaries past.

Spring is in full force down here! The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and the grass is becoming ever so green. I think people are happier when the weather is nicer. It certainly seems that way down here. We have been received very well, and we are continuing to find lots of people to teach. We have seen many tender mercies of the Lord as we have tried to be diligent in serving our Lord.

We have had the opportunity this week to witness the baptisms of two children of a lady who was baptized last month. It was a very joyful experience. As with all baptisms, something went wrong! 

Earlier this year, their mother was baptized. The branch president told us to get there approximately 3 hours before the baptism, to make sure that the font would fill in time. We didn't believe him, so we only came around 2 hours early, and we had to haul water from one side of the building to the other in salad bowls to help it fill faster! This time, we thought we were going to be smarter! We got there 3 hours before and started filling the font. We checked it about an hour later, and the plug was broken and so it would not fill!!! It took a lot of ideas, but eventually we just figured that a small bowl would fit over it and get the job done. Everything worked out in the end, and the program went smoothly.

I have a firm conviction that Joseph Smith really did see God the Father and Jesus Christ in that sacred grove of trees as a 14 year old boy in 1820. Jesus Christ lives, and he has commanded us to do things, like be baptized, which are necessary for us to come back to Him. They help us to draw close unto our Father in Heaven, change our nature, and when performed by the proper authority bind us to Him forever. 

I hope y'all have a blessed week!

Love,

Elder Eliason

Pictures!!

 We helped a member out at his farm, and it was AWESOME!! We just exchanged the dirt from the tractor to us ;)

A flower, the daffodils are in full bloom here :)

Week 35: Cavanal

Heyyy!! 

This week was crazy fun!! Lots of miracles and lots of appointments. We are preparing lots of part member families for baptism. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true, and true happiness can come from sharing it!! 

One video that our mission is really taking advantage of is https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2016-01-150-working-with-members-retention-and-activation?lang=eng

It has really helped me gain a vision of another way to be an effective missionary!! 

I hope y'all have a great week, and look out for those rogue snapping turtles! 

Love, 

Elder Eliason

 ABM ftw!

Not only is Poteau above the ordinary, it's in preference to the ordinary!

Week 34: Water

This week was really fun!

We had lots of success and really got some work done. It was super, super rainy this weekend, and most of the rivers in the area flooded over. They went over some of the bridges, as you can see by some of the pictures that I will include. We are approaching spring weather and it's super nice!! 

We are having lots of success helping others to come into Christ. I am trying to be closer to Christ myself. 

One of my favorite parables is when Christ comes out to his apostles, walking on the water. Peter beckons to have Christ invite him out onto the water.  Peter begins to walk on the water and starts moving towards Christ. However, as soon as the winds pick up he becomes afraid and begins to doubt. He immediately starts to sink and it seems as if he is going to drown. However, Christ reaches out and pulls him up and the first thing he says is, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" This is very dear to me because I often think we're given situations where we might not know how to do something, or we might not know how to fix a problem, but Christ does! As we look to Christ in every thought we do not need to fear, and we do not need to doubt. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week!!

Love,

Elder Eliason

Pictures!!

One of the many rivers that burst ​

 Cows in the pasture

Week 33: Transfers!

This is my 7th week in Poteau, and it's going great!! 

I got a new companion, Elder Swanson, who has been out for 9 months.  He's stoked to be in a branch! He was in his last area for 6 months, that seems so weird to me, as I've only had 3 months in each area.  I bet it's bittersweet, but I'm glad he's here!

We had a wonderful week, we were able to contact a lot of people who we have had trouble with in the past, and we're ready to dig in and get to work.

One of the many great things that happened this week - Elder Hurst and I tracted into a man near a less-active's house, and he said we could come back on thursday, which is transfer day.  We barely made it in time, and when we knocked on the door, a lady answered and said that they were busy making dinner.  We talked with her for a little bit, then she let us in for "a minute".  After talking for "a minute" we asked if we could sit down and have a short discussion.  20 minutes later, we committed them to read and pray about the Book of Mormon, and set up a return appointment.  The Lord really does open the hearts of men (and the doors of men!) as we work diligently and obediently!!

I hope y'all have a week as warm as Poteau's week is going to be! ;)

Love,

Elder Eliason

Week 32: Cavanal Hill

Well, transfer calls are in: Elder Hurst is going to kansas and is being replaced by Elder Swanson.  I don't know him yet but I will soon!!

One wonderful experience:

We didn't have a lot of time to tract this week (tracting is my favorite hobby😞 ) but we found a lot of prepared people!!  We have been trying by former investigators and media referrals from times past, and at every person we have tried by, we have been able to find someone to teach, whether the person we are trying to find, or someone in an adjacent house that we knocked on.  

I have an ever-growing testimony that the Lord sends prepared people to His prepared servants!!

I hope you all have a great time this week!

I am including a talk that I find really spiritual!!

Love,

Elder Eliason

Pictures: We went to Mount Cavanal, the "Highest Hill in the World" the day after it iced over.  I believe it's one of the highest points in Oklahoma!

Week 31: One Faith

This week has been pretty crazy!

The main point of interest this week is our Mission President has made known a challenge that isn't from him, but from the Lord.  The goal is for every area in our mission to have a baptism in February.  

We thought it was going to be easy, as we have some progressing investigators and one lady with a baptismal goal of Feb. 24th.  However, this week her husband made her stop meeting with us, and with her went the "easy finish" of this goal.  However, as we studied in Doctrine and Covenants 29:6 we learned: "Whatsoever ye shall ask in faith, being united in prayer according to my command, ye shall receive."

We decided to put this to the test, and unite our branch in prayer for this goal.  We started looking hard for part-member families to work with, and working harder.  At first our efforts seemed to be in vain, but by the end of this week we have been blessed with two baptismal dates for Feb. 25th.  They came from a source we did not even notice - but the Lord provides, and I know that He works in mysterious ways.  Through faith, being united in prayer, we can achieve anything that our Heavenly Father wants for us.  One part of the Bible Dictionary that I love is the last little bit on prayer.  "We pray in Christ’s name when our mind is the mind of Christ, and our wishes the wishes of Christ—when His words abide in us (John 15:7). We then ask for things it is possible for God to grant. Many prayers remain unanswered because they are not in Christ’s name at all; they in no way represent His mind but spring out of the selfishness of man’s heart."  So, if we want our prayers to be answered, we need to find what Christ wishes us to pray for.

I know that when we align our will with Christ's, we can be blessed beyond measure!  

I hope you all have a great week, and can gain something from reading my e-mail each week :)

Love,

Elder Eliason

A great view, probably the highest you'll see on my mission - apart from Cavanal, which will hopefully be in an upcoming e-mail ;)