Dear family,
I love you all so much. There is nothing greater than family. Families are a support system of love and comfort. I have sharply felt the the effects of not being able to always call on my family for help. One thing I am coming to learn is that Heavenly Father takes away comfort sometimes so that we will rely more fully on Him. I thought I knew how to do this before, but Heavenly Father is proving my ignorance through experience. I also never imagined how hard a mission could be. I was told by my missionary prep teacher that a mission will probably be the most physically, psychologically, mentally, and emotionally draining experience we will ever go through. I thought that was a bit of an exaggeration. Back then I thought that I would be able to do it. That is where my ignorance was. In life, it is never us who can do it alone. We have to humble ourselves and say that only through Christ can we perform the labor that He has called us to do.
With that somewhat dreary beginning, let me tell you how my week went. :D Well, it's been great. It's been challenging, but great.
Thursday morning I moved into the Vienna house with Elder Gadberry. The new place is not an apartment, but a house. It is pretty spacious, which is why they decided to stick another set of missionaries in the same house with us. They got there a little bit later in the day. They will be taking over the Belpre, OH area from the zone leaders (my old companions). Their names are Elder Kieran and Elder Markowski. Elder Kieran has been on a mission for 21 months now, and Elder Markowski is a brand new missionary. After talking to Elder Markowski for a little bit, I found out that he went to BYU and was in Will's ward. In fact, we would see Will a couple times a week. In fact, Will was his Sunday School teacher! Isn't that great?! His name is Colby Markowski. That was pretty fun to find out.
Friday was a long day of weekly planning. After studying for a good four hours (training and language study included) we planned out our week and kind of our plan for this transfer for another three hours. It was a long time to be inside. One bright spot on the day was that we got to go visit a man named Todd. He is golden. Elder Gadberry was on exchange a couple weeks ago when he felt prompted to knock on Todd's door. They weren't able to set up a time to meet with Todd until this week, but Todd is ready to hear the gospel. He is a 34-year-old Master Mason who believes in the Bible but doesn't belong to any Church. He used to have an addiction to alcohol, but has now been a month sober. When he was talking to us, he said that he's been wanting a spiritual awakening and he feels like it's about to happen. He's already read some of the Book of Mormon and said that he's willing to believe that it's true. It was so exciting to be there. It is interesting to see how God prepares His children to receive His messengers and His gospel. Another thing that happened today was that while we were biking somewhere, Elder Gadberry's handlebars got loosened somehow so that he wasn't able to control the bike. That means that we will be walking. That's right we have no car. If we want to get anywhere, we bicycle, walk, or bum rides from members. It's not that bad, but it has made the days exciting.
I feel like we celebrated Pioneer Day on Saturday. We walked and walked and walked. There was no reaching the Salt Lake Valley, we just walked and walked and walked. We had a couple appointments set up with people during the day. The people live pretty far away for walking, so we were calling everyone in the ward to see if someone could come with us to a lesson and drive us. No one was able to come. Well, that meant we were walking. Luckily there were quick visits that we could make with less active members on the way, so the walking wasn't a complete waste of our time. For our first appointment in the day, we walked 45 blocks to a man's house. We had scheduled an appointment with him before, but he hadn't answered his phone when we called to confirm earlier. We were still pretty sure that he would be there. It took us well over an hour to walk all the way to his house. We arrived perfectly on time, and knocked on his door. After knocking, I could hear someone inside say, "they're here". The man came to the door and opened it barely wide enough to fit his head through to talk to us. That was a bad sign. Then he told us that he had some people over, so now wasn't a good time. He didn't take any pity on us standing out there in the cold. He essentially told us that we should have known it wouldn't be a good time for him because he didn't answer his phone earlier when we called. We told him to have a nice day and that we'd try to stop by next week. I was pretty frustrated. Here we had walked all of this way so that we could come to him. We had frozen our butts off and worked our calves to get to his home and bring him the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ which is the only way to feel God's fullest joy in this and the next life, and he waved us off. I was ready to sit down and fume a little bit. Elder Gadberry, thankfully, kept me sane. We didn't stop a bit. We got back on the road and started walking to another home with another family. We walked for the rest of the day. As we were walking back that night, snow started falling and I could feel blisters forming on my feet. These were the challenges and trials that the Lord had called me to endure with patience. This was the experience that He wanted me to grow from. I was determined to be cheerful and positive. Elder Gadberry and I began singing the hymn, "Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd". I love the chorus because it reminds me of nights back at home when we might get a little crazy and start singing opera style. Elder Gadberry and I changed the lyrics so that it would fit our situation. "Out in Vienna they wander, hungry and helpless and cold." We thougth it was pretty funny. Usually this part of the hymn refers to Christ's lost sheep who and wandering, but I felt like that it perfectly applied to my situation as a missionary. That's when I realized that as missionaries, we have to go rescue the sheep from the situation that they are in. If they are hungry, helpless, and cold, we have to go find them where there is no path and where the environment is uncomfortable. This is what Christ did for us. He descended below all things. His Atonement is the perfect example of the Shepherd gathering His sheep from the places they wander. He experienced every sin, temptation, pain, sorrow, or sickness that we have or will ever feel. He lets us become partners with Him in His work when we help others to come unto Him and accept the gift of the Atonement. It is a wonderful opportunity that we have to serve Him, albeit difficult and uncomfortable.
Sunday is always a blessing. This Sunday was no different. There is such a Spirit when we get to partake of the sacrament. We basically do the same things on each day of the week, as missionaries, but Sunday feels especially joyous. We had our first district meeting of the transfer on Sunday as well. It went great. The district includes the Parkersburg, Belpre, and Vienna elders. Along with these missionaries, the ward has a set of sister missionaries. That means four sets in one ward alone! It's pretty amazing, and we're hoping to see some good things happen.
Well, in my studies today I got to read Alma 26. This chapter is so wonderful and tells us some great things about how to do missionary work. The verse that really hit me today was verse 27. It is kind of strange to think that the Sons of Mosiah were ever depressed in their missionary work, but they were. They had times of sadness, but they always turned to the Lord for support. When they did, they were strengthened by His voice and were commanded to bear their afflictions with patience. This is my hope and my prayer. Missionary work is super hard, but I'm trying my best to stay positive and put my whole self into loving the people here.
I love you all. I hope you know that. I had some thoughts come into my head about what I might want for Christmas, but I can't think of anything. I do need some clothes to stay warm (long johns, gloves, hat), but I'll probably get those on my own before too long because the weather is getting bitter. I would love to be home with a nice cup of spiced cider listening to some old Christmas albums, but I know that I need to be here. Be happy. Try to make those around you happy. Invite them to Church. Invite them to learn about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Invite them to read the Book of Mormon and come to know Christ this Christmas in a way they've never known. These things will bless them now and for eternity. It will also bless you. You're in my prayers.
Love, Elder Parker Ayer
P.S. I saw a super flattened squirrel on the road and thought about Sarah's picture with a super flattened dog. Que grande! :D
Monday, November 25, 2013
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
CHANGE
Dear family!
This week is transfers. In this mission, P-day is on a Wednesday the week of transfers. Thus, I am emailing today. This week has been packed with craziness. It was the last week of transfers, and it couldn't have flown by faster.
Wednesday night we saw a great miracle. Elder Colligan, Elder Stechnij, and I were walking around North Parkersburg. We do something called "selective knocking". This is when we walk down the street and we only knock on doors that we feel impressed to knock on. This cuts down on wasting time. It also helps us fine tune our spiritual sensitivity. We knocked on a few doors, but nothing really came of it. As we continued to walk down the street, we saw a home that was covered in Christmas decorations. It looked like a nice, cheery home with nice, cheery people inside. We obviously knocked on the door. After the first knock, we stood around for a little bit talking. We decided to knock a second time. We were about to walk away when the door was opened by a half-naked woman in a scanty nightgown, curlers in her hair, and tears streaming down her face. I was expecting her to tell us to go away. She was in hysterics. Instead, she invited us in. There were dogs jumping all around her and she was trying to pull herself together. We all came in and sat down. We soon found out that she had just gotten off the phone and had been told that her beloved niece (or cousin) would be taken off of life support. She was devastated. She was still holding the phone, and it seemed as though she had literally hung up seconds before opening the door. We were so glad to be there to support her in her time of grief. What impressed me most of all was how Heavenly Father had orchestrated this moment. He is an expert in arranging perfect times and perfect places. As the Lord's official representatives, we were able to bring the comfort of the Spirit immediately into her heart at a time of extreme need. We were able to listen to her. We were able to share our testimonies and the testimonies of Book of Mormon prophets. In this moment, I felt nothing but extreme love and concern for this daughter of God. I wanted to impress upon her mind, more than anything, that we were here to show God's love. I told her that we were not there to take advantage of her situation, force a Book of Mormon upon her, and baptize her that very night. For some reason, people have this conception of us as missionaries. What I wanted to share with her more than anything at that moment was the peace that the Book of Mormon has brought into my life. Heavenly Father also knew that the Book of Mormon was the thing that would bring her the most comfort and peace to calm her troubled heart. That is why He sent His servants. I am so grateful for the Spirit. I am so grateful for the guidance he can give us. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father trusts me enough to direct me to someone who is in real need. It was an amazing experience.
Thursday and Friday were both dedicated to Zone Meeting. Thursday I helped Elder Colligan and Elder Stechnij get everything in order for the meeting. We were planning to have a jeopardy game about Zion with a White Christmas theme. Thus, I was in charge of putting together questions about Zion and cutting out snowflakes. The other Elders kept asking me how I knew to make snowflakes so well. Thank you, Mom, for this important and very underappreciated skill. It came in very handy. Another skill that came in handy was being able to play the recorder. I don't think that I ever told you, but I found a cheap plastic recorder in my apartment. I have been playing it a few times a week and it makes me think of Sarah every time. Well, for Zone Meeting, I was in charge with making and reading the questions about hymns of Zion. Since the clues were pretty hard, I decided to also play the tune of each hymn on the recorder as an extra hint. I'm not sure if it actually helped. I haven't quite figured out how to play sharps and flats perfectly on the recorder. Everyone loved it though. The room was decked out in snowflakes and everyone got a chuckle when I pulled out the recorder. One of the blessings of being with the Zone Leaders is that I've gotten to know all of the missionaries in our zone. It has been very fun to get to know so many other missionaries. President and Sister Pitt also came to our zone meeting so that President Pitt could conduct interviews. He gave me some updates on visa stuff. First, the Church is having a very hard time getting visas because other countries are scared we are taking over the world with all of the missionaries we are sending out. Second, the Church will no longer be transferring visa waiters immediately to their foreign missions when they get their visas. If my visa comes in the middle of this transfer, I will wait until the end of the transfer to go to Brazil, which means that I will definitely be here for Christmas! President Pitt also said that I will now be serving with Elder Gadberry (another visa waiter who came out with me) in the Vienna area in the Parkersburg Ward. It is kind of crazy, but we'll be co-training each other. I am very happy to be in the Parkersburg Ward still, and I will still be able to see Elder Colligan and Elder Stechnij. I can absolutely say that I love President Pitt. He is such a loving a wonderful man. After talking to him, I felt such love and excitement to do the work.
Saturday was Elder Stechnij's 21st birthday! Thank you so much for the crepe recipe, it was great. My crepes didn't turn out very well, but they tasted good. I haven't quite gotten down the form for spreading the batter around on the pan. After crepes and studying, we went to go help set up a football banquet being held at the Church. One of the stake counselors is in our ward and is the head of the boosters for his son's football team. We were more than happy to do it because his family does so much to support us in our missionary efforts. It was also a great opportunity to expose others to the Church. What I have realized since being in WV is that I know nothing about football. That is all that my companions talk about, all that anyone else talks about, and I am clueless. I know that it's going to be even worse when I get down to Brazil because futebol is really the ONLY thing that people will talk about. Oh well, I'm learning. That night we had a mini party for Elder Stechnij. I made a cake with homemade cream cheese frosting. I didn't even use a recipe! Luckily sugar tastes good no matter what you do to it. :D
The past few days have been a blur. Everything went by so fast I can hardly remember it all. One thing has added to the craze of it all. I got a call from President Pitt asking me to serve as the new district leader of the Vienna district. I don't know what to make of it. I am happy to serve, albeit bewildered. I really do hope that the Lord qualifies those He calls! I look forward to the new transfer. I love you all so much. I think about you and pray for you. Christian, I loved your fun newspaper photo. you are awesome. Mom, Dad, Will, and Sarah are awesome, too. You're all awesome and I am so glad that we are an eternal family.
Love, Elder Parker Ayer
P.S. I don't know what I want for Christmas. Yes I do. Invite at least one friend to Church. Love you!
This week is transfers. In this mission, P-day is on a Wednesday the week of transfers. Thus, I am emailing today. This week has been packed with craziness. It was the last week of transfers, and it couldn't have flown by faster.
Wednesday night we saw a great miracle. Elder Colligan, Elder Stechnij, and I were walking around North Parkersburg. We do something called "selective knocking". This is when we walk down the street and we only knock on doors that we feel impressed to knock on. This cuts down on wasting time. It also helps us fine tune our spiritual sensitivity. We knocked on a few doors, but nothing really came of it. As we continued to walk down the street, we saw a home that was covered in Christmas decorations. It looked like a nice, cheery home with nice, cheery people inside. We obviously knocked on the door. After the first knock, we stood around for a little bit talking. We decided to knock a second time. We were about to walk away when the door was opened by a half-naked woman in a scanty nightgown, curlers in her hair, and tears streaming down her face. I was expecting her to tell us to go away. She was in hysterics. Instead, she invited us in. There were dogs jumping all around her and she was trying to pull herself together. We all came in and sat down. We soon found out that she had just gotten off the phone and had been told that her beloved niece (or cousin) would be taken off of life support. She was devastated. She was still holding the phone, and it seemed as though she had literally hung up seconds before opening the door. We were so glad to be there to support her in her time of grief. What impressed me most of all was how Heavenly Father had orchestrated this moment. He is an expert in arranging perfect times and perfect places. As the Lord's official representatives, we were able to bring the comfort of the Spirit immediately into her heart at a time of extreme need. We were able to listen to her. We were able to share our testimonies and the testimonies of Book of Mormon prophets. In this moment, I felt nothing but extreme love and concern for this daughter of God. I wanted to impress upon her mind, more than anything, that we were here to show God's love. I told her that we were not there to take advantage of her situation, force a Book of Mormon upon her, and baptize her that very night. For some reason, people have this conception of us as missionaries. What I wanted to share with her more than anything at that moment was the peace that the Book of Mormon has brought into my life. Heavenly Father also knew that the Book of Mormon was the thing that would bring her the most comfort and peace to calm her troubled heart. That is why He sent His servants. I am so grateful for the Spirit. I am so grateful for the guidance he can give us. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father trusts me enough to direct me to someone who is in real need. It was an amazing experience.
