President & Sister Martin
California San Fernando Mission 7-2012
President & Sister Martin are busy doing the six months of work we have left to do in the three months we have left on our mission. It brings us some sadness to think of leaving our beloved missionaries and the people of Southern California whom we have learned to love as we have served as Mission President and wife. We will also miss our visits from three little grandsons (and their parents) who have shown up to visit us from time to time. We are also looking forward to returning and resuming our relationships with our family, friends and ward members in Texas. We will be returning with even stronger testimonies that this is our Saviors work and His Church. We feel we have an even greater knowledge of how He wants this work to proceed in these latter days. Our mission was recently visited by Elder L. Tom Perry and President Richard J. Maynes of the Presidency of the Seventy. It was wonderful to receive instruction from them.
President Maynes taught us that the members are like magnets to attract and find those prospective investigators who are ready to receive the restored gospel.
Editors note: Sister Martins sweet Mother passed away in November and her amazing Father in March. What great examples they both were of missionary work. Our deepest sympathys to you Gemie.
Elder Kenny Midgley
Ecuador Guayaquil North 9-2012
Elder Kenny Midgley has learned…
CHANGE IS FUN: “I got transferred to a new city closer to the western coast of Ecuador. It is called Jipijapa…try saying that 10 times fast. Jipijapa is beautiful, well in comparison to the other sectors I've been in. Tuesday morning we went out on a 4k jog leaving the downtown sector and going into the outskirts of the countryside. Green hills with dense forests and low lying clouds. It's been raining pretty frequently out here, I'm grateful to have hiking boots and a poncho. On Thursday we found ourselves ankle deep in mud when we went to visit a recent convert in San Can” (see picture of city sign)
IN THE ECUADOR MISSION, THERE IS A LOT OF EXPOSURE TO PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES/CULTURES: “My new companion is an Otavalo Indian from Otavalo, Ecuador; he has a long, braided pony-tail, which is allowed as a traditional headwear. There are two other missionaries in the house: Elder Merlo, from Honduras, and Elder San Calle, from Sucre, Bolivia. The house is pretty decent sized, two bathrooms, kitchen, two study rooms, we have the four beds out in the main hall, and a niche for the ironing board bookshelf and weights.”
KENNY IS LEARNING MANY USEFUL SKILLS, LIKE SPLITTING BAMBOO: “We did a service project for a part-member couple splitting bamboo into fourths longwise to make a fence/privacy wall for their bathroom. I didn't take pictures but basically you sent the machete on top of the bamboo pole and either bash the pole against the ground until you cut to the bottom or you bash the machete with a two by four or a hammer (the hammer works better). I was glad I brought work gloves (my comp didn't think he would need his). We are probably going to go back on Friday to rig up the fence.”
WORKING WITH FUTURE MISSIONARIES IS FUN: Franklin, 9 years old, passed his baptismal interview so he will be baptized this Saturday. His mother is an inactive member, but he has been walking (twenty to thirty minutes) to church for the past month with his two younger siblings so we have hopes that he will stay active. (see picture of group of boys)
MISSIONARY WORK IS A GREAT FAMILY TRADITION: (see picture of papa Midgley in 1985 at the MTC, with Tracy Dyhre’s brother, David Triptow)
Elder Rob Calcote
Uganda, Kampala 5-2013
Elder Rob Calcote A story from Elder Calcotes emails: Elder Welch and I walked into the church at around 8:45 and the 2nd counselor in the Branch Presidency walked up to me and asked if I could give a 5-10 minute talk if one of those asked to speak didn't show up. I agreed, and sat down to prepare something small about baptism and the covenants we make, kind of how we can renew them... yeah. anyway, we went through the program and in the last 10 minutes of sacrament meeting, I was called up. I walk up there and just to crack a joke at the beginning of my talk (big mistake of mine) I say, "Well I am a little unprepared, maybe next time I can do it in Amharic?" you see, there are translators in church so anybody can speak either English or Amharic and it will get translated... behind me I then hear President Parrish say, "no Elder, do it in Amharic." I turn around to crack a smile at him and he's completely serious.... I knew I was in trouble at that moment. Sunday finished off the week with an awesome day. I can't tell you how I did it, I will tell you I was scared out of my mind... but I will also tell you, It was done. That was the first experience I have ever had where IT WAS NOT ME SPEAKING. I'm not just telling you that to make the story more interesting, the words were just coming, it was truly amazing! I do have a testimony of the gift of tongues and that God does help those who help themselves! I hope that story builds your testimonies, because it sure built mine. God loves us. This life is supposed to be great.
