Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Pictures!!
Q&A - December 27, 2011
1. Now that the doctor has seen you and given you the walking boot, are you scheduled to see him again or regularly to see if any progress is being made?
I have another appointment on the 17th of January to see where we go from there. If healed..then I am free...if not, I may be confined to this ball and chain a bit longer!
2. How is your foot today? Any better than yesterday?
It depends on the day. I now only wake up a couple times during the night because of it rather than the dozen times I did a week ago. So it's doing alright by that standard.
3. What about Christmas in the mission field did you enjoy most? Is it something you will look back on with good memories?
Skype with the family was awesome. But it was great to just avoid the hustle and bustle and focus on what's really important!
I have another appointment on the 17th of January to see where we go from there. If healed..then I am free...if not, I may be confined to this ball and chain a bit longer!
2. How is your foot today? Any better than yesterday?
It depends on the day. I now only wake up a couple times during the night because of it rather than the dozen times I did a week ago. So it's doing alright by that standard.
3. What about Christmas in the mission field did you enjoy most? Is it something you will look back on with good memories?
Skype with the family was awesome. But it was great to just avoid the hustle and bustle and focus on what's really important!
...And a Happy New Year
Well it has been a fantastic week! Of course the pinnacle of said week was the skype call home to family on a great Christmas sabbath. It's just been a great week overall though.
Last p-day we spent some time at the Jordan Creek mall and it has by far become my favorite mall. It's fairly new and it is so super nice.In fact, this last p-day, yesterday, after we had done some research and bargain watching, we bought 5 ties between the two of us for 40 bucks. All of which came with pocket squares and cuff links. Needless to say, we will be looking pretty fly rolling into leadership meeting this upcoming Tuesday! We already have it all planned out. It's gonna be epic and I will be for sure to get pictures of it all!
Christmas eve...so much fun! We walked a lot which is good. It means we were busy. But we had dinner with the Stubblefield's and they had P.F. Chang's chinese food. I guess it's their tradition to remember the wise men from the east. Hahaha! Anyway, great dinner and then we made gingerbread houses with the kids. I realized a couple of things.
1) young child + sugar = noise!
2) unlimited candy + young children + Christmas eve = mad house!!!
Christmas was such a blast this year. Literally. We were given til 8 to sleep in. We only made it until 7:15 or so when Zach and Owen came and woke us up all ready to open presents. We went up and opened presents and it was so great! It was just like time with family. We had a massive Nerf gun war and then a massive laser tag war. Both of which were super fun! Me and Owen made some Lego stuff while Elder Kimber and Zach did the same. Church was super good. We both participated in the ward choir and sang as part of the program. It was a lot of fun. After church, we had our phone call time. Soooooooo goooood! We also had a super big Christmas dinner with the Nielsen's and it was way good. Then the Nielsen's left for a water park in Centerville and we had the house to our self to play Foosball and watch the approved videos for Christmas. We watched Polar Express and 17 Miracles. It was way good to just relax. Best quote from Polar Express... "The thing about trains... it doesn't matter where they're going. What matters is deciding to get on." Words to live by.
We met with a Chinese guy named Masa. He made fun of my one phrase of Chinese I remember from college. I felt pretty dumb but Braxton, my cousin, is going to teach with us on Friday. Should be super sweet!
Apparently Mitt Romney is coming to Iowa soon. That should be...cool.
We did a lot of planning this week for our zone emphasis this transfer! We prayed for a couple days and pondered on it and came to the conclusion that we needed to focus our zone on having "faith to find" those that are ready for the gospel. For me personally, the inspiration came while in a district meeting and we repeated Doctrine and Covenants Section 4 as we always do. This time tho, I tried to pay special attention to what I had been spouting out of my mouth weekly. I came to the part where it says "the field is white, already to harvest" and it hit me very clearly that when we are out trying to find those, it is because the field is white, it is ready, and those souls are ready to be harvested. So we spoke in district meeting last week and introduced the theme of the transfer by using Alma chapter 26 specifically verses 26-31.
"26 But behold, my beloved brethren, we came into the wilderness not with the intent to destroy our brethren, but with the intent that perhaps we might save some few of their souls. 27 Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success. 28 And now behold, we have come, and been forth amongst them; and we have been patient in our sufferings, and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house, relying upon the mercies of the world—not upon the mercies of the world alone but upon the mercies of God. 29 And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their synagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and we have been stoned, and taken and bound with strong cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again. 30 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some. 31 Now behold, we can look forth and see the fruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are many; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren and also towards us."
I love that section of scripture. I have read it over and over during my mission because it rings so true. It would appear to me that missionary work has not changed much, not only in the 25 years since my dad served here, but since Alma and his friends taught the Lamanites before Christ was even born. But it was their faith through the expected trials that gave them success. That is what we have chose to focus on as a zone. With the upcoming new year, we thought it fitting to focus on starting the year off right with faith and looking forward to the trials and tribulations that will define us as missionaries. Tonight we will be having a special zone meeting and we will start a fast together and as a zone we will do nothing but tract tomorrow with a specific goal in mind that has been sought after and given by the spirit as to the number of people we hope to find. With faith and fasting, miracles can happen and I know that! The Bible dictionary says "Where there is true faith there are miracles, visions, dreams, healings, and all the gifts of God that he gives to his saints." I am looking forward with faith to those miracles in our zone. I guess it's all summed up very well in Alma 26:22...
"Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance."
I am so excited and looking forward to a new year with new possibilities and the ability to just start over on some things. I guess we should look at each day like that, but there is something about a new year that seems a little more important and worthwhile. I love where I am and am so excited to spend the majority of 2011 and 2012 in Iowa. My second home! I love it here!
Elder Excell
Last p-day we spent some time at the Jordan Creek mall and it has by far become my favorite mall. It's fairly new and it is so super nice.In fact, this last p-day, yesterday, after we had done some research and bargain watching, we bought 5 ties between the two of us for 40 bucks. All of which came with pocket squares and cuff links. Needless to say, we will be looking pretty fly rolling into leadership meeting this upcoming Tuesday! We already have it all planned out. It's gonna be epic and I will be for sure to get pictures of it all!
Christmas eve...so much fun! We walked a lot which is good. It means we were busy. But we had dinner with the Stubblefield's and they had P.F. Chang's chinese food. I guess it's their tradition to remember the wise men from the east. Hahaha! Anyway, great dinner and then we made gingerbread houses with the kids. I realized a couple of things.
1) young child + sugar = noise!
2) unlimited candy + young children + Christmas eve = mad house!!!
Christmas was such a blast this year. Literally. We were given til 8 to sleep in. We only made it until 7:15 or so when Zach and Owen came and woke us up all ready to open presents. We went up and opened presents and it was so great! It was just like time with family. We had a massive Nerf gun war and then a massive laser tag war. Both of which were super fun! Me and Owen made some Lego stuff while Elder Kimber and Zach did the same. Church was super good. We both participated in the ward choir and sang as part of the program. It was a lot of fun. After church, we had our phone call time. Soooooooo goooood! We also had a super big Christmas dinner with the Nielsen's and it was way good. Then the Nielsen's left for a water park in Centerville and we had the house to our self to play Foosball and watch the approved videos for Christmas. We watched Polar Express and 17 Miracles. It was way good to just relax. Best quote from Polar Express... "The thing about trains... it doesn't matter where they're going. What matters is deciding to get on." Words to live by.
