1. How are you??
I am doing fantastic! I feel like I'm progressing toward who I want to be and I feel like I am helping others to do the same! =)
2. What's the plan for P-Day today?
We are making authentic moccasins with a man who was baptized recently who is native american! It's going to be so awesome! I think it's probably the most anticipated p-day I've ever had!
3. Does Elder Brown come from a large family? Oldest, youngest, or somewhere in between?
Middle child of 4. I know that means there are two middle children but he is one of them!
4. What are you most looking forward to in the week ahead?
Teaching Stacy again and helping her. I'm also excited because we have planned appointments every day of the week this week!
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Today
I have had such a great week this week! It's had it's ups and downs but at the end of it all I find myself thankful for the ups and doubly thankful for the downs. I feel so blessed to be where I am now and to be doing what I am doing! I also feel so blessed to know what I know and have that peace that that gospel knowledge brings! I can't help, when thinking for more than just a moment, how truly blessed I am. I have an infinite list of things to be grateful for simply because I have been given a seemingly infinite amount of blessings from God!
Last week we were able to accomplish a lot! It was a busy week with a zone conference and exchanges in Cedar Rapids with the zone leaders but it was great! We started the week with a good p-day. We played some ball with each other which ended up in a contest. We played to 11 and played for a DQ Blizzard. I felt almost like a dad when their son just can't play under the pressure of playing with dad. They crumble when dad plays with them because they're trying so hard to win. I did win a good blizzard out of it. Georgia Mud Fudge. My favorite flavor. After that we went and did our laundry at the Austin's and while it was washing, we went and watched a softball game with the family. It was a lot of fun! I really love that family! But I'm also happy the Larson's are back so we can play with them tonight as we do our laundry! I love the people here in Waverly!
Zone conference this week was great! It was bitter-sweet being my last zone conference! And with the way the schedule is right now I probably won't see president or really anyone outside of our district until I go home. That was a pretty sobering thought! But the meeting was great! I actually did a special musical number. I do apologize for not doing the black name tag song dad. I was tempted to try it, and especially for father's day, but I wimped out! Sister Brown and I sang a song together while Sister Minson played the piano and it went really well. I think it was kind of a shock to some people seeing me sing because I just haven't had those opportunities much out here. The meeting was great as well, and as always, made me want to do just a little bit better than I was doing before. We had a really good lunch. We had dutch oven pork sandwiches. Super good. I think my favorite part of the day tho was the trainer's meeting afterward. There was only three of us in the meeting. Two sisters, and myself. We met with President Jeppeson, who is a counselor to President Jergensen. He is a great guy and I've really come to love him! I love the way that he speaks because it is very refined and professional and I like that a lot. I want to speak like that! Anyway we had a great meeting with him. It was a quick hour and a half. I was asked to say the closing prayer and I was very touched by the spirit. I took a moment to pause before saying the prayer, something I wish people did more often. As I did I was completely overcome with the awesome responsibility that had been given to us as trainers and also the awesome blessings that come from that opportunity. It was very good for me!
We drove back to Cedar Rapids to have exchanges the next day but on the way we stopped with a couple other elders at a restaurant called Hu Hot which is a Mongolian grill! It's super good! My diet didn't do so well that day!
Exchanges went really well. We actually met a guy named Pita who spoke Portuguese. I about piddled in my pants because of the excitement! As we started talking back and forth I just had so many memories of being in Brazil! And he gave me the best compliment..."Which part of Brazil are you from?" He thought my Portuguese was so good that I was a native! That made my week! He wasn't interested in our message but it still made my day!
Elder Brown and I went running on Friday night which is the first time I've ran since I was with Elder Fenn. I love running so much now. It seems like everything that I used to dislike when I was younger are now becoming my favorite things. Like tomatoes, spinach, and mushrooms to name a few. I actually learned a lot from our little run. We ran around the river which is about 3 miles. I started out at a pretty decent pace and Elder Brown was following me. Well about a mile down the road he had fallen behind probably no more than 400 yards so I kept going. I got back to the starting point and looked back to find Elder Brown no where in sight. As I waited I got a little more nervous, because he wasn't coming. I eventually started running backward from the direction we ran previously and found him. He was walking because his shin splints started bothering him. I gave him a little motivation and we finished it out to the end. But I kept thinking about how sometimes we fall behind in life and we need someone to be selfless enough to come back and get us. Somebody usually who has made their goal and are now working to help others do the same. Sometimes in life we are the one in front and sometimes we are the one behind. Regardless, both are necessary to complete the race together. That being said, I am grateful for my dad who is the runner ahead of me. He has always come back to me to help me finish my race. I will never forget the mission advice my dad gave me when I left. "The mission is a marathon. Each day is a leg. As you run hard to win the leg of the day every day, you will eventually look back and realize that you will win the whole marathon."
I had the chance to exercise those singing talents again at a funeral yesterday as I played the guitar and Airyn and I sang "Nearer My God to Thee". It went really well and provoked some tears from the audience. We set our day to record our album for July 23rd. Hopefully that goes well!
Things I learned this week --
-Mother's Day="Good job moms. we love you." Father's Day-"Alright men we can do better"
-How awesome the circle of fifths is when writing music. Why did I ever quit piano lessons.
-My passions and likes and everything about me has changed dramatically in the last 12 months. I hope you all can recognize me. =)
So I've been trying this week to think of a pump up last paragraph. Usually my last paragraph gives me time to reflect and give myself a spiritual overhaul. So, to all of you who may need a little boost as well, here are my thoughts: Today is your defining moment. Expectations of you seem very high, but you knew that before you set foot in this life; before you signed up to follow the Savior; before you put on that jersey to be on the Master's team. That team has a tradition unlike any other. Those pioneers who have gone before us are the giants upon whose shoulders we now stand. There can be no sitting on the sidelines. We can't wait for somebody else to make it happen. Above all, there can be no compromises. What is being asked of us, is for our performance to come from a deeper place. You've come too far to surrender.I'm not saying that it's going to be easy. You're going to have to work harder than you have ever worked before. But no matter how hard, no matter how tough, you're expected to make a difference. Failure is not an option. There is no other way than greatness, and now it's your time and turn to perform. The question I ask myself and all of you is, are you ready? Today, are you ready? Are you at your personal best? Will you fight? Will you give it your best? Will you stare into the face of the adversary and never surrender who you want to be? Because once you leave this room, people are counting on you. They will know what you can do! They are counting on you to be great. I repeat, THEY ARE COUNTING ON YOU TO BE GREAT. There will never a day go by where you will regret doing what is right. They are counting on you to do all the things that you are supposed to do as a player on the Savior's team. This is your time. Seize the day! Please, never forget why you are here. Never surrender. Never forget who you are. Never forget how much is riding on your decisions. And NEVER forget, that so much...SO MUCH depends on what you do TODAY!!
I love you!
Hugs and Kisses!
Elder Excell
Last week we were able to accomplish a lot! It was a busy week with a zone conference and exchanges in Cedar Rapids with the zone leaders but it was great! We started the week with a good p-day. We played some ball with each other which ended up in a contest. We played to 11 and played for a DQ Blizzard. I felt almost like a dad when their son just can't play under the pressure of playing with dad. They crumble when dad plays with them because they're trying so hard to win. I did win a good blizzard out of it. Georgia Mud Fudge. My favorite flavor. After that we went and did our laundry at the Austin's and while it was washing, we went and watched a softball game with the family. It was a lot of fun! I really love that family! But I'm also happy the Larson's are back so we can play with them tonight as we do our laundry! I love the people here in Waverly!
Zone conference this week was great! It was bitter-sweet being my last zone conference! And with the way the schedule is right now I probably won't see president or really anyone outside of our district until I go home. That was a pretty sobering thought! But the meeting was great! I actually did a special musical number. I do apologize for not doing the black name tag song dad. I was tempted to try it, and especially for father's day, but I wimped out! Sister Brown and I sang a song together while Sister Minson played the piano and it went really well. I think it was kind of a shock to some people seeing me sing because I just haven't had those opportunities much out here. The meeting was great as well, and as always, made me want to do just a little bit better than I was doing before. We had a really good lunch. We had dutch oven pork sandwiches. Super good. I think my favorite part of the day tho was the trainer's meeting afterward. There was only three of us in the meeting. Two sisters, and myself. We met with President Jeppeson, who is a counselor to President Jergensen. He is a great guy and I've really come to love him! I love the way that he speaks because it is very refined and professional and I like that a lot. I want to speak like that! Anyway we had a great meeting with him. It was a quick hour and a half. I was asked to say the closing prayer and I was very touched by the spirit. I took a moment to pause before saying the prayer, something I wish people did more often. As I did I was completely overcome with the awesome responsibility that had been given to us as trainers and also the awesome blessings that come from that opportunity. It was very good for me!
We drove back to Cedar Rapids to have exchanges the next day but on the way we stopped with a couple other elders at a restaurant called Hu Hot which is a Mongolian grill! It's super good! My diet didn't do so well that day!
Exchanges went really well. We actually met a guy named Pita who spoke Portuguese. I about piddled in my pants because of the excitement! As we started talking back and forth I just had so many memories of being in Brazil! And he gave me the best compliment..."Which part of Brazil are you from?" He thought my Portuguese was so good that I was a native! That made my week! He wasn't interested in our message but it still made my day!
Elder Brown and I went running on Friday night which is the first time I've ran since I was with Elder Fenn. I love running so much now. It seems like everything that I used to dislike when I was younger are now becoming my favorite things. Like tomatoes, spinach, and mushrooms to name a few. I actually learned a lot from our little run. We ran around the river which is about 3 miles. I started out at a pretty decent pace and Elder Brown was following me. Well about a mile down the road he had fallen behind probably no more than 400 yards so I kept going. I got back to the starting point and looked back to find Elder Brown no where in sight. As I waited I got a little more nervous, because he wasn't coming. I eventually started running backward from the direction we ran previously and found him. He was walking because his shin splints started bothering him. I gave him a little motivation and we finished it out to the end. But I kept thinking about how sometimes we fall behind in life and we need someone to be selfless enough to come back and get us. Somebody usually who has made their goal and are now working to help others do the same. Sometimes in life we are the one in front and sometimes we are the one behind. Regardless, both are necessary to complete the race together. That being said, I am grateful for my dad who is the runner ahead of me. He has always come back to me to help me finish my race. I will never forget the mission advice my dad gave me when I left. "The mission is a marathon. Each day is a leg. As you run hard to win the leg of the day every day, you will eventually look back and realize that you will win the whole marathon."
I had the chance to exercise those singing talents again at a funeral yesterday as I played the guitar and Airyn and I sang "Nearer My God to Thee". It went really well and provoked some tears from the audience. We set our day to record our album for July 23rd. Hopefully that goes well!
Things I learned this week --
-Mother's Day="Good job moms. we love you." Father's Day-"Alright men we can do better"
-How awesome the circle of fifths is when writing music. Why did I ever quit piano lessons.
-My passions and likes and everything about me has changed dramatically in the last 12 months. I hope you all can recognize me. =)
So I've been trying this week to think of a pump up last paragraph. Usually my last paragraph gives me time to reflect and give myself a spiritual overhaul. So, to all of you who may need a little boost as well, here are my thoughts: Today is your defining moment. Expectations of you seem very high, but you knew that before you set foot in this life; before you signed up to follow the Savior; before you put on that jersey to be on the Master's team. That team has a tradition unlike any other. Those pioneers who have gone before us are the giants upon whose shoulders we now stand. There can be no sitting on the sidelines. We can't wait for somebody else to make it happen. Above all, there can be no compromises. What is being asked of us, is for our performance to come from a deeper place. You've come too far to surrender.I'm not saying that it's going to be easy. You're going to have to work harder than you have ever worked before. But no matter how hard, no matter how tough, you're expected to make a difference. Failure is not an option. There is no other way than greatness, and now it's your time and turn to perform. The question I ask myself and all of you is, are you ready? Today, are you ready? Are you at your personal best? Will you fight? Will you give it your best? Will you stare into the face of the adversary and never surrender who you want to be? Because once you leave this room, people are counting on you. They will know what you can do! They are counting on you to be great. I repeat, THEY ARE COUNTING ON YOU TO BE GREAT. There will never a day go by where you will regret doing what is right. They are counting on you to do all the things that you are supposed to do as a player on the Savior's team. This is your time. Seize the day! Please, never forget why you are here. Never surrender. Never forget who you are. Never forget how much is riding on your decisions. And NEVER forget, that so much...SO MUCH depends on what you do TODAY!!
