October 16, 2017 - Murray, UT

This week has been such a great week! The biggest theme and part of this week has just been the amount of diligence and hard work Elder Fisher and I have put in. We are striving to utilize the Lord's time to the best of our ability. We have been doing more tracting, more lessons, and more praying than ever.

We had the opportunity to go on exchanges with our district leader this week. I went with him, Elder Mushet. He is a great guy who is very experienced, and it was a great opportunity for us to counsel together on how I have been doing, and ways I can improve. We also had a lot of fun, we get along very well. Elder Fisher and I spent the night at their apartment, it was a great chance to talk and enjoy one another's devotion to God.

We had another baptism this week. This one was for C. It was averaged size, with only about 30 people there. But she had a lot of family attend, and the most tender part was the fact that over the last 4 weeks, her husband who has been less active and smokes, gave up smoking, and came back to church, and was able to baptize her. That was neat. The Atonement of Our Savior Jesus Christ can help us overcome anything if we truly desire to change and start a brand new life. C, in her own way, bore her testimony after she was baptized, and it was very sweet. They had us over for a steak dinner a few nights before the baptism as well. It was a great experience.

A neat experience we had this week: One of our dear investigators was going to be home alone on Saturday. We did a lesson at a friends house, and as we were walking out, we felt as if something was off. It turns out that this young boy was not only home alone, but also he was not going to have any food for the rest of the day. We considered buying him a burger from Wendy's, but eventually texted a neighbor to have them help out. Then we went to do some contacting at a little league football game. We showed up late, but the concessions people were like "Elders, here are some hamburgers!" We took them, had 2 each, then thought of the young man with no food, and brought him 2 hamburgers as well. The Lord truly does provide for us, because He loves us!

I love you all so much, I love to hear how everyone is doing! Feel free to email anytime!
Be Great!
Elder Adams

October 9, 2017 - Murray, UT

Hello! This week has been full of lots of fun times. We finally got Elder Fisher a bike and on Tuesday, our first full day with a bike, we contacted 21 people as opposed to the 10 the previous week on foot. We are being blessed by the Lord so much, as we are being given opportunities to teach and serve His elect and humble in heart. The Lord is keeping us busy with good things to do. I love it so much!

We had a baptism this week for L. It was an absolutely incredible experience. I was honored to baptize her, and it was an amazing opportunity. She is such a strong spirit, her and her family will be blessed so much for her righteous desires. It was an incredible evening.

Not anything crazy happened this week, just a lot of solid hard work. Like I mentioned, we got Elder Fisher a bike on Monday. Then on Wednesday, my bike broke. When we put it in the shop they said it was gonna be about a week, and not very cheap. Like close to $100 dollars. Well, Friday morning we went to pick it up, they fixed it in one day! And it didn't even cost $11! That was such a miracle, and we were able to get right back to work!

I love this work so much. I love Our Savior Jesus Christ so much! I know He lives! This gospel has brought me so much joy! I love sharing it with others and serving my brothers and sisters.

Pictures from General Conference and L's baptism.
 

October 2, 2017 - Murray, UT

So this week has been really amazing! First off, last Monday I got the package you sent! It made me so happy to have, I love the clothes so much! And when I saw the food, I almost cried because it is some of my favorites that I haven't had in a long time. The granola is delicious, and everything is so good. I loved the card, thank you so much! I love you lots Madre!

Then, we had some incredible opportunities to just work as hard as we could, to try and invite all to come unto Christ. It is hard work, and we walk 15+ miles a day, but it is all so worth it. I love it so much.

Then the weekend rolled around, and things got crazy awesome! First, on Saturday we were blessed to go down to the conference center with a recent convert and his wife. They were so fun, and it was an incredible experience. As the large room slowly filled, and the apostles started to go to their seats, the Spirit was so strong. Then, when President Eyring and President Uchtdorf walked in the huge room just went absolutely silent. It was an extremely powerful meeting, and I loved every second of it. Then we worked the rest of the evening, and missed the priesthood session because we had missionary work to do. Last night we were getting ready for bed and as I was saying my prayers I felt a really strong prompting to text Bishop Tingey and ask him if he had any extra tickets for Sunday afternoon session. He had just told us that he was going to give the tickets away, and I almost talked myself out of texting him. But I popped up in the middle of my prayer, texted him, and then went back to my prayer. A couple of minutes later Bishop texted back and said that he had exactly one ticket left over. That was so cool, so we got it immediately, and then contacted J and L (she is getting baptized on Saturday) because they had 3 for that session. That was a great way to end the day.

