On March 14, 2014, I did a presentation on my mission at a Friday Forum at the Lethbridge West Institute of Religion of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I created a very detailed Power Point Presentation for the occasion and had my camera record the entire presentation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZapkmKGRII
The link to the presentation is above
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Friday, July 4, 2014
July 2, 2014 - Recieving My Missionary Certificate
I finally received my missionary certificate in the mail and it says that I served an honorable mission and that I should be very proud of what I have done from March 2013 to March 2014! YEAH!
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Returned Missionary Talk - March 23, 2014
I started out my talk by explaining that I had originally put six months on my missionary application, but when I received my call, it said twelve and since then, I have told anyone who's asked that the Lord extended my mission for me because he knew that I would need a year to learn what I needed to learn and do. I also thanked my mom, brother, and other surrogate family members for choosing/being available to come and hear me speak.
President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, has taught, “The Lord from the beginning of time has provided ways for His disciples to help. He has invited His children to consecrate their time, their means, and themselves to join with him in serving others.”
From March 2013 to March 2014, I had the wonderful opportunity of being a missionary at the Bishop’s Storehouse in Lethbridge and it was truly a life-changing experience. Some may think that missionary work is limited to going from door to door, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who do not have it in their lives, but there are many ways to be involved in missionary work. The four fold mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is to proclaim the gospel, to perfect the Saints, to redeem the dead, and to care for the poor and needy. All of those missions need those willing to serve the Lord.
For those who may not know or what the Bishop’s Storehouse is and does, it is a place where those in need can go, after speaking with their Bishop and receiving assistance in filling out an order form, to receive food for themselves and their families. It is a safe haven that is run and carefully maintained by missionaries and volunteers and the Spirit is very strong there, as it is maintained and run very much like the temple; the work is done in a spirit of reverence and love and the facility is kept exceptionally clean so that the focus can be on having and giving opportunities for spiritual experiences.
Caring for the poor and needy is also charity and compassion; charity is the pure love of Christ and He needs people that are willing to carry out that work with a heart full of love and a willingness to be refined through the opportunity of missionary service. In order for people to have enough faith in Christ to want to emulate Him as much as possible, we first have to love the idea of Him enough to not only desire, but seek him out. As it says in James 1:5, “…if we lack wisdom, ask of God…” and caring for the poor and needy allows those giving the service to let the receivers see Christ through them, thereby giving the spiritually hungry a chance to become comfortable with the idea of seeking Him out and doing it.
God formed the whole Plan of Salvation because He loves ALL of us and did not want anyone to be forgotten who, even now, desires to be remembered. The Plan of Salvation was also created out of the love for the growth we could experience and for the potential we could achieve. Hence, the Church formed various outlets, including the Bishop’s storehouse, so that those who needed the help and love of they who had love to give could do so in way that would help those in need to feel safe and loved.
Many are fearful of love because they feel unable to understand or accept love of an unconditional nature. Sadly, many have only been exposed to love and compassion of a conditional nature and thus, they are afraid of Christ and His Atonement; they are afraid of the free offering of love of an unconditional nature because it is an unfamiliar concept to them. Nobody is immune from challenges that life may present, but everyone can have the love of God and Jesus Christ if they want it, which is something I tried my very hardest to share with patrons and fellow missionaries whenever I could, with the reasoning that if people were made to feel safe at the storehouse, they wouldn’t be afraid to come back if they needed help at another time.
If I were to be anything but compassionate and caring, would I be an effective missionary? No, I wouldn’t; for the Spirit only dwells with those who seek to be engaged in good works.
It was the Lord’s way of telling me to apply Doctrine and Covenants section 18, verse 10 in my life, “For behold, the worth of souls is great in the sight of God,” and I really took my time accepting that I was of worth. With patience, love, and the experience of being able to progress to financial and temporal independence through miraculous intervention, I was helped to be made aware and willing to explore the knowledge and opportunities unlocked by the power and love of the Atonement that allowed me the chance to change and become one who could learn to love others, but also show love unto myself under any circumstances. It’s easier now to accept that I am valuable even though some may not think so.
When we forget ourselves and go to work, we find ourselves experiencing joy through seeing the joy and blessings others receive through our sacrifice. President Thomas S. Monson says, “We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate in our hearts an attitude of gratitude.” Gratitude for what we have and what we’re able to do helps us to not measure our efforts against those that others put forward and we can find joy in what we can offer the Lord.
Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles says that, “In some quiet way, the expression and feelings of gratitude have a wonderful cleansing or healing nature. Gratitude brings a peace that helps us overcome the pain of adversity and failure.” There have been areas of my life where I have not been so successful, but my mission is certainly not one of them; the Lord, through his redeeming Atonement, has given me what I need to serve honorably in caring for the poor and needy.
In John 6:34-35, it says, “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh unto me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” I, and other storehouse missionaries, serve as a stepping stone; when we help fulfill temporal needs, that extending of love and compassion opens the way for those who are helped to see the possibilities and endeavor to fulfill their spiritual needs.
When one has gratitude for how they can serve the Lord, a sense of reverence develops in terms of realizing the importance of opportunities. As time went on, that sense of reverence became stronger and I was better able to connect with the spirit, thus helping me to be a more effective missionary. The spirit taught me how to take the gentle approach with patrons and fellow missionaries and the gentle approach is vital to missionary work because that’s what Christ was. It was also part of my job to show people through my example that Christ’s love is unconditional and that the Atonement’s purpose is to help ALL people.
Everyone needs a helping hand up now and then and that’s not horrible. I served with many wonderful people, both individuals and couples, and all of them had very valuable lessons to teach me about how I could become both a better missionary and a better person. Along with the people, all experiences I had during my year of missionary service had valuable lessons to teach me and I am grateful that I looked for what there was to learn.
A very spiritual experience that occurred was that I went to High River twice during my mission to assist with the cleanup following the flood in summer 2013. The first time, I went with the Raymond Stake and it was very emotional to see what the flood waters had done, but the Spirit was very strong because of the time spent cleaning out flooded basements and trying to offer compassion and hope to those we helped. Not too much later, I went to High River again with the Byam family and we went to an area known as ‘The Hamptons’ that had spent six weeks under water. It was a risky enough area to be in that nobody under 18 was allowed in there.
Even though I wasn’t on a proselytizing mission, I was still a missionary for a year and I came to realize some very prevalent truths that many, including me, may not be aware of or simply forget from time to time depending on a variety of reasons. A mission, whatever kind of mission it may be, truly changes a person’s life forever and it is very hard if not impossible to go back to being who you were before, as a mission is a paramount transformation to assist with the rest of one’s temporal and eternal lives. Doctrine and Covenants Section 4, verses 1 and 2 say, “Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men. Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.”
Now, we are the most grand of all works that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have created, but in order to become marvelous, we must be willing to “forget ourselves” and go to work just like President Hinckley’s father told young Elder Gordon Hinckley when the young man struggled to find joy in what seemed very difficult work, yet it was an opportunity to learn, grow, and develop character. Embarking in the service of God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength will help us grow into the marvelous work we are meant to become.
During the course of my mission, I had constant opportunities to better appreciate the variety that God gave to all of his creations, as I met and helped many people from all walks of life. We all come from different circumstances, but our circumstances do not have to define us and our choices can give us a better future from a difficult present and a harsh past. We are all beloved sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father and we need to remember that Christ died for us so that we could all have the chance to see and live up to the measure of our creation.
At the beginning of my mission, I figured that people would be curious as to what exactly my mission entailed, so I wrote a very detailed blog about my experiences and posted it so that people could have the opportunity to understand what I was doing for the Lord.
I made a special point of recording my experiences so that I would always be able to remember them and be able to use what I learned to make future experiences just as memorable. The experiences I have gained in my year of missionary service have left me with gratitude and a reverence for the hard work that missionaries put into engaging in the work of the Lord.
Every part of the Lord’s work needs to be done by someone and I am grateful to do whatever I can to help the work along because the Savior took the time to ensure my eternal future. It is only by the Atonement of Christ that I was able to rise above my past self and the limited expectations I and others had for that past self. I will forever be grateful for all that I can and will do for the Lord’s kingdom. For out of simple works come great miracles and that is a solid truth.
In relation to simple works producing great miracles, I am reminded of the saying ‘try your best’, which was looked upon with reverence at the storehouse because it was such a safe environment; we missionaries and volunteers all strived to just do better with each new opportunity and if we made any mistakes, we learned from them.
Focusing on just trying our best is something, not just missionaries, which we all need to remember and earnestly strive to apply in our daily lives. If we all make that effort, we are being reverent towards the Lord in that we are trusting His ability and desire to help all of us live up to the measure of our creation.
The Atonement, which made it even possible for me to rise above my imperfections and engage in missionary service, is there to help us realize that we are of infinite worth to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. As children of God, we have the right to act and treat both ourselves and others as precious treasures that need love, care, and growth opportunities to survive. By wholeheartedly serving those who came to the storehouse and bestowing upon them compassion, I, with the help of the Holy Spirit, helped those individuals planted seeds in their hearts that told them that they have value to God and Christ.
