WEEK 5 ROGERS (WEEK 86 OF MISSION)

HELLO!!!!!!!! Hope you all had a very hoppy easter and had a great time thinking about our living lord and also spending some family time!! 

Well, we had a great week with two exchanges and a lot of events and a lot of busy people because of the easter season. All the big mega churches put on big events etc. and a lot of people doing family things and so it was a very busy week. 

We continue to work a lot with the islanders in the area and we really love and appreciate their sincere and believing hearts. The members have been very key in this as well. This past week we had 8 investigators show up to young mens haha it was so awesome the young men in our ward are such a great group of kids and the coolest thing is is that a lot of them just returned back to activity a couple of months ago and are already sharing the gospel. We even had some of our investigators go on scout camp this past weekend and have a blast and they are very excited about their baptismal date for the 29th of this month! 

Mely is doing so awesome and their was a really cool even this week at the church where families from the community could come and have some fun family time, playing games, eating lunch, and learning about building strong families and family history etc. It was called FAMILY STRONG and we helped with jumping rope for the kids a bean bag toss blowing bubbles etc. It was a great day. 

It can be kind of weird because with all the exchanges we are always on sometimes I wont be able to go out and even meet some of the investigators and it just so played out that an investigator I had never even taught before came to church this sunday. As well as quite a few Less active families and we recently had some more islander families move in and it was such a special moment to hear them opening up the overflow so that people could fit in the chapel. That is always a good sound as a missionary.

I am super excited because this next week Elder Degooyer and Elder Roberts will be coming down to go on exchanges and it will just be a blast as well as an opportunity to learn from them.

I have had a lot of time to reflect this week about the savior and what his life means and how it applies to me. Something I really love that we have started doing/saying is that before we talk about church or joseph smith or anything we first teach about the savior. My favorite thing to teach people here in the bible belt where the death of jesus christ is well known and talked about I love to share the less talked about truth that christ lives today, the tomb is empty, his voice is again heard on the earth!

I would like to close with the words to a childs hymn that was sung in sacrament that has now become an all time favorite

Jesus climbed the hill
To the garden still
His steps were heavy and slow
Love and a prayer
Took Him there
To the place only He could go

Gethsemane
Jesus loves me
So He went willingly
To Gethsemane

Mikey didn't send us this picture of his swollen ankle, but Aubrey texted it to me.  He hurt it at a trampoline place.

WEEK 4 ROGERS (WEEK 85 OF MISSION)

Mikey in Elder Henderson's "Country Boy" clothes haha.

Elder Henderson in Mikey's "City Slicker" skinny jeans and Vans.  He said that the skinny jeans were not a super pleasant experience!

Elder Henderson went half a day like this before Mikey realized and told him his clothes didn't match!

Mikey "riding his bike."

HEYYYY! What’s up everybody?  Hope you had a good week! 

This week was super good!  Things are going so well and this week we had some really great success.

1st the biggest highlight was this Saturday we went to the Oklahoma City Temple with all the youth and we also got to go with Mely!!!  What a blessing it was to be in the house of the Lord with our recent convert.  It was such a blessed day and plus we went to Cicis pizza after which was almost as satisfying as the temple!

 

The beautiful Oklahoma City temple.

Temple Selfie.

At the temple with Mely!

Exchanges with Elder Bedolla.

Exchanges with Elder Joplin.

We have seen some really awesome things happening with the ward and today was a super special Sacrament Meeting.  It was fast and testimony meeting and all these youth that have recently been reactivated, like probably 10 of them, got up and bore their testimonies and things were getting pretty emotional up there and the whole ward seemed to be pretty moved.  We had 2 youth that are Marshallese come to church that day too and a lot of their friends are the ones that got up and bore their testimonies. We set a baptismal date today for April 29th with one of the Marhsallese kids named Carl.

The exchanges were super good and I got to go with Elder Wilcox this week and Elder Grey.  I had some awesome spiritual experiences with both of them as well as when I was in the temple this past week, and when I was being interviewed by President and Sister Loveland. 

In reading the Book of Mormon this past week, I have recently restarted it again, and I am marking it in a special way but anyway a cool insight that I feel like I learned this time around was something that Sister Loveland shared with me and that is that the reason we learn different things the more times we read the Book of Mormon is because light attracts to light just like in D&C Section 50 that says, “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter until the perfect day.”  She told me about how when we continue to gain spiritual light the things we pick up on will continue to build line upon line.  Think about that if you ever feel like you are hearing the same things over and over in church.  I feel that way sometimes when I teach the Restoration over and over all day but I have realized how much deeper my understanding has become!

Love you all have a great week.

WEEK 3 ROGERS (WEEK 84 OF MISSION)

Meetings!  Michelle Conover texted me this pic during the week :)

Hello everybody!!!  Hope you all are having a great week! We had another fun and exciting week!

