Week 29

 1st snow/ice storm

   Well today I have officially experience my first ice/snow storm here in the South!  It is a lot different then a snow storm in Utah.  Basically everything is closed down, and everyone is staying inside their houses.  It happened last night but all the roads are still pretty frozen, even the freeway was completely iced over.  We have been super lucky this winter though. This is the first time we have gotten any snow or ice.  The other day it was 60 degrees, it's been pretty unreal!  

  This week was another great week, and it went by extremely fast. I can't believe that this transfer is almost over.  These last 2 transfers with Meyers have flown by, I've really enjoyed serving with him, and the work we have been doing together has been great.  Most likely I will be transferred on the 25th, and Meyers will finish his mission in this area next transfer.  But you never know, I'll let you know next Monday!

  Well first off earlier in the week we went on exchanges with the Zone Leaders (English Elders) for a day.  I stayed in this area, and it went really well.  I've been so blessed to be able to understand and speak Spanish pretty decently. That night we had a dinner and lesson with Monica and the family.  Earlier we had asked a member to come with us. He said he would be able to.  So we go to Monica's and have a great dinner.  The English elder said he hadn't eaten that much food in months ha!ha!  We always get fed a ton as Spanish missionaries, and when you ask for just a little bit more they give you a giant plate full of food!  Hispanic people are the greatest!  Even random investigators, or people we just barely met will feed us!   After eating we watched the Finding Faith in Christ movie with the family, It really invited the spirit strongly.  Then after we talked about it and focused on enduring to the end, and never forgetting our baptismal covenants that we made.  The member Hno. Olivares who came with us really helped as well, and shared some great experiences.  It was one of the best lessons we have had there, and the spirit was extremely strong.  Yubiritzy was there and we were able to set a Baptismal date with her for the 21st (this Saturday).  Then after we left Hno. Olivares told me that when we texted him that morning his first text he responded "that he wouldn't be able to come, because he had some things to get done",  but our phones are messed up sometimes and we received his message blank.  We told him that then he responded again saying that he wouldn't be able to come, but again we received it blank.  He took that as a sign that the God needed him to be there that night.  The third time he responded that he could come, and we received that text.  It is so amazing how the Lord works in many ways, I know for sure that he was meant to be there that night.  He's such a great example, and I thought that was an awesome example of obedience and listening to the spirit.

  Other than that, this week we were able to visit one of our investigators Elmer and teach him the Restoration.  Every week we play soccer in the church, and he has been there about every time. He's always super nice, and he wasn't busy one night so we were able to go an teach him.  The lesson went really well.,  He really seems to understand what we are teaching, and has a desire to learn more and become a better person.  He came to Church on Sunday for the second week in a row, and hopefully  we will be able to go over and teach him more a few times this week.  It's so cool seeing the soccer activity turning into more of a success.  We have over 15 non- members every week. If it was meant for one person to accept the gospel, it's all worth it!  But it's been great, and a good way to get people familiarized with the church.  

   As for our other investigators we are still looking pretty solid with a lot of potential.  Gustavo and Arecelys are still awesome, and we can't wait to teach them more.   We have met a ton of new people in that trailer park where they live.  We have a few solid investigators there. It's amazing how one referral to someone that lived in that trailer park has led us to meeting so many great people, even though the original referral the person didn't even live there.  This week we should be having that baptism on Saturday, and we are really looking forward to that!

Elder Geddes with the Barrientos family (Banch President's family)   

It sounds like you had a good week, I hope that you had a great Valentines day as well!   Have an awesome week, and thank you so much for the email!

Love you!