As I reflect on how I was able to help others as a missionary and will hopefully be able to help others in future opportunities that the Lord will give me, a question comes to mind; do we apply reverence to ourselves when we are engaging in works based on the gospel of Jesus Christ or do we neglect ourselves in favor of seeking perfectionism? Like my best was good enough at the storehouse, our best efforts are good enough for Heavenly Father and the Atonement gives us both strength and courage to endure in faith; we just have to earnestly seek after the help.
If we are invited to take on a role in helping the gospel progress or be brought forward, we need to seek courage from the Atonement and God will be there with us every step of the way if we just act in faith and just do it. Even though taking advantage of opportunities that God gives us may be going out of our comfort zone, we shall receive endless blessings and those who have our example to help guide them will also be blessed. The Atonement helps us go the distance and I am very grateful that the Atonement helped me go the distance enough to serve a mission and embrace any future opportunities that will come my way.
President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, has taught, “The Lord from the beginning of time has provided ways for His disciples to help. He has invited His children to consecrate their time, their means, and themselves to join with him in serving others.”
From March 2013 to March 2014, I had the wonderful opportunity of being a missionary at the Bishop’s Storehouse in Lethbridge and it was truly a life-changing experience. Some may think that missionary work is limited to going from door to door, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who do not have it in their lives, but there are many ways to be involved in missionary work. The four fold mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is to proclaim the gospel, to perfect the Saints, to redeem the dead, and to care for the poor and needy. All of those missions need those willing to serve the Lord.
For those who may not know or what the Bishop’s Storehouse is and does, it is a place where those in need can go, after speaking with their Bishop and receiving assistance in filling out an order form, to receive food for themselves and their families. It is a safe haven that is run and carefully maintained by missionaries and volunteers and the Spirit is very strong there, as it is maintained and run very much like the temple; the work is done in a spirit of reverence and love and the facility is kept exceptionally clean so that the focus can be on having and giving opportunities for spiritual experiences.
Caring for the poor and needy is also charity and compassion; charity is the pure love of Christ and He needs people that are willing to carry out that work with a heart full of love and a willingness to be refined through the opportunity of missionary service. In order for people to have enough faith in Christ to want to emulate Him as much as possible, we first have to love the idea of Him enough to not only desire, but seek him out. As it says in James 1:5, “…if we lack wisdom, ask of God…” and caring for the poor and needy allows those giving the service to let the receivers see Christ through them, thereby giving the spiritually hungry a chance to become comfortable with the idea of seeking Him out and doing it.
God formed the whole Plan of Salvation because He loves ALL of us and did not want anyone to be forgotten who, even now, desires to be remembered. The Plan of Salvation was also created out of the love for the growth we could experience and for the potential we could achieve. Hence, the Church formed various outlets, including the Bishop’s storehouse, so that those who needed the help and love of they who had love to give could do so in way that would help those in need to feel safe and loved.
Many are fearful of love because they feel unable to understand or accept love of an unconditional nature. Sadly, many have only been exposed to love and compassion of a conditional nature and thus, they are afraid of Christ and His Atonement; they are afraid of the free offering of love of an unconditional nature because it is an unfamiliar concept to them. Nobody is immune from challenges that life may present, but everyone can have the love of God and Jesus Christ if they want it, which is something I tried my very hardest to share with patrons and fellow missionaries whenever I could, with the reasoning that if people were made to feel safe at the storehouse, they wouldn’t be afraid to come back if they needed help at another time.
If I were to be anything but compassionate and caring, would I be an effective missionary? No, I wouldn’t; for the Spirit only dwells with those who seek to be engaged in good works.
It was the Lord’s way of telling me to apply Doctrine and Covenants section 18, verse 10 in my life, “For behold, the worth of souls is great in the sight of God,” and I really took my time accepting that I was of worth. With patience, love, and the experience of being able to progress to financial and temporal independence through miraculous intervention, I was helped to be made aware and willing to explore the knowledge and opportunities unlocked by the power and love of the Atonement that allowed me the chance to change and become one who could learn to love others, but also show love unto myself under any circumstances. It’s easier now to accept that I am valuable even though some may not think so.
When we forget ourselves and go to work, we find ourselves experiencing joy through seeing the joy and blessings others receive through our sacrifice. President Thomas S. Monson says, “We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate in our hearts an attitude of gratitude.” Gratitude for what we have and what we’re able to do helps us to not measure our efforts against those that others put forward and we can find joy in what we can offer the Lord.
Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles says that, “In some quiet way, the expression and feelings of gratitude have a wonderful cleansing or healing nature. Gratitude brings a peace that helps us overcome the pain of adversity and failure.” There have been areas of my life where I have not been so successful, but my mission is certainly not one of them; the Lord, through his redeeming Atonement, has given me what I need to serve honorably in caring for the poor and needy.
In John 6:34-35, it says, “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh unto me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” I, and other storehouse missionaries, serve as a stepping stone; when we help fulfill temporal needs, that extending of love and compassion opens the way for those who are helped to see the possibilities and endeavor to fulfill their spiritual needs.
When one has gratitude for how they can serve the Lord, a sense of reverence develops in terms of realizing the importance of opportunities. As time went on, that sense of reverence became stronger and I was better able to connect with the spirit, thus helping me to be a more effective missionary. The spirit taught me how to take the gentle approach with patrons and fellow missionaries and the gentle approach is vital to missionary work because that’s what Christ was. It was also part of my job to show people through my example that Christ’s love is unconditional and that the Atonement’s purpose is to help ALL people.
Everyone needs a helping hand up now and then and that’s not horrible. I served with many wonderful people, both individuals and couples, and all of them had very valuable lessons to teach me about how I could become both a better missionary and a better person. Along with the people, all experiences I had during my year of missionary service had valuable lessons to teach me and I am grateful that I looked for what there was to learn.
A very spiritual experience that occurred was that I went to High River twice during my mission to assist with the cleanup following the flood in summer 2013. The first time, I went with the Raymond Stake and it was very emotional to see what the flood waters had done, but the Spirit was very strong because of the time spent cleaning out flooded basements and trying to offer compassion and hope to those we helped. Not too much later, I went to High River again with the Byam family and we went to an area known as ‘The Hamptons’ that had spent six weeks under water. It was a risky enough area to be in that nobody under 18 was allowed in there.
Even though I wasn’t on a proselytizing mission, I was still a missionary for a year and I came to realize some very prevalent truths that many, including me, may not be aware of or simply forget from time to time depending on a variety of reasons. A mission, whatever kind of mission it may be, truly changes a person’s life forever and it is very hard if not impossible to go back to being who you were before, as a mission is a paramount transformation to assist with the rest of one’s temporal and eternal lives. Doctrine and Covenants Section 4, verses 1 and 2 say, “Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men. Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.”
Now, we are the most grand of all works that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have created, but in order to become marvelous, we must be willing to “forget ourselves” and go to work just like President Hinckley’s father told young Elder Gordon Hinckley when the young man struggled to find joy in what seemed very difficult work, yet it was an opportunity to learn, grow, and develop character. Embarking in the service of God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength will help us grow into the marvelous work we are meant to become.
During the course of my mission, I had constant opportunities to better appreciate the variety that God gave to all of his creations, as I met and helped many people from all walks of life. We all come from different circumstances, but our circumstances do not have to define us and our choices can give us a better future from a difficult present and a harsh past. We are all beloved sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father and we need to remember that Christ died for us so that we could all have the chance to see and live up to the measure of our creation.
At the beginning of my mission, I figured that people would be curious as to what exactly my mission entailed, so I wrote a very detailed blog about my experiences and posted it so that people could have the opportunity to understand what I was doing for the Lord.
I made a special point of recording my experiences so that I would always be able to remember them and be able to use what I learned to make future experiences just as memorable. The experiences I have gained in my year of missionary service have left me with gratitude and a reverence for the hard work that missionaries put into engaging in the work of the Lord.
Every part of the Lord’s work needs to be done by someone and I am grateful to do whatever I can to help the work along because the Savior took the time to ensure my eternal future. It is only by the Atonement of Christ that I was able to rise above my past self and the limited expectations I and others had for that past self. I will forever be grateful for all that I can and will do for the Lord’s kingdom. For out of simple works come great miracles and that is a solid truth.
In relation to simple works producing great miracles, I am reminded of the saying ‘try your best’, which was looked upon with reverence at the storehouse because it was such a safe environment; we missionaries and volunteers all strived to just do better with each new opportunity and if we made any mistakes, we learned from them.
Focusing on just trying our best is something, not just missionaries, which we all need to remember and earnestly strive to apply in our daily lives. If we all make that effort, we are being reverent towards the Lord in that we are trusting His ability and desire to help all of us live up to the measure of our creation.
