Can You Overcome Your Fears?

(This post is from a letter written home and is presented here in an edited form by Elder Todd's father in hopes that this will offer some degree of comfort to others.)

In the middle of my own troubling circumstances, I write to you in full manner of happiness, expressing my own comfort from the Lord.

. . . I often wrote, I believe, about my past which has been a great sorrow to me. I often felt as if I had failed in my past (as a teenager). I did not share the gospel of Jesus Christ as I should have. I did not speak kind words. I did many gospel duties halfheartedly. I was not as valiant as I could have been. Often those thoughts filled my head . . . I too often remembered the bad times rather than the good.

I know that the Lord has forgiven me of my grievances. I have felt His mercy and I enjoy His presence once more. As a flower grows with sunlight, my soul has grown in His presence. I recognize now that I, in the end of my adolescence, had both a testimony - which has been strengthened - and a knowledge of the scriptures - which has grown. . . God has shown me what I did not see.

I recognize now two incidents in my life that would place great importance in turning my life around. Remember in, I believe 6th grade, when I read a scary story that stated I was going to die, causing me to fear greatly? I cried myself to sleep twice that night, Bria (his sister) shared a scripture that influenced me: Alma 37:37. I learned to turn to God in prayer and to seek the scriptures. It would later form a testimony. I pray that she remembers that night.

The other is the youth activity where we caroled at an elderly home. When we ended the caroling, the leaders encouraged us to talk to the elderly. I didn't want to talk to anybody, so I joined another youth, listening to their conversation. A leader pulled me a way to an elderly woman, who nobody presently was talking with her. Though I have forgotten her name, she was a member of the church and she bore her testimony. I remember, because it still lingers with these words: "I know. I know. I know." I learned the power of testimony.

I am grateful . . . My past is not as dark as I see it and my future is bright. By the grace of God I have mastered the past and future. The present is to prepare; to build upon the talents, attributes and the testimony that I have. . . I am a son of God . . . I will go forward in the service of the Lord, magnifying my callings.

Love, 
Elder Todd

Elder Todd with his Sister prior to leaving for Virginia.

I Deliberately Sneezed! - éternuer - niesen - чхати - nyse - עֲטִישָׁה - чихать

An LDS missionary, somewhere in Virginia, deliberately sneezes.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Dear Parents, Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom,

Let me begin with my back situation. I go to the doctor and I am in the room immediately. He comes in and asks me the story of what is wrong with back, what happened, etc. I told him what has occurred since July and about how sneezing made it worse. 

Now get this, he asked me, "You just randomly sneezed?" 

Sarcastic Answer: "No, doctor, I deliberately sneezed." 

(Do not worry, I said yes and not the sarcastic answer.) After getting my story, he walks over to me-- mind you, I am on that bench, bed thing and my legs are at 90 degrees-- and straightens my leg to 180 degrees. Then, he asked me where it hurts, which, of course, my leg and back were on fire at that point. I am also sure he could tell that I was in pain when my eyes nearly bulged out from him straightening my leg. (And if I was not in pain at that point, then I sure was and there after.) Once discovering that, he tells me he will be right back. 

Time passes and he comes back in with another doctor. My diagnosis? Herniated disc. Tomorrow, I get to go back to the hospital and get an MRI that will show where my herniated disc is and if I actually have one. Once confirmed, I get to consider treatment options. Do not worry or panic. The doctor is good, despite the silly questions and inflicting pain. It is me. I still do not like doctors and I have my reasons for that.

That is good about my driver's license. (His renewal can be done online.) I remember last time, I believe, before I left we did try to extend it. They just said that I would have to wait. At least we have made progress in that regard. 

It sounds like my dog is who she is and trying to make friends. Keep an eye on her, please, as I know you have been doing.

My week was good. On Monday, we Met the Mormons ("Meet the Mormons" showing in theaters but privately shown to missionaries.) before I came to email. With that movie, we are not allowed to be near theaters or watch it in theaters. For us missionaries, they still wanted us to see it, to talk about it with members. It is a good little film that shows 6 actual members living the gospel standards. Some break the ideas that people have of Mormons. Some show how we benefit those around us. I definitely liked it. Our lunch appointment that day turned into a dinner appointment. We also finished with combing through the potential records. The potential records are officially divided and we have started going through our list. No success so far.

Tuesday, we had some cleaning to do and we tackled a closet and organized it. We also tried seeing one of our less actives, but it did not turn out. We tried contacting a few other people, but it did not turn out, except for one. One person answered the door (a less active) and she did not let us in, but did tell us what days are best for her and her non-member husband. After that, we both agreed it would be great for us to try that house again. She had potential; the Spirit was strong about that. Normally, I do not get that feeling. We stopped by a few people after our dinner appointment; one of them who is the returning member who has overcome health issues.

Wednesday, we had our district meeting. The ward mission leader took us; he was fighting falling asleep. So was I. I did not sleep good that night. I have been able to fight falling asleep in cars, but I have been more and more exhausted lately and I am reverting back to sleeping while as a passenger. My companion was in the back seat while the two of us in the front were falling asleep. On the way back to Petersburg, we had correlation. When the assistant ward mission leader took us out for dinner, we went to see people instead of heading to the church. One person was not happy at all in seeing us, because we did not call ahead and he was eating dinner. All of the people we tried to see were not answering their doors. Finally, I decided, based on a prompting, that we go see the returning member who has overcome health issues. It turned out to be a good visit.

