Elder Vogel and Elder Carlson

Busy, Busy, Busy

January 26th - 31st 

Monday - PDay was fun! Haha we did little service things for some members and see how their day was going, bout it haha


Tuesday - Today we did some service at the food pantry again, love the people that all participate there, truly awesome and humbling. We then went potential hunting, found a couple cool people who are interested and we are super excited to be teaching them! We also had a great dinner with the Caramagnos and they are a amazing and energetic family! Love them! We also got to go with Jeremy and Joey Gogan to the Holways. They are also very awesome! Super interactive and super nice!! Can't wait to see them again! Today was a good day, lots of finding and lots of places found so we can still continue to find. haha


Wednesday - we didn't do a whole lot, we went to Ray and set appointments up with some potentials that fell through. We went to tract some more and found a couple people. Pretty awesome. We had a dinner with the Bacas and that was a lot of fun, love them! Then we exchanged with the Derry Elders. Elder Carlson and I are in Derry for tomorrow.


Thursday - today it was me, Elder Carlson and Elder Bradley. We went to a couple old guys, one's name was Berry, he's a retired Marine and he told some cool stories from when he served. Awesome dude, we went to a less active named Bruce and he's a singer. He talked he whole time haha then we went and saw a new investigator named Peter, who has the same question as Joseph Smith haha his family will be awesome in the church! Super set on everything, he's awesome! Then we went to see a guy named Joe who reminds me of a Atheist friend at home, he's great and definitely wants to know. He has lots of questions and really is picking it apart hard haha then we had a dinner at the Cobars. They are from Guatemala, we had Tostadas, they where really good! Fresh food and all 5 of us were stuffed full of food haha love the Derry people. Tomorrow we have interviews with Pres Stoker and I can't wait too see him!!! Love that man!


Friday - So today we had Zone Interviews and a Zone Meeting. I really enjoyed meeting the rest of the zone I didn't know, I never met 4 different companionships. The Sister Training Leaders and the Zone Leaders gave great trainings on prayer, communications, functions and roles as a missionary and what a chosen missionary is. I learned so much from them, love all of them. My interview with Pres Stoker went great! After that, Sister Stoker gave Elder Carlson and I a training on family history and how we can use that when finding people because New Englanders love their families... How could I miss that! haha So after that, we went tracting and we talked about how God gave us the chance on earth to be with our families together forever, and people where just so excited about it!! We got 5 return appointments!!! With families!!!! Haha crazy how things work haha, after that we stopped by a couple less active members to set a time to see them this week and now we have a crazy couple days ahead of us haha


Saturday - we set a lot of return appointments all through the week and stacked Saturday. It was awesome!! We taught a dude from Turkey who was super interested in what we have to say and we believe we can get him baptized within a few months. We taught a man named Bill who has more concerns about our beliefs, but we set a time for him to come back. Then we saw Chris the rest of the night, love talking with Chris, he's a stud.


Sunday - church was good, Jean came to church again!!! After was a Linger Longer and we where able to see sister Bromfield who sadly, has so many health problems that she hasn't been to church in several months. She's dying to go back but she can't for another month at least if her knee replacement goes smoothly. Other than that visit, we planned and did other things because no one could met with us.


This week, out of all the craziness, being out of my area for 4 days and feeling like it was a vacation, I learned so much this week. Elder Carlson and I watched the testaments and at the end of the movie, when Christ dies on the cross, Helam goes and saves his son Jacob and when the winds where blowing, Helam got hit with a branch and is blinded. That next day, Christ comes to the American people and teaches his gospel. Jacob is rushing his dad all over the place so he can see him and when he gets to that point, Jacob describes him as glorious, beautiful, everything you could imagine. He then tells his dad that because of his mistake, his dad is blinded and he cannot see Christ when he comes and that he's been searching for him his whole life. His dad comforts him and says that he's more happy because Jacob got to see him. And right there, because of his humility and faith in Christ, Jesus comes to him and heals him and gives him the ability to see again and performs a miracle.
That part of the movie, missionaries can relate to. In the training today and in a missionary devotional from a few Apostles and members of the Seventy, they told us that missionaries can't force people to feel the spirit. We present it, they accept it. It really puts in my mind that I am Jacob, rushing my investigators, members or not, who are blinded and don't have that spiritual surety, to Christ. Only they can accept him and when they do, they will see miracles and they will have a sure knowledge that he is the Savior of the world, Redeemer of souls and that we can have eternal life with Him again.


Love you all!!


Elder Vogel