September 11, 2017--starting to get a bit colder!

September 11, 2017

This week has been an awesome one! 

Wanted to give a special shout-out to last weeks birthday of Honto! Hope it was all amazing!

We've been seeing great miracles here! We are going through the process with one family to see when they can be baptized so we'll keep you updated on that in the future. Sometimes situations can be sensitive in this particular work.

Another family is doing great and came to church. We've got to go over to their house and probably cast out some unclean spirits as well as give one of them a blessing. They otherwise are doing well. Busy recently, but well!

We'll see what happens with our investigator who has moved here from Montreal. We've met with her twice and from what we can gather she was really close to coming to church yesterday!

This Sunday we took a trip up to the New Market church with our investigator who came the first time up there! She was amazing and the ward flocked to her! She's going to be a great member of the church! We'll keep you updated on her. Only met her once so far, but she has had significant refiners fire experiences and I believe is among the most prepared people to receive the Gospel I've met on my mission! The greatest obstacle with her is our kilometer limit to see her more frequently. So we'll see what hoops we can jump through to create more available kilometers!

Sad to hear about the Cougs loss seems like that rivalry is all but over... Oh well haha.

Hope all is well back there! One thing that is a little alarming here is that it is already starting to great pretty cold haha. Wasn't like this last year and from what we are hearing it might be a type of things to come haha.

One cool miracle this week was that we were sent to a home of a former investigator who said her mom had passed away that day. Unfortunately, in this case, didn't let us say anything before shutting the door. BUT was powerful evidence to me that we really are on the Lord's errand. I know when we follow promptings the Lord will send us where He wants us to be for the good of His children!

Also, something I've been thinking about a lot lately is how a weakness of mine especially out here is having a desire to get the last word(even if that is a nice last word). I believe there will come a power into our lives when we spiritually and humbly retreat and make ourselves vulnerable, and in many cases let others have the last word in our exchanges.

Again Happy birthday Honto!!! 

Love you all and hope you have a great week!T

I asked Steve what he wanted us to send him for his birthday and this

is what he said....

For my birthday I would love all of you to go out of your way to serve someone in the family and then serve someone (at school, or neighborhood, or work) that no one else would think to serve. And everyone practice saying salaam!

So everyone be thinking of people you can serve. Steve's birthday is on October 24 so you have a little time to think about it!

 Also, Elder Bakker and I have some Iranians convinced to teach us how to cook Iranian food so be excited for that!

I love you! I love this work and am so grateful I grew up in a home and family where I could learn these priceless and Eternal truths and Principles and receive irreplaceable Ordinances. Have a great week!

Sept 5, 2017

Sept 5,2017

Well not a ton of time again this week, I guess that's becoming a little bit of a habit.

 It's been an awesome week! We are seeing miracles every day and I really am just so grateful to be a part of this work!

This Monday we had a cool talk with an individual who really is prepared for the Gospel. He is Chinese Mandarin speaking. After exhausting all of Elder Bakker and I's Mandarin we got to talk to him a little. The spirit really touched his heart. One thing I noticed talking to him was that he often would feel the spirit as we testified of truth, and in some cases get choked up and say that was very nice, but then I saw quite literally his countenance change as he would say, but this is the real world, that can't be true here. This happened multiple times throughout the conversation. It was a powerful learning experience for me to think how often I feel the spirit of the truth of something that is true that seems like may be too good to be true. We also met with a sweet individual who simply believes that he cannot pray,  because he doesn't already believe in God. How much joy we will feel as we choose to recognize God's hands in our lives and recognize that His truth and His love really are all that we could want or even hope they could be and more than we truly can begin to fathom. How grateful I am for the Lord Jesus Christ and the opportunity I have to come to know Him.

     Our Taiwanese new member is doing great, and we had him sit in and help teach a lesson we had here in Toronto! It was cool, went okay, but was really cool!

    Our other individuals we are teaching here are doing great! One I may have mentioned we were teaching in Quebec moved here and now we are teaching her here! Many are progressing and doing very well! We also can't wait to find more the Lord is preparing for the Gospel!

     Yesterday we had interviews with President and Sister Shields. I always feel such powerful love from them anytime I am around them. I am so grateful the Lord has given me some time to be ministered to from them and learn from them.

     I love you all and hope all is well! Sounds like the first week of school was a blast for everyone! Have a great second week!

