I'm Grateful

3/31/14

I’m Grateful.

Monday: I’m grateful for an amazing zone. The missionaries in our zone are the best; so fun and so uplifting to be around.

Tuesday: I’m grateful for the 8 months I got to hold Madie's hand; to call her and text her whenever I wanted just to tell her I love her. Today was tough.

I’m grateful for the power of the Atonement. We had a lesson with one of another companionship's investigators and we taught the commandments. Tithing,Fasting,Word of Wisdom, and Chastity. After the lesson on Chastity he asked us if we could help him with something. He got up and went into his room and started rummaging through things. I was scared he was going to pull out something bad, pornographic or something. He came back with a little SD card. He said it had tons of pictures of past girls he had dated. The word he kept using was "disgusting." He looked at it, took a big breath, and snapped it in two. We were clapping and congratulating him the rest of the time we were there. It was amazing watching Christ destroy a demon this young man (21 years old) had been battling for years. Truly amazing.

Wednesday: Transfers. The Lord has blessed me with a great companion. I’m happy I get to stay with Elder Downey.

Thursday: I’m grateful for golf. We found a member that is going to take us golfing when the weather improves.

Friday: I’m grateful for the priesthood. Sister Linford and Sister Shumate came and asked for blessings. After talking for a little we were able to be tools in the Lord’s hands in blessing these sisters. I gave a blessing like I’ve never given before. Glory be to the Father. It was amazing and I had to sit down after because I was so drained. They are amazing Sisters.

Investigators!

Mary: She is an older lady. All of her kids have moved out of the house. She moved into the area about a year ago and is only now being introduced to the LDS church. She is full of questions and we love talking with her and testifying of the divinity of this chruch. 

Juan: A way cool 24 year old guy who wants to get baptized. He has had a very rough past and is looking for God. His mother is LDS but he never was baptized. We are excited to help him progress towards his Savior! 

Our mission has made a goal for every companionship to have a baptism in the month of April. We need your prayers! There are a few companionships who do not have an investigator with a baptism date for April. Thank you so much for all the prayers you send our way!

Check It Out!

Elder Eldredge

This is at the baptism of Robby and his boss Matt last week.

Seeing The Word Change Lives

Elders Eldredge and Downey went to the post office on their preparation day and a lady who just happened to be at the post office as well named Kim Rose snapped this picture and emailed it to the missionary's moms.  

3/24/2014

WOW WHAT AN AMAZING WEEK!!!!!

So there is this video on Mormon Channel called "Christlike Attributes"

http://www.mormonchannel.org/youth-videos?v=2816242068001

We saw it in the Idaho Falls Temple Visitors Center when we brought an investigator Monday night. They do this really cool tour through the visitor center on Monday nights for people to bring their families to. This awesome family that is helping one of the people we are teaching brought us and we had an amazing experience. Anyways, we watched this video but before we watched it they challenged us to look for attributes that we could work on and then challenged us to work on them during this next week. In the video it shows the attribute "Healer" then "Kind."  These were the attributes I wanted to work on. And would you believe that this week we had the privilege to help in 6 blessings!!! An Elder needed a blessing for a headache, stomach ache, and sore throat. Then an investigator need a blessing to help with a migraine. Then a recently baptized youth who was having a hard time breathing asked for a blessing. Next was a less active girl who was going into the hospital for a pain that was in her leg, and a young couple who are having a baby today via C-section. We gave the mother a blessing and the Father asked for one of comfort. What an amazing importunity we have to be messengers of God who hold His Holy Priesthood!

When Christ was here he gave the power of God to his Apostles. Luke 9:1-2 says: “Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.  And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.”  This was a major part of Christ’s Church! Using this same power they had the authority to baptize and call others to the quorum of the 12 apostles. But as persecution grew, eventually the priesthood was taken when all the Apostles were killed. But now, threw the Restoration of the Gospel, it has been brought back and is in full force here on the earth today!!!

Another amazing thing happened! 4 baptisms this week in our zone!!! And I personally knew 3 of them!!! Tony McCordy, Robby Johnson, and Jeff Gardner.  

Tony is a 17 year old kid. He has some amazing friends who have shared with him the gospel and it has changed his life. Something Elder Eyring,one of our church leaders, once said "The Atonement of Christ can change even our very nature." This was evident in Tony. He is now more happy, more helpful, and more optimistic. The sister missionaries have been teaching him, Sister Linford and Sister Shumate.

Robby is a guy we’ve been teaching. He is an awesome guy and so full of faith! His boss baptized him which is great because he can help him get to church on Sundays!!! There was an amazing turn out; the place was full of Robby’s family and friends!

Then there was Jeff Gardner. He was Elder Huish and Elder Govatos's friend they have been teaching. I had also taught him when I was in their area at the beginning of my mission. He and I worked together on projects he was doing and I had really gotten to know him. He has had a really rough life and has come a long way. He asked me to baptize him. It was an amazing experience!!!  

I love you all!!!

3/25/12- 3/25/14

Happy 2 years Madeline Rose. I love you!

Elder Eldredge

Do It!

Elders Downey  (left) and Eldredge (right) on the Street

3/17/2014

Good timber does not grow with ease,

The stronger the wind, the stronger the trees.

The further sky, the greater length.

The more the storm, the more the strength.

By sun and cold, by rain and snow,

In trees and men good timbers grow.

-a poem quoted by President Thomas S. Monson in a talk titled "I Will Not Fail Thee, Nor Forsake Thee"

Another week down!

Tender Mercies

On Monday we played ultimate dodge-ball. It’s where everybody is against everybody! Its tons of fun! We had a great game going with our zone and had a great time. I’m so grateful for a strong and healthy body. 