General conference was super awesome this week and I really loved all that was shared.  I have been trying to think of what I felt like the over-riding theme was and haven’t really been able to come up with anything so far!  But I really liked a lot of the talks, some cool emphasis on religious freedom and tolerance etc.  Just was a really good conference and we had some people come to watch it with us which was super cool.

Updates on some of the things that went on this week.  We had exchanges with the West Plains and Fort Smith zone leaders and both of those were really awesome and a lot of fun.  I learn a lot on those exchanges from the leaders of our mission and I really appreciate all that they help me learn.  We had MLC this week which was really awesome and President Loveland and Sister Loveland knocked it out of the park as usual and the spirit was strong and it was a blessing to be in that meeting. 

Our investigators are doing really well and let me tell you about a tender mercy!  So we have been trying to get in to teach a large section of Marshallese people that live in a complex of apartments in our area and they are some of the coolest people and nicest and some are even members already.  So anyway, we have had a little bit of a hard time I think getting them to trust us.  Well this week we had a chance to stop at the park when we saw them all playing basketball.  We walked up and they asked if we wanted to jump in kind of jokingly, well you know me and Elder Henderson shed the suit coats and untucked the white shirts and after 20 minutes of oohs and awwws from the crowd of kids we had won their love and trust haha.  Last night we taught four awesome people Mev, Mile, Daniel, and Carl.  What a blessing! 

Love you all hope you all have a great week!!!!

Elder GREEENNNIE

WEEK 2 ROGERS (WEEK 83 0F MISSION)

HELLO EVERYBODY!!!!!

The highlight of this week was obvious!  Mely was baptized and it went awesome!!  We had exchanges with the Springdale ZLs and the Springfield ZLs and it was very good to have them come and help us and show us some things.  We are having a lot of success and seeing the Lord's hand a lot.

 

Mely's Baptism!
Mikey, Elder Henderson, and Elder King.

Mely was baptized this Saturday by Elder King who switched with me in Springfield, and he was the former assistant that found Mely and so that was awesome to get to see him come back and baptize her, and then Sunday she was confirmed by Elder Henderson.  Elder Southward of the Quorum of the 70 was there and spoke with us.  I gave a talk as well this Sunday on receiving personal revelation and that was a little nerve racking in front of Elder Southward haha.  Sunday evening Elder Southward instructed and taught us and our bishops about a new vision the brethren have for our area and it was really cool!  I’m pressed on time today so I will have to get headed but I want to share something I learned this week.

Sometimes we think in life or in school or just wherever that we always need to be heard or seen or recognized.  This week I feel like God taught me that there is something special in being silent and listening to others rather than worrying about the right thing to say back, and I think that we need to make sure we listen with real intent like the Savior would rather than listen with the intent to reply in an educated way or to make ourselves look better or just to give an answer because we know an answer.  But when somebody shares their feelings to just listen and let them know you care.

Love you all have a great week!

WEEK 1 ROGERS (WEEK 82 OF MISSION)

Pictures from Mikey's goodbyes last week:

Hess Daddy heads home!  These brothers will reunite in just under 6 months.  Looks like Mikey has some ties or pieces of ties in his hand they all must have exchanged.

So hard to say goodbye to Geannie
(recent convert that Mikey just loves)
She's such a great lady!

Mikey now cuts ladies' hair too!!!

Jeni after her haircut :)

Mikey & Martin

This is Fatuma.  I want Mikey to bring her home!

Mikey with some of his favorite kids.

Goodbye D'Shun

Asukulu Mbele

Asukulu, his wife Adela, daughters Tosha and Fatuma.

Tosha's extreme closeup!

Some of the Squad.

More of the Squad.

Durrant with Nyota.

Jane :)

Goodbye to Elder Durrant

Elder Hess' Homecoming!!!

Hello Family and Friends!!!  I am alive and well out here in Arkansas!  The Rogers area has been super good to me and I am extremely excited about the future here.

This week was so great.  There is a large group of investigators from the island of Ping Lop.  It is right next to the island of Pompei and this next Saturday an awesome woman named Melly is going to be baptized.  I saw her everyday it feels like since I have been here and she is so amazing and ready to be baptized.  The elders that have served here before me have been such great missionaries there is a lot of work here! 

We had a special experience this week.  One day we were out tracting looking to find somebody new to teach.  We knocked for a good while with a lot of doors shut and we decided to keep going and knock on this complex across the street with a large Marshalese population.  The first door we knocked on was a woman who talked with us for a good while and she was very nice and she invited us back but the whole time their was an islander in the apartment above us smiling and waving.  He went inside while this lady was still talking to us but after we went up to talk to the man who was smiling this is how the door approach went:

"Hello we are missionaries from the church..."

