Wednesday, February 26, 2014

An Amazing Week!

hey yall! 

This week was a good one. We had some amazing lessons! First one was with Betty Griffin. She's an older lady we contacted a couple weeks ago. we went over on a beautiful day out and she was home and excited to talk! So we sat on her porch and talked for almost an hour. It was wonderful. she was feeling the spirit and it really touched her. She was excited for baptism! she hasn't felt the truth in any church she's been to, and has noticed how we have helped a member who lives across the intersection from her a lot. She's always wondered about us, now she is on date for March 22! so exciting! 

And then we also put a lady that has been coming to church for awhile, Velda Davis, on date! Since she's been coming for awhile, she is on date for March 8! Its exciting! the work is picking up! and now if only we could catch all the other gators we have and teach them.. 

We also have done a lot of service this week! We helped out with Sister Lulu, who is an eternigator spanish lady. Come to find out, she is dating, and has been dating for 16 years the body building man that owns the gym we went to for awhile! Small world. we made a lot of connections!  We helped in her yard almost everyday this past week! It was crazy, but felt good to be out of the suits and doing normal yard work. ya know? Even if there are 2 huge pitbull-terrier dogs watching us the whole time! i'll get pictures soon :)  

On Saturday, we were practically doing service all day. One of our experiences was amazing. We went out to a see a partmember family, the wife is a member, the husband isn't. They have been married for 50 years.. they are wonderful. but he is so hardheaded when it comes to getting help in the yard. He didn't let us work, but we walked around his property and showed us everything for almost an hour and that was great!  It really worked in him. He invited us over a cookout after his wife recovers from surgery this week. She was shocked that he did that. He never does that unless he likes us haha. so that's good.   

Yesterday was amazing. after lunch at our Branch Presidents house, we took a road trip up to Unadilla. It was a good drive, through back country roads we hadn't been on before.. man I love this state.  We had an amazing lesson with Joy McKinsie. She ordered a free bible, but got so much more. And they want us to come back and share more! So it's good!  Her husband was there and granddaughter, and then at the end of the lesson, he said next time when you come, we will have more of our family listening! I was like, sweet!!  only problem is our miles won't allow us to visit too often. It's sad.. but the work goes on! 

I love you all! 
Elder Bodily


this is my family here in Cordele, Brother and Sister Pryor on Valentines Day

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Old People, Gunshots and Scriptures

Well. this week was a quick one, a good one, and then it was ruined by Valentines Day, and then made good again Saturday!  This week was really all over the place.  On Monday we were sitting at a hotdog shoppe and then this man came in, got his dogs, and then sat by us and talked. We had met this man before at Burger King, about a month earlier. He thought we were Jehovah's Witnesses then, and again this time. but we cleared it up and talked with him. We got a return appointment for that night. and when I tell you I was humbled by where he lives.. I aint lyin. But Scott was a great man. We first started talking, he asked, "so whats the meat of your gospel?"  I was like, uhh.. the Spirit was so strong there. He has lived on the wild side, but now trying to fix it all. We talked about Thomas S. Monson, and he asked, well more said " if his middle name was Scott, cuz if it is, I have no doubt he's (i forgot the word he used) cuz my brothers middle name is Scott and he's a preacher."  I was like, I see.. haha. But he is a good man. 

We really had a lot of good lessons and experiences, just no one willing to commit to baptism yet.. oh well..  

Another great lesson we had was with a lady named Vernet. This lesson happened on Valentines Day.. But it was a really good lesson. She said she had studied with the JW's that morning, and was willing to study with us! So hopefully that goes somewhere. 

Good news though? She sells Girl Scout Cookies.. I found myself a drug dealer..  also Friday we helped Brother Pryor put together his valentines gift for his wife. that was fun. even though its valentines day.. boo. 

Saturday was good. Happy Birthday Dad!  We celebrated by going to the Nursing home and spending a couple hours with the old folks doing activities. That was fun :) I seriously love being around them. We are going back this week, the best part? We can have the same conversations and they will enjoy it just as much! 

Another great lesson we had.. we had Terrance out with us. He is a returning member. He knows the street life. Well, knew it. He's changed. But he called up his buddy and we went over.. well, Michael lives in the 24th street projects.. the area where we heard about 8 gun shots last night. but thats no matter. :)  But Michael is a good guy. We are just helping him understand..  and imagine Julio Iglasias, yeah. thats Michael.. ahhaha. i love it. 

