Time Flies

Another great week!!! Caitlin has moved her baptismal date to the 6th!!!! I’m so excited for her!!! She is so excited herself!!! When she told us she played it off like she was going to push it back or drop us!!! I was so scared!!! But she surprised us all that she wanted to move it up!!! Her boyfriend Mark is going to baptize her and she asked if I would confirm her a member and give her the Gift of the Holy Ghost!!! It’s so great getting to have a front row seat to the Atonement taking place in people’s lives!!! This change she has been going threw was an incredible one to witness. The Spirit really spoke to her and she has made it!!! She is currently in Moscow, Idaho visiting family for the brake. Please pray for her! She told her family that she was going to be baptized and they gave her a less then warm reply. Please pray that she will remain strong and remember the blessings she has seen and the truth she knows. 

I had something really funny happy to me today. We were at Sonic getting lunch and we decided to pay with all the coins we had collected in the car. I was holding the money as my comp was counting out the coins. I was also picking up trash in the car to clean it out. I got out of the car, threw away the trash and right as I opened my hand I realized I was still holding onto some of the coins!!!!! I threw away $2!!!! hahahahaha what a loser!!! haha no pun intended.

This and next week are going to be crazy! We have transfer meetings Tuesday and Wednesday. That is the meeting were we work with President Brinkerhoff on deciding were the missionaries will go. Then Thanksgiving which is a service P-day were we look for ways to serve in the community. Then it’s December!!! That’s crazy!!!

Love you!!!

Life Is Short. Make The Most Of It.

11/17/2014

Down time... for now...

This week was much more relaxed, but at the same time equally stressful. We had MLC (Mission Leadership Council) with Elder Martino and came away with some big goals. We want to have a "white Christmas" as a mission. Our goal is to have 100 Baptisms in the month of December. We are so excited to help God’s children get on the path back to their Heavenly Father. These missionaries are amazing!!! So much faith and so much dedication!

This week we got to spend a lot more time on the streets in our area. It just happened to be the same week that an arctic storm blew in! It’s a lot of fun knocking on doors in 13 degree weather!!! We found 5 new investigators! 2 of them came on a church tour and came to the first hour of church. 2 of the other 3 said they weren't interested after our first lesson. But Damien, one of the girl’s boyfriend, said he wanted to keep meeting with us! We talked about Baptism and the blessings that come from it and he wanted to learn more! It’s so cool how the Spirit works in other people. 

Caitlin is doing amazing! She went up to Idaho Falls Sunday and went to the Temple Visitors Center!!!! I’m so excited to follow up with her on how it went!!! She leaves this Thursday on a family vacation and she is planning on telling her family then that she wants to be baptized. Please pray for her!!! 

This Thursday is the 2 year mark of Madi’s death. I’m doing my best to keep a smile on my face and forget myself. Please pray for Madi’s family. Remember the ones you love and tell them you love them. Life is short, make the most of it. 

Your Missionary,

Elder Eldredge

My Vision Has Been Raised and My Faith Increased

11/12/2014

Interviews all week last week!! I gave the same training 24 times!!! By the end I knew it front and back, side to side! It was fun! Teaching about door approaches was fun and kept people awake! 

Throughout the week Elder Jones and I taught 5 lessons! 

Caitlin is doing amazing! She is progressing beautifully! She came to church and really enjoyed the lessons and Sacrament meeting! We keep praying that the Holy Ghost will keep testifying to her of the things she is learning and that she will be ready for her baptismal date of December 14th! 

Forest hasn't contacted us even after we knocked on his door. He must be really busy. We continue to pray for him and hope he will realize the importance of our message. 

Jade has also lost contact with us. We have asked her roommates and she seems distant. We will keep praying for her. 

But on a good note we have a new investigator, and just in the nick of time!

So this past Sunday Elder Martino of the quorum of the 70 came to our mission to take a tour and to "raise our vision and increase our faith." The same night he arrived, Elder Jones and I got to go teaching with him AND President Brinkerhoff! It was INCREDIBLE!!!! First we went to teach Caitlin in a member’s apartment and had an incredible lesson on prophets and how this church is set up the same as the one Christ set up when He was on the earth. A light bulb struck Caitlin. We asked her about it, and she tried to brush it off. But after asking her more about it she said "It would make sense that if Christ’s church was on this earth it would be set up the same." Then President Brinkerhoff asked "So what does that mean about this church?" and she answers "That it’s the right one..." It was awesome!!!! The Spirit was so strong and you could feel the testimonies grow and all who were there lifted! It was so great!!!!

