Watch and read about our neighbors and friends in the stake as they share how they feel the Savior's love, what the restored gospel of Jesus Christ means to them, and how it's changed their lives.
Elder Andrew Leduc
Sand Springs Ward
Twenty-four months have past and, at the time of writing this, I still have about 11 days left, so don't worry, I've still got some work left to do.
My mission has been such a transformative moment for me. I have learned so much that I could not think to describe it all, but in a 13 hour flight to SLC I will jot down some ideas.
Thinking on an experience to share is daunting, but the most important thing I've learned on my mission is about the atonement of Jesus Christ. I always believed in the atonement, but I didn't understand its role in my life. As Elder Holland says, every good missionary may face their own Gethsemane, a challenge that stretches them to testify of Christ more earnestly.
My mission taught me to do hard things. While serving in Ibiza, Europe’s #1 Party Capital, I learned a lot about the atonement. In the face of contention in my companionship, dwindling success, and my own imperfections, I found myself drenched in gall and bitterness. I knew I needed a solution, didn’t know where to start. So, I turned scriptures and prayer.
That next week was Easter, and in Spain, I enjoyed the full catholic day-by-day celebration of the festivities. I walked with Jesus that week and learned of him. On Palm Sunday, I was blessed to hear the words of a living prophet’s talk, "Peacemakers Needed", and it felt as though he were speaking directly to me. "How could he know what I was going through with my companion?" I thought.
I realized that I needed to change, and my contentiousness with my companion started to change. I repented and sought charity and received comfort and guidance from a loving mission President who saw my potential. I was blessed with exchanges with 3 of the most Christlike missionaries I’ve ever met, and who have become dear friends. BUT, above all of these gifts, one day I felt I couldn't keep going. We returned home so my companion could use the restroom. I looked at myself in our big mirror by the door, and I felt the most penetrating, loving, warmth. I felt as though the Savior himself were there with me. It's weird to say that Ibiza has become a sacred place for me.
–Elder Leduc
Elder Boston Holyoak
Feathering Sands Ward
Hey everyone, I am Elder Holyoak and I am currently serving in the Paraguay, Asuncion Mission. During my mission I have seen many miracles occur and I would like to share one with all of you.
I had the great privilege to be able to meet and teach Richard and Yanni, they're a couple that have passed many challenges over the years. Richard grew up a member of the church but for many reasons he had stopped participating.
As we began teaching them, they had a strong desire to change their lives through Christ but faced many challenges in following His commandments. They overcame many of these challenges to be able to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the challenges was that they weren't married. When we taught them about the importance of marriage and eternal families, we shared the following scripture:
“And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.”
They responded by saying: "We will do anything to complete with the commandments of God."
Hearing them say that reminded me of the Prophet Nephi and his faith to go and do what the Lord had commanded of him. Richard and Yanni later got married and Yanni was baptized into the Church. Now, their goal is to make it to the Temple. I am very moved by their faith and their desires to follow the Lord and they inspire me to do the same.
I know that the Lord has given us commandments to bless us and that although it might be hard, it is worth it. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been an instrument in the hands of the Lord. This is the Gospel of Christ and it changes lives!
– Elder Holyoak
Elder Hayden McLaughlin
Evans Meadows Ward
I had just been transferred into the Folsom area and we met with Risa over Zoom. She had been invited to read from the Book of Mormon, and we were following up on her experience. She told us that she started reading and praying about it as she was reading, and felt the spirit so strong that she started to weep. She stayed up for 6 hours that night reading the Book of Mormon, and woke up the next morning feeling like she needed to change some things in her life. Without us even asking, she went through her house and threw out anything that might have been an addiction or that she felt was distracting her from her relationship with God!
As we were helping her prepare for baptism, we went over the interview questions with her. She had some concerns about the law of tithing, because at that time, her finances wouldn't allow her to pay tithing and support her family at the same time. She decided to try it out one week before she got baptized but as she was preparing to go to church, to turn in her tithing slip, she had to go to the hospital due to some breathing difficulties. Unfortunately she wasn't able to pay tithing, but the Lord still recognized her efforts.
