Week 88

Family!

So this week was awesome! We are doing some awesome work here this has been like the most favourite time of my mission! Me and Elder Vaughn work super well together and we are seeing so many miracles! The Members here are the best and so willing to help us out! So on Thursday we go news that we found a place to baptize Carol it should happen this week or next. Amanda was at church yesterday and her her baptismal interview tonight at 6 her date is for the 14th she is committed and was even telling people about it yesterday! SO that is going really well! There have been many more miracles this week, its crazy to think when I first got here the was literally nothing and now this area is doing so so well. I love serving here and feel so blessed that the Lord has been blessing us as we have diligently served Him is this area! Hard work is the key to success! I am a witness of it! I love you guys Missions are the best! 

Elder Howard

Well, I thought it would be fun if Elder Howard wrote this week's email! 

Also, Amanda is super cool and is going to be baptized pretty soon. And! Remember Raphy? Well he's super Catholic and he goes to church but then he goes to Catholic church after, he totally believes that our church is true and The Catholic church is not! He is a talker and when he talks it usually doesn't have anything to do with anything, well, yesterday after church he said he felt the spirit during the talk! So we knew we had to take advantage of that so we went to see him later that day and as we asked him about it he just started talking about nothing but I had such a strong impression to just let him talk and so then 10 minutes later he told us he believes we are the true church! It was awesome! The only problem....is that he told us he wont get baptized until his super Catholic dad dies.. (he's 91 folks) But we committed him to talk to his dad about it today. (he's like 53 by the way) 

All is well in Chardon, things are actually super well and I'm really happy and so thankful that I get to serve a mission. The church is true and more importantly Jesus Christ is our Savior. He stands today on the right hand of God and is so aware of everything we go through. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I've heard a lot more stories of him serving here in Kirtland and it just has strengthened my testimony that he was a prophet of God. I know it. God lives and loves us and wants to hear from us every day! I love you all and know you can all have great weeks!

-Elder Vaughn

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Adam Howard <adam.howard@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Aug 1, 2016 at 11:43 AM
Subject: This weeks special addition: #Talk2Ten
To: adam.vaughn@myldsmail.net

Well, maybe this week was actually a really good one. So to start it off we had failed to budget our miles accordingly so there was a lot of biking and walking and getting rained on. But the work of the Lord is moving forward in this Chardon area.

So Tuesday we had a good day planned had so great lessons and it was like an average day in the life of a missionary the real good news came was when our zone leaders told us we were going to blitz their area which means both companionships work in the same area which meant we didn't have to plan a whole day in our area which was looking like a lot of tracting in super hot weather. After the exchange we were able to review what we learned and surprisingly enough... not really but Elder Vaughn and I took away the same principle and that was talking to everyone! Like all the time no exceptions or accuses! So as the week progressed we have repented and literally talked to everyone! In our zone meeting the next day we were given the #Talk2Ten challenge? Where we are to talk to ten people every day outside of tracting and teaching appointments. Which fueled our goal to repent and talk to everyone! 

Thursday we had our Branch President come teaching with us. He is a stellar guy and an awesome teacher! He taught us some pretty great things about tithing. So with him we taught Carol, so earlier in the day we got a call from Brother Arnold our Branch mission Leader who Told us he found a place to baptize Carol. So that was like the most amazing news Carol is finally going to be baptized! 

The next days were good but that's when the rain rolled into town... We had planned to be walking and biking. So as we are tracting on this one road we see a guy just cleaning his truck (before the big rain/thunder storm) And as we contact him, he has a little yappy dog, my mission has made me hate dogs and this is why as I gave him the card his little yappy dog bit me! and tried to eat my leg! It was horrible I let out this high pitched panic scream in fear of my leg being eaten and the fact that it totally caught me by surprise. So I got made fun of by my companion for a little bit until later that day when the thunder storm began, after taking shelter under a tree for like 15 minuets (smart I know) we made our way to the nursing home where Carol lives to play chess with our buddy L.C. until the storm passed as my companion if quite frightened of the weather.