HOLY COW. Transfers. Training. Leading -- Jan 13, 2014

I LOOOOOOOOOOVVVVEEEEEE MY FAMILY!  So much! Holy moly... I've been thinking about you ALL WEEK!  This past week was a whirlwind of emotion! 

 

At the beginning of the week, it got down to negative 45 degrees, so we were BANNED from going out!  So... We got "snowed in" with the McClellans which was wonderful! :)  We spent 61 hours together non-stop, because if we were to leave, the county would ticket you $100 and impound your car!  Yikes!  So for a few days, we just had some great studies/talks with the McClellans, and watched some REAL cheesy church videos (Saturday Warriors; The Phone Call; etc.)  It was great!

 

THEN ON WEDNESDAY WE GOT TRANSFER CALLS...... Elder Phillips is now gone, and President Porter called me and said that I've been called to follow-up train a new missionary who "wasn't trained right" and the be the new district leader. WHAT?  This past week has been such an intense flurry of emotions.  I feel SO inadequate and scared and nervous and anxious.   So pleeeease pray for me that I'll be able to train effectively and be a good leader.

 

Despite transfers, we were able to have some great lessons with a few of our investigators!  K____, who is part of a Less-active/part-member family, is now on date to be baptized on February 15th! :) :) :) :) we are SO PUMPED!  He lives with his girlfriend, who is a member, and they have a 3-year-old daughter.  He has been so willing to act on his faith, and has committed to live the Word of Wisdom, and to get married!  K____ and K______ (girlfriend) will be married hopefully by the end of the month.  Tender mercy!  Haha I gave him Pero to help him quit coffee, and we were able to give him a Priesthood blessing to help him overcome his addiction to cigarettes.  It was so wonderful!

 

D____, the 16 year old we've been working with, is unsure about baptism.  He doesn't have a super solid Christian background, so we're working on that to build his faith and testimony so that he can choose for himself to be baptized.

 

We have a few good potential activities and people coming out of the framework, and Heavenly Father has truly carried me each day this week!  It has been so hard but as I've relied more on Him, His miracles, and His grace, I've been supported and have been able to make it through each challenge.

 When we were looking for a good Mormon Message to share with members when we visit them, I came across this video:

 

http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/mormon-messages/mormon-messages-2013?lang=eng#/media-library/video/2013-01-003-mountains-to-climb?category=mormon-messages/mormon-messages-2013&_suid=1389629067961037153780774553396 

 

Watch it!  It made me cry.  It was JUST what I needed.  I think we ALL go through little times of trial, disappointment, fear, anxiety, etc. but if we turn to Heavenly Father in faith, it WILL sustain us and carry us through.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us the perspective we need to overcome any obstacle thrown in our path.  If we can but endure this small moment, we will be exalted on high!  I can't wait for the day when we can all look back on our times of challenge, or despair, or disappointment, and say, "Thank you, Heavenly Father, for letting me have that growing experience, and for getting me through it."  One day, ALL of our troubles or worries will disappear,and we will be able to look back on our lives with total happiness and contentment.  I LOVE THE HOPE OF THE GOSPEL!

 

I love you all so very, very much.  Thank you for your prayers, support, and love. I can feel it!

 

Love forever,
Elder Jason Allred

 

PS - Sorry for no pictures!  Go to http://ohiomcmission.blogspot.com/ for a few pictures the McClellans took of our happenings this week. :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! -- Jan 6, 2014

HELLO FAMILY!  HAPPY NEW YEAR!  I cannot believe that it's already 2014... Where did 2013 go?!  I hope your New Year is filled with happiness and a resolve to be even better!  I love the new year because it's the perfect kicker to get started on being BETTER!