Risa was wanting to move to a new area that was closer to where she worked and where she could live in a nicer house. Well, later that week, a house she was looking at, dropped in price so that she could afford it! She was able to move her and her kids into the new home and after that experience Risa decided she was ready to be baptized and had no doubts about the law of tithing! She acted on the invitation in Malachi 3:10 and saw the blessings that came because of her faith. She is now attending the temple, and her son, Jovan, got baptized just a couple months later!
If we choose to act in faith and expect miracles, then the Lord will provide! Risa is just one of the many examples I got to witness on my mission.
–Elder McLaughlin
Elder Garrett Gifford
Wild Horse Springs Ward
I am so thankful for all of the wonderful amazing experiences I had serving in Detroit Michigan! I was able to learn so much the past 2 years. One of the biggest things I learned is that the Lord will bless us when we have good desires and act in diligence!
An experience I had from this happened when I was serving in West Detroit in the spring. We were teaching a very humble part-member family who lived in a pretty rough neighborhood. Awesome family with high energy kids who loved learning about the gospel. We had helped one of the kids get baptized a couple weeks prior but the son, Assan, hadn't been baptized yet. He needed to come to church 1 more time! The next Sunday morning we had everything prepped for them to come to church. 20 minutes before church we got a call from his mom saying that her car was low on gas and she didn't have money to fill up the tank. My companion and I quickly said a prayer and got the idea to bring some gas to them. We started scrambling and were able to stop by a member's house to grab a gas can. We ran to the gas station, filled up the can and took it over to Assan and his family's house. After spilling some gas all over my suit coat and feeling very stressed, we were able to fill up her car with gas. We were all able to make it to church 30 minutes late, and Assan was baptized later that month!
I will always remember this Sunday morning experience! I'm super thankful for the impact it had on my mission to be able to help this Detroit family. Assan will forever be blessed for his decision to be baptized! He was so happy the day of his baptism! Especially because we got to play some 1 v 1 basketball before the service! :)
-Elder Garrett Gifford
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Elder Stockton Malmberg
Wild Horse Springs Ward
I'm grateful for all the experiences I've had in New Mexico with the people and learning for myself that the Gospel is TRUE!!
In my second area, we met a man named Santos. He was going through a tough time and was in a bad situation with personal things, but he wanted to change. We had knocked on his door several times with no answer, but after feeling prompted, we tried again. This time, Santos answered. We started talking about how we help people make promises with God. When we talked about baptism, his first question was, "Why haven't y’all baptized me already?" He was ready for sure! But it was going to take time.
We taught him the Gospel for a solid month. He had some mountains to climb but he was finally baptized on July 8, 2023. He had overcome so much and it was amazing being able to witness his baptism.
The coolest part is this though. About a month ago I decided to visit Santos again because he was in the area. To my great joy, both him and his mom had truly become converted to the Gospel. They had become true disciples of Christ and the spirit radiated in their home!! I was shocked!!
I instantly shared this scripture with them. "Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God." Alma 17:2
I told him it had been a long time since we had seen each other, but he had truly changed, and it was a joy to see!! I'll never forget that moment -- it is one that always sticks out as I have reflected upon my mission!
I'm truly humbled to see that no matter where we are in life we can be changed through the merits of Jesus Christ!!
–Elder Malmberg
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Elder Jordan Derrick
Evans Meadows Ward
I would like to share the best thing that I learned on my mission. That is, "Follow the First Prompting." When I was about 4 Months on my mission, I was serving in Augsburg, Germany. We went on the street and started talking to people more about the Book of Mormon and Jesus Christ and as I was doing that I looked over to my left and I saw a man. I felt the spirit very strong which told me to go stop that man. As I went over with my four-month German I started asking him if he was religious at all and if he knew what the Book of Mormon was? He said that he was religious and that he was actually looking for a church to join. I was excited to explain what the Book of Mormon was and why we need it. He took it and was willing to read it and now he is a member of the church.