Then we went to teach a girl who joined the church 3 1/2 months ago. She was also at a friend’s house from the ward. We taught the 10 commandments using hand signs. Super fun. And it was great seeing President and Elder Martino do them with us. We learned after that lesson that we need to ask more questions and really try to find out what she really needs. Then we went to another lesson to a girl we have never met. Two of her roommates are members and invited her to listen to the missionaries. She has very active grandparents and they have played a very positive role in her life. She has received multiple priesthood blessings from her grandfather and could testify of its power. She told us of one instance when she needed help and she got a blessing and the feelings she felt as she received one was undeniable. We talked a little about that and how she has a testimony of the power of the priesthood. We then taught the first lesson and invited her to be baptized and she said yes!! I love working with these amazing people. We are so blessed to have these people come to us!!! Please pray for them!!!

Then on Monday and Tuesday Elder Martino taught 2 zone conferences. One in Pocatello and one in Idaho Falls. We got to accompany him to both. He is an incredible man! It was great watching him teach and how he interacted with people. Just strait love! He didn't know any of us, but loved us so much and we could feel it! 

Something I learned was I need to spend more time on my knees really praying and asking for and expecting inspiration on how to best help these, God’s children. I could do way more to help them use their agency to come closer to Christ. I could talk to way more people about the Gospel. I could get in contact with way more members to help love this person and invite them to come unto Christ. I can do more!!!

Thanks for you love. I love you.

Your missionary.

Two Weeks - One Post

October 27, 2014

Crazy week!!! I have been on 3 exchanges (When we work with other missionaries in their areas) and 3 cluster meetings (when we get the zone leaders together in a geographical area to discuss the work and how to improve.) All in all, tons of fun. 

We called our cluster meetings "Councils of War." In Alma 52:19 Captain Moroni gathers his leaders and discusses how they are going to re-capture a Nephite city. 

"And in the commencement of the twenty and eighth year, Moroni and Teancum and many of the chief captains held a council of war—what they should do to cause the Lamanites to come out against them to battle; or that they might by some means flatter them out of their strongholds, that they might gain advantage over them and take again the city of Mulek."

In this war they were fighting a physical enemy. In our day and age, we are fighting a spiritual battle against the father of lies. We needed to re-group and figure out what we could do to better the work. This happened Monday and Tuesday. Today, after talking with the zone leaders throughout the mission they have told us that it has only gotten better! Satan is real. We need to acknowledge that. Once we do, we will be better equipped to fight him.

What an honor to serve with these missionaries and to further the Lord’s work.

November 3, 2014

Interviews!!!!

This last week and this next week President Brinkerhoff is interviewing all the missionaries in the mission. Quite the feat! While he is talking with them we are training the other missionaries on subjects President gave us. President Brinkerhoff found out I sold pest control in Dallas the summer before my mission and wanted me to share some door tactics. It’s been fun. 

Elder Jones and I have been working hard in our area. Caitlin came to church this week! She went to all three hours and then went to a devotional that night!!!! 4 hours of church!!! AND we are meeting with her tonight and we are planning on setting a date with her!!!! I’m so pumped!!! Please pray for us and for her. She is going through this metamorphosis of the gospel. She is learning truths that the spirit tells her and its contradicting what she has been taught her whole life. It’s a physical and a spiritual change she is going through. It’s incredible to watch. Pleas pray that the spirit will testify of what we teach her and that she will have her heart softened. 

Bengal Creek is a gold mine!!! There is so much work to be done!!! It’s so great getting out and talking to people. We spent 4 hours knocking on doors and talking to people Sunday night. It was awesome!!! 

November 2nd, it snowed... The cold is coming in!!! This morning we couldn't open one of our car doors because it was frozen shut!!! Winter, here we come!!!

Love you

p.s. Who are you talking to about the Gospel? It’s a great conversation!