This entry is an entry from one day that I sent Ammon a note and just mentioned in it how awesome I thought he was, I am the mom and a bit biased, but really he is I think. Here is his reply, I wanted to share it with everyone (he didn't know I was going to) because it made me cry, again probably because I am the mom. It just shows to me how much he has grown and what he has gained so far from his mission and his service. His head and heart are in the right spot. Oh, it starts out with what he needs some specific prayers on, I asked him what HE needed as I felt I was just praying for general things.
Here is what I wrote:
"give me something specific to pray about for you, I feel like I am just offering a general prayer in your behalf and want to be more specific. YOU sound like you are flying high and loving every minute, your blessings are coming to light, you are doing well and blessing others around you. You are an amazing person, I always knew it."
His Reply:
"You can pray for me to be more focused. The truth is i'm not an amazing person. I have many inadaquacies (including spelling ha ha) i have many short comings. I am weak and frail. The only reason i'm having succes is through the atonement and turning to the Lord. Through our Savoir Jesus Christ all my short comings are long enough all my inadequacies are adequate, through my God i am strong and unwavering. I am a simple person but through my Redeemer great things can come about through me i'm merely a tool that has many weak points that the Lord knows how to use."
See wasn't that worth sharing?
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
August 13, 2008
Hey family and friends,
Thanks Bartholomews for the package I Loved it! Thank you Jenn for letter it is by far the most creative one i've recieved ... it took me 1minute and 28 seconds to put the pages together. :)
Olney is going good i love it out here. They weather has been a bit better the last week. Upper 80's instead of 90's so nice! I played cricket for the first time there is a recent convert in our ward named Indi and she is from Sri Lanka and her family loves playing so we played with them it was so fun. I'm really not good at it at all but its fun to play.
So we had the most amazing day yesterday the Lord was guiding us everywhere. We got 7 new investigators! Elder Brooks and I were shocked the Lord had prepared these people for us it was so great. I'm really excited to teach them. So Monday we cut up a tree it was so fun i love service out here. There is a family in our ward and they are remodeling and the wife got up in the attic and wired up the can lights in her kitchen. Then we she was getting out of the attic she slipped fell through the ceiling and fell 9 feet to straight concrete ... she broke her leg and was in the hospital a week. During this time a huge storm came and broke a big limb off their tree ha ha they are kinda struggling. Anyway it was good to cut up their tree.
K yesterday while we were tracting we say a 4 point deer!! I was so blown we were walking down this huge driveway and all of the sudden we see it and it looks at us and bounds away it was so great. I've also seen a coyote and a thousand squirrels and bunnies. Its exciting everytime.
OH! So there is this less active in our ward named Jerry and he is the most amazing man. He used to work on mines and lilitary anti-personell wepons, then he decided he didn't like that went back to school and studied medicine taught at NYU and then started working again and invented the vaccine for whooping cough! He is so brilliant he has two or three majors a phd and all sorts of amazing and he was so humble about it all.
So the latest on Matt we are working with him and he is committed to keeping the law of chastity, and the Word of Wisdom, he is so great and so humble he says he hasn't received an answer to his prayer to know if the BOM is true but feels at peace with everything more than he ever has before. He said he just knows everything will work out in his life and feels at peace with it all. I call that faith but you know. We will be issuing a baptism date soon.
We are teaching a recovering alcoholic named kathy and she is so great. She is so humble. She is truly searching for the truth. I hope she will have the faith to find it. I love this work and the chance i have to help people change their lives i'm so grateful i have been given the chance to stand by and watch as the spirit converts people. I hope i can find more people to hear the word, people who are humble enough to recognize truth and feel the spirit of God.
I love you all talk to you next week
-Elder Ammon Medina
Thanks Bartholomews for the package I Loved it! Thank you Jenn for letter it is by far the most creative one i've recieved ... it took me 1minute and 28 seconds to put the pages together. :)
Olney is going good i love it out here. They weather has been a bit better the last week. Upper 80's instead of 90's so nice! I played cricket for the first time there is a recent convert in our ward named Indi and she is from Sri Lanka and her family loves playing so we played with them it was so fun. I'm really not good at it at all but its fun to play.
So we had the most amazing day yesterday the Lord was guiding us everywhere. We got 7 new investigators! Elder Brooks and I were shocked the Lord had prepared these people for us it was so great. I'm really excited to teach them. So Monday we cut up a tree it was so fun i love service out here. There is a family in our ward and they are remodeling and the wife got up in the attic and wired up the can lights in her kitchen. Then we she was getting out of the attic she slipped fell through the ceiling and fell 9 feet to straight concrete ... she broke her leg and was in the hospital a week. During this time a huge storm came and broke a big limb off their tree ha ha they are kinda struggling. Anyway it was good to cut up their tree.