Another time was in my last area in Freiburg, Germany. I woke up one Sunday morning and thought that I should put a Persian Book of Mormon in my bag before church. As church started there was a guy who was sitting next to the sister missionaries. The sisters thought that it was our friend but we also thought that it was their friend. So we were wondering, "who is this guy"? He then came into our Sunday School class where we were teaching our investigators. As I talked to him, he told me that he spoke Persian. I ran to my backpack and gave him the Book of Mormon in Persian.
We were able to make an appointment with him the next week, and we asked him how he got to know the church. He said that he had a dream one night where he saw Jesus Christ or an Angel appeared to him and the Angel told him to go and find my church. He told us that he went to three other churches before walking into our church. He said he didn't feel the spirit in the other churches but when he walked into our church, some members were greeting him and sat him down by the sisters. He said that he felt happiness/peace when he walked in as well. It was awesome to have the Spirit tell me that I should bring a Persian Book for him and that he had the dream to find the true church.
I am glad that the Lord used me to bless one of his children and that I can be worthy to receive promptings from the spirit. He was baptized 2 months later.
–Elder Derrick
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Sister Lainey Falk
Meadow Green Ward
There are so many miracles and moments that I could share but one moment that is special to me was one transfer. I was feeling super down and stressed about so many things. And in the middle we were able to go to a big missionary meeting (zone conference) and it just so happened to be the building right next to the temple. So me and my companion walked around the temple grounds and as soon as I stepped foot on the temple grounds the spirit was so strong. I felt so much peace and comfort. I felt my Savior. And I knew He knew exactly how I was feeling. I was able to focus better and remember that that is what I want others to experience.
– Sister Falk
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Elder Brighton Palmer
Evans Meadows Ward
I'm very grateful for the opportunity I had to serve the people in Colorado throughout my mission. I've met so many amazing people with such strong testimonies of Jesus Christ!
One in particular is a family I met and was able to help come back in the gospel fold! The parents were both members but had fallen away when they were younger and now had a young family of 4 kids. Teaching them was such a humbling experience to see how quick they were to change their lives to align with what God has asked. They always made it a priority to meet with us and more importantly come to church.
Eventually the father was ready and prepared to baptize his kids and they all were baptized! Since then they've explained that it was a weight lifted off their shoulders. The father explained to me he had always felt a void within himself and had tried everything to fill it and that now he knows that only Christ could fill that. It's only through Him and His gospel that he was able to feel complete.
After the baptism as well they wanted to share the gospel with everyone and do anything they could with inviting others to come unto Christ like they did. They were so quick to join any lessons we had with other friends we were teaching and the testimonies they shared invited the spirit more then anything we taught or talked about. They've now all been sealed in the temple to each other for time and eternity.
So grateful for their example to me on how to be a true disciple of Christ and show me how much the Gospel of Jesus Christ truly can change people's lives for the better!
-- Elder Brighton Palmer
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Elder Bronson Bradshaw
Feathering Sands Ward
I had the opportunity to open a new Spanish area in my mission. Although it was a hard, one of the coolest things happened. As I was walking around an apartment complex there was a man taking his trash out. I casually went over and began to talk with him and his name was Stanly. We explained what we do and he agreed to let us come over.
We went and he wasn't home. We tried again and same thing. However the third times a charm and he let us in and we began to teach him. We invited him to read the Book of Mormon, something that would change his life forever.
Stanly had a drinking problem which strained his relationship with his family. But right after we started coming over and he began reading the Book of Mormon he immediately stopped drinking without us telling him. He began to be all in and whenever we invited him to do anything he always would say "well if the Lord commands it I'll do it!"
Stanly now has a strong relationship with his family! He is now married, baptized, and went to the temple recently. He is on fire for the gospel and is eager to continue to learn. I can testify that Jesus Christ changes us. We just have to let him! Stanly is an amazing example to me of that!
– Elder Bradshaw
Elder Bronson Bradshaw has completed his full-time missionary service this week in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission. We are deeply thankful for his dedicated efforts! He will be speaking in the Feathering Sands Ward at the Stake Center on Sunday, August 11, 2024, at 10:30 AM.
