Happy New Year!

I have a strong testimony that we are placed in missions not necessarily for the area or the mission itself but because of our Mission President. I've learned tons from President Mansell and his wife! I'm becoming a lot more of what God wants me to be because of it too, even though it's hard and it He pushed the heck out of me out here!       Love, Elder Wold 

Elder Martineau and Sis. Brown from Chandler East Stake!

Elder Wold ran into Sis. Kingrey from an Edmond Ward, who he got to know and knew her family at the beginning of his mission.

Talking to Elder Wold on Christmas Day!

Christmas Zone Conferences

Elder Wold dunking on Satan. “You just got dunked on!”

Eating crab legs with Elder Scott at the Mansell’s home on Christmas Eve.

Just pictures this week!

With the new missionaries that just arrived in Oklahoma!

And with the missionaries about to leave to go home...

Always a Sooner Fan!

Heyo!! So I got transferred out...

TO UCO CAMPUS IN EDMOND!!!!!!

But I'll always be a Sooner fan!

I'm with Elder Scott and Elder Jones right now!! They're awesome Elders! Learning tons from them!

Not a whole lot to report on other than one cool miracle in coming here and a bunch of pictures that I owe all y'all!

The miracle: In my first area, I met this girl named MK who's a member. We became pretty tight even though I never spent a whole lot of time around her. Everytime I saw her around, she was always with her non member boyfriend, Jacob. He had come to church with her a couple of times but he wasn't very interested. Later on in my mission in OKC, I met up with them again by accident. I was teaching Jacob's brother and roomate, Nathan, when Jacob and MK came in and I got to talk with them more. He was still not super interested then. Since that time I haven't seen them until yesterday, when we went over and taught them. Jacob has been taking lessons the last 6 months and he knows the Book of Mormon is true and wants to be baptized!! So cool!!!!!! It's just been cool to see his growth this past year and a half!

Also back in Norman, we got most of our investigators to take the lessons and meet with missionaries back home for the break!! It’ll be so cool!

Sandy (our baptism 2 weeks ago) is headed back to China with a Chinese Book of Mormon! She is gonna be so solid! She already knows where the church is there and is planning on sharing the gospel with her family!!

I'm going to miss Elder Tait a ton! He’s a good friend of mine and I already do miss him! But it'll be cool to meet back up with him as the transfers go on!

Glad to hear everybody is doing well!! I'm having fun and I'm excited to keep being the best I can be!!

Love y'all!

Elder Wold

My new address: 

1201 Covell village rd apt 419

Edmond ,OK

No snow, just ice!

Hello!!

I'm doing well! Having fun and teaching lots!! We haven’t had snow, just ice!

Our week was great! Met up with way more people than we thought we would! Next week is finals week so this last week was pretty much everybody studying and stressing. But people still met up with us! We just had a baptism at 12 today! Her name is Sandy and she is awesome! We contacted her on campus a bit ago and she is just here for a semester from China! She didn't believe in God before we met her, not because of bad experiences or anything, more like she was innocent to it all! So we taught her and she loved it!! She loves the Book of Mormon tons and has accepted everything. She'll be back in China next semester, so we found her a congregation there (which is right by her college) and she'll be a light to China for sure!!

All the people we are teaching are doing good. Just the usual, solid people stick around and the others fade out. Out teaching river is pretty new! We have Tyler, who when walking down the oval told us to teach him and he's progressing way well! 

Cool story from this week would have to be teaching a kid named AJ the restoration! We were with the AP's on exchanges and the Spirit was so strong in this lesson. But not because of anything we necessarily did, but because of the main question this guy had! He just wants to know truth and is so confused with every religion claiming to have it. We taught him about Joseph Smith and how we can find truth. It was awesome!

My favorite scripture right now is D&C 19:16-19. 

“16 For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit--and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink--

19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of 
men.”

I'm working harder than I ever have! I'm more obedient than ever before! I'm having so much fun!

Elder Wold

Indoor Rock climbing for a zone activity 

Heyo!!!!

Hi! We taught a lesson just now!!! It was sweet! Her name is Liz and Elder Hall and I (Elder Hall from the MTC!) were on exchanges and met her! We met up today and just taught the restoration and she loved it! She's been looking for truth and has never quite understood why there are so many different churches. Now she knows!!

I definitely love being a missionary right now! So many cool things are happening! Lots of people are just coming through and progressing well this week! We had a couple of people at stake conference and they loved it!! Elder Gerrard spoke and it was super cool!!

Glad to know I'm making a difference!

I felt the Holy Ghost strongest this week at stake conference hearing Elder Gerrard speak! And when I bore my testimony about the Book of Mormon and the church to 2 baptists who weren't really giving the church a shot. That was a good experience for me!

Right now we are teaching:

Emma

Emily

Carlie

Sandy

Hannalore

LIZ!!!

