Elder Rob Calcote
Elder Rob Calcote is winding
up his mission way too fast! Because of Transfers and New Missionary arrivals,
He is scheduled to leave Africa early May. He will be reporting back to his
Father's Ward in Elk Ridge Utah.
He has been serving in several different areas recently. An
excerpts from a recent email:
I stayed in Debre Zeit actually and
worked with these Elders here. The members here in Debre Zeit are POWERFUL and
have strong testimonies of the Gospel. The branch is struggling a little and I
really really hope I get to come finish my mission in Debre Zeit.
I got permission from President Preator
(he replaced President Parrish) to go see Nazaret today! it is SO HUGE! I've
taken lots of pictures. And after email we're going to go exploring the town,
it is so beautiful! We must expand the Lords work to every corner of ETHIOPIA!
I love this place, I love my mission.
and today's adventure is pretty awesome! Maybe tomorrow we'll go back to
Awassa.
Honestly, I"m getting scared
because the end is coming fast! I want to work so hard though, that when it
comes, I won't even know what happened these last 3 months! I love you all and
thank each and every one of you for the support you give every week!
Elder Matthew
Willardson
Guatemala City South Mission 8-31-2013
Elder Matt
Willardson
Matt
and the missionaries in his zone had a wonderful Christmas celebration in
December. They enjoyed a spiritual
devotional, messages from the mission president, musical numbers by the
missionaries and they were able to watch the new Bible videos from LDS.org. Of course the highlight of Christmas was his
phone call with the rest of the Willardsons on Christmas day! Thanks to Skype, the family was able to hold
a conference call with Matt’s siblings who were as far away as Hawaii, Utah and
California.
Elder Willardson has added another skill to
his list of missionary talents! He has
had to become a real estate agent of sorts, finding housing for new elders
being assigned to his area. Due to the recent change in the missionary age
requirement, the Guatemala City South Mission is beginning to experience an
influx of new missionaries. Matt has
been pleased with the success of a new teaching approach that the mission is
using now. The plan involves having the
members contact their friends and neighbors, and invite them to a family home
evening later in the week. Sometimes the
members have their friends come over spontaneously for a visit with the
missionaries. The elders are doing less
street contacting and are able to meet more investigators in the members’
homes. As Matt says, “The members here
are helping us out a ton in the work, and the plan to get the members involved
is working. Contacting in this manner is
a billion times more effective than when we do it.”
A recent highlight for the missionaries was
having a conference with two special visitors!
Elder Martino, of the area presidency, and Elder Christofferson
spoke. In Matt’s words, “The Spirit was
there in abundance and we learned a ton about what we need to change and do
better to have more success. Elder Martino talked about how we need to teach
people according to their interests at first to get them wanting more of the
gospel in their lives. He said that only 10 % of the people who listen to us
are interested in specific points of doctrine, and the other 90% are interested
in receiving the blessings promised them from living certain principles. He
told us to figure out what these people want and testify to them of what they
will receive if they listen to the message. Elder Christofferson then talked to
us about repentance and how we need to preach nothing but repentance unto these
people. He talked about how repentance is not complete without the ordinance of
baptism, and how we want to help these people change their hearts and their
whole mindset about God and His true gospel. I could feel while he taught and
testified to us that he is a special witness of Jesus Christ and is one of the
Lords chosen Apostles here today.”
Elder Adam Martin
Brazil São
Paulo
Elder Adam Martin is rapidly approaching his year mark. It doesn't seem possible that he has been out
that long. He was in the first group
that had the MTC experience shortened from nine to six weeks. It has not appeared to have hindered him
any. He was searching for English words
when his parents Skyped with him on Christmas day. He couldn't remember the
word "umbrella." It is so
rainy in Brazil that he uses one all the time down there. He tells us this experience that happened in
a neighboring area: "[Elder Brady told] us that the man of the family. . .
took the cigarettes out of his pocket and [threw them] in the trash, then
proceeded to the refrigerator, took out all the beer, and trashed it with the
cigarettes and said, " I won't drink or smoke anymore." This was without Elder Brady
talking to them about [the] Word of Wisdom. Things like this build up testimony
that God watches over his servants who work with all diligence and blesses
them. I received this area without a baptism in sight." Elder Martin loves serving the Lord. He loves the Brazilian people and the
Portuguese language. For some time he
has been serving in São Marcos.
When
transfers happen (which will be soon), he will be transferred. He has 10
baptisms lined up but only one will happen before his transfer. He will turn the area over to his companion
and his replacement in much better condition than he found it. The field is white in São Marcos after all. We are so proud of Elder Adam Martin.