Elder Geddes

Week 28

Family Home Evening at President Wakolo's Home

  This week was a super awesome and a really busy week!  We were over at Monica's almost every night this week, helping them prepare for the baptism and teaching a few of the lessons that the daughters had missed. It's always great going over to their house, because they are super friendly and just easy to talk to.  They all ask really good questions when they don't understand something.  On Saturday we had el servicio bautismal at night around 8.  Monica, Cassandra (18) and Yubiritzy (Jubitsy 12) arrived early.  When they arrived Monica told us that Yubiritzy didn't want to be baptized.  Monica's brother had said some anti stuff, so it scared her and she didn't feel she was ready.  It was a little sad but we aren't to worried, and she probably will be baptized in a few weeks.  Yubiritzy even came the next day to church as well.  Monica and Cassandra are super strong already, and they knew that the stuff the brother had said wasn't true.  Monica even told one of the members that the it didn't matter to her what her brother said to her or anyone else, because she has already received an answer for herself and knows that the church is true.  She is so awesome!!  The baptismal service for Monica and Cassandra went really well.  There was a bunch of people there, A lot of the branch came which is super rare.  We got permission to do a baptismal side confirmation as well.  The spirit was super strong during the service, and Cassandra y Monica were really happy.

 

Baptism of Monica and Cassandra

  It was pretty cool, some of our investigators showed up and they are super cool (Aracelys y Gustavo)  I think I told you about them a little while back.  They were kind of late, but because of the whole thing with Yubiritzy they were able to make it before the meeting started, so a blessing in disguise!  They really liked the baptismal service, so we are really looking forward to teaching them more.  

 

  At the end of the baptismal all the members went and congratulated Cassandra y Monica.  They have really been accepted into the Branch super well, and already know a ton of members.  I can't stress enough how much easier it is to teach when we have the help of the members.  So that was great, and it was an amazing feeling being able to see the success of our labors and bring them unto baptism., The first step of an amazing journey ahead.  I can't wait to see all the amazing works they are going to do in the church

 

  Other than that it was just a great week, and we have  lot of work to do this week.  Our area is really picking up, and we have quite a few really solid investigators right now.  We even had Elmer who always plays soccer with us every week come to church for the first time, that was super sweet! He's such a cool guy!  It will be a little sad leaving this area if I get transferred in a couple weeks. It's been such an amazing place with so many great people, but "a ver" (we'll see). 

 

It sounds like you had a pretty great week as well.   I hope you have a great Valentines day!   Have an amazing week!

 

Love,

 

Elder Geddes

 

                                                           

Week 27

  Well this week started out pretty interesting with a call from Sister Bowling (from the mission office) and she said "Elder Geddes your mom just called, and I have some really bad news" So I was thinking did someone die, or something like that?   Then she told me about someone using my debit card.  So I was relieved in that sense!  I called Wells Fargo and figured it all out I think. Hopefully itt will all work out!  Crazy how that happened because before that $1 purchase at Taco Bell I hadn't used that card since the 5th of December.  Anyways thank you for noticing that and helping me out!

   This week was another super awesome missionary work here in Little Rock.  It was our Bike week, but we really lucked out with almost perfect weather all week.  No rain, and it was pretty warm the whole week!  We had a couple great lessons with Monica and her family again this week.  Both times members were able to come with us, and they loved the lessons and are still continuing reading in the book of Mormon as a family!  It's so cool to see how happy they are and their progression in the gospel.  Monica even asked us to get an English Book of Mormon so her daughter Jubitsi would be able to understand it better, and have no excuse for not reading with them! haha.! They basically already seem like members of the branch!  On Sunday the whole family was able to come to church again (Monica, Cassandra,, Jubitsi) and they brought a cousin again as well!  They really enjoyed church, and the spirit was really strong during the fast and testimony meeting.  Come to find out Cassandra works with a member from the Branch at a beauty salon, so even more fellowshipping!  The baptism for Saturday night looks really good, and they are getting really excited.  It has been so great teaching them, because they ask a lot of questions which help them understand it even easier.  We are super excited for the Baptism on Saturday, and we are going to working with them a lot this week preparing them for it! Tonight we have the FHE with them in the Mission home with the Wakolo family.  That should go really well, even though President can't speak Spanish the spirit will be super strong there.  And that's the update on the Ramos family!