Raymond

Anna

Sarah

Bailey

Julia

Beth

Sabrina

Marshall

Brady

Jessie

and a couple more! We've been so blessed here!!

The work’s going well and I'm doing just fine. I have my highs and lows. But for the most part, I'm doing great!! Just learning and growing!

love ya! 

Elder Wold

At zone conference in November

On Thanksgiving Day with Elder Denns 

Three Thanksgiving Dinners!

Hey so this week has been a fun one! Went on exchanges, had thanksgiving, had zone conference and had Pres. Mansell's nephew Josh, come and shadow us for a couple of days! It was awesome!!

So it was a weird week to start out with since everybody on campus is home for break. So finding this week has been weird. Still got some return appointments though!!!

Josh was with us from Sunday night to Thursday morning! He was so fun to be around. Definitely had his worries about the work, but by the end he was opening up and doing tons more with us. He was commenting our last full day together in the lessons we had! Great kid! He will be a good missionary! 

We actually just got back from exchanges a couple of hours ago! We were in Ada, some kinda boonie, kinda rich town in south Oklahoma! We talked to some cool people and set some return appointments and even a baptism date with a guy! The Elders over there are rocking it and having fun!! 

Well I'm doing well and yes, we were taken care of for Thanksgiving. We went to three dinners, one with the McAdams in the ward, one at the institute and one in spanish land with the hermanas!!! It was a good night!!

Love y'all

Elder Wold

Side note:
Mom got a text from Sis. Mansell about the time Elder Tait & I spent with Josh this week. Sis. Mansell wrote:
“Last week I sent my nephew to stay with Élder Wold and Élder Tait for a few days. I knew they would take good care of Josh and help him have a good  missionary experience. On the way home we asked him what he learned. I hope his answers give you a little insight into how your son is as a missionary.
1- be yourself- it’s not about being a robot
2- teaching is just talking
3- it’s ok to have fun
Josh came away with the realization that he could actually do this.  Now he has to decide if he wants to :). But he had great examples of how to be a missionary. Thank you for sharing your precious son with us!!”

Football on Thanksgiving Day!

   

I’m doing way good!

I'm doing way good over here!

The new greenie (new missionary) on campus is named Sister Allen and she's hilarious. She's from Maricopa, AZ.

We did get a baptism today!! It was awesome! It was Ethan and he's so cool!!! Great story, he was told in 7th grade by his best friend that he would be baptized in the church and that the said friend would baptize him. Ethan thought he was crazy but as time has gone on, he's felt the spsirit and loves The Book of Mormon and just got baptized, BY THE BEST FRIEND!!! How epic is that?!?

Campus has been interesting lately, Lots of people going home soon for winter break and finishing up


exams, so setting return appointments has been hard for us since everybody is just so busy. We've landed a couple though and they're pretty solid. We're pumped to teach them tomorrow!!

Our investigator, Emma, came to the baptism and she's progressing super well too. She has a member boyfriend and she's trying to help re-activate him!!! So cool. We have gotten some solid people recently, just getting new investigators has been tricky. We probably have like 11 actually really solid people who will get baptized that we're working with!! But you gotta always get that teaching pool rolling.

I'm having loads of fun though!! Just rocking and rolling and just being myself!!! Thanksgiving break will probably shoot us a curve ball with people being gone but it's okay, we're gonna pull through!!!

The Zone is doing well, baptisms are increasing tremendously zone wide and it's been cool. WE had 2 in the zone today!

Love ya,

Elder Wold

Today Ethan was baptized by his best friend, who flew in to baptize him!

 

At Ethan’s baptism today. A member from the ward there wrote: “Visited with your valiant sons at a baptism today and chatted with one of their investigators. Thanks for sharing your sons with Oklahoma. They are fantastic. Happy Thanksgiving!!”

With Sis. Hull, Sis.Allen, Elder Tait & Elder Wold at Wendy’s!

Wendy’s! 

Boomer Sooner for life!

If you can't tell by my subject line, I'm still here at OU! That'll be 6 months! I'm so pumped!

I'm doing great! We were supposed to have an all day multi zone pday today (hence why I'm emailing)

until we found out it's been cancelled because it's SNOWING!!!!!!

I hate cold by the way. But I'm so used to humidity, I don't even remember what dry heat is like haha!

Everything has been running smoothly! We have got 11 investigators right now who are super solid and progressing super well! It's been sorta frustrating though becuase we've had a hard time picking up new people, lots of flaking out and just people not being honest with us. But it's getting better!

 It's super weird actually that I have only 7 months left. You know I'm gonna make the best of it! Just everyday selfless service!!

I know Heavenly Father is shaping me. Honestly, I'm aware of that daily. My understanding and love for the gospel has grown immensly and my ability to serve others and help them grow is quite powerful, all through Christ!

Love ya! 

Elder Wold