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!

1D

10/20/2014

I have NO time so I’ll try to give you as much as I can!

First off, Congratulations mom and dad for 22 years of marriage!!! Amazing!!! I want to be like y’all when I grow up!!!

And Mikella!!!! Happy early birthday!!!! I love you so much and I am so proud of the amazing woman you are becoming!!!

This week has been crazy (what’s new...)

We ran into another investigator!!!! And guess what her apartment number was!!!! haha 1D haha Go Morris Family!!! I couldn't help but laugh. Lots of great memories attached to that!

Anyway... we first knocked on a door close to 1D and talked with an atheist guy who wasn't interested. But he pointed us to a room he knew some Mormons lived in. We aren’t really looking for members, but we knocked anyway. It ended up being a room full of cheerleaders...... You can throw me in a den of lions, and I feel I would do better than an apartment full of scary cheerleaders! Haha!  But we did good!  We are able to teach one of their friends, invite her to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it and when she finds it to be true if she would be baptized. She said yes! Her name is Jade and very friendly!

It’s amazing seeing the blessings flow in! Elder Jones is amazing. I sssssooooo ssssooo blessed to be his companion. He is loving, humble, funny, and a thinker. He was made for this position. He is so good! He is obedient and wants what is best for his investigators and the mission. He’s a go-getter.

We were not able to get in good contact with most of our investigators this week, and it doesn't look we will this next week ether. They need an extra dose of prayers and power!!! Chelsea Harding did come to church though!!! She went to Relief Society and Sunday School, but not sacrament!!!! We were so bummed!!!! But she came!!! That’s sweet!!!

23 months.... crazy. I love you Madi!!

Elder Eldredge

An Amazing Week

Hike with the Rexburg South Zone

Saturday October 11, 2014

Another wild week!

This has been an amazing week for investigators! We found 2 new people to teach! Forest and Chelsea!!! We found them in the craziest way! Elder Jones said "ok, give me a number 1-9 and a letter A-J." After we answered he put it in a formula in his head (ex; add 2, subtract 4) and we went to that apartment. We found super prepared people this way! It was crazy awesome!!!! Amazing how the spirit works!!!!
   

Forest is an awesome guy living in Bengal Creek. (our area is a student housing complex. nothing but apartments.) He is studying dentistry and is working in the biology department. We had a lesson with him this morning and it was awesome! He absorbed everything and thought through it and had some awesome questions. Where did the Book of Mormon come from? How can you know someone has the authority of God? Who is the Brother of Jared? It was so refreshing talking with someone who really wanted to know! He lives with a member and we are hoping he will come to church with him!

Chelsea is also a roommate with all members. She is from Georgia and I love listening to her southern accent! She has been to an LDS church many times, took seminary in high school for 2 years and thinks that Mormonism is the best Christian faith! After teaching her the Restoration we invited her to be baptized. She said she wasn't quite ready to take that step and she enjoys other religions too. We invited her to read from the Book of Mormon and come to church with us and pray to her Heavenly Father if this is something she should do and she said she would! She is incredible! She has built in member friends that want to take her to church with them!

How great is our God!!!!

Then we have Caitlin! She is the girlfriend of a member who has talked to her about the temple and how he wants to have a temple marriage. She decided to take the missionary discussions to learn more about her boyfriend’s faith. We had our third lesson with her this we and she brought a pad of paper with tons of questions on it!!!! It was so sweet!!! She asked about baptism and how that works. She read 2Nephi 31 (all about Christ being baptized and why we need to be) and had questions about the wording there. We also invited her to be baptized and she said that she wanted to learn more and get a better understanding. WE ARE SO EXCITED TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH HER!!!! 

This month and the next are going to be crazy! We have transfers next week, interviews the next, Halloween in between transfers, then a mission tour by Elder Martino of the 70 in which I will be taking him and President Brinkerhoff out teaching one of the nights (I’m ssssssuuuuuppppppeeeeerrrrr nervous!!!!) Then it’s transfer meetings and Thanksgiving!!!! WOW these next few months are going to fly by!!! 

