Another week

Holy moly!  It's been a VERY busy few days here in Centerville.  Monday was Labor day, so the library was closed, so that's why I'm writing today. (I'll be back this next Monday though :))

 

We have been running around like crazy getting things prepared/copied/secured for the new set of missionaries coming to our ward!  Elder Christensen and I were on "apartment finding duty" and had to spend the majority of a day biking around to various apartment complexes, trying to secure a spot for the new Sisters!  Yes! Sisters! (We're about 90% sure).  We found one, it fell through, then we went finding with the Senior missionaries and had a miracle find that we were able to secure in a matter of minutes.

 

This past week, we had an AMAZING lesson with C____ and her son, our most progressing investigators.  Aaaaaaaannnddd... Now her son is on date for baptism, too!  We're so thrilled because two weeks ago, he didn't want to get baptized, but now, it's looking like he'll get baptized before his mother.  C_____ has been having a really hard time with the Word of Wisdom, and with Joseph Smith/Book of Mormon.  My companion felt inspired to give her a "testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith" pamphlet, and the next day, we got this text from C_____ saying how it was "EXACTLY what I needed a year ago! I loved it! I was swept into his testimony".  It was just the push we needed with her, so I'm so glad that truly ".. by small and simple means, great things are brought to pass."

 

Some other highlights of the week include:

- Eating dinner with an investigator family, the A_____'s.  They're really sweet and we left them with a Restoration DVD and hope to go back!

 

- Finding a PORTUGUESE investigator!!  A few missionaries in the past ran into a lady named Eva, and we got back into contact with her!  She took us out to Bob Evans and I was able to speak with her a little in Portuguese! Yay!  (I guess that means my Visa is coming soon now that I found a Portuguese person to teach, right ;))

 

- Tracting is a lot more fun now!  I'm starting to be more confident and outgoing, and have been able to get some new potential investigators

 

- We received two referrals from church headquarters with faulty addresses, and while we were looking them up, I got a letter from the Church travel department!  My heart STOPPED.....  But all it said was something along the lines of "Thanks for working so hard in the Ohio, Cincinnati mission.  Keep working! We'll let you know when we receive your visa."  Haha these 7 weeks have been a good lesson in enduring.  :)

 

I have such a testimony that Heavenly Father is a God of love, and a God of MIRACLES.  This is a work of miracles, and I know that as we pray to experience miracles, and pray to recognize miracles big or small in our lives, our outlook on life will change for the better, and our faith will increase. 

 

I love you all SO MUCH!  Thanks for your letters and prayers.  They really mean the world to me.

 

Picture 1 - There's this thing called "Skyline Chili" that's reeeeeally big out here!  It's literally chili on top of spaghetti with a TON of cheese on top.  So weird, but pretty good, actually!  It was raining that day, so a nice member picked it up for us.

 

 

 

Picture 2 - Call me the DUCK WHISPERER.  Haha there are SO many ducks E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E here!

 

 

Picture 3 - Saving souls one door at a time. :)  

 

 

A rough but great week!

Hi Family!

 

Wow!  Can you believe I've been in Ohio for over 30 days now?  Goodness!  Where does time go?

 

This week was full of good, and had it's sad moments, too.  I went on exchanges with some different missionaries and that reeeeeally made me even more grateful for my companion!  The Elder I was on exchange with that day was SO negative about nearly every aspect of missionary work!  It made my heart really sad!  He's been out for over 20 months, and complained and gossipped ALL day. :(  BUT, while I was with him, we taught a really cool lady named Betsy for THREE AND A HALF HOURS!  Yippee!  It was a looooong visit, but she had lots of great questions about the Word of Wisdom, Law of Chastity, and tithing.  It was a great discussion!  Anyways, that experience made me grateful for my companion who is positive about missionary work, despite his little quirks :)

 

One of our investigators, has decided to stop investigating the Church.  :( He had been doing so well and had been on and off date for baptism, but feels like he has a "different" calling in life.  It's heartbreaking to see someone you care about and have worked with for so long choose to give something up that would make their lives infinitely more meaningful.  We also got a call from our other progressing investigator, that she thinks she's "too old" to make a change like this.... She's 55.....  Thankfully, we're meeting with her and her 12 year old son, tomorrow, and we're really hoping and praying hard that she and her son will stay on track for baptism.

