Week 64 - October 30, 2017 Frozen in Nola

Hola y'all!

So as the title implies, IT IS COLD!! I never thought I would say that in Louisiana! I actually really enjoy that it is cooling down but man, I have gotten used to hot, humid Louisiana weather! I never remember being this cold in Lewiston at 60 degrees! 

So this week we had Zone Conference. It was super long, it went from 10-4:30, but super good! Many of the instructions focused on how we can be more unified by not judging others, especially missionaries and on how we can use Preach My Gospel more effectively to become better missionaries. All in all it was a great time, I just wish it was a little shorter haha! 

This week we really focused on some of our investigators that are close to getting baptized. One of them, Donald, is sooo down to be baptized and he knows that the church is true and that Joseph Smith was a Prophet, but he has a problem with smoking. He really wants to quit and this week when he went shopping he wasn't going to buy any cigarettes so that he could be done for good, but the care taker that takes him shopping threatened to not let him have his allotment if he didn't buy cigarettes!! WHAT THE WHAT? Who does that?! This just proves to me that the devil really does work as hard as he can to make sure the elect won't be baptized. So please keep Donald in y'alls prayers so that there can be a solution found to this problem!

Other than that there isn't much that is exciting to report. We are having a good time here in Chalmette and the work is progressing even with Satan doing all he can to stop it. 

Elder Nathan Stoddard

10500 Hayne blvd. apt 205

New Orleans, LA

70127

 

 

Week 62 - October 11, 2017

Howdy y'all :)

So we have had an awesome week this past week! It all started last p-day after we got done emailing. We went to City Park and played a game called SpikeBall in the rain! That was really fun and getting soaked in the rain is like the closest thing to swimming you get to do on the mission so I loved that! We then got to go to one of my favorite families houses, Brother Maximo and his family so all in all it was a great p-day!

The other cool thing that happened this week is that we got to have two other Spanish missionaries come on a double in exchange in our area. Elder Maldonado and his trainee Elder Tu'avau came from Thrusday night to Friday night. Maldonado had served here in Chalmette for about 7 months so all the members and investigators were super excited to see him again! While we were on exchanges we all went to Goodwill after lunch to look around for a little bit. That little bit ended up being two hours haha. While we were in there a guy who was non-denominational started talking to me and like the great friends all the other elders are, they walked to another part of the store for a while to let me handle the guys questions! Eventually they all came over and got involved in the conversation. At one point this guy brought up Jehovah's Witnesses and what do ya know, there was a JW there. Soooo all four of us got to stand there while this JW and non-denom started bashing each other! It was pretty awkward standing there for that. After the non-denom finally got tired and left we got to have a good conversation with the JW and learn more about their beliefs and she got to learn more about ours! All in all it was a good time!

Well I think that is it for me this week! Have a great week y'all!

Elder Stoddard

10500 Hayne Blvd

New Orleans, LA

70127​​​​​​​​

Week 63 - October 23, 2017

Hola y'all!

Well this week was pretty dang eventful! So on Wednesday evening, us Chalmette missionaries went to Nunez Community College and set up a table to try and connect and talk with the students. We would ask anyone that was passing by to answer the question, "What makes you happy?" At first we were a little skeptical about if it would be effective since it is a small college but it was actually a lot of fun and we got to talk to some good people! We are planning to make it a weekly thing!

Next on Thrusday we got to have an all day service day! So we started at a members house that is going to surgery this week and Elder Israelsen and I gave him a blessing while the sisters helped his wife with chores around the house. We then went with Bro Landers to Slidell to help him with getting orders from the Bishops Storehouse. When we were pulling in I saw a car with an Idaho license plate and it made me way happier than it should have! One of the senior couples that was there had just come out from Fruitland Idaho and even crazier, they know one of my former roommates from BYU-I so that was really cool! After we picked up the orders and delivered them we went to Bro Landers house and helped him cement some posts into the ground for a fence he is building. All in all it was a good service day!

The rest of the week was spent doing the missionary grind. We found a couple new people that have potential so we will see where that goes. Sunday we got to go visit one of our members, Leonard, in the hospital with Bro Landers and Bro Hatcher. I must say, those two together is quite entertaining haha! They are best friends and bicker back and fourth all the time! Soooo funny!

As a district we have decided to memorize a scripture a week and recite it in DM. This week the scripture is D&C 42:6

And ye shall go forth in the power of my Spirit, preaching my gospel, two by two, in my name, lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, declaring my word like unto angels of God.

I know that this is Gods work and that all us missionaries are called by a Prophet of God to go out and be a warning voice to the people of the earth.

Have a great week y'all!

Elder Nathan Stoddard