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.  

Loving This Area

8/25/2014

BAPTISM!!!!!! Kathleen was baptized this past Saturday and confirmed a member of the Church and given the Gift of the Holy Ghost this past Sunday. I am so excited for her!!! She had lots of family and lots of ward members. Thank you so much for your prayers and support!!!

Next week is going to be a great weekend as well!!!! CodyRay and Curtis are getting baptized!!! CodyRay at 10:00 a.m. and Curtis at 4:00 p.m!!!! I’m so excited for these guys!!! 

This week Elder Olson and I taught 20 lessons!!! It was awesome!!! The Lord is blessing us so much and I’m loving this area!!! This is the best area ever!!! 

Mariah called us this morning! She has been going through some real rough stuff. But when she called she said she was sorry she didn’t make it to church this week and wants to go next week!!! We have a lesson set up for tomorrow (Tuesday the 26th) and we are hopeful and will continue to pray for her. Thank you SO MUCH for praying for her. Prayer is real.

The Atonement is real!!!! I promise it is!!! I have seen it bless lives and have felt it bless mine!!! I am so grateful for the sacrifice my Savior made for me. It pains me that my mistakes caused him to tremble. I am eternally in his debt. This mission has changed me. It has made me a better person. A better follower of Christ. More love, more holiness. I don’t want to blow my own horn, I just want you to know that you can change!!! I was a selfish, clouded, kid. Only living for myself. Only doing what made me feel good. Even when it hurt those I cared about.  But, again, the Atonement is real!!! Friend! Listen! If you feel you are outside forgiveness, like you have gone too far, you have dug a pit too deep to get out off. I promise you, Christ is standing at the top of the pit asking you to try. You must put in your best effort. Look for his love and He will ALWAYS be there. Put down your pride. Let it go. Give it to Him. 

Today is the year mark for my companion’s father passing away. His Dad died 3 months into his mission. Elder Olson is an inspiration to me of the love and peace that comes as you give Christ your pain and suffering. Say a prayer for him and his family. 

I love you Madie. Can’t wait to see you! :)

Elder Eldredge

I Am Finally Ready

8/18/2014

I don’t know why I get this way when I sit down in front of the computer. I think all week of things I want to share, experiences that I want to tell you about, and people I want to inform you of. Then I sit down at the computer and go blank!!!! I hate it!!! I feel like Moroni in Ether Chapter 12 

"24 And thou hast made us that we could write but little, because of the awkwardness of our hands. Behold, thou hast not made us mighty in writing like unto the brother of Jared, for thou madest him that the things which he wrote were mighty even as thou art, unto the overpowering of man to read them.

 25 Thou hast also made our words powerful and great, even that we cannot write them; wherefore, when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words; and I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words."

But I will try my best.

INVESTIGATORS:

Kathleen: She is heading to the font!!! She will be baptized this Saturday at 10am. She has been a long time coming. Her daughter was baptized I think a year ago and has been trying to work with her mom ever since. I don’t know what or how, but something clicked. She finely decided to get baptized! She is having a bunch of family come down. Happy.

Cody Ray: He is about 22 and has had a hard life. He was very skeptical about our religion when we first started talking. But he has taken it all in and has given up smoking, drinking, coffee, and bad language for Christ. It’s incredible to watch him and the light come into his life!!! The Jackson family in the ward have been amazing fellowships for him!!! He has tons of support from the ward and lots of encouragement. We pray he will continue to have the strength to keep fighting the temptations that come in front of him.  

Curtis!!

Can I just say I love this kid!!! He texted us this morning "Howdy brothers!!!!" How cool is that!!! He is working on being baptized on the 30th at 4:00. We are so excited for him!!! There has been an obvious change in him. Even his girlfriend agrees. He is happier and loves life now that he is learning about the restored gospel!!! He has a testimony of the truth and divinity of this work!!! He is talking about going on a mission, getting married in the temple!!! I love him so much!!!

Mariah: 

2Nephi 33:3

"For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry."

She is really struggling. She asks the question "What for" when we invite her to pray, read, think positively. She cursed at us last time we talked. She was lashing out from her frustration. We have done nothing but kind things for her and been positive and trying to be uplifting. She has given up. We continually pray for her. She needs a miracle.  

I love my mommy. At a baptism we attended a Sister missionary sang "I heard him come." This is the song my mommy would sing wile tucking us in at night. I miss you mommy!!! :)

Grandma and Grandpa Pierce!!! Thank you so much for the box of goodies!!! I love the cliff bars and the vitamin mix!!! I love the vitamin drink mix so much I’m almost out!!! Where did you get them!!???

I am free. I have been liberated. I have finally humbled myself. Its been 21 months but it finally happened.

Since Madie’s death I have been angry at God. I told myself I wasn't, but the Spirit said otherwise. I fought Him and tried to do this all on my own. I have asked Him many times to take this pain and hate away from me. But only recently was I ready to give it up. My Father has been waiting for me to be ready. He was ok with me being mad. He let me struggle and fight my way through. And I have learned so much because of it. I have been praying and working on Charity. Moroni 7:45-48.