I love you!
Hugs and Kisses!
Elder Excell
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Q&A - June 11, 2012
1. I've been wondering for awhile where your love of Superman comes from? :)
Because I was sick right when I got introduced to Smallville and watched 4 seasons in a week and ever since then I have had to try to convince myself that I am not Clark Kent waiting for my powers to come! I also really kind of enjoy the parallels to Christ.
2. What is your favorite Superman movie?
Smallville I think is the best depiction but I like the newest movie the best! Superman Returns.
3. What is your favorite Superman quote?
"You will be different, sometimes you'll feel like an outcast, but you'll never be alone." Superman says this to the boy whose name I believe is Jason, and in the movie you've just pieced together that it is his son with Lois. And then he says, "You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father and the father becomes the son." Those are the last words Superman heard from his father on Krypton. Man I'm a nerd!
4. How are things going with Elder Brown?
Great! I love him!
5. What is the best thing about Elder Brown?
He doesn't sugar coat how he feels. I love that in people.
6. Do you know yet when you will get to go to Nauvoo? Uncle Bruce and Aunt Sue want us to give them a heads-up if we can so that they will know to be watching for you. :)
It will be mid August for sure if we don't go once before that!
7. How many wards are in Waverly? How big is the ward you serve in? Is it a strong ward?
It's a branch of about 80 people. pretty good size for a branch and it's growing a lot!
8. Did you get the Liahona I sent last week with the pictures from Wes & Kenzi's wedding? What did you think?
Oh man...I wish I could have been there! I hope I get to see all those people like the weekend I come home! I miss them all so much!
9. Has it been weird for you the last couple days thinking that Dad is so close to you? It sounds like he is having fun on his "Man Trip" and I've never gotten so many text messages that are pictures of meat in all my life! :)
Haha...it was a little weird the day he flew in but since then not really. I'm just glad I'm not in Des Moines right now!
10. The best thing about this week was...
Steak Dinner!!!
Because I was sick right when I got introduced to Smallville and watched 4 seasons in a week and ever since then I have had to try to convince myself that I am not Clark Kent waiting for my powers to come! I also really kind of enjoy the parallels to Christ.
2. What is your favorite Superman movie?
Smallville I think is the best depiction but I like the newest movie the best! Superman Returns.
3. What is your favorite Superman quote?
"You will be different, sometimes you'll feel like an outcast, but you'll never be alone." Superman says this to the boy whose name I believe is Jason, and in the movie you've just pieced together that it is his son with Lois. And then he says, "You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father and the father becomes the son." Those are the last words Superman heard from his father on Krypton. Man I'm a nerd!
4. How are things going with Elder Brown?
Great! I love him!
5. What is the best thing about Elder Brown?
He doesn't sugar coat how he feels. I love that in people.
6. Do you know yet when you will get to go to Nauvoo? Uncle Bruce and Aunt Sue want us to give them a heads-up if we can so that they will know to be watching for you. :)
It will be mid August for sure if we don't go once before that!
7. How many wards are in Waverly? How big is the ward you serve in? Is it a strong ward?
It's a branch of about 80 people. pretty good size for a branch and it's growing a lot!
8. Did you get the Liahona I sent last week with the pictures from Wes & Kenzi's wedding? What did you think?
Oh man...I wish I could have been there! I hope I get to see all those people like the weekend I come home! I miss them all so much!
9. Has it been weird for you the last couple days thinking that Dad is so close to you? It sounds like he is having fun on his "Man Trip" and I've never gotten so many text messages that are pictures of meat in all my life! :)
Haha...it was a little weird the day he flew in but since then not really. I'm just glad I'm not in Des Moines right now!
10. The best thing about this week was...
Steak Dinner!!!
I Love The Lord
Every week I sit down at the same computer and have the same feelings but have yet to find a way to adequately describe them. I feel so much love when I sit in this chair. This chair in all intents and purposes has become a sacred place for me. I love the opportunity that I have every week to hear from my parents and then to write them about what I have been doing. I can't quite explain it but there is something very special about the relationship that I have built with them over the past years and where we now find that relationship today! It is more special to me than I ever thought possible! I love them!
I had a great week and it always continues to get better. I'm not quite sure how that works either but I hope that is a pattern that I can continue for the rest of my life! I'm learning very quickly that yes these have been the best two years of my life but if the next two that follow are not the best two yeas as well than I need to re-evaluate and make them the best two years.
Last week for p-day we had a great day. After our ritual emailing time we went to the church and played ball with just the two of us. Then Airyn came and we worked on some songs for our album which is going fantastic by the way. Afterwards we went to the Austin's to do our laundry because the Larson's are out of town. While our laundry was washing and drying we played some baseball with the boys. It's really tough to play baseball with a chocolate lab in the mix! If you are not on top of that ball as soon as it is either hit or thrown you will experience one of the following; 1) Being tackled by a dog. 2)A long run after the dog who stole the ball. And 3)A slobbery ball in your hand after all is said and done. It was still a lot of fun even tho I experienced all three of those sensations.
You will all be fascinated to know that my Rubik's Cube time is down to 2 minutes and 1 second. I'm just trying to break that 2 minute barrier and I think I have about got it. After reading about my knowledge of Superman and my new found passion of a Rubik's Cube I'm pretty sure I look like a huge nerd! =)
This week we had tons of meetings which just reminded me of the zone leader days. We had a leadership meeting where Elder Poulsen in Waterloo and I got to make the trek to Iowa City which was a lot of fun! It was the first time in a while where I just got to drive for like two hours straight! The meetings were great as well. I always leave those meetings with a renewed desire to be better. It's funny because President Jergensen even asked us at the end of the meeting what we learned from the spirit and I told him that I wasn't sure if I learned anything more than that I need to do better with what I already know. I really just walk away feeling like I have all the tools to be the best me and the best missionary but somehow I lose some vigor in between those meetings and so I recommit to stand a little taller and be a little better! It was kind of sad as well because I realized at the end of the meeting that that will be my last leadership meeting...ever. Some of the missionaries that I saw there I will not see again for a very long time and that kinda broke my heart. It really snuck up on me. This week will be my last zone conference...ever. And I will be bearing my "going home testimony". That's been really hard for me to choke down this week. It's starting to really set in. *Sigh*
I also had another last this week. I had my last interview before I go home with President Jergensen. I love him a lot. He's helped me more than he will know to become who I want to be.
I learned in a very real way this week that some things come to a close a lot more suddenly than you would like. I got a call from a number that I did not know while in Leadership Training. I didn't answer it and largely forgot about it until after the meeting. When I listened to it, the voice mail told me of a recent death in the branch. Brother Hinckle called about an hour after everything happened. I had dinner with this family less then a week ago. He took his wife who was about 60 years old to the gas station to get her work schedule and while there she fell over from lack of oxygen and upon arrival to the hospital she had brain damage and could not generate her own oxygen so they pulled the plug. They had just been married a little over a year before her death. They were waiting to be sealed in the temple. How grateful I am to know of life after death. What comfort I take for granted from the knowledge I have. So I guess it is always true, nothing gold can stay. Enjoy it while it lasts and just like another quote I heard recently...Make the best of the little things now because you never know, years from now they could be the big things."
It's been so hot here lately and muggy to top it all off. It's been in the 90's this past week. Now I don't mind the heat but we don't have air conditioning in our place so we get to sleep in a 82 degree oven this summer. It's been great! =)
We have a new investigator this week as well named Stacy. She is really cool and we really have only been able to work with her because of her member friends. Their example and knowledge of the gospel has been the biggest aid in her preparation. It's been a very big lesson to me of how much I can do when I go home and am not a missionary any longer. Just the example we are can literally convert many children of our Father's.
This week we went to see some less actives not knowing that it was their 10th anniversary. We talked for a while and they had been looking for people to go out to dinner with and no one could so we volunteered! =) It was the best dinner I have ever had! We went to this restaurant called Jack and Arnie's. Well it's a "cook your own" steak restaurant! I had never heard of such a thing. It was delicious. We made our own Texas toast and then they had some potatoes, not to mention the 24 oz. Sirloin! It was so good! The blessings of being a missionary! We also had a great discussion with them. They are a really fun couple.
Things I learned this week--
-The quickest Rubik's Cube time is less than 6 seconds. I'll get there someday.
-Some people can sleep almost anywhere anytime. (Elder Brown)
-Baked good are better from the freezer. Example: Cookies and Banana Bread! Especially when the apartment is 80 degrees.
This week I have started something that was a inspiration from Leadership Training. Like I said before, I heard the spirit tell me that I could be doing so much better. It was just a small voice saying, "come on up to higher ground Elder." So in order to try to do that I am bringing back the 40 Day Fast. I think I have spoken of it before on this blog but to inform those who do not know. It is a process of purification where you start with a fast and try to find those things that kind of poke at your spirit or detract from the spirit of the Lord. After which you proceed to fast from those things for 40 days and replace them with good habits. I have started once again. But I am noticing how much I love the feeling that the spirit brings. I am noticing as i constantly try to improve myself the increase of the spirit that I feel. Not that I believe tears or emotion are necessarily indicative of the spirit but I have noticed myself while trying to maintain more of the spirit through my obedience that I will get choked up more and more as I read a simple scripture or tell of a simple experience. I guess what I've learned from doing so is something I would suppose Joseph Smith himself learned in that temple of Liberty Jail. In those very sacred chapters that came through so much trial and adversity lies a lesson often overlooked. The last three verses have been of increasing importance to me. "Let no man count them as small things; for there is much which lieth in futurity, pertaining to the saints, which depends upon these things. You know, brethren, that a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." I can testify that the small things make the biggest difference. I can also testify that there is a power in recognizing what is really in our power and what it is not. I know of the happiness that comes and the stress that it left behind in cheerfully doing those things that lie in our power. I can testify that in doing so we will and can see the Lord's arm in all our doings and the salvation of God in our lives! If we will but do the little things or perhaps even just change those little things which are holding us back from doing great things.
I love you all so much! Life is a great refiner but no refiner is greater than that of one's own character.
Hugs and Kisses,
Elder Excell
I had a great week and it always continues to get better. I'm not quite sure how that works either but I hope that is a pattern that I can continue for the rest of my life! I'm learning very quickly that yes these have been the best two years of my life but if the next two that follow are not the best two yeas as well than I need to re-evaluate and make them the best two years.
Last week for p-day we had a great day. After our ritual emailing time we went to the church and played ball with just the two of us. Then Airyn came and we worked on some songs for our album which is going fantastic by the way. Afterwards we went to the Austin's to do our laundry because the Larson's are out of town. While our laundry was washing and drying we played some baseball with the boys. It's really tough to play baseball with a chocolate lab in the mix! If you are not on top of that ball as soon as it is either hit or thrown you will experience one of the following; 1) Being tackled by a dog. 2)A long run after the dog who stole the ball. And 3)A slobbery ball in your hand after all is said and done. It was still a lot of fun even tho I experienced all three of those sensations.
You will all be fascinated to know that my Rubik's Cube time is down to 2 minutes and 1 second. I'm just trying to break that 2 minute barrier and I think I have about got it. After reading about my knowledge of Superman and my new found passion of a Rubik's Cube I'm pretty sure I look like a huge nerd! =)
This week we had tons of meetings which just reminded me of the zone leader days. We had a leadership meeting where Elder Poulsen in Waterloo and I got to make the trek to Iowa City which was a lot of fun! It was the first time in a while where I just got to drive for like two hours straight! The meetings were great as well. I always leave those meetings with a renewed desire to be better. It's funny because President Jergensen even asked us at the end of the meeting what we learned from the spirit and I told him that I wasn't sure if I learned anything more than that I need to do better with what I already know. I really just walk away feeling like I have all the tools to be the best me and the best missionary but somehow I lose some vigor in between those meetings and so I recommit to stand a little taller and be a little better! It was kind of sad as well because I realized at the end of the meeting that that will be my last leadership meeting...ever. Some of the missionaries that I saw there I will not see again for a very long time and that kinda broke my heart. It really snuck up on me. This week will be my last zone conference...ever. And I will be bearing my "going home testimony". That's been really hard for me to choke down this week. It's starting to really set in. *Sigh*
I also had another last this week. I had my last interview before I go home with President Jergensen. I love him a lot. He's helped me more than he will know to become who I want to be.