I really love my new comp. Elder Jones is super cool, really funny, an amazing teacher, strong testimony, great with everybody, confident, loving, humble, and everything I wish I could be! He is a great example to me. Thanks Sister Jones for raising an amazing kid. 

Your Friend and Brother,
Elder Eldredge

That's my week. How was yours?

10/6/2014

GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!! Best weekend a missionary can have!!! It’s like the super-bowl, but spiritual!!! It’s so great!!!! There were so many talks given that were so inspiring. I’m so grateful to have a living prophet who leads and guides us. This is Christ’s church. Do we realize that! This is Jesus Christ’s church once again established on this earth!!!! This is it!!! WOW!!!!! 

I would highly encourage everybody to go and listen to a prophets voice. Visit: 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2014/10?cid=HPSU100514465&lang=eng 

and If you want to know why I’m serving a mission, visit :

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/watch/2014/10?lang=eng&vid=3822608486001&cid=10

I have a new companion! His name is Elder Jones. He is from Queen Creek, AZ. That’s right, he is THE Carson Jones. Remember a few years ago there was a talk given about a guy in high school who had his whole football team walk a girl to class because she was being picked on! Ya, that’s him.  

https://www.lds.org/youth/video/bullied-no-more?lang=eng 

Elder Gulisane, Elder Jones, and I will be comps for the next week and a half getting the mission read for transfers. Living the life. 

That’s my week. How was yours?

sawyer.eldredge@myldsmail.net

High Stress and Lots of Growth

9/29/2014

Another crazy week!

Monday Sep. 22 (HAPPY BIRHTDAY GABE!!!)

We went on a hike! It was super fun. The fall colors are out and it’s beautiful. The weather is perfect. Warm sun with a cool breeze. I like being In Pocatello with all the hills really close. It makes for fun pdays! 

Tuesday Sep. 23

We went to Rexburg to see a devotional where Elder Holland of the quorum of the 12 apostles was speaking. We got some great seats and had a great time! He talked about being happy and living after the manner of happiness. He said "If you want to be happy, do what happy people do."  I got to see my sister Mikella, my best friend Katie Alley, and another friend of the Morris family. It was SWEET!!!   

Wednesday Sep. 24

I went on an exchange with Elder Depperman and Elder Chernan. They are two awesome missionaries in the Ammon zone. They have a really big zone and I got to go see how it was going! They are very hard workers and devoted missionaries. We got to talking about the mission and ways we could improve. We came up with an idea of having all the missionaries in the whole mission do the 12 week program all new missionaries do. We are getting back to the basics!

Thursday Sep. 23

Today was prep day. We took all day to get ready for MLC on Friday. We got all the paperwork in order, graphs made, and presentations ready. By the time 10:00 pm rolled around we still hadn’t done our trainings!!! I was SSSSSUUUUUUPPPPPEEEEERRRRRRR stressed! In less than 12 hours I would be standing in front of the whole Mission Leadership Council all by myself to give a 30 min training and I had nothing!!! Luckily, with the help of the Lord, I pulled threw. "Charity, a gift from God" was my training. 

Friday Sep 24

MLC. WOW. It was awesome!!! I had a lot of fun seeing some old friends and having lunch with them. My training went well! President Brinkerhoff complimented both mine and Elder Gulisanes training. It felt really good. There is the training you prepare, the training you gave, and the training the Holy Ghost gave. It was really cool being moved through the things I wanted to talk about in ways I didn’t think I would. I’m so grateful to be a part of Christ’s church and to have the gift of the Holy Ghost!!!

Sat Sep 25

A driving day. We went to Idaho Falls to drop some things off, then to Rexburg to do the same, and then to Soda Springs to spend the night. 

Sunday Sep 26

Church!!! I woke up thinking today would be fast Sunday, I didn’t have breakfast and went to our meetings. But in the YSA stake they have a snake room. It’s the little room that all the stake offices lead into. There are 4-5 jars of candy, trail mix, and chocolate covered everything!!! When this room is packed, you know it’s not fast Sunday!!!