 Other than that we were able to meet some really cool people, and get back in contact with some great people that we haven't seen for a while.  We were able to see and investigator Joanna who just had a family member die, but we have just been able to talk with her and offer our help.  The second time we went back it was after the funeral and she was super tired, but still talked to us outside for a while. She was saying that her sister was telling her Pastor that he didn't offer any help, but the Mormon Missionaries did it was kind of funny!  So it was a good way to gain trust and confidence with Joanna, and we are going to try and start teaching her now that everything has kind of calmed down.  We taught a the restoration to a man named Raul and the spirit touched him strongly during the lesson.  You could tell he knew it was true.  He wanted to come to church but it rained, and most people don't come to church when it rains.  But we are going to go back and teach him more, we're looking forward to that.  And we were also to get back in contact with Aracelys and Gustavo in that same trailer park, they were super awesome again and want to come to the baptism as always!

Overall an awesome week, and the Branch is on the uprise little by little.  The members are starting to get involved, which makes things work so much better.  We have a lot of potential investigators so hopefully we can get a lot of them to start progressing!

Well that's about all for the week, sorry if the email was disorganized, but it's fine!  Thank you tons for the email.  Love you!

Love,

Elder Geddes

Mtn. Pinnacle last week

Elder Geddes' new friends!

                

Week 26 

6 months

P-Day Hike/ Mt  Pinnacle

  Wow that is crazy to think that this week I will hit my six months out on the mission.  The time has gone by crazy fast, it honestly felt like only a few weeks ago that I was in the CCM in Mexico.  All the things that have happened in these last six months,  I've learned and grown so much especially from the people around me, and those that I serve. 

 This week was a super busy week, but that means that it was a super awesome week and also a crazy fast week!   On Thursday our Elders Quorum President and the Stake set up a branch outreach.  We all split up, and went to try different less active members houses.  I went with Heaton and his comp to his area, and didn't have too much luck.  But Meyers stayed in our area, and they saw a less active who really needed the help.  She has been working a ton trying to support her family, so she hasn't had much time to do anything.  But they said the visit was awesome, and we are going to start helping the kids get rides to church and visiting them more often.  And then on Sunday the Mom actually came to Sacrament meeting which was awesome!  So the Branch outreach was a great success even if it was for one person.  It's amazing the blessing and opportunities the Lord gives us even if it's not what we are expecting.

  Then this week we were able to able to have a lesson with our top investigator Monica.  A member  came with us as well.  The lesson was really great and she told us she was able to get permission to leave work early to come to church. So on Sunday we went to guide them to Church, and they were just finishing getting ready.  The whole family ended up coming (Monica and her 3 kids + a cousin).  Church went really well and they told us that they really enjoyed it.  At the end of our Sacrament meeting President Wakolo came in for the last 15 minutes.  Then at the end he asked if Monica and her family were our investigators, and then invited them and us to have a Family Home Evening and a dinner in President Wakolos home!!  So we are going to do that Next Monday, if it all work out!!  We are so excited!!  Even though Monica can't speak English she will be able to feel the spirit so strong in Presidents home.  The spirit he brings is just absolutely amazing!  The baptismal date is still looking great for Monica., She is super awesome and just loves everything that we teach.  We are going to teach her tonight with the relief society President!  It's so much easier to help investigators get familiar with the church when they become friends with members.  It's just amazing to see her progression, and how her life is changing for the better. 

On Saturday we were also able to see one of our other solid investigators Brenda & Vivian.  We taught the plan of salvation and they really like it.  We were able to set a baptismal date with them as well.  They enjoy learning, and have been reading in El Libro De Mormon.  Vivian even took it to her house, and has been switching off reading it with her step dad.  She wants us to go over to her house to meet her brother and her dad!  We are really looking forward to that.

  I wish I could write more, but I'm running out of time!  I hope that you have a great week and thank you so much for the update.  I Love you so much!

