Week 29

Monday, March 19, 2018

Dear Mom,

This week has been alright but not a ton happened this week and this area, even though it is awesome, is definitely trying my faith. It is hard to do missionary work here especially after being new and basically having to start over.
Monday was a good P-day, we checked out a large park to play tennis at and maybe use the fields. Not a lot happened Monday.
Tuesday was ok, we were gonna have a good lesson with an investigator at a member's house after dinner but they weren't able to come so that was kinda lame. We did have the chance to stop by the church and download Mormon Messages and check them out a bit. I hope that we will soon be able to use them in some of our teaching. Also, that morning when we went to the church gym to play ball, I swept the whole thing cuz it felt like we were ice skating, as usual, and I was tired of it. It also really needs to be mopped. Be grateful for those who work hard to keep the church nice,  not all do.
Wednesday was good. I had District Meeting again so I spent the morning preparing the rest of my lesson. District Meeting went really well and the spirit was stronger. I was able to implement multiple things I learned from our district leader conference and that helped a lot. The lesson went really well and the spirit was strong. I was able to share some personal experiences and talk about what I learned from while I had to prepare my farewell talk, that is, Rely On The Spirit. That night we drove to Laurel and had dinner with an investigator. He likes us a lot, but we are not sure how interested he is in the Gospel. Oh and we also went to a park and played tennis for our exercise that morning which was really fun :)
Thursday was a great day. We did our normal studies and I packed what I needed for exchanges with the Zone Leader's because I am District Leader. Around noon we drove to Walmart and met the ZL's there. We all went and ate Chick-fil-A for lunch and then I went with Elder Topham, and Elder Sillitoe went with Elder Christensen. I really enjoyed going on exchanges withe Elder Topham. We had lots of stuff to do so we got right to work. We went to visit a number of people but they didn't answer so we then went to the Hospital and gave a blessing to an elderly man in ICU. It was probably his 3rd or 4th one and Elder Topham said he is doing much better so that was really cool. Then we went and visited one of their investigators and read in the Book of Mormon with her and she was really cool. Then we went to another one of their investigators and taught him a simply stated but extensive 2nd half of the Plan of Salvation because he has a harder time comprehending. He was super cool and I really liked teaching alongside Elder Topham, he is a great teacher and an awesome example. Then we went to a dinner appointment with one of the members, a young couple with 2 kids and they were really cool and a lot of fun. After that we taught a lady who was a referral and that went really well and she was very open and glad to have us over. Then right after that before we could get in the car (this was a super duper sketchy apartment place that was really run down) 6 black guys came out of their house holding bibles in their hands wanting to talk to us (it was also dark by now) and they were Hebrew-Israelites and wanted to talk about the Bible with us. It was really funny cause they would read the verse in really loud voices and super exaggerated and they were all high or drunk. We talked a little bit with them but their questions didn't really make sense and even though they were basically trying to Bible bash us, they said they really liked us and liked how we said things and stuff. Quite hilarious. Then after we were home and in our normal clothes we got a call asking for us to give a blessing so we put our proselyting clothes back on and assisted in giving a blessing to a member's wife who was sick. It was a really good day and it has really motivated me to do even better and always work as hard as I can.
The next day (Friday) we switched back and we had a pretty good day as well. It was raining all day long, and really hard at times. We had a lot of return appointments and stuff that didn't go anywhere and we rescheduled with members that we found in areas that we have tracted. We also tracted and were able to get in one door and meet a real cool guy. Then we were able to meet with one of our investigators and talk with them about where they were at and better get to know them. It was a pretty good day.
Saturday was not the greatest day, we had an FHE in Laurel but not much happened except that.
Sunday was alright, it was nice to go to church but none of our investigators were able to come. We had a lot of possible good lessons and appointments but they all fell through. We had dinner with members in Sumrall and then tried another investigator but had no luck. Anyways, there were a few good things about this week. I hope this next week is a good one!!! This is the last full week until next transfers. . .most likely I should stay where I am.

Love you tons Mom!!!