This past week was GREAT!  It was SO busy, but it was wonderful. On Monday, we got a referral from a less-active member and went to contact him.  We call referrals "manna from heaven" because they are typically few and far between ;)  D____ is the less-active's grandson, and is pretty great!  He's 16, and has had a ROUGH life (living out of a car with his mom; dropping out of high school; etc.)  Due to some legal complexities with his mother, he is now living with his grandmother, the less-active who gave us the call.  It has been GREAT getting to know him better, teach him, and see the changes already take place in his life!  Since he's out of school right now, we were able to teach him 4 times this week!  We got him to pray out loud for the first time in his life!  It was a very touching experience.  He was SO NERVOUS, and we had to re-assure him like whoa, but after a few awkward minutes of waiting, he finally opened his mouth and offered a very humble prayer.  :)  He and his grandma even came to church yesterday despite the CRAZY blizzard!  D____ will be the key to getting his grandmother re-activated, and he as already accepted our invitation to be baptized!  WOW!  I think he is able to see and feel how Heavenly Father and the Spirit can and will help him through this hard time in his life, and further down the road.

We had another amazing lesson with C____, the widow that we have been visiting.  We are always touched by her humility and earnest desire to find the truth.  We are going to give her a chapel tour this week, and commit her to be baptized on February 1st!  

W_____, the young man we've been teaching has been flaking on us... but we're not giving up on him!  This past week we received a text from a part-member/investigator family we've been working with.  They are VERY poor, and were out of food, so we gathered up the extra food we had and some gift cards we received at Christmas and headed over to relieve them.  They were SO humbled and thankful.  After shoveling their driveway, we were able to teach K____, the non-member about faith and baptism.  We are SO excited for this family.  They have made some pretty poor choices in the past, but are now choosing to put their lives back in order.  I really admire people like that!  I am SO thankful for the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ that makes it possible for each and every one of us to repent, and become perfected through Him.  What a blessing to know that no matter how far we have strayed, there is ALWAYS hope; there is ALWAYS healing; it is NEVER too late to make things right.

We had a C-R-A-Z-Y snow storm yesterday and today, and because of it, we are not allowed out, so Sister Porter, the Mission President's wife, asked us to take our patriarchal blessings out, and do the following with them:

 

- Make an "I am..." list from your entire PB.  For example, "I am from the tribe of..."  or "I am born of goodly parents" etc.

 

- Next, make an "I will..." list from your entire PB.  Make the "I will" statements things you will do/accomplish as promised in your blessing.

 

- Lastly, make an "I won't..." list from your entire PB.  If your blessing has any warnings, write them down in this format.

 

I was able to take some time and do this activity, and I was BLOWN AWAY at all the wonderful things Heavenly Father has in store for me.  I was better able to see who I am, and how my Father sees me.  It will inspire you to live up to your divine potential!

I love you SO much!  May this new year bring a renewed determination to stay faithful, have fun, and BECOME who Heavenly Father wants us to be.

Love forever, 

Elder Jason Allred

PS - Transfer calls come this morning, so stay tuned for a potential change of address!

Pictures: 

 

Elder Allred has some "Swag"

 

 

SNOW SNOW SNOW!  two feet on the McClellan's deck!

 

Merry Christmas! -- December 30, 2013

Hooray for Christmas!  Hooray for missions! :)  This week was pretty darn good!

 

The few days leading up to Christmas, we were still making rounds to less-actives and active members to share a treat and bring the spirit of Christmas with that video I shared last week.  It was great!  Christmastime is such a wonderful time, because hearts are softened, and ears open. 

 

Christmas day, Elder Phillips and I took our packages to the McClellan's duplex in the early morning so we could have a "Christmas at home" with them.  It was so special!  Sister McClellan had gotten stockings and stuffed them for us, and they also bought us a huge 5' x 7' rug for our very bare apartment.  We have been craving any shred of carpet (we have all wood/linoleum), so this was a treasure!  We spent the morning opening gifts together and having some good laughs.  

