Elder Martin Email September 9th

well I don't know if its a late snowfall or early snowfall but whatever it is, its back and its only September! SO this week was pretty much surrounded by hanging out with our recent convert Kevin and our less active Brody.... so Monday through Wednesday was normal and then Thursday we went to McMahon Stadium! and got to walk out on the field and what not... that's where the Calgary Stampede  CFL team plays! all of the YSA in Calgary were invited.... there was a good turn out. Then on  Friday there was a missionary who needed to go to the Health Clinic... They were pretty ill, and so we helped them out with that... that was exciting sitting there for 3 hours hah, but then on Saturday we met with Kevin for a lesson on the Plan of Salvation,I gave him the simplified card mom gave me by the way and he loved it! and thanks for sending the package! :D We then had dinner with Kevin, Qing (another Recent Convert) Daniel (our Ward Mission Leader) and the sisters.... we made home made corn dogs! sooo gooooood and home made Greek salad with home made dressing.... Kevin and Daniel are AMAZING cooks! so after we ate we went to a Corn Maze with them and just had a great night!  Sunday was church, we had a yummy break the fast and then had another break the fast with the Spanish Elders... so, much, food! still weigh only 193.......  then Monday was exciting.... Went to Chili's for lunch, I FOUND ONE! haha it was sooo good, brought back some nice memories. Then it snowed..... yaaaay haha and now its TRANSFER TUESDAY! Elder Bjarnson and I are both staying for this next transfer, and this transfer is only 5 weeks crazy! sooo that was my week!

District

Break the fast YSA Ward

Sept 1 Elder Martins Email

Well this week was one for the books! Monday for P-Day we had our talent show that was pretty sweet, Elder Bjarnson did his magic tricks and just about knocked the crowd out of their chairs hah then Tuesday we had District meetings, One of the Mandarin elders in our district, Elder Li brought a snack from China.... had us try it without telling us, it was Duck Tongue hahaha! it want to bad, kinda salty, don't think that i would say its my most favorite thing in the world. then Wednesday we went to down town Calgary... ended up talking to a "homeless" girl with a broken foot and a 2 month old kitten! i say "homeless" because she decided to just leave home and tour the country... left from Quebec and hasn't been home in 8 months.... and Elder Halford and I (we were on splits) we like wow so cool.... we've been gone from home a long time too! ended up talking to her for about 40 minutes and playing with her kitten, gave her a Book of Mormon and went on our way, she said shes not searching just interested in all religion.That night we got a call from a Less Active who is Activating himself again saying his car ran out of gas. Turns out he just bought the car and the gas gauge doesn't work after you pass 1/4 tank full haha so we helped him out and scheduled an appointment for Thursday night. While we were at his house on Wednesday he told us how "this" his old life was going to stop. (as he pointed around the room to all his empty alcohol bottles and beer cans and hooka.Thursday now rolls around and we have a lesson with our Investigator Scott, well it went sub par i would say haha, not that we really couldn't teach it was the fact that he was asking the stupidest typical questions any person would discover from the Internet, that was exciting. So we answered them and then just kept inviting him to read the BofM, and to pray for himself that's the only way he will come to know what all we say or he is wondering is either truth or blaspheme. Well after that we got back home to help the members upstairs in the apartment complex move, we were there for 4 hours then we headed to Dinner. Had amazing BBQ burgers and salad. Then we went to Brody, our new less active friends house. Well from everything he had laying around the night before was ALL gone Thursday.... this kid is SO awesome he is 21 and really wants to get back on track. We taught him the Restoration and that went well. So Friday now is here and we have MLC (Mission Leadership Council) I always love going because we have some of the greatest lunches there haha. yes they feed us. the meeting starts at 10 and ends at about 4. We council about how we can further the work and better the mission. We also found out that Online Proselyting will most likely begin within 6-8 weeks President said... he has a Presidents meeting this month so cross your fingers, and then we may get ipads shortly after that! :) Well now Saturday is here..... and so was BRAD WILCOX!!! dont know if you know him... but he is a great speaker for the church he spoke on the atonement. you should look him up :) got to meet him and he also got to meet our Recent Convert Kevin, it was the sweetest thing ever. Got a picture with him as well! Then after that we went to Mucho Burrito and on the way home (kevin drove us and the spanish elders) we saw fireworks! it was literally the best way to end the night. But wait that's not all, now its Sunday! well not a whole lot happened other than i had an awesome study on how Omni to Mosiah 24 connects haha its pretty insane then went to church that was alright but after dinner we went to Correlate with the STL's we share the ward with and we pull into the church and Right next door is a Catholic Mass thats just about to start, sooooo we decided to go and check it out. It was well Interesting needless to say, i will elaborate on it more when i get home hahah. and THAT was a week of Elder Martin! love you!

