Weekly Post - 2/28/2011

So first I would like to apologize for the last few posts being so short. I've felt really bad about it, but hey who's actually reading this anyways right? I can probably list them here:

 

The Prows Family

the Bradshaw Family

 

that's quite the number of people! Maybe President Jergensen somehow found it and is reading it just to hear what I am really doing on my mission, eh?! eh?! Anybody?! XD

 

Anyways, I'm doing really well this week. My last DL Elder Perfili is now a Zone Leader so we got a new DL named Elder Redder and he's sweet.

 

This last week was way slow since it was transfers, we had to help Elder Perfili get ready to leave and for some dumb reason we did exchanges and it took a huge toll one the weeks numbers :P

 

Elder Unsicker and I had the opportunity to teach an investigator a lesson yesterday and invited her to be baptized and she said she'd have to study the Book of Mormon more. It was our first lesson, but President wants us inviting on the first lesson more, and so we did.

 

This last week was full of service, we went and trimmed apple trees for members, helped people move, put up a fence that blew over, and cleaned a barn. It was awesome, but incredibly tiring. We were so sore! But in the end it was worth it, because it will soften the hearts of people and then they will come to be baptized and Illinois will be the new Utah!

 

So here it comes! Mormon.org! Once again I say to everyone that they should check it out, invite friends to check it out, and create profiles. If you have one already AWESOME; I'm glad. If you have time to be on facebook for 4 hours a day you have time for MORMON.ORG! So go to mormon.org and mormon.org it up!

 

We are currently teaching an LA, whose name I will not disclose for privacy reasons. She's having a hard time right now. She is letting us teach her and help her come back to the church- she's given us 6 weeks with an 100% effort on her part. So pray for this anonymous individual that we can help her?

 

Another thing that's huge out here is that not only is our area starting to kick in and flourish [I'm the guy President has come in and get areas going I guess :P] but we're having a bit of a struggle as a mission. This year we have a goal to have 500 baptisms by the end of the year. Right now we have only 38, at the end of February. We are very behind. Please pray for not only my companionship, but for my mission, that we as a whole may be consecrated, and that we may push forth the work and bring people unto Christ, and joy. 500 to Heaven in 2011!

 

I've been pondering alot lately about God's Plan of Salvation. It is huge to me that our Father in Heaven would create such an immense plan for us, showing His love. It opens doors lots of people do not even think exist. To lots of people there's either Heaven or Hell- but for us we have 3 Degrees of Glory that show God's immense love. Glenn Beck when investigating the church begged the question to his first Gospel Doctrine teacher "where's Ghandi?" At that moment the teacher had the class answer the question and all Glenn Beck had to say was "Well that makes sense..." and he sat down. Now to shut someone like Glenn Beck up like that is huge- and that's because not only does the Plan of Salvation make sense, it is true. The spirit has testified to me of this several times, as I have taught it, and I have studied it. There can be no greater display of love, than for a God to give every single one of His children a chance, even the ones who did not receive the restored Gospel, even the ones who have never heard the name Christ.

 

God lives, Christ is His Son, and we are His Children.

 

I love you all, and hope to hear from you.

 

Love,

 

Elder Prows

Weekly Post - 2/23/2011

Sooooooooo... I forgot my planner at the apartment.

 

So this last week was transfer calls- I'm staying in Bloomington, and so is Elder Unsicker so we have been blessed with another 6 weeks together, WOO HOO! :) The area is picking up now, and we're getting along so I'm way excited. We are getting a new district leader however, because our old one, Elder Perfili is going ZONE LEADER! Freaking big shot.

 

So yesterday was one of the most miserable experiences I've ever had! Elder Unsicker, JC Mock [a member who likes to go to appointments with us, he just got off his mission] and I went to a Jehovah's Witness meeting. It was pretty much a District Meeting only way longer, boring and false doctrine. They even had role-plays that were totally rehearsed haha! But really I was so bored, I couldn't stand it- and the spirit wasn't there so it was even worse! Anyways, I'm gonna stop talking about that.

 

We went on exchanges this last week and I went with Elder Pratt, and it was pretty sweet. We walked and walked and walked. It was a rainy day so nobody was out, and we didn't have a car so we had to walk everywhere. It was pretty sweet... not really because the week before I had been walking ALL WEEK! It sucked...

 

Anyways everyone check out Mormon.org and make accounts! It's legit! I'm looking each week to make sure you do too, so if you don't then you're in trouble! WITH THE LORD! ;)

 

Love ya!

