Week 24 - Merry Christmas (almost)

Merry Christmas.

This week has been pretty boring, but I am going to be transfered so I'll have lots and lots to tell next week. I am going to go be a Zone Leader in Boise West! 

Please remember what Christmas is about. Christ. Love, Serve, and Love again.

Elder Stolper 

Week 23 It's Snowing!!!

ITS SNOWING!! Not a lot, but enough to make me cold for sure.

I don't really have time to run through this whole week day by day, but it was pretty cool. We had another great lesson with Natasha and James and I think he will accept a baptismal date next time we bug him about it, haha.

Also we had a fun ward Christmas party and zone conference this week.  I got to see lots of cute little kids and got to meet some general authorities! So that was super cool! I'm sick right now and have been for the past day or two and so this cold weather isn't doing me any favors. 

Things are going really good though. Sorry for such a vague letter this week.  Not much time.

Elder Stolper

Week 22 in Boise

Oh man, so my weeks are just getting crazier and crazier. 

Tuesday- So we had to run around and do lots of contacting with the #LightTheWorld stuff going on, so that took up most of our day. Let me give you a little excerpt from my letter to pres. describing the rest of that night. "After visiting a referral we started to head home and noticed that despite our 4 mile walk home, we only had about an hour to make it. We decided to speedwalk and see where that got us. About half way there we saw we were down to 15 mins before 9:30 and so we called the zone leaders and told them our situation on the voicemail and ran. President, we ran in full winter and missionary gear and my boots were made for walking, NOT running haha. However, 2 miles later we stumbled into our apt. soaking with sweat and saw that the Lord let us make it home with 2 mins to spare! What an absolute miracle. While I was running (which I absolutely hate to do) I thought once or twice, "maybe we can just be late this once and Elder Ixtlahuac won't notice if I don't bring it up" or "this won't affect my exact obedience or upset the pattern for my trainees mission"... How I wanted so bad to stop and throw up in the bushes and walk home, but we pushed through. I know this sounds dramatic, but this is how it was to me. A pivotal point in the course of our missions and as I listened to my companion ask to rest and pretended not to hear. The Holy Spirit whispered to me that God was proud of me. Not something I am often told by Him. It was a miracle, I know it. We have seen the blessing come to us as well with a prospective 3 baptisms coming in the next month or two. The Lord is good".

Wednesday- So today was super crazy.  We almost had to take care of some evil awful stuff that had gone wrong, but thankfully didn't have to. The missionary I took with me was sure glad of that, haha. Then as we are walking to our next appt. I get a call from president and he says "Elder Stolper, do you have a minute to visit?  I have a special assignment for you..." I got so nervous and was like "yeah president, I guess. Whats up?" He said I have someone here who is going to be joining your companionship." IT WAS ELDER LAWRENCE!!!! The first missionary I had trained here and oh man I think I just screamed into the phone!  So he came and he is with me now.

Thursday- So today was less fun. An Elder in my district had to go home. It was understandable and no fault of his own. He was sick and we all kinda knew it would happen. We had sat down and talked about how it is to go home early and what the process is for coming back. It broke my heart nonetheless. So I lost my greenie, Elder Ixtlahuac, to his companion.  He is still in my district, but I am with Elder Lawrence now. I also got a whole gallon of rainbow sherbert ice cream and set a goal to finish it by Monday. (I pounded out the last of is last night)

Friday-  Today we had the best lesson with James and Natasha. They are a part member family and it went so so so well and we had tacos, so it was just that much better. We got to sit down and talk and go over some things that we believe and share what is near and dear to our hearts. It was awesome because he is a Lutheran and our religions are pretty similar even though most Lutherans don't really like us. So we talked about Martin Luther and the reformation of the Catholic church to make His church and about the Restoration of ours to be the same that Jesus taught when he came to earth and about the priesthood and healings and exorcisms and all that good stuff and gave them a book of mormom and a challenge found in the back at Moroni 10:3-5. It was awesome!

Saturday and Sunday weren't that cool. Just a Lot of walking!!

I love you all and would like you to know that I am so grateful to be a missionary. It's so hard and I hear a voice tell me when it gets hard to throw in the towel, but it's so special to me to be able to share what has changed my life forever. I say that coming from a genuine testimony rooted and grounded in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He is the Leader and founder of this church and I am grateful for Him and the Father who gave him to us. I love you all.

Elder Noah Stolper

Week 21 Thanksgiving In Boise

Well since I skipped out last week, I owe you all a good explanation of this week.

Monday- Well this day was pretty nice because its our preperation day, but to be honest we just ran errands all day and thats about it.

Tuesday-  Today we had district meeting and it went pretty well. I was supposed to train on the churches new Light the World initiative. So we talked about that and got ready for how we could make it matter to people and prepared for when the videos come out (they're out right now so go watch them!!). Then I went on exchanges with one of my elders who is probably going home soon. My heart breaks for this young man because he doesn't want to leave, but can't cope with stress so his body is making him physically ill. Super sad, so we talked and I gave him some tools to see if we could help him feel better. He didn't believe me that it was a mental thing, so we"ll see what happens. 

Wednesday-  So today we walked... like a lot. My poor companion gave me the saddest look when I told him we were going to take the 4 mile hike to the Church. haha so needless to say, I have some gnarly blisters and got to talk to a lot of cold people. We pretty much just spent the day doing service and walking around.

Thursday-  Today was weekly planning and oh man I was so excited for it. I don't even know why because its usually super boring and it still was, but I think I was just happy to stay in the warm house for a little bit. Then we walked for an hour and a half to get to our Thanksgiving dinner. It was soooooo good and I ate so much food!

Friday- So today was the day that all of the Light the World videos came out so we went to the mission office and I borrowed a laptop and took my whole district into presidents office, haha. We watched it in there and I just cried the whole time haha. They're so good and I just felt the Spirit so strong! President heard I sat in his chair and he just rolled his eyes (he totally loves me though so its okay haha). Then we literally did service for the rest of the day.

Saturday- So our sole purpose today was to teach my new companion how to knock doors and to give out a ton of the Light the World cards.. It went really well and we talked to a ton of people. Not all of them were super happy at our invitation to Light the World and to serve others, but it's whatever. Thats like half the fun!! We had a sweet dinner and I got to play with some kids and a dog, so I was super happy.

Sunday- Today was for sure the best day of the week! For starters we had our refugee investigator, Monica from Rwanda come to sacrament and we sang hymns and bore testimonies the whole time. It was so cool!! She doesn't speak English very well so she liked to just listen and feel the Spirit. Then I got to go teach primary 2 TIMES!!!! Oh man I was so happy I got to do it in both wards. For sharing time they shared us, the missionaries haha, it was so fun! Then we had a really good lesson and a super good dinner. It was a good week!

I know you all know this because I say it all the time, but I am so grateful to be a missionary. I am so lucky to be able to come here to Boise and to finish my mission. I love you all and know that God does too.

Elder Noah Stolper 

Week 20 - Just Photos

Sorry guys, I cant talk today. I'll get you next time though!