🎄Merry Christmas!🎄

Merry Christmas!

At the Christmas Zone Conf, making gingerbread houses. Elder Wold’s & Elder Vogt’s gingerbread house was from Moore, OK where a tornado hit. 

All of zone 1: Christmas Zone conference picture
We were so excited to skype Elder Wold on Christmas Day! We got an hour and loved every minute!

 

 

Hello Everyone!

Hello Everyone! Man it's weird having Christmas right around the corner! Such a quick couple of months, I feel like I just came out. But I guess it's a good thing, totally losing track of the days means I'm not as overwhelmed as I was when I first came out!

Alright here we go...

P-day, pretty average until we went out and taught a lesson with Brother Long! So much fun! We taught Miranda the Restoration at first and that honestly went nowhere with her 3 year old and her friends 6 year old running around being loud and distracting. This all took place outside, so finally I got them to go and play in the yard with me. It was way fun for me to be with them and just be the inner kid in me and Elder Vogt and Brother Long ended up just teaching to her needs and apparently it went well. We're seeing her again today! I have a funny picture with her 3 year old Micah I'll send in a bit.

We talked with this potential- who we thought wasn't very interested- named Mariah. She is so cool, she's the one that gave Elder Washburn and I honey when we first met her. Anyway, we were able to talk with her and answer a bunch of her questions and clear up the common mistaking of us as Jehovah's Witnesses. She wants to learn more and we are going to go see her tomorrow. She definitely likes the idea of a restored church and we're excited to answer more questions and teach her about this awesome gospel. The ward is super down to meet with her too, so we'll be taking people with us.

Side note, this ward is great for missionary work! So willing to help and to do their part, I've met a lot of people just here in our ward that I look up to a lot. Such a loving and fun church of members who love to magnify their callings. 

Probably my favorite thing this week was on Friday. We went to a trailer park to visit a couple potentials we knew there. We started talking to this guy walking down the street when these two 9 year old twins roll up on their bikes and just talk to us like we're their best friends! They loved our bikes and kept trying to ride them. Before we knew it, there were like 10 other kids that showed up between the ages of 7 to 12 and they were just hilarious. We had to go visit a member in our ward so although it was fun talking, we had to get going to another trailer. The kids raced us on our bikes to that trailer and followed us right up to the lawn. We told them we'd be right back as we started to lock up. They all took off, so we headed up the steps. As we knocked, we kept laughing over that whole episode. When Sister Carey opened the door we just started to chat with her. She was asking us a bunch of questions and then she goes, "and who are you?" We look over and one of the twins, Jayden had come up to the door with us and had been standing there since we knocked! It was so funny and he took it like he was just with us! The kid was sharp and loved it. He eventually ran off and we had a quick lesson with her, but it was so funny how he was just like our third companion! I have a picture of him, he;s the twin with the emojis on his shirt.

We also did a church swap this week with this guy named Derek. It was cool, fun music, cool base guitar, Derek was the drummer. I will  say there were a couple of songs that made me uncomfortable, like this guy in his 60's singing the "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" song with this super slow romantic beat. Weird. But nice people. Not a lot of doctrine involved, but now Elder Vogt and I understand how people can be socially converted to their church. It was happy, the people were like family, and there was just a lot of fun things. But not a Sunday worship I'm used to. Derek will probably be coming to church with us after the holidays. 

Lot's of cool little things this week too! We helped this ladynamed Cassandra in our ward(RC)  move and she gave us a pottery from the Navajo. We also had some great experiences of learning by the Spirit with some of the lessons we taught. It's so important to teach to people's needs, otherwise, it can be just some rote presentation. 

This week I've been trying to be more happy and to let go of things I can't control, to stop worrying so much! It's been hard, especially when it's something I've always
done from basketball to school to church. But I know the Lord can do much good with me, and if I leave it in His hands, things will work out. I've really seen this in my studies in 1 Nephi as I've started the Book of Mormon over again. I think Nephi had a lot of moments he could have either given up, done his own thing, or followed his older brothers because stuff just didn't seem to look good. But he stayed strong and never gave in, trusting that even when he was smitten by a rod, mocked, hated, bound by chords, and threatened by death, he still trusted in the Lord to deliver him. If he didn't worry when crap hits the fan like that, why should I?

Love you guys, hope everything is well in Gilbert! What's the weather there, like 60's? It's like in the 30's to 40's here some days and this desert kid is dying! Anyway I'm loving it!

Elder Wold

Elder Vogt, Elder Wold and the ward mission leader, Adam Macamik with Santa at the ward Christmas party

With Ryan the truck driver.

  

Transferssss

Hello!!! 

So transfers happened! Elder Washburn is now headed up to Tulsa, and I'm still here in OKC 3rd with my new companion Elder Vogt! Soon after meeting Elder Vogt we both realized 2 things. 1 he stayed in our apartment his first day in the mission field with me and Elder Kilmer because there wasn't enough room in the mission home. And 2 that this is going to be a fun transfer! Him and I get along way well and it's been a good adjustment. 