Thursday and Friday were both dedicated to Zone Meeting. Thursday I helped Elder Colligan and Elder Stechnij get everything in order for the meeting. We were planning to have a jeopardy game about Zion with a White Christmas theme. Thus, I was in charge of putting together questions about Zion and cutting out snowflakes. The other Elders kept asking me how I knew to make snowflakes so well. Thank you, Mom, for this important and very underappreciated skill. It came in very handy. Another skill that came in handy was being able to play the recorder. I don't think that I ever told you, but I found a cheap plastic recorder in my apartment. I have been playing it a few times a week and it makes me think of Sarah every time. Well, for Zone Meeting, I was in charge with making and reading the questions about hymns of Zion. Since the clues were pretty hard, I decided to also play the tune of each hymn on the recorder as an extra hint. I'm not sure if it actually helped. I haven't quite figured out how to play sharps and flats perfectly on the recorder. Everyone loved it though. The room was decked out in snowflakes and everyone got a chuckle when I pulled out the recorder. One of the blessings of being with the Zone Leaders is that I've gotten to know all of the missionaries in our zone. It has been very fun to get to know so many other missionaries. President and Sister Pitt also came to our zone meeting so that President Pitt could conduct interviews. He gave me some updates on visa stuff. First, the Church is having a very hard time getting visas because other countries are scared we are taking over the world with all of the missionaries we are sending out. Second, the Church will no longer be transferring visa waiters immediately to their foreign missions when they get their visas. If my visa comes in the middle of this transfer, I will wait until the end of the transfer to go to Brazil, which means that I will definitely be here for Christmas! President Pitt also said that I will now be serving with Elder Gadberry (another visa waiter who came out with me) in the Vienna area in the Parkersburg Ward. It is kind of crazy, but we'll be co-training each other. I am very happy to be in the Parkersburg Ward still, and I will still be able to see Elder Colligan and Elder Stechnij. I can absolutely say that I love President Pitt. He is such a loving a wonderful man. After talking to him, I felt such love and excitement to do the work.
Saturday was Elder Stechnij's 21st birthday! Thank you so much for the crepe recipe, it was great. My crepes didn't turn out very well, but they tasted good. I haven't quite gotten down the form for spreading the batter around on the pan. After crepes and studying, we went to go help set up a football banquet being held at the Church. One of the stake counselors is in our ward and is the head of the boosters for his son's football team. We were more than happy to do it because his family does so much to support us in our missionary efforts. It was also a great opportunity to expose others to the Church. What I have realized since being in WV is that I know nothing about football. That is all that my companions talk about, all that anyone else talks about, and I am clueless. I know that it's going to be even worse when I get down to Brazil because futebol is really the ONLY thing that people will talk about. Oh well, I'm learning. That night we had a mini party for Elder Stechnij. I made a cake with homemade cream cheese frosting. I didn't even use a recipe! Luckily sugar tastes good no matter what you do to it. :D
The past few days have been a blur. Everything went by so fast I can hardly remember it all. One thing has added to the craze of it all. I got a call from President Pitt asking me to serve as the new district leader of the Vienna district. I don't know what to make of it. I am happy to serve, albeit bewildered. I really do hope that the Lord qualifies those He calls! I look forward to the new transfer. I love you all so much. I think about you and pray for you. Christian, I loved your fun newspaper photo. you are awesome. Mom, Dad, Will, and Sarah are awesome, too. You're all awesome and I am so glad that we are an eternal family.
Love, Elder Parker Ayer
P.S. I don't know what I want for Christmas. Yes I do. Invite at least one friend to Church. Love you!
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
A week of learning
Oi familia! Tudo bem?
I sure hope that tudo is bem. All is well. I know that the scriptures warn the Saints not to get complacent and say that all is well in Zion, but "Come, Come Ye Saints" would say otherwise. There is definitely a different connotation in the hymn and the scripture. In the scripture, it talks about people becoming stagnant before God and regressing instead of progressing. The hymn is quite different as it talks about a group of people who were anything but complacent: the Mormon pioneers. They fought through so much, they gave up so much, they gained so much in coming to know God. They found solace in the words "all is well". All is well when we look towards Christ and rely on him in our affliction. He is the embodiment of the knowledge that all will be well. His gospel of reprentance and forgiveness brings us peace for today and hope for tomorrow. This idea has been on my mind for a while now. We always listen to hymns in the car, and this hymn has come up often. Please go back and listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing this hymn. The tenors have a great harmony at the end when they "their rest obtain". I tried to explain this to my companions, but they don't understand. Luckily, they do appreciate good music even if they can't articulate why it's so good. :D Well, that was a long introduction, but let's get down to the nitty gritty.
Monday: We tried to take P-day easy. That was the plan at least. After getting all of our preparation stuff done, we were just going to take an hour long nap before a dinner appointment when they called us and let us know that we would actually being eating an hour earlier. Well, we didn't get the long nap, but we did get fed. I was especially grateful for the pumpkin pie. Afterwards, we went with one of the members of the family (Brother Warren Walker who is a great member missionary and dresses up like a cowboy all the time) to go visit his friend. We met with his friend and taught him about the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The friend was really in to hunting, and I had a really great metaphor come in to my mind that could help him understand the Book of Mormon better. This happens often. I don't even know what I'm saying and then something profound comes out of my mouth. Well, I compared the Book of Mormon to a lens on a scope. The Bible is the other lens of the scope. The lenses work together to focus our lives on Jesus Christ. I'm not sure if the metaphor impacted him too much, but we are going to meet with him again, which is always good. When we got to the apartment that night, we had several phone calls and a prayer that led us to decide that I would go on an exchange to Marietta for a few days by myself while the district leader there went to go help another area. Let's just say that I was a little anxious, especially because Elder Steed, who I would be with, is just as new as I am and I was going to be appointed as temporary senior companion. Yikes!
Tuesday: I was dropped off with the Vienna elders in our district while Elders Colligan and Stechnij went down to a Missionry Leadership Council meeting in Charleston. I went with the Vienna elders to help a family in our ward move some furniture out of their house. There were several pieces of furniture including a piano. However, the piano wasn't even the heaviest piece of furniture. We also had to be very tedious and slow since all of the furniture was bulky, Amish-made furniture that could easily ding walls or be dinged. We also got to go see their new house in Williamstown. It is a hundred-year-old house that house some beautiful architecture. However, the inside was a nightmare. Wallpaper. Wallpaper everywhere. Hideous, gawdy, flowery patterns covering every wall and ceiling. It was incredible. Each room had a horrendous design that contrasted with the room next to it. What was even better was that each wallpaper was textured. I was a little freaked out when I reached out and felt felt. Ahhh, it was so funny. They are doing some major remodeling and will likely not be done for five months. After helping them move, I was picked up by the Marietta elders. We drove up and did some more service for some ward members there. Then we dropped off Elder Greenwood with the Williamstown elders. This is when the reality of my situation fell on me. I was in charge of an entire area of missionary work. I was in the driver's seat...literally. I got to drive again! It felt nice to drive a car. That night we went to go visit some people. Two of the people we stopped by lived on the same street. After setting up a return appointment with one of them, we had nothing else planned for the night. We still had an hour before we needed to be back to our apartment. We said a prayer to figure out what we should. I felt like we should go down a nearby street and knock some doors. Elder Steed felt like we should go visit a woman they had met before who lived down the same street. If we tracted, we would walk down the street. If we visited the woman, we would get her address from the car and drive to her home. We both felt very strongly about what we should do. We decided to make a compromise. We would knock a few doors on the street and then keep on walking until we walked by her house. We knocked a few doors. We walked, and walked, and walked. We never passed the house that Elder Steed thought he would recognize. Well, we got to what looked like the end of the street and were about to turn and walk back when Elder Steed thought we should knock on just one more door before returning. I agreed. At the end of the street there was a house with a very cool jack-o-lantern that we decided to go to. The door was answered. I was expecting to see someone slightly ghetto in this slightly ghetto neiborhood. I was very surprised when the door was answered by a young man wearing clean clothes, a full set of teeth, and no slurred speech. He was super nice. Elder Steed was just so excited that someone answered the door; he started talking really fast. In about thirty seconds Elder Steed had invited the man (Jason) to learn more, had given him a pass-along card, and had given him a Restoration pamphlet. I topped the collection off with a good ol' Book of Mormon. We're going to go back and see him tomorrow same bat time same bat place.
Wednesday: This might have been the longest day of my entire life. In the morning, I decided that I wanted to have a special fast for our exchange. Elder Steed decided to join me. We spent the day contacting people, walking up and down streets tracting, and trying to ward off the hunger pains in our stomachs. We didn't see any success the entire day. This was frustrating, but I learned a great lesson. The elders in the area hadn't really been using the members. The investigators they had were all pretty flaky. It seemed like the only interaction the members in the ward had was to deliver meals. This is not effective. A ward is full of members who have several friends and acquaintances that have been specifically prepared to receive the gospel through them. I am only one person. It is impossible for me to have an effect on anyone in an area that can equal the impact of a member friend. Members have already established relationships with others in which their friends have already been exposed to the influence of the Spirit several times. This is so critical. Each person that we know has been prepared by God to know us. Each person. Why does it matter who we invite when everyone around us is being guided by God in small and simple ways to the everlasting truth found in Christ's restored Church? Anyway, dinner eventually came. Then we got to meet with Jason. I guess I had assumed that Elder Steed would be able to teach a simple lesson about the Restoration. I hadn't realized that Elder Steed and Elder Greenwood had really not been able to teach anyone in their area during the transfer. This was Elder Steed's first real teaching opportunity, and we hadn't planned much at all. We got in the lesson, and what we said was all over the place. We were not teaching in unison. We were not sticking to the basic principles. Oh, it was terrible! When the end of the lesson came around, we didn't even finish with prayer because we were disrupted by Jason's girlfriend coming home. When we got out of their apartment, I was ready to bang my head against a wall. Elder Steed was jumping for joy and trying to fist bump me. He had just taught his first lesson! He was on an emotionally charged missionary high. That's when I had to turn my attitude around and change my perspective. It was great. The message of the Restoration is always great. Yes, there was room for improvement, but we had been able to tell one more beloved child of God the truth of Christ's restored gospel. And it was successful because Jason was still interested and wanted to learn more. Luckily, this gospel is also a gospel of second chances. :D
Thursday: We finished up our exchange today with little to no success. Oh well. I'm just glad that we worked hard and did what the Lord expecte dof us. At night, I was picked up by Elder Colligan and Elder Stechnij. It was so good to see them again and return to Parkersburg.
Friday: We had mission conference today. Our conference was graced by none other than Elder Joseph W Sitati of Kenya. It was a spirutally filling meeting. We discussed for 5 hours the meaning of our purpose as missionaries and how we can improve. After all of the spiritual instruction, I felt like I had been fasting all day. I was about to burst with the Spirit! If I typed out everything I learned, this email would be three times longer.
Saturday: We had the adult session of our stake conference this night. We were told that we are expected to go to this meeting now. It was so great! It sounds like all future adult stake conference sessions will focus on hastening the work of salvation. One thing that was most instructive about the meeting was when President Poe (stake president) said that we succeed in missionary work when we invite. That is so true. If we do our part, we cannot be disappointed. OUr duty is simply to invite our friends to hear the message of the restored gospel.
Sunday: Today was stake conference. Another filling day of spiritual enlightenement. Tongiht we watched 17 Miracles. I obviously cried as I saw the example of all those faithful pioneers.
Monday: We played football with a young man in our ward and some of his football friends. I felt pretty silly and useless. Luckily you don't have to have much skill to block people. I even caught the ball once. It was great.
I love you all so much. Know that. I love you more than the world.
Love, Elder Ayer
P.S. Amanda Smith, I hope you are okay in the Phillipines!
P.P.S. I taught my companions the difference between melody and harmony.
I sure hope that tudo is bem. All is well. I know that the scriptures warn the Saints not to get complacent and say that all is well in Zion, but "Come, Come Ye Saints" would say otherwise. There is definitely a different connotation in the hymn and the scripture. In the scripture, it talks about people becoming stagnant before God and regressing instead of progressing. The hymn is quite different as it talks about a group of people who were anything but complacent: the Mormon pioneers. They fought through so much, they gave up so much, they gained so much in coming to know God. They found solace in the words "all is well". All is well when we look towards Christ and rely on him in our affliction. He is the embodiment of the knowledge that all will be well. His gospel of reprentance and forgiveness brings us peace for today and hope for tomorrow. This idea has been on my mind for a while now. We always listen to hymns in the car, and this hymn has come up often. Please go back and listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing this hymn. The tenors have a great harmony at the end when they "their rest obtain". I tried to explain this to my companions, but they don't understand. Luckily, they do appreciate good music even if they can't articulate why it's so good. :D Well, that was a long introduction, but let's get down to the nitty gritty.
Monday: We tried to take P-day easy. That was the plan at least. After getting all of our preparation stuff done, we were just going to take an hour long nap before a dinner appointment when they called us and let us know that we would actually being eating an hour earlier. Well, we didn't get the long nap, but we did get fed. I was especially grateful for the pumpkin pie. Afterwards, we went with one of the members of the family (Brother Warren Walker who is a great member missionary and dresses up like a cowboy all the time) to go visit his friend. We met with his friend and taught him about the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The friend was really in to hunting, and I had a really great metaphor come in to my mind that could help him understand the Book of Mormon better. This happens often. I don't even know what I'm saying and then something profound comes out of my mouth. Well, I compared the Book of Mormon to a lens on a scope. The Bible is the other lens of the scope. The lenses work together to focus our lives on Jesus Christ. I'm not sure if the metaphor impacted him too much, but we are going to meet with him again, which is always good. When we got to the apartment that night, we had several phone calls and a prayer that led us to decide that I would go on an exchange to Marietta for a few days by myself while the district leader there went to go help another area. Let's just say that I was a little anxious, especially because Elder Steed, who I would be with, is just as new as I am and I was going to be appointed as temporary senior companion. Yikes!