Steve's 1st Baptism! A guy in Taiwan!

Aug 30,2017

This week was awesome! We saw someone baptized in Taiwan! So cool! No time! Have a great week and love you all! Hope everyone is excited for school to start!

From Steve's mom,

So we got this recording from Steve explaining his baptism in Taiwan. They taught him over skype, and when he was getting baptized they got to watch it over skype. The guy who got baptized didn't speak Mandarine Chinese even though his baptismal service was in Mandarine. The missionaries serving there, in Taiwan, would translate the talks into English to Steve and his companion, then they would translate that into Farsi. At the end of the baptismal service,  they had the guy who got baptized give a talk. He gave it in Farsi to the Mandarine Chinese branch. Then Steve and his companion translated what he was saying over skype into English to the missionaries there in Taiwan, who then translated that into Chinese to the Branch. 

What a miracle technology can be!!

Hey, mom! Doesn't sound like things are going to calm down too much haha. Sounds like a hot soccer game and fun volleyball game, I can imagine the great entertainment of watching a bunch of kids that can't play volleyball haha. On the bright side when they learn how to play volleyball is super fun to watch!!

That's also too bad BYU's game didn't go so well! GLad they won though! Also great that Viewmont beat Davis!

That's great the Lube's got asked to Homecoming and even by who she wanted to be asked by! Tell her to enjoy that because that usually doesn't happen haha! Luke who??

This week was sure awesome with our Taiwan baptism! It'll be a week I never forget! I'm so grateful for flight benefits so I will be able to go see him(possibly others) and go to Iran one day(assuming safe)! Love you and have a great week!

Aug 14, 2017 Biking now, great workout for his knee!

Aug 14, 2017

THis week has been awesome!

We have seen a lot of great miracles this week! We have some people that have received answers to prayers about specific dates for baptism!! Some have committed, some haven't yet. We are having quite a few people come out to church and Elder Bakker is keeping them all thrilled with his Farsi translation!

     Also a big highlight this week was a Zone Conference! It was awesome and really focused on following up with all the "OYM"ing and helping us set better goals and more effectively plan! They showed us a few videos from the mission presidents training which was very powerful. One that I really felt the spirit during was a video of a bunch of recent converts of the last 2 months all saying "the missionaries found me..." I really felt the spirit. I know that this work is continuing and is going at exactly the pace that the Lord sees fit and is happening exactly as He desires! What a blessing it is to be a part of this work on the front lines!! I love it!

     This week/month we have been biking like crazy which is the greatest! This has led to a lot of saved Kilometers on our car and a lot more opportunities to talk to people! Also, we are getting great exercise and I'm sure it is great for my knee! Love it! So grateful for that!

     This morning we had some early morning sports which were super fun! I actually got to hit some tennis balls with another missionary! Good stuff!

       Also, we are getting some great Iranian food, we are trying to learn how to make some of it! I heard there were some restaurants back there which will be pretty sweet!

      Everything else here is amazing! We still are eating amazing and balling out at night with our nerf hoop. My 3 pointer has been blessed from that haha. I understand more and more Farsi and I am able to contribute more and more to our lessons and contacts with them!

     Love you all. Hope all is well and everyone is excited about fall! Have a great week!

July 24, 2017 Lots of new people to teach!!

Hello Family! This week has been incredible! We are seeing many miracles!

We have some great investigators right now all around the globe! Some here, Montreal, Taiwan, and who knows where is next! Crazy!

MPQ has been reading the B of M every night(3-4 pages) and coming to church and believes a Prophet is necessary today and wants to know what the purpose of life is, because no one has ever been able to answer that question for him.

LRT + EHI new from California where there great LDS friend majorly impacted there life, and they don't want to go anywhere but the Mormon church.

MPE wants to be baptized

UOR also wants to be baptized

JOU +UYH +DKE want to be sealed as soon as possible

HJO is reading the B Of M and feels that he/she has a great role to play in bringing friends back to the church and new ones into the church

A lot is happening, and we are seeing many miracles!

The Lord is blessing us immensely. I know that He is able to accomplish His work, that in reality I am not responsible nor capable to accomplish it. Only he can. I also know if I am worthy and work hard, He will allow me to be a part of His work, and greater peace and joy can be felt as I serve Him than in any other way or means. I know the Savior Jesus Christ is the only name and means whereby we can be saved and receive peace in this life, and Eternal Life in the world to come!

