Week 104: "I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord commanded me"

Hello Family,

Scripture of the week:  Alma 29:9-10, these verses really just describe how i feel about my mission. Ive been putting off writing this email cause i really dont know what to say, cause my mind is every direction right now, so i hope this all makes sense. 

Alma 29:9-10

9- I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and i glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but i glory in that which the lord commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps i may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.

10- And behold, when i see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do i remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yah, then do i remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me. 

 

i dont know how to adequately portray how i feel about the past two years of my life, but those verses are pretty close to it. What greater way to express how you feel than through scripture right? 

What a glorious two years we have all had together. I say together even though we have been so far apart, because this has truly been a family affair. I will forever be grateful for the love and support i have recieved from the whole lot of you. I have recieved so much strength from the letters and emails you all send me each week. That will be something that i will really miss. I have learned to love each of you in a different way than i ever thought possible. I have learned to love our Father in Heaven, i have learned to love OUR Savior, i do love him with all my heart. I have learned that this gospel is without a doubt true. I have learned so many amazing things, i dont have time to write them all now, but will be able to spend the rest of my life telling you of all i learned while serving in this capacity. 

My feelings and emotions are mixed, but i do look forward to seeing you all very soon. I have been able to take time the past few days and ponder on my mission, and im so grateful for every single secong of it. Im not sure where it went, cause it went way to fast, but i am so grateful for it. This morning in my studies i was reading some old journal entries, and it caused me to reflect, and i was thinking "have i done all i could? have i accomplished all i was sent here to do?" and after i thought this i had one of the most precious spiritual moments ive ever had in my life, and the spirit told me that i truly have accomplished all my father sent me here to New-England to do. Has it been easy? no way! But nothing that is worth your time will ever be easy. i am just so grateful for the past 2 years. Thank you for being here with me the whole way. 

Alright enough rambling. Time to talk about this week. 

Wow what a week. Monday night a huge snow storm rolled in. It totally rocked the whole state of Vermont. But the part of the state that got hit the worst was Windsor county which is right where we are. We got i think about a foot and a half of snow. It snowed all day tuesday. Most the day wednesday, most the day Thursday. Also we got some freezing rain, nasty wind, and anything else you can think of might come with a winter storm. so our cars were grounded till thursday morning. Needless to say it was really just an eventful week. The power has been out all over. All week we kept losing power at our cabin. We have been with out power here at the memorial up until about an hour ago. It has really just been an eventful week. Luckily we have generators here at the memorial so we could still run our lights for all to feel of the spirit of christmas. Friday night we were on duty, and we counted 316 people who cam eand saw the lights. It was great to get to talk to that many people about the savior in just one day. Because of no power at the church they were going to cancel it. But they decided to hold it here in the visitors center. It was really tight quarters but was truly an amazing meeting. i felt like the saints of the early church just meeting together in a small meeting room. but the most important thing was being able to partake of the sacrament, and we got to do that, so that is really all that matters. 

So thursday the storm broke enough for us to have a lesson with Jeremy one last time before i go. we had a great lesson with him at the Feeneys home. He is now rescheduled to be baptized on January 17. It will be a great day when he gets to enter the waters of baptism and covenant with our Heavenly Father. 

also on thursday someone backed in to our car and made a crunched mess out of my brand new chevy cruze rear bumper. But no one was hurt so that is the most important thing. 

All in all it was a good last week as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. i love this work. 

So now for this week. Tomorrow we leave to transfer meeting at 745 in the morning. we then will have TM where all of us going home will get to give our "golden truths" which is just the most important thing we have learned on our missions. After TM all of us who are going home get to go to the temple with president and sister stoker. we will then have dinner and a testimony meeting, then we will lay in bed not able to sleep then wednesday who knows what will happen till we have to go to the airport to fly home. Then i will sit on a plan for who knows how long and will try to sleep but probably wont be able to. then finally the plane will touch down in SLC. There will be a million missionaries and a million families so itl be super wild and crazy, but itll be a truly fantastic day. i do look forward to seeing all of you and giving you all a big ol hug. i love you all so much. Just so you know, Elder and Sister Pettingill who were in the office with me might be at the airport to meet all of you. I hope that is ok, they are really special people to me and they asked if they could be there and i told them they could. So they might be there. 

So i just want to share one last testimony with you as a missionary. 

I know that we are children of a loving Father in Heaven. i love him. I know we have a savior in our older brother Jesus. He is the Christ. I love him. I know Joseph saw both of them, and that because he answered the call to serve we have the knowledge of them that we have today. I know families can be together forever. i know this gospel to be true, every last jot and tittle. 

love you all so much. 

