Week 3 in Boise.

Hey Everyone!

 So this week was awesome! I just want to start out by saying how much I love being on a mission! Anyway, only two exciting things happened this week, my bike tire popped and I gave 2 blessings. 

So we usually ride about 15-20 miles a day on our bikes and we were asked to go to the hospital and give a blessing. So about 3 miles into the 7 mile ride my tire blew out and so I did the smart thing and rode it for another 2 miles... and then the whole bike just seized up, so I walked it the rest of the way there. It turns out that the lady we were going to go see was released about 2 hours before we even got there, but we met another lady in the lobby who had us give her mom a blessing. So that was sick.

Then there was the other blessing. We were teaching a lesson to these 4 kids who were newly adopted so that they can go get sealed to their family, and I get a call from the Sisters and they are freaking out. They said it's an emergency and we needed to go right now and meet them at an assisted living home.  So we did and we walk into the room and there is a sister in our ward who is dying. I will spare you the details, but she and the nurses knew it was a matter of minutes before she would be leaving and she wanted a blessing.  So we asked her what kind and she said I want a blessing of healing. So seeing that she had faith, and being moved by the spirit, my companion anointed her and I sealed the blessing and was inspired to say many things that I cannot remember, but she was grateful after and within 10 mins she was fine. Now, I am no doctor and I am no expert, but it is not too often that people just "stop dying" because of will power.  I am also convinced that the placebo effect has no sway on the bands of death, but I do know; the Priesthood Authority of God can raise the dead. It can calm the seas and surely it can calm a troubled heart and can save a daughter of God in need.

Brothers and Sisters I am a witness of the reality of the Priesthood. I testify that it has been restored to the earth and that when it is used in line with the will of God, that Miracles can happen. But this was nothing miraculous, it is exactly predictably what is supposed to happen. We read that with faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains.  Then what can stop the power and authority of God himself.  I know that those sacred keys were restored through the prophet of the restoration, who is Joseph Smith. I wish I could take you all there to that moment in that small shared room where Sister Caroline Brown was as the Savior says about Lazarus (john 11:4)"... sick, not unto death...but for the glory of God..."

God is truly glorious and I am blessed to be here on my mission. I have done nothing special, but Sister Brown has let me help her to Glorify God, and for that I am so grateful.

I love you all. 

-Elder Noah Stolper

Another Week In Boise.

Hey Everyone!


It's been another awesome week in "North Utah" because this place is literally just like Utah, haha. Nothing super crazy happened. Boise is too safe and civil for me to have any cool stories yet or even take any cool pictures, so I'm sorry about that. We are teaching a few people and we also dropped a few this week too. We had one guy on date named Eddie, but he is getting nervous and wants to push it back because the Sisters had let him do that before and the Ward and my Comp want to let him, but I feel like he will never follow through if we let him, so I'm gonna try to be a stickler about it. 

We are teaching a refugee named Christine! She is awesome and she speaks Swahili, so I'm hoping I can learn to at least say "Hi, I'm Elder Stolper" by next week, haha. There are tons and tons of refugees here and they all love the Church!

This week we also met this dude while we were knocking (which Elder Aughenbaugh hates, but it was my idea) and oh my gosh, he ripped us a new one! He didn't only want to challenge what he thought we believed, but he was mad. LIKE REALLY REALLY MAD!  He was a minister at a church near by and it was interesting because I felt the Spirit leave the minute he opened the door, and i just thought "Oh this won't be good." I can testify that there are two churches, the church of God which is full of love and acceptance and the church of the devil which is full of hate and competition and contention. 

It wasn't particularly my favorite moment this week, but I am so blessed you guys! Like more than I can explain! I think back to a quote I heard from a missionary from the early days of the church that said "although my burden is heavy, I feel not to murmur" that is my mission quote. I feel not to murmur or complain. I love this Gospel. That word means "good news" and that's what it is. This is the good news of the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ. It's real that God is our Great Eternal Father and that Christ the Lord has Risen that one day we might rise too. I invite you all to read Matthew 26:36-46 and to place yourself in the garden with Jesus. Close your eyes and watch Him as He prays and think of this as you partake of the sacrament this week. I love you all, more than I can express. And I am grateful for you and I pray for you. 

-Elder Stolper

My first week in Boise, ID.

Hello!!!!

So I guess if you don't know by now, I bet you can probably figure out that I am back out on my mission and I have been blessed to serve in the Boise, Idaho mission!! I guess if you're really behind, surprise, I've been home from GA for about 13 months and am now back out. I am going to keep my emails pretty brief, but I promise to try to be entertaining so you want to read them, haha. So I am in Boise City, about 15 miles from the mission office and it is so awesome up here! It's been about 105* every day and we are lucky enough to have bikes (that's not sarcasm, haha), so we don't have to walk the 5 miles to get into our area! We are serving in the Colehaven Ward and my companion is Elder Aughenbaugh. He is 6'8" and is literally Jordan Grover in every way, so we get along super super well. We put someone on date this week, so hopefully more good news to come from that soon! I love you all and I am so, so, so grateful to be able to serve and finish my mission. This is truly a Gospel for the broken. No one is turned away and no one is unwelcome. We invite all to come, join with us and bring your trials, your sins and your burdens and we can work through them together. I know that this Gospel is true and miss you all.

Lots of love,
-Elder Stolper