Tuesday: I was dropped off with the Vienna elders in our district while Elders Colligan and Stechnij went down to a Missionry Leadership Council meeting in Charleston. I went with the Vienna elders to help a family in our ward move some furniture out of their house. There were several pieces of furniture including a piano. However, the piano wasn't even the heaviest piece of furniture. We also had to be very tedious and slow since all of the furniture was bulky, Amish-made furniture that could easily ding walls or be dinged. We also got to go see their new house in Williamstown. It is a hundred-year-old house that house some beautiful architecture. However, the inside was a nightmare. Wallpaper. Wallpaper everywhere. Hideous, gawdy, flowery patterns covering every wall and ceiling. It was incredible. Each room had a horrendous design that contrasted with the room next to it. What was even better was that each wallpaper was textured. I was a little freaked out when I reached out and felt felt. Ahhh, it was so funny. They are doing some major remodeling and will likely not be done for five months. After helping them move, I was picked up by the Marietta elders. We drove up and did some more service for some ward members there. Then we dropped off Elder Greenwood with the Williamstown elders. This is when the reality of my situation fell on me. I was in charge of an entire area of missionary work. I was in the driver's seat...literally. I got to drive again! It felt nice to drive a car. That night we went to go visit some people. Two of the people we stopped by lived on the same street. After setting up a return appointment with one of them, we had nothing else planned for the night. We still had an hour before we needed to be back to our apartment. We said a prayer to figure out what we should. I felt like we should go down a nearby street and knock some doors. Elder Steed felt like we should go visit a woman they had met before who lived down the same street. If we tracted, we would walk down the street. If we visited the woman, we would get her address from the car and drive to her home. We both felt very strongly about what we should do. We decided to make a compromise. We would knock a few doors on the street and then keep on walking until we walked by her house. We knocked a few doors. We walked, and walked, and walked. We never passed the house that Elder Steed thought he would recognize. Well, we got to what looked like the end of the street and were about to turn and walk back when Elder Steed thought we should knock on just one more door before returning. I agreed. At the end of the street there was a house with a very cool jack-o-lantern that we decided to go to. The door was answered. I was expecting to see someone slightly ghetto in this slightly ghetto neiborhood. I was very surprised when the door was answered by a young man wearing clean clothes, a full set of teeth, and no slurred speech. He was super nice. Elder Steed was just so excited that someone answered the door; he started talking really fast. In about thirty seconds Elder Steed had invited the man (Jason) to learn more, had given him a pass-along card, and had given him a Restoration pamphlet. I topped the collection off with a good ol' Book of Mormon. We're going to go back and see him tomorrow same bat time same bat place.
Wednesday: This might have been the longest day of my entire life. In the morning, I decided that I wanted to have a special fast for our exchange. Elder Steed decided to join me. We spent the day contacting people, walking up and down streets tracting, and trying to ward off the hunger pains in our stomachs. We didn't see any success the entire day. This was frustrating, but I learned a great lesson. The elders in the area hadn't really been using the members. The investigators they had were all pretty flaky. It seemed like the only interaction the members in the ward had was to deliver meals. This is not effective. A ward is full of members who have several friends and acquaintances that have been specifically prepared to receive the gospel through them. I am only one person. It is impossible for me to have an effect on anyone in an area that can equal the impact of a member friend. Members have already established relationships with others in which their friends have already been exposed to the influence of the Spirit several times. This is so critical. Each person that we know has been prepared by God to know us. Each person. Why does it matter who we invite when everyone around us is being guided by God in small and simple ways to the everlasting truth found in Christ's restored Church? Anyway, dinner eventually came. Then we got to meet with Jason. I guess I had assumed that Elder Steed would be able to teach a simple lesson about the Restoration. I hadn't realized that Elder Steed and Elder Greenwood had really not been able to teach anyone in their area during the transfer. This was Elder Steed's first real teaching opportunity, and we hadn't planned much at all. We got in the lesson, and what we said was all over the place. We were not teaching in unison. We were not sticking to the basic principles. Oh, it was terrible! When the end of the lesson came around, we didn't even finish with prayer because we were disrupted by Jason's girlfriend coming home. When we got out of their apartment, I was ready to bang my head against a wall. Elder Steed was jumping for joy and trying to fist bump me. He had just taught his first lesson! He was on an emotionally charged missionary high. That's when I had to turn my attitude around and change my perspective. It was great. The message of the Restoration is always great. Yes, there was room for improvement, but we had been able to tell one more beloved child of God the truth of Christ's restored gospel. And it was successful because Jason was still interested and wanted to learn more. Luckily, this gospel is also a gospel of second chances. :D
Thursday: We finished up our exchange today with little to no success. Oh well. I'm just glad that we worked hard and did what the Lord expecte dof us. At night, I was picked up by Elder Colligan and Elder Stechnij. It was so good to see them again and return to Parkersburg.
Friday: We had mission conference today. Our conference was graced by none other than Elder Joseph W Sitati of Kenya. It was a spirutally filling meeting. We discussed for 5 hours the meaning of our purpose as missionaries and how we can improve. After all of the spiritual instruction, I felt like I had been fasting all day. I was about to burst with the Spirit! If I typed out everything I learned, this email would be three times longer.
Saturday: We had the adult session of our stake conference this night. We were told that we are expected to go to this meeting now. It was so great! It sounds like all future adult stake conference sessions will focus on hastening the work of salvation. One thing that was most instructive about the meeting was when President Poe (stake president) said that we succeed in missionary work when we invite. That is so true. If we do our part, we cannot be disappointed. OUr duty is simply to invite our friends to hear the message of the restored gospel.
Sunday: Today was stake conference. Another filling day of spiritual enlightenement. Tongiht we watched 17 Miracles. I obviously cried as I saw the example of all those faithful pioneers.
Monday: We played football with a young man in our ward and some of his football friends. I felt pretty silly and useless. Luckily you don't have to have much skill to block people. I even caught the ball once. It was great.
I love you all so much. Know that. I love you more than the world.
Love, Elder Ayer
P.S. Amanda Smith, I hope you are okay in the Phillipines!
P.P.S. I taught my companions the difference between melody and harmony.
Monday, November 4, 2013
A SPECIAL day!
Friends, Mormons, countrymen,
Lend me your ear. This is an auspicious day. This is a heralded day. This is a day of pomp. Christian *Ayer, the son, rises* from a state of childhood to a state of manhood. For on this day of joy and gladness, he begins his seventeenth year, which is to say that upon this noble day he has attained to the amount of sixteen years. Yea, verily, yea. Let the earth break forth into song. Let the women cheer. On this day he presents himself as an available single, which is to say that he will allow himself to honor young ladies of untarnished reputation to partake in dating events with him. HAPPY SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY CHRISTIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, that took me ten minutes to write. I hope that fulfills all of your wildest birthday wishes. I have been thinking about you a lot. I love you and I hope that you enjoy your sweet 16.
I also love all the rest of you. There is not a day that goes by that i don't thank Heavenly Father for my loved ones. Just the other day, Elder Colligan was playing some sacred music before we went to bed. He said something about being so grateful for the music of the Church and how it helps him so much to connect to the Spirit. I immediately thought of our family. I imagined us gathering around the piano, Sarah at the keys. I thought of us singing our all time favorite hymns and then venturing out into strange waters with some unknown hymns. I imagined not being able to hear the melody because we love the harmony parts so much. I imagined us singing opera style when the hymn got a little intense and very zealous. I remembered these inspiring, instructional moments. Thank you for the love of the gospel that was developed in our home. Thank you for the Spirit that we felt through music. Thank you for these experiences that have developed a love of family, but also a love of God. I do not think that we could ever be as close as we are if we hadn't pursued a closeness with Heavenly Father. Through the power of Jesus Christ, we bind our hearts together as we rely upon each other for strength in overcoming challenges and pursuing righteousness. I have seen many kinds of families on my mission. Usually, we don't get to visit the families that make me feel warm and fuzzy. It always makes me feel great when I do get to visit these families, but that is not what I have been called to do. I have been called to go among families that are in disrepair and need the repairing power of the Savior. It is heartbreaking to see homes where children are considered a nuisance. It is heartbreaking to see homes where the Church is present, but the gospel is not. It is heartbreaking to see homes where there is no care for self, situation, or sanctity. It is heartbreaking, but we follow the example of the Savior. He came not to go among the righteous, but to go among sinners. It is such a blessing when we get to cheer up troubled children and bring the Spirit into hollow homes.
I do not have enough time to retrace each day, but know that I love you. Know that I think about you. Know that I wonder what my parents would do in the situations I am in. I often think how my mother would react in the midst of challenging days and disheartening times. Would she give up? Would she put in the towel? No, she would pick herself up, see her duty and do it. She would finish a job despite weary hands, and she would make it a masterpiece. I often think of my father's continuing conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I use this great heritage of conversion to help guide others and myself in learning and living the principles of the gospel. I am everlastingly grateful for my parents. Thank you. I love you all. Continue to improve and come unto Christ. Help others improve and come unto Christ. When we surrender ourselves to God's work, we are given guidance to do His work in His way.
Love, Elder Parker Ayer
P.S. Biscuits and gravy are big here. I have had them multiple times from breakfast and dinner. For example, someone in the ward dropped off dinner for us last night. Between the three of us, we ate 15 biscuits and a bucket of gravy. Yum!
P.P.S. rabbit rabbit
P.P.P.S. A guy named Will Long, from the ward here, just got called to the Santa Rosa California Mission speaking Spanish. I'm going to show him a picture of Elder Stephenson.
P.P.P.P.S. I heard the Red Sox won the World Series. Hurrah for Israel! :D
Lend me your ear. This is an auspicious day. This is a heralded day. This is a day of pomp. Christian *Ayer, the son, rises* from a state of childhood to a state of manhood. For on this day of joy and gladness, he begins his seventeenth year, which is to say that upon this noble day he has attained to the amount of sixteen years. Yea, verily, yea. Let the earth break forth into song. Let the women cheer. On this day he presents himself as an available single, which is to say that he will allow himself to honor young ladies of untarnished reputation to partake in dating events with him. HAPPY SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY CHRISTIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, that took me ten minutes to write. I hope that fulfills all of your wildest birthday wishes. I have been thinking about you a lot. I love you and I hope that you enjoy your sweet 16.
I also love all the rest of you. There is not a day that goes by that i don't thank Heavenly Father for my loved ones. Just the other day, Elder Colligan was playing some sacred music before we went to bed. He said something about being so grateful for the music of the Church and how it helps him so much to connect to the Spirit. I immediately thought of our family. I imagined us gathering around the piano, Sarah at the keys. I thought of us singing our all time favorite hymns and then venturing out into strange waters with some unknown hymns. I imagined not being able to hear the melody because we love the harmony parts so much. I imagined us singing opera style when the hymn got a little intense and very zealous. I remembered these inspiring, instructional moments. Thank you for the love of the gospel that was developed in our home. Thank you for the Spirit that we felt through music. Thank you for these experiences that have developed a love of family, but also a love of God. I do not think that we could ever be as close as we are if we hadn't pursued a closeness with Heavenly Father. Through the power of Jesus Christ, we bind our hearts together as we rely upon each other for strength in overcoming challenges and pursuing righteousness. I have seen many kinds of families on my mission. Usually, we don't get to visit the families that make me feel warm and fuzzy. It always makes me feel great when I do get to visit these families, but that is not what I have been called to do. I have been called to go among families that are in disrepair and need the repairing power of the Savior. It is heartbreaking to see homes where children are considered a nuisance. It is heartbreaking to see homes where the Church is present, but the gospel is not. It is heartbreaking to see homes where there is no care for self, situation, or sanctity. It is heartbreaking, but we follow the example of the Savior. He came not to go among the righteous, but to go among sinners. It is such a blessing when we get to cheer up troubled children and bring the Spirit into hollow homes.
I do not have enough time to retrace each day, but know that I love you. Know that I think about you. Know that I wonder what my parents would do in the situations I am in. I often think how my mother would react in the midst of challenging days and disheartening times. Would she give up? Would she put in the towel? No, she would pick herself up, see her duty and do it. She would finish a job despite weary hands, and she would make it a masterpiece. I often think of my father's continuing conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I use this great heritage of conversion to help guide others and myself in learning and living the principles of the gospel. I am everlastingly grateful for my parents. Thank you. I love you all. Continue to improve and come unto Christ. Help others improve and come unto Christ. When we surrender ourselves to God's work, we are given guidance to do His work in His way.
Love, Elder Parker Ayer
P.S. Biscuits and gravy are big here. I have had them multiple times from breakfast and dinner. For example, someone in the ward dropped off dinner for us last night. Between the three of us, we ate 15 biscuits and a bucket of gravy. Yum!
P.P.S. rabbit rabbit
P.P.P.S. A guy named Will Long, from the ward here, just got called to the Santa Rosa California Mission speaking Spanish. I'm going to show him a picture of Elder Stephenson.
P.P.P.P.S. I heard the Red Sox won the World Series. Hurrah for Israel! :D
Monday, October 28, 2013
Exchanges
Dear family,
First of all, thank you for the packaged love that you sent the other day. I love you! I don't just love you because you sent me a package, but it certainly was a great reminder of all the reasons why I love you. I loved getting the notes and the old pictures. I also love the coat. it is perfect! It is coming in very handy with these cold days. So far, I've just been wearing the liner. I'm sure i'll add the other layer in a few more weeks. And yes, I am planning on being here for a few more weeks. If you're praying that I get my visa, please stop. I love it here! Please pray that everything will happen according to the established timeline of the Lord. (I'm hoping that timeline allows me to taste some Thanksgiving pie before I head south.)
This week has been kind of a roller coaster between having our area doubled in size and going on exchanges. Remember, Elder Stechnij and Elder Colligan are zone leaders, so I get to experience all of the fun things (and tedious things) of that assignment. Our area originally included South Parkersburg and Belpre, OH. On Monday we found out that the sister missionaries in North Parkersburg would be transferred to Charleston until the end of November for health reasons. That means that we were assigned to take over the northern part of the ward as well. That's a lot of ground to cover!
On Tuesday, we went to go visit one of the investigators that the North Parkersburg sisters were teaching previously. It seems that he has been trying to avoid us. I really don't know why. He was planning on getting baptized, but seems afraid of talking to us for some reason. Anyway, we knocked on his door and no one answered. As we were going back to our car, we stopped and talked to his neighbor. She is an older woman who has been going to the Baptist church all of her life. We talked to her for a while about our church and her beliefs. We asked if we could come back and share a message about Jesus Christ. She refused and said that she didn't think that we could teach her anything else about Jesus that she hasn't already heard from her preachers. We ended our conversation with her, got in our car, and drove off. As I was sitting there thinking about the experience, I got really frustrated with myself. I let her tell me that I had nothing else to bless her with. This was totally false. Over the next several days, I thought of all of the wonderful things that we know about the Savior in our Church. We have the Book of Mormon. That alone is marvelous. The Book of Mormon is not offensive, antagonistic, or harmful to anyone's faith. It upholds, exalts, and enriches the Bible. It speaks in harmony with the Bible's teachings. it speaks in correspondence with the Bible to support the testimony of Jesus Christ as our Redeemer. It further develops the understanding that we have of the love of God. He loves all people everywhere. He seeks to lead all people to the pure and only source of joy in this life, Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon helps us to understand the plan for our salvation made possible through Jesus Christ. He is the only way or means whereby salvation cometh. The Book of Mormon is powerful as it invites the Spirit into our hearts. Any person who can call himself a Christian should be overjoyed and desirous to read the Book of Mormon so that they can add to their testimony of the Savior and their faith in His power.
Later on Tuesday, Elder Colligan and I traveled to Marietta, OH to exchange with the elders there. It was a long evening. They haven't been able to find any people who want to listen to their message, but it is probably because they haven't been doing it very effectively. We spent the evening calling and contacting people who had been interested in talking to the missionaries. It was tedious, but we did teach one woman who has clearly been prepared to receive the gospel message. She was asking questions about life and Christ that are clearly answered by the Book of Mormon and modern revelation. One interesting thing that she said is that some different churches frown on people having an experience where they feel the presence of God. They also tell people that some questions cannot be answered. We teach the exact opposite. We tell all people to seek out a spiritual experience through prayer so that they can receive answers to their questions. Prayer is a communication tool to be used between God and man. We declare that every man and woman has the divine right, as a child of Almighty God, to receive a spiritual witness of the truth as a guide in this life. We invite all people to ponder about our message and then to ask Heavenly Father in faith, in the name of Jesus Christ, if what we teach is true. We do so with confidence because we know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, the Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and God has a prophet on the earth today to lead and direct His people.