Thursday, we had interviews with the mission president. It was the usual interview. I agree that we should not overly abandon tracting Colonial Heights and surrounding areas, but I am still adamant in storming Dinwiddie. I have a strong feeling about it. (The thing is, my companion likes finding potentials; it is his favorite form of tracting. I am working around that.) We tried to see people after the interviews and lunch. Then, I had my doctor's appointment.

Friday, we planned and went over the potentials. We tried discussing things. We tried to see some more less actives. Not much happened on Friday. Neither on Saturday. There was a child of record baptism and we were in charge of filling the font. Filling the font took 5 hours, as per usual. (It takes five hours, because people want the water warm and we have a energy efficient water heater, which means water heating takes a while.)

Sunday, we had church. A less active who is permanently stuck here made it to church once again. Hopefully, she can keep at it. We tried finding more potentials and had some success of at least meeting them. Then, we had dinner over at the family (or as I feel bad in calling them as I did, the family who feeds us a lot). Dad's bestest friend (a recent convert who shares on Facebook a love of soccer, Southern manners and the topic of the "rapture") was there and we taught her about tithing.

Columbus Day, the library and post office was closed. The schools were open, which was different. We cleaned and rested. I made my companion a grilled cheese and a milkshake. I put seasoned salt and basil on the bread. Well, I oversalted it and cooking it got rid of the seasoned part of the salt. So, it was a bit salty. Then, I slightly burnt one side of the bread, which he scraped off. I gave him potato chips, which are overly salty. Dinner, needless to say, was salty. He was so cautious of eating it, because he did not watch me cook it and previous experiences with companions and them cooking meals for him have turned not for the best for him. (I guess it does not help that I have scared him a lot, but he scares easily). After dinner, we headed to the church, where we received info about a returning member. We tried another recent convert and his wife. He was awake, but she was not. We helped him with obtaining a LDS account on lds.org. He ordered scriptures.

Those calls are this weekend. I am not guessing this time. I have no idea what is going to happen. For all I know, I could be gone. My companion sure thinks I am gone. When members have been asking about transfers, he tells them when they are and that I am mostly likely gone (or "he's [referring to me] gone and I am staying"). He is even acting like I am leaving. I am going to hold off on making guesses.

All is well!

Love,

Elder S. Todd

P.S. Really, Sweets? (Reference to the TV show "Bones.") That is sad. Either you were going to tell me or eventually somebody was going to tell me. Also, do not worry about feeling out of the loop. I feel out of the loop most of the time. Not sure if that makes you feel better, but just know that I also know what it is like. And so does Somebody else.

Virginia Richmond Mission: Decisions

Missionaries must make hundreds of decisions daily. Sometimes they receive inspiration. At other times it is not wise to be compelled in all things but to do good of their own free will while engaged in a good cause. Blessings come after a trial of our faith in God.

Monday, October 6, 2014                    #Mormon   

Dear Parents, Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom,

Thank you for the medical insurance information. I remember reading the Book of Mormon as a family, but I did not remember it took us five years. (The last time we read The Book of Mormon together it took about 18 months) I remember getting in trouble, because I sprinkled the beginning of Mosiah with water. Every time I look at those pages, I remember reading as a family.

Thank you for keeping an eye on the recent convert. Yeah, she showed us your very long post in response to her. It made me laugh. (She is an awesome girl who loves soccer and has lots of questions. She refers to me as sir; which for some reason bugs me even though as Seth's father I'm old. Yet, just yesterday I called someone "mam." I will definitely keep your consideration in mind. Thank you for working so hard on the blog.

Somebody should be able to help Mom learn the ropes of FamilySearch. There is a lot of work to do and I am excited that God's work is truly hastening. I do not know all of the ropes on FamilySearch, but I know enough. I am excited that we have greater access to other genealogy websites. It will definitely help in this work. It is really exciting. You are lucky to have time to do it. I do it after emailing, if I can.

It was an excellent week. Monday, after emailing you, Bria, and President Wilson, I decided to go on FamilySearch and try Ancestry. You know the result of that. It truly was a joyous occasion. The rest of Monday, I had to wait for my companion to finish reading the Book of Mormon. He finally accomplished the task that night. Meanwhile, I drew and thought of different quotes. I read a bit. Tuesday and the rest of the week. I have to blend the rest of the week together, because it consists of cleaning, finding, and watching Conference. Specifically on Tuesday, we went back up to Richmond for him and another doctor appointment. On the way back, we got a couple of calls. One from a less active who is permanently stuck here (and not much we can do for her); it is another situation that I cannot explain at this present time and one that had to be explained to the bishop. The other was from the doctor for me, wherein I was able to get an appointment a lot sooner. Specifically on Wednesday, I did the questionnaires for the doctor, including my pain and what not. It needed my social security number of which I knew at one time. My mind was blank on that information. I held off and decided to call the office and such to see if I could obtain that information. By great intervention, the number was brought back to my memory with such clarity that I was highly sure it was it. Thursday, we had to take the car in for inspection and to get free engine coolant. (As missionaries, we go to the dealership for our car problems.)

