Week 79: 18 months!

Hey Family,

Scripture of the week: Actually it’s a quote this week...

 

"It is by giving our whole hearts to the master and keeping his commandments that we come to know him. in time, through the power of the atonement our hearts are changed and we can become like him" Henry B. Eyring

"Brothers and Sisters, we have a loving Heavenly Father who has designed our earthly existence so that we can individually learn the lessons we need to learn to qualify for eternal life in his presence" Richard Maynes.

 

well hello there. Sounds like it has been quite the eventful week on the home front. Sounds like all in all everyone is doing pretty well. Prayers are with gram this week for sure as she starts chemo. Prayers are also with gram and gramp Z.

 

So as you know this week I hit my 18 month mark. And in all honesty it sucked. I can’t believe I only have 6 more months to serve in this capacity. I don’t know what I'm going to do when this is over, this has totally become who I am. But I’m not gonna worry about it till I get on that plane in 6 months. Till then I’m going to give everything I’ve got to my Father in Heaven. Day in and day out ill give all I can. I truly mean that. I will leave New England with no regrets.

 

So transfer calls come this week. I’m not looking forward to them. As I worry about leaving Bedford. Zone Leaders usually move around a bit more than other missionaries. but we will just have to wait and see what happens. Had a dream that I got to go back to Newport. That would be the coolest thing ever. News about that will be here next week. Elder Holley and I have seen many a miracle here in Bedford, it’s been such a blessing serving here. Amazing how each area turns into your new home if you but let it.

 

Not too much new stuff happened this week. We just did work. Saturday we rode our bikes and helped them with some yard work. It always feels really good to get into work clothes and get dirty.

Sure do love you all though.

 

I too am very grateful for the priesthood and the blessings we have available to us because of it. Always utilize that power in your lives!

 

Love ya

Hold to the Rod

Elder Zilles

Week 78: The Silver Bullet

Hello Family,

Scripture of the week: Alma 48: 7-17

Well Happy late father’s day. Ooops I’m a bit of a slacker. I hope it was a fantastic day. It was a beautiful day here in the hamp so I hope it was the same back home. Sounds like all in all it was a good week on the home front.

 

I am happy to report that this week was much better than last week. Things here in Bedford are still just rolling right along. We found some more new investigators this week. I’m starting to feel pretty spoiled here with so many people. I don’t know what I will do when I have to adjust back to a booney area, where people don’t even exist. But whatever happens that is where I am meant to be.

 

So this week I was on exchange with an elder on the other side of Manchester. He is really really quiet as is his companion, so they struggle talking with people, which leads to a bit of a lack of people to teach. So I decided going into the exchange that we were just going to work our butts off and we were going to find them some people to teach. So that is exactly what we did. They are in a walking area, so we walked all day. We walked from one side of their area to the next and back. by the end of the day we had found them 15 potential investigators. That should be enough for them to work with for at least a couple of weeks. I hope that the elder I was with has now learned the value of talking with everybody that we see. Everyone always asks for the silver bullet in missionary work. there really isn’t one, but if there were something that was close to the silver bullet, it would be talking with everyone and being wicked bold.

 

The coolest experience from this week happened just last night. We met a guy on the street and taught him the restoration. He has had a rough life, like most whom we meet, but this guy seems different. As we taught he kept smiling. Well when we got to the first vision, he got the biggest smile on his face and was just totally on fire. We invited him to be baptized right there and he accepted the invitation without hesitation. It was just so amazing to see what the spirit of the first vision did for that man. The only down part is he lives in another area so we had to send his info on as a referral and won’t get to teach him anymore, but it was still just really neat.

 

An 8 year old in the ward was baptized yesterday, but the font wasn’t working, so guess who got to bucket water into the font? yup you are correct elder Holley and elder Zilles did. It was an interesting experience. Oh the memories of a mission.

Mom as far as your talk this week, you will know what to say. If there were one thing I want you to say it would be that Elder Zilles knows that Joseph smith is a prophet of god.

 

Well guys I sure do love you

Hope you have a fantastic week

Hold to the Rod

Elder Zilles

Week 77: White Trash Mexican Soup

Hey Family,

Scripture of the week: Alma 31:5 Alma 37:38-47

No matter how bad the day may seem to be, please dont forget to read the Book of Mormon, it will always change your day i promise you that. 

Well it is so good to hear from you. Sounds like its been quite the week once again. Great to hear Pickle gave such a great talk. Still crazy to think he he is home already. the time goes far too fast. 

That is great sam and the family are coming out give them all a hug for me. Also give grandma and grandpa B and Z big hugs for me. Happy to hear gram found a place that she like for treatment. She is still continually in my prayers. Grandma BL needs to be careful. I dont know how much more news like that i can handle. Please everyone just be careful. Say your prayers and read your scriptures, and remember that if we are living right, no matter what happens all will be well in the end. ill be looking forward to a package from grandma Z. My prayers will be with megan and her family at this time as well. 