Love,
Elder Acton

Playing Tennis for our exercise

Week 28

Monday, March 12, 2018

This week has gone by really fast. It was a really good week. Monday we had a zone P-day where all the District Leaders and their companions and others who weren't too far, came to Oak Grove. We had about 14 missionaries there and we played volleyball  and chair soccer and then later some of us played basketball while the others played four square. It was really fun, we had 4 sisters there and like 10 elders. Then later that night us District Leaders had a conference with our Zone Leaders because we area all 4 new district leaders. Our companions were paired up with each other and went back to our areas to continue working them, and so it was like a massive exchange. It was a really good conference by the Zone Leaders and it helped me a lot in knowing how to be a better District Leader. Then that night, 7 of us stayed at the ZL's pad for Zone Conference the next day. I met back up with Elder Christensen the next morning when we all went to Zone Conference Tuesday.
Zone Conference was really good. The first half of the day we got our phones and learned how we were to use them and what was allowed and we set them up and all kinds of stuff. Then we had lunch, which was chicken Spaghetti, and it was really good. Then instead of singing "Called to Serve" to the cooks as we always do, they requested that we sing "Armies of Helaman". Then the second half of Zone Conference we heard from our ZL's and they talked about Testimony and the importance of bearing it and doing so with conviction. Then President talked to us and he had us all line up by two (with our comp) and we walked outside and through a neighborhood singing hymns. It was cool. Then he shared some football stories with us and related them to the gospel and working hard. That night we went to our Branch Mission Leader's house and had dinner with him and one of our investigators. And then we had ward correlation afterwards which went really well. I really like our Branch Mission Leader. He is a cool guy and he is really doing his best to help us in the work.
Wednesday we learned how to use some of the apps on our phones that we are supposed to use instead of planners which is really weird. We also went to the mall and did some Al-ing (contacting) and gave out cards and talked to people as one of our ways of finding people. It honestly is a hard thing to randomly talk to someone that you don't even know and often it is very awkward but we are working on becoming better at it and being bold with the Gospel. We did tracting for 2 hours afterwards and while doing so I accidentally called a grandma a sir. . she wasn't an easy one to figure out and when we saw her get out of the car she looked like a grandpa and I didn't think about it and said sir. She didn't look like she was having a good day and seemed super mad when I said that. Once I said that I realized it was a lady and I felt awful and it was super awkward and she just waved us away. Anyway that sucked and I hated my life after I did so, but yea. . We came to our apartment for dinner and I had 2 chimichangas that I had bought from Walmart which were pretty good. Then we used one of our Spanish apps to do some language study before bed.
Thursday we met with one of our investigators, washed our car, and did more tracting and had no luck. Then we ate at a members house for dinner.
Friday was a really nice day so we opened up the windows and doors and studied with fresh air which was really nice. We spent the day up in Laurel trying to find former investigators and then had dinner with a  member up there and she makes really good food. We had empanadas and picadas. Then we met a guy who lives up there who loves the missionaries and wants to help us with Spanish and us help him with English. And then we met another former investigator back in Hattiesburg.
Saturday, we did exchanges and I took Elder LeCates with me. We did some tracting and contacting potentials and we also checked out the richest neighborhood in Mississippi called Canebrake, which was pretty cool. There were a ton of nice houses there and the place was massive!! There was a private lake that was pretty big and the neighborhood surrounded the whole thing and more and it had a massive golf course. Also, there are some members who are billionaires who live there and we saw a mansion that a baseball player is building. It was crazy. That night we decided to use a little extra of our money and eat at a Golden Corral, which I have never been to. It was really good and we stuffed ourselves, lol.
Sunday was our Fast Sunday and it was a good one. We did a District Fast to be able to find those who are prepared to listen to our message, which was cool. That night we ate dinner with another family from the Branch and had some really good food. That night we were also able to schedule a church tour with one of our investigators.
I have really enjoyed reading and studying the scriptures and just thinking about what it was like for them and realizing that they were people just like us and it makes it more real and relate-able.
Well, that was pretty much my week. It has been a really good one but it has been a weird one for sure. It is really strange having a phone again and it is weird to get used to while being on a mission but it is such a wonderful tool to be able to further the work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ :)

Have a fantastic week!

Love,
Elder Acton

Lake drainage system(there are many of 

them down here) where you just drive

down and back up it-except if it's full

of water of course.

Me and Elder LeCates

A sweet family that had

Elder Acton and Elder Christensen over

for dinner sent us these pictures.