Finding efforts are going okay. I decided that we go look at our area book for potentials, the idea being that we find potentials. Our area books are a fiery mess. The problem is that the boundaries have changed over the years. So, the potentials are either in our ward boundaries or in the neighboring. We are trying to weed out who belongs in which area, because it will alleviate a burden on us and future missionaries. We either make it better or we do not. In that process, I realized that Colonial Heights, Ettrick, and Chesterfield County has been tracted a lot. The street I recently tracted has been tracted multiple times. All signs of where to tract are perfectly clear: Dinwiddie. Petersburg has been tracted a fair amount and it has its fair share of dangerous areas. (I mean, they have signs that say "THIS IS A DRUG FREE ZONE BY ORDER OF THE POLICE" or "THIS IS A PROSTITUTION FREE ZONE BY ORDER OF THE POLICE." There is Mistletoe. Never should any step foot in Mistletoe.) Dinwiddie is a huge country, county bubble. We can make dents in it, but it is miles consuming, which is a problem for us who dwell in Colonial Heights. I admit that I am the one that made the decision to dwell in Colonial Heights, which hardly anyone, thankfully, realizes. I feel right about the decision and I have no idea why. Everybody asks why are we in Colonial Heights, even the bishop who says that the new subdivisions are in Dinwiddie and the ward cannot grow due to travel. (He is working hard to find us an apartment in Dinwiddie, I think.) While Petersburg had many benefits, I feel right about Colonial Heights and being here. It was cost effective, sort of, to get out of Petersburg and the apartment there. The Petersburg apartment was utterly trashed. I realized through General Conference that the members and us need to work together. In Colonial Heights, we are more dependent on the members and the members are already dependent on us. It puts an equal share burden on us and the members. It will require sacrifice, but as we know, "sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven." One thing that I keep on coming to is the fact that we need to be open about the work. The members "know" we are doing the work, but we need to find a way to be more active about it. I am still trying to figure out that puzzle. Yes, we have a certificate for the member missionary of the month. But, there is more that needs to be done. I am going to explain all of this to President.

Lisa Lim on Google+, She creates wonderful Christian memes.

There have been great blessings this week. Doing family history, through reading the Book of Mormon and watching General Conference, my testimony has been bolstered. Through conference, I realized a few things. My priorities have greatly changed. I am concerned more about my future family and fulfilling my church duties. While I still will pray more on it-- because I prayed about it, yet again after making the realization my priorities have changed-- I feel that forensic psychology is the field of choice for me. I am still praying about it and understand the risks that are spiritual, physical, and mental. Somehow it feels right. Will you support me in this decision? I am trying to make the right decisions in my life, make the right decisions in the mission field. Never before, here in Appomattox, have I been put in a situation where I have made a lot of decisions. It has been a beautiful learning experience and I know that God is there and is not allowing me to fail. I admit that I do not know a lot; believe me, the Lord made that quite clear from the beginning. I need support from you and I know I have seen that in the past 15 months. I know that you will always be there, even when you pass on. Just know, that I will need that support in trusting me that I am doing what is right.

One of the great things that I have learned from this past conference is that in order to be happy in this life, we have to be obedient and follow the prophet. Whatever is coming is going to shake our testimony and we will either falter or go onward. And, not being biased, I loved Elder Dallin H. Oaks' talk which nailed everything that I am trying to learn about religious freedom; I am going to get that talk as soon as possible. I loved Elder Neil L. Andersen's talk; I now have an idea for Christmas this year. I loved the welcome change of allowing the speakers speak in their native tongue. While, yes, you have to listen to the over-voice, it is wonderful to know that they are comfortable in speaking. That was made evident with the Portuguese speaker.

All is well! We have a lunch appointment soon.

Love,

Elder S. Todd

Just For Girls Google+ community

P.S. Who died on Bones? Was it Hodges? Or was it one of the assistants? I understand them killing off the assistants, because they have killed a lot of them in the past or had one turn to be a serial killer. It cannot be Booth. So, who died?

Prophets Speak Today

Think of all the prophets in the Bible and what they did. Did Moses build an ark? Did Abraham free a people from a Pharaoh? Did Adam see angels ascending and descending on a latter? Did Isaac call fire down from heaven? These prophets were called for their day and time. Don't we need prophets today who speak with God? Don't we need God to speak to the world today as in any other time? Has God stopped loving human beings? Is he satisfied with the multitude of religions? I invite you to listen to a prophet's voice on Saturday 10:00 AM, 2:00 PM, 6:00 PM Mountain Time and on Sunday 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM Mountain Time on LDS.org look for general conference and you may listen to it in your own language. October 4 and 5th 2014.