K yesterday while we were tracting we say a 4 point deer!! I was so blown we were walking down this huge driveway and all of the sudden we see it and it looks at us and bounds away it was so great. I've also seen a coyote and a thousand squirrels and bunnies. Its exciting everytime.
OH! So there is this less active in our ward named Jerry and he is the most amazing man. He used to work on mines and lilitary anti-personell wepons, then he decided he didn't like that went back to school and studied medicine taught at NYU and then started working again and invented the vaccine for whooping cough! He is so brilliant he has two or three majors a phd and all sorts of amazing and he was so humble about it all.
So the latest on Matt we are working with him and he is committed to keeping the law of chastity, and the Word of Wisdom, he is so great and so humble he says he hasn't received an answer to his prayer to know if the BOM is true but feels at peace with everything more than he ever has before. He said he just knows everything will work out in his life and feels at peace with it all. I call that faith but you know. We will be issuing a baptism date soon.
We are teaching a recovering alcoholic named kathy and she is so great. She is so humble. She is truly searching for the truth. I hope she will have the faith to find it. I love this work and the chance i have to help people change their lives i'm so grateful i have been given the chance to stand by and watch as the spirit converts people. I hope i can find more people to hear the word, people who are humble enough to recognize truth and feel the spirit of God.
I love you all talk to you next week
-Elder Ammon Medina
August 6, 2008
Dear Friends and Family,
thank you to those who sent me letters I'm trying to write back but have very little letter time to do so, so i'll get to all of you in time.
This week was pretty much the same old same old. We tracted a lot! six hours yesterday. Its been pretty hot out here upper 90's and high humidity but its been ok. So we are teaching a lot more so thats really good.
Oh so a ward member gave us this stuff that turns your pee blue and Elder Brooks, Indi ( a recent convert), and a couple other ward members and i drank it. It was so funny. I took a picture ha ha. My pee was blue so weird!
Anyways, we are teaching 3 people consistently now and two we just picked up recently. K the first is Matt he is 19 and dating a member of our ward who just got back from BYU-I she is 19 and living with her parents. He is such a good investagtor he was at church sunday he is keeping all his commitments and we are extending a date to him tomorrow! I'm so excited! The girl he is dating is named Amber and her parents are the same way he wasn't a member and he investigated the church because of her and became a member and is such a strong member he is president of the High Priest Quorum.
K next is Kathy. We tracted into Kathy and she wanted to talk. We came back the next day with a member and taught a great first. The spirit was so strong she told us she is a recovering alcoholic and is lost and is looking for the truth. We asked her how she felt and she said she felt really good about our message she even believes Joseph Smith could have seen Heavenly Father she is so perfect we came at the perfect time in her life. I'm sure not by accident.
Thirdly is Yolanda. (yes she is black)
We tracted into her too. She wasn't all that intrested at the door but we kinda pushed her and she set up an appointment. We came back with a member named Erik Bloom ( just turned in his papers) and we asked her why she was intrested in meeting with us she said she always has admired the courage of missionaries to knock on doors and get rejected. She told us she met with some before and that she is looking for a church for her family. We taught the resoration and she was almost in tears it was so cool. She felt the spirit so strong. We are going back next week. I know she will be baptised. The only thing is she is moving to virginia and sadly we wont' be able to meet with her anymore. She was so good tho she honestly committed herself to read the book of mormon. and to come to church. She even prayed at the end and it was the best prayer i've ever heard from an investigotar she just sounded mormon Ha ha.
Well I love all you guys see you next week ps I'm very frustrated with the uneffectivness of tracting if anyone has suggestions please let me know. I know its neccesary and i will keep knocking just curious for suggestions. k bye
thank you to those who sent me letters I'm trying to write back but have very little letter time to do so, so i'll get to all of you in time.
This week was pretty much the same old same old. We tracted a lot! six hours yesterday. Its been pretty hot out here upper 90's and high humidity but its been ok. So we are teaching a lot more so thats really good.
Oh so a ward member gave us this stuff that turns your pee blue and Elder Brooks, Indi ( a recent convert), and a couple other ward members and i drank it. It was so funny. I took a picture ha ha. My pee was blue so weird!