48 "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen."

I have been reborn! This is only the beginning. I still have a long road ahead of me. But I am doing fine. I miss Madie with all my heart and soul. But being mad won’t help me or her! I know she knows that I miss her. But sitting in this pain won’t change anything! It will only bring me down. I have learned to sing the song of redeeming love. My Savior has blessed me with his light and I can now move forward. Oh how I wish words could describe the relief and the light I feel. Thank you all for your prayers and love.

Your friend,

Elder Eldredge

8/11/2014

WOW!!!! What a great week!!! What a roller-coaster!!!

Miracle after miracle!!!!! We got a referral to contact a guy, Chad, that had a friend, Curtis. We called him and set up an appointment the following day. We met at Curtis's house which is in one of our wards that has NO work in it. The Chad is a returned missionary of about a year and is working a construction job south of IF with Curtis. Curtis started asking questions and Chad said they needed to meet with the missionaries. Curtis is GOLDEN!!!! When we met with him the first time he offered to pray and cut his prayer short because he started to cry. When we tried to describe what the Holy Ghost feels like he said "I feel it right now." He has asked that we meet every day and we love meeting with him!!! He came to church and loved it!!!! He is so in tune with the spirit and so ready for the gospel. He knows it’s true. Satan knows it’s true too and doesn't want Curtis to feel of the happiness and light that the gospel brings. He has had many friends tell him that his religion is "dumb" and have tried to get him to stop meeting with us. But this means that he is talking with his friends about the gospel and the light he has felt!!!! He is incredible. He will be baptized on August 30th and will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost the following day. Please pray for him!!! 

Mariah: We had an interesting run in with her this week. We had a lesson planned and came with a ward missionary, Brother Johnson.  She was livid. I have never seen anyone so angry and upset. She has been living with a guy named Shaun. She accused him of sleeping around and doing drugs the night before. He left after picking up a few things and hasn't returned. She really needs all of our prayers. She is going through a very hard time. She doesn't see a reason to keep going. Elder Olson and I were brought to tears as we tried to help her. She was so full of hate towards everyone and everything that there was a very real spiritual battle going on. We need your help. 

We have a new ward we cover. The Victorian Village ward. I love this ward!!! It was one of my old wards when I was first on my mission! It feels like a home coming!!! We had dinner with one of my favorite families in that ward. The Watsons!!! I love this family so much!!! Brother Watson was the ward mission leader when I first covered their ward. Now he is the gospel doctrine teacher and does a great job! Sister Watson is the best!!! She is the primary president and loves those kids so much!!!! I love this family. 

Another week. Another step. 

I love you all and pray for your happiness.

In Him,

Elder Eldredge

Me, Elder Floyd, Curtis, Chad & Elder Olson

8/4/2014

This week was a crazy week. 

Mariah is doing ok. She is going to court on the 21st because she found a drug pipe in her apartment and that day the cops raided her apartment. Its a mad world. She wasn't using it and has been clean for years. We are praying they don't put her on probation.  She has a lot of anger built up. We are helping her work threw that and to use the Atonement to help her forgive those who have hurt her. Please pray for her. She needs them. 

We have 3 baptismal dates! Kathleen is working for the 23rd. Cody Ray is working for the 30th and Mariah is working for October 6th. These people need your prayers!!!

Transfers

We had transfers this week and picked up another companion. Elder Floyd. He is going home on the 13th. He is from North Carolina and his family has owned a huge plot of land forever. He is a good missionary. Really good at talking with people. We had to ask the Christansins for an extra bed and he is sleeping on a camping cot that Brother Christansen uses. Hes a funny kid but is very ready to go home. 

We had a few changes in the zone. Everybody is very happy. I LOVE these missionaries. We are having a zone training this Tuesday and will be taking a zone picture. There is a total of 17 missionaries until Elder Floyd leaves. 3 sets of Elders and 5 sets of Sisters. Sister missionaries are amazing! We are so blessed to have some of the best Sisters in the mission! The only Elders are us, and our District leaders and there companions. So really we are a Relief Society !!!! HAHAHA I love it!!! 

Charity

This is the key to missionary work!!! 

Mornoni 7:44-48

44 If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.

45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

 46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

 47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

 48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

Your Brother in Christ.    

Elder Eldredge

Being Bold

7/28/2014

This week we took Mariah on a Church tour and talked about the Sacrament then took her to the room with the baptismal fount and talked about working towards her baptismal date on October 6th. She is a great lady and I’m grateful to be able to work with her! Then last Saturday we took her to a baptism that happened in our district. She loved it and had a great time feeling the Spirit. She is having a hard time forgiving herself for things that happened in the past. The power of the Atonement is real! I am so excited to show her and watch the power of Christ become a stronger influence in her life.

