24 Oct 2016

 Monday- P-day was pretty fun, we went up Bloomington canyon. We were going to go up to the lake but it snowed a few inches Sunday night and the Sisters said their car wouldn’t make it so we just spent some time in the snow. Snowmen, snowball fights; all that jazz. It was still like 40 degrees out so it was pretty enjoyable. Then we had a family home evening we had to get over to. It was a pretty fun day. At the FHE we shared D&C 128:19, 22 a couple of my favorite scriptures.  Just talking about how awesome the gospel is!

Tuesday- We got a new investigator! Her name is Barbara and she talked to the bishop about joining the church. So we didn’t do much except go and talk to her. She's had missionaries in the past but it seems like there has been hold ups before. So hopefully if there are still any problems we can help her out.

Wednesday- we had our first district meeting as the Cokeville district. Elder Welling is an awesome leader and since there’s only two companionships and both are training we kept the meeting pretty focused on training. We met Whitney. She's in her mid-20s and we helped her parents and her move something for them. Turns out she is trying to get back in the church and we were able to share a good lesson with her about overcoming obstacles.

Thursday- We helped out at the food bank. It’s a pretty cool experience you meet a lot of the people in need that live in Montpelier. All the food is donation stuff and some of it is pretty good. Other stuff stores have to get rid of it because it’s at the sell by date and it’s a bit questionable. Then we had weekly planning and 12 week. So by that time it was dinner. We had a good experience though. We met the Gillies family and they are less active but want to get to the temple so we are going to start helping them!

Friday- By the way, by this point all the snow had melted :( But Friday was a pretty cool day; the snow storm broke a bunch of branches around town like every other yard had busted up trees. But we helped a couple people clean them up and take them to the landfill. We helped a couple other trucks unload while we were there. We met the Lyngars; a nice couple, a little crude, but very friendly. We talked with them for a while and there was a pretty spiritual point then the husband started asking questions that didn’t really make sense. He got into some anti Mormon stuff online and doesn’t believe in the Book of Mormon now. Most of what he said I’m pretty sure wasn't even factual but he was a little upset when we didn’t seem troubled over what he was saying. They have had missionaries in the past and don’t seem like they really want to progress, like they might but they mostly just want to have hang out buddies instead of missionaries. We'll try a couple more times and see where things go. Hopefully we can get past the rough exterior.

Saturday- was a pretty slow day, we did meet another less active family though and they invited us back for lunch! Im not sure why they are less active they seem to like the church the guy kept talking about how he loved his mission and all that. Nevertheless they are a good family, and hopefully they will start receiving the blessings of the sacrament again soon.

Sunday- we went to the dingle ward, really good sacrament meeting mostly about charity and it sparked a couple of ideas for some talks we have coming up in the wards. My pen died so I couldn’t wright half way through my thought. Hopefully I can remember the rest by the time I get new pens.

This week has been super good and it’s amazing to see the work of the Lord progress. Keep nourishing your seeds of faith, heck if it’s a tree already don’t stop. Our spirits will begin to wither if they aren't nourished, it doesn't matter what stage of life we are in or how far we have progressed in the gospel.

Love you all!! And have an awesome week.

17 Oct 2016

The start of this week was pretty odd but it’s been an awesome week! I'm training again!!!! Elder Graham is my new companion and it’s been great this last week!

Monday- We said a few good byes for Elder Curtis and that was most of the day. He is now at home and will be returning to the mission in about three weeks.

Tuesday- super weird day.  So we dropped off Elder Curtis and I hung out with the North stake Elders for the day. We found a dog named Virgil running around the streets, so we spent like 20 minutes earning his trust. We got him in our truck bed and called his owner. That was fun.  The highlight of the day was teaching Max.  He  is a less active and his wife is a non-member. They are pushing 60 or so and he realized he needs the Church back and she loves the missionary lessons. The lesson was awesome. We taught the restoration and focused on the atonement. It was a really good lesson!