I learned in a very real way this week that some things come to a close a lot more suddenly than you would like. I got a call from a number that I did not know while in Leadership Training. I didn't answer it and largely forgot about it until after the meeting. When I listened to it, the voice mail told me of a recent death in the branch. Brother Hinckle called about an hour after everything happened. I had dinner with this family less then a week ago. He took his wife who was about 60 years old to the gas station to get her work schedule and while there she fell over from lack of oxygen and upon arrival to the hospital she had brain damage and could not generate her own oxygen so they pulled the plug. They had just been married a little over a year before her death. They were waiting to be sealed in the temple. How grateful I am to know of life after death. What comfort I take for granted from the knowledge I have. So I guess it is always true, nothing gold can stay. Enjoy it while it lasts and just like another quote I heard recently...Make the best of the little things now because you never know, years from now they could be the big things."
It's been so hot here lately and muggy to top it all off. It's been in the 90's this past week. Now I don't mind the heat but we don't have air conditioning in our place so we get to sleep in a 82 degree oven this summer. It's been great! =)
We have a new investigator this week as well named Stacy. She is really cool and we really have only been able to work with her because of her member friends. Their example and knowledge of the gospel has been the biggest aid in her preparation. It's been a very big lesson to me of how much I can do when I go home and am not a missionary any longer. Just the example we are can literally convert many children of our Father's.
This week we went to see some less actives not knowing that it was their 10th anniversary. We talked for a while and they had been looking for people to go out to dinner with and no one could so we volunteered! =) It was the best dinner I have ever had! We went to this restaurant called Jack and Arnie's. Well it's a "cook your own" steak restaurant! I had never heard of such a thing. It was delicious. We made our own Texas toast and then they had some potatoes, not to mention the 24 oz. Sirloin! It was so good! The blessings of being a missionary! We also had a great discussion with them. They are a really fun couple.
Things I learned this week--
-The quickest Rubik's Cube time is less than 6 seconds. I'll get there someday.
-Some people can sleep almost anywhere anytime. (Elder Brown)
-Baked good are better from the freezer. Example: Cookies and Banana Bread! Especially when the apartment is 80 degrees.
This week I have started something that was a inspiration from Leadership Training. Like I said before, I heard the spirit tell me that I could be doing so much better. It was just a small voice saying, "come on up to higher ground Elder." So in order to try to do that I am bringing back the 40 Day Fast. I think I have spoken of it before on this blog but to inform those who do not know. It is a process of purification where you start with a fast and try to find those things that kind of poke at your spirit or detract from the spirit of the Lord. After which you proceed to fast from those things for 40 days and replace them with good habits. I have started once again. But I am noticing how much I love the feeling that the spirit brings. I am noticing as i constantly try to improve myself the increase of the spirit that I feel. Not that I believe tears or emotion are necessarily indicative of the spirit but I have noticed myself while trying to maintain more of the spirit through my obedience that I will get choked up more and more as I read a simple scripture or tell of a simple experience. I guess what I've learned from doing so is something I would suppose Joseph Smith himself learned in that temple of Liberty Jail. In those very sacred chapters that came through so much trial and adversity lies a lesson often overlooked. The last three verses have been of increasing importance to me. "Let no man count them as small things; for there is much which lieth in futurity, pertaining to the saints, which depends upon these things. You know, brethren, that a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." I can testify that the small things make the biggest difference. I can also testify that there is a power in recognizing what is really in our power and what it is not. I know of the happiness that comes and the stress that it left behind in cheerfully doing those things that lie in our power. I can testify that in doing so we will and can see the Lord's arm in all our doings and the salvation of God in our lives! If we will but do the little things or perhaps even just change those little things which are holding us back from doing great things.
I love you all so much! Life is a great refiner but no refiner is greater than that of one's own character.
Hugs and Kisses,
Elder Excell
Monday, June 4, 2012
Q&A - June 4, 2012
1. Who is your new companion?
Elder Trevor Ronald Brown
2. Where is he from?
Logan, UT
3. Do you have anything in common with him? Tell us a little about him...
We have a lot in common actually. Athletic but played more with motorcycles and atv's. He's the companion that I've been dreaming of to end my mission with! I couldn't imagine better! He's got a lot of fire and will put some youth back in me!
4. Anxious to hear about the Lassen's baptism!
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD
5. How many nights per week do you have to cook for yourselves and how many do you have dinner appointments?
Probably 4 days per week we have dinner appointments and the rest are by ourselves. It's about the best ratio possible because time by yourself is nice and you don't get fat from too much food!
6. What was the most significant thing you accomplished this week?
I watched 4 children of our Heavenly Father come closer to him and be baptized!
Elder Trevor Ronald Brown
2. Where is he from?
Logan, UT
3. Do you have anything in common with him? Tell us a little about him...
We have a lot in common actually. Athletic but played more with motorcycles and atv's. He's the companion that I've been dreaming of to end my mission with! I couldn't imagine better! He's got a lot of fire and will put some youth back in me!
4. Anxious to hear about the Lassen's baptism!
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD
5. How many nights per week do you have to cook for yourselves and how many do you have dinner appointments?
Probably 4 days per week we have dinner appointments and the rest are by ourselves. It's about the best ratio possible because time by yourself is nice and you don't get fat from too much food!
6. What was the most significant thing you accomplished this week?
I watched 4 children of our Heavenly Father come closer to him and be baptized!
Red, White, Orange, Green, Blue, and Yellow!
Before I forget and before I come down from the emotional high I just felt from reading the baptismal update on the mission, I must inform you of some of the best news ever!! Kaytlin Meier, the older sister to Sammy, Maddie, and Riley; as well as daughter to Ben and Tina will be baptized this month!!! I love that family so much and had a chance to teach Kaytlin before I left! I'm so proud of her and happy! There is truly no better feeling than watching someone change for the better and come closer to Christ, whether you are there personally or from a distance! There is a feeling about watching someone make those decisions to follow Christ through baptism that just simply provokes the thought, "I am watching something very right and true right now." What a great calling I have!
I've had such a good 4 days since my last epistle! I had one of those very intricate and sacred experiences to watch an entire family come closer to their Savior and what a blessed experience it was! On Saturday I had the opportunity to watch the Lassen Family, whom I love very much, step down into the baptismal font and make sacred covenants with God that I know, and can testify, will be such a blessing to them in the years to come! I had the privilege to be a witness to those ordinances and as I watched every person be immersed in water and come out with a smile on their face I could not help but think of the purification that I was witnessing! It especially hit me as I watched Lauren, the 8 year old girl of the family, come out of the water. Tears swelled in my eyes and I knew then that what I was watching was divine and good! I am so happy for that family! On Sunday, they asked if I would confirm them all as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I was more than honored. It was very spiritually powerful to all who were in attendance! Tony, the father, also got up because it was fast and testimony meeting and bore a very powerful testimony of his conversion! I was very inspired by his words.
In other news, Elder Brown is my new companion and I could not imagine anyone that I would have wanted to be with more! He is a great kid and he comes from Logan, Utah. He has a lot of "greenie fire" and is ready to get down and get to work! I'm really grateful for his enthusiasm for the work. It really inspires me and helps me to remember what I was like my first transfer! Looking at him and knowing that I was just as innocent in regards to missionary work baffles me at times. But I know as well that I wished was more prepared than I was coming to the field. I'm so grateful for the growth that I have been able to witness in myself! I owe many people in Brazil, Iowa, and everyone in-between for that!
This week since our last Wednesday P-day we have seen quite a few people. I've been trying to introduce Elder Brown to the members as quickly as possible because I know how lonesome you can feel in a new area even with someone attached to your hip 24/7! I think he feels very welcome and comfortable here in Waverly. He really loves the people and I know that that is so important to the work!
I guess my role model got married this weekend! I've always looked up to this kid named Weston Hyde. For those of you who don't know, he's my uncle that is only 2 years older than me. Growing up we did everything together! We ate dirt and worms on the front porch, we slid down his big slide, we made forts, and played tag, and never thought we'd grow up! Well somehow we did! Somehow he's been home from his mission 33 months now and is married. I'm so happy from him. From nearly every person in the family I've heard repeatedly, "He's happier than I've ever seen him!" Thank you for that Kenzi! I love you both! Excited to see you!
One of the funnier moments in the week was actually just this morning when we were doing our companionship study and there was a tap on the door! We opened it up and I'm not sure who was more surprised, the guest or us but the Jehovah's Witnesses thought that they would pay us a visit. I think everyone was a bit taken aback and the conversation that followed started out somewhat rocky and awkward. Anyway I've grown a great respect for other religions. I can very much appreciate those who try to help others by sacrificing some of their time and talents regardless of their religious affiliations. I really did appreciate their visit and the little discussion we had! I hope they have as much success as God will grant them!
Best moment and accomplishment of the week! On Wednesday I became the proud owner of a new Rubik's cube. No, I was not born in the 80's but I've got a lot of enjoyment from it. I had one when I was younger. I don't exactly recall it's location now but I would not be surprised if it ended up in pieces after being thrown at a wall! I was so frustrated by that silly little cube in my younger years up until this Saturday where I have finally completed the puzzle! I'm working on my time and I am now down to 3 minutes and 55 seconds. Not near or close to any records by any means but I'm getting there! I feel so accomplished! Bucket list item; checked off!
Things I learned this week--
- U R Ui Li U Ri Ui L......that's the missing clue to my Rubik's cube follies. (U=Upper R=Right L=Left i=inverse)
-You can tell how long a missionary is out by how many mega pixels his camera has.
-You can tell how long a missionary has been out by when they graduated...2011!!! What!?!?
I had another great opportunity this week to learn more about a very common Bible story that I have heard many times. It just never clicks for me until I'm studying for someone else. I think that's an eternal principle in itself. We get things as soon as we have the motive of doing it for others. But that was not the lesson learned this week. I was studying the story of the prodigal son for a girl here. It came to life for me as a related it to her life. To give a little background on the story, we have a man and his two sons. These are not just servants but his sons just in the same way we are the literal offspring of our Heavenly Father. Both are given in what may be scripturally termed, "All that the Father hath." And each receives his own equal portion. From the story we know that one was reckless with all that was given him and was spent wastefully in a foreign country. How many times do we all do that!? We have been given so much by Father in Heaven and often it ends up squandered. Well when the sum that was given to the son has been completely spent, he finds himself destitute enough to eat from the very troughs of the pigs where he works. Talk about desperation. But when starved from what is so vital to us all, we would fill ourselves with whatever we could. But, often our efforts are in vain, for the very thing we put in to our bodies with the intent to fill us leaves us more unsatisfied than before. But just as we would, the prodigal son "comes to himself". There is a moment of realization that I believe is given by the Spirit of God and we know where we can "eat and not be hungry and drink and not thirst". In the example at hand the prodigal son is reminded of home, where his father's servants are now even eating better than he, who had at one point all the father had. I find it very interesting that this son follows the pattern of the Lord that we learn about in the book of Moses and plans what he will do spiritually before he goes and does it. He plans to go to his father and ask to be hired among the servants, for in his heart he feels totally unworthy to even be called a son! What a trick of the adversary! From perhaps a slightly less spiritual source, even "The Goofy Movie" teaches us very true eternal words, "I'll always be your son!" There is nothing so separating that can separate us from our Father in Heaven. My favorite part, and what I realized stronger than ever tho, is found in the 20th verse of the 15th chapter of Luke. As the son is still a great way off the Father feels he is close and even sees him. In even noticing the attempt being made to come closer, the father runs out to meet his son who was once lost! I testify that this teaches repentance. All of us have distanced ourselves so far from God because of our choices that we have made but when we come to ourselves and plan to go back home, I testify that the Father sees us even from "a great way off" and He comes to our rescue and then in a supreme expression of His love helps us back home. I have felt in my life the Father carrying me back home and I can testify that it happens as we make plans and fulfill plans to go back home to our own "land flowing with milk and honey". To our "promised land". To our dining room table where "we may eat and not hunger and drink and not thirst!"