 

 

Our District came over later, and we sang songs and had a little devotional.  THEN of course, I got to call home, WHICH WAS SO SPECIAL!  I love my family so much!  Not going to lie, it DID feel a little strange all of the sudden being able to talk with you! I was so nervous!  Weird, right? It was a very happy Christmas!

 

Due to Christmas, and some people being out of town, we didn't get to meet with as many people and investigators that we would have liked, BUT those we did meet with were SO. GOOD.  Holy Hannah.... C_____, the widow I mentioned last week, requested a book written by Thomas S. Monson, so we ordered one for her and delivered it.  She let us in again, and we had a BEAUTIFUL two-hour talk about the Restoration and the peace that comes from living the Gospel.  She is SO open, and SO humble.  I've never felt the Spirit so strongly that I did sharing with her the First Vision in Joseph Smith's own words.  She was AMAZED and so touched by Joseph's simple question and grand response.  She was crying.  We almost started crying. The Spirit was THERE.  It was so invigorating!  We all knelt down at the end and said a wonderful prayer.  It was such a treasured experience!  She is G-O-L-D-E-N.

 

W_____, the young man who stopped us on the train tracks one night, seemed to be slipping away from us.  We committed him to come to church and were even going to make him breakfast so he could make it, but he bailed, so we decided to just drop in last night.  He felt SO bad.  We asked if he'd like to go to the church to be taught, and he accepted, and we had another just POWERFUL lesson with him!  It was so exhilarating!  Asking inspired questions and getting him to open up to us was key, and then the Spirit came as we addressed his concerns, used the scriptures, and an object lesson.  He closed with such a sincere, honest prayer.  It was truly real intent.  He prayed, without suggestion from us, to know if what we were teaching was the truth.  He told Heavenly Father that he wanted to believe, and felt that it was right, and that he desired a confirmation.  It was great!  The Spirit does ALL the heavy lifting.  All we do as missionaries is create an environment in which the spirit can be felt, testify of doctrinal truths, and then the Spirit takes over.  Seeing the Spirit work in those we have grown to love here has been such a tender experience. We are excited for what is in store for Connie and William, and plan to get William on date for the 25th of January tonight.

 

Transfers are next week!  This has been a roller coaster of a transfer, and I know that good will come in the next, whether I stay in Angola, get transferred away, or get my visa.  It's all in His hands, and I can have the faith and confidence to know that it will all work out the way it should.

 

I love this Gospel.  I KNOW that it is true.  It has brought me such sweet peace and rest from my personal concerns and setbacks.  It has blessed the lives of the less-actives and investigators whom we teach.  You can SEE for yourself the goodness of our Savior as we choose to live what we know to be true.

 

Have a HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

 

Lots of love,

Jason

It's Christmas! (Almost...) -- December 23, 2013

HEEEEELLLLLLOOOOOOO!  MERRY CHRISTMAS!  I love you!  I miss you!  I CAN'T WAIT TO TALK TO YOU IN 3 DAYS!

 

This week has been PACKED!  So that's good!  We worked very closely with the McClellans (our senior couple missionaries here in Angola) and were able to get A LOT done this week!  Sister McClellan made some hecka good goodies to take around to less-actives in the ward, and we found a beautiful Christmas video on lds.org that really brings the Spirit in when shown.  We had some wonderful and heart-warming visits, and...... remember how last week at church we had 37 people?  THIS WEEK WE HAD 72!!!  That has NEVER happened here in Angola, so that was a miracle from Heavenly Father!  It was SO nice being able to see the tender mercies of Heavenly Father combined with our efforts pay off.  It was so cool!  We took breakfast to a part-member/less-active family Sunday morning to get them out of bed and ready for church, and they came!  And stayed the whole block! #miracle

 

We had a really, really great lesson with our newest investigator, C____.  She's in her 60's, and her husband just died of a combination of brain/lung cancer.  SHE. IS. GOLDEN.  Holy cow... we've been stopping by for a few months, but can never come in since she lives alone now, but now that the Senior couple is here, she wanted us all to come and share with her.  It was so neat!  The spirit was SO strong.  There were tears and testimonies, and I truly believe that if we stick with her, she will come into the waters of baptism, and have the goal to be sealed eternally to her husband.  She is so open, humble, and willing, and agreed to read from the Book of Mormon, pray to know, and to meet again.  We are SO thankful for the blessing of being able to teach her!