Подумайте обо всех пророков в Библии и что они делали. Ли Моисей построить ковчег? Разве Авраам освободить народ от фараона? Разве Адам см ангелы восходят и нисходят по последней? Исаак огонь сошел с неба? Разве мы не должны пророков, которые сегодня говорят с Богом? Разве мы не должны Бог, чтобы говорить с миром сегодня, как и в любое другое время? Имеет Бог разлюбил людей? Является ли он доволен множества религий? Я приглашаю вас слушать голос пророка в субботу 10:00 утра, 2:00 вечера, 6:00 вечера по горному поясному времени и на воскресенье 10:00 утра и 2:00 вечера по горному поясному времени на LDS.org искать Генеральной конференции и вы можете слушать ее на своем родном языке. 4 октября и 5 2014.

Podumayte obo vsekh prorokov v Biblii i chto oni delali . Li Moisey postroit' kovcheg ? Razve Avraam osvobodit' narod ot faraona ? Razve Adam sm angely voskhodyat i niskhodyat po posledney ? Isaak ogon' soshel s neba ? Razve my ne dolzhny prorokov , kotoryye segodnya govoryat s Bogom ? Razve my ne dolzhny Bog , chtoby govorit' s mirom segodnya , kak i v lyuboye drugoye vremya ? Imeyet Bog razlyubil lyudey ? Yavlyayetsya li on dovolen mnozhestva religiy ? YA priglashayu vas slushat' golos proroka v subbotu 10:00 utra , 2:00 vechera , 6:00 vechera po gornomu poyasnomu vremeni i na voskresen'ye 10:00 utra i 2:00 vechera po gornomu poyasnomu vremeni na LDS.org iskat' General'noy konferentsii i vy mozhete slushat' yeye na svoyem rodnom yazyke 4 oktyabrya i 5 2014 .

Denken Sie an all die Propheten in der Bibel und was sie taten. Hat Moses eine Arche bauen? Hat Abraham befreien ein Volk von einem Pharao? Haben Adam sehen Engel aufsteigend und absteigend auf einem letzteren? Isaak nennen Feuer vom Himmel? Brauchen wir nicht heute Propheten, die mit Gott sprechen? Brauchen wir nicht Gott, der Welt heute, wie in jeder anderen Zeit zu sprechen? Gott hat aufgehört zu lieben Menschen? Ist er mit der Vielzahl der Religionen zufrieden? Ich lade Sie ein, um eines Propheten Stimme am Samstag auf LDS.org hören 10.00, 14.00, 18.00 Uhr Mountain Time und am Sonntag, 10.00 Uhr und 02.00 Uhr Mountain Time sucht Generalkonferenz und Sie können es in Ihrer eigenen Sprache zu hören. 4. Oktober 2014 und 5..

Pensez à tous les prophètes de la Bible et ce qu'ils ont fait. Moïse at-il construire une arche? Abraham at-il libérer un peuple de Pharaon? Avez-Adam voir anges monter et descendre sur un dernier? Avez-Isaac descendre le feu du ciel? N'avons-nous pas besoin de prophètes aujourd'hui qui parle avec Dieu? N'avons-nous pas besoin de Dieu pour parler au monde d'aujourd'hui comme dans n'importe quel autre moment? Dieu at-il cessé d'aimer les êtres humains? Est-il satisfait de la multitude de religions? Je vous invite à écouter la voix d'un prophète, samedi 10h00, 14h00, 18h00, heure des Rocheuses et le dimanche 10h00 et 14h00, heure des Rocheuses sur LDS.org regarder la conférence générale et vous pouvez écouter dans votre propre langue. 4 et 5 octobre 2014.

תחשוב על כל הנביאים בתנ"ך ומה שהם עשו. האם משה לבנות תיבה? האם אברהם לשחרר אנשים מפרעה? האם אדם רואה מלאכים עולים ויורדים על אחרון? האם יצחק קורא אש ירדה מן השמים? אנחנו לא צריכים נביאים היום שמדברים עם אלוהים? אנחנו לא צריכים את אלוהים כדי לדבר עם העולם היום כמו בכל זמן אחר? יש אלוהים הפסיק לאהוב את בני אדם? האם הוא מרוצה מהמספר הרבים של דתות? אני מזמין אתכם להקשיב לקולו של נביא בשבת 10:00 בבוקר, 2:00 PM, 06:00 זמן הרים וביום ראשון 10:00, ו02:00 זמן הרים בLDS.org לחפש ועידה כללית ו ייתכן שאתה מקשיב לזה בשפה שלך. 
אוקטובר 4 ו 2014 5.

Gondoljunk csak a próféták a Biblia és mit tettek. Mózes bárkát építsen? Vajon Ábrahám szabad egy embert a fáraó? Vajon Ádám angyalokat látnak növekvő és csökkenő a második? Vajon Isaac hívja tűz alá az égből? Nincs szükségünk próféták ma, akik beszélnek az Istennel? Nem kell, hogy Isten beszélni a mai világban, mint bármely más időben? Az Isten nem szeret az ember? Ő elégedett a sok vallás? Arra kérlek benneteket, hogy hallgatni egy próféta hangját szombat 10:00, 14:00, 06:00 Hegyi idő és vasárnap 10:00 és 02:00 Hegyi idő a LDS.org keres általános konferencia és lehet hallgatni a saját nyelvén. 04 octombrie și 5-2014.