Wednesday morning, we woke up in Marietta and got a call from Elder Stechnij saying that we would switch back to our normal areas earlier than planned. That meant that we had to choose one name from a list of several people who we would go visit. I suggested that we pray together and ask Heavenly Father who we should visit. After the prayer, all of us had the same name on our minds. When we looked at her information, we found that she was 20 miles away in Waterford, OH. That seemed a long way to go to try to track down one person. Still, we decided that we would follow the inspiration that we had received. We drove for quite a while through some winding (and pretty) country roads in order to get there. Once we got there, we knocked on her door. No answer. We knocked on her neighbors' doors. No answers. We knocked on her door again. No one. Nada. Zilch. Why had we been directed to this place? It was confusing and a little concerning. We loaded back into the car and drove back to Parkersburg. After talking with Elder Colligan and thinking about it for a while, I decided that God had his reasons. Was he testing us. Had we avoided a major accident on the road. Was it a tender mercy just to drive past scenic and picturesque Ohio? Was it a combination of all of these? I am not really sure. What I have determined, though, is that I know in whom I have put my trust. I know the power of prayer and receiving answers. I will not be shaken. We were all guided in our thoughts to go to Waterford. If anything, I hope that I have shown to God that I will do whatever He commands me. It may seem illogical and unreasonable, but i trust Him. I hope that He can trust me.
Thrusday, I went with Elder Stechnij to Ravenswood on exchange. What a fun experience! This was a small town in which everyone knew the missionaries. Those that actually like he missionary refer to them as "the boys". Fun trivia for you, Dad, Ravenswood has the highest number of churches per capita of any town in the US. We got to visit several kind and sincere people while we were there. We went to go visit a man recovering in a nursing home. When we walked out, we walked past an old guy who said, "Hey, you've never come to visit me before." He was not a member of the Church; He was just a kind old man who felt slightly left out that "the boys" had never stopped by to talk to him before. What a great place!
Friday, we finished the exchange with Ravenswood, but we had to go down to Winfield/Teays Valley so that Elder Stechnij could do a baptismal interview for someone down there. It was a long drive. I was in the back seat and Elder Colligan and Elder Stechnij were in the front talking to each other. I don't know why, but I was feeling kind of low. I was feeling bad for myself. I tried to read the scriptures to cheer me up, but I wasn't really paying attention to them. On the the long ride back, I tried to sleep, but I was mostly just consumed with feeling sorry for myself. That's when I started blaming others in my head and thinking that everyone else should be trying to cheer me up. Then the Spirit came into my head and chastened me. I was being the natural man. The natural man is when we feel entitled to people serving us. In contrast, Christ's character is to turn outward despite opposition. Well, I tried to be cheerful. It wasn't coming. That night, I felt impressed to pray out loud. I went into our study area and prayed out loud. I cannot describe the peace that I felt. The Spirit helped me see the ways that I could change in order to serve those around me better. I feel such gratitude for prayer. It is a real and vital source of strength and connection with God. He is real. He is there for us, ever watchful and ever mindful.
Saturday was baptism day. We went to go visit Tina early in the day because she said that she was kind of nervous on Friday. When we got there, she was happy as could be. She said that she had been listening to John Denver's "Sunshine on my Shoulder" when the sunlight had come through her window and she knew that she had to be baptized. She is so sincere and sweet. She was baptized that night by Elder Colligan. On Sunday, Elder Stechnij confirmed her. It was a wonderful experience, and she was clearly delighted. She was also very happy because the Primary Presentation was on Sunday. She loved listening to the children sing. So did I.
Life is great. Life is beautiful. My life is a gift, my life has a plan. My life has a purpose, in heaven it began. THere is so much joy in the gospel. I feel that joy every day, and I hope that you do, too. I love you!
Love, Elder Parker Ayer
First of all, thank you for the packaged love that you sent the other day. I love you! I don't just love you because you sent me a package, but it certainly was a great reminder of all the reasons why I love you. I loved getting the notes and the old pictures. I also love the coat. it is perfect! It is coming in very handy with these cold days. So far, I've just been wearing the liner. I'm sure i'll add the other layer in a few more weeks. And yes, I am planning on being here for a few more weeks. If you're praying that I get my visa, please stop. I love it here! Please pray that everything will happen according to the established timeline of the Lord. (I'm hoping that timeline allows me to taste some Thanksgiving pie before I head south.)
This week has been kind of a roller coaster between having our area doubled in size and going on exchanges. Remember, Elder Stechnij and Elder Colligan are zone leaders, so I get to experience all of the fun things (and tedious things) of that assignment. Our area originally included South Parkersburg and Belpre, OH. On Monday we found out that the sister missionaries in North Parkersburg would be transferred to Charleston until the end of November for health reasons. That means that we were assigned to take over the northern part of the ward as well. That's a lot of ground to cover!
On Tuesday, we went to go visit one of the investigators that the North Parkersburg sisters were teaching previously. It seems that he has been trying to avoid us. I really don't know why. He was planning on getting baptized, but seems afraid of talking to us for some reason. Anyway, we knocked on his door and no one answered. As we were going back to our car, we stopped and talked to his neighbor. She is an older woman who has been going to the Baptist church all of her life. We talked to her for a while about our church and her beliefs. We asked if we could come back and share a message about Jesus Christ. She refused and said that she didn't think that we could teach her anything else about Jesus that she hasn't already heard from her preachers. We ended our conversation with her, got in our car, and drove off. As I was sitting there thinking about the experience, I got really frustrated with myself. I let her tell me that I had nothing else to bless her with. This was totally false. Over the next several days, I thought of all of the wonderful things that we know about the Savior in our Church. We have the Book of Mormon. That alone is marvelous. The Book of Mormon is not offensive, antagonistic, or harmful to anyone's faith. It upholds, exalts, and enriches the Bible. It speaks in harmony with the Bible's teachings. it speaks in correspondence with the Bible to support the testimony of Jesus Christ as our Redeemer. It further develops the understanding that we have of the love of God. He loves all people everywhere. He seeks to lead all people to the pure and only source of joy in this life, Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon helps us to understand the plan for our salvation made possible through Jesus Christ. He is the only way or means whereby salvation cometh. The Book of Mormon is powerful as it invites the Spirit into our hearts. Any person who can call himself a Christian should be overjoyed and desirous to read the Book of Mormon so that they can add to their testimony of the Savior and their faith in His power.
Later on Tuesday, Elder Colligan and I traveled to Marietta, OH to exchange with the elders there. It was a long evening. They haven't been able to find any people who want to listen to their message, but it is probably because they haven't been doing it very effectively. We spent the evening calling and contacting people who had been interested in talking to the missionaries. It was tedious, but we did teach one woman who has clearly been prepared to receive the gospel message. She was asking questions about life and Christ that are clearly answered by the Book of Mormon and modern revelation. One interesting thing that she said is that some different churches frown on people having an experience where they feel the presence of God. They also tell people that some questions cannot be answered. We teach the exact opposite. We tell all people to seek out a spiritual experience through prayer so that they can receive answers to their questions. Prayer is a communication tool to be used between God and man. We declare that every man and woman has the divine right, as a child of Almighty God, to receive a spiritual witness of the truth as a guide in this life. We invite all people to ponder about our message and then to ask Heavenly Father in faith, in the name of Jesus Christ, if what we teach is true. We do so with confidence because we know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, the Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and God has a prophet on the earth today to lead and direct His people.
Wednesday morning, we woke up in Marietta and got a call from Elder Stechnij saying that we would switch back to our normal areas earlier than planned. That meant that we had to choose one name from a list of several people who we would go visit. I suggested that we pray together and ask Heavenly Father who we should visit. After the prayer, all of us had the same name on our minds. When we looked at her information, we found that she was 20 miles away in Waterford, OH. That seemed a long way to go to try to track down one person. Still, we decided that we would follow the inspiration that we had received. We drove for quite a while through some winding (and pretty) country roads in order to get there. Once we got there, we knocked on her door. No answer. We knocked on her neighbors' doors. No answers. We knocked on her door again. No one. Nada. Zilch. Why had we been directed to this place? It was confusing and a little concerning. We loaded back into the car and drove back to Parkersburg. After talking with Elder Colligan and thinking about it for a while, I decided that God had his reasons. Was he testing us. Had we avoided a major accident on the road. Was it a tender mercy just to drive past scenic and picturesque Ohio? Was it a combination of all of these? I am not really sure. What I have determined, though, is that I know in whom I have put my trust. I know the power of prayer and receiving answers. I will not be shaken. We were all guided in our thoughts to go to Waterford. If anything, I hope that I have shown to God that I will do whatever He commands me. It may seem illogical and unreasonable, but i trust Him. I hope that He can trust me.
Thrusday, I went with Elder Stechnij to Ravenswood on exchange. What a fun experience! This was a small town in which everyone knew the missionaries. Those that actually like he missionary refer to them as "the boys". Fun trivia for you, Dad, Ravenswood has the highest number of churches per capita of any town in the US. We got to visit several kind and sincere people while we were there. We went to go visit a man recovering in a nursing home. When we walked out, we walked past an old guy who said, "Hey, you've never come to visit me before." He was not a member of the Church; He was just a kind old man who felt slightly left out that "the boys" had never stopped by to talk to him before. What a great place!
Friday, we finished the exchange with Ravenswood, but we had to go down to Winfield/Teays Valley so that Elder Stechnij could do a baptismal interview for someone down there. It was a long drive. I was in the back seat and Elder Colligan and Elder Stechnij were in the front talking to each other. I don't know why, but I was feeling kind of low. I was feeling bad for myself. I tried to read the scriptures to cheer me up, but I wasn't really paying attention to them. On the the long ride back, I tried to sleep, but I was mostly just consumed with feeling sorry for myself. That's when I started blaming others in my head and thinking that everyone else should be trying to cheer me up. Then the Spirit came into my head and chastened me. I was being the natural man. The natural man is when we feel entitled to people serving us. In contrast, Christ's character is to turn outward despite opposition. Well, I tried to be cheerful. It wasn't coming. That night, I felt impressed to pray out loud. I went into our study area and prayed out loud. I cannot describe the peace that I felt. The Spirit helped me see the ways that I could change in order to serve those around me better. I feel such gratitude for prayer. It is a real and vital source of strength and connection with God. He is real. He is there for us, ever watchful and ever mindful.
Saturday was baptism day. We went to go visit Tina early in the day because she said that she was kind of nervous on Friday. When we got there, she was happy as could be. She said that she had been listening to John Denver's "Sunshine on my Shoulder" when the sunlight had come through her window and she knew that she had to be baptized. She is so sincere and sweet. She was baptized that night by Elder Colligan. On Sunday, Elder Stechnij confirmed her. It was a wonderful experience, and she was clearly delighted. She was also very happy because the Primary Presentation was on Sunday. She loved listening to the children sing. So did I.
Life is great. Life is beautiful. My life is a gift, my life has a plan. My life has a purpose, in heaven it began. THere is so much joy in the gospel. I feel that joy every day, and I hope that you do, too. I love you!
Love, Elder Parker Ayer
Monday, October 21, 2013
One Week in the Mission Field
Querido familia,
I love you all so much! Lots of events that I missed. Happy Columbus Day and 25 October Lane Day! There are so many wonderful things that come from being in the mission field. There are so many wonderful reminders of what is most important in life. I think about you all often, and I pray for you. I will also join with Sarah in saying that all I want are some handwritten messages. Right now, it is starting to get really cold. I wear my long sleeve shirts and sweater almost every day. We've had to scrape ice off of our windshields the past couple mornings. Still, I think that I would rather get a note before you send me a coat. :D Thank you so much for your encouraging emails and for all of the love and concern that I can feel from your prayers. I feel so much strength every day, and I'm sure it comes mostly from the prayers of those who love me. I have had lots of other reminders throughout the week that have helped me be strengthened. Heavenly Father has been so kind to me to bless me with tender mercies that comfort me and lift me up.
Sorry about last Monday. I really meant to say more, but I had to finish up and send my email before the computer booted me off. After emailing last week, we played some basketball with other elders in our zone. Now, I usually don't look forward to playing basketball that much. I'm really not that good. Also, the only time that I ever played basketball was in 6th grade and the only basket I ever made was for the other team. I would like to report, however, that I have redeemed my reputation. i am proud to say that I enjoyed basketball very much, I was contributing to my team, and I made a basket (for my team)! This is sounding more and more pathetic as I write it. However, it is the small and simple things that really make the mission field so wonderful.
On Tuesday, we got to meet with a great couple. The wife is a member, but the husband is not. He has been talking to the missionaries and reading the Book of Mormon because he wants to better understand what his wife believes and to make their relationship stronger. When we got there, we discussed what he had been reading in the Book of Mormon. It was so great to be able to talk about and bear testimony of this special book. There is such power in the Book of Mormon. There is such strength that can be obtained from reading its pages. However, when we asked Beth (the wife) to share testimony about the Book of Mormon, she didn't really say much. She said that she has grown up with it and that she likes it. It was a little frustrating because she didn't really bear testimony about it. I don't know if she doesn't really have a testimony, or she is just worried about saying her true feelings to her husband. In any case, liking the Book of Mormon is not good enough. After all, I really like the Harry Potter series. Does that mean that I'm going to go out looking for Hogwarts and basilisks to slay? No. The Book of Mormon will not become a catalyst for change until we understand and know that it is true. It is a sacred record that speaks of prophetic warnings and divine visitations. Either it is what it claims to be, the very word of God, or it is the work of the devil. I know for certain that it is the word of God. It has been prepared since the beginning of time to come forth and save the people of our time. The people in the Book of Mormon were visited by the Savior. They were privileged to feel the engraven prints of the nails in the Savior's hands and feet. We have the privilege today to read the testimony of the Savior, translated from words engraven on plates of metal. We will come to know Him, and we will have a mighty change of heart as we read the Book of Mormon and gain a divine witness of it. We must study it every day. Later Tuesday night, we taught Tina Palmer. I don't remember whether I mentioned this, but we taught her about the Word of Wisdom last weekend. On Tuesday, we went to see her, and the first thing she said was, "I drank tea. I drank tea all day." It was so funny. I couldn't help but laugh a little bit. You're probably wondering why it was so funny, but that's because you don't know Tina. She is very simple. When she told us, it was almost like she was giddily nervous to tell us that she had had tea. She is so sweet. After discussing why she drank tea, she recommitted not to drink tea. Since then, she has been doing great, and she will be baptized this Saturday.
