A very busy week

This week was a good week.  We had two investigators show to church on Sunday, so we hope they will get baptized either the end of December or beginning of January!  It was a very busy week!

I'm sorry that I haven't posted any baptism pictures lately I will try to do that later.  Elder Evans was the one that did the baptism.  And Clifton Durham is doing great we have 3 baptismal date with other investigators, that he is being the primary fellow shipper for!!  He also passed the sacrament for the first time this week!

I do not know if I am being transferred yet. So I don't know if I am leaving or staying.

That sounds like fun for Thanksgiving!   We are eating with some members on Thanksgiving on possibly playing some football.

I like that thought because in all honesty members make or break baptisms.  The best investigators are found through members, the best lessons are when members teach and bear their testimony and the best church meetings is when members interact with investigators.  There is something special about when members and missionaries come together.

That is funny that it snowed and the power went out, I suspect there were some really bored boys.

I think that other than some Mannheim Steamroller I should be good.  Thank you for the package!!

I love you and I will email you again next week.

Love,

Elder Lakey

Another Great Week in Durham

This week has been a great week, we have been really busy lately.  We hope to have some baptisms around Christmas time!  But there are some obstacles in our way (as usual in missionary work).

The biggest miracle story this week was that we had an investigator who attended church last week, but ended up in the hospital this week.  So we figured he wouldn't be able to come to church this week.  When much to our surprise he came!  He was feeling much better too!  We also set a baptismal date with him yesterday!  We also found some more African investigators to teach.

It has cooled down a lot in Durham, it is in the high 40s low 50s which is actually colder than it usually is this time of year for NC.  I love the weather but Elder Wion who has lived in Vegas for the past 8 years hates it.

That is a great miracle story of family history!  I have looked at the family search before and so much has already been done that I do not know where to start.  Is this Jonathan first time going to the temple?

I feel bad for Rascal it seems he always is getting injured. How do you keep Rascal from using his paw then?

I guess now that both sides of the family live south of us now, you can visit both of them on the same day.  It weird to think that no one lives north of us anymore.

I like that thought, the best way to grow a testimony is to share your testimony.  When our testimony is sincere and truthful the Holy Ghost will come upon the investigator and will touch their hearts if they let the Spirit in.  That is why 18 year old missionaries who only received 12 days of official missionary training are able to get people to be baptized.  It's not the missionaries that convert people it is the Holy Ghost!  I do not know any other religion in the world that puts some much trust in some one so young with so little formal training!  It is a miracle unto it self that the Church grows,when we live in a day where the biggest Christian churches in the world are shrinking!

I love you and I will email you again next week.

Love,

Elder Lakey

Losing Weight in Durham?

Things are doing well in Durham.  Our investigators are doing well, we had 2 investigators show up to church and we are teaching that retired Liberian General now.  We should be teaching some people from Africa soon!  Elder Wion is doing great!  The ward is willing to do missionary work but most are really busy. Half the ward are medical students who are doing residency at Duke hospital.

Some of our investigators are referrals some are not, the more recent investigators have been referrals.  We do not have any baptismal dates, there is one person that wants to be baptized, but we are holding off on him for a little while (It is a long story).

Duke is amazing!!  It looks like a castle, I took a lot of pictures of it.  There is a reason why the tuition there is so expensive.  They also have a really nice cathedral and gardens as well.  

We do have some plans for Thanksgiving, we will be eating with some members but I don't know the details yet.   

That is great you got to clean the temple!!  I bet that you did get to see a lot of things that no one else gets to see.

I don't need any dress pants, ties would be nice but then I would need another tie hanger. I would like a pair of jeans, with the waist size being a little smaller than the last pair you sent. I have to wear a belt with my other jeans right now.  And it is a good idea to hold off on a package until after transfers.

I like that thought, I think that in this mission, obedience is hit on more than any other gospel topic. I have found that while missionary work can still move on and baptisms can still happen if you are disobedient, you can't be as happy as you would be if you are obedient. Happiness and obedience go hand in hand.

I hope you are having a great week.

Love,

Elder Lakey

Halloween in Durham

This week has been a good week, we found 3 new investigators!  If it makes Jonathan feel any better Halloween is a bit of snooze for us as well.  We were stuck inside our apartment all night because we are not allowed to proselyte Halloween night.

Elder Wion has lived in Vegas for 8 years.  While he does have an accent, he does not speak any other language but English, because Liberia is the only country in Africa to be colonized by America.  We have some Liberians in the ward who say that in Liberia everyone flies 2 flags.  The Liberian one (which looks a lot like our flag) and our flag.  He remembers Africa very well.  I think we should have a lot of different opportunities with Elder Wion here.  We may even start teaching a retired Liberian General soon...

