Tuesday, October 28, 2014

A New Hair-Do and Trunk or Treat

This week was a good one to end the transfer on! We had a lot going on that kept us busy and not thinking about the Saturday Night phone call.

Friday was the ward trunk or treat party. That was an amazing activity! i did a new hairdue for it.. haha :)  a lot of investigators came out to it and enjoyed it! also a lady came that no one knew, but when someone went to buy MORE hotdogs and hamburger meat, they invited her and she showed up! but left before we could catch her again. all the missionaries were the judges for the bake-off.. so pretty much we gotta taste-test the desserts before anyone else. i gained about 5 pounds.. so much good food. i also made that orange coolwhip fruit salad that dad would always make! it was a hit. apparently they call it "orange fluff", i barely got any. the bowl was scrapped clean haha.  


 

























on saturday there was a wedding in the ward. it was a very cool experience. the ceremony was held outside and then the reception inside. it was my first time to a hispanic wedding. and it was entertaining! haha. though noone brought the booze.. most everyone was members haha.  the sand gnats are out and in force.. dang. they are annoying. they bite and leave marks.. they dont swell up like mosquito bites, but they are there, nonetheless.   





Saturday night we had the phone call and found out that Elder Ah Fook is going to be transfered and im going to stay here atleast another transfer. i am excited. 

Sunday was a good way to end the week. We had a baptism on parris island! it was amazing as always. next week, Brother Hammann is getting the priesthood and then graduating!  its always sad to see them go. 



Sunday at church was incredible. We knew that we were going to get a new bishop, and at the end of sacrament meeting, bishop gave his talk. I was sitting up on the stand behind because the ward choir (yes im singing here..) sang Called To Serve, but i was able to see everyones faces and their reactions. it was very spiritually.. he was very humble about the whole thing. he has been called to serve in the South Carolina Columbia Temple Presidency. He has been bishop here twice, for a total of 14 years. 8 years this last time.. it was very touching. 

the rest of sunday we spent saying goodbye to people for elder ah fook. it was a full day.. haha. 

ah. also this week i finished the book of mormon for the 4th time on my mission.. i cant express how powerful the book of mormon is.. i know that it is true. i love it.  

i love you all! 
elder bodily
 


im gunna send another email of some photos of the stop hunger now and also a photo shoot we all did with a member here awhile back!





















Stop Hunger Now and Baptism

what a week it has been. I dont even know where to begin! it has been amazing. on thursday and friday we were helping out at a local school where a couple members work, Riverview Charter School, we volunteered at a Stop Hunger Now drive. it was incredible. a big truck brought all the supplies, dried soy, dried veggies, rice and other things, and throughout the day on friday students from the school measured, filled, and sealed the bags, and all the missionaries were at the recieving spot and we put them all into boxes. it was amazing. each bag was 6 meals, and we filled enough for 40,000 meals!! it was huge! the drive was so organized and went smoothly. it was great. 

























after all that on friday we rushed over to parris island because the sisters were teaching one of the recruits with special permission and elder haynie interview her. there was supposed to be 2 that came to be interviewed for baptism, but she couldnt come at that moment. she chose me to baptize her, because i demonstrated how to do it with one of the other elders. (unknowing to her, i had never baptized anyone before!!)  that night i was pacing back and forth so much.. i was nervous! i prayed for help and strength. i was able to fall asleep not too late. come sunday morning, we all went out to parris island. the other girl came and was taught by the girl that was able to make it, and was interviewed before services, the sister missionaries were planning on that, so they had clothes for her too. it was an amazing experience.. standing in the water for the first time baptizing someone.. it was very powerful. i was nervous that i wouldnt say the words correctly or not get them all the way under, but as it happened, i know i wasnt alone as i did those baptisms. the Spirit took over. It was so amazing. before we went into the other room, an investigator of the sisters, who is a drill instructor, walked into our room. the room went quiet and the recruits attitudes kinda changed. but when they saw him all friendly to us, they eased up a bit. It was great..  during sunday school, one of the male recruits we have been working with, was interview for baptism and, at first asked another recruit to baptize him, but he is only a deacon, not a priest yet. and so he then chose me to do it.  once again, i was humbled..  i love the marine recruits so much.. 