Gândiți-vă la toți profeții din Biblie și ceea ce au făcut. Ai Moise construiască o arcă? Ai Abraham elibera un popor de un faraon? Ai Adam vedea îngeri suiau și se pogorau pe o urmă? Ai Isaac cheme foc din cer? Nu avem nevoie de profeți astăzi, care vorbesc cu Dumnezeu? Nu avem nevoie de Dumnezeu pentru a vorbi cu lumea de azi ca și în orice alt moment? Are Dumnezeu a oprit iubitor de ființe umane? Este el mulțumit cu multitudinea de religii? Vă invit să ascultați vocea unui prooroc sambata 10:00, 14:00, 06:00 Mountain Timpul și duminică 10:00 și 02:00 Mountain Timpul pe LDS.org uita-te pentru conferința generală și s-ar putea să-l asculta în limba dumneavoastră. Október 4. és az 5. 2014.

Nearing My One Year Mark

June 30, 2014

Dear Parents, Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom,

I am in a state of utter disbelief. This is the very week. The week. You are indeed right. It was only a year ago that I left to Utah to the Missionary Training Center and then to Virginia. Now, it is a year left. I have to be honest. It doesn't make me happy. But, I will get to that.

I have been out more than Elder Avison by two transfers. Elder Avison is a wonderful, perfectly honest person. He bluntly states it as it is. It is a strength. I do believe that I will have a major growth with him. He is just as silent as I am and he does not smile as much. And it is just Elder Avison and I now. Elder Brown is gone; he has officially gone home. It is sad to see him go.

With Elder Brown leaving, he had a lot of things to take care of. I mean, he joined the Navy and has been trying to figure out ways to come back out here. (He had enlisted here, which means he will have to be in Virginia. His parents have yet to know about this plan of his.) It is the right decision for him (many blessings have been bestowed upon him). However, this week has been mostly bad. It is not entirely his fault, nor is it really his; it is just that he had a lot of things to take care of that took up the entire week. This coming week should be and is planned to be a week where we reestablish the work and contact with investigators.

With the Appomattox Ward, we cover Petersburg, Colonial Heights, and, the majority of our area, Dinwiddie County. With a budget of 950 miles, we cannot go far. Although this month, we currently have gone 112 miles over. I have a defense prepared in case of lectures arising. We are stationed at the Colonial Heights apartment, albeit we can transfer back and forth to the Petersburg Apartment. Only problem is that we have people to see in both areas and schedules and people do not mix. The idea of using the Petersburg Apartment is a great one, but is difficult to implement. We are limited to 20 miles per day and it is extremely hard to keep to that. There are certain difficulties. Tracting has to be done with caution; there are "safe" areas. Some finding has been done by going to the local mall by previous missionaries, but I automatically veto that idea. We do have an investigator there, but it is extremely difficult in my case to feel the Spirit. My brain goes for stimulation; noise, sound, pictures, and all of that just distracts me. There is a reason why I like quiet time, because otherwise, I would be terribly exhausted. There are issues arising, but as of now, it feels as though we are rebooting the area. We have been delayed a bit, but the work will go forward. I am happy to work here, because there are opportunities that are coming about.

Monday, it was a day of fulfilling tasks that needed to be done. At this time, we still had three. We were able to see a less active that day and help him out a bit. He is currently bedridden. 

Tuesday, we had lunch with a member. This member used to be in the Powhatan Ward. It was really fun talking about the people back in Powhatan. What I love about this ward is that I am close to Powhatan in boundaries and in certain members. We helped this member with fixing up his trailer's bathroom. (Yes, he lives in a trailer, but it is an awesome trailer.) We had dinner with a member that night as well. It was overfilling. That member gave us a personality test, which for me, hit it on the head. It was a "How Others See you" Personality Test. My result was, "Others see you as sensible, cautious, careful, and practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who's extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over if that trust is broken." I have known this about myself and I know that this test really hit in the head. I remember taking another personality test for one of my psychology classes and talked about my having a martyr complex. It was pretty interesting to see that correlate with this test. After dinner, we talked with our investigator and we helped answer one of her questions.

Wednesday, I met the ward mission leader. I have no idea who the ward missionaries are as of yet and with all areas, nobody, but the ward mission leader and us show up for our meeting. Usually, we have correlation on Wednesdays, but this was not a correlation. I have been warned about our ward mission leader. So, when he asked where I came from, I actually surprised him by saying, "God." He thought I would say the prophet or my hometown. If I had said my hometown, I would have been lectured. I do not come from places. I reside in places. So, when he asked me where my parents resided, I told him, "Lemoore, California." Pretty much, I have to word my words carefully. Then after an introduction of myself, I was compelled by my companions to show my scriptures. The ward mission leader likes that I know my Bible. I am not so sure if that is a good thing with him. I feel like I am going to be toyed with and that is never fun. After that, he proceeded to explain about the Creation and his thoughts. After a while, my head started hurting. We tried talking about our people, but he wanted to talk about the Creation. We had an appointment afterwards with some members, which the ward mission leader attended with us. It was mainly for Elder Brown and his decision to join the Navy. I felt bad for him, because he barely got to speak and plead his case. After that session, the ward mission leader asked if there were any questions relating to the gospel. We got asked about the woman and the priesthood, specifically with the woman who got excommunicated. (We have been hearing all about it these couple days.) I was excited to finally be able to speak, but the ward mission leader continued to speak and helped explain it. All patience that I thought I had went out the window. I realized I am happy with speaking just a bit to put my two cents in, but when I am constantly trying to interrupt to say my part (seeing as he just kept on talking), it is frustrating. One thing I have always been sick of is people talking for me. I understand that I do not speak much, but I do say words and I am very careful of what I say. Mind you, I did not snap then, nor did I snap at all. I was just a bit frustrated afterwards.