Wednesday- A STAR IS BORN!!!!! Elder Graham, my first full son has arrived! Anyway he’s a really awesome Elder and we've been getting along super well! For his first day we were visiting some ward leaders then we went to see a less active family. Just before we left the dad said, “Wait you have to get your nose hairs waxed. It’s a tradition we have.” No idea if that’s the truth but they did it with us. So for Elder Graham’s first day we got our nose hairs waxed. It didn't hurt too bad but I had to do it a couple of times. The wax broke off the stick in my nose...

Thursday - Lots of planning and studies. We visited a family we helped move in and a couple of other elders helped.  They set up a dinner to feed us all. They were very confused on the fact that we helped them for free.

Friday- So the family gave us a meal and the other Elders couldn't make it so we had like 3 times as many tacos as anyone needed. The family was super nice and they actually made it to the Star Valley open house last week. We talked a bit about it and kind of why Latter-day Saints are the way they are. Then they started to get off topic and started bashing the Jehovah's Witness pretty hard. No one there was a JW, but the family did not seem to like them.

Saturday- we were out in Dingle and we found a less active family that wants to go to the temple and be sealed. So that was awesome. They had their family over so we just shared a short message and planned a time for next week to see them.

It’s been a pretty great week. A lot of studies with Elder Graham being a new missionary, but it’s helped me get back to the basics of the gospel. It’s been a lot of fun and a lot of help.

Hope all of you are having an awesome week!

Training Letter

Dear Elder Timothy Hoffman ,

Congratulations on accepting an assignment as a trainer. To be a trainer of a new missionary is one of the most important assignments in the mission. With this assignment, a great deal of trust is being placed in you. Your example in this assignment will set the course for  your companion's mission, and will have a large impact on the rest of his life. Please remember the following expectations for missionary leaders:

*  Strive every day to be exactly obedient to the standards of missionary conduct found in the Missionary Handbook.

*  Faithfully follow the missionary daily schedule.

*  Have effective personal and companionship study every day.

*  Be diligent, humble, and effective in your work.

*  Have effective weekly and daily planning sessions including follow the 13 planning guidelines and updating the area book.

*  Love your companion and foster a spirit of love and unity in the companionship.

*  Lead the companionship in staying focused on our purpose for being here as missionaries.

The Lord has asked you at this time to fulfill this sacred stewardship. Remember that this is the Lord's work and you are His servant. I trust you will work to your full capacity, using all of the abilities and skills with which you have been blessed.It is a privilege to serve with you.

Love,

Gene E Hancock, PresidentIdaho Pocatello Mission

10 Oct 2016

Monday- pretty usual Monday shopping and stuff. Then we took Brother Turners hawk hunting again. This time we had a rabbit ready so we didn't have to worry about finding anything. we may have picked a little to big of a rabbit though. The Hawk latches on with its talons, so ideally it grabs the neck and crushes it.... but it grabbed its back, then the rabbit took off, the hawk refused to let go, so it was flailing its wings around to stay on. It looked like a rodeo, but the hawk had this helpless look on its face like. what do i do! It was a lot of fun

Tuesday- District meeting, plus a district cook out, we have a couple of people going home so we sent them off with a party. well as much of a party as our budget and time would afford. Then we had a lesson with an elderly lady named Betty. Shes been taught forever like years before I even got on my mission, she likes to see us but doesn't want to progress... then we went and headed down to Cokeville. Saw a couple, the wife is struggling with her testimony so we are trying to teach them, as we were talking she got an ambulance call and headed out to a car wreck. (somehow a deer crashed through the back window of the vehicle)

Wednesday- we moved Cokeville stuff into a new apartment to prepare for the new elders going in there, then we went and saw Joe and his family. It was a good day.