 

We've been having a hard time finding new people to teach this week. We'll walk around for hours at a time through neighborhoods, looking for someone who will hear us out.  We've been mostly unsuccessful, but I have faith that we WILL find someone soon!  There's no such thing as a dry area, just dry missionaries!

 

Some highlights from the week:

 

- After trying to find new people all day, we tried one last street and found a 91 year old woman and talked to her for about 30 minutes!  We'll be going back this week to talk to her :)

 

- That same day, we were riding back home at night on the sidewalk around a runner, who we "scared the *poop* out of" who was actually delighted to see us!  We gave her a super condensed Restoration lesson as we rode next to her and she jogged, gave her our number, and are hoping that she calls!  She kept saying "Amen!" after everything we were telling her and she told us how much she loves God and Christ, so... if anything a seed was planted and it brightened our day.

 

- Yesterday, we had a very special mission-wide meeting in Cincinnati.  Dallin H. Oaks was in the area re-organizing a stake, and agreed to speak to the missionaries only for an hour!  It was amazing!  I SHOOK HIS HAND AND HE LOOKED ME IN THE EYE AND SAID I LOOKED SHARP!  My life was made!  It was such a powerful experience being just three rows away from an apostle of God.  Probably a once in a lifetime experience for me. It was revitalizing being with our whole mission, united as one, with an apostle talking just to US. So special!

 

I know that Heavenly Father is a loving God who KNOWS what each and every one of us is going through.  I know that through the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can not only overcome sin, any feeling of doubt, loneliness, or despair.  The Restored Gospel is so beautiful!

 

I love you all!  Know that you're in my thoughts and prayers ALWAYS.

 

Com MUITO amor,

Elder Jason Allred

Another great week in Centerville! :)

Hello family!  My my my... I seriously can't believe how fast time has flown by this week!  Seriously, I've been in Ohio nearly a month already now!  Crazy!

 

This week was WONDERFUL!  The weather has been cool and mostly dry like a lovely Virginia autumn. 

 

Here are some of the highlights of this week:

 

-I went on my first exchanges!  With the Zone Leaders, too, so I was a little nervous, but it was a GREAT experience.  I went to their area, Englewood, and slept there/worked the next day with them.  Englewood is a much, much poorer area with a high crime rate, and we kept hearing sirens go off every so often!  The Zone Leaders had great pointers for me and helped me get over my fear of talking with everyone I saw about the Gospel.  It was dinner time, and as we turned to meet up with the other Elders, a car zoomed by, screeched to a halt, and three teenage boys called us over.  I thought I was going to get mugged!  Turns out they were SUPER nice and cool, and we talked to them for about 20 minutes about prophets and the Restoration.  It was really neat!

 

-Two nights ago, when we were about to go to sleep, and my companion told me that I was his favorite companion.  I was really shocked and really humbled that he could look over my faults and see the good in me. :)

 

     This past week, I had some time to sit and read the September Ensign, and was touched by the article, "Opening Our Hearts to Revelation".  I've always had a hard time figuring out what personal revelation is and how I can receive it, but I've learned now for myself that it is real and ever important to the well-being and productivity of our souls.  Just as letters  of love, support, advice, and encouragement from home buoy you up while you're away or struggling, personal revelation is the same!  Personal revelation is a message of peace, guidance, and support from a loving parent, our Heavenly Father.  If we could just set aside a few minutes each day from our hectic schedules to be still and quiet, seeking guidance from above, we will be able to refocus on our purpose and priorities, and put ourselves in a position to better receive and feel the messages our Heavenly Father would have us receive.

 

     After an amazing Zone Conference this past week full of learning and the Spirit, I felt dark and irritable for no earthly reason!  I was distracted, unfocused, and unhappy, and we were just about to teach one of our investigators.  The counsel from this article popped into my head, so I excused myself from the earshot of my companion for a few minutes and offered a prayer to Heavenly Father, asking for His help to overcome these feelings.  Just like that, those feelings left me, and my companion and I were able to teach in unity and with the Spirit, AND.... *drum roll please*.... GOT HER COMMITTED TO BAPTISM FOR SEPTEMBER 21st!!