I love this gospel so much! I feel so privileged to have learned of it so early in my mortal life. I love my Father in Heaven for that grand opportunity. I love you all as well! I miss your stinking guts!
Hugs and Kisses,
Elder Excell
I've had such a good 4 days since my last epistle! I had one of those very intricate and sacred experiences to watch an entire family come closer to their Savior and what a blessed experience it was! On Saturday I had the opportunity to watch the Lassen Family, whom I love very much, step down into the baptismal font and make sacred covenants with God that I know, and can testify, will be such a blessing to them in the years to come! I had the privilege to be a witness to those ordinances and as I watched every person be immersed in water and come out with a smile on their face I could not help but think of the purification that I was witnessing! It especially hit me as I watched Lauren, the 8 year old girl of the family, come out of the water. Tears swelled in my eyes and I knew then that what I was watching was divine and good! I am so happy for that family! On Sunday, they asked if I would confirm them all as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and I was more than honored. It was very spiritually powerful to all who were in attendance! Tony, the father, also got up because it was fast and testimony meeting and bore a very powerful testimony of his conversion! I was very inspired by his words.
In other news, Elder Brown is my new companion and I could not imagine anyone that I would have wanted to be with more! He is a great kid and he comes from Logan, Utah. He has a lot of "greenie fire" and is ready to get down and get to work! I'm really grateful for his enthusiasm for the work. It really inspires me and helps me to remember what I was like my first transfer! Looking at him and knowing that I was just as innocent in regards to missionary work baffles me at times. But I know as well that I wished was more prepared than I was coming to the field. I'm so grateful for the growth that I have been able to witness in myself! I owe many people in Brazil, Iowa, and everyone in-between for that!
This week since our last Wednesday P-day we have seen quite a few people. I've been trying to introduce Elder Brown to the members as quickly as possible because I know how lonesome you can feel in a new area even with someone attached to your hip 24/7! I think he feels very welcome and comfortable here in Waverly. He really loves the people and I know that that is so important to the work!
I guess my role model got married this weekend! I've always looked up to this kid named Weston Hyde. For those of you who don't know, he's my uncle that is only 2 years older than me. Growing up we did everything together! We ate dirt and worms on the front porch, we slid down his big slide, we made forts, and played tag, and never thought we'd grow up! Well somehow we did! Somehow he's been home from his mission 33 months now and is married. I'm so happy from him. From nearly every person in the family I've heard repeatedly, "He's happier than I've ever seen him!" Thank you for that Kenzi! I love you both! Excited to see you!
One of the funnier moments in the week was actually just this morning when we were doing our companionship study and there was a tap on the door! We opened it up and I'm not sure who was more surprised, the guest or us but the Jehovah's Witnesses thought that they would pay us a visit. I think everyone was a bit taken aback and the conversation that followed started out somewhat rocky and awkward. Anyway I've grown a great respect for other religions. I can very much appreciate those who try to help others by sacrificing some of their time and talents regardless of their religious affiliations. I really did appreciate their visit and the little discussion we had! I hope they have as much success as God will grant them!
Best moment and accomplishment of the week! On Wednesday I became the proud owner of a new Rubik's cube. No, I was not born in the 80's but I've got a lot of enjoyment from it. I had one when I was younger. I don't exactly recall it's location now but I would not be surprised if it ended up in pieces after being thrown at a wall! I was so frustrated by that silly little cube in my younger years up until this Saturday where I have finally completed the puzzle! I'm working on my time and I am now down to 3 minutes and 55 seconds. Not near or close to any records by any means but I'm getting there! I feel so accomplished! Bucket list item; checked off!
Things I learned this week--
- U R Ui Li U Ri Ui L......that's the missing clue to my Rubik's cube follies. (U=Upper R=Right L=Left i=inverse)
-You can tell how long a missionary is out by how many mega pixels his camera has.
-You can tell how long a missionary has been out by when they graduated...2011!!! What!?!?
I had another great opportunity this week to learn more about a very common Bible story that I have heard many times. It just never clicks for me until I'm studying for someone else. I think that's an eternal principle in itself. We get things as soon as we have the motive of doing it for others. But that was not the lesson learned this week. I was studying the story of the prodigal son for a girl here. It came to life for me as a related it to her life. To give a little background on the story, we have a man and his two sons. These are not just servants but his sons just in the same way we are the literal offspring of our Heavenly Father. Both are given in what may be scripturally termed, "All that the Father hath." And each receives his own equal portion. From the story we know that one was reckless with all that was given him and was spent wastefully in a foreign country. How many times do we all do that!? We have been given so much by Father in Heaven and often it ends up squandered. Well when the sum that was given to the son has been completely spent, he finds himself destitute enough to eat from the very troughs of the pigs where he works. Talk about desperation. But when starved from what is so vital to us all, we would fill ourselves with whatever we could. But, often our efforts are in vain, for the very thing we put in to our bodies with the intent to fill us leaves us more unsatisfied than before. But just as we would, the prodigal son "comes to himself". There is a moment of realization that I believe is given by the Spirit of God and we know where we can "eat and not be hungry and drink and not thirst". In the example at hand the prodigal son is reminded of home, where his father's servants are now even eating better than he, who had at one point all the father had. I find it very interesting that this son follows the pattern of the Lord that we learn about in the book of Moses and plans what he will do spiritually before he goes and does it. He plans to go to his father and ask to be hired among the servants, for in his heart he feels totally unworthy to even be called a son! What a trick of the adversary! From perhaps a slightly less spiritual source, even "The Goofy Movie" teaches us very true eternal words, "I'll always be your son!" There is nothing so separating that can separate us from our Father in Heaven. My favorite part, and what I realized stronger than ever tho, is found in the 20th verse of the 15th chapter of Luke. As the son is still a great way off the Father feels he is close and even sees him. In even noticing the attempt being made to come closer, the father runs out to meet his son who was once lost! I testify that this teaches repentance. All of us have distanced ourselves so far from God because of our choices that we have made but when we come to ourselves and plan to go back home, I testify that the Father sees us even from "a great way off" and He comes to our rescue and then in a supreme expression of His love helps us back home. I have felt in my life the Father carrying me back home and I can testify that it happens as we make plans and fulfill plans to go back home to our own "land flowing with milk and honey". To our "promised land". To our dining room table where "we may eat and not hunger and drink and not thirst!"
I love this gospel so much! I feel so privileged to have learned of it so early in my mortal life. I love my Father in Heaven for that grand opportunity. I love you all as well! I miss your stinking guts!
Hugs and Kisses,
Elder Excell
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Pictures
Hey Mom! These are some pictures from the last few days. This is the Austin family! I love them!
Q&A - May 30, 2012
1. So, were your predictions right? Are you staying in Waverly?
I have secured my last 2 transfers in Waverly Iowa and Elder Arbon will be taking off!
2. Elder Arbon or a new companion from Tennessee? :)
Not sure on the greenie's hometown but I will be training a new missionary! I'm very excited!
3. How many lawns did you get to mow this week?
None! Huge bummer but we also gave more service than I ever have given before.
4. What are you most looking forward to in the week ahead?
Transfers...I'm growing on change. I'm starting to love it!
I have secured my last 2 transfers in Waverly Iowa and Elder Arbon will be taking off!
2. Elder Arbon or a new companion from Tennessee? :)
Not sure on the greenie's hometown but I will be training a new missionary! I'm very excited!
3. How many lawns did you get to mow this week?
None! Huge bummer but we also gave more service than I ever have given before.
4. What are you most looking forward to in the week ahead?
Transfers...I'm growing on change. I'm starting to love it!
Amazing Grace!
What a busy, fast, incredible week in my life! News first: I will be training a new missionary these next two transfers. I am very excited and Elder Arbon will be transferred. I'm grateful I got to be with him. It seems like so much has happened in the last 10 days that I'm not quite sure where to start! I would assume that there is no better place to commence than at the beginning!
Last Monday was a lot of fun! We actually just got together and we played some basketball, a little Frisbee, and we played "chubby bunny". For those that are maybe not familiar with this game let me explain; You start by purchasing a bag of medium s'more size marshmallows. You then proceed to put as many of them as possible into your mouth. After each mallow inserted into the mouth you repeat the words chubby bunny! The purpose of repeating such a phrase is because it makes you laugh and almost gag yourself on the mallows in your mouth. Anyway I was the big loser of the day with a maximum of 7 marshmallows inserted into my mouth. Elder White won with 17 I believe. I personally would consider my efforts a victory. Who really wants to be known as the gross kid who can stuff his face? While we were playing Frisbee sister brown stepped off the stage right as a Frisbee was thrown as hard as possible and she jumped right in the way to catch it with her clavicle/throat region. If I was to be real honest, I would admit that it was my throw. I felt so bad! Anyway I was assured that no bruising ever occurred and all is well.
The week went by so fast! We had literally a plethora of graduation parties to attend as well as help with. It was quite a bit of fun tho! There is really truly no better feeling than knowing that you have helped someone in such a way where it could not have been done without you! There were two particular parties that we really helped with a lot. The first was on Friday evening for Stefan Larson. His mom is a voice professor at Wartburg College here and so we had the party there. He is a fantastic opera singer and so he had a 30 minute recital. While that was going on, Elder Arbon and I and Lisa Austin volunteered to help out with the food outside. I guess it's pretty much expected that each graduation party have so much food that it will never be eaten. Anyway, they ordered some Domino's Pizza but the biggest part of the whole party was the infamous chocolate fountain! I was put in charge, or at least semi-accepted responsibility for that project! I was to melt the chocolate in the actual fondue fountain and then add the appropriate amount of oil to get the consistency correct! So...I did so. I started to melt the chocolate and added the oil and all was well. Until, that is, that the three tower station come unattached from the melting bowl and while the auger started to spin, so did the whole fountain. It became a rather sensational sprinkler rather than a fountain in no time at all. I was covered in chocolate as was the table and some of the rest of the food! The biggest problem of that whole experience was not that the table and food were now in chocolate but also that we had less time to melt chocolate and get the table ready for people exiting the recital. It was a miracle but we pulled it off and if I wouldn't have been there, then no one would have even known....except for the giant stain on the floor at the performing arts center. It was a great memory tho! Hope that chocolate comes out! =)
The other party that we helped with was Airyn's party. That party did not have near the amount of catastrophe but was a lot of work to put together. The plan was to have the part outside under a tent, until it started blowing 40 mph. That's pretty average around here I've decided. I'd say about 5 out of 7 days the flags sticks straight out from the pole around here. It's almost comparable to Casper Wyoming at times. So we had to change plans for the party and move everything inside and set up the house for this party now in a matter of a couple hours. I'm just glad we were there to help in both situations because I really don't think it could've been done without us. Both families have assured us that we were the answer to their prayers!
The Lassen family is going to be baptized this Saturday and I could not be more happy for them! They will have their interview tomorrow evening with whoever the district leader will be in Waterloo. After that, the program commences at 10 AM on Saturday morning! So, while most of you that read this email will be at a wedding on June 2nd, I will be at a baptism. Not much of a better place to be if I can't be there!
Speaking of the wedding, I hope someone will act for and in behalf of me as a proxy for hugs. I'm happy for my boy Weston and his girl Kenzi! Good luck!
I got to plant a garden this week and beautify what looked like an abandoned yard. It looks so nice now. Elder Arbon mowed while I weed-eated and trimmed trees. It looks great now. And bonus is that I don't have to weed the garden later. Benefits!!
The practice for the album with Airyn is going real well. We have just really polished off one song right now and we're still deciding what else we would like to do! I'm kinda excited to have my own CD. That's a pretty unique opportunity I think. I'm also nervous! It'll be alright!