We met with a Chinese guy named Masa. He made fun of my one phrase of Chinese I remember from college. I felt pretty dumb but Braxton, my cousin, is going to teach with us on Friday. Should be super sweet!
Apparently Mitt Romney is coming to Iowa soon. That should be...cool.
We did a lot of planning this week for our zone emphasis this transfer! We prayed for a couple days and pondered on it and came to the conclusion that we needed to focus our zone on having "faith to find" those that are ready for the gospel. For me personally, the inspiration came while in a district meeting and we repeated Doctrine and Covenants Section 4 as we always do. This time tho, I tried to pay special attention to what I had been spouting out of my mouth weekly. I came to the part where it says "the field is white, already to harvest" and it hit me very clearly that when we are out trying to find those, it is because the field is white, it is ready, and those souls are ready to be harvested. So we spoke in district meeting last week and introduced the theme of the transfer by using Alma chapter 26 specifically verses 26-31.
"26 But behold, my beloved brethren, we came into the wilderness not with the intent to destroy our brethren, but with the intent that perhaps we might save some few of their souls. 27 Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success. 28 And now behold, we have come, and been forth amongst them; and we have been patient in our sufferings, and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house, relying upon the mercies of the world—not upon the mercies of the world alone but upon the mercies of God. 29 And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their synagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and we have been stoned, and taken and bound with strong cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again. 30 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some. 31 Now behold, we can look forth and see the fruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are many; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren and also towards us."
I love that section of scripture. I have read it over and over during my mission because it rings so true. It would appear to me that missionary work has not changed much, not only in the 25 years since my dad served here, but since Alma and his friends taught the Lamanites before Christ was even born. But it was their faith through the expected trials that gave them success. That is what we have chose to focus on as a zone. With the upcoming new year, we thought it fitting to focus on starting the year off right with faith and looking forward to the trials and tribulations that will define us as missionaries. Tonight we will be having a special zone meeting and we will start a fast together and as a zone we will do nothing but tract tomorrow with a specific goal in mind that has been sought after and given by the spirit as to the number of people we hope to find. With faith and fasting, miracles can happen and I know that! The Bible dictionary says "Where there is true faith there are miracles, visions, dreams, healings, and all the gifts of God that he gives to his saints." I am looking forward with faith to those miracles in our zone. I guess it's all summed up very well in Alma 26:22...
"Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance."
I am so excited and looking forward to a new year with new possibilities and the ability to just start over on some things. I guess we should look at each day like that, but there is something about a new year that seems a little more important and worthwhile. I love where I am and am so excited to spend the majority of 2011 and 2012 in Iowa. My second home! I love it here!
Elder Excell
Monday, December 19, 2011
Q&A - December 19, 2011
1. How is your ankle? Has the swelling gone down any the past few days with the ibuprofen?
Still very swollen and it's pretty sore.
2. Will you be initiating the skype to us or will it be us to you?
So I think the best way is to have Hillary add you and I'll get to her about that and then I will call you at 3 o clock your time. 4 o clock here on Sunday. Will that work for you? Let me know!
3. Did you decide when would be a good time?
Mind....read!
4. Who is your new companion? Where is he from?
His name is Elder Kimber from Bountiful. I love bountiful kids. Mcguire was from there.
5. What about your new companion do you like the most?
He wants to help me be better!
Still very swollen and it's pretty sore.
2. Will you be initiating the skype to us or will it be us to you?
So I think the best way is to have Hillary add you and I'll get to her about that and then I will call you at 3 o clock your time. 4 o clock here on Sunday. Will that work for you? Let me know!
3. Did you decide when would be a good time?
Mind....read!
4. Who is your new companion? Where is he from?
His name is Elder Kimber from Bountiful. I love bountiful kids. Mcguire was from there.
5. What about your new companion do you like the most?
He wants to help me be better!
Christmas Love
It seems as if this last week for being a "short week" has not been so short because there has been so much that has happened. It's all pretty crazy really. I'll start at the beginning. Wednesday, Elder Johnson and I spent some time on a double date with the sisters from Raccoon River. Not fun nor approved. It was totally unintentional on our part but I can't speak for them. We set plans with them to pick us up because the AP's needed our car in order to transport everyone to transfer meeting and to take all those departing missionaries to the airport so we needed a lift for a couple hours on Wednesday as they picked up those incoming greenies. So we met them at the mission home and we had planned to go email and have 2nd ward and 3rd ward elders meet us at the stake center and play some games. Well when the time came to leave the library from emailing, the elders were conned into moving someone out on p-day so they were not around to hang out with us so we very suddenly found ourselves on a double date. We made the best of it and went to Panera Bread, a super good restaurant here, and had a quick lunch and then our car was back so we could get out of there. Thank goodness. I have never been so glad to see our car. We went home and packed and played scrabble. I won the game with the words eureka and apothegms. thank you high school geometry!
Thursday, we woke up at the crack of dawn so we could make the trek to Iowa City for transfer meeting. We fit 7 people in Brother Bera's van. He is our ward mission leader. We had our companionship and the sisters from 5th branch and also the elders from 7th branch. Needless to say, it was a bit tight. I think I may still have the imprint of a seat belt receptor on my bum. Not pleasant. But the transfer meeting was great! I got to see Elder Franz again and all the other awesome elders going home. I have a new companion named Elder Kimber! We immediately got along really well. He is from Bountiful, Utah. I don't know what it is about that town but I tend to have my favorite companions from there. He went to Boston University for a semester and wrestled there and then went to a year at University of Utah. He is a die hard Ute fan. He is the youngest of three kids and likes to go fast. =) He's been out for about 18 months now and goes home in June. He worked as an EMT and fireman before the mission. Super sweet guy! I love him! Depending on transfers he could just die off in Waukee. I may even be the one to kill him. But I doubt it. We'll see. I am excited to work with him tho. He does something that I try to do. With every companion, I have tried to help them become who they want to be and help them accomplish personal goals. He does that too. We are going to work very well together and Waukee is about to explode with success.
We came back from transfer meeting, and since the assistants just love to use our car, we were stranded at the mission home for a bit. It was kinda funny. We sat in the living room with 15 elders who were done. No more. Their mission was over, and it caused me to think where I want to be spiritually and emotionally when I am sitting in that room in 8 months? Who do I want to be? It was nice to see so I could have that chance to ponder. We eventually got our car and went and picked up Kimber's stuff from the stake center where we had to abandon it and went to the Nielsen's. It's pretty funny for missionaries to walk in to the Nielsen's home I've noticed. It's just like heaven for a missionary apartment. Every missionary loves it! How could you not with full size beds with silk sheets. Laundry whenever you want. Cold filtered purified water at your request. It's definitely the little things in life that make the biggest difference. :)
Friday we woke up super early and took the car back to Des Moines to take super elders to the airport. it was cool to drop off Elder Franz again. I don't know if I mentioned by the way that my driving privileges have been reinstated. Super nice to be able to drive again. My companions kind of got sick of driving all the time and I have missed it. All it took was one defensive driving course and I was back on the road!
Saturday we visited two district meetings. Both were great. Both we shorter than usual tho per President's request. We set some goals as a district and as a zone consequently. I'm excited to work towards those goals. We also got to know one another. I have learned through careful personal studies that you can pretty much know a person with few questions. I will list them for your benefit and experimentation.
-What is your favorite pair of shoes?
-How long have you had those shoes?
-How well kept are they?
-What kind of cereal do you most prefer?
-What milk do you eat that with?
-Do you have juice and/or water with said bowl of cereal?