So then Sunday came, and we put on the morning session at a church building for some investigators. J and L dropped us off at the Hatch's house for lunch. We had waffles. Then, it was down to the conference center for the 4 of us. The session was extremely memorable, for a variety of reasons. First off, the talks were all so poignant as to what we needed to hear. And MoTab was so amazing, I thought of you a lot Mom. The news of Elder Robert D Hales passing is sad, but I know it is all part of the Lord's plan for him and his family, and for the 12 apostles. Oh yea, at the Saturday afternoon session they did the sustaining of the general authorities, and it was so cool to be able to sustain them while I could see them all and feel their strong spirits and love.  Conference was absolutely amazing this weekend, I am so grateful for a living prophet and apostles who lead and guide this church under the direction of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So then we had dinner with a Tongan family. It was quite the experience. They had salmon and full crabs, and some potato thing. They also had mussel, squid, and full fish you eat whole. Those were actually really good. If you look at the picture, you can see its fins, tail, and head. I just ate it whole, bones and all. And the squid was not fun in my tummy, and the mussels weren't too bad. They also had garlic bread and juice to help with the taste. It was really quite fun. 

Then, we worked really hard and finished the week off well. It has been an incredible week to serve, I love it so much. 

 

 

September 25, 2017 -Murray, UT

I am doing very well! I love it out here more every day! So Elder Fisher is my new companion. Super crazy back story to that. On Saturday evening, Elder Jolly and I were informed, as is customary, of the upcoming transfer. We were told we would be staying together. That brought great joy! At about 4pm Monday, as I sat watching while Elder Jolly was working with a physical therapist, I received a phone call from President Hillier asking me if I would accept the calling to be a trainer. Of course I responded I would, but then expressed my concern that Elder Jolly and I were going to be together still. About 2 hours later, in between our salmon fest and a second dinner, Elder Jolly received confirmation that he would be transferred out. So this left us one night to pack, and we had lessons all evening. So we had to rush his packing, and then say some last minute goodbyes to 3 different families. Then we went to the mission office Tuesday, where Elder Jolly took off with his new companion, and after about 5 hours of meetings I got paired with Elder Fisher. He is from Medford, Oregon. I am training him. He is fresh out of the MTC, and an absolutely dedicated, hardworking, sharp elder. It has been awesome to work with him!

It has been cold and rainy, but the Lord has kept us safe and sound. We do get soaking wet a lot, but we dry quickly. I have found not one, but two very large winter coats, so I am doing well with that! We may still do a DI run in the next couple of weeks. The mountains are getting snow, but it will just go away next week.

The work is progressing greatly, we are working diligently to find more and more to teach!  A cool missionary experience is we had a lesson with our golden investigator. While we were teaching their daughter suddenly started crying, and testified about how ever since her dad started going back to church, she has been so happy. That was really powerful. 

I hope all is going well, love you all so much! 

Letter to little brother:

Elder Cody (in a few years),

I have been great. Sounds like you are having fun! Way to go, you are rocking the season! The races coming up are my favorite! You will do great! Way to get a medal,  that is so awesome! The mission has been the biggest blessing ever in my life. I feel so close to Our Older Brother Jesus Christ. I love Him so much, and I know He lives. I got to pass the sacrament in church today, and I thought about how you get the opportunity to do that too! I am so proud of all the good things you are doing in your life! Keep it up! I love you Co-co! 

Letter to little sister:

Dear Heidi,

I am having quite the most incredible time! That companion I am with in the dinner picture is my new companion. He is only 6 days out on his mission! We were not on exchanges, but I am so impressed you know what exchanges are! That is great that you fed the sister missionaries, I know that they are thankful for it! I love YOU very much. Keep being a good missionary too; being a friend is the best way to start! Love ya mucho!

