Transfer 5 Week 1

Elder Websters last day was Tuesday so we spent most of that day, running from person to person for him to say goodbye to investigators, members and everyone else. It was crazy how smooth the day went. He was able to see everyone he wanted and even more with the way things worked out.. Pretty crazy. On Wednesday, we went to Madison for transfers. He was planning on meeting his parents in Milwaukee later that day, but they showed up and surprised him in Madison. They had their reunion in front of 20 missionaries or so and it made everyone soo jealous.. it was pretty funny.

Elder Atkinson and I are getting along great. He has been out for 9 months, he's from Logan Utah and we have lots in common.

We had a lot of our appointments cancel on on this week. We werent able to see Dorthea or Kyle but we were able to have a great lesson with Tiffany and Jordan, Brother Smith works with them and when he referred them to us, he said they're as good as a baptism. We saw them for the first time this week and they are ready.. Elder Atkinson and I are super excited for them. Tiffany is 22 and Jordan is 21, they're married with a baby on the way. Tiffany is an amazing christian searching for truth. The Holy Ghost is huge for her in her life. I wouldn't be surprised if they were baptized by the end of this transfer. We were also able to get back in contact with a couple of our investigators and find a few more.

We were able to go to the Moyer's farm, to help them clean up from the storm that happened about 3 weeks ago. They have lots of animals including goats, kangaroos, horses, pigs, lamas, ostriches, chickens and other stuff. We were able to get up close and personal with the kangaroos, Elder Atkinson and I were able to box one of them. It was prettyyy fun to say the least.

Welp, thats about it, times running out and I can't think of much more!


Love and Miss you all!


Elder Stevens

Transfer 4 Week 6

This week started off with going on exchanges with Elder Larsen again. The same missionary that I went on exchanges with a couple months ago in Madison that I really liked. He came to Beaver Dam this time and we had a really great lesson with Kyle. We talked about the converting power of the gospel and why we care about him. It was a great lesson. Kyle ended up coming to church this week for sacrament meeting and I believe he enjoyed it.

Transfers are this Wednesday and Elder Larsen is becoming the Assistant to the President. Good for him. My new companions name is Elder Atkinson, I don't know anything about him, all I know is that he is coming from Milwaukee and everyone says he's super chill and gets work done. So I should get along with him great. :)

On Wednesday we had a great lesson with Dorthea, the woman from Kenya. We taught about how this is the same organization that existed in the Primitive church. She knows that we were sent to her by God to teach her and share with her these truths. She also came to church this Sunday and stayed for the full 3 hours. She reallyy enjoyed the Sunday school.

We went and visited her after church so that Elder Webster could say goodbye and we had a good visit with her and her husband. Her husband is hilarious. He says he sang with R. Kelly back in the day.. ahah

We had a chance to be on Animal Planet this week with the Moyers.. We had to get permission and President Cutler said no. There's too much government issues around the story and he doesn't want to get the church involved. Understandable. Too bad though, we woulda been on tv.. hahah

We have a lot of people we are working with and a lot of potential in those people as well. I plan on burning a tie sometime this week symbolizing 6 months down. Crazy how time flies.

We have a lot of appointments this week for me and the new guy, should be good.

Anyways, Love you all!

Elder Stevens.

Transfer 4 Week 5

Hmm This week was pretty interesting. And just a fore warning, I don't have much time left on the computer so i might have to rush a little..

Last  Sunday Night (a week ago) there was a huge storm that we got hit by, I NEVER wake up to storms and neither does my companion, but we both awoke that night around 3 in the morning to the tornado warning siren that small towns have. We woke up and just nudged it off and went back to sleep, I also had to shut the window because it was raining through the screen door and hitting my bed but that's not important..

Then we woke up this morning and everything seemed to be fine. It was just a bad rain storm it seemed like and so we had our normal Monday activities, and went down to Sun Prairie to play sports with other missionaries. On the way back home, for some odd reason, my GPS took us through a town in between Sun Prairie and Beaver Dam called Columbus. Normally my GPS just keeps us on the highway, but this time it had us go through town. We drove through Columbus and they got hit prettyyy hard by the storm. There were trees down EVERYWHERE, blocking most the roads and miraculously missing many houses. By the time we got there, the roads were semi cleared up but it was still a disaster.

We decided to stop and talk to a couple people who were crowded around this Huge tree about 5-6 feet in diameter that had just split in half, and amazingly just missed the house on both sides. Long story short, we said we could come back the next day and help out. Tuesday we spent a good majority of the day raking, carrying logs to trucks, and all sorts of stuff. The people there were soo thankful and they all wanted to pay us but we refused. They paid us in chocolate which was fine by me..

