Talmage Mission

Good Morning!  I will start off with the highlight of the week, or maybe even the two transfers I've been in Cedar City: Eldean was finally baptized!  Everything seemed to go wrong from the very beginning. As soon as we entered the area she proceeded to miss coming to church on Sunday, so we rescheduled her baptism. Then we found other struggles that we began to support her in on her road to covenant making and keeping. After a huge battle with Satan she finally came to church in the last week of September! We reset her baptism, then she didn't come to church again, then we moved forward, she ghosted us twice because her cell service cut out . . . this has been an adventure.  All this is a perfect example of how intent the adversary is on ruining our lives and keeping us from God and His strengthening power. But because of diligence on our part, perseverance on hers, and many tender mercies, she finally made her first covenant this last weekend. I'm super proud of her and...

Good Morning!  I have enjoyed a magnificent Southern Utah Fall week. The leaves are turning and the mountains almost have snow. I really enjoy this time of year and I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve in an area where the leaves actually change colors. That's a tender mercy I continue to appreciate.  The work is really picking up! I'm super excited for the progress we've seen. We taught 20 lessons with our non-member friends this past week! And two of our friends, Eli and Austin, are now preparing for baptism in November. On top of all that, 9 of our friends came to church with us! It's felt very successful recently, and I'm very thankful for the Lord's hand in all of this. The biggest difference in my life is that I'm now 21 years old.  I had a good birthday celebration on Wednesday. We had lunch with some of our YSA friends, and also taught the Returned Missionary Seminar. It was an interesting role for us, especially as current missionaries, but...

Good Morning! This week I will update you on a number of the people we are teaching, mostly for my own recollection of the events. I will also share personal experiences that have taught me to never cease trusting in God. As Oliver Cowdery has said; "These were days never to be forgotten!" Zone Conference was this previous Wednesday. It was an amazing conference, and probably one of my favorites of late. We focused on repentance and teaching that powerfully. The Spirit was very helpful at identifying what I could do to personally improve. One thing I noticed was that I was largely withdrawn for the beginning of the conference. I was withholding myself from an event I usually enjoyed and choosing to be solitary. Here the Spirit prompted me of two things: first, that I would witness an evidence of God's hand in the work after the conference, and second that I needed to stop being withdrawn and choose to interact with those around me.  To be honest, I didn't really belie...

Good Morning! This has been a really good week. I have an excellent way to describe how busy we've been. The following is a very common quote from the other YSA Elders in our District: "Elder Williams, the standards say you can't skip your dinner hour!" I then reply, "But there's way too much to do!" I share this so you get a glimpse on just how exactly obedient I am . . . and how busy life is right now! I probably don't eat much until 9:30pm, unless it's a snack the members or Institute gives us. I'm trying to apply for school, for a Summer job (both within Preparation hours), do effective and diligent missionary work, refine Elder Cammack some more, and not get lost in the process. I'll just share some key events from the week.  We set Eldean's baptismal date for October 28th. In the Utah St. George Mission we have a standard that our friends are to come to church 3 times before their baptism. Eldean has now attended twice. She'...

Good Morning! One of the most difficult things to do when everyone is sick is get them to sit down in front of the TV and watch inspired church leaders share messages of hope and healing with the world. Who'd have thought, huh?  Because half of our friends are sick, or hunting, or busy, they couldn't watch General Conference with their member friends. They also couldn't watch General Conference for some reason. So we spent this past week trying to help our 18 friends watch General Conference . . . 6 reportedly did. Not my best Conference weekend, but that only matters so much. What I did my best to focus on was the Spirit I felt while watching each session and how I could be a better missionary.  First; I need to stop comparing my outward results with those of others. And second; I need to be more encouraging, supportive, and positive when I talk to and about other missionaries. Especially as I'm trying to help Elder Cammack grow and improve.  With a fascination for sta...