Thursday-Train the trainers!! So I will be training again so we went to Soda to have our train the trainers meeting. It was awesome there will be another fairly large group of new missionaries coming in. about 11 new elders and 3 new sisters, and that's on top of the 26 or so elders still in training. Anyways the meeting was awesome a lot about turning outward, and loving them enough to correct them. There was a big question asked about how to lovingly rebuke someone. and one elder gave an answer that I thought was awesome, it was about coming to where they are at. so before you tell them what they are doing wrong ask them questions until you are at the same level of understanding, I don't know how to explain it Elder Anderson did a really good job at it. Then when we got back to Montpelier we had weekly planning! that took up most of our day.

Friday- Lots of area book work, with the transfer coming we have to make a new one for Cokeville so fun. Our lesson with the Hunsakers fell through the kids had to go to there dads.

Saturday- We had a lesson with a recent convert, we shared Lehi's vision and talked about enduring. then we headed over to Cokeville, to get ready for church there in the morning. So no longer my area but one of the Family's I was teaching in Pocatello (the Nielson's) She got baptized and her husband was able to do it!!! When I had left we had taught them the lessons set the date and all that was left was interviews, mostly the husband and the bishop. I also got word that Mark who we had been working with for about 3 1/2 months when I left, has now accepted a date for the end of October! So I'm kinda bummed that i couldn't attend her baptism and I probably wont make Marks but Its awesome to know that those who I met, helped and taught are still progressing!

Sunday- An awesome fast and testimony meeting, we said a lot of good byes around Cokeville. That was most of the day, just seeing those we came to love and sharing a last testimony.

All and all its been an awesome week, lots of good news. I love this gospel, to see the change and miracles it brings into the lives of all those who apply it. there was a testimony this 

Sunday and the guy started off saying, I've been asking myself does the gospel make life easier. I personally have a testimony that it does, not only in temporal blessings and trials that we can avoid, but when we are faced with adversity, we have a faith and hope for a better day and a brighter future, the hope is well described in a Mormon message featuring a message from Russell M. Ballard. titled Mens Hearts Shall Fail 

them. Also expressed greatly in D&C 128:19. I know this gospel was made by a loving Heavenly Father who wants to see us succeed! This is His Church I bear this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Love you all and hope you have an awesome week!

3 Oct 2016

Another Great week to be on the Lords errand! Things were a little odd, there never seems to be a week that's similar to the last.

Monday- So I don't know if i mentioned this before but Brother Turner a less active we meet with, has his falconry license, so we took his hawk out hunting for P-day, it was uneventful we couldn't find any rabbits.

Tuesday- we had exchanges so i went with Elder Castorana (that could be spelled wrong) and did work in the bilingual area. i knew about 10% of what was spoken for most of our meetings. I contributed where i could.

Wednesday- still exchanges still not speaking English... But we met a family that is re-activating and they mostly spoke Spanish, some spoke English and so spoke English about as well as my Spanish. The spirit was still in the home and even though i barely talked they said they liked the spirit i brought.

Thursday- I don't remember much besides my companion skyping home. He was having a re-assignment for his mission. Just the way his mission is working, its different than the usual but not in a bad way.

Friday- we got to take a family to the star valley open house! They enjoyed it, they said they weren't expecting everything to be so perfect inside. then we went back and helped them split some wood. They had a wood splitter but we had enough people that we were using axes too so i got to work on my swing a bit. Then we got talking to a foreign exchange student that they were housing and he was confused abit he was like so this is all you do is help people. We said yea we do service and teach the gospel, he thought it was super cool.

Saturday- Conference!!!! and we did service for some non-members in between sessions and they were super thankful it was pretty cool.

Sunday- we watched more conference and did some more service for some non-members

It was a really fun week! Plus conference was awesome, The two big things i got out of it was prioritize the Book of Mormon and repent! repentance is tough but its not bad. Its like climbing a mountain its tough but the view is worth it.

Love all you guys! Hope you have a good week!

26 Sep 2016