Anyways, we are teaching 3 people consistently now and two we just picked up recently. K the first is Matt he is 19 and dating a member of our ward who just got back from BYU-I she is 19 and living with her parents. He is such a good investagtor he was at church sunday he is keeping all his commitments and we are extending a date to him tomorrow! I'm so excited! The girl he is dating is named Amber and her parents are the same way he wasn't a member and he investigated the church because of her and became a member and is such a strong member he is president of the High Priest Quorum.
K next is Kathy. We tracted into Kathy and she wanted to talk. We came back the next day with a member and taught a great first. The spirit was so strong she told us she is a recovering alcoholic and is lost and is looking for the truth. We asked her how she felt and she said she felt really good about our message she even believes Joseph Smith could have seen Heavenly Father she is so perfect we came at the perfect time in her life. I'm sure not by accident.
Thirdly is Yolanda. (yes she is black)
We tracted into her too. She wasn't all that intrested at the door but we kinda pushed her and she set up an appointment. We came back with a member named Erik Bloom ( just turned in his papers) and we asked her why she was intrested in meeting with us she said she always has admired the courage of missionaries to knock on doors and get rejected. She told us she met with some before and that she is looking for a church for her family. We taught the resoration and she was almost in tears it was so cool. She felt the spirit so strong. We are going back next week. I know she will be baptised. The only thing is she is moving to virginia and sadly we wont' be able to meet with her anymore. She was so good tho she honestly committed herself to read the book of mormon. and to come to church. She even prayed at the end and it was the best prayer i've ever heard from an investigotar she just sounded mormon Ha ha.
Well I love all you guys see you next week ps I'm very frustrated with the uneffectivness of tracting if anyone has suggestions please let me know. I know its neccesary and i will keep knocking just curious for suggestions. k bye
July 30, 2008
Hey fam and friends,
So this week was great I love this work more and more as each day goes by. I'm having a lot of great expiriences that strengthen my faith. Mike Leavitt gave a talk at the visitors center and his main theme was faith. He related it to molocules. He told stories that build up his faith and each time some experience happens that strengthens his faith it was a molocule of faith it was such a great talk i think he should write a book on that theme. Any way the point of that was to say that each and everyday i'm gaining molocules of faith. Saturday was one of the most depressing days of my life. Every appointment we had dogged us or fell through, we had a visitors trip planned for that night and it got canceled, little by little i became more and more depressed about the day. Anyway after dinner we decided to take our bikes out and bike to a guy we tracted into he is black and his name is Tony Hayes. His son just was put into jail and he is having a very hard time. When we got there because of the time he is going through his brother was there and his best friend so we biked up to the house and they treated us like family. They were so intrested in what we had to say, who i was, and really treated us like family. They really brightened my day. This man knew that Heavenly Father had given him all the things he had. He know the reason he is well off was because of God, and even through the trials he is suffering and all the bad in his life he only sees how great his Heavenly Father has been to him and aknowledges it. It make me see how good i had it and lifted me up because i felt so a part of their family. I like black people alot more than white out here. There is something about them maybe humility they are just nicer and kinder than white people.
So sunday was really good i love sundays we get up at 5:30 and go to meetings and church then we have my favorite meeting Ward mission corilation ( I don't know how to spell that ha ha) Bro. Walsman is my favorite person ever he is so dedicated to his calling. We were planning follow up meetings for the ward mission plan we issued and he was setting up follow ups for this day and his wife said,"thats your birhtday dan ... if you care." He just looked at her and was like i don't care. Than looked at us and said, "Commitment" i laughed so hard but he honestly can be described in that one word commitment. He is the perfect example of magnifying your calling i wish more members were like him.
So we got a kinda new investigator this week named Annie she was taught in this area before by the sisters but the elders took over the area and were kind of apostate missionaries so they didn't do anything anyway Sister Hodson saw us at the visitors center and told us to visit her and we did it was a great experience she knows its true i just know she does she will progress and get baptised.
We are also teaching a 19 year old named matt he is cool and i'm hopefull he will be baptised he is so sincere in his desire to find the truth that i'm pretty confident he will come to the knowledge of the truth.
Well i'm off thanks for all the letters i know this church is true. I know it was restored through Joseph Smith. Most importantly I know without a shadow of a doubt that the book of Mormon is the most true book in the world. I know the fulness of the gospel is contained in its pages i love you all bye.