Elder Matthew Willardson
Guatemala City South Mission 8-31-2013
Elder Matt Willardson’s letters home show us the nuts and bolts of daily missionary work in Guatemala. His letters express some of the frustrations of trying to find new people to teach and the efforts they go through to meet people. They try street contacting and then follow up with appointments to meet those who are willing to have them come to their homes. Elder W and Elder McDermott came up with another novel idea to do some contacting! As he shared in his last letter…”We have done this cool contacting idea recently that has worked well. We take the table from our house, a bed sheet, Books of Mormon, all of the folletos we have, and our Motabs music, and we go over by the "farmers market" to set up shop. It’s packed on Thursdays, so we tried to contact as many people and families as we could, going to and coming from the market. Since everyone around there is selling various things, we decided to put up a sign making our little station a little different. We just wrote "GRATIS" on a sheet of construction paper and taped it onto the bed sheet hanging over the table. As if that wasn’t enough, we told people that we were sharing messages about Jesus Christ and His restored gospel for two easy payments of 0 Quetzales. It was mildly successful, and we were able to contact a lot of people and share folletos with them. “
Matt tells of the joys of teaching investigators, as well as the special experience of seeing them accept the gospel and be baptized! He and his companion have been teaching Ilse recently and she was baptized two weeks ago! Fernando and Walter are also preparing to be baptized in the next few weeks. As Matt expressed recently, “It has been a real miracle to see someone make so many life changing decisions with so much faith in the course of a two month period. Only Heavenly Father through this gospel can cause such a change in one´s life, and it’s such a blessing to be a part of it!”
Elder Kevin Stanfill
Idaho Pocatello Mission Oct. 2013
Elder Kevin Stanfill says, “St Anthony is so amazing! The best area in the mission! Elder Kendell and I brought this area back from the dead and now Elder Nyland and I are maintaining the relationships we've built with members and leaders while trying to search out those people prepared to receive this gospel. Training is one of the hardest, most rewarding things I've done (So it's kinda' like the mission itself!). We must remember that it's more important to love and serve one another than to demand success from everyone around you. Something I learned in the MTC was that the Lord has set standards, and while it's not our place to lower those standards, we also cannot raise them. The Lord doesn't want a perfect people, because a perfect people don't need a Savior. I love this gospel, and I know it's true. I know that God lives and He loves us, that He sent his Son to take away all pain, and that all gospel truth was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. I love ya'll.”
Editors note: Elder Stanfill is training Elder Nyland. What a lucky Elder to be trained by Elder Stanfill.
Elder Adam Martin
Brazil São Paulo Interlagos Mission March 2014
Elder Adam Martin Just prior to Elder Martin’s expected departure on February 21, 2012 to go to São Paulo Brazil, the Missionary Department changed from a nine to a six week stint at the MTCs for those learning Portuguese.
In order for him to arrive at his assignment in the Brazil São Paulo Interlagos Mission when they were expecting him, the three weeks was chopped off of the beginning. This meant that he would be departing March 13. He took advantage of the opportunity to attend his sister Alyssa’s marriage and sealing to her new husband Brendan McKay in the Mt. Timpanogas Temple on March 9, 2012. Elder Martin arrived in the CTM after a long flight which took him through Salt Lake City and Atlanta Georgia to São Paulo Brazil. CTM stands for Centre de Treinamente Missionario, which means the “center for training missionaries.” He says, “I can tell you that I am doing great.” He does not appear to be a great fan of the food they serve in the CTM.
He states, “I still haven’t made a good guess at what I eat at meal times, I assume its food.” We are proud of Elder Martin and his decision to serve his Savior by bringing some of his brothers and sisters in Brazil to their Savior. We know he will do well.