-Do you have toast as well?
-Do you drink the milk at the end of cereal consumption?
-What size spoon do you use to eat said cereal?
With those questions you may know all you need to know someones true personality. I have tested it and found it to be accurate!
I want to end my letter today with some things I have been thinking about and were inspired by Elder Harrison before he left for home. The topic of “culture” in the Iowa Des Moines Mission has been one often mentioned through various trainings, and comments from President Jergensen. That word, “culture,” has led me to some serious pondering of what kind of culture, or behaviors, beliefs, and characteristics should define our missions and our lives. As I pondered the rich history of the cities within my mission such as Carthage, Nauvoo, Iowa City, and others, I realize that our culture has been for the last 190 years, and must continue to be a culture of sacrifice. We may not need to sacrifice what they sacrificed but we must be willing to sacrifice the same amount. From the time Joseph Smith began his foreordained work, until the last of the Saints reached the Salt Lake Valley, persecutions have raged, mobs have combined, and in some cases it has been as if the very jaws of hell gaped open its mouth wide after the hero's upon whose shoulders we now stand. I took a life changing vacation unknowingly with my family when I was younger unaware that one day it would be the most sacred ground to me. I have stood in Carthage Jail with my family when I was 16. I have touched the hole that was made by the bullet that took Hyrum’s life and cried at the thought of that moment several times as I have seen it depicted in the film "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration". I have looked from the window that Joseph’s body fell from and imagine myself believing in something or someone so much I was willing to die for it or them. I have stood at Joseph and Hyrum’s grave. I have walked around the Nauvoo Cemetery, where hundreds of children were laid to rest, and where continually faithful Mothers and Fathers, brothers and sisters, were buried. Gordon B Hinckley once said, "If you think your life is tough, the pioneers laugh in your face." Through the power of the Holy Ghost, I know that the culture of the Iowa Des Moines Mission and the rest of this church and religion is and must continue to be sacrifice. Sacrifice must define our work, and as it does it will define us. We are all the Lord’s servants today, privileged to labor on the same ground that the Prophet and his Saints labored on. but also the same ground that this great country housed ancient civilizations where similar wars have been waged. Beyond all of that we are very privileged to be on the very Earth which our Father in Heaven has created through his son Jesus Christ for our purpose. The words written by W.W. Phelps, “Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of Heaven…” in the song Praise To The Man have repeated themselves over and over in my heart and in my mind, and I know that we must make heaven demanded sacrifices to invoke those very powers of Heaven that created this very holy ground. To honor those who went before us and He who paid the price for us all may I suggest we do as the Book of Mormon exhorts and invites... we must "remember" their sacrifices and be willing to make our own. 3rd Nephi 9:20 "And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit." May we realize the sacred ground we stand on, and the responsibility that rests on our shoulders. I know that is true for all of us. Sacrifice is the key to salvation. It was for Christ and it will be for us. The work is difficult but the rewards are worth it. Sacrifice my friends, for what you know is right.
I love you all but my time is short and I must bid you adieu. I love you my friends and family. Stay sweet, safe, and sober.
See you Sunday! =)
Elder Richard Zachary Excell
Thursday, we woke up at the crack of dawn so we could make the trek to Iowa City for transfer meeting. We fit 7 people in Brother Bera's van. He is our ward mission leader. We had our companionship and the sisters from 5th branch and also the elders from 7th branch. Needless to say, it was a bit tight. I think I may still have the imprint of a seat belt receptor on my bum. Not pleasant. But the transfer meeting was great! I got to see Elder Franz again and all the other awesome elders going home. I have a new companion named Elder Kimber! We immediately got along really well. He is from Bountiful, Utah. I don't know what it is about that town but I tend to have my favorite companions from there. He went to Boston University for a semester and wrestled there and then went to a year at University of Utah. He is a die hard Ute fan. He is the youngest of three kids and likes to go fast. =) He's been out for about 18 months now and goes home in June. He worked as an EMT and fireman before the mission. Super sweet guy! I love him! Depending on transfers he could just die off in Waukee. I may even be the one to kill him. But I doubt it. We'll see. I am excited to work with him tho. He does something that I try to do. With every companion, I have tried to help them become who they want to be and help them accomplish personal goals. He does that too. We are going to work very well together and Waukee is about to explode with success.
We came back from transfer meeting, and since the assistants just love to use our car, we were stranded at the mission home for a bit. It was kinda funny. We sat in the living room with 15 elders who were done. No more. Their mission was over, and it caused me to think where I want to be spiritually and emotionally when I am sitting in that room in 8 months? Who do I want to be? It was nice to see so I could have that chance to ponder. We eventually got our car and went and picked up Kimber's stuff from the stake center where we had to abandon it and went to the Nielsen's. It's pretty funny for missionaries to walk in to the Nielsen's home I've noticed. It's just like heaven for a missionary apartment. Every missionary loves it! How could you not with full size beds with silk sheets. Laundry whenever you want. Cold filtered purified water at your request. It's definitely the little things in life that make the biggest difference. :)
Friday we woke up super early and took the car back to Des Moines to take super elders to the airport. it was cool to drop off Elder Franz again. I don't know if I mentioned by the way that my driving privileges have been reinstated. Super nice to be able to drive again. My companions kind of got sick of driving all the time and I have missed it. All it took was one defensive driving course and I was back on the road!
Saturday we visited two district meetings. Both were great. Both we shorter than usual tho per President's request. We set some goals as a district and as a zone consequently. I'm excited to work towards those goals. We also got to know one another. I have learned through careful personal studies that you can pretty much know a person with few questions. I will list them for your benefit and experimentation.
-What is your favorite pair of shoes?
-How long have you had those shoes?
-How well kept are they?
-What kind of cereal do you most prefer?
-What milk do you eat that with?
-Do you have juice and/or water with said bowl of cereal?
-Do you have toast as well?
-Do you drink the milk at the end of cereal consumption?
-What size spoon do you use to eat said cereal?
With those questions you may know all you need to know someones true personality. I have tested it and found it to be accurate!
I want to end my letter today with some things I have been thinking about and were inspired by Elder Harrison before he left for home. The topic of “culture” in the Iowa Des Moines Mission has been one often mentioned through various trainings, and comments from President Jergensen. That word, “culture,” has led me to some serious pondering of what kind of culture, or behaviors, beliefs, and characteristics should define our missions and our lives. As I pondered the rich history of the cities within my mission such as Carthage, Nauvoo, Iowa City, and others, I realize that our culture has been for the last 190 years, and must continue to be a culture of sacrifice. We may not need to sacrifice what they sacrificed but we must be willing to sacrifice the same amount. From the time Joseph Smith began his foreordained work, until the last of the Saints reached the Salt Lake Valley, persecutions have raged, mobs have combined, and in some cases it has been as if the very jaws of hell gaped open its mouth wide after the hero's upon whose shoulders we now stand. I took a life changing vacation unknowingly with my family when I was younger unaware that one day it would be the most sacred ground to me. I have stood in Carthage Jail with my family when I was 16. I have touched the hole that was made by the bullet that took Hyrum’s life and cried at the thought of that moment several times as I have seen it depicted in the film "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration". I have looked from the window that Joseph’s body fell from and imagine myself believing in something or someone so much I was willing to die for it or them. I have stood at Joseph and Hyrum’s grave. I have walked around the Nauvoo Cemetery, where hundreds of children were laid to rest, and where continually faithful Mothers and Fathers, brothers and sisters, were buried. Gordon B Hinckley once said, "If you think your life is tough, the pioneers laugh in your face." Through the power of the Holy Ghost, I know that the culture of the Iowa Des Moines Mission and the rest of this church and religion is and must continue to be sacrifice. Sacrifice must define our work, and as it does it will define us. We are all the Lord’s servants today, privileged to labor on the same ground that the Prophet and his Saints labored on. but also the same ground that this great country housed ancient civilizations where similar wars have been waged. Beyond all of that we are very privileged to be on the very Earth which our Father in Heaven has created through his son Jesus Christ for our purpose. The words written by W.W. Phelps, “Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of Heaven…” in the song Praise To The Man have repeated themselves over and over in my heart and in my mind, and I know that we must make heaven demanded sacrifices to invoke those very powers of Heaven that created this very holy ground. To honor those who went before us and He who paid the price for us all may I suggest we do as the Book of Mormon exhorts and invites... we must "remember" their sacrifices and be willing to make our own. 3rd Nephi 9:20 "And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit." May we realize the sacred ground we stand on, and the responsibility that rests on our shoulders. I know that is true for all of us. Sacrifice is the key to salvation. It was for Christ and it will be for us. The work is difficult but the rewards are worth it. Sacrifice my friends, for what you know is right.