    This has been an incredible experience getting to talk with so many people that have completely different backgrounds culturally than myself. What a blessing! They are wonderful! The amount of love I have for the Iranian people is more than I can say with words, how I wish to become like them. Also I have been able to evaluate in a very real and personal way who the Jesus of Nazareth really is to me. For me I know that He truly is the literal Son of God, and my personal advocate with the Father. He will come and rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the Prince of Peace, and we cannot find the buoyant peace that comes from following, loving, receiving, knowing, and becoming one with and in Him anywhere else. I adore Him.

I love and miss you all and wish you the greatest week! I hope the Missionary Training Center and Seven Peaks, and everything else has been wonderful! I also recently have been thinking how grateful I really am to have been born and raised in the family that I was born and raised in. What power comes in lives when love and Priesthood authority and power are ever present in our homes. This is true religion. How grateful I am to share that here with all I have to give at this time.

Canada Day! July 3, 2017

Hello blessed family! I hope all is well back in the blessed land of Utah! Here is quite blessed as well!

   We have definetly had some major attitude adjustments(especially me). I think last week was a climax of quite a bit of stress, and a lot of new and challenging circumstances. I appreciate your love and support!

    This week has been incredible! We have switched an attitude of talking to everyone we see to going WAY out of our way to see more people that we can talk to. And we are finding a lot more Persians!! And it defiantly helps that my Farsi is improving so I can talk with them a little bit and make sure we have a Gospel invitation in every contact! We start every contact(or at least a lot) with a "shoma farsi belidid" aka "do you speak farsi'? And actually that works well, and we ask everyone who they know that is Persian, and people know a lot of Persians, and give us a lot of referals that way to try!

     We had some powerful lessons with X, Y, Z. And they aer doing amazing!! Some really are close to being ready to commite to baptismal dates!! Also finding a ton more Persians that we are currently teaching or will be teaching soon! It's crazy! I've never been happier! I'm reminded of the thought from someone that sometimes in this mortal journey we will be filled with hope, and at times we will be filled with a degree of despair. I am so grateful for this and am thrilled for the "effectual struggles" still to be had here and beyond!

     Also a member family of ours is doing very well and has some goals set with Bishop to go to the Temple in September to perform baptisms and confirmations for some anscestors who have passed on, and then a short time later to be sealed as a family! It's incredible! They have a son who is 17 and sweet, and is fellowshipping one of our soon-to-be investigators who came to church this Sunday! And is going to bring some friends to sports night!

    One super cool miracle this week was that we were referered to this street, tracted, and second house someone was so surprised that we spoke Farsi, and was semi-interested. But he gave us a referral of his best friend who he said he would sit in on lessons with, address andall. Well in a totally different area about 30 minutes later we talked to a Persian delivering pizza, and guess what, found out same friend that had just been referred! He also said he would text us a bunch of people that we could teach!

     We are seeing miracles all around and I've never been happier! I know thi s work is true!

And actually today we are back in my old stomping grounds in downtown Toronto because the Zone Leaders wanted to bike here and spend the day! It has been a blast so far! It's also pretty nuts because we are biking in one of the biggest cities in North America!

Anyway hope all is well! I am so grateful for you love and prayers, you are always in mine! Have a wonderful  week!

The Bauer's are a family that Steve's mom taught the gospel to while she was serving her mission in Hungary!

I am so proud that Steve remembered a word in Hungarian!
EGESZEGDRE!! means " BLESS YOU" you say that after someone sneezes!!

THis week has been great!

One thing I forgot was that a while a go we ran into a Hungarian who knows the Bauers, his name is Erno glonczi. I believe he said he was in there stake, and has recently moved here to Canada!

Canada Day was awesome! The Richmond Hill Ward had a great breakfast which was a good time! We also heard a lot of fireworks after we went into our apartment!

Church yesterday was great! 

We had the holiday weekend here which means yesterday was a holiday so we get to email today on the 4th! Happy 4th of july!

We can't wait to see the miracles that will come here!

Have a great week! I love and miss you!

Hard Week!!

It's been an pretty difficult week this week.

We have seen lots of miracles though!

The work goes on, and I know that it is real and true.

I am grateful that I get to be a missionary at this time!

Have a wonderful week and know that I love you!