On Wednesday, I prayed that our companionship could be more unified. It has been a little hard to come into a companionship to become a tri-panionship. Elder Colligan and Elder Stechnij are great, but they spent the last transfer together and had already become best friends. I'm just trying to find where I can be of the best service. In Preach My Gospel, it says that missionaries should always ask themselves if they are being a blessing or a burden to their bishop. I've been applying this same principle to our companionship. I feel like I've really been strengthening and blessing the other elders, but I really just wanted to strengthen our friendship more. My prayer is definitely being answered. In so many ways, I can see us coming closer together in how we work and interact with each other. For example, Wednesday morning we had a somewhat silly but fun activity together where we discussed who our apostles would be if we were called as president of the Church. It was totally meaningless, but it did bring us closer together. Later, that day, we had a great experience teaching a woman who requested to see us on mormon.org. She had a rough childhood and never believed in God, but after a year of trials, she was searching out a church because she thinks that God will bring peace into her life. I was so amazed by her faith. Here is a woman who does not know that God exists, knows her, or loves her, but she is seeking Him out. During the lesson, she told us that she was feeling more peace than she has in a long time. It was such a great experience.
Thursday was awesome, marking one week in the mission field. An entire week! I have loved being here so much. Also, I got to go over to Brother Cordell's house for dinner. If you remember from last week, Brother Cordell is the man who approached me after sacrament meeting to tell me that he knew Grandma Ayer. Well, we got to go over to his house, and I was able to ask him some more questions. He was apparently going to school at UNH from '72 to '74 on army assignment. He described Grandma Ayer as being one of the happiest people that he knew. He didn't pay much attention to the two children that she brought to church with her, but he did say that the boy (that's you, Daddy John Bob) was very quiet. That made me laugh. One of the things that I think is interesting is that Brother Cordell mostly remembers Grandma 40 years later because of one act of kindness that she did. He called the house to ask if Grandma could pick up his wife and children and bring them to church. Grandma did it without complaining. Only later did Brother Cordell find out that she was already planning on picking up someone else very far away and that this act of kindness had been at great expense to Grandma. Grandma was so willing to serve and to love. I have been amazed as I have continued to think about this experience. Did Grandma know 40 years ago that this one act of service would become a tender mercy for her grandson in the mission field? Was it accident that Brother Cordell went to UNH, moved to West Virginia, and I was then temporarily reassigned to his exact ward in West Virginia? Do you think that it is coincidence that Brother Cordell had been less active for several years and only started coming back to church in May? Do you think it coincidence that we lived in NH, and Brother Cordell was thus able to make the connection between me and Grandma Ayer? I do not think so. There are so many factors and so many variables. I have been amazed on my mission to see how much the Lord has blessed me. He has prepared a way for us to feel His love. He has provided means whereby we realize his reality and bless others in the process. Of this I am certain. Of this I can powerfully testify. God is working a marvelous work and a wonder.
Friday was another great day.
Saturday there was a baptism for a girl named Kristen. The other elders had been teaching her for a while. I will try to include pictures.
Sunday was another wonderful day.
Know that I love you. Know that God loves you. I feel like I include this same simple testimony each time, but I have felt this more now than at any other time in my life. He lives. He loves. He guides. Let Him be your guide. Let Him be your Father. Accept the love offered to you through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Love, Elder Parker Ayer
GOD LOVES ME!!!!!! He gave me this tender mercy today, so I thought I´d pass it on. I love you, Parker! You inspire me to be a better missionary! Can you believe we´re missionaries??? The two of us!!! At the same time! We always talked about it when we were younger, and now it´s real!!!!!!!
TE AMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :]
Hermana Ayer
I love you all so much! Lots of events that I missed. Happy Columbus Day and 25 October Lane Day! There are so many wonderful things that come from being in the mission field. There are so many wonderful reminders of what is most important in life. I think about you all often, and I pray for you. I will also join with Sarah in saying that all I want are some handwritten messages. Right now, it is starting to get really cold. I wear my long sleeve shirts and sweater almost every day. We've had to scrape ice off of our windshields the past couple mornings. Still, I think that I would rather get a note before you send me a coat. :D Thank you so much for your encouraging emails and for all of the love and concern that I can feel from your prayers. I feel so much strength every day, and I'm sure it comes mostly from the prayers of those who love me. I have had lots of other reminders throughout the week that have helped me be strengthened. Heavenly Father has been so kind to me to bless me with tender mercies that comfort me and lift me up.
Sorry about last Monday. I really meant to say more, but I had to finish up and send my email before the computer booted me off. After emailing last week, we played some basketball with other elders in our zone. Now, I usually don't look forward to playing basketball that much. I'm really not that good. Also, the only time that I ever played basketball was in 6th grade and the only basket I ever made was for the other team. I would like to report, however, that I have redeemed my reputation. i am proud to say that I enjoyed basketball very much, I was contributing to my team, and I made a basket (for my team)! This is sounding more and more pathetic as I write it. However, it is the small and simple things that really make the mission field so wonderful.
On Tuesday, we got to meet with a great couple. The wife is a member, but the husband is not. He has been talking to the missionaries and reading the Book of Mormon because he wants to better understand what his wife believes and to make their relationship stronger. When we got there, we discussed what he had been reading in the Book of Mormon. It was so great to be able to talk about and bear testimony of this special book. There is such power in the Book of Mormon. There is such strength that can be obtained from reading its pages. However, when we asked Beth (the wife) to share testimony about the Book of Mormon, she didn't really say much. She said that she has grown up with it and that she likes it. It was a little frustrating because she didn't really bear testimony about it. I don't know if she doesn't really have a testimony, or she is just worried about saying her true feelings to her husband. In any case, liking the Book of Mormon is not good enough. After all, I really like the Harry Potter series. Does that mean that I'm going to go out looking for Hogwarts and basilisks to slay? No. The Book of Mormon will not become a catalyst for change until we understand and know that it is true. It is a sacred record that speaks of prophetic warnings and divine visitations. Either it is what it claims to be, the very word of God, or it is the work of the devil. I know for certain that it is the word of God. It has been prepared since the beginning of time to come forth and save the people of our time. The people in the Book of Mormon were visited by the Savior. They were privileged to feel the engraven prints of the nails in the Savior's hands and feet. We have the privilege today to read the testimony of the Savior, translated from words engraven on plates of metal. We will come to know Him, and we will have a mighty change of heart as we read the Book of Mormon and gain a divine witness of it. We must study it every day. Later Tuesday night, we taught Tina Palmer. I don't remember whether I mentioned this, but we taught her about the Word of Wisdom last weekend. On Tuesday, we went to see her, and the first thing she said was, "I drank tea. I drank tea all day." It was so funny. I couldn't help but laugh a little bit. You're probably wondering why it was so funny, but that's because you don't know Tina. She is very simple. When she told us, it was almost like she was giddily nervous to tell us that she had had tea. She is so sweet. After discussing why she drank tea, she recommitted not to drink tea. Since then, she has been doing great, and she will be baptized this Saturday.
On Wednesday, I prayed that our companionship could be more unified. It has been a little hard to come into a companionship to become a tri-panionship. Elder Colligan and Elder Stechnij are great, but they spent the last transfer together and had already become best friends. I'm just trying to find where I can be of the best service. In Preach My Gospel, it says that missionaries should always ask themselves if they are being a blessing or a burden to their bishop. I've been applying this same principle to our companionship. I feel like I've really been strengthening and blessing the other elders, but I really just wanted to strengthen our friendship more. My prayer is definitely being answered. In so many ways, I can see us coming closer together in how we work and interact with each other. For example, Wednesday morning we had a somewhat silly but fun activity together where we discussed who our apostles would be if we were called as president of the Church. It was totally meaningless, but it did bring us closer together. Later, that day, we had a great experience teaching a woman who requested to see us on mormon.org. She had a rough childhood and never believed in God, but after a year of trials, she was searching out a church because she thinks that God will bring peace into her life. I was so amazed by her faith. Here is a woman who does not know that God exists, knows her, or loves her, but she is seeking Him out. During the lesson, she told us that she was feeling more peace than she has in a long time. It was such a great experience.
Thursday was awesome, marking one week in the mission field. An entire week! I have loved being here so much. Also, I got to go over to Brother Cordell's house for dinner. If you remember from last week, Brother Cordell is the man who approached me after sacrament meeting to tell me that he knew Grandma Ayer. Well, we got to go over to his house, and I was able to ask him some more questions. He was apparently going to school at UNH from '72 to '74 on army assignment. He described Grandma Ayer as being one of the happiest people that he knew. He didn't pay much attention to the two children that she brought to church with her, but he did say that the boy (that's you, Daddy John Bob) was very quiet. That made me laugh. One of the things that I think is interesting is that Brother Cordell mostly remembers Grandma 40 years later because of one act of kindness that she did. He called the house to ask if Grandma could pick up his wife and children and bring them to church. Grandma did it without complaining. Only later did Brother Cordell find out that she was already planning on picking up someone else very far away and that this act of kindness had been at great expense to Grandma. Grandma was so willing to serve and to love. I have been amazed as I have continued to think about this experience. Did Grandma know 40 years ago that this one act of service would become a tender mercy for her grandson in the mission field? Was it accident that Brother Cordell went to UNH, moved to West Virginia, and I was then temporarily reassigned to his exact ward in West Virginia? Do you think that it is coincidence that Brother Cordell had been less active for several years and only started coming back to church in May? Do you think it coincidence that we lived in NH, and Brother Cordell was thus able to make the connection between me and Grandma Ayer? I do not think so. There are so many factors and so many variables. I have been amazed on my mission to see how much the Lord has blessed me. He has prepared a way for us to feel His love. He has provided means whereby we realize his reality and bless others in the process. Of this I am certain. Of this I can powerfully testify. God is working a marvelous work and a wonder.
Friday was another great day.
Saturday there was a baptism for a girl named Kristen. The other elders had been teaching her for a while. I will try to include pictures.
Sunday was another wonderful day.
Know that I love you. Know that God loves you. I feel like I include this same simple testimony each time, but I have felt this more now than at any other time in my life. He lives. He loves. He guides. Let Him be your guide. Let Him be your Father. Accept the love offered to you through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Love, Elder Parker Ayer
Here is a message that Sarah sent to Parker after she received his letter.
TE AMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :]
Hermana Ayer
Monday, October 14, 2013
A week of blessings: receiving and giving
Hey ya'll!
I have been loving my time here in West Virginia. I hope that I can quickly bundle up all of the awesome experiences that I have been having here as a missionary!
Tuesday: I know I got to call you from the airport, which was great! Unfortunately, half of my talk time was apparently taken off when I called you that first time, so there was no time left for me to call you when I got to the Dallas airport. However, know that I love you!!! Flying into West Virginia was such a great feeling. The airport is on top of a hill, and it was such a weird sensation having the ground come up to meet us as we descended to it. Anyway, the leaves haven't turned color here yet, so I am so excited to get to see them change. There are so many things here that remind me about New Hampshire. I love it so much! The things that are different are very apparent. I'm loving the accent they have down here. Tuesday night we went to the mission home and had a devotional with President and Sister Pitt. We were the largest group that they've received so far: 19 elders and 11 sisters. The elders stayed the night at their home, and the sisters stayed at a hotel.
Wednesday: All of Wednesday was spent in training at the stake center nearest us. It was somewhat of a long day, especially because I feel like I just done with 6 weeks of 24/7 training and I was ready to get to the field. One of the really great things that we talked about is our "White Christmas". It goes right along with Elder Ballard's talk from conference. Elder Ballard asked that each and every member (not family, member) of the Church work on helping one person come closer to Christ by talking to the missionaries before Christmas. I would ask that each one of you do that. Missionary work is so vital. How can the people of the earth be blessed by the gospel of Jesus Christ if they aren't introduced to it? Our responsibility is to help others come unto the throne of grace so that they can decide for themselves whether or not they will work to qualify for that grace. Please follow the direction of an apostle of the Lord and focus on one person that you can help during the next few months come closer to Christ. There are great blessings in store. After training, we spent the night at the Pitt's home again.
Thursday: Blessed transfer day! We went to the stake center again to finally find out where and with whom we would be serving. Before this, I had been trying to guess where I would be serving. In the MTC, I had been able to look at a map of the mission. I was immediately drawn to the city of Parkersburg (for obvious reasons). I kind of gave up on the chance that I would be sent there. However, when trainers and areas were announced, I found out that I was going to the Parkersburg South area!!! I couldn't believe it. It is so awesome. I am being trained by the two zone leaders for the Parkersburg Zone. That's right, we're in a tri-panionship, but it's been great. My companions' names are Elder Colligan (from Sandy, UT) and Elder Stechnij (from Gilbert, AZ). They are awesome! Both of them having been serving for less than a year, making them some of the youngest Zone Leaders in the mission. I have been so blessed to be with such great leaders and good examples. It does get difficult once in a while because they have a lot of things that they have to do as zone leaders that makes me feel like we're not doing anything. Also, we don't actually start doing missionary work until noon because I have language study and new missionary training as well as all the other study that we do in the morning. Anyway, Parkersburg is a great place. It's probably one of the wealthiest parts of West Virginia. There are three sets of missionaries in our ward boundaries. There are some other really cool things about this area. Before coming here, I had only ever met one person that was from West Virginia. Her name is Rachel Newell, and I was her home teacher at BYU. Well, Thrusday night we went over to a family's house in the ward, the Walkers. At the dinner table, they were talking about the ward, and I heard them mention the name Newell. It's the same Newell family! They moved to Texas a couple months ago, but everyone in the ward (and stake) knows the family. Brother Newell was the stake president here before they moved. Well, it felt great to be in a family's home again. After that, we were called by the sister missionaries in the ward and asked to give a priesthood blessing to one of the ward members from their area. When we got there, I was asked to give that blessing. I felt so blessed to be the means whereby God could bless his children. As I spoke, I could tell that the Spirit was guiding me in what I was saying. At the end of the blessing, Sister Fletcher (who was receiving the blessing) thanked me and said that she could feel the Spirit very strongly at the end of the blessing give her the comfort and peace that she needed. It felt so wonderful to serve in that way.