 

Funny story - Elder Phillips and I were filling up the font for a member baptism one morning this week, and as we were unlocking the door to the church, out of NOWHERE a HUUUUGGGGE squirrel jumped down right in front of us and just stood there for a few seconds guarding the door I guess before it scurried away.  Scared me stiff!  Haha but it made us both laugh really really hard.

 

We are SO excited for Christmas! Woop woop!  It was so special visiting tons of less-actives, and also members and investigators with this special video: http://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/glad-tidings-of-great-joy-the-birth-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng You can't help but to feel a special spirit as you watch the glory of the Savior unfold, and listen to the First Presidency talk about our beloved Christ.  I love this season!  I love my Savior!  I love being able to share my testimony and feelings about the Atonement with others, in effort to help them feel the love of Christ, and the love of our Father in Heaven.  I KNOW that they both love us dearly.  I know that it is through our Master Jesus Christ that we can overcome all and become perfected.  I know that there is true enabling power in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 

 

Philippians 4:13 reads: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."  I KNOW this to be true. I testify that as we wholly rely on our Savior to overcome ourselves, we will come to know that ALL things are possible.  I hope we can remember our Savior and His gifts of grace, love, and eternal life this Christmas.

 

I love you SO much! I wish each of you a very merry Christmas.

 

Love, Elder Jason Allred

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!--December 16, 2013

Hello family!  It has been another BUSY week here in Angola.

It is BITTER COLD here now!  Still humid, but only in the low teens most of the time, so it really cuts through you!  We got about 10" of snow this past week, so it has been an adventure driving through it!  Speaking of driving... I FINALLY got to drive this week!  It was therapeutic... I've missed driving SO MUCH!  The six-month drought is over though, because we drove all over the place this week.

We had a GREAT chapel tour with one of our investigators named W___.  He's 19 and very open to us.  We finally got him in the church building, and taught him there where the Spirit could be stronger.  We're excited to see him come!  We also taught the Plan of Salvation to one of our other investigators, K___, who is in a part-member/less-active family. His less-active wife wants to change her life and start coming back to church now that they have a daughter, and K____ is genuinely interested and very supportive, so we have high hopes for that family!

We also had a VERY successful Branch Christmas Party!  It was AWESOME!  ALL of the less-actives and part-member families that we have been working with came!  It was a huge success! :)  They all felt super welcome, and seemed to have a good time.  It was SO encouraging to see those we're working closely with to re-activate come and commit to come back to church.  Unfortunately, due to the whopping amount of snow that came on Saturday, church attendance was pretty sparse.... But we got to sing in sacrament!  Again!  Haha this time with the senior couple.  I LOVE THEM!

This past week, we had a WONDERFUL zone conference training by Elder Perkins of the seventy who was doing a "mission tour".  He encouraged us to erase the word "meeting" from our vocabulary and replace it with "revelatory experience".  In addition, he challenged us at the beginning of the training to write down two questions that we would like to receive and answer to, and see if they would be answered throughout the day.  It was such a cool experience!  It truly was revelatory, and I was able to have both of my questions answered in ways that I hadn't expected.  One of the highlights of that experience was recognizing how our prayers are answered.  This can be related to the Brother of Jared and his experiences:

- Sometimes, when we ask for help, the Lord will just SOLVE the problem or DO what we need for us, like when the Brother of Jared asked how to direct the barges.  He ( the Lord) said, "don't worry about it. I'll take care of it. I'll blow the winds and direct the barges for you."

