Email Update: 11/25/2013

Dear Everyone,

 

 This week has been even crazier than then last one, because of all of the things we have been doing to get ready for a church open house that is coming up in just a few weeks. We are going to have 4 different rooms set up, using the four different lessons from Preach my Gospel as the bases for each room. In Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, we are planning on having the Mormon Message "the Restoration" playing in the background, with a Q&A table set up with the most common questions about Joseph Smith, etc. The Plan of Salvation room is going to have the different principle of the lesson set up as before life, during life, the Atonement, and after life. The rest of the rooms are set up in similar styles. We spoke to our High Councilor and our Ward Mission leader, and with a few suggestions from each, we got it set up really smoothly.

 

Along with the Open house, we have Emily's baptism coming up. She already has asked a man named Jerry to baptize her, so what we need to do now is--everything else.

 

Nichole is doing well, with just one problem, one which I will keep confidential. Other wise, things are going great there.

 

We have been spending a lot of time at Jason's home, and just this last time we were over there, his father actually showed us a Masonic Ceremonial Sword, that had to be at least 1890's. I feel like the family is really growing to trust us, and feel comfortable around us.

 

That about does it for this week. Thank you for all of your prayers.

 

Love Elder Stuver 

Email Update: 11/18/2013

Dear Everyone

This week went by way too fast. I honestly am not sure what happened this week, and what was last week. However, Elder Myers and I did get to speak in 2nd ward yesterday, and we ended up taking the whole sacrament meeting....

The good thing out of it is that when we went to see a family named the Burbanks, Sister Burbank said that she had planned on leaving right after we spoke, so that kept her at church for the whole meeting.

Other than that, not much really happened this week. We had a really fun Thanksgiving Zone Conference on Thursday, and the Fast and Feast that was part of it really helped to get me at least in the right mind set to listen and learn. Saturday was our district meeting, and we discussed searching for people to teach, and the times when it becomes necessary to drop and investigator. That stuck out a little stronger to me because there is a lady who we have been teaching on and off that I really don't see moving forward with any real intent. She says that she wants to be baptized, but doesn't take the steps that she needs to in order to be ready. She'll also change her mind back and forth whether she wants us to even stop by or not, from one hour to the next. I'm still thinking of what I should do, but i'm feeling more and more like if she's not going to do the work to be ready and able to move forwards, we are going to have to focus on others, to her exclusion.

 

Well, that's about it for this week. Thank you so much for the things that you all do for me, and for your prayers.

 

Love Elder Stuver

Email Update: 11/10/2013

Dear Everyone,

As far as Seth and Keely's baptism is concerned, everything went really well, at least according to all the people who said something to Elder Myers and me. Sharelle ended up already having planned most of it, and the parts that she hadn't pretty much fell into place. Sharelle's brother did end up still being there on Sunday, so that went well. The baptism ended up being so well attended that we needed to move from the baptismal room to the chapel for most of the program! It was great to see Justin help out where he could during the baptism, and we made sure to have him sigh the paperwork approving the baptism, so that he had a major role in the baptism.

Emily is still amazing. We were able to have Jason, a less active man that we have been working with, come to her appointment with us on Friday, and the lesson went really well for the both of them. She is coming to the Second ward regularly now, and Gospel Principles class was really smooth yesterday. She had been having a little trouble before, because a few people had been trying to get her opinion during the class, and she really does not like to be put on the spot. That fact was something that had been making her nervous about her baptism, but then something really cool happened...

Nichole, who we've been having a hard time getting a hold of, was finally able to set another appointment with us for this last Thursday. We went and taught her and Lane (her boyfriend) the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Within the first ten minutes of the lesson, we asked if she would be willing to be baptized on December 7th, and she said that her boss had just asked her the same thing earlier that day, and she had said that the only reason that she hadn't was because nobody had asked her. Then, when we posed the question again (just to be sure), she said that yes, she would be baptized. After she made that commitment, Elder Myers asked Lane if he would be willing to prepare himself to be the one to baptize Nichole, and, after some doubts were taken care of, he agreed as well. 

All in all, it's been a really good week. 

I hope that your weeks have been going well for you too, and that they will continue to do so.

Love your Crazy Corespondent,

Elder Nathanael Stuver

Email Update: 11/4/2013

 Dear Everyone,

Yes, i did get the coats, and i really like them. I still like Elder Myers so things are still going well. I'm glad things are going well for all of you.

We had a really good Halloween this year; we had 7 lessons with members present on just Halloween!! That made it so that we broke our record of 26 lessons in one week be a full 7 lessons, for a total of 33 lessons this last week.

We were hoping to get in contact with Nichole this last week, but whenever we went over to visit her, she was either not home or didn't answer the door. We think that she probably started to work swing shifts, so that she is sleeping during the day. We are going to keep trying to have another appointment with her this next week, so we hope that we can catch her at home/awake.

Emily is still going great, though she says that she's getting a little nervous; her baptism is only 4 weeks away. We have been working on taking care of any comments or concerns she has, and i feel like she is going to be perfectly fine on the day of her baptism.

This Saturday is Seth's and Keele's baptism, and i have to admit, i'm getting a little frazzled. I've never planned a baptism before, and i want to make sure that it goes smoothly for everyone involved. The kids' mom, Sharelle, is a reactivating member, and their dad, Justin, is a nonmember, so i want to help it be a good experience for them as well as Seth and Keele. Along with that, Sharelle's brother is the one who has been planning on doing the confirmation, and he wont be able to be here Sunday, which is when convert confirmations are supposed to take place. One of our Ward Missionaries told us that he'd gotten a call from Sharelle's mother telling him this in tears, so i want to know what to do to follow the appropriate layout for the confirmation, but i want it to fit for the Rose's family as well. I'm confused, and i don't know what to do to make it fit.

Well, that pretty much sums up my slightly hectic life for now. Thank you again for all of your prayers and for your love.

Elder Nathanael Stuver