-Elder Ammon Medina
So this week was great I love this work more and more as each day goes by. I'm having a lot of great expiriences that strengthen my faith. Mike Leavitt gave a talk at the visitors center and his main theme was faith. He related it to molocules. He told stories that build up his faith and each time some experience happens that strengthens his faith it was a molocule of faith it was such a great talk i think he should write a book on that theme. Any way the point of that was to say that each and everyday i'm gaining molocules of faith. Saturday was one of the most depressing days of my life. Every appointment we had dogged us or fell through, we had a visitors trip planned for that night and it got canceled, little by little i became more and more depressed about the day. Anyway after dinner we decided to take our bikes out and bike to a guy we tracted into he is black and his name is Tony Hayes. His son just was put into jail and he is having a very hard time. When we got there because of the time he is going through his brother was there and his best friend so we biked up to the house and they treated us like family. They were so intrested in what we had to say, who i was, and really treated us like family. They really brightened my day. This man knew that Heavenly Father had given him all the things he had. He know the reason he is well off was because of God, and even through the trials he is suffering and all the bad in his life he only sees how great his Heavenly Father has been to him and aknowledges it. It make me see how good i had it and lifted me up because i felt so a part of their family. I like black people alot more than white out here. There is something about them maybe humility they are just nicer and kinder than white people.
So sunday was really good i love sundays we get up at 5:30 and go to meetings and church then we have my favorite meeting Ward mission corilation ( I don't know how to spell that ha ha) Bro. Walsman is my favorite person ever he is so dedicated to his calling. We were planning follow up meetings for the ward mission plan we issued and he was setting up follow ups for this day and his wife said,"thats your birhtday dan ... if you care." He just looked at her and was like i don't care. Than looked at us and said, "Commitment" i laughed so hard but he honestly can be described in that one word commitment. He is the perfect example of magnifying your calling i wish more members were like him.
So we got a kinda new investigator this week named Annie she was taught in this area before by the sisters but the elders took over the area and were kind of apostate missionaries so they didn't do anything anyway Sister Hodson saw us at the visitors center and told us to visit her and we did it was a great experience she knows its true i just know she does she will progress and get baptised.
We are also teaching a 19 year old named matt he is cool and i'm hopefull he will be baptised he is so sincere in his desire to find the truth that i'm pretty confident he will come to the knowledge of the truth.
Well i'm off thanks for all the letters i know this church is true. I know it was restored through Joseph Smith. Most importantly I know without a shadow of a doubt that the book of Mormon is the most true book in the world. I know the fulness of the gospel is contained in its pages i love you all bye.
-Elder Ammon Medina
July 23, 2008
Hey fam, and Friends,
Send me letters I want more ha ha. Thanks to all those who did send me letters.
Olney is picking up a bit. We have probably the worlds best ward mission leader. He gives everything he has to this calling despite the fact he has three kids and the oldest is 5 and
mentally handicap. He is a big part of the success we are beginning to see.
We are teaching a woman named Christy she has 5 kids all girls they are 10-6-4-2-1 wow! She is a good mom the house is crazy can you imagine 5 girls in one house! its amazing to me. Well she is keeping up with her reading so thats good. She is coming to church with us the first sunday she can sadly that isn't until august 17th!! She is going on vacation i just hope her family is not anti. As long as she reads she will be ok cause the lord will bless her.
Next is Matt he is 19 and is intrested in our church because he has seen how it blesses the life of his girlfriend who is in our ward. He is a good guy and went to church sunday so thats exciting. We will continue to teach him and i'm sure he will do great. I am very hopefull that he will be baptised.
Next is a lady who is about sixty, but honestly looks 45 she is way cool. She is somewhat seventh day adventast. But not so much. Her dad died recently and prayed to know where he was. She told us this right after we taught the plan of salvation. So she prayed us there. She is keeping her commiments she will take a while but i think she will be baptised it just might be a bit.
Despite these investigators we are still tracting alot cuase we don't have much of a teaching pool. we tracted six and a half hours monday and despite the distance and time as long as you stay focused on the work, Christ, and scriptures you have the spritit with you and keeps the spirit with you. The lord watches out for you as you do these things by giving us water people to talk to and lightening our steps so its good. I love my Heavenly Father and know the Book of Mormon is true everything we ever needed is in that book so use it!
I love you all
elder medina
Send me letters I want more ha ha. Thanks to all those who did send me letters.
Olney is picking up a bit. We have probably the worlds best ward mission leader. He gives everything he has to this calling despite the fact he has three kids and the oldest is 5 and
mentally handicap. He is a big part of the success we are beginning to see.