Things I learned this week--
-Poison Ivy exists in Iowa. It's not fun.
-Chocolate is one of those things you don't want to stain your clothes with.
I've had a really good experience this week that I wanted to share. I have recently become quite close to someone here in Waverly and have had the opportunity to help her out a lot. It's been really neat. I've learned that no matter where you go there is opposition in all things and that many times it is not easy to stay away from the world. It's sometimes so appealing. Anyway I've got the chance to learn more about and explain grace this week through the whole experience while trying to help her repent and reach her goals. I have always been taught that grace is what makes up the difference in our shortcomings. That we do our part and Christ makes up the rest. Well, as scripturally accurate and true as that is, I did not quite get it until recently. Christ did not just suffer for what we couldn't do on our own but he suffered ALL. Most people in the world and other religions will use that as almost an excuse to leave out the works part of the equation, and it is my testimony that we must in fact do something for our salvation but it is not just doing something that is sufficient to save us. Whether our efforts are required by justice or required by grace they are still required. But they are required for a different purpose. Fulfilling Christ’s requirements is like paying a mortgage instead of rent or like making deposits in a savings account instead of paying off debt. You still have to fork over the money every month but it is for a totally different reason. I will now willingly admit to everyone that I have been saved by grace, and thankfully so. But more importantly in my eyes, I have been changed by grace. The scriptures say no unclean thing no enter the kingdom of god but no unchanged thing would ever even want to. Why would anyone want to be in heaven if they were not heavenly people. I don't imagine many people will be begging for grace at the last day as shocking as that may sound. We have become who we want to become here on earth almost subconsciously. When Christ comes again I imagine he will be begging others to use his grace rather than being bombarded with pleas himself. There are young women who know they are daughters of a Heavenly Father who loves them, and they love Him. Then they graduate from high school, and they are tested. Maybe they slip up. They let things go too far, and suddenly they think it is all over. These young women don’t understand grace. There are young men who grow up their whole lives singing, “I hope they call me on a mission,” and then they do actually grow a foot or two and flake out completely. They get their Eagles, graduate from high school, and go away to college. Then suddenly these young men find out how easy it is to not be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. They mess up. They say like I have many times, “I’ll never do it again,” and then they do it. They say like I have, “I’ll never do it again,” and then they do it. They say like I have, “This is stupid. I will never do it again.”... And then they do it. The guilt is almost unbearable. They don’t dare talk to a bishop because that would be way too embarrassing and everyone thinks "I am such a good role model." So they quit. These young men don’t understand grace. I'm sure there are many adults who can attest to similar feelings. In the face of these fearful feelings I submit there is but one option. Faith. Faith in yourself and faith in Him. That is simply the beginning to the cure-all remedy of grace. I enjoy teaching this girl so much because I know what it's like to be there. To tell yourself I won't mess up like that again and then you do it. I know somewhat of the hopeless feeling that an accumulation of sin can present to you. But I testify that His grace is sufficient for all men! ALL! Grace saves, but even better, it transforms the souls of men and women and children. It changes everything because it has the power to change why we do things.
I love this gospel! It just makes sense to me! I love all of you as well! Seriously!
Hugs and Kisses,
Elder Excell
 |
| -Chubby Bunny |
The week went by so fast! We had literally a plethora of graduation parties to attend as well as help with. It was quite a bit of fun tho! There is really truly no better feeling than knowing that you have helped someone in such a way where it could not have been done without you! There were two particular parties that we really helped with a lot. The first was on Friday evening for Stefan Larson. His mom is a voice professor at Wartburg College here and so we had the party there. He is a fantastic opera singer and so he had a 30 minute recital. While that was going on, Elder Arbon and I and Lisa Austin volunteered to help out with the food outside. I guess it's pretty much expected that each graduation party have so much food that it will never be eaten. Anyway, they ordered some Domino's Pizza but the biggest part of the whole party was the infamous chocolate fountain! I was put in charge, or at least semi-accepted responsibility for that project! I was to melt the chocolate in the actual fondue fountain and then add the appropriate amount of oil to get the consistency correct! So...I did so. I started to melt the chocolate and added the oil and all was well. Until, that is, that the three tower station come unattached from the melting bowl and while the auger started to spin, so did the whole fountain. It became a rather sensational sprinkler rather than a fountain in no time at all. I was covered in chocolate as was the table and some of the rest of the food! The biggest problem of that whole experience was not that the table and food were now in chocolate but also that we had less time to melt chocolate and get the table ready for people exiting the recital. It was a miracle but we pulled it off and if I wouldn't have been there, then no one would have even known....except for the giant stain on the floor at the performing arts center. It was a great memory tho! Hope that chocolate comes out! =)
 |
| -Chocolate Everywhere! |
The Lassen family is going to be baptized this Saturday and I could not be more happy for them! They will have their interview tomorrow evening with whoever the district leader will be in Waterloo. After that, the program commences at 10 AM on Saturday morning! So, while most of you that read this email will be at a wedding on June 2nd, I will be at a baptism. Not much of a better place to be if I can't be there!
Speaking of the wedding, I hope someone will act for and in behalf of me as a proxy for hugs. I'm happy for my boy Weston and his girl Kenzi! Good luck!
I got to plant a garden this week and beautify what looked like an abandoned yard. It looks so nice now. Elder Arbon mowed while I weed-eated and trimmed trees. It looks great now. And bonus is that I don't have to weed the garden later. Benefits!!
The practice for the album with Airyn is going real well. We have just really polished off one song right now and we're still deciding what else we would like to do! I'm kinda excited to have my own CD. That's a pretty unique opportunity I think. I'm also nervous! It'll be alright!
Things I learned this week--
-Poison Ivy exists in Iowa. It's not fun.
-Chocolate is one of those things you don't want to stain your clothes with.
I've had a really good experience this week that I wanted to share. I have recently become quite close to someone here in Waverly and have had the opportunity to help her out a lot. It's been really neat. I've learned that no matter where you go there is opposition in all things and that many times it is not easy to stay away from the world. It's sometimes so appealing. Anyway I've got the chance to learn more about and explain grace this week through the whole experience while trying to help her repent and reach her goals. I have always been taught that grace is what makes up the difference in our shortcomings. That we do our part and Christ makes up the rest. Well, as scripturally accurate and true as that is, I did not quite get it until recently. Christ did not just suffer for what we couldn't do on our own but he suffered ALL. Most people in the world and other religions will use that as almost an excuse to leave out the works part of the equation, and it is my testimony that we must in fact do something for our salvation but it is not just doing something that is sufficient to save us. Whether our efforts are required by justice or required by grace they are still required. But they are required for a different purpose. Fulfilling Christ’s requirements is like paying a mortgage instead of rent or like making deposits in a savings account instead of paying off debt. You still have to fork over the money every month but it is for a totally different reason. I will now willingly admit to everyone that I have been saved by grace, and thankfully so. But more importantly in my eyes, I have been changed by grace. The scriptures say no unclean thing no enter the kingdom of god but no unchanged thing would ever even want to. Why would anyone want to be in heaven if they were not heavenly people. I don't imagine many people will be begging for grace at the last day as shocking as that may sound. We have become who we want to become here on earth almost subconsciously. When Christ comes again I imagine he will be begging others to use his grace rather than being bombarded with pleas himself. There are young women who know they are daughters of a Heavenly Father who loves them, and they love Him. Then they graduate from high school, and they are tested. Maybe they slip up. They let things go too far, and suddenly they think it is all over. These young women don’t understand grace. There are young men who grow up their whole lives singing, “I hope they call me on a mission,” and then they do actually grow a foot or two and flake out completely. They get their Eagles, graduate from high school, and go away to college. Then suddenly these young men find out how easy it is to not be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. They mess up. They say like I have many times, “I’ll never do it again,” and then they do it. They say like I have, “I’ll never do it again,” and then they do it. They say like I have, “This is stupid. I will never do it again.”... And then they do it. The guilt is almost unbearable. They don’t dare talk to a bishop because that would be way too embarrassing and everyone thinks "I am such a good role model." So they quit. These young men don’t understand grace. I'm sure there are many adults who can attest to similar feelings. In the face of these fearful feelings I submit there is but one option. Faith. Faith in yourself and faith in Him. That is simply the beginning to the cure-all remedy of grace. I enjoy teaching this girl so much because I know what it's like to be there. To tell yourself I won't mess up like that again and then you do it. I know somewhat of the hopeless feeling that an accumulation of sin can present to you. But I testify that His grace is sufficient for all men! ALL! Grace saves, but even better, it transforms the souls of men and women and children. It changes everything because it has the power to change why we do things.
I love this gospel! It just makes sense to me! I love all of you as well! Seriously!
Hugs and Kisses,
Elder Excell
Monday, May 21, 2012
Q&A - May 21, 2012
1. How are you??
I am soooo good! Couldnt be better!
2. What are your predictions with transfers this week?
Elder Arbon will go and I will get to train a boy who has coke bottle glasses and speaks with a Tennessee accent and I'll love him.
3. What was the best moment of your week? (I know I always ask this, but I think it's good to reflect and remember - especially good positive things.)
We made some headway with some individuals that hadn't opened up to us until recently. That was really good!
I am soooo good! Couldnt be better!
2. What are your predictions with transfers this week?
Elder Arbon will go and I will get to train a boy who has coke bottle glasses and speaks with a Tennessee accent and I'll love him.
3. What was the best moment of your week? (I know I always ask this, but I think it's good to reflect and remember - especially good positive things.)
We made some headway with some individuals that hadn't opened up to us until recently. That was really good!
The King's Speech
I love Monday's. Not only for me is it like everyone else's Saturday but I get to hear from my family and I love that! I guess mostly because I love them. =)
This particular Monday is somewhat awesome because it is a significant day in my past. May 21, 2008 I graduated from high school. Ya, that was 4 years ago and it seems like forever and a half ago. I can't believe it. But congratulations class of 2008. We've now been out of high school as long as we were in it. It's funny how landmark days like that always stay with you. I can remember where I was every year after 2008 on May 21st. So much has changed since then with me personally and for the world. Life keeps going.
As we walked into the library today I remembered I wanted to tell you all something that I had forgotten every week in Waverly. In practically the center of the city sits the Nestle factory. My dad, when he served in Iowa, got to smell crunch berries in Cedar Rapids and I'm happy to report that is still the case down in Cedar Rapids. I never thought I could one-up the smell of crunch berries but...i think chocolate just might do it. In this particular factory they produce Nesquik so it either smells like chocolate or strawberry all the time! It's really good!
Last week for p-day we went to the UNI campus and played Frisbee 500 with the district. I gave in and bought a super cool Frisbee that flies really well. Aerobie Frisbees are the best, let it be known. Anyway we had a fun time. It's nice to wear normal clothes outside and get somewhat of a tan. I don't want to think about how long my legs have gone without sun. It's almost embarrassing. But they are now just slightly lighter than from my elbow to my hand. I've got a pretty good missionary tan line going. I'm working on trying to get the tie tan...It's a little more difficult tho. It was a lot of fun tho.
It seems like this week was the week of deep discussions with everyone we met with. Everyone just really wanted to talk deep with us and I'm not quite sure why. It must be something in the Nesquik. =) It actually ended up being probably the best part of the week tho. One of the guys that got into some deep discussion stuff with us actually to this point has been quite closed and I've been praying to know how to understand his needs. Well, we met with him and started talking small talk and we asked some intro to the gospel questions...pretty simple stuff and he took it to a whole new level. It worked out really well tho because we were able to explain to him how even the deep doctrines of the gospel always come back to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the basics. It was a good lesson to me as well that we can't get to step #99 without those essential first principles and ordinances of the gospel.
I got told this week at a dinner appointment that I look like Chris Pine from Star Trek. That's only about the seven hundredth time I have heard that but I guess it means that I haven't gotten too fat in the face. Haha. Speaking of which I have kind of hit a plateau. I know I talk about my weight way too much but here it is again. I started at 201 when I decided a diet was necessary and lost a quick 5 pounds, then I plateaued. Then I worked on it and lost another 5 and plateaued and once again lost 5 and plateaued. So i now sit at 185 pounds but once again I am plateaued. It's alright I'll get it. I will make my goal weight before August 24th!