"I know, that is my church!"

"Oh, were you baptized in the islands?"

"No, I was never baptized but I went with the elders to church all the time and I have been looking for you guys!"

haha the Lord prepares people all you have to do is look.  Also, notice that if we would have stopped at the doors in our face we would have never made it to the open door!

Love you all!!!

Elder Green

The Zone

WEEK 24 SPRINGFIELD (WEEK 81 OF MISSION)

Hey everybody!!!  I have some sad news.  I have been transferred and have to say goodbye to all my African family haha.  It will be hard and sad but Elder Durrant is staying here and getting Elder King who is awesome and is just coming from being the assistant in our mission.  I am being transferred to Rogers, Arkansas and I am really excited.

This past week was one for the books and probably up there in my favorite moments on my mission.  We had a Swahili translated church this week.  Somebody from Salt Lake City face-timed us and we blew it up onto a big TV and they could communicate with somebody back and forth and they were able to really understand our message for the first time!  However, we only had 25 there this week, I would expect close to 60 this coming week with Elders Durrant and King.

 

Sister Joy from Salt Lake City teaching the refugees in Springfield, Missouri.

In other news Frank (recent convert) blessed the sacrament this past week and Geannie (another recent convert) gave a talk in the same sacrament meeting.  It was truly a special moment for me to see how awesome and prepared these people are that I have had the privilege to teach!  I will forever be grateful for them and saying goodbye will not be easy haha.

I have a busy day but I love you all and would like to share one spiritual thought with you before I go.  I was reading in the book of Revelations yesterday with a woman named, Jayne, and read in Rev. 7: 14-17 one of my favorite scriptures about the temple.  I would just encourage any of you that are reading this that haven’t been to the temple ever or if it has been a while to read that verse and then set up a plan to make it back!  I can promise that the scripture in Revelations will be fulfilled for you. 

Elder Green

WEEK 23 SPRINGFIELD (WEEK 80 OF MISSION)

Mikey with his BFF, Sister Weiner, for the last time before she came home.  We attended her homecoming in Riverton and it was so awesome to meet her!  Such a great lady and we appreciate her so much!!!

President Loveland teaching Mikey how to shine his shoes.  I'm sure they needed it!!!

Blowing bubbles for Jesse's birthday!

Morgan with Songolo.

Mikey with Elder Hewlett.

What Steph Curry sees when he pulls up for a three!
This is some artwork in Bentonville.

Hello everybody I hope you all had a great week!!! We sure did here.

This week we had 8 refugees at church and are really excited about what we have put together for next week.  We have been in contact with a Swahili speaking refugee branch in SLC and been in contact with their Branch President Emmanuel De'Mzee, and this next week he has actually called somebody from his branch to video call and teach our refugees their own little Sunday School class in Swahili so that they can understand.  It is very exciting for us because many of the people want to join our church, but they just can’t grasp the whole concept of the gospel in English and can’t have their questions answered like they would like to.  I am very excited!  This next week the meeting for our refugees is at 5 pm our time so 4 pm for the people in Salt Lake and I think we are planning on having about 40 investigators there so it should be a very special experience.

This week President Loveland came out on exchanges with me while Elder Durrant was with our ward mission leader.  We had a very good time on exchanges and President Loveland and I were able to go teach Ann and Jeannie and their family (Melissa and D'Shun) it was a powerful lesson about the Book of Mormon and Jesus Christ and Melissa and D'Shun agreed to be baptized.  There is still a lot to teach and to figure out.  They don’t live in our ward boundaries even but it was still a very spiritual experience. 

Yesterday, Ann stood up and bore her testimony.  It was a powerful testimony about how she doesn’t know the reason for all her trials etc. but she is not letting the darkness of her trials overshadow the brightness of the truths she does know and cling too.  Something I loved that she said while battling back tears was, "I’m angry with God, I don’t understand why these things have happened but I have hope, and I can keep going and someday I will understand."  What a powerful witness from a recent convert that is going through a lot right now. 

Okay a funny experience was last night we were eating at the refugees’ house.  A family from Rwanda that speak Kinyarwanda and now they speak pretty good English.  Well anyway we were eating and talking when one of their girls mumbled something in Kinyarwanda, the older boy translated, "She thinks Durrant looks like an angel." hahaha everybody busted up laughing haha Durrant is a handsome guy and apparently even angelic to our African friends hahaha.  We had a good laugh about that and now his nickname is Malaika which means angel in Kiswahili. 

 

The "Angelic" Elder Durrant and Mikey at the Ward Mission Leader's home, Brother Lesue.  The Lesues texted me this picture last night.  This was the farewell party for their daughter who leaves Tuesday to serve a mission in Ogden!  Small world.

Love you all thank you so much for everything!  Talk to you later!!!