Week 19 and lots more Pics!

Hey everyone, so this week was super busy. 

Monday- We were errand boys for the mission, haha.  We ran around and pretty much chilled with the assistants all day.

Tuesday- So, today I found out I would be staying in my area and training a new missionary and I would continue to be a District Leader.  I was pretty pumped about it because I love this area and I really like training and being a district leader is chill too.  Nothing special, but I get to take care of my Elders, so that's cool.  Also, we have no Sisters in my district... President and I have decided that we need some, but he doesn't assign any so here we are, haha.

Wednesday- So today we had to go run around and go do a bunch of service and take care of a sick Elder in my district, and then JACKIE GOT DUNKED!!!!  I made that sound a lot less spiritual than it was.   I was kinda mad because I had to preside so there was not a whole lot of ward leadership support, but it's whatever.  It went really well and her brother got to baptize her which is a lot cooler than if I were to do it, haha.

Thursday-  So today we had transfers and the trainers meeting went really well and then I got my greenie.  His name is Elder Ixtlahuac and he is super cool!  He grew up in Monterey and moved to AZ right before his mish.  He is 20 and actually is a Visa waiter for Portugal!! Super cool huh?  So I could be losing him any day, but I hope he stays the full 6 weeks!  I think the ward thinks I'm crazy because I have so many comps, so I hope he doesn't leave me, hahaha.

Friday- We didn't do much that was exciting today, just weekly planned and went to do service.  Then we had dinner and met with a dude named Zach who is a recent convert with a cool story.  He made me promise not to tell, but it's in my journal so if I die, just throw it up here and I wont be held accountable, haha. 

Saturday- The day started out with us leaving a note for a less active member to come back to church.  She was just baptized before I got here, so Jill, if you're reading this, GET YOUR BUTT TO SACRAMENT! haha, but we just said how much the ward misses her and that we want her home.  Then we had a lesson with this dude Evan, who finished the BOM and I asked him "so you ready to join or what" kinda in a joking not joking way, and he goes "haha woah, calm down elder Stolper, its just a book".  I was a little shocked and we talked about it and it turns out he hadn't prayed about it, EVER!  I know some of you are like "so what" but guys, this is soooooooo important!!!  And I said "so when I asked you if you've been praying about the BoM what did you think I meant?" and he goes "oh, so that's what that meant, like ask God what he thinks?..."  I asked him how many times he had met with missionaries before us and he said a for while.  This was only our second time seeing him and I totally didn't even think to invite him to pray, I assumed since he was in 3 Nephi the guy had it together, but I totally let him down...  So he is going to restart and pray about it his time, haha. Then we did some more service.

Sunday- So we have two wards and they meet back to back so I go to a loooooooot of church.  It makes for some long days sometimes, especially if we have meetings.  So this Sunday I taught Gospel Principals in one ward, Gospel Doctrine in the other ward, spoke for 15 minutes in Sacrament and also confirmed Jackie.  It was a lot, but I think it all went well because dinner didn't get cancelled and they still talked to us after so I think I got off okay.  I usually don't write out anything, I just study and let Heavenly Father pick and choose what he wants me to share from my readings.  I spoke on "the blessings of eternal families" it was a cool topic and one that is near and dear to my heart. 

This week was pretty great. I am so lucky to be here. It hits me every few hours that I am a missionary and I got to go back out!  I can't even begin to explain what that means to me.  Elder Holland says no one was more great full for a mission than him, but I'm fairly certain I got him beat.  Thank you all again for your continued love and support. I miss you and love you all and will see you in a little over a year!!!!

Elder Noah Stolper

Week 18, with Pictures!

Hey guys, so I owe you a good email because I suck at these so let me do it like GA and take you day by day with what I can remember...

Monday- I am DL and so is my companion, but for another district in another zone.  We had to give rides and we went to my activity where we just played sports and stuff, then we had dinner and ran around and tried to make it to all of our appts. 

Tuesday- Today we had... to be honest, I don't even remember.  It feels like it was forever ago. OH WAIT! We went and had a lesson with this dude in Elder De Simone's area (he's my comp right now) whose name is Bro Johnson.  He's kinda crazy, but super chill.  He's worried about joining our church because he was in a cult for 18 years in Mexico... I was joking and said "you'd love our church then, people think were a cult all the time..." He didn't think it was as funny as I did, haha.  Then we ran around and met with Jackie (our investigator getting baptized this Wednesday) and it was a super powerful lesson on the commandments!

Wednesday- Today we had 2 District Meetings and oh my goodness it was a lot.  I got to train on Safeguards for technology and it got all of the Elders super excited for the smart phones, haha.  After that, we talked to a lady in Elder De Simone's area that had a tragic thing happen in her family concerning her son.  We sat on her doorstep with tearstained cheeks as she told us this story.  My heart breaks for her, but I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the ONLY thing that can heal her broken heart.  She has been seeing psychics and stuff like that, but we read in the bible, in the book of Leviticus "DO NOT seek to talk to spirits" it is a devilish practice and is forbidden by the Lord, however, if they come to us we are to listen with "spiritual ears" to their words.  But that's deep stuff and we wont get too much into that, haha.

