Droppin' Like Flies! -July 19th, 2016

Hey everyone! 

I hope you all had another good week! It's crazy that it's Monday again, the weeks are seriously going by so quickly! They're just... *insert title of email*!

Not a whole ton happened this week, just your average week of missionary work! 

So since I don't have a whole ton to report on I thought I'd share one of my favorite Mormon messages! 

It's called "The Will of God" and its about how God uses love-inspired correction to guide us to a future we do not or cannot now envision but which He knows is the better way for us. We all have trials and struggles in our lives. Sometimes we can't understand everything that happens to us and we find ourselves asking "Why me?". But this message teaches us why Heavenly Father puts those trials into our lives. All out of endless and incomparable love for us. 

I hope yall enjoy:)

The Will of God- https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/the-will-of-god-2

Oh yeah, and this is the last week of the transfer so we'll get calls this Saturday and find out what's happening! So I'll let yall know on Monday!

Love all of you so much! 

An Emmausing Experience -July 11th, 2016

Hey y'all! As always, I hope each one of you had a good week! 

Our week here in Clanton was pretty good! Whenever we have a week with p-day on Tuesday the rest of the week just flies by! 

We had some amazing lessons with our investigators and most of them are progressing very well! We're also starting to focus our efforts on the less actives and part member families in our branch. We have something like 300 people on our roster, enough to make a ward, so we going to try our hardest to access all the potential there!

I wanted to share a pretty amazing experience that I had this past Saturday though for most of my letter. 

So Saturday morning we get a call and a text from a man we had never met. He said he had been talking to missionaries at the headquarters in Salt Lake for a few hours. He said that he didn't know anything about our religion but he had an experience that sparked his interest. So I called him back and talked to him for a while explaining some things about the church and trying to set up a time to go over. He said he would ponder what we talked about and call back in a few hours if he wanted us to come over. So a few hours pass by and he calls again but we were in a different lesson so we missed his call. Shortly after, we finally get a text from the referral missionaries telling us to go over ASAP and bring him a book of mormon. So instead of calling him back we decide that we'll just go over and talk to him in person. So we go over to his house and he lets us inside. We chat for a while, answer a lot of his questions and teach him about the restoration of the church. Then he told us more about what exactly sparked his interest in the church. 

He told us he had heard a story about how the church absolutely changed this woman and her family's life. He told us how she was at the lowest of lows, pretty much every bad thing you can think of happened in her life. He told us how she had come in contact with the church and how they had helped her turn her life around and how she's completely different now. Fully focused on the Lord and good things. Elder Stuart and I were both thinking this was just some mormon message he had seen. But he told us this story a few times and every time I had the feeling (prompting from the spirit) that he was talking about Nickie.

So, for those of you who can't remember, Nickie is a recent convert who I had the immense privilege of teaching and baptizing while I was serving in bessemer, my last area. I watched her as she and her family made this amazing change. Coming closer to the Lord and becoming completely different people. And now Jeff, her husband, has been able to quit smoking and is being baptized soon as well.

Anyways, the last time he told us about this story, I just took a shot in the dark and asked him if this had happened in Alabama. He told me it had! I got kind of excited and asked if by chance her name was Nickie and he was a little taken back, and at first said no. I explained how I taught some people back in bessemer that had a pretty amazing story that was pretty similar to the one he was telling. He stopped and just kind of looked at me and said that it actually was Nickie who he was talking about. He then told me that he is her Uncle! And that he had heard this story from his sister, her mother, who I had also met and tried to share the gospel with. I was so shocked and just speechless! I told him that I was actually the one who baptized Nickie and her son. I reached for my bag and pulled out my camera and showed him the pictures of us from her baptism. He became speechless as well and we both just kind of sat there in unbelief of what was happening.

I was only in bessemer for six weeks and while I was there I was able to be a part of this families amazing conversion story and then I was sent to Clanton where I then met her Uncle who we are now teaching and is now interested in the church because of her story. WOW! Just wow. We got back in the car and I freaked out to Elder Stuart a little and said a prayer of thanks in my heart. This was such a powerful Emmaus experience for me. Strengthening my testimony that the Lord is involved with this work and my life. I am in Alabama for a reason, and last week I found out one of the reasons why I was sent to Clanton as well as Bessemer. I am so incredibly grateful for this opportunity that I have to serve the Lord for two years and help others draw closer to Him as I do the same. I LOVE THIS MISSION, THIS GOSPEL, AND THE LORD! 

I say these things in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. 

Till next week! Love yall!

The picture of Nickie's baptism. 

A Week of Festivities -July 5th, 2016

Hey y'all! 

It feels like it's been a while since we last talked! Well, I'll touch on a couple of the main things that have happened this past week!

Last week was, as I said in my last email, when President and Sister Sainsbury would arrive in sweet home Alabama. And on later in the week we were all able to meet them! Both President and Sister Sainsbury are spectacular, and are a perfect fit for this mission already. I'm so excited to be able to serve with them for the last year of my mission and learn all the many things they have to teach me. 