Elder Bjarnson, Kevin, Brad Wilcox! and ME!

This is Elder Farnsworth.... Studies are hard hahah

Lion Fist Bump!

Aug 25th email

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,  
But I have promises to keep,  
And miles to go before I sleep,  
And miles to go before I sleep.
                  -Robert Frost
And that promise would be to help invite others to come unto Christ and help them receive the restored gospel.

This week was good... the normal for the most part, walking and talking hah.... Thursday we had a lesson with our new investigator Scott we met from this walking and talking, it was sweet.. taught the Restoration and he has soooo many questions coming from a "real" world perspective so we answered them and cleared up a lot of stuff he said that he was told about the Mormons. He has a very open mind and willing to learn about everything... he says religion isn't super important to him but we will see what the Holy Ghost can teach him! Then we went on exchanges down to high river, it was so crazy to go back a year from the floods and see the town and homes rebuilt that got destroyed! We biked around and offered service for people, it still in the process of being built pretty cool. Saturday the Spanish elders that we live with had a baptism so we went and supported that. The guy getting baptized has a cool story... pretty much met this girl said she wants to marry him but cant cause he isn't Mormon, decided to check it out and found it to be true and was baptized!
We also did some Downtown Calgary street contacting... ran into the typical Drunk native on the train but they were funny.... his brothers were baby sitting him, talked a lot about their beliefs and gave them a Book of Mormon then coming home that night... Saturday night we were waiting for the train and a guy asks Elder Bjarnson "want me to tell you where you can shove that book?" then took it out of his hands and said "bend over" so we snatched the book back from him and sat there and took his remarks and gestures and what not.. i answered back in m usual smart remarks "cool", "right on man" "good for you" "catch ya later" "have a nice day" he just walked away and kept mumbling whatever hah... Sunday church was normal until a kid walked through the door stating that he is re-activating himself so that's sweet! Kevin the recent convert came to church, he is pretty much an active member hahah hes just awesome! :D other than that my week was awesome!

Aug 18th Email from Elder Martin

So this week was pretty good, We had the Baptism of Kevin MacLean Elder Bjarnson Baptized him and I Confirmed him on Sunday it was the coolest experience ever, my body was shaking with what im saying was the power of god and yet my voice was Calm and Bold.... it was awesome! were still on the run for trying to hit 1 million people contacted.... so far were at 35,333 slowly but surly! Went to down town this week as well... talked to some people talked to a street performer for a while hes less active but can whistle like a champ! The YSA ward is pretty cool, were losing about half the ward when they go back to school oh well... life moves on other than that lifes been good! Bjarnson is awesome and the spanish elders we live with are doing great as well!



 While waiting for the Font to fill for the Baptism I looked at some family history and found this AWESOME story!!

Dear Brother in the Lord, Having reflected on the short  interview we had last evening respecting the dream (or vision as you may  think proper to term it) and as you stated several times that you should like  to have it wrote so that you could take it home with you to Kirtland, I  therefore consent to give a statement in as short <a> manner as I can, without going into every minute circumstance. To wit.—
In the year 1795, I then being in the Town of Pompey,  County of Onondagua and State of New York; I then being 22 years old; seeing  and viewing the ancient Indian Forts and trates thereof through that part of  the Country; my mind was anxiously led to contemplate and reflect on where  those Indians came from, or from what race of People they sprang from, and often times heard it stated that these Indians were natives of this Continent, and  that they were created and placed here at the creation of the world. Then said  I the Bible cannot be true, part of for it (The Bible) says that all the human  family sprang from Adam &c, and that at the time of the flood, the whole  earth was covered with water, and that all flesh died, except what were in  the ark with Noah, then with things taking place, and I firmly believing  that the Bible was true, my heart’s desire was to God in solemn prayer to  know where and what race of people these Indians sprang from, It was  made known (whether by dream or vision I will leave that for you, to  judge) An angel as I thought came to me and said, Come along with me  and I was immediately on a beast like a horse, and the angel at my left hand  with his feet about the same height that my feet were as I sat on the horse, and  in this position was conveyed to near the place where the record was deposited  and he said stop here, and the angel went about 4 or 5 Rods and took in his  hand a book, and on his return to where I stood, as I thought there were many  stood with me; One said, what book is that? And the answer was, it is a bible,  a bible, the word of God, a record of a people that came from Jerusalem, the fore  fathers of these Indians, And it also contains a record of a people that came from  the Tower of Babel at the time the Lord confounded the language and scattered  the people into all the world, and it the Book Ether; and then with great anx iety of heart I asked if I might have the book, and answer was that it was  not the Lords time then, but it should come, “and you shall see it,” and then  said look, and as I looked, I beheld a man standing as I thought at a distance  of two hundred yards, and the angel said “there is the Man that the Lord hath ap pointed &c, and he is not yet born.[”] I have related it in short, as I have not  time now to give a full detail of all that I had a view of. Yours with respect.