On Wednesday we attended a Lutheran Service that a guy named Merlin wanted us to come to. It was very interesting, and quite exciting. He took us to dairy queen for a blizzard afterwards which was nice. We know the Pastor that runs the services and they were all very nice and open to us attending.
Throughout the week we did more service in Columbus including helping out some members clean up their yards and haul it off. It was pretty crazy, the destruction from just a wind storm. I mean, they said the winds got up to 100 mph.. so yea. Pretty crazy actually.

The work is going along well, lots of great opportunities are arising and everything is going great. This is the last full week before transfers and then we'll see what happens! I know I'm staying in beaver dam at least for another 6 weeks, because Elder Websters going home next week!

Sorry I can't write more about the week but honestly no time! Love you all!

Elder Stevens.

Transfer 4 Week 4

For the past three weeks, we've spent most of our time finding people to teach. Its basically been just biking around, talking to literally everyone. Well this week, we spent most of our time following up with lots of the people we met over the past three weeks and doing a lot of member missionary work. We had 2 investigators come to church, one would have came but he got called into work and 2 more would have came, but they didn't have a ride. There's a lot of potential in Beaver Dam now. I have a lot to live up to once Elder Webster leaves! That'll be the real test haha.

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We visit this lady named Erin Shelton, she loves and adores the missionaries. She isn't a member, she just respects us greatly. Well, her son, RJ Shelton is a running back for Michigan State. When Elder Webster was serving in Beaver Dam as a new missionary, he taught RJ, but he's recently been in college and traveling everywhere so we haven't been able to see him. This week he was home and Erin wanted us to get a picture with him to send to our families, so we were like.. uhh Okay! hahah So ill attach it on the bottom. :)

About a month and a half ago, Elder Rupnick and I knocked on this older ladies door, she answered, we told her who we were and what we do and such, and she said her husband would be interested in talking with us. So she called us later that day, setting up an appointment in over a month.. Well that appointment was this last Tuesday. We walked into their home and they were super super nice and they sat us down, gave us water and then just started a casual conversation. After a few minutes it was time to get down to business. So they pulled out there bibles and started trying to prove us wrong and blah blah blah all out of the bible. We were able to explain everything well and (for lack of a better term) prove them wrong. They even invited a friend over to "study" with us. It was interesting. There wasn't a bad spirit, or feel there. They were just honestly seeking it felt like. They had learned a certain way when they grew up and they were just defending it. After the "lesson" They stood us up, shook our hands, began to be super super nice again and set up a return appointment. Pretty fun actually.

Those members who are famous for having the kangaroos in our branch got a call from animal planet. They want to come out and film them! Kinda funny, we were at the church in the morning and the branch telephone rang. A member picked it up and started talking with the Animal Planet people. They called our building, trying to get in contact with them! hahah Pretty crazy.

Welp. It was a pretty good week for the most part.

Love and miss you all!

Elder Stevens

Transfer 4 Week 3

Hmmm So this week started off with me going to DeForest for exchanges. There I was able to test out my new people skills and teaching methods that I've learned from Elder Webster. I think I did a lot better. I'm able to start a conversation with most people now (not awkwardly) and then change it into the gospel somehow. Every day I'm learning and getting better so only time will help.

This week we've been running into a LOT of people who are ready to listen to us and hear our message. People who are upset with their church for a reason, or people who are just on the fence, looking for a church to go to. Its been amazing how the Lord can just lead and guide us to those who need to talk to us.

There are these recent converts in the branch who got baptized about a year ago. Their daughter (Lizzy) never got baptized though because she felt like she didn't know enough. Which she does.. Anyways, we've been praying and fasting for this girl for weeks now, so that she will get that desire to be baptized. I can't even explain the spirit that was felt last night while in this families home. Lizzy said she had this super spiritual experience at church yesterday and that she felt an over whelming feeling of the spirit. We've been super nervous to ask her to be baptized in the past because hard feelings are associated with her being baptized and we don't want to make things uncomfortable or pushy for her. Long story short, we all had teary eyes and we asked her to be baptized and she accepted. Her mom started crying and so did she. She said she didn't want to be baptized until her birthday however. So we set a date for October 24th. What a miracle. God softened her heart and she accepted to be baptized. This might not sound that amazing.. but trust me, if you guys knew the situation.. it's pretty insane.