Thursday, we stopped by a member's house. I believe we had dinner with them. But, they like to feed us on a regular basis, such as every Sunday if at all possible. They are an interesting family. 

Friday, we learned of new missionary changes. We now have to teach lesson 5, we are in charge of reteaching the lessons after baptism, and so on. I was quite surprised. We also had zone meeting, but a member needed help with moving. We simply asked and they let us go. The other two were so shocked; meanwhile, I was simply amazed at the new changes that were happening. So, we helped the member move and it was a nice good bye for them. 

Saturday, it was more things that needed to be done. 

Sunday, Elder Brown said his final good byes. I taught gospel principles. I felt like I did horrible. I had this spectacular idea that just went south. Of course, this idea was based on the amount of people, which I judged would be a lot based on the previous Sunday. As always, expect sudden changes. So, I slowly plowed through that hour, going off the top of my head on the chapter I assigned myself. Our investigator showed up that day. She has been investigating for a while and has had help from the members who recently moved. She has made decisions in her life that relate to the Church. Even more, she told the three of us she wants to be baptized after realizing the Book of Mormon is true. We do not have an official date, but she has plans. She wants the member who just moved to be there, because she promised that she would. Details are pending on that.

And so, I said good-bye to Elder Brown. It was fun. We have had similar mission experiences and similar family situations (of sorts). It was fun while it lasted. Elder Avison and I had a fun last week scaring him by jumping out of closets with metal doors. I tried duct-taping the bathroom door shut while he was in there to another door. The idea lasted until he was able to rip it open. It took a while and was mildly successful. I also scared Elder Avison by hiding behind a couch. I am going to have fun with Elder Avison, because just the way he is makes me laugh. I have not laughed in a very long time.

Now, I present to you, my summary of the year. This is my year in review. I am not really counting the MTC for much. While there were great moments, not much happened. The only big thing was our practice person who was an actual investigator and trying to figure out ways to actually help her progress. I loved White Oak and Fredericksburg. It is very historical, plus it is my first area. There were a lot of wonderful people. There were lots of good times and bad times. I look as it now as the Lord purging me; my faith grew in the light of Him. My testimony grew. I was ready to move forward with life. By the time I left, I helped see some miracles and build the area to suitable stance. I was able to see one person be baptized, but as I have now seen with another person that I taught, I will never know the effect that I have had on people's lives. I loved the people of Prince William and Woodbridge; the condensed nature and city of Woodbridge, I am not much of a fan. After growing faith and being purged, I learned to hold fast. Whether it was being on bike, dealing with the bike, or dealing with people constantly dropping us, I learned to endure. I am glad to see how much I was able to make it go forward. I heard of miracles happening after I left, but not much else after that report. I loved Powhatan. It was consistency of White Oak, only more country and spread out. It progressed nicely as well; I have of yet no report. I helped build these areas and leave my mark. The Lord's work has moved forward and I am happy to serve. I have grown so much and it has been only a year. I remember thinking that I would be on vacation here without the stress of school. No, the Lord has other plans and I have been more stressed, more exhausted, and more happy, all with the miracle of not having burnout. (Funny thing is, I had nightmares where I was behind on schoolwork and I wake up, thinking I have to catch up.) I have no idea what is going to occur this last year. It sucks that it is my last year; the reality is, it is. I would honestly love to stay. I know less of my immediate future than I do of the future. Whatever the case, I know that this year I need to build confidence. I am looking ahead instead of looking behind. I have finally forgiven myself of so many things. Now is the time to build confidence in myself and my decisions. Now is the time to prepare for my future. If anything at all, I have to prepare. I have received promptings and it is made obvious by God, especially seeing as I was with the process of Elder Brown's last moments in the field.

Well, it is a new year. I know it is a bit early, but P-Days are on Mondays and I have to do what I have to do. In the spirit of this week, I send you these:
http://www.mormontabernaclechoir.org/videos/bring-him-home-alfie-boe?lang=eng
http://www.mormontabernaclechoir.org/videos/homeward-bound?lang=eng
http://www.mormontabernaclechoir.org/videos/battle-hymn-of-the-republic-mormon-tabernacle-choir?lang=eng
http://www.mormontabernaclechoir.org/videos/call-of-the-champions-salt-lake-2002-winter-olympic-games?lang=eng

All is well!

Love,

Elder S. Todd

Endure: Some Doors Need to Close, While Others Will Open

Monday, March 24, 2014

Dear Parents, Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom,

Well, I do plan on watching the videos today on fixing my bike after emailing. It is something that I plan on doing. So, until then, my bike is okay. The member did a temporary fix, but now I am going to try a permanent solution. Other than that, my bike is the middle of my worries.