also this week, the spanish elders play volleyball in ridgeland (about 30 minutes away) with their spanish branch members and some of the english ward members. they play every tuesday and thursday, and a week ago, a local high school girls team went over and invited them to play them so they could prepare for state! so this picture is of them playing at the high school, where they played at. to say the least,, these missionaries and 40 yr olds kicked some butt haha. 











this week was, like i said, it was amazing.. words really cant describe everything, and im sure i've forgotten stuff, but at least i have my journals to read it over and over..   i hope yall have a good week!
Elder Bodily






Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Blood Moon and a Marine Graduate

I really dont know where to begin with this week.. It was all over the place.. good and the bad of everything.  

Tuesday morning we got a call from a less-active, saying that her nephew, Don, was in the hospital, and that they found a brain tumor.. it put a damper on our spirits.. so we went and visited them. he was still himself. We gave him a blessing.. he is only 31.. it was very heartbreaking, but as of today, he is out of the hospital, and they did surgery and removed 85 percent of it. so that was amazing to hear. 

Wednesday morning there was a blood full moon with an eclipse. it was awesome. 






 Thursday we had zone training meeting in Hilton Head. Us four elders were asked to do a training on proper etiquite while eating and visiting members. it was awesome!! we did it lord of the rings themed. its too big or i'd send it home.. 

Friday we went to the graduation of one of our recruits, that was such an awesome thing to witness again. someone i have seen change so much, and now he is a United States Marine. 





Saturday we had a mini mission with one of the Priests in the ward.. that was awesome. our priests name was Landon Morgan. In the morning we walked around the farmers market here. that was awesome.  afterwards we helped a guy in the ward move and then after we went and visited some people and ate dinner at the 2nd councilors house.  throughout the day i felt it could have been a lot better, like we didnt do a whole lot to show him about a mission. but Sunday, after parris island, we made it back just in time to hear him get up and bear his testimony.. it was very touching.. He got a lot more out of it than i realized. 


Sunday at parris island was incredible, once again.. Elder Turnbull came over with me. sacrament and Sunday school was just amazing. after church. recruit hammann came up to us and it made everything worth while. he said that he had thought about joining the church after boot camp, but he realized that he shouldnt put it off.. he is going to get baptized in two weeks.. Words cannot describe how i felt..  not too mention that it was my half birthday. :)  

this morning we hit up the beach to catch the sunrise.. it was pretty awesome.



anywho, i love you all.  
elder bodily

Monday, October 6, 2014

Such a good week!

This past week was incredible! It flew by so quickly and so I don't remember a whole lot, but I will try to convey what sticks out to me right now.  

We had Zone Conference in Savannah. That was a good time. President Cottle surprised us and said we were watching a movie! We were able to watch Meet the Mormons.  It was such a good film. It opens up and breaks the ice real easy, and then blows you away with the spirit with the 6 people featured. It is very well done!  



Of course this weekend was General Conference. We watched it at the church house here. That was just so powerful. I kept my tradition up and bought me a 2.5 lb bag of candy corn. yay!   Words can't really explain the spirit I felt.  It was so powerful to have my questions answered so directly. 

On Sunday we were excited because we were still able to have church with the Marine Recruits.  Wow.  That was so powerful.  We have 9 nonmembers and 10 member  male recruits, and 4 of the members are RMs!  It was so powerful.  Our lesson was easy because of Gen Conf. and it was so powerful.  A couple of the recruits have expressed interest in joining the church after they get out of here.  It's a wonderful feeling to be able to see these men come in so timid and far away from God (some of them) and then get up and bear testimony of how they have felt God's love for them, in a place that people call, "The Island That God Forgot About". 

Probably for me, the most touching conference talks were Elder Robbins, Which way do you face? and then Uchtdorfs about the Universe the Enormisity of it all!  Mind boggling. 

i love this gospel.  hope you all have a good week!
Elder Bodily