I also was told this week by some members that they had some people for us to teach but only because I was so knowledgeable. I guess I should take it as a compliment but I don't feel like I am that knowledgeable. I'm just a snot nosed, punk, 21 year old kid. Anyway, made me feel good.
You know how I said that you kind of get to experience a little bit of everything on your mission. Well...I am adding one more thing to the list. There is a girl in our branch who has some recorded music on itunes and stuff so we were talking about it and I started playing the piano. Well...one thing led to another and I'll be recording some songs with her over the next three months on p-days. I'm actually really looking forward to it. We've got some good songs i think to work on and then eventually record. It'll be fun to do regardless.
This week I passed another landmark date. As of last Friday I have been out in Iowa for 1 year. That, just like the last 4 years since graduation, has seemed like nothing. It's funny tho...1 year ago I was with Elder Trent Haws Howard, my dad on the mission, and today he was called to be the new a.p.! I'm excited for him! I always knew it would happen! He's a great missionary and I'm excited to learn from him again like I did one year ago!
District meeting this last week was great! The zone leaders were there and I learned a lot about prayer. I've grown such a testimony of that recently and especially in the last couple of years. I always struggled with prayer when I was younger. In fact, I can't remember praying personally all that often prior to my mission but it has really changed my life. Prayer has really become a habit for me and I'm almost to the point that I cannot sleep for the night until I have said my prayers. I 'm grateful to have learned that lesson! I know it will bless my life forever. But after District meeting we went to HuHot, a Mongolian all you can eat grill. It is one of my favorite restaurants now. I love it.
This next week will be really busy because there are a lot of seniors in our branch that will be graduating and in Iowa they have graduation parties. It's a weird thing they do in the Midwest i guess. Every senior who graduates is almost expected to have a party for the other seniors and parents and friends and family to attend. So we will not only be attending some we were invited to but we will also be helping get the lawns ready and stuff like that for some people. It will be a good week of service! I'm really looking forward to it.
Last week we helped some more with some drywall. I think I really could open my own business when I get home and have a taping and mudding company. I'm pretty much pro.
Things I learned this week--
-Facebook goes public...great, now there will be people wanting people to play farmville.
-Officially got an announcement telling me that I will have a new aunt that I'm pretty sure is younger than me. =)
This week I have been thinking a lot about what I always think about while walking down the street and that is how much I wish I lived in the 40's. Life looked pretty good back then. So much has changed and it really does concern me. Maybe it is because I have been trying to become of the world but not in the world. I'm not quite sure but things have certainly changed. It seems like everywhere you turn there is more news about some kind of sin and crime. Whether it be here or abroad. Maybe it's just a bad time for the world and things will get better but maybe things really are getting worse. I guess what strikes me most is the way that we talk about them. There does not seem to be a way to simply say that something is wrong anymore. Like "drugs are wrong". Don't get me wrong, there is still plenty of finger pointing and name-calling. But where it really matters, in the mindset of morals and eternities, there is something missing now. I guess it may just be somewhat embarrassing to hear that something is wrong because these days it denotes so much more than the simple turning from God and his laws. I don't get the opportunity to hear to much in the news these days but I still get somewhat confused. Was it Libya and Croatia fighting or Iraq and Iran? Did that battle axe murder happen in Iowa, or Texas? Was it Brett Favre or Tiger Woods caught in scandal? I just can't seem to keep this negative repressive news straight. I wish that I could do something about it. I wish I could have the public stature to make a bigger difference than I can now. I think if given the opportunity and the attentive crowd, I would not deter much from a speech given by another public figure who happens to be a very inspiration role model for me. In what could be titled his retirement speech, King Benjamin really sets things straight. He talks about the equality of his people, and how he, the King, has served them. He talks of how he is no more then any other man, even given his appointment as King. He just as well as all of us are nothing more than the dirt of the earth, and even then God created that too. He talks about how there is really only one king, and that is our Heavenly King. He is quite bold in declaring the awful state of those who kept not the commandments of God. In modern terms imagine he would say, "That is simply one word: wrong." He reminds the people of who it is that will save them and how of necessity they must be saved from the carnal state in which they find themselves. He offers a way, even "The Way", to overcome the world. This earthy King taught so many more lessons including how to retain spirituality, (something I worry about often these days) as well as how to give to the poor. I look up to this king. I find his last words to be very powerful and something perhaps this world could and should use... "Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen." I know that that is true. I know that it is right. I know that life is a lot more black and white than we sometimes like it to be. There are no grey areas. Simply put; there is right, and yes, there is wrong.
I love you all! So much! Until we meet again electronically...
Hugs and Kisses,
Elder Excell
This particular Monday is somewhat awesome because it is a significant day in my past. May 21, 2008 I graduated from high school. Ya, that was 4 years ago and it seems like forever and a half ago. I can't believe it. But congratulations class of 2008. We've now been out of high school as long as we were in it. It's funny how landmark days like that always stay with you. I can remember where I was every year after 2008 on May 21st. So much has changed since then with me personally and for the world. Life keeps going.
As we walked into the library today I remembered I wanted to tell you all something that I had forgotten every week in Waverly. In practically the center of the city sits the Nestle factory. My dad, when he served in Iowa, got to smell crunch berries in Cedar Rapids and I'm happy to report that is still the case down in Cedar Rapids. I never thought I could one-up the smell of crunch berries but...i think chocolate just might do it. In this particular factory they produce Nesquik so it either smells like chocolate or strawberry all the time! It's really good!
Last week for p-day we went to the UNI campus and played Frisbee 500 with the district. I gave in and bought a super cool Frisbee that flies really well. Aerobie Frisbees are the best, let it be known. Anyway we had a fun time. It's nice to wear normal clothes outside and get somewhat of a tan. I don't want to think about how long my legs have gone without sun. It's almost embarrassing. But they are now just slightly lighter than from my elbow to my hand. I've got a pretty good missionary tan line going. I'm working on trying to get the tie tan...It's a little more difficult tho. It was a lot of fun tho.
It seems like this week was the week of deep discussions with everyone we met with. Everyone just really wanted to talk deep with us and I'm not quite sure why. It must be something in the Nesquik. =) It actually ended up being probably the best part of the week tho. One of the guys that got into some deep discussion stuff with us actually to this point has been quite closed and I've been praying to know how to understand his needs. Well, we met with him and started talking small talk and we asked some intro to the gospel questions...pretty simple stuff and he took it to a whole new level. It worked out really well tho because we were able to explain to him how even the deep doctrines of the gospel always come back to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the basics. It was a good lesson to me as well that we can't get to step #99 without those essential first principles and ordinances of the gospel.
I got told this week at a dinner appointment that I look like Chris Pine from Star Trek. That's only about the seven hundredth time I have heard that but I guess it means that I haven't gotten too fat in the face. Haha. Speaking of which I have kind of hit a plateau. I know I talk about my weight way too much but here it is again. I started at 201 when I decided a diet was necessary and lost a quick 5 pounds, then I plateaued. Then I worked on it and lost another 5 and plateaued and once again lost 5 and plateaued. So i now sit at 185 pounds but once again I am plateaued. It's alright I'll get it. I will make my goal weight before August 24th!
I also was told this week by some members that they had some people for us to teach but only because I was so knowledgeable. I guess I should take it as a compliment but I don't feel like I am that knowledgeable. I'm just a snot nosed, punk, 21 year old kid. Anyway, made me feel good.
You know how I said that you kind of get to experience a little bit of everything on your mission. Well...I am adding one more thing to the list. There is a girl in our branch who has some recorded music on itunes and stuff so we were talking about it and I started playing the piano. Well...one thing led to another and I'll be recording some songs with her over the next three months on p-days. I'm actually really looking forward to it. We've got some good songs i think to work on and then eventually record. It'll be fun to do regardless.
This week I passed another landmark date. As of last Friday I have been out in Iowa for 1 year. That, just like the last 4 years since graduation, has seemed like nothing. It's funny tho...1 year ago I was with Elder Trent Haws Howard, my dad on the mission, and today he was called to be the new a.p.! I'm excited for him! I always knew it would happen! He's a great missionary and I'm excited to learn from him again like I did one year ago!
District meeting this last week was great! The zone leaders were there and I learned a lot about prayer. I've grown such a testimony of that recently and especially in the last couple of years. I always struggled with prayer when I was younger. In fact, I can't remember praying personally all that often prior to my mission but it has really changed my life. Prayer has really become a habit for me and I'm almost to the point that I cannot sleep for the night until I have said my prayers. I 'm grateful to have learned that lesson! I know it will bless my life forever. But after District meeting we went to HuHot, a Mongolian all you can eat grill. It is one of my favorite restaurants now. I love it.
This next week will be really busy because there are a lot of seniors in our branch that will be graduating and in Iowa they have graduation parties. It's a weird thing they do in the Midwest i guess. Every senior who graduates is almost expected to have a party for the other seniors and parents and friends and family to attend. So we will not only be attending some we were invited to but we will also be helping get the lawns ready and stuff like that for some people. It will be a good week of service! I'm really looking forward to it.
Last week we helped some more with some drywall. I think I really could open my own business when I get home and have a taping and mudding company. I'm pretty much pro.
Things I learned this week--
-Facebook goes public...great, now there will be people wanting people to play farmville.
-Officially got an announcement telling me that I will have a new aunt that I'm pretty sure is younger than me. =)
This week I have been thinking a lot about what I always think about while walking down the street and that is how much I wish I lived in the 40's. Life looked pretty good back then. So much has changed and it really does concern me. Maybe it is because I have been trying to become of the world but not in the world. I'm not quite sure but things have certainly changed. It seems like everywhere you turn there is more news about some kind of sin and crime. Whether it be here or abroad. Maybe it's just a bad time for the world and things will get better but maybe things really are getting worse. I guess what strikes me most is the way that we talk about them. There does not seem to be a way to simply say that something is wrong anymore. Like "drugs are wrong". Don't get me wrong, there is still plenty of finger pointing and name-calling. But where it really matters, in the mindset of morals and eternities, there is something missing now. I guess it may just be somewhat embarrassing to hear that something is wrong because these days it denotes so much more than the simple turning from God and his laws. I don't get the opportunity to hear to much in the news these days but I still get somewhat confused. Was it Libya and Croatia fighting or Iraq and Iran? Did that battle axe murder happen in Iowa, or Texas? Was it Brett Favre or Tiger Woods caught in scandal? I just can't seem to keep this negative repressive news straight. I wish that I could do something about it. I wish I could have the public stature to make a bigger difference than I can now. I think if given the opportunity and the attentive crowd, I would not deter much from a speech given by another public figure who happens to be a very inspiration role model for me. In what could be titled his retirement speech, King Benjamin really sets things straight. He talks about the equality of his people, and how he, the King, has served them. He talks of how he is no more then any other man, even given his appointment as King. He just as well as all of us are nothing more than the dirt of the earth, and even then God created that too. He talks about how there is really only one king, and that is our Heavenly King. He is quite bold in declaring the awful state of those who kept not the commandments of God. In modern terms imagine he would say, "That is simply one word: wrong." He reminds the people of who it is that will save them and how of necessity they must be saved from the carnal state in which they find themselves. He offers a way, even "The Way", to overcome the world. This earthy King taught so many more lessons including how to retain spirituality, (something I worry about often these days) as well as how to give to the poor. I look up to this king. I find his last words to be very powerful and something perhaps this world could and should use... "Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen." I know that that is true. I know that it is right. I know that life is a lot more black and white than we sometimes like it to be. There are no grey areas. Simply put; there is right, and yes, there is wrong.
I love you all! So much! Until we meet again electronically...
Hugs and Kisses,
Elder Excell
Monday, May 14, 2012
Pictures!
Q&A - May 14, 2012
1. So what is on the agenda for P-Day today?
Frisbee with the district.
2. What was the best part of your week?
Phone call is pretty hard to beat! I love seeing my family.
3. What are you most looking forward to in the week ahead?
I look forward to set appointments. Even if they fall through you feel a certain purpose in those moments that you can't get from tracting!