Love,

Elder Geddes

Week 25

P-Day Group on last P-day

  This week here in Little Rock Arkansas was a really awesome week for missionary work.  On Friday we were able to teach the Plan of Salvation to one of our most solid investigators Monica.  We taught the Plan of Salvation and the spirit was really strong.  She really liked it and had a lot of question which was good, because it is so much easier to teach when people ask questions.  It shows that they are legitimately interested ,and then they learn a lot more.  When we got there she asked us about the story of Nephi killing Laban.  We were super surprised, because we left here to read the introduction of the Book of Mormon and she read 5 chapters!!  It was awesome, and at the end of the lesson we were able to set a baptismal date with her.  She asked what all she needed to do to be baptized, so we explained and she said she really wants to.  The only problem is getting work off on Sundays because she works a lot of them.  She is going to pray and as well we are praying for her that the lord will provide a way to her for a work.  It was pretty funny after she accepted the baptismal invitation she turned over to Francisco (her brother in law) and said "do you want to be baptized to?"  She was doing our job for us!  He isn't that interested but always sits in on the lessons which is good.  

  Also we were able to teach a couple great lessons with some potential investigators that we had.  The first was Eugenio and we just met him one day while he was on his lunch break.  So we were able to go 1 night to teach him, and he wanted to hear all that we taught.  Obviously we don't have time to teach all in one lesson, but we were able to share some of the restoration with him and he wants us to come back.  Him and his wife were super nice and even offered us to come back for dinner if we were able to.  So hopefully we will be able to share more with them.  Then the next was with Enrique who had come and played soccer one time at the church.  He explained to me where he lived, and luckily I heard it right and we were able to teach him at his house!  He is 16 and just moved here a few months ago.  We taught him the Restoration and it was a super good lesson filled with the spirit. He was paying attention and was understanding what we were teaching.  It was great, and he also wants us to come back and share more of our message.  We have a lot of solid investigators right now, so hopefully we will continue to see more miracles in the upcoming week.  Tyler Hunt did come into the mission last week, and I was able to see him at Transfers!  I talked to him for a while and he seemed to be doing really good and liked the MTC.  He is actually serving kind of close to me, so I will be able to see him at meetings and such!  

This week has been really warm, and we have been loving it.  It actually is easier to teach when it is warm outside, because people are outside and it seems like everyone is just in a better mood when it is warmer.  So that has been awesome and hopefully it stays that way.  Advice for the week for everyone: Never drink!!  A lady walked right in front of our car without any notice, but luckily we were kind of watching her and I was able to swerve out of the way.  She was completely drunk, I even honked and basically no response from her. It's just crazy how people will let drugs and alcohol take over their lives.  Luckily we have the knowledge of the Word of Wisdom, it really is such a blessing that we have. 

  I appreciate the e- mail.  Thank you so much for always supporting me.  Have a fantastic week, I love you all so very much!!

Love,

Elder Geddes

Week 24

  Well as the title says, I get to stay here in Little Rock for at least one more transfer with Elder Meyers!!  I'm really glad that I'm staying here because we have a lot of really cool investigators right now, and they are getting closer and closer to baptism!  Elder Heaton is staying in his area as well! 

Parking attendants at Religious Freedom Event

  This week was a super awesome week! it was pretty cold and rainy all week, but we were able to have some great lessons and find some promising new investigators.   Saturday was an awesome  day.In the morning we were able to go to a religious freedom event that was held at our Church.  Earlier in the week we were told that no missionaries could go to it, but the day before the AP's called us and said they needed help for parking, so us and a couple other missionaries could go!  It was a pretty big event, the Catholic Bishop over all the Catholics in Arkansas was there, a Big Muslim leader, as well as some other leaders as well.  The messages given there were really great, the last speaker was Rodney K. Smith I believe he is the President of SVU right now.  His message was really powerful and even though it was mainly about religious freedom, you could still feel the spirit strongly.  It was a great opportunity to familiarize these people just a little bit with our church.  We were grateful that we were able to attend.