    

I KNOW that Heavenly Father is a God of love, and miracles.  He truly is our tender parent who is aware of His children's trials and struggles, no matter how small they may seem.  Sometimes all we have to do to be more in tune with His messages of love, support, and direction is ASK for His help, and then LISTEN to what He has to say.

 

I love you all SO much!  Thanks for the love, prayers, and support you offer me.  This Gospel is TRUE!  Heavenly Father loves YOU!  I love you!

 

Love, Elder Jason Allred

 

Picture:  Me working on both my spiritual and physical physique  ;)

 

Which week is this...?

Hello family!  My my my this past week has FLOWN by!  Elder Christensen and I have been kept super busy!  I can't believe it's already been a whole week since I was last able to mail you!

 

This week has been GREAT!  We were able to do a lot of service for non-members, and we able to go back and meet with some potential investigators!  On Tuesday, we were helping an investigator with their yard. This family is really nice.  They have 4 children, two with special needs, and both parents work really hard to provide a good life for their children.  The mom is SO kind and said we could come back and share our message.  We're eating dinner with them on Wednesday and will be teaching them the Restoration and more about our role as missionaries!  We're so excited!  We made some homemade cookies today to take with us, too :)

 

Can I say once again how awesome the Centerville ward is?  They ROCK!  Members are ALWAYS feeding us, offering us rides, going on splits with us, and offering their homes for teaching our investigators.  They are a model for member missionary work!  It is so exciting to see members get involved, and it is wonderful to see the progresss that happens because of them!  Most of our investigators were found by them, and when they come with us to teach, they are a powerful addition to the lesson.  Our Ward Mission Leader, Bro. Arner, is SUCH a great example to me.  He is a doctor, has 6 young children, and very enthusiastically makes time for us and goes out with us to contact less-actives and investigators.  Members really are the key to missionary work!

 

We were able to teach a young part-member/investigator family this past week.  I was SO nervous because I had never talked to them or really taught a formal lesson in the real world, but it was wonderful!  The wife, who is investigating the church, told us how she just "feels" like the Book of Mormon and Church are true.  She's been reading the Book of Mormon and trying to do family home evening and things, and is really progressing!  We're hoping to get her on date and have her less-active, super cool husband baptize her! Yay! 

 

This past week was full of training for new missionaries.  It was great!  President and Sister Porter taught us (the newest misisonaries) how to deal with doubt and the negative/scary feelings that come with missionary work.  It was EXACTLY what I needed.  I felt like the whole training was just for me, and my soul really ate it up.  It was perfect.  I know Heavenly Father is keenly aware of all of His children.  Being out in the mission field has really helped me see how insignificant my worries of being "a perfect missionary" are and helped me realize how I can use whatever skills/knowledge I have to bless others who are experiencing REAL problems wtih their lives.  It's funny how trials really make you learn, and after you choose to help and focus on others instead of yourself, they become less and less important.  I love that!  As part of Language Study, the Assistants to the President have me call Elder Tolman (the other Visa waiter in the mission) each day so we can talk for 30 minutes over the phone in Portuguese!  It's been really fun, and verrrrry helpful!

 

Today and tomorrow, we are snagging a ride up to a place called Englewood to go on exchanges for the day with our Zone Leaders.  It will be a great experience!  It has been so wonderful learning so much so quickly.

 

Fun story - Today right before coming to the library to email, we met a really nice lady at the hair cuttery who talked to us for about 20 minutes while we were waiting to get our haircuts.  Turns out her Sister is LDS and served a misison about 25 years ago, and so she has a soft spot for the missionaries of the church because even though she's not a member, she knows that it is hard work and a good work.  We said goodbye and when it came time to pay for our haircuts, we were told that the lady had paid for us.  What a sweetie!  She is a Walmart employee, and didn't have much, but she wanted to contribute to a good cause secondarily.  What a kind soul. :)

 

We're hoping to find more people to teach this week and get one of our Investigators and her son, on date for baptism!  Wish us luck!

 

I KNOW that Christ lives. I  KNOW that this Gospel is true!  Heavenly Father is so good to His children.  He answers prayers.  I know He hears them.  I love Him!

 

I love you all, and am SO grateful that I was blessed to be a part of your family!

 

Love, Elder Allred

PS - Here's a picture of me and Elder Christensen tracting!  I'll try to take more creative pictures this week :)  LOVE YOU!