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Elder Davis Gibb
Wild Horse Springs Ward
“I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to serve the Lord and His children in the beautiful country of Colombia. There are countless experiences and lessons that left an impact on me, but one thing I truly came to understand is that this is the Lord’s work.
Meet Guillermo. He’s a taxi driver in Cúcuta, Colombia, who one day gave us a ride to the local Stake Center. We got his phone number and told him we’d love to share more about the Gospel, but after reaching out to him over the next few days, we were met with no response.
A few months later, to our pleasant surprise, Guillermo texted us. He said he wanted to strengthen his relationship with the Lord and learn more about what we do as missionaries. We met with him the following day, and after a month of lessons, scripture study, and attending Church, Guillermo made the decision to follow our Savior’s perfect example and be baptized.
It was a powerful reminder that this truly is the work of the Lord. He will prepare people, and He will guide them to the light. We should never feel discouraged when sharing the Gospel, because the Lord has a perfect plan for everybody. I am so thankful for the powerful testimonies and examples of those I met in Colombia, and for their continuing faith in our Savior Jesus Christ.”
– Elder Davis Gibb
Elder Carter Rigby
West Layton Ward
One experience that I had as a missionary was in my first area, Capas Tarlac. We decided we were going to take a shortcut through this area that was not familiar to us, and we ended up getting lost, our phone was 3%, and it was dark. We were undecided what to do, so we said a prayer for us to either be able to make it back to where we came from, or to find the way we are going.
At that moment, there was a motorcycle that came by us going through the farmland; we asked him for directions, and he was able to point us to where we wanted to go, allowing us to continue to the appointments we had set. I know from this experience that Heavenly Father watches over his children, and sends people to help in times of need.
– Elder Carter Rigby
Elder Jackson Tolman
West Layton Ward
In my first area, we began teaching a man that lived close to our apartment. After a short period of time, we found that he was a Muslim, but he still welcomed us to share our beliefs. He didn't agree with some of our beliefs, but we maintained a good relationship.
Over the next few months, the man got very sick. He wasn't eating at all. He was skin and bones. He would vomit back anything that he tried to eat. Due to the poor medical care in the country, they couldn't find the problem or a solution. It appeared that he was on his deathbed.
We started visiting him and his family every evening before returning to our apartment. We prayed with them, sang with them, and tried to share the Light of Christ. The spirit world seemed very close for the man as we bore testimony of the restored gospel, the Book of Mormon, and of the atoning sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Although he didn't accept the gospel at that time, one experience we had with him left a lasting impression on me.
One night we entered his house and he was laying on the floor in serious agony. We stood in the doorway thinking about how we could help or what we might say to this dying man. After standing there for some time, the man lying on the dirty floor began to painfully say something to us in a quiet, raspy voice. With what little strength he had, he tried to get up and apologized to us for not offering us seats. He felt terrible for not being a better host. I learned from this weak, feeble, Muslim, Liberian man how to show Christlike love in the midst of adversity. Although he didn't accept the Savior or our testimony, that experience enlightened my understanding of humanity and strengthened my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our prayers for the man were answered and he made a recovery back to health. It has been nearly 2 years since I have seen him, but I will never forget that night.
– Elder Jackson Tolman
Elder Jaron McMillan
Wild Horse Springs Ward
"While serving in Whitefish Montana, a man named Isaac attended church in a YSA ward and wanted to learn more about the church and eventually wanted to be baptized. Isaac loves the outdoors so my companion and I had the amazing opportunity to do all of our lessons outdoors whether it was on a hike or by a lake, they were almost always outside.
"Well, Isaac decided to be baptized giving everything to the Lord. When Isaac went to pay tithing he asked the percentage again and when I said 10% he instantly said "after all the Lord has given me I can give 10% of my income". Isaac was and is an example to me of giving everything I can to the Lord even if it's not the easiest thing to do.