I love you all but my time is short and I must bid you adieu. I love you my friends and family. Stay sweet, safe, and sober.
See you Sunday! =)
Elder Richard Zachary Excell
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Pictures!
Q&A - December 14, 2011
1. I really want details about your ankle. I'm sure you know that Sister Jergensen called me on Saturday and I'm sure you know me well enough to know that I've had sufficient time to worry about you now. :) What is the latest? What doctors have you seen and what are they saying?
So I have seen Dr. Mckellar twice from our ward. They've taken 7 x-rays and there has been no bone damage seen. He is still very worried because 6 weeks later, it's still swollen, and to be honest...really painful. So I am seeing a podiatrist on Tuesday next week and possibly getting an MRI. They are really worried I tore the tendon connecting my upper ankle to the blade edge of my foot.
2. Will you need to see other doctors or do they feel like they have a handle on this now? What is their plan for treating it? Therapy? or is it bad enough that you might need surgery?
Best case scenario at this point: a walking boot. Worst case scenario: surgery.
3. If they find that surgery is necessary, what does that mean? How long of a recovery? Will you be sent home?
If surgery does happen....I will not leave this mission. I won't. I will beg and plead to work in the office if I have to. I will not go home. I will not allow myself to do so.
4. Have you gotten a Christmas package in the mail yet? USPS tracking says that it was delivered to the mission office on Monday at 10:46 a.m. :)
I have recieved it and thank you so much!!! I don't know much of what is in it yet but it was awesome! I also got a package from Whit today! Thanks! PS: 12 Ways of Christmas....I love it!!! Thank you so much for everything! I love you!
5. And, speaking of Christmas packages, we received one in the mail today from you!! We love it!! Where did you make it? Was it on your own or at some kind of church activity?
Me and Elder Lewis (Delbert) came up with the idea while on exchanges so we made it happen.
6. In a few short days, thanks to Skype, we'll get to see your face and hear your voice!! We need to have a plan though by your next p-day on Monday, so, when is the best time of day for you? I talked to Dad and we are thinking sometime in the afternoon around 2:00 or 3:00 would work well for us, but we're totally open to whatever works best for you. We will still have sacrament meeting at 11:00 and Dad will have a few meetings before and after but should be all the way done by 2. What do you think? You name the time and we'll be ready!!
So, I will check into it but we have church at 1 and just sacramnet meeting. I think probably 3:30 would work best but I will need to coordinate with my new comp and the Nielsen's to know for sure. I will let you know! =)
7. Transfers! So, has Elder Johnson left yet? or does that happen on Thursday? Do you know yet if you're staying in Waukee?
I am staying in Waukee and Elder Johnson's mom is coming to get him and staying at the Nielsen's a couple of days so we'll have 3 missionaries there. 2 active and he'll leave on Monday.
8. You probably don't know yet who your new companion is, do you?
Not at all....I have a couple of guesses, but nothing for sure. I do know tho that Sister Jessica Baird who I went to high school with will be in my zone! That'll be neat!
9. What are your plans for Christmas day? Will you and your companion have your own little "Christmas morning" or will you spend time with the Nielsens?
I'm not sure yet. I need to talk to Hillary about it but I think kind of both.
10. The best and worst of the week?
Best: Janapanese Tempanyaki
Worst: X rays...not too much fun to have your ankle placed in awkward painful positions.
So I have seen Dr. Mckellar twice from our ward. They've taken 7 x-rays and there has been no bone damage seen. He is still very worried because 6 weeks later, it's still swollen, and to be honest...really painful. So I am seeing a podiatrist on Tuesday next week and possibly getting an MRI. They are really worried I tore the tendon connecting my upper ankle to the blade edge of my foot.
2. Will you need to see other doctors or do they feel like they have a handle on this now? What is their plan for treating it? Therapy? or is it bad enough that you might need surgery?
Best case scenario at this point: a walking boot. Worst case scenario: surgery.
3. If they find that surgery is necessary, what does that mean? How long of a recovery? Will you be sent home?
If surgery does happen....I will not leave this mission. I won't. I will beg and plead to work in the office if I have to. I will not go home. I will not allow myself to do so.
4. Have you gotten a Christmas package in the mail yet? USPS tracking says that it was delivered to the mission office on Monday at 10:46 a.m. :)
I have recieved it and thank you so much!!! I don't know much of what is in it yet but it was awesome! I also got a package from Whit today! Thanks! PS: 12 Ways of Christmas....I love it!!! Thank you so much for everything! I love you!
5. And, speaking of Christmas packages, we received one in the mail today from you!! We love it!! Where did you make it? Was it on your own or at some kind of church activity?
Me and Elder Lewis (Delbert) came up with the idea while on exchanges so we made it happen.
6. In a few short days, thanks to Skype, we'll get to see your face and hear your voice!! We need to have a plan though by your next p-day on Monday, so, when is the best time of day for you? I talked to Dad and we are thinking sometime in the afternoon around 2:00 or 3:00 would work well for us, but we're totally open to whatever works best for you. We will still have sacrament meeting at 11:00 and Dad will have a few meetings before and after but should be all the way done by 2. What do you think? You name the time and we'll be ready!!
So, I will check into it but we have church at 1 and just sacramnet meeting. I think probably 3:30 would work best but I will need to coordinate with my new comp and the Nielsen's to know for sure. I will let you know! =)
7. Transfers! So, has Elder Johnson left yet? or does that happen on Thursday? Do you know yet if you're staying in Waukee?
I am staying in Waukee and Elder Johnson's mom is coming to get him and staying at the Nielsen's a couple of days so we'll have 3 missionaries there. 2 active and he'll leave on Monday.
8. You probably don't know yet who your new companion is, do you?
Not at all....I have a couple of guesses, but nothing for sure. I do know tho that Sister Jessica Baird who I went to high school with will be in my zone! That'll be neat!
9. What are your plans for Christmas day? Will you and your companion have your own little "Christmas morning" or will you spend time with the Nielsens?
I'm not sure yet. I need to talk to Hillary about it but I think kind of both.
10. The best and worst of the week?
Best: Janapanese Tempanyaki
Worst: X rays...not too much fun to have your ankle placed in awkward painful positions.