On Tuesday we got to drive all the way to Blackfoot to drop off one of our district leaders who is now a zone leader and pick up our new district leader. It was my day to drive and I LOVE road trips. It wasn't very long but I love it anyway! I’m grateful God let me chill in the driver’s seat.

Right in front of the Idaho Falls Temple is the Temple Visitor Center. Everyone is welcome to come in and see the beautiful displays and learn about what goes on in the Temple. We brought 2 of the guys we are working with there to listen to a talk by our Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. It was great reviewing what the Prophet told us at the last conference just before this next conference in April. (I can’t wait!!!!) I’m so grateful to have a Temple Visitor Center I can use in my missionary work and to have a living Prophet on the earth today!

The Sacrament is such an essential ordinance. It’s an opportunity for us to renew our covenants, or promises, with our Heavenly Father! This past Sunday was a different experience for me. I really wanted to feel the blessings of the sacrament. I wanted to know that I was forgiven and encouraged to keep moving forward. I had prayed the day before to feel my Heavenly Fathers love and to feel forgiven. I prepared all morning to feel the sprit at church and was blessed with comfort and reassurance.

These are the Tender Mercies of my week.

We need prayers. Robby Johnson will be baptized this Saturday, the 22nd of March, but the last week before a baptism is always hard. Satan always tries to do his last stand before they make this covenant. Please pray for Robby and his family to have strength and courage as they face this next week. Robby is such an amazing guy and I’m so grateful to be able to help him come closer to Christ. 

If you’re thinking of going on a mission, do it!

Elder Eldredge

These Weeks Fly By

3/10/2014

These weeks fly by!!! 

I know we did a ton of stuff this week but I can’t remember!!!

So much progression with our investigators!!!

We have an investigator named Kevin Oshia (sounds like Oshay). His son is on a mission in Arizona and his older daughter and her husband were baptized 3 weeks ago. We had a lesson on the Restoration and he said he would be baptized! But he wants to be his son’s last convert. He said he wants to learn more and prepare to be baptized! We are excited to teach him about the temple and invite him to be baptized now so he can be sealed to his family when his son returns from his mission! He is a great guy and we have really formed a great friendship with him :)

Then there is Colleen Jackson. She is from Long Island, NY. She moved to Idaho to get away from bad influences back in NY. She has been really humbled and is so ready to hear the gospel. She is a great lady and loves God. We had a church tour with her and The Spirit was incredibly strong. She didn’t make it to church yesterday but we are excited to start working with her. 

Our next baptism is Robby Johnson. He is an amazing guy! So willing and ready to follow the Lord’s commandments! We had a lesson on the Word of Wisdom which is God’s instructions on what we should and shouldn't eat. He openly accepted and promised to follow it. It’s so amazing watching someone grow in the Gospel of Christ and how happy it makes them!!! He will be baptized on March 22nd at 6:00. I can’t wait!!!

I’m so grateful for the Restoration. We had an amazing lesson with another new investigator named Juan. He has met with the missionaries before and is now taking the lessons with his friend David. We watched the Restoration DVD but before we pressed play we talked about the Holy Ghost and how it testifies of truth. We invited them to pay close attention to how they felt during the move and to pay close attention when Joseph Smith receives an answer to his prayer. We watched the movie and I felt the spirit. I've watched that move tons of times and every time the Holy Ghost tells me of the truthfulness of what I’m watching. After the move we asked David and Juan what they felt. Juan said he felt warm and he had a smile on his face. We testified to what we felt and asked them to pay close attention to what they felt. I then told him how Satan is going to try to make them forget what they felt and that they needed to remember how the Spirit testified of what they saw. I talked about how Joseph Smith, at the age of 14, was being ridiculed and hated for what he said he saw and felt. But then Joseph Smith said "I knew it, and I knew God knew it, and I could not deny it." That same thing had just happened with them.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, restored once again to the earth, has blessed my life more then I can tell. I invite all to listen and find for themselves if this is true. If you have a question, who better to ask than the Creator, your Father. I promise, in the name of Jesus Christ, that He will answer as you sincerely pray to know. 

Forever, 

Elder Eldredge    

This is Shayla.  I got to be a part of her baptism during the first 6 months of my mission.  She's still going strong!

Tender Mercies

3/3/2014

Tender Mercies:

A box from home! The 27th of this month was my one year mark. I got an amazing box from my family full of uplifting, loving, and funny things! A stuffed camel for "Hump Day" from mommy, a book about member missionary work that made me roll on the floor laughing (Thanks Mikella!!!), an awesome framed scripture from Joe, D&C 4, a hug from Gabe, and Atonement taffy from Daddy! I’m eternally grateful for my family. I would not be the guy I am today if it wasn't for them. I thank my Heavenly Father for the amazing home I have. Words can’t describe the love and gratitude I have for them. 

Dinner on our one-year mark. Elder Downey and I have the same "hump day."

I’m so grateful for Elder Downey. He is an amazing companion and I learn so much from him. He loves the people we get to work with and he is very determined!!! He has been helping me on my singing. This last Friday Elder Downey, Elder Govatos, and Elder Huish sang "Be Still My Soul" with accompaniment from Sister Shoemaker on piano and Sister Linford on the violin. I was given the assignment to sing a solo at the very beginning! I was so scared! But Elder Downey helped me and gave me confidence. I thought we did an ok job. I’m grateful for my Heavenly Father giving me opportunities to grow.  

We had an awesome lesson with one of our investigators, the Session family. The Father is a member and the Mother is not. They have 3 kids, Riley, Rex, and Regan. Sister Session is trying to find out if God is really there and if He knows her. We had a lesson talking about how much our Heavenly Father loves us. 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 

We talked about the Atonement and how it can bless our life. We had our Ward Mission Leader there and he invited them over tonight for a family night. I’m so grateful for amazing leaders who lead by example.

Elder Eldredge