Change

So Elder Smith went home broke that ankle as I juked him... not really he was running at the park and slipped and had a pretty bad break. 

I got a video of the broken ankle I might share it Elder Smith's dying words were "make sure everyone sees this" 

Not to sure why it was his dying wish but it was. 

CJ was baptized this this last Saturday and it was an amazing experience to teach him and help him find faith in Christ every step of the way. However setting up the baptism was much less up lifting. Made the mistake of setting it on a Saturday of spring break. So the bishop and his two councillors were out of town and so was the rest of the ward so literally nobody knew about it until Friday. Including the ward mission leader who was supposed to conduct. But eventually we got ahold of people and the ward came to support.

Also transfers this week! I still in Alpine for another transfer making it 6 months. I am with Elder Gull, he is super solid Elder and I'm very excited to serve with him. He has two transfers left in the mission so it will probably only be one transfer with him sadly. It is going to to be an awesome transfer I also had some Old friends that were transferred into my district and zone so life is good right now as a missionary. 

I Love being a missionary, seeing the change in myself and the change in others they seem to always have a smile 

Heartache Happens

This is Elder Palmer's mom.
We did not receive a letter this week, but a phone call. Elder Palmer was busy packing up his companions things as Elder Smith had sadly broken his ankle during a pday game of British Bulldog with lots of missionaries. Elder Smith will be going home for surgery and recovery before he is able to return. Our heart goes out to him and his family.

On a happier note We did get this photo

I'm ready now

Today is not a P-day.

We have two appointments today in the middle of our p-day and we have to do a total of 2 hours of driving...we at least got our laundry done. But we did get to go fishing this morning for some bass so that was fun. Our neighbour actually gave us some fishing poles and tackle and said he would take us out fishing sometime! (Not a member) 

This week was pretty amazing Gods hand is ever present in his work. We are working with a young man that told his good friend that he was being baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ...then his friend continued to drop anti material on him for nearly six hours. 

  I woke up in the morning and saw a text and without reading it I knew exactly what it was... Elder Smith and I dropped all our plans that day and went straight to this young man. We walked out into the forest a few hundred yards to get away from his family that was so excited for him to be baptized. We talked for a long time. He had a lot of questions and needed some answers right there or we would lose him.

   By God's hand and power I had actually studied some of the doctrine regarding some of these question the night before (without knowing) So when he asked we had answers and scriptures to support it. I honestly do not know how Elder Smith and I (two young missionaries) were able to answer all his questions. When we finally answered the endless barrage of questions CJ nodded his head and said "I get it...it is up to me to figure this out for myself, what to I got to do?" 

He came to church on Sunday and when I asked him if he would like to move his date back a week or two he said "no I'm ready now"

You should have seen my face. And more importantly CJ's smile 

I testify that God is a God of Miracles because he is the same yesterday today and forever and his work is not done until the great Jehovah shall say" the work is done"

Love Elder Palmer

"Many Personal Revelations Daily"

General Conference! This was the first conference of my adult life that I didn't fall asleep. It was an amazing experience and it is such a blessing to know that the heavens are open today just like they were thousands of years ago. Had a lot of personal favorites but Elder Mackay was one that really stuck out to me. He talked about how the Lord does not always immediately answer our prayers but he does immediately bless us because of his constant love. I loved the talk because it was a unique idea yet very true. 

So the other day we met this man at the public library and he he was telling us how we are brain washed and apart of a cult, but he thought all organized religion was apart of a cult. Anyways he went on to tell us how he didn't believe Joseph smith because he was "obviously dehydrated and hallucinating from his trek across the desert" not sure where he learned that because that was obviously incorrect. He then told us to watch "south park" a satire cartoon and that it would give us a quick run down of the history of our church. I couldn't contain it anymore I actually started to laugh... which he obviously wasn't a fan of but I couldn't believe that a grown adult actually believed a cartoon. It really made me think about Elder Oaks general conference talk from last October "truth and the plan" how when seeking spiritual truth we should use spiritual and divine methods, not secular sources that claim expertise in a specific subject. Even when  the source is popular or is an expertise in another field claiming to know the answers to a completely different field. 

The sons of Helaman (Nephi and Lehi) were able to stay spiritually strong amiss so much confusion and strife concerning the doctrine of the church

Hel 11:22-23

22 And also they had peace in the seventy and eighth year, save it were a few contentions concerning the points of doctrine which had been laid down by the prophets.

23 And in the seventy and ninth year there began to be much strife. But it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi, and many of their brethren who knew concerning the true points of doctrine, having many revelations daily, therefore they did preach unto the people, insomuch that they did put an end to their strife in that same year

Let's seek to have "many personal revelations daily" and let's do it now "time is running out" 

Love Elder Palmer

Great News!

Great news!!! This past Sunday Raul was baptized! I sadly was unable to attend the baptism because it was in Tecate Mexico. But Raul is planning on coming up to San Diego to watch general conference with us so it will be fun to see him again! 

   I kinda had to laugh because the week Raul was going to move to Tecate we were talking about him being baptized down there. So when he got there and the sister missionaries came to his door he basically told them to fill up the tub. The sisters had a pineapple fall out of the sky, pretty awesome. 

  We also had the opportunity to teach CJ. a person we have been teaching for awhile and he is super excited to be baptized! So much that when stopped by this week he asked us in the first 2 mins we were their if we could set a date with him...so we just pulled put the calendar and picked a day! In the MTC they would always tell us that the person being baptized should be more excited to be baptized then you, I used to think that was not possible...but since being out here I have realized how true that is. People are so excited to be baptized. 

Because they understand the magnitude of such a dramatic simple act. 

I have been reading the New Testament and I recently read the famous scripture in matt 16 where Christ asks his disciples "whom say ye that I am?"

For some reason this really stuck with me because the verse before 13-14 the disciples name off some of the things that the people think Jesus is. Then Jesus poses the question "whom say ye that I am?" The significance to me is who the people (not the disciples) think Jesus is. And today there are even more names and false ideas about him. Ex. Just a story, a messenger, and only a man. 

Now I to ask the same question Jesus asked his faithful followers almost 2000 years ago. "Whom say ye that I am?"

Love Elder Palmer