Happiness
Man oh man! What a week. For 10 days, it feels more like 3 days have gone by. It’s pretty incredible to look back and realize that I have already been in Waukee for an entire six weeks. A whole transfer has already passed by. I only have so few of those transfers left. They become more sacred in many different ways as another one ends.
I want to start by saying how grateful I am to have been with Elder Johnson. I will get right down to the nitty grittty. I can tell you this all because of the places that Johnson and I have been with each other. Let it be publicly known now that for about 3 weeks, Johnson and I did not get along. Our personalities clashed all the time. We were both stubborn. We eventually came to ground zero with one another and have built upwards and now have a great friendship. I am so thankful for all that I have learned from him. He's a great guy and I wish him a lot of luck at home.
Last p-day, we went and watched Elder Purcell attempt the Emmeneker again. Failed once again. After 11 minutes, he realized it wasn’t gonna happen so he asked for a to-go box and had dinner sufficient for three days. I feel bad for the guy. He wants to conquer the thing so bad but it just isn't happening. It's going to take some more conditioning Hagrid!
After that, we played a new board game with the west side district. It’s called Citadels. It was a lot of fun. For those of you who have played Dominion, it was very similar but with some tweaks. We had a good time with that district.
Both districts are gonna be changing up a ton with transfers. We will have three births here in the Des Moines zone. We will have one little girl and two little boys to be trained by their respective moms and dads. Besides that, I think there is only one companionship staying the same. Every other pair will have at least one change. Crazy. Our zone's average time on the mission right now before transfers is about 18-20 months. A pretty old zone. But after transfers, we are looking at about 8-10 months old. It’s gonna be a different ball game. I’m excited for it.
I guess it kinda goes without saying that I will remain in Waukee as Elder Johnson is getting transferred to home. =) I think I will be with Elder Kimber or Elder Bennet. We’ll see. It’s all speculation until tomorrow morning. Then we will have some more news.
This week, we had such a fantastic lesson with Matt and Theresa. We felt we needed to see how badly they wanted to progress so we taught the word of wisdom knowing that Matt smokes a pack a day. We taught very well, I think, and just so I can give a more play-by-play feel, let me explain like this...we told Matt that if he would like to show his faith and quit right now, he could rip up his cigarettes and throw them away and pray asking Heavenly Father's assistance. With no exaggeration, we sat there for nearly 20 minutes watching him in his mind fight the fear vs. faith battle. Neither of us felt as if we should speak so he and his wife talked a bit. I eventually felt the need to ask him if he would like to be with Theresa and their 2.5 year old son Chris forever. Promptly, he stood up and went to the bed room. He came back with his last two cigarettes and ripped them up threw them away and sat back down. We all enjoyed the feelings of the spirit for a second and asked Matt to pray. As he did, he choked up and asked, rather he pleaded, for Heavenly Fathers help overcoming his addictions. If I could just adequately express to you how much emotion and sincerity he thrust into that prayer... he and his wife were both sobbing with the spiritual witness they had just received. Now if I may step back from the story and offer some thoughts..."How much faith and sincerity have I exhibited in my life?" was the only question I could ask myself after witnessing the miracle I had just seen. "Have I prayed and pleaded with Father in Heaven lately?" Those are just the questions I had walking away from that lesson. Matt is such an example to me. I learned more from him than I could have ever taught him. I owe him a lot. Later in the week, he and the family came to church again and they are all doing great!!
I guess I should explain the situation with my ankle. I have tried to push through as much pain as I possibly could but I just gave in finally. I called the mission doctor and he suggested getting x-rayed again. The x-rays were negative. No bone damage but both doctors are worried about tendon and ligament damage. So Tuesday, I will go in for an MRI most likely and see what the deal is.
We went to a super good Japanese tempanyaki grill the other day with the Nielsen’s. Oh it was so good! I love them. Probably some of my favorite food is Chinese and Japanese. I had some eel sushi. Sooooooo good! Oh man, I’m craving it again now.
Oh my word...I almost forgot! We had our Christmas zone conference this last Tuesday! Phenomenal. Best zone conference I have yet to attend in my history as a missionary. Normally the mission does a fun talent show and decorate cookies for the Christmas zone conference. This year president felt we needed a more spiritual emphasis and so we had some great talks on the Christ-like attributes found in chapter 6 of preach my gospel. They really brought the spirit in. We then watched a movie called 17 Miracles. I am begging anyone who has not seen this movie before to go to Deseret Book and buy (you will not regret the purchase) and watch it at once. I am not joking either. I literally cried through the whole thing. It’s a film about the Willie handcart company and the struggles they went through. More importantly the sacrifices they all made. I came to realize that Heavenly Father does not expect us to go through what they went through but he does expect us to sacrifice as much as they did. I have so much more to give up to be who he needs me to be. I am trying, and that is the first step, but now I need to be doing. Great, great, great movie. Please sit down and take two hours, a box of Kleenex and watch the movie. You won't regret the spiritual impressions you will feel while watching!
Last night, Toni was supposed to be baptized. I guess before I get into that, I need to mention that I love this woman. I have got to teach her on exchanges 3 times and she actually has included me on the list of people who have saved her life. Now for those of you who don’t know of my fascination with Superman and my goal to save lives...this was epic for me to hear. Anyway...well last night she didn’t go through with the baptism yet. She wasn't ready. She went down in the water but her fear of water out did her. It was heart breaking to see them try for 30 minutes. She just couldn’t do it. Not yet anyway. Fear vs. faith. It’s tough.
Things I have learned this week--
-Sincerity make a difference.
-Prayer doesn’t change things. People who have prayed change things.
-Sometimes the biggest war we wage is fear vs. faith.
As I have seen many fear vs. faith stories happen lately, I have found myself thinking, why is it so hard? I guess when I think of faith; I think faith is to believe what you do not yet see. The reward for this faith is to see what you believe. If that is the case, then why is it so difficult? Why do we so often succumb to the fear? I remember a quote my sister shared with me once and I wrote it down and have kept it close to me because it meant a lot. "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond imagination. It is our light more than our darkness which scares us. We ask ourselves – who are we to be brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous. But honestly, who are you to not be so?" Sometimes I think we focus on so much of who we can't be and we limit ourselves. “No one can make you feel inferior but yourself." If we were able to simply increase our faith even by a miniscule amount on a daily basis, I know that we would recognize more and more who we truly are and who we are designed to become. I know faith is not just a great principle but rather it is the great principle upon which all else rests. Faith is the motivating belief behind quite literally all that we do. As we increase faith, we increase in all else. I know this great principle to be powerful as I have seen it practiced very sincerely by great people around me. I love it.
I love all of you. Bad part of this week has been 10 days between emails but bonus is that now there are only 4 days and a wake up til next email! =) i love ya'll!!
Hugs and kisses,
Elder Excell
I want to start by saying how grateful I am to have been with Elder Johnson. I will get right down to the nitty grittty. I can tell you this all because of the places that Johnson and I have been with each other. Let it be publicly known now that for about 3 weeks, Johnson and I did not get along. Our personalities clashed all the time. We were both stubborn. We eventually came to ground zero with one another and have built upwards and now have a great friendship. I am so thankful for all that I have learned from him. He's a great guy and I wish him a lot of luck at home.
Last p-day, we went and watched Elder Purcell attempt the Emmeneker again. Failed once again. After 11 minutes, he realized it wasn’t gonna happen so he asked for a to-go box and had dinner sufficient for three days. I feel bad for the guy. He wants to conquer the thing so bad but it just isn't happening. It's going to take some more conditioning Hagrid!
