April 28, 2014

"Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love."
President Thomas S. Monson

This week has been pretty exciting up here in the north country! Elder Jepsen and I have been really busy. Last week was all a blur due to the weirdness. But our investigators are getting more and more excited about the gospel. Debbie is getting baptized on Saturday and she can't wait. And her husband Tracey wasn't going to due to his love for alcohol but told us last night he hasn't drank in a while and wants to get dipped on May 20! SO AWESOME!!

Our mission has a new teaching method. President Wirthlin saw that even with the mission doubling in size our baptism rate has stayed the same. So with his "connections" he called Salt Lake and talked to a general authority and they gave us a new modified way to preach the gospel. We are the first mission to use it and it has really changed missionary work here. We have taught more powerfully and simply. It has really changed the work. With this new method we get an average of about 4 referrals each visit. And we stay no longer than 15 to 30 minutes. CRAZY!

But something has been on my mind lately. And that something is gratitude. Gratitude like it says in Preach My Gospel is a form of humility. Being humble is willingness to submit to the Lords will and to give him honor for what has been accomplished. Mosiah 4:11 states this perfectly. We need to be grateful for what we have. Being here in Massena has been a humbling experience. There is so much poverty. Yet they thank God for everything they have. Well....most of them. But they still are thankful. Before I came out here I was very prideful. I thought of myself before everyone else until my dad showed me what it is like to have true gratitude. He never talked bad about anyone no matter what they have done. And I never heard him once complain about him suffering with cancer and dying. Well except when they tried to give him a catheter...but that's understandable. That would suck haha. But he tried so hard to love evryone and to be humble. Another great example for me is Christ. He was beaten, persecuted, and killed but never once did he think about himself. Those two people have changed my life and the way I think forever. Let us be ever so grateful for what we have and serve our brothers and sisters.

I bear my solemn witness that Jesus is the Christ. He is our master and only through him we can have everlasting life. I know that he lives and loves us. And I know that as we are humble, submissive, and grateful that blessings will pour out of heaven. 

Well keep on keepin on. Write me :) The adress is
PO Box 149
Whitesboro, NY 13492

Love,

Elder Neus MMMMMMMMM bye now

April 21, 2014

Okay so first off Massena is freaking weird.

Let me explain...

hmm...  SO we went to this less-active's house in this freaky high rise building.  We got up to his door and HE HAS ONE EYE.  Then he lets us in.  We walk in and its instantly apparent that he has no underwear on.  Yuck.  THEN we look around his house and there are posters of girls in thongs and stuff.  So we sit down and try to share an Easter message with the guy and he turns on his weird gypsy music and starts singing to us.  I wanted to just get up and leave but he has never let missionaries in so we decided to stay.  The spirit came back when he turned off the music.  So the.... AND HERE COMES THE KILLER.... he has dialysis twice a week and he is wearing some short gym shorts and he showed us the scars near his nether regions and we saw things that will haunt my dreams for eternity.  I felt like I needed to repent.

Thats only one of our experiences this week.

We have seen butts, hard drugs, prostitutes, drag queens, you name it we have seen it.  And one thing that all citizens of Massena have in common is no dang teeth.  I LOVE IT! These people need the gospel and they are receiving it gladly.  Most of them are really accepting to what we share.  The Lord loves everyone and we try to remind ourselves that when we are in those sticky situations.  "Come what may and love it"!

Easter was so great.  We ate dinner at Elder and Sister Huffs house and we all left 5 pounds heavier.  I love the Easter season!:)  It's a time where you can really focus on Christ's atonement.  He died for each and every one of us. " He is ^adespised and rejected of men; a man of ^bsorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we ^cesteemed him not .,Surely he hath ^aborne our ^bgriefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.   But he was ^awounded for our^btransgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his ^cstripes we are ^dhealed.

I just love those versus in Isaiah. He truly did bear our sins. He loves us and wants the best for us. He has been through every hardship that we have had and ever will have. I know this to be true and I bear witness that He lives.

Well love you all and hope to hear form you soon. Write me some letters.... I'll write ya back.:) hah

Love,

ELder Neus

mmm bye bye now

April 14, 2014

mmmmheyyyyy

“You will have the comfort of His love and feel the answer of His drawing closer as you reach out your arms in giving service to others. As you bind up the wounds of those in need and offer the cleansing of His Atonement to those who sorrow in sin, the Lord’s power will sustain you.” I just love that quote by Henry B. Eyring. If we were aloud to pick favorite general authorities he would probably be mine haha:)

This week was good we are really enjoying the warmth. Elder Jepsen and I are loving the fact that we can walk down the street and talk to people. It seems like Massena has come out of their winter shell. We had a few hard days this week when no one would let us in.  Everyone, it seems, like didn't keep their appointments.  And kids and some adults yelling choice words to us while walking down the street...  But we put trust in the Lord and He helped us out a ton.

Our investigators are still being bosses. On May third we will have three baptisms! That's unheard of up here. Heavenly Father is blessing us so much. He is helping out our investigators as well. I've never seen anyone so excited about the gospel. I can't wait to see them get sealed to each one of their families in the temple some day.

Well I hope to hear back fromm you soon.

Love,

Elder Neus

mmm bye now