So, the member ended up not getting things scheduled in time. Either way, I will not be going any time soon to the Washington, D.C. temple. Unfortunate, yes, but there will be a time when I can.

Yes, transfer calls did come. I am leaving, which I feel that it is time. I learned what I needed to here. I learned how to endure and what that means. Day in and day out, I had to endure. But, it is good. I enjoyed it here. While I did not get to know the members quite well, I feel I accomplished something here. Not sure if I will be able to rest, to regain strength, in the coming area, but we will see. This area could use some new energy. We have nearly tracted the north of our area, the middle of our area, and pretty soon, we would have started the south parts of our area. I am glad to give some ideas that I hope will provide fruit for this area. It will take time. And no, I have no idea where I am going.

This week was fair enough. We really worked hard. Tuesday, one of the missionaries that also cover the ward that I am in was called to Richmond for a meeting. So, I was in a trio for Tuesday night and most of Wednesday. We did more tracting Tuesday. There was this one street that we knocked pretty quickly. Not many people interested until this one door. He talked to us quite a bit. Nothing much to note about him, but rather what did happen. He asked us if we knocked on the lady across the street from him. We did, but we could not remember if any answered. He told us to be careful, because she will call the police. She even called the police on him for crawling into his own house through a window, because he locked himself out. And sure enough, a police car did pull into that neighborhood, but we avoided the police by talking to the man.

Wednesday was a pretty good day. We had some great lessons that day with two investigators. Another appointment fell through that day, but we were able to go ahead and talk to two less active members. It was good. A lot of things were able to move forward. Also, my companion locked ourselves into our bedroom that night. He was messing with the door mechanism until it broke and could not be pushed in (karma). What does he do then? Closes the door, thus taking 40 minutes of us trying to get us free. I had to climb out the window, onto the roof to get a screwdriver as well as brush my teeth and get ready for bed. (Our current apartment is a house with a second floor and a basement. It belongs to a member.)

We had zone meeting this past Friday. I was asked to give a spiritual thought on our purpose and its meaning to me and how it motivates me. What turned to be a thought turned into a testimony that went well. It was good to do that. I was surprised also on Sunday to give a talk, because I was leaving. I had a minute to prepare, because they announced it before I gave a talk. I bore testimony of enduring, which was good.

One less active person we have been working wanted me to thank you two for raising me well. I made her cry in a good way. She and her family have been going through a lot and we invited her to have family prayers at night. I bore testimony, which really helped her to be on board.

I love testimonies. I find them to be really powerful. What keeps me doing what I am doing? My testimony. I have learned a lot of things so far. I am exhausted, tired, but despite that, I am going to keep on working hard and keep on doing what needs to be done. I hate good-byes and I hate to leave, but it is time. There are others to be found and others to be rescued. 

Yes, I did get my package and no, I do not know those elders (his mother sent him names of some other missionaries whose mothers share a Facebook page). 

All is well.

Love,

Elder S. Todd

Muddy Waters, Fatty Pink, Red Light, Oh! No!

Lisa Lim on Google+

March 10, 2014

Dear Parents, Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom,

This has been a slow week. Not much happened at all. We found two new investigators and are hoping all goes well there. Other than that, not much. Week summarized. Well, sort of. Other things of note, besides the meeting we had to attend, was the ordeal Saturday and the Sunday meal. 

So, Saturday. Yeah, it is warming up and everything is melting again. When things melt, it creates water, which creates mud and bogs. Saturday, we went up and down this one road filled with all of the water and mud. White shirt plus mud equals a dirty missionary. Luckily, not much happened that day. Also, on Saturday was the ward talent show. It was nice, lots of piano pieces.

The Sunday meal, I had corned beef, which I guess comes from brisket, whatever the brisket is. But, the meat was pink and tasted like ham. Which triggered two things in my head. One, I rediscovered why I do not like ham. It is the taste that sets in. It is horrid. But, I do bite my tongue on what is given. Two, the pink meat. Now, I remember a general conference long ago. It was not so much what the speakers said, but what we had for dinner. It was some pink meat stuff that I thought was not cooked and was full of fat. I remember there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth over eating this "uncooked" meat. Needless to say, we never had that meat ever again. Eating this corned beef, it being pink and fatty, reminded me of such event. Still do not like it at all. 

It was a long meeting; sometimes, I could not seem to focus. There are things that I got out of it that I feel like I can apply with the people here. Other than that, I was not having too much fun. I realized how much mental stimulation it takes to keep me focused. Other than that, it was not a bad meeting. And yes, we were pushed to read the material. I did so anyways before hand and now, I need results to figure out what works and does not. Slowly, it will be worked out and I

Lisa Lim on Google+

will be able to use the material in it. 

My speech this week is fine, thankfully. I have not had much problems other than some people not understanding me. That is life as usual. It will get better in this life or the resurrection. The resurrection is a guarantee.

I plan on mailing you two a letter soon. I will write a little sticky note about why I basically wrote this out. So, expect a letter some time. I guess it correlates with your quote. Maybe.