After that, we played a new board game with the west side district. It’s called Citadels. It was a lot of fun. For those of you who have played Dominion, it was very similar but with some tweaks. We had a good time with that district.
Both districts are gonna be changing up a ton with transfers. We will have three births here in the Des Moines zone. We will have one little girl and two little boys to be trained by their respective moms and dads. Besides that, I think there is only one companionship staying the same. Every other pair will have at least one change. Crazy. Our zone's average time on the mission right now before transfers is about 18-20 months. A pretty old zone. But after transfers, we are looking at about 8-10 months old. It’s gonna be a different ball game. I’m excited for it.
I guess it kinda goes without saying that I will remain in Waukee as Elder Johnson is getting transferred to home. =) I think I will be with Elder Kimber or Elder Bennet. We’ll see. It’s all speculation until tomorrow morning. Then we will have some more news.
This week, we had such a fantastic lesson with Matt and Theresa. We felt we needed to see how badly they wanted to progress so we taught the word of wisdom knowing that Matt smokes a pack a day. We taught very well, I think, and just so I can give a more play-by-play feel, let me explain like this...we told Matt that if he would like to show his faith and quit right now, he could rip up his cigarettes and throw them away and pray asking Heavenly Father's assistance. With no exaggeration, we sat there for nearly 20 minutes watching him in his mind fight the fear vs. faith battle. Neither of us felt as if we should speak so he and his wife talked a bit. I eventually felt the need to ask him if he would like to be with Theresa and their 2.5 year old son Chris forever. Promptly, he stood up and went to the bed room. He came back with his last two cigarettes and ripped them up threw them away and sat back down. We all enjoyed the feelings of the spirit for a second and asked Matt to pray. As he did, he choked up and asked, rather he pleaded, for Heavenly Fathers help overcoming his addictions. If I could just adequately express to you how much emotion and sincerity he thrust into that prayer... he and his wife were both sobbing with the spiritual witness they had just received. Now if I may step back from the story and offer some thoughts..."How much faith and sincerity have I exhibited in my life?" was the only question I could ask myself after witnessing the miracle I had just seen. "Have I prayed and pleaded with Father in Heaven lately?" Those are just the questions I had walking away from that lesson. Matt is such an example to me. I learned more from him than I could have ever taught him. I owe him a lot. Later in the week, he and the family came to church again and they are all doing great!!
I guess I should explain the situation with my ankle. I have tried to push through as much pain as I possibly could but I just gave in finally. I called the mission doctor and he suggested getting x-rayed again. The x-rays were negative. No bone damage but both doctors are worried about tendon and ligament damage. So Tuesday, I will go in for an MRI most likely and see what the deal is.
We went to a super good Japanese tempanyaki grill the other day with the Nielsen’s. Oh it was so good! I love them. Probably some of my favorite food is Chinese and Japanese. I had some eel sushi. Sooooooo good! Oh man, I’m craving it again now.
Oh my word...I almost forgot! We had our Christmas zone conference this last Tuesday! Phenomenal. Best zone conference I have yet to attend in my history as a missionary. Normally the mission does a fun talent show and decorate cookies for the Christmas zone conference. This year president felt we needed a more spiritual emphasis and so we had some great talks on the Christ-like attributes found in chapter 6 of preach my gospel. They really brought the spirit in. We then watched a movie called 17 Miracles. I am begging anyone who has not seen this movie before to go to Deseret Book and buy (you will not regret the purchase) and watch it at once. I am not joking either. I literally cried through the whole thing. It’s a film about the Willie handcart company and the struggles they went through. More importantly the sacrifices they all made. I came to realize that Heavenly Father does not expect us to go through what they went through but he does expect us to sacrifice as much as they did. I have so much more to give up to be who he needs me to be. I am trying, and that is the first step, but now I need to be doing. Great, great, great movie. Please sit down and take two hours, a box of Kleenex and watch the movie. You won't regret the spiritual impressions you will feel while watching!
Last night, Toni was supposed to be baptized. I guess before I get into that, I need to mention that I love this woman. I have got to teach her on exchanges 3 times and she actually has included me on the list of people who have saved her life. Now for those of you who don’t know of my fascination with Superman and my goal to save lives...this was epic for me to hear. Anyway...well last night she didn’t go through with the baptism yet. She wasn't ready. She went down in the water but her fear of water out did her. It was heart breaking to see them try for 30 minutes. She just couldn’t do it. Not yet anyway. Fear vs. faith. It’s tough.
Things I have learned this week--
-Sincerity make a difference.
-Prayer doesn’t change things. People who have prayed change things.
-Sometimes the biggest war we wage is fear vs. faith.
As I have seen many fear vs. faith stories happen lately, I have found myself thinking, why is it so hard? I guess when I think of faith; I think faith is to believe what you do not yet see. The reward for this faith is to see what you believe. If that is the case, then why is it so difficult? Why do we so often succumb to the fear? I remember a quote my sister shared with me once and I wrote it down and have kept it close to me because it meant a lot. "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond imagination. It is our light more than our darkness which scares us. We ask ourselves – who are we to be brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous. But honestly, who are you to not be so?" Sometimes I think we focus on so much of who we can't be and we limit ourselves. “No one can make you feel inferior but yourself." If we were able to simply increase our faith even by a miniscule amount on a daily basis, I know that we would recognize more and more who we truly are and who we are designed to become. I know faith is not just a great principle but rather it is the great principle upon which all else rests. Faith is the motivating belief behind quite literally all that we do. As we increase faith, we increase in all else. I know this great principle to be powerful as I have seen it practiced very sincerely by great people around me. I love it.
I love all of you. Bad part of this week has been 10 days between emails but bonus is that now there are only 4 days and a wake up til next email! =) i love ya'll!!
Hugs and kisses,
Elder Excell
Monday, December 5, 2011
Pictures!!
Q&A - December 5, 2011
1. So, transfers are next week, right? Do you feel like you will probably be staying in Waukee?
Ya...it's pretty inevitable. With Johnson leaving and it being a zone leader area...I will most likely stay unless something crazy happens. Doubtful! So p-day next week is Wednesday and transfers are Thursday.
2. How was your frigid game of Frolf last p-day?
I threw a three under for the 18 holes. I finally perfected the backhand flick and it helps tons!!
3. How did your cake turn out for the Ward Christmas Party?
Super good. I had people asking me for the recipe for the frosting...I just used peppermint pilsbury frosting from walmart! Pretty good tho!
4. Is your coat pretty warm? I've worried whether or not it would be warm enough for "Iowa cold".
It's the best!! That with a hoodie underneath is perfect! Thank you so much!!
5. Did Matt and Theresa come to church again yesterday?
No, but they did come to the party and they told us in advance they couldn't make church but I'm super excited to tell you about the lesson we had with them!
6. Best and worst of the week?
Best-- Being in our area
Worst-- Not being in our area.
7. Do you need anything from home? I'm sending a package this week and can pack more into it if you need anything...
I am doing so well. I am content! Thank you so much though!
Ya...it's pretty inevitable. With Johnson leaving and it being a zone leader area...I will most likely stay unless something crazy happens. Doubtful! So p-day next week is Wednesday and transfers are Thursday.
2. How was your frigid game of Frolf last p-day?
I threw a three under for the 18 holes. I finally perfected the backhand flick and it helps tons!!