The Atonement, which made it even possible for me to rise above my imperfections and engage in missionary service, is there to help us realize that we are of infinite worth to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. As children of God, we have the right to act and treat both ourselves and others as precious treasures that need love, care, and growth opportunities to survive. By wholeheartedly serving those who came to the storehouse and bestowing upon them compassion, I, with the help of the Holy Spirit, helped those individuals planted seeds in their hearts that told them that they have value to God and Christ.
As I reflect on how I was able to help others as a missionary and will hopefully be able to help others in future opportunities that the Lord will give me, a question comes to mind; do we apply reverence to ourselves when we are engaging in works based on the gospel of Jesus Christ or do we neglect ourselves in favor of seeking perfectionism? Like my best was good enough at the storehouse, our best efforts are good enough for Heavenly Father and the Atonement gives us both strength and courage to endure in faith; we just have to earnestly seek after the help.
If we are invited to take on a role in helping the gospel progress or be brought forward, we need to seek courage from the Atonement and God will be there with us every step of the way if we just act in faith and just do it. Even though taking advantage of opportunities that God gives us may be going out of our comfort zone, we shall receive endless blessings and those who have our example to help guide them will also be blessed. The Atonement helps us go the distance and I am very grateful that the Atonement helped me go the distance enough to serve a mission and embrace any future opportunities that will come my way.
Friday, March 14, 2014
March 14, 2014 - Friday Forum Presentation
I voluntarily gave a brief presentation on my year-long mission at the Lethbridge Alberta Institute of Religion on the west side of Lethbridge, Alberta. I had a Power Point presentation prepared and read it while filming so to give everyone the opportunity to see what the last year of my life has been spent doing. Here is the link to the video and if you want the Power Point emailed, ask me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZapkmKGRII&feature=youtu.be
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
March 4, 2014 - Last Day In The Field
Daylight had already sprung when I got the 7:15 a.m. bus from my house to downtown via a bus change at the university; after that, I got a taxi from downtown to the storehouse. When I arrived at the storehouse, I checked the produce, stocked cans of diced tomatoes on the shelf, and also helped stock toilet paper on another shelf.
After prayer with Woolfs, Gallups, Sister Rogers (a new sister), and Elder Goodsell and a compliment given by Elder Woolf about how great it was to work with and get to know me, everyone divided into pairs, with me working with Elder Goodsell, and worked to fill the out of town orders.
Once the orders were filled, I worked with Sister Gallup and taught her how to fill the cottage cheese and sour cream portion of the orders where others either filled the meat orders or prepared for the farewell party that was held for Sister Bly, Sister LeFeuvre (who couldn't come), and I.
A little after 11:30, the party started in the break room and Elder and Sister Peterson, Elder and Sister Gallup, Elder and Sister Woolf, Grandma Woolf, Elder and Sister Hodder from the Field Office, Sister Bly, Elder Goodsell, Brother Murray and Brother Nathan Kyler from the Field Office, Elder LeFeuvre, Elder Bullock (the out of town delivery driver) and Brother Reeve from LDS Employment all came to the party, which was complete with food and a lovely cake.
Anyway, Elder Woolf said that my service and I are appreciated and that I had all done a lot of good stuff for the storehouse. Sister Bly is continuing to volunteer there for now and Sister LeFeuvre was unable to make the party due to not feeling well, but I did get to say goodbye to her on the phone.
After the applause, Elder Goodsell said a prayer to bless the food and everyone got eating.
Pictures were taken after the luncheon was done and I will miss everyone I worked with.
Elder Woolf and Sister Woolf.
Sister Bly.
Elder Hodder and Sister Hodder from the Field Office.
Sister Rogers.
Elder Goodsell.
Brother Murray (left) and Nathan Kyler.
Elder Peterson, Sister Peterson, and Grandma Woolf.
Elder Gallup and Sister Gallup.
After prayer with Woolfs, Gallups, Sister Rogers (a new sister), and Elder Goodsell and a compliment given by Elder Woolf about how great it was to work with and get to know me, everyone divided into pairs, with me working with Elder Goodsell, and worked to fill the out of town orders.
Once the orders were filled, I worked with Sister Gallup and taught her how to fill the cottage cheese and sour cream portion of the orders where others either filled the meat orders or prepared for the farewell party that was held for Sister Bly, Sister LeFeuvre (who couldn't come), and I.
A little after 11:30, the party started in the break room and Elder and Sister Peterson, Elder and Sister Gallup, Elder and Sister Woolf, Grandma Woolf, Elder and Sister Hodder from the Field Office, Sister Bly, Elder Goodsell, Brother Murray and Brother Nathan Kyler from the Field Office, Elder LeFeuvre, Elder Bullock (the out of town delivery driver) and Brother Reeve from LDS Employment all came to the party, which was complete with food and a lovely cake.