Another amazing week. High stress and lots of growth. I’m so grateful for the friends I have made out here on the mission and their support. But most of all I’m grateful for my family and all the love they show!!! I am forever in their debt.  

Love,

Elder Eldredge

Elder Eldredge & his sister Mikella

Elder Eldredge & Katie

Another Week In My Life...

Another week in my life…

Monday Sep 15th:

P-Day!!! We went mountain biking!!!! SO MUCH FUN!!! It felt so good to get out there and work muscles that haven’t been worked on for so long. The thrill and the adrenalin.... I miss it!!! 

Tuesday 

We went to a District meeting in Afton WY. It’s so beautiful out there! If it didn’t snow so much I would consider moving there!

Wednesday

Went to Rexburg to deliver some supplies and visit some missionaries.

Thursday

New investigator! Dora. I don’t remember if I’ve told y’all about her yet. But we met her for the first time today and had the first lesson. She is very nice and willing to answer our questions honestly and with her opinion and thoughts. It’s so refreshing talking with someone who is real with us. 

Friday

We went on exchanges with the Rexburg Zone leaders and the Rigby Zone leaders. I was in Rigby and loved it. Little town and great people. Elder Soren (Hawaii) and Elder Fontes (Brazil) were my companions. My brown friends!!! I love them a lot! They are amazing missionaries and very hard workers. 

Saturday

We went to a few baptisms. It’s so cool getting to know so many missionaries and getting to work with them!

Sunday

Sundays are weird for me. I’ve never been in a YSA ward before (everyone there is between the age of 18 and 30)  . Its dead quiet in Sacrament meetings. I like being a missionary in them though because you have a reason to talk to people!

This Friday I’m giving a training in MLC (mission leadership council). I’m super nervous but ready for the challenge. Say a prayer for me!

Love you!

Elder Eldredge

9/15/2014

What a crazy last few weeks!!!

I’ve been transferred down to Pocatello and Its crazy!!! I’m working in a YSA (Young Single Adults) stake and its pretty cool. It’s fun working with younger kids and feeling the energy they have. We have a great ward mission leader who is pumped in doing the work. 

Saturday we were walking around the ISU student housing we cover. We decided to knock on the door of a previous contact we had. When we knocked 5 girls answered the door. All of them on the school soccer team. We chatted for a little and ended up sharing a message of the Restoration with them. We gave them a copy of the Book of Mormon and invited them all to pray. Just another day in the life! I’ve never done YSA work so this is new! 

This past Sunday a young man gave a talk on service. I really felt the spirit as he shared with us his testimony of giving of ourselves. It’s strange how when we lose ourselves in the Lord’s work we find ourselves. We find kindness, charity, and a humble heart. Then later that night we went to a CES Devotional where Elder Christopherson spoke. He spoke on this same subject. "Loosing ourselves." It was invigoration and I didn’t want it to end! Pleas watch it!!!

 https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/watch/ces-devotionals/2014/09?cid=HPSU091414411&lang=eng 

With love,
-- 

Elder Eldredge

P.S. Pleas pray for Dora and Kelsey!!!

The missionary standing next to Elder Eldredge is his new companion, Elder Gulisane. The missionary on the far left is the Assistant to the President that Sawyer is replacing.  Elders Eldredge and Gulisane are serving together as Assistants to the Mission President.  

A Letter From Sawyer's Mission President

 

Your missionary has arrived safely in the Idaho Pocatello Mission. Upon arrival, we had an orientation meeting and personal interviews to get further acquainted.

Sister Brinkerhoff and I are pleased to have the opportunity to serve with your missionary and are dedicated to helping him fulfill a successful, honorable mission.

We are hopeful you will write or email letters of encouragement to your missionary weekly so he will continue to feel your love and support as he loses himself in the work. We encourage your missionary to do the same, focusing on the positive aspects of the mission.

Faithfully yours,

Marvin T. Brinkerhoff
Mission President