Beautiful Sunsets

Week 27

Monday, March 5, 2018

This week has been a good week and we have been able to teach a little bit more which has been nice. Monday we finished off our day with a few hours of tracting til it was dark. Tuesday was a very big day for tracting. We tracted for 5 1/2 hours. We wanted to finish the trailer park that we have been working on since we got here but even with all that tracting we still had more doors to knock. We had a number of appointments throughout that tracting but they all fell through and our backup was tracting so it made for a long, but good day. That night we had dinner with our branch mission leader and he brought one of our investigators and we taught a lesson and ate and it went really well. He says he wants to, and will, be baptized but he doesn't know when and he doesn't want to commit to a date cuz he doesn't feel worthy and is afraid of what his family will do. We are trying to help him through and get him there but it is a struggle. He is a great guy though and we enjoy teaching him. Wednesday we had District Meeting so I prepared all morning. The ZL's told me that morning that  they would be coming and  that the YSA sisters would be there too. And since an elder went home for migraines, his companion was with the ZL's too and then his new companion arrived during the lesson in the meeting so we had a lot of people there and I was nervous but it went very well. Everyone had great input and we felt the spirit. It was a crazy District Meeting though. Later that day we tracted more and we talked with some people in their yard for like 40 minutes and then later an older guy for a long time as it got dark outside. That night was considered my 6th month mark cuz there was no 29th so we burned a tie out in the desert area next to our apartment, as the tradition goes. Thursday, we were able to teach a couple who were very nice and we were also able to teach our main investigator. We finally finished the trailer park that day and then that late afternoon we had dinner with the Branch President. That night we had a late dinner and Buffalo Wild Wings which I had never been to before and we all had a bunch of wings. Elder LeCates got the inferno mango flavor or something and was really feeling it Lol. Then we started exchanges that night. Since I am the District Leader I have to take the other Elders in my District on exchanges with me.
Friday I had Elder Bryson with me and we did a lot of tracting but this time it was in a wealthier and spread out neighborhood so there was much more walking from house to house. We had some strange rejections where people would open the door after we started walking away asking if they could help us and then after we started coming back, said "Oh, sorry I can't help you" and shut the door, realizing who we were. It was pretty funny. That night we made sausage and potatoes for dinner and it turned out pretty good. Not the same as Mom's but it was still really good. We seemed to have got a really intense onion though cuz as we diced half of it up it really made the tears flow, lol, we were dying. We had to take turns mincing it and our eyes continued to burn later that night and a little the next morning, haha. We ended exchanges that night.
Saturday, the Oak Grove Elders called us and asked for help with some service so we went and it was at a very nice house with a huge yard. They were raking leaves and there were some trees that had been cut down. We stayed there for a couple hours raking and bagging leaves. We bagged fifty or more bags of leaves and raked more than that. They brought doughnuts and we all devoured three boxes. Mainly the priests from the Oak Grove Ward that were there too. It was fun to get to know them better and do some service. We tracted more later that day and talked with a  really funny old guy for a while. He would take everything you say literally and ask a concerned question about it. Jokingly though. It was funny. Elder Christensen asked "what was your name?" the old guy was like, "you don't have one?". . ."why would you assume my name is what?" Anyways, he played with our words a lot and confused the heck out of Elder Christensen.
I get along with Elder Christensen very well, he is a hard worker and so far he is one of my best comps in the field. He and Elder Isaacson are my favorites.
I have been reading in Mosiah about Abinadi and I have just thought about how bold he was to King Noah and his priests and how strong the spirit must have been. It is really cool to read about it and imagine what it was like in that room.
Sunday was Stake Conference, which went well and then we had interviews with our Mission President and those went well too. That night we had dinner with our Branch Mission Leader and the Zone Leaders cuz he attends their ward as well since his wife is white and has a calling there. Anyway, it has been a good week.
Today we are having a big zone P-day and all the District Leaders are coming down and we are all going to play volleyball and either go to a museum or go bowling. Then later we will have a District Leader Conference and then we will have Zone Conference tomorrow. It's gonna be another great week and I look forward to it.

Love,
Elder Acton

All the missionaries at Stake Conference

Dinner at the Branch Mission Leader's 

home with the ZL's, Elders Sillytoe and Topham

 Sister Gracia, the mission leader's wife,

 took this picture and sent it to us. 

Elder Acton saying "Hi, Mom" with

his comp, Elder Christensen

Breakfast of Champions

Scrambled Eggs in the waffle maker

6th month mark

traditional burning of a tie

Sausage and Potato dinner at our apartment

Our basketball group