Pictures: Elder Jolly and young friends, a Prep-day picture, and my new comp Elder Fisher

September 18, 2017 - Murray, UT

This week has truly been one of the most grueling and difficult weeks of my mission. But it has also been the most successful and joyful week yet. This whole week we have been working as hard as we can to try to do all the things we need to do to be successful missionaries. We set goals, made plans to accomplish our goals, and then went forth and persevered to reach our goals. We had 2 baptisms on Saturday, for Bryan and Jose. I had the privilege to baptize and confirm Bryan, and it was such a great experience. There are also 3 other people we have scheduled to be baptized in October, and maybe more to join them. One of those people we met with on Friday, and we were able to teach them the Plan of Salvation. The Plan of Salvation is God's plan for each of us to be able to become more like Him so we can live with Him again. This message of hope resonated with the lady we were teaching very powerfully. There was not a dry eye in the room. The lady was sobbing tears of relief and joy, and even her husband, a huge tough looking guy, was choked up (I did not cry because I am heartless). 😉 It was an absolutely special experience; she is such a strong Spirit. I can testify that God truly loves us all so much, and He wants us to come back to live with Him, which is why He provided our Savior Jesus Christ.

A fun story from the week: On Wednesday we had 9 minutes left on the day, and no new investigators, so a rather unsuccessful day, but then we thought we should stop in and update Bishop Tingey on the names he has given us. Once again, at 8:58, Bishop was like, "oh I got a call, some guy who lives in the neighborhood is attending an institute class at SLCC, and he wanted the missionaries to come by!" So Bishop was going to get the information on that for us to visit, but first his wife was having contractions so we told him to focus on his wife and soon to be newborn daughter. He was really casual like, I might be having a baby tonight, no big deal. It was impressive. We were able to later visit with the young man and he is planning to be baptized in October.

I love my mission so much and I am so grateful that I get to serve our Lord and our fellow brothers and sisters.
I hope all is well, I love you all!
Take Care,
Elder Adams

p.s. transfers this week. Elder Jolly and I are staying here. Our whole district didn't even change!

September 11, 2017 - Murray, UT

So this week has been quite the week. We have worked so hard, and experienced many days of hardships and struggles, but we have kept obedient and diligent, and the Lord is rewarding us richly. We were able to teach a lot of lessons to people, and do some service. One day this week we got a phone call at 8:58, 2 minutes before we have to turn in for the night, from a Bishop of one of the wards we cover. He shared that he had someone for us to teach, and that this lady had actually requested the missionaries. We taught her yesterday, and she was so sweet, humble, and cried because of how happy the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ made her. She is on date to be baptized October 7th. We are also having some baptisms this Saturday, for Bryan and Jose, brothers we have been teaching for a while. The family is very excited for them. Missionary work is so awesome, it is hard for me to describe. The best way I have seen it described is in the Book of Mormon, in the book of Alma, chapter 26. In there a guy named Ammon just finished his mission and is sharing his feelings about it with his brothers and friends. It is my favorite chapter in the Book of Mormon. I would invite you all to read it!

I had my first exchanges this week. Exchanges are when one companionship flips one guy with another companionship. Elder Jolly went out for a day with our District Leader Elder Mushet, and I took his companion Elder Hardt into our area for a day. We did a lot of contacting people who we had been referred to, and we got yelled at from some doors. It was actually quite hilarious. We did meet one young guy, Tyler, who we are going back to teach on Wednesday. That was cool because he was the last door we tried on that street, right before we called it quits. We spent the night at Elder Mushet and Elder Hardt's place, it was really fun. We worked out in their workout room, and just had some really fun conversations. Morning came, and it was back to work as normal. 

We got to speak twice in church meetings yesterday. I honestly didn't prepare at all before either, yet both were 10-15 minutes solid. It was very cool to be able to do that. I love being in tune with the Holy Ghost, I know we are guided and blessed as we listen to the promptings we receive. 