"Isaac is now over a year sober, has a new job, was a self-reliance teacher in his new ward in Provo, and is anxiously awaiting to go through the temple to receive his endowment. I'm happy to call Isaac one of my great friends and someone I look up to. He is a huge example of change through the atonement of Jesus Christ.
"The last thing I have to say about this experience is that the Lord puts people in your path for a reason in the specific time. I have no doubt Elder West and I were supposed to meet Isaac so that all 3 of us could learn from each other."
-- Elder McMillan
Sister Ashlyn Peterson
Sand Springs Ward
My name is Ashlyn Peterson. And I just returned from serving in the Canada Toronto Mission. I wanted to share just one thing I have learned on my mission!! FAITH CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS!!!
My mission has opened my eyes to see the hand of the Lord in my life more than ever!!! But it has also created opportunities for me to need to reach out for his hand more than ever! As I have prayed daily, I have seen the Lord literally work MIRACLES!!! EVERY DAY! I have seen Him move mountains through simple prayers of faith!!
One such prayer of faith prompted me last year to post a Facebook ad for a Book of Mormon. One new friend reached out!!! After teaching him a couple lessons, he came to stake conference and he LOVED it!! He also went to a baptism of one of the Elders’ friends, and he loved it too! He then prayed and decided to be baptized.
After he was baptized and received the Holy Ghost, he said with the biggest smile, "wow I feel like a whole new man!” Amen! As we walked out from the baptism, he looked at me and said, "If you ever look at your mission and question why you needed to be here... just know you helped this guy! You've changed my life by turning me to Jesus Christ's gospel!"
Since then, he has spoken at every single zone conference and testified of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon! He was only baptized last October, but he has now received his patriarchal blessing, the Melchizedek Priesthood, served in the ward with a calling, baptized his friend from work, and also baptized 9 others!!! All in only a few months!! He shared how the Book of Mormon changed his life, and was the foundation of his conversion!! The spirit is the true witness to us!! :))
One of my favorite scriptures is Alma 26:1, "And now, these are the words of Ammon to his brethren, which say thus: My brothers and my brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we started from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?"
I always knew that my mission was going to bless me. But I NEVER could have imagined that it would bless me THIS much!!! My mission has been everything to me!! And it has changed me forever :))
We are so grateful for Ashlyn’s faithful missionary service in the Canada Toronto Mission .Ashlyn will be speaking in the Sand Springs Ward at 9 AM on Sunday, June 23, 2024 in the Sand Springs building.
Sister Lucy Fellows
Evans Meadows Ward
“One thing I have loved about serving a mission is watching people change right before my very eyes. For example; This is my friend José María! A quirky short man from Peru that always shares the best lunches and Peruvian desserts with us. He looks tough on the outside but has the biggest and sweetest heart.
“He was involved in a gang for a large portion of his life. He had experienced a variety of impositions, one of them being severely wounded as a result of being jumped and brutally stabbed. He was in a few tough situations, made some mistakes. He wanted to change.
“So he found us! The missionaries! He expressed a sincere desire to change and move on from past mistakes. As he prepared for baptism, he read his scriptures even though it was still hard for him to understand them, went to church even though he worked all night the day before, quit smoking even though it was a habit he had for years. It took some time, faith, and diligent effort but in the end José was baptized and made his first covenant with God.
“I watched him transform and change right before my eyes. I was transformed and changed as I witnessed Christ's merciful atonement take place, cleaning, purifying, and healing my friend José María. Because through living the gospel of Christ, we are brought "into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation". We "are encircled about with the matchless bounty of His love" (Alma 26:15)
“I know Christ lives. I know His gospel is a gospel of transformation because God loves us too much to leave us as we are. I know this change is made possible by and through the atonement of Jesus Christ.”
Sister Lucy Fellows has recently concluded her full-time missionary service in the Uruguay Montevideo West Mission. We appreciate her dedication and efforts. She will be speaking at the Evans Meadows Ward on Sunday, June 23, 2024, at 10:30 AM at the Sand Springs building.