Frisbee with the district.
2. What was the best part of your week?
Phone call is pretty hard to beat! I love seeing my family.
3. What are you most looking forward to in the week ahead?
I look forward to set appointments. Even if they fall through you feel a certain purpose in those moments that you can't get from tracting!
They Can See Us Waving From Such Great Heights...
It has been an incredible week in the little town of Waverly Iowa. I need to start tho in what may be perhaps reverse order and start with the best part of the week. Yesterday I got the wonderful chance and opportunity that comes once every year and wish my mother a happy Mom's Day. I love my mom so much! Yesterday as I sat in the pew at church I was thinking about my mother and I could not help but feel an incredible love for that amazing woman! I do not mean to boast or brag but my Mom is the best! As I sat there I thought of a quote I had written in my journal from quite some time ago that said, "All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother." I am so appreciative of the relationship that she and I have built over 21 years. I love her very much! Happy Mother's day Mombo!
It was also so good to see the rest of my family! I have grown closer to them in my absence than I ever could have by being by their side. I suppose the decision to go away for two years to serve the Lord says, "I love you for eternity" much louder and poignantly than I could have ever said or shown them had I been in the next room over. I hope and pray that they feel and know how much I love them. It was so great to see them all yesterday!
The rest of the week has been superb as well. This week we tried to see quite a few people and I can't say that we were 100% successful in that pursuit but we did see quite a few people and were given quite a few opportunities to share the message of good news. We had one lesson in particular where we had planned to teach about some questions they had raised in our previous meeting. We were going to talk primarily on the last days and signs of the times. I had prepared quite a lesson to show them what we believe and maybe even a little why what they had once believed was incorrect. I felt tho as I was finalizing those preparations, that that was not the topic upon which we needed to teach. I felt a little torn because the lesson I had just finished preparing would have been epic. I would have impressed quite a few people and been able to show off a little of my personal knowledge. Well, I learned a very important and much needed lesson. This work is not my work and it's not all about me. I felt in my heart as I concluded my studies preparing for that lesson, it was not what Heavenly Father wanted to share with his children. I must assume it was an audible voice because I did hear it. The spirit told me something quite interesting. "These are my children and I know what's best for them." I felt further impressed to share a church movie with them instead of the lesson I had now spent days getting ready to share. We did so. We watched the movie about Thomas S. Monson and his life. It was exactly what those children of our Heavenly Father needed to hear on that night. I will never forget how the spirit taught me a very profound lesson. "These are my children and I know what's best for them."
Last P-day we made homemade granola. It ended up really well. It wasn't necessarily the cheapest creation to make but it was worth it. I'm not sure if anyone is aware of how much a jar of coconut oil is but I would warn you it's not cheap. My budgeting skills have been improving much in recent months though so it was ok. Our granola had Oats, sliced almonds, honey, cinnamon, coconut oil, and some coconut flakes. It was delicious and the quart bag that we brought home is already gone. Super healthy tho!
We also played some school yard 500. It was so much fun. It was at a park that we thought was bigger but it has a pond right in the middle of it and that is not ideal for missionary 500. We stayed dry surprisingly and had a really good time.
We're teaching a guy right now that has a beard down to his belly button and it's in a pony tail. His hair on the back of his head is just as long. He's a really cool guy. It was another lesson to me that you can't judge a tattooed book by it's cover. He has some really good ideas with the world's situation and is very philosophical. I like teaching him. Now we just need to get him to try out organized religion for the first time ever. =)
I wrote the Meier family that I taught in Waukee a couple weeks ago and they wrote me back this week. I cried reading their letters. I love that family so much. Every single one of them wrote me! They are doing so well! Ben is getting a calling here shortly and the family is getting ready to go to the temple! I will not miss that! I am just so happy that Heavenly Father sent me to Iowa of all the places in the world to meet so many great people. I wonder more and more as time passes by whether or not I've enjoyed that privilege as much as I should. I mean I've probably had the opportunity to meet or see what could now be millions of people in my time here on Earth and I wonder if I've appreciated that chance to interact with spirit children of God. I remember that hit me really hard this week as I was walking down the streets that I am related to all of these people not only here on earth but also in heaven. As soon as I realized that, I just wanted to go love people even more than I do now.
We found a turtle in the middle of a country road this week! Elder Arbon called him Franklin and it stuck. We were on our way to dinner with the Scouts at their campout when Franklin almost died under our tires. We stopped and picked him up. We're not supposed to have pets as missionaries but we really weren't gonna keep him. We just needed to borrow him temporarily until we had our cameras with us. =) So until we could make it back to a suitable home for him, we put him in the back seat of the car and he slept for a while. I tried to make him smile but he just wasn't having it. Anyway we had our little photo shoot with him while he pouted and frowned, then we put him back into a habitat more suitable for him than a dirty dusty country road. You're welcome grumpy!
Things I learned this week---
-A new chicken fettuccine recipe. I'm quite the cook now.
-Mother's are the best missionaries. Mine taught me everything I needed to know to be where I am.
-Mother's get praised on Mother's day and Father's get told they can do better on Father's day. =)
I've been anticipating this paragraph all week. I don't know if anyone ever makes it this far into these epistles but it's my favorite paragraph of all. I love being able to share my thoughts and testimony. But this week I've been somewhat troubled by what the beard man told us while we chatted with him. He told us about what he saw on "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel". Apparently there are many schools across the nation that are implementing some new rules pertaining to the physical contact in between their children. In one particular school they have an absolute no touching policy. Meaning no high fives, nor hugs. It means very different games in PE. Apparently the good old days of dodge ball are coming to a close in many schools as well. It's too violent supposedly. Instead of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place trophies in school, everyone gets participation awards. It worries me. I've had nightmares about it since I heard about it. What are we seriously teaching our kids these days? It's like we are trying to create this Utopian society full of wimps and sissies. Let me explain where I'm coming from. We learn from failure. We learn from trials. We learn from opposition. It's an eternal principle you see. Prophets have testified of this fact. "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad." (2 Ne 2:11) Now, I've been in a school yard fist fight or two in my day and as well as I may have been beat up, I learned from it. Our society already suffers from personal communication skills without the help of technology, is it really the best idea to eliminate touching now as well? We are becoming so soft as a country. Our country was founded upon the principles of hard work to overcome obstacles and in some sense have a first place trophy. I worry about where we are headed. But I've come to a sobering realization this week: It is not our nation's fault. We need to stop passing the buck to the "nation". The blame has to quit being thrown on the nation collectively. We forget that a nation ceases to exist without the individuals in it. I am afraid that we individually have lost the ideals upon which this land was obtained. A little blood, sweat and tears must always be sacrificed if we hope to accomplish much of anything. It is not the easiest way in the world. Nor will it ever be. It's hard work. It's something that "we" have forgotten how to do. As a majority, this country expects everything but wants to give nothing. It does not work. Victory has been the aim for all of us. We all inwardly want to succeed and be victorious. Us, as well as England in the time of Winston Churchill. I've quoted him before so I will not now but Victory is the aim, however long and hard the road may be. There may be sweat running down our faces, but a little perspiration never hurt anyone. We may get a little bloody and bruised but by no means fatally. It is about time that we individually quit trying to run away from opposition and just overcome it. I have a testimony and can bear witness of this principle. We must act for ourselves and not be acted upon. There is no avoiding opposition in life, it simply must be in one word; overcome. We will progress more individually and collectively by overcoming opposition than by avoiding it. I know this is true. At some point you say, the buck stops here, and you buck up and do it. I can testify of the fulfillment that comes from overcoming opposition through the Lord's plan.
I love you all. For those who made it to this paragraph, I thank you for bearing with me. There's another soap box outside that I must climb upon for now. Have a great week! I love you, seriously!
Hugs and Kisses,
Elder Excell
It was also so good to see the rest of my family! I have grown closer to them in my absence than I ever could have by being by their side. I suppose the decision to go away for two years to serve the Lord says, "I love you for eternity" much louder and poignantly than I could have ever said or shown them had I been in the next room over. I hope and pray that they feel and know how much I love them. It was so great to see them all yesterday!
The rest of the week has been superb as well. This week we tried to see quite a few people and I can't say that we were 100% successful in that pursuit but we did see quite a few people and were given quite a few opportunities to share the message of good news. We had one lesson in particular where we had planned to teach about some questions they had raised in our previous meeting. We were going to talk primarily on the last days and signs of the times. I had prepared quite a lesson to show them what we believe and maybe even a little why what they had once believed was incorrect. I felt tho as I was finalizing those preparations, that that was not the topic upon which we needed to teach. I felt a little torn because the lesson I had just finished preparing would have been epic. I would have impressed quite a few people and been able to show off a little of my personal knowledge. Well, I learned a very important and much needed lesson. This work is not my work and it's not all about me. I felt in my heart as I concluded my studies preparing for that lesson, it was not what Heavenly Father wanted to share with his children. I must assume it was an audible voice because I did hear it. The spirit told me something quite interesting. "These are my children and I know what's best for them." I felt further impressed to share a church movie with them instead of the lesson I had now spent days getting ready to share. We did so. We watched the movie about Thomas S. Monson and his life. It was exactly what those children of our Heavenly Father needed to hear on that night. I will never forget how the spirit taught me a very profound lesson. "These are my children and I know what's best for them."
Last P-day we made homemade granola. It ended up really well. It wasn't necessarily the cheapest creation to make but it was worth it. I'm not sure if anyone is aware of how much a jar of coconut oil is but I would warn you it's not cheap. My budgeting skills have been improving much in recent months though so it was ok. Our granola had Oats, sliced almonds, honey, cinnamon, coconut oil, and some coconut flakes. It was delicious and the quart bag that we brought home is already gone. Super healthy tho!
We also played some school yard 500. It was so much fun. It was at a park that we thought was bigger but it has a pond right in the middle of it and that is not ideal for missionary 500. We stayed dry surprisingly and had a really good time.
We're teaching a guy right now that has a beard down to his belly button and it's in a pony tail. His hair on the back of his head is just as long. He's a really cool guy. It was another lesson to me that you can't judge a tattooed book by it's cover. He has some really good ideas with the world's situation and is very philosophical. I like teaching him. Now we just need to get him to try out organized religion for the first time ever. =)
I wrote the Meier family that I taught in Waukee a couple weeks ago and they wrote me back this week. I cried reading their letters. I love that family so much. Every single one of them wrote me! They are doing so well! Ben is getting a calling here shortly and the family is getting ready to go to the temple! I will not miss that! I am just so happy that Heavenly Father sent me to Iowa of all the places in the world to meet so many great people. I wonder more and more as time passes by whether or not I've enjoyed that privilege as much as I should. I mean I've probably had the opportunity to meet or see what could now be millions of people in my time here on Earth and I wonder if I've appreciated that chance to interact with spirit children of God. I remember that hit me really hard this week as I was walking down the streets that I am related to all of these people not only here on earth but also in heaven. As soon as I realized that, I just wanted to go love people even more than I do now.
We found a turtle in the middle of a country road this week! Elder Arbon called him Franklin and it stuck. We were on our way to dinner with the Scouts at their campout when Franklin almost died under our tires. We stopped and picked him up. We're not supposed to have pets as missionaries but we really weren't gonna keep him. We just needed to borrow him temporarily until we had our cameras with us. =) So until we could make it back to a suitable home for him, we put him in the back seat of the car and he slept for a while. I tried to make him smile but he just wasn't having it. Anyway we had our little photo shoot with him while he pouted and frowned, then we put him back into a habitat more suitable for him than a dirty dusty country road. You're welcome grumpy!
Things I learned this week---
-A new chicken fettuccine recipe. I'm quite the cook now.
-Mother's are the best missionaries. Mine taught me everything I needed to know to be where I am.
