Week 11

So this past week was a pretty good week. We found another investigator and we put 2 investigators on date this past week. So November is shaping up to be a pretty good month. We are continuing to go out and find more people to teach. But since we have been going to ward councils and really focusing on spending more time in each ward we have seen them be more willing to participate and help a lot. Which is great! I love the way my companion put it when he said "we are assigned to the members, they are not assigned to us." So he said that in church yesterday. 

I almost forgot, we spoke in Sacrament yesterday in the 16th ward. It went really well. Next week we are speaking in the 5th ward. It is kinda weird how they numbered the wards because there are like 21 or 22 wards in Hurricane. And there are 2 stakes. So we cover the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 9th, 10th, 15th, 16th, 18th (branch), 19th, and the apple valley wards. So all the other wards are covered by the other elders here in Hurricane. (I just thought that was an interesting side note how they are split up).

But my companion and I are continuing to do everything that we can to get the members more excited and build them up. When it comes to working with members the expression "you can catch more flies with honey then you can with vinegar" comes to mind. When we work to build them up and uplift them rather then chastise and admonish we get better results. They are more excited and receptive to helping. Chastisement and admonishment really just causes them to shut down and not want to help. So that is something that we have been working on. So moral of the story! Help the Missionaries! I regret not having done more before my mission. When members get involved the work becomes more effective. We can help more souls have the opportunity to get back to Heavenly Father. Otherwise though things are going well. It really just takes time to build the relationships that we need with the members. And a lot of patience. But that has been the past week. Until next week. I love you all!

-Elder Valentine

Week 8

Another week has come and gone! It is hard to believe that in another 3 weeks I will be finished training. So that is pretty cool. Otherwise though, not too much happened this past week. We went to Zions again on Monday, which apparently is the last day it was open because of something going on with Federal funding, (which is something I am not supposed to discuss as a missionary, which is super difficult for me as I am sure most of you know, so I will leave it at that) but it was cool to get to go one last time.  We had a couple of unplanned service opportunities that were great. But other then that it was a slow week.  A lot of the people that we are teaching are only able to meet once a week. So when they cancel we have to go to our back up plans. Which is kind of a bummer. But! Conference was great! President Monson couldn't have said it any better when he said that this is the time for members and missionaries to work together. I have stopped calling what I do missionary work. Rather I like to think of it as the work of Salvation. I feel like a lot of the time when members call it missionary work they think of us, The missionaries, and just say well its missionary work and they are the missionaries, so it is their job not mine. Which is partly true because it is our job. But it is not just our job but the work of all the members! Missionary work, or as I like to call it The Work of Salvation, Is the work of building the Kingdom of God on the earth. Which really is the work of every single one of us that are members of the Church. But Other then that it was an ok week. This next week we are going to focus our efforts on 2 wards and try to get to know the members in those wards better so we can build their confidence in us up and try to get the work moving in those two wards. Well hopefully I will have more to report back on next week. Until then I love you all!

-Elder Valentine