One Solid Week in Cut Bank

Hey guys!  This week has been pretty solid!  

Starting from the front left is Sister Jacoby, Ney, Smith,
Christensen, and Blossom. Then after her is Elder Blossom,
Hatton and Okerlund (Elder Hatton and Okerlund
are my zone leaders).  Then on the top starting from the
left again is Elder McKell (my district leader),
Luebke, me, Allen, Schneider, and Darner.

We taught this guy who was a member referral and man, this guy is so solid!  He had such an open mind to the gospel and it was super great to see!!  Then we had inspections for our apartment and so we hunkered down and cleaned to the max and the senior couple who came and inspected us kept saying how awesome we are!!  It was super cool!  Then we had zone training the next day where the whole zone got together and some missionaries gave some discussions and we did some role plays and it was super cool!  Also the missionaries who inspected our apartment were there and talked to us about safety and cleanliness and we got a shoutout for being super on top of it!  It was super cool!  I met the new zone leader and he is such a cool guy and a stellar missionary!  Fun stuff:)  We took a zone picture so that's us and all of our glory 😂  then the next day was conference.   

This was a crazy experience for me because back home it would be a struggle for me to stay awake and listen to general conference.  By the Sunday afternoon session I would just give up and decide that I needed to take a nap.  Well as a missionary I'm not necessarily allowed to do that.  So I watched all of it and it was so awesome.  I took so much out of it.  It was interesting because we set it up in browning with the hopes that someone would come and watch with us.  But no one did.  So both the morning and the afternoon session it was only me and Elder Allen watching conference in the church.  It was super good.  I didn't lay down I just sat and listened.  I soaked it all in and felt the spirit testify to my soul that what these men and women were saying was true.  

"Treasure" the words of the Prophet of God

Then for priesthood session it was only me, Elder Allen and a member who came by and watched with us.  This was kinda weird because I've always watched it with a huge group of men and the fact that it was only three of us was kind of different.  Also the fact that I wasn't watching it with my dad or brother was kinda weird but it was all good because I knew that the message was still true no matter what.  The whole session was good and I was learning lots and it was just awesome.  Then President Thomas S. Monson got up to speak.  I listened to his words of course but I also felt them.  I stared with such focus on this Prophet of God that everything around the TV started turning grey and getting fuzzy.  As I continued watching this frail old man that I've come to love throughout my life talk with the power of the Holy Spirit I started to cry.  I don't know why I was crying but I did.  The spirit touched me and testified to me of the power of his message.  Was the message directed at me?  No it wasn't because I wasn't having a problem with the word of wisdom, but I felt the spirit that I haven't felt in a long time.  The spirit is real everyone.  And Thomas S. Monson is a prophet, called of God, for these latter days.  He is here to declare the word of the Lord to us.  And it is our job to listen to what he says and follow his teachings.  The spirit testifies to me regularly but never with the force that I felt on Saturday evening.  I now know with 100% surety that he is a prophet of God and there is no denying it.

I love this gospel and the love it brings to people's lives.  I've seen it first-hand.  I love all you guys and I'll catch you in a week!

 

(One strong member's dog that I played Tug-O-War with)

Elder Zeller