3. How did your cake turn out for the Ward Christmas Party?
Super good. I had people asking me for the recipe for the frosting...I just used peppermint pilsbury frosting from walmart! Pretty good tho!
4. Is your coat pretty warm? I've worried whether or not it would be warm enough for "Iowa cold".
It's the best!! That with a hoodie underneath is perfect! Thank you so much!!
5. Did Matt and Theresa come to church again yesterday?
No, but they did come to the party and they told us in advance they couldn't make church but I'm super excited to tell you about the lesson we had with them!
6. Best and worst of the week?
Best-- Being in our area
Worst-- Not being in our area.
7. Do you need anything from home? I'm sending a package this week and can pack more into it if you need anything...
I am doing so well. I am content! Thank you so much though!
"Born To Rebel"
Man, it is such a blessing to look to my side for a good attention getter and have so many fantastic books to choose from. I feel like with the new calling as zone leader and the service we do in libraries, like I am starting to love libraries or something. I want to go home and hang out in libraries. That is so not who I used to be! I guess I just love the thought that there is so much knowledge around me that I can take in and learn about. So many different vantage points to view reality and even some escapes to alternate realities. I love it. Although I have to admit...I have only found one book in this library, or in any library for that matter, that claims to be delivered by an angel! That's the book that I want to go back and read over and over and over! =)
It feels like I got jipped out of a week of my mission this week! I guess not really but we actually only spent about 8-10 hours in our actual area of Waukee this week! Busy, Busy, Busy!
Monday we had a great p-day and I threw a 3 under after 18 holes in Frolf. It was cold for the first 9 but we were just warming up for the back nine. It was a lot of fun. Admittedly, I did enjoy it. I want to go back and play in some of the courses in Idaho sometime. It's somewhat addicting! But unfortunately, it was probably the last holes of the season. It's getting cold here. About 20 degrees consistently to be exact. I actually really like it tho because it reminds me of home. Johnson hates it! He's perfectly content having a sandy Christmas in Arizona! =)
Monday night, we had dinner with the Phippens. Some of you who read this may know them! They lived on Sun Hill Loop in Pocatello just up the street from our house about 4 years ago. Needless to say we made quite a few connections and that is just one more connection I have made to add to my book of why Heavenly Father sent me to Waukee!
Tuesday, the departing missionaries, including Elder Johnson, took their last and final Nauvoo temple trip. They all came back super trunky! Haha! You put that many dying missionaries in a van for 6 hours and a 15 hour trip, I guess what more can you expect. They had a good time tho. I got to work with Hagrid...aka Elder Purcell. He is such a stud. Oh and a side note...he is attempting the Adam Emmeneker sandwich again today. 3rd time is a charm. I'm cheering on my champ! He has to win! But on our exchange together we had a blast! We visited Toni who is supposed to be baptized this Saturday! Originally it was last week but it didn’t happen because while we were visiting her, she confessed to us that she had some gall stones that needed removed and that was quite an ordeal. I guess that night, she had been in the hospital and ran away because she was told she'd have to have surgery and that scared her. She's a pretty stubborn lady and when we stopped by, she was writhing in pain but convinced that these gall stones would just go away with time! I was astounded! Purcell is still green so wasn’t quite sure what to do and I guess from everyone else's remarks, I am a pretty bold missionary so I said, "Toni, why would you not go get the surgery" She responded, "Because my house is dirty and I need to clean it first." With no further ado, we hopped off the couch and started to clean. No words were spoken. The dishes were washed. Floors swept and items shelved. In 15 minutes, we asked her for another excuse. She said, "because I fought with my son this morning and I don't want to die in surgery after a fight with family." So we brought the son in with no exhortation and had a session of forgiveness and love and afterwards I said, "Toni, go get your coat on now. You are out of excuses and we are taking you in for the surgery." She did so and we were off. After dealing with the front secretaries for a bit, we got her a room and she was in surgery that night. It messed with her baptism but she walked away from it with renewed faith and a baptismal date for this Saturday! Pictures to come next week!
That night we ran into some fellows who invited us to go teach them at the nearest coffee shop so we did. I have been converted to coffee shops. I will hang out in them more too! Good Baked Goods! Yum! Anyway, they sat with us for two hours and anti-ed us pretty hardcore for nearly the whole time. They pretended to not know what we believed but he would ask a searching question like, "I hear you believe...." and then lay out 8 to 10 scriptures against it. After about 3 such questions, I just looked at them. I felt a need to pause so I did. No words were spoken by anyone. Silence. Then after about 30 seconds of intense searching eye contact, I boldly said what the spirit told me to say..."I believe in a living Jesus Christ. I believe in Joseph Smith and his predestined ordination as the prophet of this dispensation. The Book of Mormon is the convincing evidence to me of both facts. I encourage you to read it." They sat in their seats pretty taken aback and the spirit was very strong. They took a copy of the Book of Mormon and we closed with a prayer. Pretty neat experience.
Wednesday, we had to do the planning and preparing for the upcoming days. Not much to report on this day. I think I emerged victorious from the Monopoly Deal tournament that night. But I am currently trailing 28 games to 32 in foosball. Vengeance will be mine!
Thursday we had a conference call for zone leader council. Not nearly as effective as our in-person meeting but saves the church a lot of miles. We actually went to McDonald’s and played some card games during the call. Probably not the most focused I’ve been in a meeting but when a question is asked and you have to start on one side of the mission and give every missionary a chance to respond you have some down time!
We exchanged with 1st ward on Thursday after the call. It was a good exchange with Elder Snyder the district leader. I just feel so much love for my zone. I love all the missionaries and have such a new found respect for missionaries who give up themselves for the Lord! What a sacrifice to come from 19-21 year old kids. They are a real example to me of what I need to be doing better!
Friday, we had district meeting for the east side. It was a great meeting. It was the last district meeting for both districts due to a zone conference this week so it was farewell. We always do transfer predictions, and for those missionaries going home, you guess how long til they are married. Johnson was given 10 months average and I was told I will stay from the majority vote. I guess only time will tell.
Friday night was the ward Christmas party and we were the judges of the gingerbread house making competition. We were good judges. We got to make up the categories, and bonus is, Jared the member we live with was in charge and so all the excess goods such as gummy bears, m&m's and pixie sticks are at our house! It's a good thing I have been running lately. Since I gave up soda, it has been so much better! I run close to 8 miles a day! 2 in the morning and 6 at night on a 6 incline. It's been super good. I love it. I burn nearly 1000 calories a day!
Saturday, we had west side district meeting and it was good as well. We watched this movie called Labor of Love. Super good and made everyone super motivated to not waste our time. After district meeting, we had lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings and I had a huckleberry lemonade! ...in Iowa! I know! Unheard of!
Sunday was a great day as well. Church was great. We had quite a few less actives at church and also, the Ray's, who will hopefully take the plunge this week before Jerret goes back to the modern gold rush of North Dakota, were there. I hear it's pretty crazy out there now! We had a good ward coordination. We came up with a plan to send the whole ward a Christmas card with a dvd and pass along card and the encouragement to give it to their neighbors...we'll see how many referrals that leads to. I’m excited to see.
Things I learned this week--
-A hug a day keeps the bad feelings away
-English toffee....worth every calorie
-I'm looking forward to 14 years of training and school if I really do what I want to.