Well dont let me depress you with this email, and dont worry about me im doing just fine, its really just been a downer week here in the NHMM. In the last 10 days 5 missionaries have gone home. Its just been really rough. 2 for health reasons and 3 for disobedience. two of the disobedient ones are some of my very best friends in the mission, so that has been really hard this week. i still love them to death, but i just wanna smack them in the face for being stupid and then give them a big hug and tell them i still love them, but goodness soemtimes people just do stupid stupid things. Obedience is key, just be obedient and all will be fine. 

We had a media split weekend here in the mission this week. That means that the members would come out with us and take  a picture with us and then put it on FB or twitter and tell about their experience. We were super stoked for this, so we set up like 12 appointments for those days, and had members all lined up. well only 1 of the 12 people were home for their appointment. It was really frustrating. But oh well life goes on. 

ok thats enough depressing thoughts. 

we had two baptisms yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!! You are probably like wait what is he talking about. so let me give you the details. we have been teaching a couple named bill and kelley turner. they moved here from nashua which is like 10 minutes away from bedford, but is in the boston mission. well they started being taught in nashua and we couldnt get them to come to our ward so we just decided to work with them get them baptized and then let the bishop deal with it. So they were baptized in the nashua ward yesterday. Its pretty cool. We didnt get to go but all that matters is they were baptized. We did all the teaching and the boston elders got to be at the baptism. Still just a great thing for them to be baptized though. 

We had a sweet mormon helping hands project this week. painted a fence at a cemetery in manchester that was pretty fun. 

So this week i made an interesting dish in the crock pot i names it "white trash mexican soup" It actually tasted really good, it just looked weird. But that is what happens when you just pull random stuff out of the apartment. 

1 can carrots 

1 can black beans

1 can cream of chicken

1 can cream of mushroom 

3 chicken breasts.

Serve atop some rice, it tastes pretty good. 

Our landlord is wicked cool and he got a grill this week and let us use it that was pretty fun as well. 

I was studying this week and it really hit me hard how much i know this gospel to be true. I reflected back on my setting apart when i was told that on my mission i would gain a greater testimony of joseph smith. I can now say that i KNOW he saw what he said he saw. I have of course never met the man, but i feel like i have a personal relationship with him. Its a really neat feeling that i cant really describe. But most importantly that leads me to a personal relationship with my savior who loves each of us perfectly. 

 The church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is 100% true

Love you all

Hold to the rod

Elder Toner 

Week 76: the longer you're out...the shorter the Emails

Hello Family,

 

 

Scripture of the week: D&C 121:33

I am happy to hear that things on the home front are going better and better each day. Before i forget, my package got to me, thank you so much. Mom i loved your letter and dad i loved yours as well. I will try to reply to them both this afternoon.

 

So this week has been great. we had such an amazing time with the proselyting people. They are truly inspired men, they trained us on new ways of teaching and can i just tell you they are going to change my mission. I wish i had known the things they taught us 18 months ago, but hey I guess it’s better late than never. It’s hard to explain the changes that are happening, but to sum it up, we will now be teaching all of our lessons in no more than 15 minutes, no more hour long lessons. Its gonna be so fantastic.

 

It was so great to get to see the polls one time before they head home in a few weeks. I love those two so much. Don’t tell anyone else, but elder wells and I are definitely the favorites. They spoil us so much. I love the eternal friends we get to meet on our missions. Elder Wells and i had a good time driving in the van for forever. We have devised and evil plan to make us companions. So don’t be surprised when it happens, that will be the best companionship ever.

 

We had dinner with the stokers again last night. Ah they are so amazing. I love them to death. Heavenly father knows exactly who we need in our life at the right time. President has truly changed my life and i will be eternally grateful to him for that. I hope you all get to meet him someday when they get home.

 

Don’t really have any updates on my investigators this week. Sorry my emails are pretty boring lately. I’ve always heard that the longer you are out the shorter your email will get. And sadly that is happening. But it doesn’t mean that I love yall any less. Don’t worry though I will fill you in on all of the details you missed when I get home. I mean we gotta have something to talk about when get off the plane.

 

 

Well guys I love you all so much

Have a great week

Hold to the rod

Elder Toner

Week 75: both sides of the veil

Dear Family,

Scripture of the week: 2 Kings 6:16-17

I know ive shared this one before, but this week i came across is again along with these two quotes and it gave me such great strength, so here ya go i hope it helps yall as much as it helped me.

"our father in heaven has set heavenly beings to watch over us and to guard us from the attacks of evil powers while we live on the earth. Angels attend us wherever our duty causes us to go. When trouble comes upon us and we thing we have been deserted let us think of the heavenly companions whom god has assigned us"

James E Talmage

"In the gospel of Jesus Christ you have help from both sides of the veil and you must never forget that. When disappointment and discouragement strike, you remember and never forget that if our eyes could be opened we would see horses and chariots of fire as far as the eye can see riding at reckless speed to come to our protection"

Elder Holland

Well that is great news about my gram. Ive never prayed so hard in my life as i have been praying this week. So it did my heart good to get on and read that she is home from the hospital. Here is a note for her GRANDMA DONT BE STUPID! LISTEN TO THE DRS TAKE TIME TO REST AND RECOVER! I LOVE YOU!