We also had a great 4th of July! A member in our ward fed us and took us to a pretty cool replica/reenactment place centered around America's history and independence and what not. It was pretty interesting! We were also able to catch some awesome fireworks that night in Prattville with our Zone Leaders. So it was a good fourth:) 

Other than that Elder Stuart and I have been working our hardest to get the ball rolling here in Clanton, and it's slowly coming along! We've had some pretty great experiences and met some amazing people.  Elder Stuart is awesome too! Such a great missionary and has so much potential.I don't know if I told y'all this but his family runs a mechanics shop back home and he's crazy about cars as well. So it's still in the making but we're actually planning on starting our own race team it's gonna be pretty cool.

So yeah it's been a pretty regular but great week! I was also able to go on a couple exchanges with the Elders in our District and that was great. 

Well, I hope y'all have a great week and I'll talk to you next Monday! 

Pics: While in Downtown Montgomery we found this pretty cool graffiti so we decided to go into GQ mode and get some pics. While there we also had some fantastic burgers at this hole in the wall restaurant that has been around for a good minute! Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy! 

*Also included are photos sent by a member on the 4th!

Road Trippin Cross Bama! -June 27th, 2016

Hey y'all! 

This week has been pretty good! 

We were blessed to be able to attend the temple this week so that was probably the main highlight! I'll attach some pictures from that at the end. 

Other than that this week we've pretty much been all over the mission! So right now i'm currently serving in Clanton which is down south by Montgomery. I had an appointment up in Huntsville (where I started my mission) which is up north. So we left Clanton, drove for a couple of hours and stopped at the temple for our session. We then drove for a couple more hours to Huntsville to be there for my appointment in the morning. We then drove all the way back to Clanton from Huntsville the next day. So basically we spent a long time in the car this week...

I then went on an exchange from Friday to Saturday with Elder Bryant in Prattville. It was a great exchange! We served around each other while I was in Talladega and he was in Anniston. We got pretty close then so it was awesome to be able to spend more time together! We then got to play some soccer with a bunch of members and non members so that was a lot of fun! It was like 100 degrees and we all almost died, literally... some more than others lol but it was still a good time! 

Other than that, not a whole lot else happened worth mentioning. President Sainsbury gets here today and President Hanks leaves tomorrow so this week will be interesting! I'm very excited to meet and get to know our new President though! 

Sorry, this email is pretty bland, this next week will be better I promise! 

I hope y'all have a great week! 

Elder Honn

The Comfort This Gospel Brings -June 20th 2016

Hey guys, 

What a week! I don't think I've ever had a week like this, in my whole life... 

So as you all know, on Wednesday I was sent to a new area. I arrived in Clanton and went right to my bed... I don't know exactly what it was but I was out for all of Thursday and Friday as well. The only thing I can think of to describe it was some form of flu... BUT I'm feeling a lot better now and so is Elder Stuart. (I gave it to him pretty quickly so we were able to suffer together lol) 

Speaking of Elder Stuart, he's awesome! He's from Utah (Yes, another one from Utah) and he's a car genius! He worked in a mechanics shop with his dad and is a car addict, so we've had a lot to talk about! He's really funny as well so this transfer should be a lot of fun. 

So as far as telling you about this area, I don't know a whole lot yet! Obviously, Clanton is big into peaches and their having a peach festival this week so that should be fun! Um it's pretty small townish. Our branch has about thirty or so active members and is full of very interesting people haha! Sunday was pretty entertaining... 

Random thought but for those of you keeping track, this is my fourth area and my eighth companion. Pretty high stats for someone who hasn't even been out a year yet! 

I don't have a whole lot more to tell y'all about but to finish I wanted to bear my testimony to anyone who needs it at this time. 

I KNOW this Church is true. A commonly used phrase, especially in this church, but it is one that reigns true in my heart. The comfort and peace that it has brought me, especially this past week, has been a massive blessing. I know that death in this life isn't the end. Because Christ died for us, we all can and will live again.

Christ loves each and every one of us, endlessly and unconditionally. That's why He provided us with such a flawless plan. Our Fathers plan for us, known as the Plan of Happiness, teaches us exactly what he wants most for us; happiness! And that's exactly what His plan entails. If we but follow Him and His Son, we will be happy. We may, no will, experience trials and hard times but in the end, everything will end in peace, comfort, and happiness. I know that EVERYTHING is in His hands, He is the Supreme Creator and Ruler of this earth and I know that everything that happens, happens for a reason and is part of His plan for each one of us. I promise that, if during times of difficulty and pain, we turn to the Savior and take His always outstretched hand he will ease the burdens that have been placed upon our shoulders.

