Trio

Welp! I’m going to write a nice solid email today! Hopefully it hasn’t been too long since the last one. haha! Anyways, the past couple weeks have been so great! My last email was before Christmas so some catching up to do. But christmas was good, nothing was really too sad or too homesickness driven. Just felt like another normal day in the mission. Haha That’s one thing I’m glad the lord blessed me with is the non-homesickness through the holidays! It is funny cause this area and this apartment are the same as last christmas so it has been feeling like I’ve time traveled back to when i was only 5 months out in the mission! However, I notice the time as I look where my testimony was a year ago and notice the growth in my testimony of this gospel.

 

So, I my teaching on campus at UNT college. Most students were gone for the holiday break so it made teaching and finding a little scarce. School got back on the 17th of jan which was a big ol break but WOW, I was have never been so excited for when everyone came back. It was slow during the break but we were able to teach quite a bit of people either over zoom or in person people for those that live here!

 

We were supposed to have a baptism on the 25th for a girl named kylie who was more gold than I’ve ever seen. We met her on the 13th but like everything in life, there’s always contention in all the good things. Her mom ended up looking up Mormonism on the 24th and said nay to everything. Saddens me to see her mom’s influence push her  away from the kingdom here on earth!

 

Frederic and Marc were baptized this last week! Frederic was baptized yesterday and that was so cool! He’s a cute lil guy who is beyond quiet in everything he says and does makes me smile but it made us so nervous that he wasn’t going to be prepared for baptism because he had a hard time describing his feelings. There was a point where the spirit kind of got me big and bold in a way hahha, like out of no where while we were teaching him i just raised my hand in front of my companion to tell him to stop talking and the spirit took over and was like "Frederic, you understand this decision has nothing to do with us, this is all you! Are YOU wanting this, you understand this is only the beginning right, this is only the first part of the plan the lord has for you!? Your purpose will be to remain active to help others along the way, and if your truly wanting that for yourself... then by all means lets go through with this but if not and you feel pressured to get baptized because of us or something then lets not go through with this!" he goes "i want it" hahhhah thats normal for his responses... "good" "it feels good" so that 3 word answer was normal so he wanted it and it was so cool to see his heart open up to this!

 

Marc got baptized too that was so cool i was able to see that one over zoom. Marc was always destined and prepared for this gospel. One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen happened during his baptism. As the elder raised his hand to the square in the font, about to start the ordinance of baptism, Marc stopped him and asked if they could say a prayer. They turned around and put their arms around each other and bowed their heads. It was only a prayer that they could hear but I’ve never felt the spirit more strong watching that. Seeing someone with that much of a desire to be baptized to feel the ULTAMITE power of joy through covenants with the lord! He was prepared and he was willing to be BOUND to the lord! They finished the prayer and the baptismal ordinance was performed and he made a covenant! What a powerful lesson for me it was, the desire of hearts is so real! 

 

From my last email till now we've spent hours on campus finding and teaching the students and it’s been awesome and great! I am currently serving in a trio with Elder Iverson and Elder Brower. It has been great at times with being in a trio but we've had to find new ways of finding and teaching now being with 3 elders! We spend a lot of time on campus, in the courtyard or some open space. We split up, obviously still in sight and sound of each other, and we each just find people and talk to everyone and it’s been so successful! We've been able to find so many people to teach. The lord just showers people across the campus we run into! Something I’ve found to be fun and helpful and successful was I will wear a wired microphone clipped onto my shirt and ask people just questions almost as if I’m being videoed for a project or something and it makes people open up a lot more and actually share THEIR testimony which brings the spirit in a new way that usually doesn’t happen, so asking a question of the soul or even just an inspired question like "we are missionaries on campus asking students what it means to them to know they are a child of god" and from there they get to share their testimony and it brings a whole new level of spirit and it’s so cool! And then from there you just teach to the need they just spill to you because of the spirit when they share their testimony! Super cool but that’s kind of how it is over here at the YSA and its been great! The members are awesome! The ward is fired up ready to go with campus being back up and ready to go so everyone, including us, are all on FIRE! It’s a good time down here in the Denton YSA! 

 

I love this gospel! I am so grateful that I’m in the position to share it with everyone. We are ALL in the position to share this gospel with everyone. I want invite everyone to do exactly that. Share. It doesn’t have to be that big and bold of asking someone to be baptized, just pray with someone share a scripture over social media, do something that plant the seeds cause you never know when they will be harvested! This work is the greatest work on earth, the Book of Mormon is the most true book on the earth. I know it for myself and can’t deny it:) I’ll catch y’all on the flip side! Have a great week and know... "the harvest ain’t over yet".

 

-Till next week, Elder Mortensen outta here! 

1. my weird comp w a cup

2. Lego car for Christmas

3. Christmas PJ'S

4. Exchanges Squaaaa

5. disc golf new hobby

6. ZC

7. Exchanges Squaaa 2.0

8. my weird comp again

9. YSA volleyball night 

10. Bryton(2 month convert) baptizing federic 

11. Companionship with federic and bryton