- Oftentimes, when we ask for help or a solution to our problems, He will illuminate the solution, but require ACTION on our part, like when the Brother of Jared asked about how to get air, he was told how, but had to ACT for himself on what the Lord showed to him.

- Other times, when we go to Heavenly Father seeking an answer or guidance, He asks, "What would ye have me do"? and we have to come up with a solution ourselves, like the Brother of Jared did in response to his light problem.

Out of those three different ways, it sure would be nice if we could always have a "don't worry about it; I'll take care of it" answer, but out of the three situations, which caused the most personal growth?  Which required faith, thinking, and determination?  Heavenly Father wants to help us, but He also wants us to grow.  Sometimes, we must be left to come up with a faith-filled solution on our own before getting a confirmation from our Father in Heaven.

MERRY ALMOST CHRISTMAS!  This is the best time of the year!  I hope you all have a wonderful week and STAY WARM!  I love you!

Love, Jason

PICTURES: 

- Leaving the Mission!  Haha our area borders Michigan, so we thought it would be fun to take a "rogue" picture... Do you like what those signs say...?  Ha, I guess there are a bunch of Meth heads here.

- Minute to Win it at the Christmas party!

- SNOW!

A White Christmas -- December 9, 2013

Hello family!  It has been a CRAZY but wonderful week!

C____ AND B______ GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!  WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!  Holy cow... I love those girls.  They are such choice spirits, and it was such a JOY teaching them.  They are golden, and totally prepared.  I'm so thankful Heavenly Father allowed me to be a part of their conversion.

 The morning of their baptism, OF COURSE the water heater at our building was out.... SO we had to boil water on the stove in the kitchen and dump in pot after pot to try to warm it up a little!  Haha... at least there weren't ice cubes in the font.  It was a miracle that they could get baptized... With just about zippo support from either parent... It breaks my heart.  We went over a few days before the baptism to their trailer to fill out some paperwork and teach them the last few commandments, and there was such a negative spirit there.  It was a total mess, their father was smoking, swearing, and threatening them.... It was really really sad.  It amazes me that the children are able to even smile or be happy EVER there!  (They don't look too happy in the picture, hahaha but they are HILARIOUS and always laughing and smiling with us).  I was pretty surprised their dad even signed the paper to allow them to be baptized!  Tender mercy!  Those sweet girls have a lot to deal with, but I know that their example has already and will continue to inspire their father and mother to change.

I think I mentioned last week that the Senior Couple came!  Elder and Sister McClellan are A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  They are so funny!  SISTER McCLELLAN IS HILARIOUS!  Pretty sassy and always smiling!  We've already been able to go out teaching with them a few times.  They rock!  They are just what our struggling little branch needs.

With them, we went out and visited a few less-actives.  At one of our visits to a less-active family, I left my coat at their home, so I texted them and said, "Oh no!  I forgot my coat at your house!  Could you bring it with you to church on Sunday?"  TRAPPED!  Hahaha it was a total accident, but it worked!  That less-active family came and stayed all three hours (and brought my coat back for me ;)).  Maybe it was meant to be.

Angola is the coolest at Christmas time.  The "mound" where we live is covered in lights and signs, and Christmas music is playing throughout the day.  You can't help but smile.

Christmas is in the air!  We went with Elder and Sister McClellan to a few community events that were super fun.  One was a "Bethlehem Marketplace" at this HUGE anti-Mormon church.  Haha it was very well done though!  Members of their congregation all dressed up and set up a Bethlehem town in their humongo church that was very realistic.  Roman guards would come up and brisk you, warning you of the foolish talk of the "newborn king", and demanding you pay your taxes!  There were beggars and vendors who would give you samples of figs and fresh bread and such.  And of course, at the end we made it to Jesus.  Pretty neat!  We also went to a Messiah sing along at the Catholic church which was very well done.