I know that because of temples, we can be sealed to our families for time and all eternity and not only that but we can give other people that opportunity as well, a long with many more opportunities. I'm so immensely grateful for the blessing that I've had to be brought up in this gospel and be raised with so many amazing influences around me. I'm very grateful for my whole family, for all being such good examples to me and always doing so much for me. I love them more than words can describe and am eternally grateful that I get to spend the eternities with them. 

I love each and every one of you very much and say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Elder Honn A.K.A. The Closer -June 13th, 2016

Howdy y'all! 

We've had quite the week here in Bessemer! 

Elder Prestwich and I had a great week! We wanted to finish out the transfer as strongly as we could and finish on a high note! We had some amazing experiences and definitely saw the Lords hand in our work this week. 

Then on Saturday we received some pretty shocking news that neither of us were expecting! Elder Prestwich and I will both be leaving! Elders are being taken out of the Bessemer area for the time being. Why? Because we have too many missionaries going home and not enough coming out, so we don't have enough missionaries in our mission to have four in one area at this point in time. 

So where will the dynamic duo be going you ask? Elder Prestwich will be going to the middle of nowhere Red Bay, Alabama which is right next to Mississippi and he's going to kill it there. Yours truly will be heading down south to Clanton which is closer to Montgomery. All I've heard about it is that it's a pretty country place (hence the first line of this email) and that they have great peaches! Elder Anderson (my trainer) also served there and told me that he got most of his mission stories from this area... So I'm excited for all it has to hold! 

It's a hard thing to do though, closing an area. Emotional hard anyways. When the ward or branch loves the missionaries so much and you are the one to tell them that they won't have Elders for the time being, there's a lot of emotions and questions that come your way. To be honest, it's been hard on the ole' heart strings! I have a love for these people that I've come to know in Bessemer and it's been sad to break the news to them and see their disappointment. It was the same if not harder with closing Talladega. But again, I know that this is what the Lord wants to happen. Even if it's a hard pill to swallow, it's all in the Lords hands

I was talking to some Elders and telling them about closing my last two areas and they called me The Closer, so there's the explanation for the title of this weeks letter! 

Anyways, I'm very excited for this week and all the new experiences I'll have and people I'll be able to meet!

I'll try to hop on sometime in the week to let y'all know my new address! 

I hope you all have a great week and I'll talk to you real soon! 

p.s. I'll include a couple pictures from this past week. The first is with Elder Littleford, who will be going home this week. Gonna miss him! And the other is of another beautiful 'Bama sunset! 

Love y'all!

Elder Honn

Elder David A. Bednar = Bessemer, Alabama's Favorite Person -June 6th, 2016

Hey everyone! 

I'm running super short on time, hence the time of which this email is being sent... So I apologize for not being able to respond to each one of you personally. BUT I couldn't go without telling y'all about the truly amazing weekend we had here in Bessemer!

Each night of the weekend we had a meeting, specifically for different groups of people i.e. Youth then adults then everyone on Sunday. Honestly, words can't even describe how amazing each meeting was. Elder Bednar was accompanied by Elder Sabin of the Seventy and they both just dropped a spiritual bomb on this stake! They both talked about some very amazing things. I'll touch on one thing from each that I personally loved.

The one thing that stuck out to me most from Elder Sabin. He was talking about marriage but it definitely applies to all aspects of life. He talked about how when, in a relationship, the members of the relationship are more focused and worried about each others happiness than their own everything always works out better and it can be "magic". Its a commonly know principle and one that we normally learn while in the service of others! But its so true and simple! It's literally the key to happiness right there! When we focus on others happiness more than our own is when we're the happiest. What mainly struck me was just how simple it truly is. He told a story about one of his friends who owns a bunch of foreign car dealerships and how one day he asked him if he was happy. He has all this success and wealth but is he truly happy? His friend responded with "no, and I don't know why!" Most people in this world aren't truly happy and some don't even know why. This gospel, with all the teachings and doctrine, bring eternal salvation and endless peace and happiness. But the key to start it all off is one of the first and great commandments that we're given. "Love thy neighbor as thyself". Bang, how to be truly happy in this life, clear and simple! 

Next, the thing from Elder Bednar that stuck out to me and almost everyone else there probably haha! He talked about agency. He said how when we make a covenant (promise) with God, we no longer have regular agency. We have a thing called "Representative Agency". So because we made a very sacred promise with our Father in Heaven, we are now representatives of Him. And because of that we already covenanted to tryto act as He and His son would act. Of course, we still have our agency no matter what, but it's just a different type of agency... if that makes sense? I probably butchered what he said but I hope it still makes sense haha! If it didn't make sense, at least it's something to think about:) The whole concept was amazing though and one that hit pretty hard! 

Well anyways, those were some of the things I got out of this amazing weekend! Other than that, our week was great! It's crazy but this week is the last week of the transfer so we'll be getting calls and finding out whats happening this Saturday, so on Monday I'll let y'all know what's happening! 

I love each one of you very much and I hope y'all have a great week!