Friday: The beginning of Friday was somewhat slow. We had studying all morning and the Elders Colligan and Stechnij had to call all of the districts in the zone and discuss what each districts goals are for this week. I was a little disheartened just because I was ready to go out and start knocking on doors. Eventually, we went out for lunch at 2 o'clock to Bob Evans where we got biscuits and gravy and all-you-can-eat hotcakes. Wow, that was a lot of food. I was stuffed. After that, I was so relieved when we finally got to go out doing some tracting. It felt good to knock on doors and walk around. We didn't see any results from our labors, but I do want to be able to show Heavenly Father that I am trying and working and am anxiously engaged in doing his marvelous work. On Friday, we also got to teach Tina, an investigator who has a baptismal date set for the 26th. She lives in an apartment right next to the church building. She is hard to describe. She is somewhat of a slow learner, but she is so sweet and sincere in her desires to understand the gospel and everything that we have to teach. She also says some of the funniest things. That night, we had a miraculous experience. Without planning to, we decided to go visit a sister from the ward, Sister Allen, to see how she was doing. She met us on her front porch and I think she only wanted to talk to us outside, but then I saw a family history fan chart hanging up in her house. When I asked her about it, she answered me and then decided to let us in to talk. Once we were inside, Elder Colligan went immediately to play the piano. After sitting and talking for a little bit, Elder Colligan volunteered me to play something on the piano for them. I went to the piano, assuring them that I really couldn't play that well, and decided to play one of the only things that I know how to play, "Be Still My Soul" from the hymnbook. After playing this powerful and poignant hymn, Sister Allen opened up to us. She said that that was exactly what she needed to hear. She told us about how she had been having some very confusing thoughts recently, and she couldn't tell if they were from God as a warning or from some other source. I then told her about a similar experience that I had had in which I asked Dad to give me a blessing to help me feel better. I then asked her if she would like us to give her a blessing. After thinking it over, she accepted the offer and asked if I would give her that blessing. I did, and I could feel that similar and wonderful power again as the Spirit directed my words according to our faith. After the blessing, she told me that she had received some understanding from the Spirit during that time. As I thought about the experience more, I was amazed. A seemingly simple chain of events unfolded that evening that led us in the right to direction to allow God to be able to comfort His child. As I have been here, I keep looking for those ways that God has prepared me to serve here. It has been wonderful.
Saturday: This day was a lot more eventful than the past days. We got to go teach several lessons. At the end of the day, I was once again asked to give a priesthood blessing to one or the sister missionaries. This whole series of experiences has baffled me. There are things that Heavenly Father is trying to show us if we will but look.
Sunday: Sunday was so great. In our ward here, this Sunday was fast Sunday. I bore my testimony and told everyone in the congregation that I was from New Hampshire. Afterwards, a brother Bob Codrell came up to me and asked if I was related to Alice Ayer from Durham. I couldn't have been more surprised. Apparently, Brother Codrell worked at UNH in the 70's and went to the Portsmouth Ward. At first I wondered why he didn't ask about Grandpa. That's when I realized that he probably never knew Grandpa because Grandpa wasn't baptized yet. I don't think you were baptized yet either, Dad. Could you please send me a full account of that whole experience with dates and such? That would be great to know. Well, there's a lot to say, but the computer's counting down the second now. I love you!!!
Love, Elder Parker Ayer
p.s. we have a ping pong table
I have been loving my time here in West Virginia. I hope that I can quickly bundle up all of the awesome experiences that I have been having here as a missionary!
Tuesday: I know I got to call you from the airport, which was great! Unfortunately, half of my talk time was apparently taken off when I called you that first time, so there was no time left for me to call you when I got to the Dallas airport. However, know that I love you!!! Flying into West Virginia was such a great feeling. The airport is on top of a hill, and it was such a weird sensation having the ground come up to meet us as we descended to it. Anyway, the leaves haven't turned color here yet, so I am so excited to get to see them change. There are so many things here that remind me about New Hampshire. I love it so much! The things that are different are very apparent. I'm loving the accent they have down here. Tuesday night we went to the mission home and had a devotional with President and Sister Pitt. We were the largest group that they've received so far: 19 elders and 11 sisters. The elders stayed the night at their home, and the sisters stayed at a hotel.
Wednesday: All of Wednesday was spent in training at the stake center nearest us. It was somewhat of a long day, especially because I feel like I just done with 6 weeks of 24/7 training and I was ready to get to the field. One of the really great things that we talked about is our "White Christmas". It goes right along with Elder Ballard's talk from conference. Elder Ballard asked that each and every member (not family, member) of the Church work on helping one person come closer to Christ by talking to the missionaries before Christmas. I would ask that each one of you do that. Missionary work is so vital. How can the people of the earth be blessed by the gospel of Jesus Christ if they aren't introduced to it? Our responsibility is to help others come unto the throne of grace so that they can decide for themselves whether or not they will work to qualify for that grace. Please follow the direction of an apostle of the Lord and focus on one person that you can help during the next few months come closer to Christ. There are great blessings in store. After training, we spent the night at the Pitt's home again.
Thursday: Blessed transfer day! We went to the stake center again to finally find out where and with whom we would be serving. Before this, I had been trying to guess where I would be serving. In the MTC, I had been able to look at a map of the mission. I was immediately drawn to the city of Parkersburg (for obvious reasons). I kind of gave up on the chance that I would be sent there. However, when trainers and areas were announced, I found out that I was going to the Parkersburg South area!!! I couldn't believe it. It is so awesome. I am being trained by the two zone leaders for the Parkersburg Zone. That's right, we're in a tri-panionship, but it's been great. My companions' names are Elder Colligan (from Sandy, UT) and Elder Stechnij (from Gilbert, AZ). They are awesome! Both of them having been serving for less than a year, making them some of the youngest Zone Leaders in the mission. I have been so blessed to be with such great leaders and good examples. It does get difficult once in a while because they have a lot of things that they have to do as zone leaders that makes me feel like we're not doing anything. Also, we don't actually start doing missionary work until noon because I have language study and new missionary training as well as all the other study that we do in the morning. Anyway, Parkersburg is a great place. It's probably one of the wealthiest parts of West Virginia. There are three sets of missionaries in our ward boundaries. There are some other really cool things about this area. Before coming here, I had only ever met one person that was from West Virginia. Her name is Rachel Newell, and I was her home teacher at BYU. Well, Thrusday night we went over to a family's house in the ward, the Walkers. At the dinner table, they were talking about the ward, and I heard them mention the name Newell. It's the same Newell family! They moved to Texas a couple months ago, but everyone in the ward (and stake) knows the family. Brother Newell was the stake president here before they moved. Well, it felt great to be in a family's home again. After that, we were called by the sister missionaries in the ward and asked to give a priesthood blessing to one of the ward members from their area. When we got there, I was asked to give that blessing. I felt so blessed to be the means whereby God could bless his children. As I spoke, I could tell that the Spirit was guiding me in what I was saying. At the end of the blessing, Sister Fletcher (who was receiving the blessing) thanked me and said that she could feel the Spirit very strongly at the end of the blessing give her the comfort and peace that she needed. It felt so wonderful to serve in that way.
Friday: The beginning of Friday was somewhat slow. We had studying all morning and the Elders Colligan and Stechnij had to call all of the districts in the zone and discuss what each districts goals are for this week. I was a little disheartened just because I was ready to go out and start knocking on doors. Eventually, we went out for lunch at 2 o'clock to Bob Evans where we got biscuits and gravy and all-you-can-eat hotcakes. Wow, that was a lot of food. I was stuffed. After that, I was so relieved when we finally got to go out doing some tracting. It felt good to knock on doors and walk around. We didn't see any results from our labors, but I do want to be able to show Heavenly Father that I am trying and working and am anxiously engaged in doing his marvelous work. On Friday, we also got to teach Tina, an investigator who has a baptismal date set for the 26th. She lives in an apartment right next to the church building. She is hard to describe. She is somewhat of a slow learner, but she is so sweet and sincere in her desires to understand the gospel and everything that we have to teach. She also says some of the funniest things. That night, we had a miraculous experience. Without planning to, we decided to go visit a sister from the ward, Sister Allen, to see how she was doing. She met us on her front porch and I think she only wanted to talk to us outside, but then I saw a family history fan chart hanging up in her house. When I asked her about it, she answered me and then decided to let us in to talk. Once we were inside, Elder Colligan went immediately to play the piano. After sitting and talking for a little bit, Elder Colligan volunteered me to play something on the piano for them. I went to the piano, assuring them that I really couldn't play that well, and decided to play one of the only things that I know how to play, "Be Still My Soul" from the hymnbook. After playing this powerful and poignant hymn, Sister Allen opened up to us. She said that that was exactly what she needed to hear. She told us about how she had been having some very confusing thoughts recently, and she couldn't tell if they were from God as a warning or from some other source. I then told her about a similar experience that I had had in which I asked Dad to give me a blessing to help me feel better. I then asked her if she would like us to give her a blessing. After thinking it over, she accepted the offer and asked if I would give her that blessing. I did, and I could feel that similar and wonderful power again as the Spirit directed my words according to our faith. After the blessing, she told me that she had received some understanding from the Spirit during that time. As I thought about the experience more, I was amazed. A seemingly simple chain of events unfolded that evening that led us in the right to direction to allow God to be able to comfort His child. As I have been here, I keep looking for those ways that God has prepared me to serve here. It has been wonderful.
Saturday: This day was a lot more eventful than the past days. We got to go teach several lessons. At the end of the day, I was once again asked to give a priesthood blessing to one or the sister missionaries. This whole series of experiences has baffled me. There are things that Heavenly Father is trying to show us if we will but look.
Sunday: Sunday was so great. In our ward here, this Sunday was fast Sunday. I bore my testimony and told everyone in the congregation that I was from New Hampshire. Afterwards, a brother Bob Codrell came up to me and asked if I was related to Alice Ayer from Durham. I couldn't have been more surprised. Apparently, Brother Codrell worked at UNH in the 70's and went to the Portsmouth Ward. At first I wondered why he didn't ask about Grandpa. That's when I realized that he probably never knew Grandpa because Grandpa wasn't baptized yet. I don't think you were baptized yet either, Dad. Could you please send me a full account of that whole experience with dates and such? That would be great to know. Well, there's a lot to say, but the computer's counting down the second now. I love you!!!
Love, Elder Parker Ayer
p.s. we have a ping pong table
Monday, October 7, 2013
Hut one, Hut two, I've got a Charleston Chew (just in case you didn't understand my subject reference last time)
Howdy family!
There have been a lot of crazy things going on in the last few days. I'm allowed to email you today because today is kind of like a P-day for me for packing reasons. I want to tell you all that has happened in the last few days because I know that I'll forget about it by the time I get to the field.
First, I would like to talk about General Conference. Wasn't it great? One of my favorite talks was by Elder Bednar. I know he was really focusing on tithing, but I got so much else out of it! The biggest thing is that God does not always bless us by handing over solutions to our problems. When we are faithful and diligent, Heavenly Father blesses us with increased ability to do His will. He blesses us with more determination to read the scriptures, serve others, and seek for the things that he commanded us to do. This helps us to grow. God provides a way for us to become agents unto ourselves by empowering us. He directs us, sustains us, and rewards us. If we are faithful and diligent, we can accomplish those things that he has commanded.
One thing that I have been thinking a lot from the past week is that Lehi was commanded to depart into the wilderness. That must have been just as scary as the other option, staying in Jerusalem and being taken captive into Babylon. Lehi chose to obey either way. He and his son Nephi knew that God had inspired and commanded them to depart Jerusalem. For them, there wasn't any question about what they were supposed to do. They left all comfort and safety to follow the directions of their God. They were rewarded for their faith. They were led to a land of promise. They saw the mighty hand of God in their deliverance. They were also all made strong so that they could bear the challenges put on them in the wilderness. In the end, though, they had to work. They had to exercise their faith with toil. The Lord would bless them, but they had to trust in Him through action.
There is a lot else that I would love to say to you all. I will try to tell you everything else when I talk to you on the phone tomorrow. :D I love you all so so so so much! I've got to go.
Love, Elder Parker Ayer
There have been a lot of crazy things going on in the last few days. I'm allowed to email you today because today is kind of like a P-day for me for packing reasons. I want to tell you all that has happened in the last few days because I know that I'll forget about it by the time I get to the field.
First, I would like to talk about General Conference. Wasn't it great? One of my favorite talks was by Elder Bednar. I know he was really focusing on tithing, but I got so much else out of it! The biggest thing is that God does not always bless us by handing over solutions to our problems. When we are faithful and diligent, Heavenly Father blesses us with increased ability to do His will. He blesses us with more determination to read the scriptures, serve others, and seek for the things that he commanded us to do. This helps us to grow. God provides a way for us to become agents unto ourselves by empowering us. He directs us, sustains us, and rewards us. If we are faithful and diligent, we can accomplish those things that he has commanded.
One thing that I have been thinking a lot from the past week is that Lehi was commanded to depart into the wilderness. That must have been just as scary as the other option, staying in Jerusalem and being taken captive into Babylon. Lehi chose to obey either way. He and his son Nephi knew that God had inspired and commanded them to depart Jerusalem. For them, there wasn't any question about what they were supposed to do. They left all comfort and safety to follow the directions of their God. They were rewarded for their faith. They were led to a land of promise. They saw the mighty hand of God in their deliverance. They were also all made strong so that they could bear the challenges put on them in the wilderness. In the end, though, they had to work. They had to exercise their faith with toil. The Lord would bless them, but they had to trust in Him through action.
There is a lot else that I would love to say to you all. I will try to tell you everything else when I talk to you on the phone tomorrow. :D I love you all so so so so much! I've got to go.
Love, Elder Parker Ayer
Friday, October 4, 2013
Hut one, Hut two...
Querido, amado, bondado, maldade ótimo família,
I love you, I love you, I love you!!! In the scriptures, the Lord says "wo, wo, wo" to the wicked people so that they really listen to Him. I'm using the same pattern to tell you that I really, really, really love you!!!
So, I'm going to try to make my summary of this week quick because there is a lot I want to say.
Friday was a great day as usual: laundry, temple, seeing Uncle Scott.
Saturday was very awesome. In the morning, Elder Findley and I got to have a skype session with a Brazilian girl, Stefany, from Sao Paulo. It was really cool because I was able to understand a lot of what she said, and I was able to communicate everything that I wanted to. However, the thing that I did misunderstand her on was kind of critical. She had a little girl with her during the skype session. I was pretty sure that she said the little girl, Susan, was her daughter. Then she proceeded to tell us that she was 17 years old and in high school. Well, I tried to ignore for the most part that she had a child in high school. Instead I asked her how she can be a influence for good on her friends at school. She said that she invites her friends to Church, which I thought was great. At the end of a our meeting together, I finished by saying that reading the Book of Mormon will herlp her be a good support to ther friends and to her daughter. As soon as I said it, everything was a little awkward and quiet. We finished up the meeting quickly with an strained "tchau" and then hung up. As soon as I finished, Elder Findley told me that the little girl wasn't her daughter, but her sister. I felt so embarrassed, but I just laughed it off. It was pretty funny. I also finished reading through the Book of Mormon again on Saturday. This book is such a blessed and wonderful book. It is not just literature; it is not just history. It is a sacred record of a people who looked forward to the coming of Christ, came to know Him, and saw Him in the flesh. Everything in it testifies of the glory and divinity of Jesus Christ. I know that it is true. I invite all people everywhere to set apart time in their lives. The people in this record gave their lives for the cause of Christ and the preservation of this record. Give half an hour every day to studying its pages, and you will be blessed with spiritual stamina and strength. The Holy Ghost will testify in your heart of the truth of the record.
