Lots of Pictures This Week!

August 18. 2015

Hey everybody!! hows it going?

Sorry I haven't written in a few weeks. We've been real busy out here. Lots of teaching people. which is awesome! We baptized a girl - Emily, on Saturday. and it was such a great experience. She is so solid, shes going to go to BYU.

Anyways. here's some pictures.

We taught the CTR 5 class the other day. The kids were crazy. And we drew pictures of missionaries.

Have a great week guys!

the book of normon

This week was a little challenging. I got a super bad case of food poisoning, and I’ve been attached to the toilet for the last 3 days. I think more challenging then the food poisoning though is a text message we got from one of the people we’ve been trying to reach out to.

The other day, we had a super spiritually powerful lesson with her and her family, but she texted us yesterday, and in her text she voiced to us, that she prayed about it, and she doesn’t think the Book of Normon is true. (not a typo). My first thought was - well, if you think it’s called the Book of Normon, you obviously haven’t done your part to read it and pray with real intent.

As a representative of the lord, that’s the one thing that really frustrates me. And it must be terribly frustrating to the lord - is when people don’t do their part. I shouldn’t be frustrated, because I know I don’t live up perfectly to everything I believe to be true. But we know that when we do our part, the lord does his part. I feel so bad for this lady, because she has no idea what she is missing out on.

My companion responded with a text with a lot more love then I would have, and said that we know the things we taught you are true, and we know that Heavenly Father loves you.

Way to be Christlike Elder V. I need to be more like that.

Other than that, things are going great here.

I hope everyone has a great week! 

Elder Allison

My definition of a true christian

Hey everybody!

What a great week. We got to go to the temple, we did a missionary exchange, and I got to work with other missionaries in the zone, and we found some more people who are - thirsty - for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

I don’t have lots of time this week to write. But here is what’s important. We had the opportunity to teach a girl with a crippling disease in a wheelchair this week. And at the end of our discussion we asked her to pray.

As she prayed, that familiar, massive feeling of love filled our hearts. Because she didn’t ask for a single blessing for herself. Her entire prayer - which was said in broken speech because of her illness - was not for blessings, but that her, and us, can be a blessing, to those, whose suffering is obviously much less then hers. There is my definition of a true Christian.

I want you all reading this to watch - and share this Mormon message. I think it’s my new favorite.

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/lift-the-power-of-service

Also here’s some pictures from this week

Oh yeah - the best district, at the temple!

                                          some of our favorite people ever!

Have a great week everyone!!!

Love Elder Allison

Real Christians Never Give Up

Monday, April 20, 2015

Not a lot of time this week, we've got stuff to do.

Here's some pictures of our p-day adventure :-)

"Elder, can we go down, I'm scared of heights"  "No Elder. you play professional rugby. You can't be scared. There's only one way we need to go and that's to the top. Real Christians never give up."

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

Monday, April 13, 2015

This is about the only awesome thing that happened this week.

So, (not to throw anyone under the bus) but Saturday night we got a call from a member of our bishopric, who told us that they totally forgot to make assignments, and they have no speakers for church on Sunday, and they asked if we would speak ha-ha. So we said yes of course.

Due to our short time we had to plan, we weren't really prepared to fill an entire sacrament meeting with inspired words. We were a little bit nervous, so when my companion got up to speak first, I said a silent prayer to myself that he wouldn't be nervous, and that he would feel peace and have the holy ghost with him. (And that he would talk for a long time.)

About half way through my companions sermon though, I noticed a spider - about the size of a half dollar, crawling all over and around Elder Mahe's back and shoulders. I have no idea how it got there - and how he couldn't feel it. Another brother up on the stand saw it too, and we looked at each other with the same expression - oh no. What do we do? This is not the normal.

And here’s the miracle of the week -

The spider eventually crawled up on Elder Mahe's neck where he definitely felt it - He smashed it with his hand, looked at it to see what it was, and wiped the spider guts on his notebook where his talk was written - and without even hesitating or missing a word.