I am definitely trying to be safe out here. The night before the zone conference, there was an accident with the transfer van. In the van, was a district leader, Elder Medsker (the housing coordinator), and one of the zone leaders. They were exchanging back and Elder Medsker came up for the meeting. Well, the district leader's apartment was across the street from the zone leader's apartment. There is also a hill where the intersection is. Well, somebody was going up the hill and the light turned red on them. The van goes forward for the green light and it gets T-boned by the car that ran the red light. Luckily, everyone is okay, if not bruised or in major pain. The district leader did not have his seatbelt, only because he could not find it and he got thrashed a bit. The zone leader only hit his ribs, but he seems to be okay. Elder Medsker is in a lot of pain, did go to the hospital, but as far as I know, he is just in a lot of pain. Accidents happen. 

All is well.

Love,

Elder S. Todd

All About Helping People Change

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Dear Parents, Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom,

Well, there are rules with the good news of going to the temple.( For interested individuals, a rabbi tours the inside of a Mormon temple: http://www.jewishaz.com/community/what-i-learned-from-visiting-the-new-mormon-temple/article_fab9f51c-82db-11e3-b97b-001a4bcf6878.html ) 


 The rules:
"Missionaries are able to attend the temple under the following circumstances:

1- The endowment or sealing of a new or returning member when the missionary had a substantial role in the conversion. Only one companionship may attend, if invited by the member.
2- An end-of-mission visit with the mission president and his wife.

Missionaries who qualify above must also meet these standards:

1- Be able to depart and return on the same day and be back serving in their area by 6:00 p.m. No more than two hours one-way travel time is recommended.
2- Travel with a member and not use a mission vehicle.
3- Attend on their preparation day or switch their preparation day to accommodate the temple schedule.
4- Receive advance approval from the mission president."


So, it is a bit difficult, but at least some day I will go. Some day. But, still, despite the rules, I am excited. 

The drought is bad (in California). That does not sound good at all. The weather seems, to put it  metaphorically, bipolar. In the same way, Virginia is like that. One week it is warm, or at least the humidity makes it feel warm. Then, it goes cold by the next week. Take for example, this week it was warm. Last week, we had some days that were a bit chilly. Now, it is going way cold into the single digits with snow. It should snow by 11 this morning. I am waiting.

And yes, I am using the gears( read his previous letter home below). It still takes a while for me to get up the hills. I am exercising. Yeah, it will take me a while. But, it is going a bit quicker. I still am learning the area. It is quite simple. I have it nearly down. 

With this ward (congregation), we have an excellent ward mission leader, who wants us to communicate more effectively with the congregation as well as with him. I am trying to help out.  I am trying to be on top of things. Some things I cannot worry about; there are things I can do. 


Everyone (two sets of male missionaries) in the same house belongs to the same congregation. No sister missionaries in this congregation. All are biking, which I do not mind. There are pros and cons to both a car or a bike. One thing I do not have to worry about is miles which are restricted on cars, thankfully.

This week was a bit slow in the sense of work. I am working hard and I am knocking on doors a lot. I have seen people who are mildly interested, atheists, those who think I do not know anything, and those who like to point out their NO SOLICITORS sign. Yes, people are very much interesting. I do my best to change my approach at each door and to testify always. As I once put it, I like F.A.T door approaches: "Make your approaches FLOW, ADAPT to the situation, and TESTIFY always." It works for me and I try to look around me to enlighten myself about what this person might be like or if it is a family or whatever. Hey, what I am doing is planting a seed. It is what it is. 

The members here are very nice. I try to help them out, hopefully they will realize our efforts and what we are doing. It feels as though it is a political game sometimes, trying to demonstrate that we are doing work with or without their help. 

Oh, and yesterday, I sent letters of the same kind to family. (Some I am still working on.) Well, actually, I just put some in the mailbox and forgot that it was a federal holiday. So, some time, you will receive a letter.

I hope this week goes well. Things will be worked out. Always be obedient.

All is well.

Love,

Elder S. Todd

P.S. I have been locking the door and turning off the lights, much to the dismay and frustration of my companion. But, yes the Following! On Christmas, with the Hairs (the place where I was able to communicate with you), after my communication calls, Sister Hair brought up "The Following" and how Brother Hair got into it somewhat. I was a bit excited, because it has a good story-line as you know. She could see my emotions and said, "Wow, I have never seen you so excited." Then, a person who is a potential told of us when he moved here to Woodbridge that the Lorraina Bobbitt incident (if that is how spell her name) had just occurred. After hearing that and away from the potential investigator, I turned around to my companion and said, "Wow, there is so much history here!" And I told him about Lorraina Bobbitt and others that I know were around here. To which, he replied, "I do not know how you find it fascinating."

Yes, I know I am abnormal in that sense.  What honestly interests me is the question of why. What is the motivation. Then, there is the question of justice. Please understand that , because I am not crazy at all (we, as his parents do). I just like good revealing stories and criminal justice.

And I am always excited for the missionary work.

(Most members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have a sense of humor. Even the person we call the prophet or president of our church shares his humor so the following is an inside joke for my LDS readers playing on "the army of Helaman):