I have heard about the hurricanes, we pray for those people affected often! Thanks for letting me know that Grandpa Smith passed away. I know it is better for him, just like you said. Your testimony of where he is now is so true, and I hope you always remember that! That is a great photo of him, one of my zone leaders said I kind of look like him.

As for Elder Gundred, yes, we were in the same district in the MTC. Four of the elders (from that district) are serving in the San Antonio Texas mission actually. Elder Gundred and I worked closely together in the MTC, as I was District Leader, and he was Zone Leader. He is a great guy, solid soccer player, on full ride to Utah State, and we are gonna actually try and hang out after our mission. That is so fun that he is serving in Grandma's area, know she is in good hands there.

Time is flying, and I love it out here so much. That is a great quote you shared dad. “Faith in God engenders a love for the Sabbath; faith in the Sabbath engenders a love for God”  (Elder Russell M. Nelson, The Sabbath Is a Delight).  It speaks so simply yet profound. Aren't modern day prophets and apostles great?! I love them, and am excited to go to general conference this month. (We have tickets for the Saturday afternoon session!). I heard about Grandpa Smith from Mom. Praying for you all, I know that he is in a better place, and we will see him again and be together for eternity living in the presence of God and Jesus Christ.  

I love the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I know this church is true. I pray that all is well with you!
Love you very much!

Elder Adams

Oh, tell Heidi and Cody and Carson this cool story: You know the Michael Vey series? Well the author Richard Paul Evans has a brother named Boyd, and he is the young men's president in one of my wards! His daughter (the author’s niece) is named Tara, and that is where the author got the name. So that is cool! Also they are gonna get his autograph for me, maybe even in one of the books, and I'll send it home! Fun stuff out here! 

Below picture: Adams' Peanut Butter and Jolly Rancher Time

 

September 4, 2017 - Murray, UT

This has been an absolutely incredible week. The last few weeks have been rather slow and unsuccessful, and really a tough time, but Elder Jolly and I continued to work hard, be obedient, and stay diligent. And wow! We have been richly blessed! This week, we started just being very bold with people, and inviting them to read from the Book of Mormon, go to church, and be baptized. We have 5 people scheduled to be baptized in the next 3 weeks, with many more to come. While I sometimes talk about baptism, I should clarify that I, or any missionary, am not out here to just baptize everybody we see, and that is it. No, baptism is simply a goal we help others come to by building their Faith in Jesus Christ and helping them commit and show they want to follow the Savior. It is so awesome to see people make those choices that bring so much joy and blessings into their lives.

Back to what I was saying about the good times after the hard times, I think that we can all learn from them. I would offer two pieces of advice, one a voice of hope, the other a caution and warning. Whenever we find ourselves at a low point in our lives, it is so important that we always remember that the bad times will end. We can have hope that God will help us, through His Son Jesus Christ. Unfortunately whenever things are going well we often become prideful. This leads us down an unhappy path, and we are low. But, we can always climb back up to the top with the help of Our Savior Jesus Christ.

Fun story this week, we were knocking on some doors in an apartment complex, and we met this guy who was an 84 year old member of the Church. He graciously offered to feed us anytime, and we actually had our dinner appointment that night canceled, so we went out with him. And oh boy was it a treat! He (Brother Wahlquist) took us up into Mill Creek Canyon, to eat at a restaurant named Log Haven. Look it up, it is expensive! Anyways, it is a beautiful drive in and out of the mountains, which is where those mountain pictures are from. My entree alone was $45 dollars. I got some elk. It was delicious. He also made us get a side, a salad, and a dessert. The total bill, with tips, was over $200! And we got valet parking. It was pretty awesome. This guy served a mission in Sweden, and has met 4 prophets, including our current prophet, President Monson, 3 times. It was a really neat experience that we had!

I am so grateful to be out here serving a mission, I have learned so much that will bless my life infinitely. I hope all is going well with everyone! I love to hear how things are going, feel free to email anytime! 

Hope all is well!

Elder Adams

Pictures: The water bottles got too big and messy so I cleaned them up. 

My track and the view (I run about a 15 miles a week)

Elder Jolly and Elder Adams fresh haircuts.