Sunday was the best day by far of this whole week. Better than any other Sunday, which means that it was better than any other day in my mission so far. After Sunday, I can testify with even greater clarity and confidence that Heavenly Father knows us perfectly. He is preparing us to receive his tender mercies. His guiding and directing hand will lead us through the wilderness of life so that we can be brought triumphantly to stand on mountains of strength. Sunday was fast Sunday, and I was fasting to receive strength in my life. I never knew that Heavenly Father would answer my fast so privately, powerfully, and distinctly. Many of these witnesses are too personal and sublime to describe, but I will say that Heavenly Father gives us tender mercies so that we have strength to overcome our struggles. 1 Nephi 1:20 says that "the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." I know that this is true. Another thing that I have realized is why heavenly Father gives us weaknesses. In the Book of Mormon, the people that follow Alma are taken captive and made into slaves. Their backs are laden with heavy loads that they cannot bear. They sincerely pray daily to Heavenly Father in their hearts. They learn to rely upon God. Eventually, Heavenly Father creates a miracle to allow them to escape. In Mosiah 24:21 it says that they knew that it was only the Lord that could have delivered them. When we have trials, we come to know God if we will turn to Him. He hopes that we will humble ourselves so that we will come closer to Him in prayer, and so that He may demonstrate the glorifying and wondrous power of His grace in our lives. Later, when the people have settled in liberty, Alma Jr. asks the people if they have properly remembered the deliverance of their fathers (Alma 5:6). This is what we must always do. Once we have received grace, we must not forget it. God will test us to see if we can remember Him after He has so kindly remembered to deliver us. The maintaining and sustaining of this memory will help us live from day to day and endure to the end. One of the greatest tender mercies from Sunday was being able to see President's mission president. At Mission Conference on Sunday, President Lindahl was sustained as a counselor in one of the district presidencies. After the meeting, I went and gave him a hug. It made him so happy, and it made me so happy. Will, President Lindahl sends his love! Sunday night I also was asked to sing "My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee" for the departure devotional. It went great, and Sister Nally (wife of the MTC President) cried. I was just glad that I could sing after having a sore throat and fasting all day.
The next really cool day was Wednesday. Elder Findley went into Provo (o mundo real!) to get his knee checked out by a specialist. It's been hurting him, and hasn't been getting better. While we were there, we got to talk to a Catholic woman. She was married to an LDS man, but he died recently. I shared with her the scripture Mosiah 16:7-9 about the sting of death being swallowed up in Jesus Christ. It felt so great to be able to help someone with a problem in their life. She seemed really appreciative of the message and the kindness. It felt so good!!! The other really great part about Wednesday is that Elder Findley and I got to teach Patricia (our teacher Sister Connell acting in place of a pesquisador). Last time, we invited her to read portions from the Restoration pamphlet, including the First Vision. This time we reviewed with her what she learned from the reading. The Spirit was so strong in the room as I recited the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith about his experience. I could tell that the Spirit was testifying to her. She said that she knew the Prophet Joseph was an important man. It was amazing to see how the Spirit guided me as I responded to her. At the end of the lesson, we invited her to be baptized and she accepted. Even though I know that she is just our teacher, it felt so good. We have prayed and thought about Patricia and her needs. We have desired to help her come unto Christ. The thing is that it isn't our success. In fact, I think that success as a missionary doesn't even exist. Nothing is OUR success. Nothing we do comes about because we are good teachers or because we are good persuaders. This is His, Jesus Christ's, work. He guides and directs it. Heavenly Father gives man his will to choose, Christ saves man from death and hell, and the Spirit testifies in the hearts of the people. This work is divine. It is ennobling. It is peaceful. Baptism is not a means to rope people into our Church, but the means by which Christ gathers His children. Jesus knows that by baptizing people into His Church, he can administer grace unto them. He can strengthen them and administer the fullness of his gospel. He is the way, the truth, the light.
So, Thursday was really long and somewhat grueling. It was In-field Orientation. Basically, a 9 hour training session about how to be a better missionary. A lot of it was very instructive and helpful. I think what might have been distracting me is that I thought I was going to get my reassignment on Thursday. It was driving me crazy! The one bright spot about Saturday was having Derek (Asay, my cousin) teach one of the classes. Other than that, I was enduring to the end with a smile on my face.
Okay, so this is the paragraph that I have been building up to. Actually, the paragraph about Sunday was the most important one, but this is the one that has been on my mind for the past hour. I have received my reassignment!!! That's right, I do not have my Brazilian visa yet, so I have been reassigned to serve in a mission in the US. Drum roll, please... I have been assigned to temporarily labor in the CHARLESTON WEST VIRGINIA MISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Craziness!!! I am so excited and I am looking forward to serving there. Here are my travel plans. I leave on this Tuesday. I fly from Salt Lake Airport at 6:25 AM and arrive in the Dallas Fort Worth Airport at10:05 AM. I then fly from Texas at 12:45 and arrive in Charleston at 3:55 PM. I will be able to call you from the airport. I am thinking that I will call during my layover in Dallas. I am going to call the home first. I will then call Mom's cellphone, then Dad's if I do not receive an answer. I love you all so much and I know that Heavenly Father has plans for me that I cannot understand.
I love you all so much. Be strong. AKA Be humble and rely on God so that you can be made strong. God lives. God loves. God knows. Turn to Him in prayer. Turn to Him in study. Turn to Him with full purpose of heart.
Love, Elder Parker Ayer
P.S. I am so excited for you to be able to see the Holmes(es) in Boston!
P.P.S. I am so excited for General Conference this weekend! I am so excited that you get to watch it on the lake. Have fun!
P.P.P.S. I am so excited to possibly see some real Fall colors in WV! YAYAYAYAY!
P.P.P.P.S. I will probably need a jacket sent to me in WV.
P.P.P.P.P.S. I know that I'm not answering all of your questions, but I can't remember them all and my time is up. Tell Brother Varney that I love him and tell Bishop Payne that I love him. I love you all!!!
I love you, I love you, I love you!!! In the scriptures, the Lord says "wo, wo, wo" to the wicked people so that they really listen to Him. I'm using the same pattern to tell you that I really, really, really love you!!!
So, I'm going to try to make my summary of this week quick because there is a lot I want to say.
Friday was a great day as usual: laundry, temple, seeing Uncle Scott.
Saturday was very awesome. In the morning, Elder Findley and I got to have a skype session with a Brazilian girl, Stefany, from Sao Paulo. It was really cool because I was able to understand a lot of what she said, and I was able to communicate everything that I wanted to. However, the thing that I did misunderstand her on was kind of critical. She had a little girl with her during the skype session. I was pretty sure that she said the little girl, Susan, was her daughter. Then she proceeded to tell us that she was 17 years old and in high school. Well, I tried to ignore for the most part that she had a child in high school. Instead I asked her how she can be a influence for good on her friends at school. She said that she invites her friends to Church, which I thought was great. At the end of a our meeting together, I finished by saying that reading the Book of Mormon will herlp her be a good support to ther friends and to her daughter. As soon as I said it, everything was a little awkward and quiet. We finished up the meeting quickly with an strained "tchau" and then hung up. As soon as I finished, Elder Findley told me that the little girl wasn't her daughter, but her sister. I felt so embarrassed, but I just laughed it off. It was pretty funny. I also finished reading through the Book of Mormon again on Saturday. This book is such a blessed and wonderful book. It is not just literature; it is not just history. It is a sacred record of a people who looked forward to the coming of Christ, came to know Him, and saw Him in the flesh. Everything in it testifies of the glory and divinity of Jesus Christ. I know that it is true. I invite all people everywhere to set apart time in their lives. The people in this record gave their lives for the cause of Christ and the preservation of this record. Give half an hour every day to studying its pages, and you will be blessed with spiritual stamina and strength. The Holy Ghost will testify in your heart of the truth of the record.
Sunday was the best day by far of this whole week. Better than any other Sunday, which means that it was better than any other day in my mission so far. After Sunday, I can testify with even greater clarity and confidence that Heavenly Father knows us perfectly. He is preparing us to receive his tender mercies. His guiding and directing hand will lead us through the wilderness of life so that we can be brought triumphantly to stand on mountains of strength. Sunday was fast Sunday, and I was fasting to receive strength in my life. I never knew that Heavenly Father would answer my fast so privately, powerfully, and distinctly. Many of these witnesses are too personal and sublime to describe, but I will say that Heavenly Father gives us tender mercies so that we have strength to overcome our struggles. 1 Nephi 1:20 says that "the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." I know that this is true. Another thing that I have realized is why heavenly Father gives us weaknesses. In the Book of Mormon, the people that follow Alma are taken captive and made into slaves. Their backs are laden with heavy loads that they cannot bear. They sincerely pray daily to Heavenly Father in their hearts. They learn to rely upon God. Eventually, Heavenly Father creates a miracle to allow them to escape. In Mosiah 24:21 it says that they knew that it was only the Lord that could have delivered them. When we have trials, we come to know God if we will turn to Him. He hopes that we will humble ourselves so that we will come closer to Him in prayer, and so that He may demonstrate the glorifying and wondrous power of His grace in our lives. Later, when the people have settled in liberty, Alma Jr. asks the people if they have properly remembered the deliverance of their fathers (Alma 5:6). This is what we must always do. Once we have received grace, we must not forget it. God will test us to see if we can remember Him after He has so kindly remembered to deliver us. The maintaining and sustaining of this memory will help us live from day to day and endure to the end. One of the greatest tender mercies from Sunday was being able to see President's mission president. At Mission Conference on Sunday, President Lindahl was sustained as a counselor in one of the district presidencies. After the meeting, I went and gave him a hug. It made him so happy, and it made me so happy. Will, President Lindahl sends his love! Sunday night I also was asked to sing "My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee" for the departure devotional. It went great, and Sister Nally (wife of the MTC President) cried. I was just glad that I could sing after having a sore throat and fasting all day.
The next really cool day was Wednesday. Elder Findley went into Provo (o mundo real!) to get his knee checked out by a specialist. It's been hurting him, and hasn't been getting better. While we were there, we got to talk to a Catholic woman. She was married to an LDS man, but he died recently. I shared with her the scripture Mosiah 16:7-9 about the sting of death being swallowed up in Jesus Christ. It felt so great to be able to help someone with a problem in their life. She seemed really appreciative of the message and the kindness. It felt so good!!! The other really great part about Wednesday is that Elder Findley and I got to teach Patricia (our teacher Sister Connell acting in place of a pesquisador). Last time, we invited her to read portions from the Restoration pamphlet, including the First Vision. This time we reviewed with her what she learned from the reading. The Spirit was so strong in the room as I recited the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith about his experience. I could tell that the Spirit was testifying to her. She said that she knew the Prophet Joseph was an important man. It was amazing to see how the Spirit guided me as I responded to her. At the end of the lesson, we invited her to be baptized and she accepted. Even though I know that she is just our teacher, it felt so good. We have prayed and thought about Patricia and her needs. We have desired to help her come unto Christ. The thing is that it isn't our success. In fact, I think that success as a missionary doesn't even exist. Nothing is OUR success. Nothing we do comes about because we are good teachers or because we are good persuaders. This is His, Jesus Christ's, work. He guides and directs it. Heavenly Father gives man his will to choose, Christ saves man from death and hell, and the Spirit testifies in the hearts of the people. This work is divine. It is ennobling. It is peaceful. Baptism is not a means to rope people into our Church, but the means by which Christ gathers His children. Jesus knows that by baptizing people into His Church, he can administer grace unto them. He can strengthen them and administer the fullness of his gospel. He is the way, the truth, the light.
So, Thursday was really long and somewhat grueling. It was In-field Orientation. Basically, a 9 hour training session about how to be a better missionary. A lot of it was very instructive and helpful. I think what might have been distracting me is that I thought I was going to get my reassignment on Thursday. It was driving me crazy! The one bright spot about Saturday was having Derek (Asay, my cousin) teach one of the classes. Other than that, I was enduring to the end with a smile on my face.
Okay, so this is the paragraph that I have been building up to. Actually, the paragraph about Sunday was the most important one, but this is the one that has been on my mind for the past hour. I have received my reassignment!!! That's right, I do not have my Brazilian visa yet, so I have been reassigned to serve in a mission in the US. Drum roll, please... I have been assigned to temporarily labor in the CHARLESTON WEST VIRGINIA MISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Craziness!!! I am so excited and I am looking forward to serving there. Here are my travel plans. I leave on this Tuesday. I fly from Salt Lake Airport at 6:25 AM and arrive in the Dallas Fort Worth Airport at10:05 AM. I then fly from Texas at 12:45 and arrive in Charleston at 3:55 PM. I will be able to call you from the airport. I am thinking that I will call during my layover in Dallas. I am going to call the home first. I will then call Mom's cellphone, then Dad's if I do not receive an answer. I love you all so much and I know that Heavenly Father has plans for me that I cannot understand.
I love you all so much. Be strong. AKA Be humble and rely on God so that you can be made strong. God lives. God loves. God knows. Turn to Him in prayer. Turn to Him in study. Turn to Him with full purpose of heart.
Love, Elder Parker Ayer
P.S. I am so excited for you to be able to see the Holmes(es) in Boston!
P.P.S. I am so excited for General Conference this weekend! I am so excited that you get to watch it on the lake. Have fun!
P.P.P.S. I am so excited to possibly see some real Fall colors in WV! YAYAYAYAY!
P.P.P.P.S. I will probably need a jacket sent to me in WV.
P.P.P.P.P.S. I know that I'm not answering all of your questions, but I can't remember them all and my time is up. Tell Brother Varney that I love him and tell Bishop Payne that I love him. I love you all!!!
Friday, September 27, 2013
Angels to Bear You Up
Dear fami-lami-ding-dong!
First off, I need to apologize to Sarah for not remembering her halfy birthday. I'm really not good at remembering, I'm just good at being told when to sing. I hope that it was great!
Now with that cleared up, I can recount this past wonderful week! As I said in my last email, last Friday was Elder Findley's birthday. We had a really fun birthday celebration for him that night. I'll try to attach some pictures of that if I have time. Also, I got to see Uncle Scott in the temple again. It is always so great to see someone I love! I mean, I've come to love a lot of people as a missionary, but we're talking about FAMILY here. :D Another great experience last Friday was the opportunity to teach some people in the TRC. Both of the people that Elder Findley and I taught were returned missionaries who had served in Portugal and Brazil. Let me tell you, the Portuguese accent was a little weird, but I was so happy that I could understand it! At the end of our lesson with the Portuguese-Portuguese speaker, she said that we could speak Portuguese really well. I know she was probably just being nice, but it felt great! As we taught, it was so cool to see how the Spirit directed Elder Findley and me in what we said. The best part about the TRC is that we get immediate feedback from the volunteers written out on a piece of paper. According to the returned missionary who served in Brazil, he was "slapped in the face" by the Spirit". Probably not the exact phrase I would have chosen for describing a spiritual experience, but it definitely gives a visual and a physical(?). It felt so great to know that we had brought some spiritual understanding to this man's life. We challenged him to read the Book of Mormon cada día, which was a step up from what he was doing before. By the way, are all of you reading the Book of Mormon every day? It is so important that we do! The Book of Mormon has been revealed for our time. God will hold us responsible for our study of this sacred book. It holds the answers to the "questions of the soul" and can also answer our temporal concerns. It is so vital that we read the Book of Mormon so that Heavenly Father can bless us with light, knowledge, and joy in our lives.