Weird to think that today is my 10 month mark.. boo. i love the southern people too much to leave. even if they reject us.. you cant help but love them. 

I will send pics later. I forgot my camera.. hope all is well!! I love you all.  

Aahhh, some of my favorite scriptures this week.. 1 Tim 4:8 and then 2 Cor. 10:10

Elder BODILY

Monday, February 10, 2014

Just another week, and Michael Jordan he is not

Hey y'all, I can't believe that it is another Monday!  Where does the time go? 

What are you doing with the precious time that God has allowed to you to live?


This week was a full one and we have met a lot of great people and had a great zone conference!  Just a few experiences I'll share. 

Tuesday we traveled up to Columbus to be with President Cottle in training.  It was wonderful.  It is amazing how powerful the Spirit can be, if we allow it into our lives and let it work with us. 

We had a really good lesson with a part-member family in the group, Brother Gilliam isn't a member yet, but his wife is, and they have been married for 50 years! They are wonderful people.  We decided, instead of teaching a gospel lesson, we would share a message from the ensign. and how powerful it was!  It wasn't until we got to the point in the article, where Elder Scott talks of his experience in the Navy, that I remembered that this man served in the Navy also.  Towards the end of the lesson, we saw Brother Gilliam wet-eyed, not yet crying, but he was close!  It was powerful.. He will break down soon and get baptized!  I do love them. 

We also had a great experience where offering simple service brought great outcomes. 

We saw a man working on a child wagon type thing and offered to help.  I recognized his accent and I fell in love with it again.  The man and his family are from Haiti and with that French/Creole accent, it was wonderful to talk to them. We gained 5 new investigators just like that.  And they also know the other Haitians we know.  It's awesome!!  Great work with the Haitian people.  I love it.  But it was great, who would have guessed, offering to help with something as simple as putting together a little wagon.. yes, we did have to use the instructions, but that's no matter.. hahaha. 

Another highlight would have to be our experience with Corey. We met him last week and he called himself "Atheist" but he really isn't..... just uneasy right now.  But we talked with him Saturday.  We didn't bring up the gospel right away, we became friends first and connected, then, well, following the Spirit we asked about his questions about God and that.. well, turns out that all they are, are what we call, "Questions of the Soul", it was perfect..  we are excited about him.  

Saturday we played basketball with a member and some less actives and an investigator. It was pretty cool.  I just love being white and playing around black people.. haha. it helps when I wear my Michael Jordan shirt.. I feel I can play better with it :) 


(He didn't sent a picture this week, so this is an old one - not Michael Jordan!)


Valentines Day is this week?  Boo.  More like,  Happy Birthday Dad on Saturday!! 

I love you all! 
Elder Bodily

Monday, February 3, 2014

Call that a storm? and the Heavens.

This week was a strange one. That is for sure.. 

Tuesday we had a district meeting and then we were going on exchanges. so we grabbed lunch at mcdonalds, and well, we saw a storm coming in. Well, we thought, it will just blow over. Jokes. We get back to Cordele, me and Elder Call, who is from Montana. and it starts to rain pretty heavy and we get a text from the Zone Leaders saying that we are going on lockdown cuz of the weather. so that was at like 2 o'clock on tuesdaywednesday morning we woke up and there was a little snow on the car and leaves, but mainly just ice. but we were on lockdown all day.. joy! But it was alright, we survived.. even if Pizza Hut wasnt delievering.. oh well. and then thursday came and we were on lockdown half the day till it warmed up.. man. that was a trip.. haha. oh well. it was still a good time.. 




my only really good experience of the week happened yesterday. 

Man, i just love testimony meetings. especially in Cordele. We had 12 people there, and practically everyone bore their testimony, it was a beautiful feeling.. i gave the lesson in sundayschool on the Creation and how powerful God really is.. It was a good lesson. and then we drove to Americus Sunday night. Man i love that drive, i just love the country. No city lights to ruin the sky.  we were on this road, with noone around us and i just had to stop and look up and look at the stars and the sky.. it was beautiful. It made me think of how small we really are in this life, yet we mean so much to God that he gives us free agency and anything we ask for really.. I dunno, it was just a beautiful moment in my testimony building process...  I love this work so much, the book is blue, and the gospel is true.  I hope yall have a good week! 
love
elder bodily
ps. thats the pitbull we finally became friends with :)