There is this Reallyyy awesome less active here named Brother Brickett. We ate at his home yesterday, and this guy's house is sooo sweet. He has like 40 cars and 1000s of toys and collectibles everywhere. I was in awe the whole time. It was sweet. I'll have to take pictures in the future.

The 4th of July here was a ghost town. Everyone in Beaver Dam went to a neighboring town to watch the fireworks and we were stuck just biking around.. didn't get to see any fireworks but it was still alright.
Anyways.

There's a good portion of what happened this week.
Love you all!

​Our 4th of July Celebrations.

Elder Stevens.

Transfer 4 Week 2

This week has been full of Miracles.  Last Monday we were driving to a members home to go play basketball with their kids, and we saw this lady and her kid walking on the side of the road towards the gas station. Elder Webster decided to stop the car and talk with her .  She (Olivia) seemed interested and gave us her address. The next day or 2 we stopped by to find her husband, Leon and her kids at home. He let us in and we shared about who we are and what we do. Before leaving, he told us he had prayed 2 days before asking the Lord to show him what to do and where to go, needing direction in his life. Then two days later, we show up. Crazy. This week, Olivia came to church and she loved it so much, she said next week she would bring Leon and the whole family.

Elder Webster and I were able to get our hands on 2 bikes, so we've been riding bikes around town. It's actually been superrr fun. Its 10x faster than walking and you get to talk to so many more people than in a car. Don't get me wrong, I'm super grateful for the car, but riding bikes around for a change has been awesome. This week we have been able to find soooo many new investigators and people to teach. There's hardly ever any free time now. I'm learning how to plan so much more effectively now when there's actually a lot of stuff going on..

It's crazy how many more miracles and blessings you see when you put your trust in God and be Strictly Obedient. Little things like, wishing I had a carabiner, so a little kid who cant even talk runs up to me during a dinner appointment and hands me a carabiner he found, then runs away. Things like Elder Webster wishing he had some bananas and so we stop by a random potential and they offer us bananas.. Just crazy little tender mercies that show you that God is really there and he loves us and cares for us just like he would his own children. Amazing.

Anyways. Beaver Dam has a lot going on now and a lot of people with the potential to be baptized in the next weeks.

Love you all.

Elder Stevens.

Transfer 4 Week 1

What a week..

Elder Webster. 

This guy is the hardest working, most consecrated missionary ever.. and its sweet. This guy talks with LITERALLY EVERYONE. If there's a guy in his garage, or anywhere out of our way, Elder Webster will drop what he's doing, go out of our way and go up and talk to him. He has his heart and soul into this gospel and the work. Which everyone does, but this guy takes it to another level. He has served in Beaver Dam before, so he already knows everyone, all the members and most of the investigators. The members adore him and he's like a Mormon celebrity to these people. Dont get the wrong impression, this guy is great. Lots of other missionaries look down on him because of how hard he works, but I'm loving it.

This week we have seen sooo many miracles and have been blessed soo much. That week we went for 50 other lessons in the week, we were able to get 45. I've been with Elder Webster since Wednesday night, and we taught over 50 this week..   He eats right, works out hard, and is just a great generous person.. I cant even describe him. We worked straight through our dinner hour like 3 times this week.. he felt bad so he bought me McDonalds later in the night. He makes me breakfast almost every morning and like idk! He's just the most inspiring individual, ever. This might sound weird but I just cant describe this guy.

Anyways, Earlier this week, I was kneeling down saying my nightly prayer, and I just had a strong impression that I was going to talk to an Isaac the next day.. Weird cuz that's my name.. but the next morning, we were looking through our less active sheet, and my eyes went straight to an Isaac Brown. So we called this guy up and started talking with him. Found out his Dad just died a couple weeks ago, he broke up with his girlfriend a couple days ago, and the night before he had been talking to a friend about religion and how he has been thinking about coming back to church. He got soo personal with us and just opened up his feelings to us. Pretty crazy huh? Cool Experience.

I mean, we ran into soooooo many people this week, I couldn't even begin to talk about everyone.. It was a really good week.

We have members in our branch who have kangaroos, and so if you see anyone on Fox News talking about someone bringing a kangaroo into McDonalds.. I know them. :) We have random people talk to us about these people on the news with kangaroos in McDonalds and were just like, yea. We know them. The kangaroos name is Jimmy. I've pet him. hahahah

Anyways, I'm learning lots from my new comp and I'm really excited about the future!

Love you all!

Elder Stevens