I think if that happened to me while I was giving a talk in church, I would probably stop drop and roll. The power of prayer works. My companion definitely was calm and peaceful, and had the Holy Ghost with him to get rid of the spider without making a scene. Missionaries: 1 Satan: 0

I testify that prayer works. And that Heavenly Father is more than willing, and wants to answer our righteous prayers. He may not always directly change your circumstances, but he will give you power and strength to change your own circumstances. And sometimes that power and strength is as small and subtle as the power to overcome a fear and smash that spider.

Hope everyone has a great week!
Elder Allison

Stay on the path....

March 9, 2015

Sorry I haven’t been writing much lately. Elder Mahe and I are pretty busy. Nothing really new. We found a couple of new people who want to hear our message this last week. Hopefully they will choose to get baptized, so that they can see how embracing the gospel of Jesus Christ can help them be more peaceful happy people.

Other than that. Nothing new this week. I crashed my bike twice this week. I guess that’s new ha-ha. Don’t worry I’m not hurt, nothings broken. Just some scraped knees. It was more embarrassing then anything. It was an accident, I hit a bump in the sidewalk and spun out of control.

I got up, dusted myself off, and said a prayer - shaking my fist at the sky "dang it, why did you let that happen. Missionaries are supposed to be protected from these sort of things."

And then I felt bad and said another prayer - "sorry god. I didn’t mean to say that. Thank you for humbling me. I really needed that, I was getting kind of prideful. I’m not going to make that mistake again. (I'm not going to try to use the bump in the sidewalk to see how much air I can get on my bike anymore.)

Anyways. I was thinking about my experience, how I can learn from it. And I was thinking, life is like riding your bike down the sidewalk.  Don’t go off the path, because you’ll crash and burn in the bushes. Or get stuck in the mud, and you’ll have to get off and push back to the path. You might even need some help. Sometimes the sidewalk is smooth and easy, and sometimes it’s rough and bumpy. Sometimes were riding, sometimes were tired and just pushing the bike. And sometimes we fall down. You have to learn how to maneuver around the hard spots, and you have to work out your legs so you can get buff, so you can make it up the steep hills.

Something cool about the sidewalk of life, is that you can go at your own pace. There’s no first or second or last place. All who get to the finish line are winners.

The best part about the sidewalk of life though, is that you’re not by yourself. Were all in this together. And we have our older brother Jesus Christ, reaching his hand down to help us up when we fall down, and riding next to us, cheer leading us along, when we think we don't have the strength to climb the steep hills of life.

I know that the Savior is a healer for the hurting, the motivator for the unmotivated, and the helping hand for those who have fallen, and don’t think they can get back up.

I hope everyone has a great week!! I love you!

Elder Allison

Happy Valentine's Day!

February 16, 2015

Hey everyone! Good week this week. My Tongan is improving ha-ha. Valentine’s Day was kind of awkward as a missionary. It was great not being obligated to participate though. (Although most years I don’t have anyone to celebrate with anyways, lol JK!)

Friday night my companion and I were riding our bikes home, and we saw a few people talking to each other in a driveway, and we decided to go talk to them to see if they would like to hear a message about Jesus Christ, that will improve the quality of their lives, and help them receive eternal life in God's kingdom for eternity. So we rode up and started talking with them. There were two guys who really weren't interested, but there was a girl who said her volley ball coach growing up was a Mormon, and she would love to hear our message.

Turns out she lives in Arcadia CA, and she’s up here for the weekend to see her boyfriend. That’s alright, we said. We have missionaries in Arcadia that would be excited to talk to you. As this is happening, a car rolls up on the street, completely packed full of pink valentine’s balloons. And the boyfriend Chris gets out and walks up to us. So here we are, writing down this girls number, boyfriend confused, and friends laughing their heads off. 

Happy Valentine’s Day Chris! I know our conversation was awkward, but I promise if you act on the message the missionaries have to share, it will bring you and your girlfriend peace in this life, and eternal life in the afterlife.

I hope everyone had a great valentine’s day, and a great week.

Don’t let the missionaries get in the way of your loved ones... but let their message - the good news of the Savior Jesus Christ - be the glue that binds your relationships together, and seals you to your family forever.

Have a great week!

Elder Allison