It is soooooo stinkin' cold here!  Usually in the teens, with a very brisk breeze.  The past few days have brought snow which is delightful and makes it feel more like Christmas time.

I am SO thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ.  It is such a wonderful opportunity we have to share our testimonies with all of those around us.  I know that Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us.  That because He loves us, He sent His son to set the perfect example, and to provide a way for us to repent, be healed, and come back to live forever in peace and joy in His presence with our families.  I LOVE THIS GOSPEL!  I know that it is TRUE.

I love you all!  Thanks for the letters and love and prayers.  THEY ARE FELT.

Love forever,
Jason

Fun and the Flu -- December 2, 2013

Hello family!  I can't believe another week has flown by!  AND IT'S DECEMBER.  Goodness me... it's been a little crazy around here!

B_____ and her older sister C_____ are still on track for baptism THIS SATURDAY!  We are so excited for them.  They really are the sweetest little girls.  I know that they will be a marvelous example to the rest of their family, and key in the conversion of their mother, and the re-conversion of their father.  FUNNY STORY. So.... there are certain principles/commandments/lessons that we HAVE to teach our investigators as missionaries.  One of which is chastity. HOOOOLY MOLY it was laughable trying to teach the law of Chastity to a 9 year old who knows NOTHING about any of that.... There were a lot of "huh?" and "uhhh..." moments, but we did our best... hahaha hopefully they understand as best as they can!  You can only beat around the bush so much, you know? :)

We got two new investigators this week!  Woohoo!  We've been stopping by this really sweet old lady the past couple of weeks, who lives alone and has had a LOT of hardship in her life.  Her name is L____, and she has had the missionaries teach her in years past.  We went back with a member and I think her heart has been softened by what she's been through.  She has some depression issues, so we're really trying to help her see how the gospel will bless her life with more purpose, peace, and direction.  I think she'll continue to meet with us!

We've also been working with a part member/less-active family.  It's been really hard getting a solid return appointment with them, but we stopped by on Saturday and they surprised us by saying that their who family would be coming to church this week!  Woop woop!  And sure enough, they ALL came.  Tender mercy!  It was fast and testimony meeting as you know... haha and sometimes those are a little... different in a small branch, haha but hopefully they were able to feel the spirit.

W_____, the 20 year old young man who approached us on the train tracks met with us again this week!  We taught him the Plan of Salvation, and he kept saying how "it makes so much sense!".  He was hesitant to say the closing prayer out loud in front of us, but he agreed to say it silently with us, and closed with an audible "amen".  It was actually really powerful!  I felt the spirit touch each of us as he prayed silently, and I think he was able to feel it, too. :)

NOW  DON'T GET MAD, MOM, but.... guess who caught the flu...? YEP!  Elder Phillips and I both came down with flu-like symptoms Saturday and all day Sunday (diarrhea, vomiting, aches, cold sweats etc.)  Guess we waited too long to get our shots!  Maybe it's not the flu and just a nasty bug.. but needless to say, the past few days have NOT been too good!  But, before we got TOO sick on Saturday, we went to the A______'s (a family in the branch) to blow up one of Elder Phillip's shirts for his one year anniversary!  Brother A_____ has been offered a slot on the special forces team ABOVE Seal Team 6, so.... He's pretty legit and has a lot of fun things that go "boom".  That was fun!

The senior couple came though!  Elder and Sister McClellan are AWESOME.  They are SO sweet, very physically active, and just what our branch needs!  We're so pumped to start working with them this week!  We felt bad... we roughed it to sacrament meeting so we could greet our investigators who came and the senior couple, then had to be taken home right after to rest... So much for first impressions!

This is the Lord's work!  I KNOW that the fullness of the Gospel has been restored.  It has been so marvelous seeing the Gospel bless the lives of those we teach.  I love you!  Heavenly Father loves you!

Love, Elder Jason Allred

PS - sorry... it has been a crazy week, so no pictures.  I'll be sure to send some next week.