Week 72

Well we found a very good new investigator on Saturday night. His records were lost and he really wants to be rebaptised. He even came to church with his wife on Sunday!  Also, it snowed! And that’s pretty much the funnest thing that has happened.

Elder Crocco and I at a dinner appt

Playing Harry Potter game

Me and Elder Crocco

Haha

Week 71 - Vernal Vernal

Hello my fellow earthlings!


So this week has been rather eventful, and in a sort, unorthodox.

To start Last Preparation day we called our senior office missionary about getting a washer and dryer. He said that El Presidente would bring some up when he came for Zone Conference which was held on Wednesday. Oh joy! Haha it was actually a great meeting, good way to celebrate V-day.

Ahh! I’m getting ahead of me self. So, President brought these rather large and spacious laundry machines for us to install in our place. First and foremost, there is physically not enough room for them both to fit in the space that was built for them, yah, we measured. But we were feeling bold (or faithful) so we tried any way. Holy smokes! It was a squeeze, but they fit! Not sure why they fit when the measurements don’t add up, MAYBE God wanted us to have them? Who knows? We’re super grateful! Soo that was a joyous occasion.

Also I got a dental checkup! That was sooo much fun. Our steak 🥩 President is a dentist and I mentioned something to him about one of my teeth bothering me. “Oh come on in to my office, we’ll get you scanned, cleaned and if you have a cavity, filled too. No charge.” “Oh President,” I said, “you really don’t have to do that, buuuut, if you insist.” Alas I had no cavity’s and I got a free cleaning, they complimented my teeth a lot! Annnd the two dental assistants were both nonmembers so we got to plant some good seeds there. They were asking all sorts of questions. (This area is truly amazing to missionaries)! Haha, to all you unbelievers, yes, I do actually brush and floss my teeth every night.

I wanted to share a few quick thoughts from the scriptures. Recently I discovered this, who knew that Ammon is ACTUALLY and Egyptian name? Annnnd according to ancient Egyptian history for an Egyptian warrior it’s an honor to cut off the right arms of your captives and show them off as trophies.

Now wait, this sounds familiar. Ohhh that’s cause it’s in the Book of Mormon. Could “ol’ joe smith” have known that? No.

How about this?  It’s a common practice for Mesopotamians to give their children names with the same beginning consonant as their “celebrities”. So when gadianton was around we all the sudden start seeing g names. “Gad, Gadiomnah, gadiandi, gid, giddianhi, giddonah, gidgiddonah, gidgiddoni, gimgimno, gadianton. Ever noticed that? Take a look. They all pretty much range from beginning of 3rd Ne to the end of the scriptures, (besides of course the book of Ether because that was a while before), exactly where the gadianton robbers begin to take siege.

Ohh right right, I’m sure Joseph smith knew that though, with all of his ancient history degrees.

So what about this, as he was “creating the Book of Mormon” he decided that there would be a place called Nahom, and that’s where his character named Ishmael would die and be buried. Soo to back it up he scurried off to the Arabian peninsula and made an altar and on it, wrote the exact Hebrew characters for the word “Nahom”.  (That was all sarcasm btw) Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon and that “aforementioned” part is only in there because that is the exact place that lehi and his family traveled, therefore that is where Ishmael died.

True story. I only kept out the fact that an altar with the transcription “Nahom” which was found in the location was carbon dated to back to before even Lehi got there. Confirming the fact that it was a genuine place!

Ohh I love this soo much. The Book of Mormon is amazing, I could go on. After having taken President Monson’s challenge seriously, I have learned and grown in the Book of Mormon sooo much.

Questions anyone? I certainly do love y’all!

me and Elder Yenson

Week 70- The dark and dreary wilderness

So there I was,(dramatic drumbeat) in a dark and dreary wilderness. Lost amongst the sage brush and scattered mountains, I started to feel like I was back in Aridzona. Hot in the day and cold at night (not like Arizona) but regardless, this desert(ed) valley needs me. In my short week here I’ve come to love the dark and dreary wilderness, though I suppose the residents call it Vernal.

ACTUALLY, If you think about it, it’s sorta like we’re the reclaimers to those that let go of the iron rod who are all currently lost in this here wilderness of dreariness, and we’re trudging out here to find them, amongst all the mists of uncertainty, trees of destruction, and deer of adorableness . (That was a very long sentence)

But alas, here I am!

Soo.. Vernal. It’s actually quite nice out here as a missionary. In Vernal alone there are two districts, a total of 14 missionaries. The population is quite small, and Elder Crocco and I cover just one stake.

For missionaries there are SEVERAL free things. There are over 16 free restaurants, and about 10 free commodities, including dentist offices, VERY discounted clothes stores, hair saloons (emphasis on SALOONS because yep we is in the Wild West out here), ANND a place that dresses and cleans our shoes for us. Therefore, if I don’t come out of here 40 pounds heavier, I did something wrong.

As far as work, I just happened to be placed in a very high baptizing stake because the members of this stake are Extra missionary minded. Although the work is suuuuper depleted right now due to the oil fields not doing too hot. But who knows, it might be time for God to flip it around. So yep, there is pretty much everything that a missionary can ask for out here. So don’t worry we’re well taken care of.

So in the words of Book of Mormon prophets “something that has deeply impressed my mind” would be the importance of loving our scriptures more than our phones! Thus, I have begun carrying around a miniature Book of Mormon with me, EVERYWHERE I go (although I actually started doing it In Payson a couple months ago..)! It’s soo fun to see how useful it actually can be..

I LOVE the scriptures.

Alas My friends, I don’t have any pictorials! Except for the living room of our place. We have an air hockey table!

Love y’all much
Elder Minson

Week 69- Transfering to Vernal!

I’m getting transferred to Vernal this week! Haha, that means there is only one zone left that I haven’t been in yet.

I'm doing awesome! Things in the Utah Provo Mission are going quite smoothly, and they're progressing and people are doing awesome. We got a new investigator tonight and it was super cool to teach him, he has a few different beliefs than we do, specifically regarding the Godhead and it was cool to specifically understand his point of view and help him sort of like Ammon helped King Lamoni believe in God, or a Great Spirit. We actually taught him on the temple grounds, at the temple pavilion which was a cool experience, a lot of people were passing us by and giving us good looks, haha.

The mission has done great things to me, I'm a lot different, trust me!
Love you, bye!

Dinner appt at the Sanfords Friday night

i need a hair cut, but I ain’t getting one