I have been thinking lately about people and the three types of people in my mind's eye. First, the one who doesn't realize that anything great is happening; second, the one who realizes something is going on but doesn't know what it is; and third, the one behind the scenes making it all happen. How does a person make things happen? How can someone be effective as a young man or woman, as a father, a mother, as a leader in the Church, in schoolwork, in life? I think that it is by doing things "the Lord's way." What is the lord's way though? How can we find that way out? That's the very beauty of the gospel is that it contains the answers to those essential questions. The Lord's way can be found through faith and prayer. I have found that as we turn what we have to the Lord, He will richly bless us and give us more than we ever had before. Once again, I think C.S. Lewis said it best...“[To have Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.” I am so grateful for the gospel and its answers to my deepest questions.
I hope you all have a great week. I love you all so much!
Hugs and Kisses,
Elder Excell
It feels like I got jipped out of a week of my mission this week! I guess not really but we actually only spent about 8-10 hours in our actual area of Waukee this week! Busy, Busy, Busy!
Monday we had a great p-day and I threw a 3 under after 18 holes in Frolf. It was cold for the first 9 but we were just warming up for the back nine. It was a lot of fun. Admittedly, I did enjoy it. I want to go back and play in some of the courses in Idaho sometime. It's somewhat addicting! But unfortunately, it was probably the last holes of the season. It's getting cold here. About 20 degrees consistently to be exact. I actually really like it tho because it reminds me of home. Johnson hates it! He's perfectly content having a sandy Christmas in Arizona! =)
Monday night, we had dinner with the Phippens. Some of you who read this may know them! They lived on Sun Hill Loop in Pocatello just up the street from our house about 4 years ago. Needless to say we made quite a few connections and that is just one more connection I have made to add to my book of why Heavenly Father sent me to Waukee!
Tuesday, the departing missionaries, including Elder Johnson, took their last and final Nauvoo temple trip. They all came back super trunky! Haha! You put that many dying missionaries in a van for 6 hours and a 15 hour trip, I guess what more can you expect. They had a good time tho. I got to work with Hagrid...aka Elder Purcell. He is such a stud. Oh and a side note...he is attempting the Adam Emmeneker sandwich again today. 3rd time is a charm. I'm cheering on my champ! He has to win! But on our exchange together we had a blast! We visited Toni who is supposed to be baptized this Saturday! Originally it was last week but it didn’t happen because while we were visiting her, she confessed to us that she had some gall stones that needed removed and that was quite an ordeal. I guess that night, she had been in the hospital and ran away because she was told she'd have to have surgery and that scared her. She's a pretty stubborn lady and when we stopped by, she was writhing in pain but convinced that these gall stones would just go away with time! I was astounded! Purcell is still green so wasn’t quite sure what to do and I guess from everyone else's remarks, I am a pretty bold missionary so I said, "Toni, why would you not go get the surgery" She responded, "Because my house is dirty and I need to clean it first." With no further ado, we hopped off the couch and started to clean. No words were spoken. The dishes were washed. Floors swept and items shelved. In 15 minutes, we asked her for another excuse. She said, "because I fought with my son this morning and I don't want to die in surgery after a fight with family." So we brought the son in with no exhortation and had a session of forgiveness and love and afterwards I said, "Toni, go get your coat on now. You are out of excuses and we are taking you in for the surgery." She did so and we were off. After dealing with the front secretaries for a bit, we got her a room and she was in surgery that night. It messed with her baptism but she walked away from it with renewed faith and a baptismal date for this Saturday! Pictures to come next week!
That night we ran into some fellows who invited us to go teach them at the nearest coffee shop so we did. I have been converted to coffee shops. I will hang out in them more too! Good Baked Goods! Yum! Anyway, they sat with us for two hours and anti-ed us pretty hardcore for nearly the whole time. They pretended to not know what we believed but he would ask a searching question like, "I hear you believe...." and then lay out 8 to 10 scriptures against it. After about 3 such questions, I just looked at them. I felt a need to pause so I did. No words were spoken by anyone. Silence. Then after about 30 seconds of intense searching eye contact, I boldly said what the spirit told me to say..."I believe in a living Jesus Christ. I believe in Joseph Smith and his predestined ordination as the prophet of this dispensation. The Book of Mormon is the convincing evidence to me of both facts. I encourage you to read it." They sat in their seats pretty taken aback and the spirit was very strong. They took a copy of the Book of Mormon and we closed with a prayer. Pretty neat experience.
Wednesday, we had to do the planning and preparing for the upcoming days. Not much to report on this day. I think I emerged victorious from the Monopoly Deal tournament that night. But I am currently trailing 28 games to 32 in foosball. Vengeance will be mine!
Thursday we had a conference call for zone leader council. Not nearly as effective as our in-person meeting but saves the church a lot of miles. We actually went to McDonald’s and played some card games during the call. Probably not the most focused I’ve been in a meeting but when a question is asked and you have to start on one side of the mission and give every missionary a chance to respond you have some down time!
We exchanged with 1st ward on Thursday after the call. It was a good exchange with Elder Snyder the district leader. I just feel so much love for my zone. I love all the missionaries and have such a new found respect for missionaries who give up themselves for the Lord! What a sacrifice to come from 19-21 year old kids. They are a real example to me of what I need to be doing better!
Friday, we had district meeting for the east side. It was a great meeting. It was the last district meeting for both districts due to a zone conference this week so it was farewell. We always do transfer predictions, and for those missionaries going home, you guess how long til they are married. Johnson was given 10 months average and I was told I will stay from the majority vote. I guess only time will tell.
Friday night was the ward Christmas party and we were the judges of the gingerbread house making competition. We were good judges. We got to make up the categories, and bonus is, Jared the member we live with was in charge and so all the excess goods such as gummy bears, m&m's and pixie sticks are at our house! It's a good thing I have been running lately. Since I gave up soda, it has been so much better! I run close to 8 miles a day! 2 in the morning and 6 at night on a 6 incline. It's been super good. I love it. I burn nearly 1000 calories a day!
Saturday, we had west side district meeting and it was good as well. We watched this movie called Labor of Love. Super good and made everyone super motivated to not waste our time. After district meeting, we had lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings and I had a huckleberry lemonade! ...in Iowa! I know! Unheard of!
Sunday was a great day as well. Church was great. We had quite a few less actives at church and also, the Ray's, who will hopefully take the plunge this week before Jerret goes back to the modern gold rush of North Dakota, were there. I hear it's pretty crazy out there now! We had a good ward coordination. We came up with a plan to send the whole ward a Christmas card with a dvd and pass along card and the encouragement to give it to their neighbors...we'll see how many referrals that leads to. I’m excited to see.
Things I learned this week--
-A hug a day keeps the bad feelings away
-English toffee....worth every calorie
-I'm looking forward to 14 years of training and school if I really do what I want to.
I have been thinking lately about people and the three types of people in my mind's eye. First, the one who doesn't realize that anything great is happening; second, the one who realizes something is going on but doesn't know what it is; and third, the one behind the scenes making it all happen. How does a person make things happen? How can someone be effective as a young man or woman, as a father, a mother, as a leader in the Church, in schoolwork, in life? I think that it is by doing things "the Lord's way." What is the lord's way though? How can we find that way out? That's the very beauty of the gospel is that it contains the answers to those essential questions. The Lord's way can be found through faith and prayer. I have found that as we turn what we have to the Lord, He will richly bless us and give us more than we ever had before. Once again, I think C.S. Lewis said it best...“[To have Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.” I am so grateful for the gospel and its answers to my deepest questions.
I hope you all have a great week. I love you all so much!
Hugs and Kisses,
Elder Excell
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