So, Saturday was a big day. First day of Autumn! Anniversary of the Angel Moroni appearing to Joseph Smith! Yes, a big day indeed. Let me tell you, we are really starting to feel the Autumn weather here. I've worn my sweater several days to stay warm. I kind of wish that it would stay hot and dry because then I don't think about Fall in New Hampshire with brightly colored leaves and wicked tart apples. Speaking of which, is apple season over? I can never remember exactly, but I have the biggest craving for a Cortland or Macoun(?). Is there any possible chance that you could send some apples this way? I would ask for apple pie with some sharp cheddar cheese as well, but I feel like that might be a little too messy for delivery. Besides for the exciting dates to remember, Saturday was kind of a bum day. It was my last full day of being district leader. I thought that the last day might be the day that all of the blessings flowed in, but quite the opposite. Instead, almost everyone in the district was in a crabby mood, and I could feel their emotions bearing down on me. As I was writing in my journal that night, I started to ponder about this aspect of leadership. That's when my thoughts turned towards the Savior. He is our leader and our captain. He took upon Himself all of our griefs, sorrows, sins, anguish, heart aches, back aches, and every other stress in mortal life. How did he do it all? I was ready to scream from just a few grumpy missionaries. Yet, Christ is perfect. I testify with my whole soul to the reality of this statement. In the Savior of the world, we will find peace. We may find "peace" in other forms, but they will die with us. Jesus Christ is perfect, immortal, and all-powerful. Come unto the throne of his grace and receive strength.
Sunday, luckily, was not a day of screaming or stress. I was sick physically, but I felt so good on the inside. Elder Stoker was chosen as the new District Leader. He's been doing a great job, and I've been working as hard as possible to shut up and let him take over. It actually hasn't been that hard. It's amazing to see the different experience I get to enjoy in the MTC without the leadership position. One of the highlights from Sunday was the chance that my district had to sing in out sacrament meeting. There are some tone deaf people in our district, but when we sang on Sunday, it sounded SO GOOD! We sang "I Need Thee Every Hour". We sang a cappella for the third verse, and then a Sister and I sang a duet for the beginning of the fourth verse. I could tell that everyone in the room could feel the Spirit. And believe me, the Spirit helped us. I was hearing some vocal part I had never heard before coming from the "Bass" section, and it went well with what everyone else was signing! I still have no idea what they were singing, but it wasn't the Bass, Tenor, Alto, or Soprano part. The other highlight from Sunday was getting to hear Elder Merrill J Bateman talk to us at our devotional. He talked about the spiritual powers that missionaries are entitled to if the live righteously and serve diligently. It was so awesome! He told us some powerful stories about missionaries who humbly and faithfully listened to the promptings of the Spirit to seek out and teach individuals and families. The power of the Spirit is real, and God is seeking to gather in His children.
Monday was another good day. In class we talked about the difference between living obediently and living righteously. To be obedient is good because we follow God's law and qualify for certain blessings. However, when we live righteously, we do not seek to satisfy the law alone, but we change our hearts so that we seek only after things that are good and lead us to Christ.
Tuesday was one awesome, awesome day. In the morning, the Elders in my district got to go do service at the Provo MTC West Campus (Wyview and Raintree?) I can never remember if this is right because I think I always want to confuse it with Braintree, MA)). We were driven around in a van and went outside the main campus gates! I know it seems pretty trivial, but I was freaking out! It was also cool because that is when I realized that my duty to be a missionary is NOW. We got to serve alongside some BYU students. I know they were probably all LDS, but I made sure to give them the message to read the Book of Mormon. After all, we all need to be uplifted and strengthened by a representative of the Savior. Probably the best part of the day, however, was the devotional at night. It was given by Elder Don R Clark. It wasn't so much the message that he shared, but the message that the Spirit shared that made me so happy. In his talk, he talked about several experiences of missionaries heeding the promptings of the Spirit to find God's children to teach. In one of the experiences, he shared a story about an Elder serving in Central America who couldn't speak Spanish very well. He tried to talk to a woman on a bus, but wasn't able to say much. When he asked if they could come back to talk to her, she said that they could and that her house was the one with the little red sign. Days later, that Elder fasted and his companion and he went in search of the house with the little red sign. They passed many houses with red signs, but each time this Elder looked up to heaven and was prompted that it was not the right house. Finally they came to a house and the Elder was prompted that it was the right house. They knocked on the door to find the same woman from the bus. She was taught by the missionaries. Something else that really struck me from Elder Clark's talk was his reference to a scripture about how angels can encircle missionaries. He then said that there are angels encircled about us, willing and waiting to guide us and help us in doing God's work. As I thought about these two distinct ideas from his talk, I couldn't help but think about Grandma and Grandpa Ayer. I feel impressed that they are somehow guiding and preparing the way before Sarah and me as we serve as missionaries. They were faithful and diligent in this life, and I'm sure that they continue to be. I also look back and think about those Elders that first passed by Grandma and Grandpa's house so many years ago. They just stopped by to ask for directions, but instead returned to give directions from God. Were they prompted to return to the little red house? I know they were. Did they know the impact that they would have? I'm sure they didn't. I want to be able to go out and knock on the doors of little red houses and bring the joyful blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ into the lives of God's children. We may not see the impact we may have now, but the children's children of those we teach will rejoice when they think of their grandparents who listened to the humble servants of God. During the meeting, I also received several promptings of people that I should contact to help support and strengthen. I want to be able to help uplift as many people as possible, and I know that will be able to if I listen to the promptings of the Spirit.
On Wednesday I got to be a host for new missionaries coming in. It was so much fun! It was so enjoyable to be able to give a happy smile to reassure mothers leaving their boys and Elders leaving their mommies. I also had a great experience in teaching. Elder Findley and I had prepared to teach about the First Vision to our investigators Romario and Patricia, but were prompted during the lesson to talk about other things. It~s interesting, but we had also kind of prepared to teach about these things during companion study, but weren't expecting to talk about them. Inspiration is real!
Yesterday was good too, but I'm just about out of time. Let's just say that each day is great, but I'm living on a new level of greatness right now. It's kind of pathetic, but it's only an okay day if I feel the Spirit a few times a day. I probably need to change my attitude and perspective. Life is great! Everything is great! Turn to Christ and find joy! Eu sei que Cristo vive. Em Cristo é todo poder, paz, e força. Leia as escrituras e receba a força de Cristo. (I know that Christ lives. In Christ is all power, peace, and strength. Read the scriptures and earn the strength of Christ.)
Love, Elder Parker Ayer
P.S. Tender mercy from this week: getting a New Hampshire state quarter back for change. I have it in my shirt pocket next to my heart! :D
P.P.S. Yes, Mom. I do love getting surprise letters during the week! Did Christian get my surprise letter? If not, that surprise is ruined. :D
P.P.P.S. 3 Nephi 24:7 "Return unto me and I will return unto you."
P.P.P.P.S. I restarted the Book of Mormon my first week in the MTC, and I will probably finish it by Sunday! Read it! There are so many blessings! Love you!!!
Friday, September 20, 2013
Halfway there? Living on a prayer...
Oi família e amigos amados!!!
Well, this last week marked the halfway point for my training here at the MTC. This place is a paradox. Every day seems to last so long, but then everything seems to have flown by looking back in time. This week has also been my last week serving as district leader. The new district leader will be assigned on Sunday. I feel relieved and a little sad at the same time. First, relieved because it is not easy to be a district leader. I feel stressed a lot and I sometimes feel like some of the missionaries stress is directed at me when I get to tell them something passed down to me from my leaders. Second, sad because being district leader has actually been quite rewarding. Being in a position of leadership service, I have been able to receive direction and guidance from the Holy Ghost for the entire district. This has strengthened my testimony in the reality and power of inspiration and revelation. This last week of service probably had some very memorable instances of receiving divine direction.
Well, before I jump to all of the exciting stuff, let my run through my week. Last Friday, our district got our first chance to participate in the TRC. This is when people come in and volunteer to be taught by the missionaries. Unlike when I volunteered for the TRC when I was at BYU, these volunteers do not take on a role as an investigator. They simply come in as themselves, and we help them come unto Christ. On Friday, Elder Findley and I taught a returned missionary named Jason who served in Brazil. We asked him about all the stressful things in his life. I was amazed at how powerful an experience it was. He was kind of talking really fast in Portuguese, but I did pick up a lot of what he was saying. He did mention something about the temple, so I grabbed hold of that and talked about the temple. As I spoke I was guided in the words that I should say, and I bore testimony of the power and peace of the temple. It was so wonderful! Instead of trying to "figure out" what a person needs to hear, this experience helped me see that in any case, missionaries should be striving to listen to the Holy Ghost in order to invite all people to come unto Christ. I think that Jason felt more motivated to come unto Christ, and I also felt like I had come more unto Christ in that meeting.
Saturdays aren't usually that exciting. Actually, they're kind of frustrating because their right in between my two favorite days: P-day and Sunday.
Sunday was great, as usual. I began the day with a leadership training meeting and a branch council meeting. There were so many powerful spiritual moments during the meetings. What I came to realize is that missionaries must have the Holy Ghost with them whenever they teach. If missionaries teach without the power of the Holy Ghost, then they are simply inviting people closer to them. They are not inviting people closer to God. When we minister and teach by the power of the Holy Ghost, Heavenly Father is in reality ministering to and teaching His own children. HE gathers HIS children. We are simply the messengers sent from God so that He can accomplish his merciful plans. And God truly does minister to each of us individually in ways that He knows will teach us and touch us. After the meetings, I got to have an interview with a member of the Branch Presidency, Brother May. I felt such genuine love and concern, and I felt Heavenly Father ministering to me through him. One thing he told me that really helped to hear was that he said I was doing a good job. It really helped to hear this because sometimes I don't feel like I'm really living up to the image I have in my head of a missionary (AKA Paul, Peter, Alma, Ammon, etc.). That night we also had a great devotional. Well, it was interesting. The special musical number was actually a sister singing "My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee". She made some different musical choices, and I'll leave it at that. :D By the way, speaking of music and singing, I will be here for General Conference, but the elders will not be singing in conference. Yes, very unfortunate. However, the sister missionaries will be singing during the General Relief Society Broadcast. It's the first time in the history of General Conferences that they've had enough sister missionaries in the MTC to actually form a reasonably sized choir. Anyway, back to the devotional. Ron Tanner, the producer for "Only A Stonecutter", "The John Tanner Story" (yes, he is a descendant), and "17 Miracles" spoke to us. It was kind of interesting because he didn't give a very heavy spiritual message, but he talked about producing movies a little bit. He also showed some clips from his newest movie, "Ephraim's Rescue", which looks really good. It's about the life of Ephraim Hanks, the man who was one of the first to go and help the Willie/Martin Handcart Company. It looked really awesome. However, one of the clips was a kissing scene, which I thought was odd to show to a bunch of missionaries at the MTC. It was made even more odd when all of the missionaries (all 3-4 thousand) ooohed or ahhhed. It's amazing how weird a kissing scene can become after being a missionary for a few short weeks.
Monday was a very cool day. Monday was a day that made me glad to be a district leader. It was the end of the day, and the district had about 20 minutes left with nothing to do. Someone asked if we could sing some hymns to end the day. I was about to say yes because I really love singing hymns, but then for some reason I said no. A thought came into my head to talk to the district about something. So I sat everyone down, and I wasn't really sure what to talk about. I started talking about what I thought I should talk about, about being better missionaries who are more focused. I was just standing there talking for a while, when I was remembered (through the Spirit undoubtedly) that a good district meeting is a discussion among the missionaries that is facilitated by the district leader. That's when I stopped talking and asked Sister Eddington a question that just popped into my head about her experience as a missionary. Once she was finished talking, the Spirit told me to ask someone else a question, going off something that Sister Eddington had said in her answer. This pattern of asking and answering continued through most of the district until I ended with asking Elder Findley a question. Really, I had thought about none of this before hand and everything came to me in the moment that I was standing in front of everyone. After Elder Findley answered, I was directed by the Spirit to say that we, as missionaries, need to focus each of our consecutive thoughts on the Savior. And that we, as missionaries need to heed the command of Christ to come unto him before we can vicariously extend that invitation to others. The Spirit was felt strongly in the room. I know that each missionary could feel it because I could see it on their faces. At the end, I said that we should have a hymn and a prayer. At this point, it was interesting to see the change in who was receiving revelation. I had no idea what hymn we should sing, but several missionaries all at the same time said that we should sing "Come Follow Me". This experience strengthened my testimony. Revelation is real. Inspiration comes through the power of the Holy Ghost. God does not leave us helpless in life. He wants to answer our questions. In coming to Earth, we died spiritually, being separated spiritually and physically from our Heavenly Father. When we pray to Him and receive His guidance through the Holy Ghost, we are spiritually reborn as we begin again to be spiritually close to Him. It is necessary for all people everywhere to pray and receive an answer to their prayers. And when we do, we must act and live according to that answer we receive.
Today was kind of tough. I was feeling overwhelmed and ineffective as a missionary, but Heavenly Father inspired me to read Doctrine & Covenants 50:40-41. It helped me a lot. We are not expected to be perfect immediately, but we are expected to grow over time as we diligently apply ourselves.
Sorry, I always spend a lot of time talking about the beginning of the week and then never really get to describe the end. Alas. The days between Tuesday and today weren't super eventful anyway. :D
Know that I love you all. Know that Christ and Heavenly Father live. They love you and know you (conhecer e saber). I would invite you to make a change in your life today. Do something today to excercise more faith in Christ. Read you scriptures more diligently, pray more fervently, write down the tender mercies that you see in your life, and lift the hands that hang down. Come unto Christ and receive His strengthening, enabling, and ennobling power. His is mighty to save. He came not to condemn the world, but to improve the world and justify us unto the Father. Eu sei que meu Redentor vive. Em o poder de Jesus Cristo, podemos tornar-nos limpos de nossos pecados. Por o poder de Cristo, vamos receber força para vencer nossos desafios. Em nome de Jesus Cristo, Amém. (I know that my Redeemer liveth. In the power of Jesus Christ, we become cleansed of our sins. By the power of Christ, we receive strength to overcome our challenges. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen)
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| Heading to the Temple |
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| Enjoying classroom instruction |
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| The Elders in my district |
Com Muito Amor,
Elder Parker Ayer
P.S. Today is Elder Findley's birthday! He is 20 on the 20th!
P.P.S. Thank you all so much for the letters and DearElders. I got the package Mom. Thanks for the additional dried mango! MMM! Also, I finally got Sister Amanda Smith's letter that she sent a month ago. It made me so happy!!!
P.P.P.S. Sister Hannon Young, from New Hampshire and Pageant, is in my zone! She got here last Wednesday.
P.P.P.P.S. People I have seen while at the MTC: Scott Bennett, Derek Asay, Mike Mace, Jake Gong, Abby Billin, and Dani Savage. I also see a lot of other people from my BYU ward, which has been so awesome.
P.P.P.P.P.S. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!
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