Yesterday the Sisters in the Idaho Falls Visitor Center put on a musical fireside were all the sisters performed and shared their talents. We have 4 Sisters from the South Pacific and they sang together and sang in their home languages. It was INCREDIBLE!!!!! I LOVE the Polynesian culture!!! It’s so beautiful!!! It was an honor to be there. 

Elder Olson and I are working on being bold, knocking doors and coming right out with the message we have. Jesus is the Christ. The Gospel has been restored. The Book of Mormon is true scripture. And our message can change your life. We are studying the account of the Sons of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon. Alma Chapters 17 - 26. I love these missionaries and their example to all of us!!!  

Elder Eldredge

Olie-olie-oxen-free!!!!!

This is an email written to a group of missionaries, including Elder Sawyer Eldredge.  I thought it was very interesting that the week Sawyer received this letter, he sent us home several pictures of him and his zone (a group of about 10 missionaries) having a great time.  He often tells us all the fun things they do together.  Sawyer has never expressed to us the desire to come home early from his mission, but my guess is it's a feeling that about every missionary will have at some point, including my son.  

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times (A Tale of Two Cities)." 

Alas, it is life!! We have to learn to enjoy the moments despite the hardships. ~ Wendy

Dear Elders,
 
Story Time...
 
When I was growing up, we lived in the Oakland, CA hills, in an average home on a cul-de-sac, with probably 15 homes in our oblong "circle."  Every home had kids, and on warm summer nights, we'd play hide-and-seek, using a telephone poll as home base.  I remember many nights, when it was my turn to cover my eyes, put my head on the poll, then count to 100 - I would then try looking everywhere to find my friends, often to no avail.  At that point I would yell "OLIEOLIEOXENFREE!!!!!" Signaling the un-found few that I was giving up and they could come "home" safe.
 
Last Thursday night we got a call from two missionaries (not in our area) asking if they could come crash at our home for the evening.  It seems that Elder X had been sick all day, throwing up.  Elder Y was getting cabin fever and needed a change of scenery.   (Why our house would be considered a change of scenery is probably because our "new" kitchen is still in the infant development stages, and there's NOTHING to eat/drink/enjoy here, other than Ice Cream.
 
Anyway - keeping the story going - Elder Y said "If they had told me how hard a mission was, I would never have come out."  Elder Y added "If they said I could go home right now, no questions asked, with no repercussions, I would be out of here."  My question back to each of them was "If every Elder you know in this Mission was given theOlieolieoxenfree call and they could go home right now, would there be a stampede for the Utah border?"  "YES!" was the reply from both Elders at the same time.
 
That made me think of my little band of Elders I write to almost every week.  Many of you are fighting deep depression; some of you haven't had many/any baptisms; one of you have kicked against the pricks (better known as your DL's & ZL's); and I have heard from more than one of you that if you were given the chance, you'd gladly run for the border.
 
Why do I tell you these things?  Because, first of all I want you to know, you are NOT alone in your feelings.  And your feelings are the one thing that can't be countermanded, or challenged by anyone.  They are your feelings, and they are real.
 
In the spirit of the Pioneers, remember the words of that great hymn - Come, Come, Ye Saints
 
Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?  'Tis not so; all is right.  Why should we think to earn a great reward, if we now shun the fight?  Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.  Our God will never us forsake; and soon we'll have this tale to tell - All is well! All is well!
 
I find an interesting word usage in the first line:  'Tis not so; all is right.  Isaac Watts (the author) could have used the word Well, Easy, OK, or Fine.  But he chose right.  What does right mean in this context?  I am going to leave this word choice to you to decipher - I  know what it means to me, but each of you might have something else come to mind.
 
I know when I was growing up, every Missionary that came home always ended his homecoming talk with these words:  "This has been the best two years of my life!!!"  I used to think, that's probably a bunch of crap, and only was true when the hardest/worst/most difficult two years of his life was finally over!!!  Then I used it at my homecoming...
 
My message to you this week:  Know that when your mission is over, it will be OVER.  What you have made of the two years the Lord has given you to do his work, will be over.  What your parents, friends, relatives, and ward members think of how you preformed in the mission field will be judged mostly on what you say from the pulpit, when you give your homecoming talk.  You'll probably used that old, well-worn, missionary line about it being the best two years of your life, and some Teacher of Priest (or younger brother) will hear you and think to himself "I can't wait for my mission, I want to be just like Elder __________ (fill in your name in the blank).  But you, and the Lord, alone will know the truth - how your mission really was, how it progressed, or stalled, and finally how it ended...
 
Don't be the someone who gives up, or can't find those you're looking for, and finally screams “Olieolieoxenfree!!!  I give up, let me go home with no penalty.”
 
Remember, you are in our prayers every day and night - and there's one of you who I fast for every week.  Don't let the Lord, your family, your Ward, or us down.  Endure to the end, and as the hymn says:  “Shout praises to your God And King; Above the rest these words YOU’LL tell - All is well!  All is well!”
 
Never forget, you are loved!
R.