-Mother's get praised on Mother's day and Father's get told they can do better on Father's day. =)
I've been anticipating this paragraph all week. I don't know if anyone ever makes it this far into these epistles but it's my favorite paragraph of all. I love being able to share my thoughts and testimony. But this week I've been somewhat troubled by what the beard man told us while we chatted with him. He told us about what he saw on "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel". Apparently there are many schools across the nation that are implementing some new rules pertaining to the physical contact in between their children. In one particular school they have an absolute no touching policy. Meaning no high fives, nor hugs. It means very different games in PE. Apparently the good old days of dodge ball are coming to a close in many schools as well. It's too violent supposedly. Instead of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place trophies in school, everyone gets participation awards. It worries me. I've had nightmares about it since I heard about it. What are we seriously teaching our kids these days? It's like we are trying to create this Utopian society full of wimps and sissies. Let me explain where I'm coming from. We learn from failure. We learn from trials. We learn from opposition. It's an eternal principle you see. Prophets have testified of this fact. "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad." (2 Ne 2:11) Now, I've been in a school yard fist fight or two in my day and as well as I may have been beat up, I learned from it. Our society already suffers from personal communication skills without the help of technology, is it really the best idea to eliminate touching now as well? We are becoming so soft as a country. Our country was founded upon the principles of hard work to overcome obstacles and in some sense have a first place trophy. I worry about where we are headed. But I've come to a sobering realization this week: It is not our nation's fault. We need to stop passing the buck to the "nation". The blame has to quit being thrown on the nation collectively. We forget that a nation ceases to exist without the individuals in it. I am afraid that we individually have lost the ideals upon which this land was obtained. A little blood, sweat and tears must always be sacrificed if we hope to accomplish much of anything. It is not the easiest way in the world. Nor will it ever be. It's hard work. It's something that "we" have forgotten how to do. As a majority, this country expects everything but wants to give nothing. It does not work. Victory has been the aim for all of us. We all inwardly want to succeed and be victorious. Us, as well as England in the time of Winston Churchill. I've quoted him before so I will not now but Victory is the aim, however long and hard the road may be. There may be sweat running down our faces, but a little perspiration never hurt anyone. We may get a little bloody and bruised but by no means fatally. It is about time that we individually quit trying to run away from opposition and just overcome it. I have a testimony and can bear witness of this principle. We must act for ourselves and not be acted upon. There is no avoiding opposition in life, it simply must be in one word; overcome. We will progress more individually and collectively by overcoming opposition than by avoiding it. I know this is true. At some point you say, the buck stops here, and you buck up and do it. I can testify of the fulfillment that comes from overcoming opposition through the Lord's plan.
I love you all. For those who made it to this paragraph, I thank you for bearing with me. There's another soap box outside that I must climb upon for now. Have a great week! I love you, seriously!
Hugs and Kisses,
Elder Excell
Videos!
Original Video - More videos at TinyPic Franklin, the Turtle
Original Video - More videos at TinyPic The Prankster... :)
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Q&A - May 7, 2012
1. The most important right off the bat - Mother's Day Skype!! We're thinking that Dad can for sure be home by 3:00 on Sunday afternoon. How does that work for you?? Although, Dad also said that if you want to just give us a time, he'll just schedule his interviews around it.
3:00 PM your time sounds great! We'll plan on that and if it changes a little bit then I will call you and tell you or text you.
2. What was the best thing you accomplished this week?
I moved a rock! =)
3:00 PM your time sounds great! We'll plan on that and if it changes a little bit then I will call you and tell you or text you.
2. What was the best thing you accomplished this week?
I moved a rock! =)
"I'm more than a bird, I'm more than a plane...."
Oh man what a great week. I have to start out by telling you of the best find that I have made since I discovered worms in dirt pudding snacks when I was 5 years old. This week walking through Wal-Mart we stopped in one of my favorite aisles to see what the new scents are right now. Well since I love my scents I was sniffing around and found something that totally shocked me. That BOD stuff with the commercials back in the day that said things like, "I like your bod..." and all the other ridiculous things....well I took a gamble. I picked up the red one. It's AMAZING!!! It smells just like Abercrombie but you get one whole giant thing for 7 bucks. Best find since worms in dirt!
We had a great week this week tho. We had a lot of opportunities to do some good for other people, and to have some fun ourselves. One of those fun times was on Friday night. It was the quarterly battle at the Library for the teenagers in Waverly. Since we volunteer and are such good friends with all the people at the library that help with that, we got to participate as chaperons. It's pretty funny. Everyone called us the men in black when we showed up in our suits with Nerf guns in hand. It was so much fun. I finally broke down after spending 1 year in the Iowa Des Moines Mission and bought a Nerf gun. It's pretty awesome. I decided to take one of my lunch breaks and decorate it as you can see in the accompanying picture. Elder Arbon and I blew people away with our skill in running around and beating everyone, even tho they all wore dark clothes and we wore white shirts and ties. Let me just describe one spectacular move that I made....There was, hiding behind the Biography section, 2 enemies. I snuck to the parallel aisle in the Non-Fiction section and walked backwards so when I reached the end of the aisle I would be facing them and be kitty corner from them. There just so happened to be at the end of that Nonfiction aisle a few love sacks where the youth section started so I dove backwards matrix style and got one in the head and then got the other in the knee. I'm a good shot with pretend plastic firearms. I just had to come on a mission to find that out! =)
We also got a call that same day from the Larson family with a service opportunity to move a rock. We figured, "Sure it's just a rock. Even if we have to use three of us to move it we'll be fine." Well as you can see in the picture, it was not a small rock. It probably weighs a ton. Literally. Well we tried a few different techniques. We tried the old heave-ho only to realize we couldn't lift it enough off the ground to put air under there. We tried tying rope to it and pulling and still nothing. I now understand why it took so long for the saints to build the Salt Lake temple. I can empathize with them. =) We eventually had one person with a shovel act as a pry bar to lift it while the others got those straps advertised on TV and the human forklift straps. We would tie those underneath and then pull as hard as we could and tip it end over end. It took us about 6 minutes per rotation and the designated resting location was 50 feet from its starting point. Needless to say it took some time. Then when we had carried it the distance it had to be set facing the right way. So we had to turn it somehow. Anyway we did it. I realized how much of a man I am and how much of a loser I am all at the same time. All I could think when we were in this process is cliché gospel statements such as "as for me and my house, we move rocks.", "lift where you stand", and "steadfast and immovable". I am such a missionary. I'm gonna be so weird when I get home.
We had a really good lesson this week with a woman named Mary. She is a less active member of the church who we just happened to show up right after she had to put her dog to sleep. To her it was a sign that she needed to make some corrections in your life. I'm not sure if I will ever understand how people can get so close and establish relationships with pets and animals that can't talk to you or hear you, but it presented some missionary opportunities. She is meeting with us now on a weekly basis and trying to get some questions answered by her Heavenly Father. It's really cool to watch her uncover some answers for herself through her study and prayers.
We had a really good district meeting this week. It's the week after Zone Leader Council so the zone leaders were there and gave an excellent training on something that I had actually done the previous month. I got the idea from the last Zone Leader Council in April and they apparently talked about it again this month and now it is the Cedar Rapids zone emphasis. It's called a 30 day guarantee. I came up with the idea to find something I wanted to change to become better and to give myself some sort of constant reminder. You try as diligently as you can and pray as hard as you can to see the success you want and there is a 30 day guarantee that it will work. I saw it work last month and now I am excited to do it again and come closer to my Father in Heaven.
Anyway after the district meeting we went to Pancheros in honor of Cinco De Mayo. I also made Elder Arbon a May-day basket. What ever happened to those anyway? How come they didn't exist after I left the 3rd grade?
The next Holiday on the list is Mother's Day!!! I am so excited to see and talk to my family! It will be awesome! I've lost 15 pound since I saw them last on Skype so hopefully I don't look like such a chunk!
Today for P-day we are making homemade granola!!
Things I learned this week-
-Iowa measures trips in miles not the amount of time to get to your destination.
-Not all seasonings have a screen when you open the lid and too much Italian seasoning is pretty gross on your green beans.
I'm so thankful for the blessings that I have been given. Next week marks my one year mark in Iowa. I can't believe that. It really has not felt like that long but at the same time I feel like this is home because I have been here so long. I am so thankful to be here now. It's funny how big of a difference one decision can make in some one's life. The decision I made to serve a mission was the best, and I mean that quite literally, the best decision I have ever made or could have made. There was no other option greater to me than that of serving a mission. I am learning more and more how important that decision will become for my future. I am not the same person that I was when I started filling out missionary papers. I don't feel like I even closely resemble the person I was then because my mission has meant everything to me. It has changed me. It has opened my eyes to a potential I never thought possible. I am so grateful for who I have had the opportunity to become because of that solitary decision to serve the Lord. When signing that acceptance letter of a mission call I had no idea that I would find myself here at this time becoming who I am trying to become. I am grateful for the ability and opportunity God has given me to see my potential and help others to see theirs as well. I know that the gospel is true and with that knowledge I cannot go back to who I used to be. I am thankful for what I have. I am thankful for opposition and refiner's fires. I look forward with a desire to meet struggle so I can grow rather than with fear as I once did. My mission has changed everything for me. I am so thankful for it.
I hope you all have a great week. I hope you can come closer to Christ this week because that's all that really matters. Coming to Christ and hugs...that's all that matters. I love you!
Hugs and Kisses,
Elder Excell
 |
| My decorated Nerf gun for the battle! |
We had a really good lesson this week with a woman named Mary. She is a less active member of the church who we just happened to show up right after she had to put her dog to sleep. To her it was a sign that she needed to make some corrections in your life. I'm not sure if I will ever understand how people can get so close and establish relationships with pets and animals that can't talk to you or hear you, but it presented some missionary opportunities. She is meeting with us now on a weekly basis and trying to get some questions answered by her Heavenly Father. It's really cool to watch her uncover some answers for herself through her study and prayers.
We had a really good district meeting this week. It's the week after Zone Leader Council so the zone leaders were there and gave an excellent training on something that I had actually done the previous month. I got the idea from the last Zone Leader Council in April and they apparently talked about it again this month and now it is the Cedar Rapids zone emphasis. It's called a 30 day guarantee. I came up with the idea to find something I wanted to change to become better and to give myself some sort of constant reminder. You try as diligently as you can and pray as hard as you can to see the success you want and there is a 30 day guarantee that it will work. I saw it work last month and now I am excited to do it again and come closer to my Father in Heaven.
Anyway after the district meeting we went to Pancheros in honor of Cinco De Mayo. I also made Elder Arbon a May-day basket. What ever happened to those anyway? How come they didn't exist after I left the 3rd grade?
The next Holiday on the list is Mother's Day!!! I am so excited to see and talk to my family! It will be awesome! I've lost 15 pound since I saw them last on Skype so hopefully I don't look like such a chunk!
Today for P-day we are making homemade granola!!
Things I learned this week-
-Iowa measures trips in miles not the amount of time to get to your destination.
-Not all seasonings have a screen when you open the lid and too much Italian seasoning is pretty gross on your green beans.
I'm so thankful for the blessings that I have been given. Next week marks my one year mark in Iowa. I can't believe that. It really has not felt like that long but at the same time I feel like this is home because I have been here so long. I am so thankful to be here now. It's funny how big of a difference one decision can make in some one's life. The decision I made to serve a mission was the best, and I mean that quite literally, the best decision I have ever made or could have made. There was no other option greater to me than that of serving a mission. I am learning more and more how important that decision will become for my future. I am not the same person that I was when I started filling out missionary papers. I don't feel like I even closely resemble the person I was then because my mission has meant everything to me. It has changed me. It has opened my eyes to a potential I never thought possible. I am so grateful for who I have had the opportunity to become because of that solitary decision to serve the Lord. When signing that acceptance letter of a mission call I had no idea that I would find myself here at this time becoming who I am trying to become. I am grateful for the ability and opportunity God has given me to see my potential and help others to see theirs as well. I know that the gospel is true and with that knowledge I cannot go back to who I used to be. I am thankful for what I have. I am thankful for opposition and refiner's fires. I look forward with a desire to meet struggle so I can grow rather than with fear as I once did. My mission has changed everything for me. I am so thankful for it.
I hope you all have a great week. I hope you can come closer to Christ this week because that's all that really matters. Coming to Christ and hugs...that's all that matters. I love you!
Hugs and Kisses,
Elder Excell
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