Last Weekly Email From Idaho

2/23/2014

Last Weekly Email

I know God lives. He loves me and wants me to be happy. I know this plan that He has created for us is perfect. I know all wrongs will be swallowed up in Christ when He comes again. I love my Savior and want so badly to be like Him. I am so grateful for the Gift of the Holy Ghost. It has helped me through life so many times and I have felt it work threw me to teach others. 

I know that the work done in temples is real. I have felt the power and happiness it brings. I know my family will be together forever. What greater blessing could you want!?

Missionary work is the key to happiness. Get outside yourself and serve! This is how you become happy! Seeing a smile on some one’s face because of the gospel is the greatest feeling in the world.

I know what I have been teaching for two years is true. 100% of it. I exhort you to find for yourself if this is true. Ask God! He will tell you what you need to do!!!! The Book of Mormon is true. Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of God. 

I love this work. It the greatest thing I have ever done.

Elder Eldredge

I Know The Gospel Is True. I Know God Lives. I Know You Can Know This Too.

2/16/2015

Another great week!

We have been going on splits like mad! Almost every day this week Elder Fontes and I have gone out with members to contact people who had talked to the missionaries in the past. We have put in a lot of time and energy into it. Our Heavenly Father is a funny guy. He asks us to work and do our best. To "[thrust] in [our] sickle with [our] might" (D&C 4:4) and he will do the rest. So here we are trying to talk to these people and nothing is really come of it. We have had some amazing experiences, but no direct success. But this is our Heavenly Father’s work and He will never let hard work go unblessed.

Elder Fontes and I have a goal of inviting at least one person everyday to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized and Heavenly Father has given those opportunities to us. He has also given us 3 people to set baptismal dates with as they progress in the gospel. Jaime and Karina, and a new guy named Anthony. WE ARE SO BLESSED!!!!

I love you all. I know this gospel is true. I know God lives. I know you can know this too. 

Never Gonna Stop

2/9/2014

 Quick list of craziness!

1) Stepping into hell

2) Drunks seeing and talking to spirits

3) Zone Training madness

I love being a missionary!!!!!

1) So there is this apartment. A basement apartment. You have to take 5 or so steps down into it. They have no power except for a single power cord they are running from the upstairs apartment. It’s dirty, and smells of something not natural. We have been here a few times but this time was crazy. As we walked in there was a bunch of kids ages 7-19 lying around doing nothing. Some were sleeping, others just sitting there. Elder Fontes went around with our phone and shined it on the faces of the kids trying to find someone we knew. We found the two older kids who we had met before and started talking with them. Food and garbage lay all over the floor. On a table in the next room were two hooka pipes. We asked if they had any light and they turned on a black light. So now we all looked like something from the movies. The adult of the house finally showed up and we spoke with her. She is a member and we are trying to get her to come to church with us. We talked about the benefits of raising your kids in the gospel. We were very bold, and loving, in inviting her to bring her children to church so she and her children could make changes in their lives. Then the kids got in the conversation. It was amazing feeling the very real spirits in the room fight. As we testified, the spirit, the Holy Ghost, would be felt. Then they would come back with a rude or inappropriate comment and dismiss the spirit. We left with an invitation to come to church. We will see where it goes from there.

2) Walking past a door and we hear someone speaking very loudly. We got closer and the smell of alcohol was thick. It was rather comical.

3) This week, Elder Fontes and I did interviews with all the companionships in the zone to prep for zone training. We talked about inviting people to be baptized daily but doing it effectively; with real meaning and with the spirit. Then on Friday we had our zone training. The APs came and said we did a good job. After every training section we would stand up and do a practice. It got people out of their comfort zones and talking! It was good :) I love this zone, I love these missionaries, I love this work.

Never gona stop.

Elder Eldredge   

Do You Want To Know?

2/2/2015

Another great week!

Monday Anthony was baptized!!!! It was a crazy, yet amazing baptism. Everything that could have gone wrong did, and that should have gone wrong, didn't!!! Anthony and Kevin showed up late; the chairs were not set up, the pianist almost had to bail, and the font was overly filled!!!! But the spirit was SO strong. The message given before the baptism was about the power of the atonement and its ability to make us whole.  Kevin, the guy who was a saitinest and now baptized and holding the Aaronic Priesthood, baptized him and did it perfectly. Anthony bore his testimony on how he knows this is Christ’s church. It was powerful!!!!! It was another witness to me that this is the Lord’s work. Not ours. We are only here to do the paperwork.... and he still has angels keeping note!!!! 

Elder Fontes and I are doing a lot of finding. We try and talk to everybody. We took a night and walked down town IF and spoke to some crazy people!!! 

Brendan, a young man who we invited to be baptized, is having a hard time coming to church. He was sick this weekend.

Jeromy and Haily are doing just about as good as an extremely, first time, pregnant lady could. They also were not able to make it to church. Prayers would be VERY appreciated for them. 

Last night we spoke to a young couple. His name is Jaime,22 (Hi-me) and her name is Karina,20. We were able to testify of the Book of Mormon and eternal families. They aren't married yet, but as we spoke of forever families, it pricked Jaime's interest. He asked for scriptures in the bible that spoke of eternal families. I pray he will read the Book of Mormon and sincerely pray to know if it’s true!

I found it!!! I found the secret to success!!! 2 Nephi 1:20 and Mosiah 2:41!!!

“And he hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.”

“And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God.  For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness.  O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.”

All we have to do is keep the commandments!!! Put God first!!!!! We can see throughout time, both in the scriptures and in history that as the people humble themselves and become a reverent and God obeying people, they prospered! Why not us!!! Why not now? What are you willing to put upon the alter and sacrifice so you might prosper and come closer to your Heavenly Father!?!?!?

I love you. I know this is God’s gospel once again established on the earth. I know we can know truth! We don't have to guess. We can know that God lives and loves us. We can know what to do with our lives. Do you want to know?

Elder Eldredge

My sister and me at BYUI devotional.