Anyway, Elder Woolf said that my service and I are appreciated and that I had all done a lot of good stuff for the storehouse. Sister Bly is continuing to volunteer there for now and Sister LeFeuvre was unable to make the party due to not feeling well, but I did get to say goodbye to her on the phone.
After the applause, Elder Goodsell said a prayer to bless the food and everyone got eating.
Pictures were taken after the luncheon was done and I will miss everyone I worked with.
Elder Woolf and Sister Woolf. Sister Bly. Elder Hodder and Sister Hodder from the Field Office. Sister Rogers. Elder Goodsell.Brother Murray (left) and Nathan Kyler. Elder Peterson, Sister Peterson, and Grandma Woolf. Elder Gallup and Sister Gallup.
In honor of M*A*S*H, "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen."
Saturday, March 1, 2014
March 1, 2014
Sister Bly very kindly picked me up at my house and brought me to the storehouse. Shortly after we arrived, we had prayer with Elder Kearl, Sister Kearl, and Elder Goodsell. We then got busy doing paperwork and helping patrons for an extended period of time before things got quiet again.
Around 11, Sister Bly and Sister Kearl summoned me into the break room and surprised me with a bit of a party that included food since it is my last Saturday serving at the storehouse as a missionary; Elder Kearl and Elder Goodsell were also there. Anyway, they had all got and signed a cute card for me and they also got me an amazing book authored by President Monson.
Around 11, Sister Bly and Sister Kearl summoned me into the break room and surprised me with a bit of a party that included food since it is my last Saturday serving at the storehouse as a missionary; Elder Kearl and Elder Goodsell were also there. Anyway, they had all got and signed a cute card for me and they also got me an amazing book authored by President Monson.
I also got a photo and said goodbye to Elder and Sister Kearl since my last day is Tuesday and they don't usually serve on Tuesdays unless they sub for someone else.
I will miss the mission, but the Lord only wanted me for a year and He truly knows best.
Friday, February 28, 2014
February 28, 2014
I took the bus to the college and got a taxi from the college to the storehouse. When I arrived, the order hadn't come yet, so I topped off shelves. Once everyone had arrived, the group (Gallups, Elder Goodsell, Petersons, volunteers, and Grandma Woolf) had prayer and then we worked on stocking various parts of the storehouse. When the fresh food order arrived, I helped sort it and then did some more stocking, including filling the celery area in the cooler up.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
February 22, 2014
Sister Bly very kindly picked me up at home and took me to the storehouse and we had prayer with Sister Pilling, Elder and Sister Kearl, and Elder Goodsell shortly after that.
Since it was quiet, Sister Kearl and I took care of cleaning the floors early. We eventually did help some patrons and do some paperwork, but we also stocked a great deal and were proud of our work.
I also had to say goodbye to Sister Pilling today since she won't be at the storehouse next week for my last Saturday. It's been wonderful working with each other and we will miss each other dearly.
Since it was quiet, Sister Kearl and I took care of cleaning the floors early. We eventually did help some patrons and do some paperwork, but we also stocked a great deal and were proud of our work.
I also had to say goodbye to Sister Pilling today since she won't be at the storehouse next week for my last Saturday. It's been wonderful working with each other and we will miss each other dearly.
February 21, 2014
I arrived quite early today and the fresh food order arrived while I was the only one there, so after the driver and Nathan unloaded it, I ended up counting the order and sorting it a bit.
After prayer with the Gallups, Elder Goodsell, and Grandma Woolf, I did a fair amount of stocking to sort of build on what the shift on Tuesday night was able to do between orders.
After prayer with the Gallups, Elder Goodsell, and Grandma Woolf, I did a fair amount of stocking to sort of build on what the shift on Tuesday night was able to do between orders.
February 18, 2014
This morning, we had group prayer and then I worked with Elder Goodsell (who is 19) on filling the out of town orders while everyone else worked together to do the same thing. After the out of town orders were filled, I helped Elder Gallup, Elder Goodsell, Elder Peterson, and Sister Peterson fill the meat portion of the out of town orders. Once that was all done, I helped stock shelves.
February 15, 2014
Sister Bly was kind enough to pick me up at home and take me to the storehouse and we had prayer with Elder Goodsell, Sister Pilling, and Elder and Sister Kearl shortly after we arrived.