So I need to explain, I am NOT a district leader, thank heaven, I am not ready for that right now. I meant that I was leading out the area as in I know everything because my companion is brand new to the area. Haha I got some funny emails asking about that and I was like no. 

Lot's of fun this week! We got to meet with Aaron Smith,  a media referral who is now an investigator after having the first lesson with him and him being pretty open to it. He got interested after visiting an estranged brother who is a member in Arizona and checking out the temple lights at the Mesa temple! Small world right haha, and it just so happened to be in our area! Anyway that was awesome. We also had a returning less active just show up at church yesterday and sat by us because she didn't know anyone. That was way cool, our ward just fellowshipped the heck out of her and now she has like 40 billion friends. She will definitely be sitting with someone else next Sunday, not the missionaries. 

We went out with a trucker to teach some people and it was way fun! He has a kind heart and is just an awesome member. He is a returning excommunicated member who has been rebaptized and is working towards getting the priesthood again! He's doing so well! He's actually not in our ward he's from Utah. But he's been stationed here in Oklahoma for the past month and has been coming to our ward every week. He served a mission and we thought it'd be good for him to get out wit us and feel the Spirit. He was sucha  good missionary and invited everyone to church. Sucha  cool guy and so spiritual. We rode bikes and he followed us in his semi! 

Ahhh so much fun this week! I'm looking forward to this coming week, we have a lot going on! 

Matthew 6 verses 31-34 pretty much sum up my past week. I realize that I'nve been focusing a lot on things of the future; what's going on this week, next week, tomorrow, Christmas, tonight, and sometimes in the next hour. Sometimes, I find myself worrying over things like a career after all this and what I'm going to do for school, because I have no clue. And it doesn't help that every member asks us what we plan on doing after the mission haha. But I think I'm learning that all thopse things will come if I just put those things last and put the things of the Lord first. It's so hard to do that, it's been a constant battle and probably always will be, but I'm sure that the God can make me better than I can make myself. 

Love you all! I love hearing from all of you! I hope my emails aren't too long haha!

-Elder Wold

                                                                Transfer Day!

Elder Wold and Elder Vogt had dinner and received stockings from Tanya Norton and her family in the OKC 3rd ward!

Happy Holidays!

Hi!

I'm getting a new companion here and I will be leading this area out. I'm nervous but excited. Time to work like no other!!! Loving it.

My motto this week has been "Keep moving forward". I've found when I linger on hard things and focus on myself, I forget why I'm here and spiral down into a pit of despair. But when I turn outwards, roll up my sleeves and work, pushing forward with that steadfastness in Christ, I become a lot more confident and hope seems to materialize out of nowhere.

I've learned this past week that hard is good and that I’m in control. I love that fact. I can control my thoughts, my feelings and emotions to line up to where Christ needs me to be. It's hard but it's oh so joyful and comforting. My main source for all this and remembering these things is the talk "Rise to Your Call" by Henry B. Eyring in 2002. My favorite talk now. The Spirit is so prevalent whenever I hear it. It's a good listen, for members and missionaries alike.

Love,

Elder Wold

          Last Saturday Lorenzo (4th from the right) was baptized! 

  

 



 

 

Elder Wold & Elder Barrett (the zone leader)went on exchanges and tried to draw the “Light the World” picture on the dam in Bethany, OK. Got a lot of good conversations

  .

The Oklahoma City Temple is now under construction and is being remodeled.

Elder Wold FINALLY got a winter coat!

Elder Wold is tired of untangling his Christmas lights!

honey from one of our potentials named Mariah! we're teaching her this Wednesday. She's awesome!

OKC

Man oh man what a week!

SO Elder Murset and his companion moved back to their apartment so it's been 100% go time for Elder Washburn and I. It's been great doing all the work out here. Lot's of fun members and great people I'm really starting to become close with! 

Thanksgiving was cool. It was treated as an all day p day and we just spent time with a bunch of members and our best friend investigator Ben. We actually didn't eat as much as one would think. Especially with me and trying to watch my figure... just kidding, my companion hates me when I say stuff like this. Quick metabolisms rock!!

We had the super neat experience of having a baptism in the area on Saturday! A child of record named King and his mom's boyfriend, Brandon, got baptized. Brandon is a total stud, he is so worthy and so awesome. He lives in Edmond to be worthy to be baptized and is willing to do all the things he's asked, including paying tithing and keeping the word of wisdom and law of chastity. He's got a sweet testimony too, the guy is just on fire! Way neat to see him take steps in the gospel like he is. We had the baptism that day and then were able to see them confirmed in sacrament meeting on Sunday. It'll be really cool to see them progress and grow in the ward.

Other than that, just a bunch of talking to people and meeting ward members. Teaching is pretty good as well, I've learned so much this transfer about myself and about this gospel. Still going strong!

Love, 

Elder Wold

With Elder Murset

 
Elder Washburn with his hard boiled eggs & toast.