Thursday- We started out the day with 6 hours of service.  6 HOURS!  It was a lot and I was happy to do it, but wow, it was a lot all at once.  Then we went and met with Jackie and went over the baptismal interview questions and she had some work to do, so we went over those areas and gave her some homework and said we'd be back tomorrow to see what the Lord would tell her. 

Friday- I can't for the life of me remember what I did that morning, but I went and met with Jackie and oh my goodness "ask and ye shall receive".  It was cool to see how the Lord had swept away all of her doubts and built upon her "sure foundation" of the Book of Mormon.  She is now ready and we are excited to baptize her this Wednesday.  Then we went on exchanges with some Elders in my district

Saturday- Well the elder I was on exchanges with was sick so I kinda took care of him all day until about 4 when we exchanged back.  Then we went to dinner and to the temple open house with some investigators.  They really liked it and I got to see Elder King (a missionary from home that I knew before I went to GA) it was really cool!

Sunday- Church in both of Elder De Simone's wards and it was cool.  We got to go teach Young Men's and go do a baptismal interview after church.  It was a long 6 hours of church, but its all good! hahah

I want to close with my testimony of the specific plan that the Lord has for you and me.  This has been a crazy transfer.  I have had 2 comps and stayed with the assistants and then got assigned another area with 2 wards that's a 30 min drive away.  Its been hectic and I am excited to see what happens this week with transfers, but I am also grateful for the plan of my Father in Heaven and I know that it is specific and tailor made for me.  I know he cares about the little things in our life and about us.  He hears our prayers and knows our hearts and knows what's best for us. 

My favorite scripture is still John 11:35 "Jesus wept" that gives me such peace to know that He weeps for our heartaches and our struggles and knows that we suffer and it breaks his heart.  I know that He knows we can grow from it and that His Atonement is the ONLY things that can help us in our hour of need.  To be snatched out of the gall of bitterness and endless woe is a daily thing for us, if the Lord could touch your eyes and let you see His hand in your life, maybe we'd live a little different.  Maybe we'd take time to say thank you and to better follow him.  Maybe if we could see his blood and hear his cries on the mount of olives and on Calvary, we'd follow him more closely. With a consistency and determination to Not let His sacrifice go to waste, maybe we'd repent a little more fully or honestly, maybe we'd encourage others to do the same. 

If we want to be better, then do it.  Remember that "wanna be(e)'s don't make no honey" . If you want to see a change for the better start with a question and real intent to act on an answer and I promise you in the name of Jesus Christ, change will come and you will be blessed. I leave you this promise in His sacred name, Jesus the Christ, Amen.

p.s. I have new shoes, but dang these things are so trashed, haha.  They have holes in the bottoms and my feet used to get SOAKED when it rains.  Its also been sorta snowing today :/ not too happy because it's so stinking cold out, but it only gets warmer from here, right?

Week 17 in Idaho

So before I start about me, I want to take a moment to share a scripture I thought of after I found out my Uncle Gordon passed away.

Rev 21:4 "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, 
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are 
passed away."

I can testify that death is not the end.  That Life is not simply now, but is Eternal!  It's hard, no matter what, but the burden can be lightened and we can find solace in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

On a brighter note, I am doing super well!  I have a baptism on the 8th and the ward members are finally starting to remember my name, haha.  Anyway, I'm going to keep is pretty short this week and leave you with some scriptures.

Alma 27:28
Alma 40:11-12
Luke 23:42-43

I love you all. I really, really mean it.
-Elder Stolper

Week 16 Boise

Oh my goodness it's been a long week, haha.  So we had all of the missionaries come up to Boise from the other side of the mission to talk to people about the temple.  They went to 3 different places on 3 different days and I had to organize the areas where they were going.  Oh man, after like 3 days of it, I was done!

I got to go to BSU for 2 of the days and it was so funny because the missionary I took with me was super scared of all of the girls, haha.  A missionary will go and talk to the sketchiest dude, whose got crazy tattoos on his face, but if it's a pretty girl then they freak and get all scared. It's so dumb, haha. 

We also had ZC this week and that went pretty well.  I got a flu shot at the church and then I sat and ate with this cute little kid that was there.  This Sister Missionary comes up to me and goes "woah, are you Noah?" I was like "ummm yeah" and she goes, "your mom said to tell you hi. We talked on Instagram and she's so nice!"  Thanks for hooking it up mom! ;) JK.  President was right there and he just died, haha.

So we have a baptism coming up on the 8th, so I am super pumped about that. Her name is Jackie and she is like 19 I think.  She is the last one in her family to join and it was a hard decision for her for sure, but I know she is going to do awesome!  We should have 2-3 more coming up soon, so I'll keep you posted.

I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Elder Noah Stolper