Today, we all helped patrons and did the appropriate paperwork; I believe we stocked a bit as well.
Today, we all helped patrons and did the appropriate paperwork; I believe we stocked a bit as well.
February 14, 2014
I got a taxi from the college and the fresh food order was already there when I arrived, but Sister Woolf had work for me to do; she asked me to make addendums to the Bishop/Relief Society President phone number list so it was all up to date, which I did.
After group prayer, I cleaned the spice and icing bins and assisted with stocking shelves.
I also got a picture with Mona Petersen, the wonderful lady from the Field Office who trained me in a great deal of office duties when I first started my mission, since she wouldn't be there on my last day.
and this quote had been written on the board in the office by Sister Woolf and I felt so inspired by it that I took a picture of it.
After group prayer, I cleaned the spice and icing bins and assisted with stocking shelves.
I also got a picture with Mona Petersen, the wonderful lady from the Field Office who trained me in a great deal of office duties when I first started my mission, since she wouldn't be there on my last day.
and this quote had been written on the board in the office by Sister Woolf and I felt so inspired by it that I took a picture of it.
and I do always love quotes from the prophets!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
February 8, 2014
Sister Bly very kindly picked me up at home and brought me to the storehouse. After prayer with Sister Pilling, Elder Kearl, Sister Bly, and Elder Goodsell (Sister Kearl was in Calgary babysitting grandkids), it was very quiet and slow for a while, so we talked about various things.
Suddenly, in the middle of the morning, the storehouse became very busy and food literally flew off the shelves as we helped people to be able to get enough to eat. We were so busy that I ended up recruiting a Relief Society president, who had come to get an order for a patron, to help me gather, weigh, and bag bananas in the veggie prep room before putting them on the storehouse shelf.
We only had a little time to clean and stock at the end of the day, but it was such a nice day!
Suddenly, in the middle of the morning, the storehouse became very busy and food literally flew off the shelves as we helped people to be able to get enough to eat. We were so busy that I ended up recruiting a Relief Society president, who had come to get an order for a patron, to help me gather, weigh, and bag bananas in the veggie prep room before putting them on the storehouse shelf.
We only had a little time to clean and stock at the end of the day, but it was such a nice day!
February 7, 2014
After prayer with Woolfs, Grandma Woolf, Elder Goodsell, Elder and Sister Peterson, and the volunteers, I cleaned a shelf, stocked the same shelf with food, and then helped Sister Woolf bag tomatoes, cabbages, and apples in the veggie prep room along with Grandma Woolf and Sister Peterson.
February 4, 2014
Today, I missed prayer because the weather made the taxi later, but I was able to teach Sister Peterson about documenting and labelling paperwork for the out of town orders. I also helped Sister Bly and Elder Goodsell fill the orders while everyone else worked in pairs.
After helping Sister Bly with the paperwork, I also filled the cottage cheese and sour cream portions of the orders and also helped fill the meat orders a bit before I helped everyone with stocking shelves.
After helping Sister Bly with the paperwork, I also filled the cottage cheese and sour cream portions of the orders and also helped fill the meat orders a bit before I helped everyone with stocking shelves.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
February 1, 2014
Sister Bly very kindly picked me up and when we got to the storehouse, we had prayer, did paperwork, helped a bunch of very grateful patrons, did a bit of stocking and cleaning.
My heart warms and my spirit fills with joy when patrons express profound gratitude for help we give them and tell me that I am sweet; the Lord made me this way and I choose to accept His continued help in becoming better. The patrons, volunteers, and missionaries are all beloved children of God.
My heart warms and my spirit fills with joy when patrons express profound gratitude for help we give them and tell me that I am sweet; the Lord made me this way and I choose to accept His continued help in becoming better. The patrons, volunteers, and missionaries are all beloved children of God.
January 31, 2014
I got a cab to the storehouse from downtown and the driver asked if he could use the bathroom, so I very kindly let him. As he was leaving, I asked if he wanted to take a magazine with him to read between calls and he ended up taking a Deseret News newspaper, as he liked newspapers.
Additionally, the order came early and Elder Goodsell had counted it by the time I had arrived, so I stocked the cooler with cottage cheese, sour cream, milk, and lettuce. Once that was done, Woolfs, Elder Goodsell, Grandma Woolf, and new missionaries Elder and Sister Peterson from Magrath had come, so we had group prayer.
After prayer, I stocked the storehouse cooler with cheese, margarine, eggs, and carrots and then helped Grandma Woolf bag celery in the veggie prep room. I then cleaned a shelf and then helped stock the shelves.