The last week it cooled off a ton. I really enjoyed it but Elder Wion did not.  We should be touring Duke today.

It is getting colder but I like it cold. I wouldn't mind the general Conference talks.  I would also love some Mannheim Steamroller Christmas CDs.  (But I will not be celebrating Christmas until after Thanksgiving) .

I really enjoyed Elder Christofferson's talk at General Conference.  It seems like a lot people have been talking about it.  We talked about it yesterday in Elder's quorum.  It seems to me, that Satan attacks the doctrine  free agency and the atonement more than anything else.

People like the idea that they don't have to change for Christ and that Heaven "is what you make of it"(a pastor once told me that), but what people don't realize is that we must change for Christ in order to be happy in Christ's presence (see Alma 5 and Mormon 9).  The Gospel and The Atonement is meant to change our natures or else we would hate righteousness which means we would hate Christ and the Celestial Kingdom that is why God in his mercy (yes it's merciful) sends unrepentant and unchanged people to the other kingdoms of Glory because they would enjoy it more there than they would in the presence of God.

I love you all and I will email you again next week.

Love,

Elder Lakey

New Companion

My new companion is Elder Wion.  He grew up in Las Vegas, but he was born in Liberia, Africa.  He has been on his mission for 6 months.  We found some Liberians this week, some of whom knows Elder Wion's family and friends!  So that was a miracle!  

That is crazy that President Rosenlund is the new Stake President!!  He will do amazing!!  That is great that Elder Teh came. I bet it was really spiritually powerful.

That is good to hear that Grandpa is finally home!

As of right now we do not have any plans for Halloween. The ward is putting on a trunk or treat at the church on Wednesday.

I like that thought about prayer!  Prayer needs to be a 2 way conversation.  I like the expression  talking to God like someone talks to a friend.  Prayer needs to be personal.

I love you and I will email you again next week.

Love,

Elder Lakey

Transfer Week

This week has been a good week.  It is also transfer week.  Elder Evans is being transferred.  It was a bit of a surprised that he is leaving, he didn't stay in Durham that long, he is the only non-leader elder that is being transferred out of the zone.

I hope the work can continue to go well in Durham, there is a lot of potential here.  Elder Carlson of the Seventy at stake Conference said that there are 20,000 people in this stake that are willing to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The theme of the conference was Hastening the Work.  We did get a new stake president, I don't really know the new one, but he seems to be a very humble man.

I don't know what Elder Robert's plans are when he gets home other than that he will be looking for work.

That's great to hear that Grandma is now mobile again!

It is starting to get pretty out here, a lot of the leaves are still green though.

It seems like my sports teams are doing well while I am on my mission. I will just have to do a dvr sports marathon when I get home.

I like that thought, we had an investigator this week that wanted to know how The Church can help her out spiritually. We read  Moroni 6 with her. We explained it is impossible to keep our baptismal covenants without the sacrament.

I love and I will email you again next week.

Love,

Elder Lakey

A Durham Baptism in Durham

Things are going well in Durham.  Brother Durham got baptized!  He invited a friend to the baptism and when she came, we found out she was already a member! She was less active member who lived in the ward but wasn't on the ward roster, (you would be surprised how many people I have found on my mission who were members that lived in the ward but were not on the ward roster) and now she is going to church again!  So the baptism was basically a 2 in 1!

The temple and the movie were amazing!  There was another new temple video.  Every time I have gone on my mission it's been a different video.  I also got to see Elder Roberts that day, that will probably be the last time I will see him while he is a missionary.  Meet The Mormons was excellent! I would recommend it to everyone, and now I can say that I have watched South Park on my mission, because of the movie.

I'm glad to hear that Grandpa is doing better!  I have been praying for him and so has the mission President.  I know it isn't easy right now, but the Atonement gives us the strength to face our challenges and grow.  I know that is true on a mission, because I have felt it.  I know that Christ lives, because I have felt it and I know that this Gospel is true, because I have felt the effects of it in my life and other people's lives as well.

Elder Robbins talk was excellent! I do not know about the women's conference talk because I never saw it. Stake Conference is this week and we are getting a new Stake President and we are having 2 seventy coming.

That is good that Kiley and Josh are working.

The same day as Brother Durham's baptism on Saturday, my old companion Elder Brinkerhoff got married so that was pretty crazy!

I hope you are having a great week. I love you a ton!  

Love

Elder Lakey