We are teaching a woman named Christy she has 5 kids all girls they are 10-6-4-2-1 wow! She is a good mom the house is crazy can you imagine 5 girls in one house! its amazing to me. Well she is keeping up with her reading so thats good. She is coming to church with us the first sunday she can sadly that isn't until august 17th!! She is going on vacation i just hope her family is not anti. As long as she reads she will be ok cause the lord will bless her.
Next is Matt he is 19 and is intrested in our church because he has seen how it blesses the life of his girlfriend who is in our ward. He is a good guy and went to church sunday so thats exciting. We will continue to teach him and i'm sure he will do great. I am very hopefull that he will be baptised.
Next is a lady who is about sixty, but honestly looks 45 she is way cool. She is somewhat seventh day adventast. But not so much. Her dad died recently and prayed to know where he was. She told us this right after we taught the plan of salvation. So she prayed us there. She is keeping her commiments she will take a while but i think she will be baptised it just might be a bit.
Despite these investigators we are still tracting alot cuase we don't have much of a teaching pool. we tracted six and a half hours monday and despite the distance and time as long as you stay focused on the work, Christ, and scriptures you have the spritit with you and keeps the spirit with you. The lord watches out for you as you do these things by giving us water people to talk to and lightening our steps so its good. I love my Heavenly Father and know the Book of Mormon is true everything we ever needed is in that book so use it!
I love you all
elder medina
First Letter From Olney Area
Hey Fam, July 9, 2008
Hey i'm here yeah, its been so great so far. We landed then went to the temple and reported to God what we were doing, that we got in safe and we told him what our mission goals were it was very exciting and spiritual.
Then we went back to the mission home and everyone took a nap. After that we ate dinner, it was so good and so filling we had brisket and mashed potatoes, and corn and green beans and rolls with home made strawberry jam. I loved it!
After that we did some training, then some more training then we played a game of around the world ping pong! I loved it I miss playing ping pong. After that we did some more training during training we met with the mission president. President Mansell is the coolest President in the whole world. He is funny and kind and serious about the work. So we did a little role playing then ate dessert it was tasty. Then had a testimony meeting it was so cool! The spirit was so strong I loved it.
In the moring we went to the temple visitors center and we had a meeting where I said goodbye to Elder Hall. Who was a great companion he always made me laugh so that was nice. My trainer has been out four months and his name is Elder Brooke he is so awesome. After that we went through the temple. It is so tall! It is the prettiest celestial room ever, I'm pretty sure the Best temple in the nation! After that we got my luggage and went to our apartment. Its a nice place I liked it and then we went to the library to write this email. I'm excited to get to work we only have 3 families and they aren't really intrested so pray that we will meet people. I can't wait to find new people our goal is to get a baptism by the end of the transfer we will do it!
Personal Insight of the week. Bear your testimony often. I finally realized by bearing your testimony often strengthens your testimony every time you bear witness of the truthfulness of this gospel you recieve a witness of the truth. SO STRENGTHEN your testimony and bear your testimony at every chance you get.
Love you all! bye.
Hey i'm here yeah, its been so great so far. We landed then went to the temple and reported to God what we were doing, that we got in safe and we told him what our mission goals were it was very exciting and spiritual.
Then we went back to the mission home and everyone took a nap. After that we ate dinner, it was so good and so filling we had brisket and mashed potatoes, and corn and green beans and rolls with home made strawberry jam. I loved it!
After that we did some training, then some more training then we played a game of around the world ping pong! I loved it I miss playing ping pong. After that we did some more training during training we met with the mission president. President Mansell is the coolest President in the whole world. He is funny and kind and serious about the work. So we did a little role playing then ate dessert it was tasty. Then had a testimony meeting it was so cool! The spirit was so strong I loved it.
In the moring we went to the temple visitors center and we had a meeting where I said goodbye to Elder Hall. Who was a great companion he always made me laugh so that was nice. My trainer has been out four months and his name is Elder Brooke he is so awesome. After that we went through the temple. It is so tall! It is the prettiest celestial room ever, I'm pretty sure the Best temple in the nation! After that we got my luggage and went to our apartment. Its a nice place I liked it and then we went to the library to write this email. I'm excited to get to work we only have 3 families and they aren't really intrested so pray that we will meet people. I can't wait to find new people our goal is to get a baptism by the end of the transfer we will do it!
Personal Insight of the week. Bear your testimony often. I finally realized by bearing your testimony often strengthens your testimony every time you bear witness of the truthfulness of this gospel you recieve a witness of the truth. SO STRENGTHEN your testimony and bear your testimony at every chance you get.
Love you all! bye.
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