Benjamin Benson
November 12th 1837
Joseph Smith Jr Far West.

N, B At some further time if the Lord will I will be more full if you should  wish it. I shall direct this to you as a letter and you cannot act your Judgement in either  keeping it to yourself or publishing it by making use of my name.

Kevin's Baptism

Bjarnson and Martin

Dog

8-5-2014 New area in southern Calgary down through High River

Alright time for all the glorious information you have been waiting for! I'm in the Foot Hills Area serving with Elder Bjarnson, still have a Chevy Cruz but this month we have had our drive allotment cut by 75% because were doing WALK AND TALK AUGUST! it is our goal to talk to 1 MILLION people!!! so as an entire mission we are trying to do this by the end of August, in accordance to this we have started reading the Book Of Mormon all together as a mission from the beginning and we should have it done in 3 months time! I'm excited.... we live in an apartment with the Spanish missionaries Elder Jones and Elder Farnsworth all 3 of them are from Utah but its really cool living with other elders ha ha!  Actually funny story,  Elder Farnsworth was a greenie 6 weeks ago and I was sitting at transfer and he turns around and asks me "are you Elder Martin?" and so I looked stupidly at my name take and was like "yea?" and his reply was "I've read your blog! its so cool that I get to meet you" and now I'm living with him... small world hah.

So a little about elder Bjarnson, he is from Tocqueville Utah comes from a family of 6 he is the oldest, also fun fact he is a Magician, so I plan on learning some sweet tricks! He also sleep walks hahah... its pretty funny, and cool. First night he was brushing his teeth and something else.. doesn't really wake me up so it doesn't bother me.

I'm serving in the Spruce Meadows YSA ward... little different from a family ward.. Fast and Testimony meeting was different needless to say lol. other than that this is an awesome area! Its the biggest zone in the mission with 28 missionaries and yes I'm still a Zone Leader haha so this should be exciting!

Elder Bjarnson and Elder Martin I assume 

Elder Martin July 29th email.....Transfer

So this week was an exciting start after Pday.... we had an awesome morning with finding out that we got broken into! yaaay for jerks, Elder Shaw and I hop in and he looks for his sun glasses and he cant find them then I look in the Center console and my ipods aren't there! sooo thats a little annoying but then the week got better we were able to teach our 9 year old the rest of the lessons so he could be Baptized on saturday. also we were able to Volunteer at the Airdrie Games, its like an Olympic tournament for the youth... that was fun, we helped feed them and take out trash....

Then we also were able to teach Aaron our less active.... hes working on getting to the temple again! so thats super exciting.. he also served in the ventura California mission, so we were pretty good friends and now I find out that I'm getting transferred out of Airdrie... I'm staying somewhere in the north part of the mission though! so thats somewhat exciting! :) and that ladies and gents was my week!

Elder Martin's Baptism

Elder Martin and Shaw

You got this Elder Martin

Elder Martin July 21 2014 Email

Sooo this week was alright, taught less active because our investigator was out of town, they both came to church on sunday so that was awesome! went downtown to calgary again this week, that place is pretty busy and people are just so rude hah... and they all break the word of wisdom and smell like smoke yuck! all of British Columbia seems to be on fire, and so is alberta! I feel like i'm back in california hah, we also has some crazy hail storm! it was awesome haha! also did some service building/leveling a stone path! thats always exciting,

Just need some snowcone flavoring