  PPS-I forgot to say in my email, that Centerville (my area) is getting ANOTHER set of missionaries!  So exciting!  We're such a small area, but the Lord is truly hastening His work!

WEEK 2 IN CINCY!

Hello Family and Friends!

 

What a wonderful week.  The public library is PACKED, so I might only have 30 minutes this week to email, but I'll try to get it all in  :)

 

Heavenly Father has REALLY helped me this week!  Last week, during my first few days, I was so unsure about everything it seemed.  I felt like I didn't belong here, like this was just 'temporary' and was feeling a little down.  Thankfully, He's really helped me out this week!  I'm so much happier, and EXCITED to do the Lord's work!  Sure, most people poo-poo us, but when you can feel you've touched someone, it makes it all worth it.  Here are some of the adventures from this week:

 

-We bike A TON!  I love it!  I'm always hungry, but the ward members always feed us.  They're so great!  I'm pretty sure I'm losing weight.... Guess I should up my daily calories to 4000 or something!

 

- We did a LOT of service for this lady we found named Molly.  It was hot, and we were at her house for about 4 hours trimming high hedges, trees, and bushes on her very slanted backyard with a wobbly ladder.  Elder Christensen accidentally sawed through her extension cord (oops!) so we had to work EXTRA hard and do the job with hand saws and hand clippers.  Ouch!  She was super thankful and invited us back to her home for a "presentation" she was doing.  We were delighted at the opportunity to get some potential teaching time in, so we committed to be there and invited her to our church.  Turns out her "wellness" meeting was actually a multi-level marketing ploy....  BUMMER!  She's not interested anymore.

 

- While out and about, we called to invite a part-member/investigator family to church.  They don't have a car, so they couldn't make it, but reached out to US and offered a time for US to come by and teach them!  They've been really hard to contact, so this was such a blessing!

 

- Just yesterday after church, we were going door-to-door, and a man with the biggest, meanest dog I've EVER seen brought him to the door and threatened to let him loose on us... Yikes!  I almost laughed at him... Good thing I didn't because I don't think he was kidding.  The next house after him, though, was an 84 year old man who could be a golden investigator.  He welcomed us in and we talked for over 90 minutes about the Gospel, Church History, and his life.  His wife passed away at 55, and he had a miracle heart transplant just two weeks after being put on the list for one, so he's wondering if there's some reason why God spared him and gave him this second chance. And, he's SUPER interested in family history (spirit of Elijah! Yay!)  We bore testimony of the Gospel, and left him with the Book of Mormon which he said he'd read.  We hope and pray this will end well.

 

-We helped a new family in the ward move a 100 year old piano out of someones basement.  Even with 6 adult men, that HUGE, old piano must have weighed at least 500lbs.... It was a DOOZY.

 

These were just some of the highlights of the week, but man, Centerville really is so gorgeous.  It's SO green, and just about every neighborhood, though older, is lovely!  Lots of big yards, and TONS of old people :)  Most of the residents are either Air Force families, or born and raised in Dayton.  I'd say about 1 in 3 homes have a Buick in the driveway.... or two.  Haha

 

God is good!  He WANTS to bless His children!  The Gospel is TRUE! 

 

I've attached some silly pictures of me that I took throughout the week.

 

 (Like that bike/helmet combo?  Can't argue with free! - they're both about as old as I am  :)

 -Picture of my apartment

 -Picture of Elder Christensen and I eating Graeter's Ice Cream.  So good!

 

Sure love you all!

From the Mission President!

We are so excited to have your son in the new Ohio Cincinnati Mission!!

Week 1 as a Real Missionary!

Hello family!  CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT I'M SERVING A MISSION RIGHT NOW???  It's so crazy to me.  It feels like I'm in a dream each day!  I'm alive!  It's so strange not waking up in the MTC each morning and going to class with a big group of newbies.  It feels even weirder to have people reject your message!  They didn't prep us for this at the MTC! 