 

Elder Prows

Weekly Post - 2/14/2011

So we're in the final week of the transfer! Holy cow I think this has been the fastest transfer yet! Where has the time gone?! I can't believe I'm going to hit my 5 month click soon! That means I'm almost out for 6 months! 1/4 of the way through... not even cool! HOLY CRAP!

 

So this last week I went on two amazing exchanges, one with my district leader Elder Christopher Perfili- and we taught a sweet lesson to one of our referrals, Mary. She seemed to have been struggling in life, and she got really upset because we couldn't enter in her home because we didn't bring a male with us [we're piles! :( ] but we just said "hey your couch is right by your front door, we can stand here and you can sit and we'll talk!" and we had a wicked awesome lesson with her about trials, and stuff. It was great- and I needed that because I've not taught many lessons.

 

But the 2 days before that I was on exchanges with my Zone Leader Elder Dahl! And that was awesome, we taught 2 lessons, one of the restoration and the other the Plan of Salvation. And I learned so much about teaching from Elder Dahl. He's probably the best missionary in Iowa in my opinion. He's so good at asking questions, and teaching and discerning what to say and talk about, it's killer. But the lessons both had the spirit really strongly, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to work with him. I can honestly say my teaching skills have definately increased after those exchanges.

 

Elder Dahl and I also had a really interesting experience- we were tracting an apartment area, and when we entered one of the buildings for some reason I felt we needed to tract the top floor and move down. The top floor was a mess, it had tons of garbage bags all over full of stuff, and it was wet. The first door we knocked on the person told us it wasn't a good time because her apartment had caught fire on saturday and she was cleaning it up and waiting for her dad to get back to help. So we offered help- she kept trying to get around our help and in the end her excuse was "You might get your suits dirty" and we said "we'll go home and change. Seriously, we'd love to help!" So she was like, "wow, you two are serious... thanks so much." and we went home got changed into service clothes and came back to help clean for a good 3 hours. We ended up moving a ton of furniture for her and her dad, and got alot done for them! Her Sister, and husband were there too and they were all super grateful and we left them with a card. She told us it meant alot, and that she and her husband were actually moving across the street from the ZL's church building [this was in Peoria]. She was a major in religion for college and she said they'd have speakers from other religions coem speak and ours were always her favorite. We invited them to check out Mormon.org and left a small thought... softened some hearts and maybe sparked an interest?!

 

Anyways that's all I think was nice to talk about this week.

 

So I mentioned last week Mormon.org, sorry I was so brief the computer was weird and I had VERY little time to email.

 

Mormon.org is the definition of awesome. If you haven't looked at it here's a link: http://mormon.org/  look at it for 10-15 minutes, and then get back to my blog. It's a magnificent way to do missionary work. I can't even describe how excited I am about it. I also encourage you all to please set up accounts! (only people ages 18 and older can) and to bear your testimonies about this Gospel! Let's get this work put forth! It's really a magnificent thing!

 

I know this church is true, I love it, I love you!

 

Elder Prows

Weekly Post - 2/7/2011

So this last week has been kinda interesting.

 

We had a really cool experience the other day- the church has revamped MORMON.ORG. I encourage everyone to look at it, and to create accounts on this site. It really is amazing.

But anyways we're allowed when we have nothing going on during the day to go on mormon.org and look around- so we went to do that with the Elders in Normal, and as we were waiting for the computers Elder Perfili felt very strongly we should leave; and Elder Unsicker realized he forgot his nametag at home. This completely changed our plans around, so Elder Unsicker and I revised our plans. We felt impressed to go see potentials. There were 3 we went to see and the first two were not home- but the third, Teri, was home. And she was an emotional wreck; we talked to her for a bit and she yelled at us, and stuff, she was obviously not excited to see us. But I felt impressed to say a prayer with her, so I asked if we could. We got  in her home said a prayer, and taught to her a brief lesson on trials. She now wants us to come back and visit with her!

 

There were several other incidents like that too! It was epic. This last week our area has really began to move forward. I'm super excited and can't wait to see where we're going to headed! :)

 

Anyways, I can't really think of much to write and I have 4 minutes left...

 

I've been reading my patriarchal blessing alot lately! Awesome stuff. I encourage people to get it!

 

Love you all!

 

Stay Safe!

 

We got 19 inches of snow here the other day and were snowed in and played pokemon!

 

Bye!

 

Elder Prows