Transfer 6 Week 4

We started this week off by going to sports with a bunch of other missionaries in Madison. We're a lot farther away from other missionaries in Baraboo than I have been in my previous areas so it was fun to finally be able to play sports again. We stayed the night in Madison with the Madison 3rd ward elders, and blitzed (worked) in their area Monday night and most of Tuesday. 

 

Every Wednesday morning we help out at this nursing home in town. We bake cookies for all the residents there. All the old ladies adore us its pretty funny.. Everyone is super sweet there, and its great that I'm learning how to bake cookies! We also went to early morning seminary on Wednesday. They have it in the bishop's home and it was really fun! We taught the lesson and they had breakfast there and everything it was sweet! All the kids were awesome and it seemed like they all enjoyed us being there. We did have to wake up even earlier than we normally do though.. that didn't bring back good memories.. haha

 

The Zone Leaders came and worked with us in our area for a couple of hours on Thursday. It's pretty neat how you get to meet and become friends with so many different people out here.. missionaries and members alike. It's sweet. Alberto's baptism date was moved from the 17th to the 24th. The person who is baptizing him will be out of town so he wanted to move it up. Thats alright. Conference was pretty great! Lots of great talks and stories. I liked Larry R. Lawrence's talk the most, where he talked about receiving personal answers from the Holy Ghost.

 

Anyways I Love and Miss you all! Have a good week!

Transfer 6 Week 3

So this week I was able to go on exchanges in Madison with my MTC companion Elder Bennett. It was pretty cool to catch up with each other and see how much we've both Changed.

On Monday we went to Devils Lake again with some other missionaries which was really fun. The lake and trees are going to look so pretty in a couple weeks due to it being fall. We were also able to have another great lesson with Alberto. Talking about a lot of things he would have to do/change in order to be baptized by the 17th. Hopefully he'll be ready! We weren't able to meet with him twice this week due to his work schedule like we normally do. We wont be able to see him until next Thursday but everything should be fine. 

We've been trying to get into contact with a lot more less active members lately and we were able to meet and talk with a lot more of them this week so that was good. A lot of them have unbaptized children so hopefully we can get in there and get them baptized! We were also able to meet a lot more people we could potentially start teaching. 

I'm getting to know a lot more of the ward members here than I have in previous areas. Its great to meet and get to know a lot more people! The members here are awesome. (like everywhere I guess..) There's this sweet older lady that gives us something to eat each week. Yesterday she gave us apples, last week she gave us some peaches and the week before some chocolate milk! So sweet!

Today is my 8th Month Mark which is pretty crazy! Its gone so quick! I'm excited for General conference this next week! Should be good. 

Love and miss you all! 

Elder Stevens.

Transfer 6 week 2

This week went really really fast.. It feels like I just got to Baraboo.. I did.. but its already been 2 weeks! Pretty crazy.

We've done a lot of service this week! Even more than last week. It seems like Friday and Saturday was mainly just going from service project to service project. It sure gave Elder Pounds and I we've been visiting Alberto twice a week lately. Were in the middle of teaching him about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He has a true desire to change his life and come unto Christ. It's pretty neat teaching someone that accepts your message for a change.. hahaha Were hoping that he'll be ready to be baptized by October 17th! If not, that's fine. It might take a little longer but as long as he still gets baptized its all good! We're planning an Open House type event to get non members to come see the church building and to learn more about our faith. Were only in the beginning stages of planning this event but it should be fun and get the ward excited about missionary work! 

Our ward mission leader owns a Frozen Yogurt shop in town. We meet with him every Saturday morning in the store for a meeting. Its a really nice place and always a good meeting but of course the best part is after the meeting when we get to go serve ourselves to as much froyo as we please. All for free of course. It's pretty awesome. Another member in the ward owns a lot of stores in the Dells. We were talking with him and he says he could get us into any place in the dells for free. Anytime. It pays to be a missionary I guess.. ahhahah 

Last Monday we went to Devil's Lake, and hiked up one of the trails that over looks it! I got some really cool pictures and videos. The scenery here is so beautiful! Its great. Were going to Devil's Lake again today. It'll be fun!

Anyways. Love and miss you all! See ya!

Transfer 6 Week 1

Hello Everyone! This was my first week in my new area Baraboo. I'm really enjoying it so far. It's a smaller town with rolling hills and lakes and very beautiful scenery! I'm excited for Fall so that I can get some great pictures! Elder Pounds and I are getting along great. He is literally the twin of Lawry.. They look the same, and have the same comedy.. its great. 

We spent a lot of time doing service this week. We help out at a community Restore place, at a food pantry and we helped with a couple members house projects. We have a couple really solid investigators here. Last night we had a lesson with this guy named Alberto. He used to travel the world with the circus! He grew up very wealthy in Armenia and trained at a young age to do what he did. He has lots of stories of the circus and his life. We were able to set a baptism date with him last night for October 17th. We had Brother Ricks in that lesson with us and he owns a couple Rigleys Believe it or Nots and other crazy stores in the Wisconsin Dells. It was pretty neat to sit down and have a lesson with two very wealthy and famous people. We taught Alberto the Plan of Salvation and he says he's willing to do anything to be baptized. We were also able to have a lesson with Jose, Hes been taught mostly everything but he doesn't want to continue without his families support. I havent been able to meet all of the people we are working with yet but so far its going great!

The members here are super nice! I already think I'm gaining weight because of them feeding us here. I really like our apartment, it's smaller than my other ones but it's more open so I like it! This is going to be a great 6 weeks I can already tell!

Welp thats about it I think..

Love and miss you all!

Elder Stevens

Mission Pics

Transfer 5 Week 6

This past week was my last week in Beaver Dam. Tomorrow I'm headed to Baraboo Wisconsin. Its only about an hour west of Beaver Dam. It's North of Madison. All of my areas are touching each other.. hahah It seems like I'm just circling the outside of Madison.. hahah My New Address is 503 7th St Baraboo WI 53913.

My new companions name is Elder Pounds. He's my Trainer's MTC companion so I've heard a lot about him and I've met him a couple times and were already really cool with each other so it'll be great!

This past week we went down to Madison for Zone Training Meeting. We were asked to bring food for a pot luck afterwards. I was expecting a bunch of treats and appetizers but there was actually some good food there! Elder Atkinson and I brought shrimp with cocktail sauce.. I believe it was a crowd favorite.. ;) After ZTM we stopped at Chris Farleys gravesite.  It was in this church building thingy.  It was pretty neat.

We did a lot of service this week. We were able to go to the Moyer's farm and help out with the kangaroos and what not. We helped a less active move most of Wednesday. We were able to have a great lesson with Kyle again this week.   We've been going around to lots of investigators and members so that I can see them for the last time these past couple days. It's bittersweet. I'm excited to be moving on to a new area but I will miss a lot of the members here. Its crazy to think that I've spent more than half my mission in Beaver Dam. It feels like I just got here..

I'm excited for Baraboo! Sorry for no email last week!

I love and miss you all!

Elder Stevens