 

On Wednesday morning, I woke up at 2am, caught my bus at 3am, and got to the Salt Lake airport around 4am.  I was plumb tuckered out by then! I'm so glad I got to travel with Elder Tolman (see photo) from my district.  We had a layover in Minnesota, so I got to call Mom and talk to her for a while. :)  When we landed in Cincinnati I was SO nervous!  I thought I would have time to run to the bathroom and freshen up or something before meeting my new mission president, but they were waiting to greet us even before we got to baggage claim.  I was a sweaty mess!  President and Sister Porter are AWESOME.  For being brand new themselves, they certainly are on the ball.  Elder Tolman and I got to ride in the mission truck that was pulling the luggage of the 30 or so new missionaries coming to the Ohio, Cincinnati mission because Elder Tolmans older brother is the Assistant to the President and was driving.  

 

 

 

Ohio is SO green!  (See picture)  I am in an area called Centerville, which is a suburb near Dayton.  It's neat that I get to serve near where I was born.  The mission home is in Cincinnati.  On the way there from the airport, we turned a big corner on the freeway, and BOOM!  There's the Cincinnati Skyline.  

 

 

So pretty.  President and Sister Porter's house is great!  It's a pretty large home in a lovely neighborhood.  Sister Porter had prepared Cafe Rio style dinner for us to eat and get acquainted with the other missionaries we would serve with.  After dinner, we had interviews with the President, and then a great presentation by the president.  He is a powerful man!

 

The next morning, we woke up at 5:30 to head over to the transfer meeting.  Since the mission covers a large area, I was assuming I'd be in a car zone.... NOPE!  Elder Christensen (my trainer) and I were assigned to a bike area!  Centerville is lovely.  It's an older community, and many people that we've contacted have grown up in the area.  There are parks EVERYWHERE, and also countless churches of differing faiths.  The first few days, we were on foot (since I didn't have a bike) and I got blisters on both feet.  Thankfully, a wonderful ward member let me borrow their bike/helmet for my stay in the area.  The ward here is AWESOME!  There are so many kind and warm people, and we've already had meals with 4 member families!  This ward is phenomenal at ward missionary work. They are always giving us referrals and coming up with ways to re-active the less-actives and visit/serve others.  They are such wonderful examples of disciples of Christ!

 

I thought I would be in a "trio", but no one in the mission is.  My companion, Elder Christensen, has been out for 18 months, and knows the area very well.  He's kind and works hard.  I know I'll learn a lot from him.

 

 

Missionary work is SO MUCH HARDER than I thought it would be!  I'm not used to being rejected so much!  Most people are gracious about it, but some are plain rude.  I have nothing to compare it to, so I'm not sure if we're doing well or not but we do have some investigators and potential investigators we're working on.  On my first day, we were walking by a home, and a man named Chris called us in for a cool drink.  He has several copies of the Book of Mormon and loves the Bible and Christ. He's had a rough life, but Elder Christensen and I were able to have a wonderful lesson with him about the Restoration and the power of the Atonement.  It was so hopeful that some person invited US in for a change.  I hope and pray that Christ will have us back.  On my second day, we were walking home, and a jogger stopped us.  I thought it was a miracle when he asked us to "tell him about our church", but the conversation quickly went to polygamy and it turns out he was a VERY devout catholic looking for a Bible bash...  Cheryl and Keagan are a mother and son who come to church every week.  We're hoping to get them set on a baptism date!  Already, we've done a few service projects for non-members, hopefully planting seeds.  It is really hard trying to bring up the Gospel with people, and harder going door-to-door and not sound like you're selling something.

 

Our apartment is pretty good!  It's just the two of us, but we have access to a "fitness center" in the clubhouse each morning and we have new appliances and working A/C! Woo!  However, I was changing my bedding this morning and noticed MOLD growing all over my pillow.  I about threw up.  I'm sure there will be worse things in Brazil, though  ;)

 

There have already been times where I've gotten a little discouraged, but it cheers me up to remember that I am here for a reason - to help someone come unto Christ before I head off to Brazil - for however long I have until I leave.  There have already been a few times where I feel totally inadequate in my teaching abilities or knowledge, or when Satan puts doubts on the strength of my faith or testimony, but I have confidence in the promises of the Lord.  I have to keep reminding myself, "I'm not here for JASON, I'm here for the LORD!"  I know my mission won't be easy, but I KNOW it will be worth it.  I'm SO grateful for the Restored Gospel! I know Heavenly Father hears and answers the prayers of His children.

 

Heavenly Father LOVES us!  It's a miracle.

 

I love you all!

 

Com amor,

 

Elder Jason Allred