Well this week has been pretty good. Lots of rain here in our end, i keep praying for it to get sent back home where it is actually needed, so i hope you have been getting some rain. We are just still here working our butts off. Still trying to get adam off the cigs. Please add him to your prayers, as he really needs the extra help to stop. We have had to push his date to the end of june. No new updates on Johny boy. We found him via a mamber family, he was dating a member of the ward, they are not dating anymore, but he is still just so solid.

 We found a new family this week from armania,  They are super coool and i feel they might be that golden family that we have been looking for. They dont believe in god, but seriously want to. Its gonna be so great to get to work with them.

So this week is going to be crazy. We have some visitors coming to the mission. The head of the church Proselyting department is coming for a few days, and tomorrow is coming out with elder holley and i. Wednesday i am driving the mission van to essex to pick missionaries up for leadership training on thursday. Wednesday night we will have 10 elders at our place. Thursday the meeting and then drive back to vermont. Its gonna be sweet. Elder Wells got made assistant this week, so its super cool to have him right here with us now. I will be going back to essex with him this week. We need more missionaries like he and i in this mission, there are to many softy city boys, country boys are how things need to go.

Happy summer break! make the best of it. I sure do love you all so much

Love always

Hold to the rod

Elder Zilles

Week 74: Promise of a glorious Resurrection

Hello Family,

Scripture of the Week: Mosiah 2:41, Romans 8:28

I hope this email finds you all in high spirits and that something i say will bring peace and comfort to all of you! Honestly i dont know what to say. I am very grateful that you contaacted elder Poll. Im not sure why he didnt call me himself, but he had president call me instead, which was just fine. Im not going to lie though yesterday was one of the hardest days of my mission, as i couldnt do anything but think about gram. As soon as president called i started a fast, so it wasnt a full fast, but i figured that what ever i could do was better than nothing. I am very grateful to hear that the Drs have been able to pretty well figure out what is going on with gram. I hope that what ever route they take with her, it will just make her comfortable and she will be happy and at peace. It would be amazing to be with her on this earth for forever, but we will all leave this mortal behind someday. But we have the promise of a glorious ressurection. Y

esterday morning i woke up with  a scripture about the resurrection on my mind, it was before i even got the call. But i just want to share my testimony that i know that no matter what happens, if we all live how we are supposed to, we will be with gram for eternity. Families really are eternal. I am so grateful for this gospel. I have always been grateful that gram and gramps joined the church, but things like this make me even more glad that we are all sealed together in the temple of god. Any chance any of you get to go to the temple this week will be amazing and will bring you all great great peace. Just know that each of you are in my prayers constantly. i will send grandpa an email, so let him know that he needs to check it.

 

So i did not get a transfer call this week, so that means another 6 weeks in bedford with elder holley. Its truly a blessing, as we are really having things moving along very well rihgt now. So we have this friend named johny, he is 16 and is the most prepared person i have met on my entire mission, only problem is his dad is big in the catholic church and is some like minister of some kind, but johny wants to be a mormon. So thursday night i get a call from johny and he said "Elder Zilles i really dont want you to get transferred. If you dont get transferred will you baptize me" It was one of the sweetest moments of my mission. So i am so glad i am not getting transferred. I called him the morning after transfer calls to tell him the good news and he was like "God knew you still had work to do here". Missionary work is just awesome.

 

Well guys i love you all so much. Im gonna go write gram and gramps an email, so i am sorry this is a bit shorter. But just know that i love you all and that the gospel is true. Families are forever. Dont forget that!

Hold to the rod

Elder Zilles

Week 73: Post phone call

Hey Errybody,

Scripture of the week: Jacob 2:8

Well you guys are all just so amazing. It was fantastic to get to talk to you yesterday. That one hour always just goes by way to fast. The hour while Elder Holley was on with his family seemed to last forever, but when i was on with you guys it was the fastest hour of my life. It was so great to see all your bright smiles and hear your voices. I sure have been blessed with an amazing family, and just amazing support on the home front. Love you all so much.

I am so gald grandma let everyone give her a blessing. The power of the priesthood is an amazing thing. And it is so cool to think that i have a whole family full of men who are worthy to exercise that priesthood when the time comes that they need to use it. We all must always stay worthy and be ready to use it whenever we are called upon.

Before i forget, i need to thank Grandma Zilles for the package she sent me a few weeks ago. Grandma thank you so much. I love the tie.

So you ask about the weather here, it is warm. Looks like today will sit in the 70s or so. Really am loving the fact that the snow is gone, but not so excited for the humidity when it gets here, but cant complain, cause the snow is gone.

Im trying to think of what else happened this week that we didnt talk about yesterday....

Well zone meeting went super great. we did a sweet training on planning for and working towards and then expecting miracles, it was a really fun training to give. Mission leadership meeting was super great. Always love that meeting.  It keeps us entertained. But i also always love how spiritual they are.

Baby Rev is a cute little guy. should be fun meeting all of the new little babies when i get home.

Well poop im out of time. The office staff needs the computers. So sorry this is a short one this week. Thanks for the great talk yesterday. I sure do love you guys.

Hold to the rod
Elder Zilles