Additionally, the order came early and Elder Goodsell had counted it by the time I had arrived, so I stocked the cooler with cottage cheese, sour cream, milk, and lettuce. Once that was done, Woolfs, Elder Goodsell, Grandma Woolf, and new missionaries Elder and Sister Peterson from Magrath had come, so we had group prayer.
After prayer, I stocked the storehouse cooler with cheese, margarine, eggs, and carrots and then helped Grandma Woolf bag celery in the veggie prep room. I then cleaned a shelf and then helped stock the shelves.
January 25, 2014
Most of the regular Saturday crew, except for Elder Goodsell and I, were off seeing to other commitments, so after prayer, Sister Humphries and I worked in the storehouse , did paperwork, and helped patrons while Elder Woolf, Elder Gallup, and Elder Goodsell worked on the big order in the back. It was a semi-busy, bur very enjoyable day.
January 24, 2014
Today, I stocked a few shelves before and after prayer and then I helped Sister Gallup bag tomatoes in the veggie prep room for a bit. After that, I helped Sister Woolf stock shelves right to the bottom, as she really likes all the shelves being stocked as much as possible and it's fun work.
January 21, 2014
After prayer with the group (which included a missionary couple who worked in the Field Office and wanted to see the entire process), I helped everyone fill the out of town orders and once they were all done, I helped with the stocking.
Elder Goodsell pranked me because I told him that my ear was blocked; he resorted to using hand signals to help me with the orders and wouldn't talk, but that's okay; playful teasing like that is a sign of acceptance and I'm glad to be accepted, as the Lord accepts me. :)
Elder Goodsell pranked me because I told him that my ear was blocked; he resorted to using hand signals to help me with the orders and wouldn't talk, but that's okay; playful teasing like that is a sign of acceptance and I'm glad to be accepted, as the Lord accepts me. :)
January 18, 2014
After group prayer, we ended up not being very busy and had time to talk, read Ensign magazines, and make sure everything was clean before we suddenly became very busy. We ended up being so busy that we only had time to help and do paperwork; we barely had time to stock and clean at the end of the day, but it's okay so long as we give the patrons and each other good spiritual experiences.
January 17, 2014
Today, I cleaned nine small shelves, cleared the Christmas items off of the shelves since we only carry the seasonal items before Christmas, boxed them all up, and carefully labelled the boxes before I stored them in the warehouse.
January 11, 2014
Sister Bly very kindly picked me up at home and brought me to the storehouse. After prayer with the Kearls, Sister Pilling, and Elder Goodsell, I helped stock shelves, assisted patrons, and did paperwork.
January 10, 2014
After prayer with Woolfs, Gallups, Elder Goodsell, Grandma Woolf, and volunteers, I washed some of the shelves, cleaned the spice and onion bins, and helped stock shelves.
Additionally, Sister Woolf said that she will miss me when my mission is done and that makes her sad, but she is happy that I was able to serve a mission.
Additionally, Sister Woolf said that she will miss me when my mission is done and that makes her sad, but she is happy that I was able to serve a mission.
January 7, 2014
After prayer with the group, I helped fill the out of town orders and then filled the sour cream and cottage cheese portions of the orders alone while everyone filled the meat portion of the orders. I then made up packs of toilet paper for the shelves and also helped stock for the evening shift.
January 4, 2014
After Sister Bly and I arrived at the storehouse and we had prayer with Sister Pilling, Elder Kearl, Sister Kearl, and Elder Goodsell, I assisted in helping patrons, helped finish labelling and boxing the bags of beans, and also did paperwork.
An afterthought came to mind which doubled as my testimony the next day; nobody is immune from challenges, yet everyone can feel and partake of the love that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ freely offer us. When we ask for relief from challenges, God will impart strength and ability to keep our faith strong enough that it may be faithfulness. See, faithfulness is acting in faith, that which is not seen, but which is known to be true. The Atonement is the giver of strength, courage, and ability.
An afterthought came to mind which doubled as my testimony the next day; nobody is immune from challenges, yet everyone can feel and partake of the love that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ freely offer us. When we ask for relief from challenges, God will impart strength and ability to keep our faith strong enough that it may be faithfulness. See, faithfulness is acting in faith, that which is not seen, but which is known to be true. The Atonement is the giver of strength, courage, and ability.
January 3, 2014
I did a lot of stocking today and also had the opportunity to serve as a listening angel to a patron, as I felt that I needed to sit with them while their order was taken care of by others. It felt so good to offer that listening ear, words given by the Spirit, and compassionate love as we talked.
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