HOLD TO THE ROD

Elder Quinton Joseph Zilles

Week 103: The Blessings of a mission

Hello Family, 

Scripture of the week: Alma 26:3 The Blessings of a mission. 

Well my wonderful family, anyone who says 2 years is a long time is decieved, because it is not long at all. Just gonna tell you now, but i probably wont talk too much about coming home in this weeks email, but dont worry i do look forward to see yall i just dont feel like crying right now, so ill not really talk about it and ill just cry later. 

So this week was good. I had the opportunity to go to Essex on exchange. It was precious. It was in a way like Heavenly Father saying that he is proud of me and the work ive done and he wanted to show me the fruits of my labors. I got to go see Brian and we were talking and he said "had you not been on a mission here i probably wouldnt have been baptized" now i dont think that is true, because he was very prepared so he most likely would have been baptized anyway, but it was still humbling to hear him say that. Also got to see Elvis and Catholic Pam. Both very good friends. Since i left Elvis stopped meeting with the elders and is very anti god in any way. But we had a lesson with him and at the end i ask him to pray and he actually did it. It is very humbling to be the instrument that our Father works through to touch the lives of his children. The greatest gift of my life. I love this gospel. 

While i was on exchange, Elder Adams and Elder Parry met with our investigator and had a good lesson, he feels he needs to be more prepared for baptism so he is no longer scheduled for this weekend. Which is what is best. Wish i could be here to see it, but all that really matters is he is ready and fully prepared to make that sacred covenant with our Heavenly Father.  

This week will be good. My last exchange ever will be with Elder Guinn, so thatll be sweet. today we are going bowling for district pday. And then the rest of the week is going to fly by far too fast. But im just going to give 110% till i get on the plane. and then i will probably crash, but thats ok im giving it all i have to give. Elder Adams tried to tell me it would be ok to let up a bit this last week so i wasnt so tired when i get home. I told him that was hogwash and that there is no reason to ever slow down and let up in the lords work. He has never let up on us, so why on earth would we ever let up on him. 

Grateful to hear the first week of Christmas in weston went well. Glad you got fred and Ruth all set up. they are such good people. 

Mom dont worry about having everything perfect. Dont worry about cleaning the barn, i have no problem cleaning the barn when i get home. Itll be good to get my hands dirty again. So please dont stress so much. Im not a celebrity coming home, just your son, so dont stress so much. 

Grandpa Don is such an amazing man. I will have to make sure to drop him a note today. 

Well Family, sorry this is short once again, im not sick this week, but my mind is just racing a million different directions so i hope you understand. 

Sure do love you all. 

Hold to the Rod

Elder Zilles

Week 102: The Lights are on!

Hello Family, 

Scripture of the week: D&C 84:119

I feel i have really seen this on my mission. 

 

For I, the Lord, have put forth my hand to exert the powers of heaven; ye cannot see it now, yet a little while and ye shall see it, and know that I am, and that I will come and reign with my people.

 

 

 

Well i am happy to hear all is well back home. Sounds like turkey day went well and you all had a good ol time. 
The new car looks pretty sick, i look forward to being able to take it for a spin. you gotta watch out for a couple of sales men like dad and mike, they will get ya every time, but we love them anyway. Thank you so so sos much for letting me drive the hyundai when i first get home, that was one thing that i was really worrying about. so now that i dont have to worry about a car situation that is just one less thing i have to worry and fret about. This going home thing is the absolute hardest mixed emotion thing i have ever faced in my life. Ive been trying to just remain in denial of the whole thing, but ive decided that probably isnt too healthy so i better just give it my all till then end and just accept that it is about over. So to help with that i would appreciate it if you would send me the schedule for the first few weeks when i get home. Also could you send me my class schedule and as much as i dont want to ask for them, could you send me my flight times and all of that good jazz. Wow you would think i was a missionary or something having to know every little detail of every day. What have i become? oh well gotta love it guess my mission really has changed me. 

So thanksgiving was good here in So Ro. Ate lots and lots of food, way too much to be honest, but it was very good. The day before thanksgiving we got 10 inches of snow, so thanksgiving morning i made elder adams get up early and we came up here and shoveled out the memorial before anyone else was awake. We then ate here at the memorial. Then we had a suprise call from Prue Pease who is the one i talked about shoveling horse poop with, and she invited us over as well. so we ended up having 3 full meals. I think i might still be full from that feast. But all in all it was just a good time. 

Friday and saturday was the lighting ceremony, that was just amazing. So good to see the Gregs. Love those  people so much.

Brother Gregory Came to the lighting ceremony

Well sorry this is so short. Im not feeling top notch today, hopefully im not coming down with something. But youll get over it any detqails i missed ill just tell you in 17 days. Holy crap that is gonna go fast. 

Hold to the Rod
Love ya 
Elder Zilles