 Elder Geddes and Elder Meyers with Priscilla Smith at Religious Freedom Event

With Rodney K. Smith, former President of SVU

   That night we were able to teach Luis.  We were planning on teaching him the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Then he asked about if we drank Coffee because he heard that in church.  We taught him the Word of Wisdom and it was a super good lesson, filled with the spirit.  He saw the blessings he could receive from the Word of Wisdom and accepted it live it.  We then watched the Restoration movie and talked about baptism.  He told us he was already baptized, but realizes that he needs to be baptized by the proper authority.  He really understands what we are teaching, which is awesome.  We set a baptismal date with him for February.   We are going to continue to prepare him for that date, he is such a nice guy and already has a ton of faith. 

 On Sunday night we drove a little ways to a Reference that we had receive from the Hermanas.  His name was Juan, we knocked on the door and they let us in right away.  It wasn't Juan, but we ended up meeting Gustavo and Aleacys (she had a hard name).  They were super nice, and we able to talk to them for a while and get to know them.  We explained to them what we do as missionaries then we set a return appointment on Wednesday.  He said he was going to cook us Argentinian food!  It's pretty rare that people are here from Argentina, and she was from Colombia which is also rare here.   It was a great example of how the Lord places people into our path even if it's not what or who we were thinking.  Sharing this knowledge that we have as members is one of the greatest things we could do in our lives.  There are so many people who need this gospel, we just need to go out and find them.

   

That's sweet the Mini mission went well, that's a great idea to have the new couples in the ward as Mission Presidents.  It really gets them involved and part of the ward quickly.. I hope you have an awesome week, and the Ducks win tonight!  love you so much!

Love, Elder Geddes

Elder Geddes with Elder Udall
(Relative of Chad and Michelle Lewis)

Week 23

 The completed Paper Christmas tree!  Thanks so much for that, such a cool idea and so nice hearing from everyone!

   This week was a really great week as it normally seems to be here out on the mission.  I probably say that at the beginning of every email, but it's the truth!   We had the "privilege"  of being on bike week this week, although we ended up walking because it got a little colder this week.  I really enjoyed the week, because it helps us to make better plans, and talk to everyone.  As a result of the week, we found a ton of new investigators this week.  More than the previous weeks, and there are a lot of them who have really good potential. We met a lady named Erika and she said she was from Puebla.  And we told her we know people from there (Ana).  Then we told her the name and she said she knew her really well, so she was really friendly to us.  We hope to teach her and her family this week, and invite them to come to church and start the small steps of entering into the best path we could ever be on in this life 

   As for Church, Luis was not able to come to church.  It's just really hard to catch him while he is at home, but we're praying that we will be able to teach him a few lessons this week and he can come to Church again.  They really loved church, so hopefully it won't be too hard getting him to church!  But one of our Investigators who is the younger of Maria (who Meyers had taught before when he was in this area) came to church.  They were on vacation and he is really good friends with our recent converts.  So they told us that he had gotten back from his vacation on Sunday morning and ten minutes after he was at their house asking if they were going to church.  He went with them and really liked it!   His name is Eliam and is about 13 years old.  Now that they are back we want to start teaching him and Maria again!  We're really praying that we will be able to baptize them soon.  They are both super cool! 

   But that's about all for this week, this week should be a really good week because we have a lot of investigators to go to and teach!  Our new years was great, and still can't believe that we are already in 2015.  And this transfer is getting close to ending just about a week and a half.  It's been the best and fastest transfer of my mission. 

   Sounds like you had a really awesome news years week.  Wow that is so amazing that Bryce is going back on a mission.  That would be really really hard to go back out after that time, but what an awesome example of fulfilling his duty and serving the lord.  He will blessed in so many ways, and bless the lives of so many people. Good luck with the mini-mission, that was always fun and a great missionary experience.  Have a great week love ya'll so much!! 

Love,

Elder Geddes

                                                                 

Missionaries of the branch with the departing missionary Derek, son of the Branch President.

Me and Jerry outside of trailer with sweet lights!