Elder Andrew Brown
Sand Springs Ward
“After about a year on my mission, I had an unexpected problem with my lung and had to get a couple of surgeries. It was definitely not the ideal situation being far from my family and in a foreign country. It took me a little bit to recover but through this experience I learned a few things. One, God is always watching over us; two, His plan is perfect; and three, He felt all of our pain and suffering and understands us perfectly. It would have been easy to complain about this and focus on the bad things, but that wouldn’t have gotten me anywhere.
“A year later during my last week as a missionary, I went to lunch with my mission President, his wife, and a few other missionaries. When we were about to leave I heard someone calling my name, I turned around and saw the two surgeons that operated on me a year back. I couldn’t believe it and was filled with so much joy to be healthy and able to give them both a big hug and thank you. God's timing is real and there is no such thing as a ‘coincidence’”. – Andrew Brown, Sand Springs Ward
Elder Andrew Brown recently completed his full-time missionary service in the Brazil Belém Mission. We are grateful for his dedication and service. He will be speaking in the Sand Springs Ward on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at 9 AM at the Sand Springs Building.
Sister Nancy Horsley
Evans Meadows Ward
“The Lord needs helping hands in many places and under many circumstances.
“My name is Nancy Horsley. I had the privilege to serve as a Service Missionary for two years in the Bountiful Temple clothing department. I really didn’t know what to expect, other than I love being at the temple and I enjoy the peace and joy that always accompany me there.
“I spent most of my time in the baptismal area. My work consisted of distributing clothing to the patrons coming to do baptisms, restocking clothing and folding clothes. If it sounds tedious I can assure it was not.
“I learned so very much. I worked with wonderful, loving and kind individuals that love the Lord and love serving him. We shared many inspirational and uplifting experiences with each other while we worked. We also engaged in many gospel doctrine discussions.
“I love gospel music and it was always softly playing in the laundry area. It was always uplifting and comforting.
“I love the youth of the church. I got to serve the youth on my mission as the majority of patrons to the baptismal area are the youth. They are special. They really impressed me with their desire to serve. They are such an influence for good. They love the Lord. They love to serve. They serve with joy. Many of them come weekly. Many come with physical handicaps. Some of them are so short they need to stand on a footstool to keep their heads above the water. But they continue to express their gratitude to be able to come to the temple.
“My mission increased my gratitude for life and all I have and experienced. It also helped me understand the importance of expressing our gratitude to the Lord and all others. It has helped me develop patience and understanding. I more fully understand now, how much the Lord loves us and knows us individually and gives us the opportunity to grow if we will let Him.
“I will always be grateful for my opportunity to serve and plan to continue to serve where and when I can.”
Elder Kevin & Sister Cathy Tucker
Wheatfield Ward
“When we think about our time at the Layton Family History Center, there are two things that come to mind: First, the Center is staffed with amazing, dedicated volunteers, who are well versed in genealogical research. Some of the missionaries have done genealogy for over thirty years. The second experience has to do with the truthfulness of this work. While we were watching one of the many short films that are shown to individuals and groups visiting the Center, a very definitive impression came to our spirits, that this work is true. The research to find ancestors leading to temple work is a divine work.
“Anyone that has a desire to do genealogy research, no matter their level of expertise, can come to the Center and find answers.”
Kevin and Cathy Tucker recently concluded their mission at the Layton Family History Center. Their commitment to serving this mission is greatly appreciated. They will be speaking in the Wheatfield Ward on Sunday, April 21, 2024, at 1:30 PM in the Sand Springs Building.
Elder Easton Knudson
Wild Horse Springs Ward
"My name is Easton Knudson and I have recently returned home from the Toronto Canada mission! There were many instances and experiences I had where my testimony was strengthened but I want to share an experience that will forever have a lasting impact on me!
"The story begins in downtown Toronto in July of 2022! Me and my companion at the time had been street contacting in this particular street corner a lot. Especially because it is the most effective and we find the most amount of Spanish speakers there. We wanted to be led by the spirit to someone who would listen to us and so we got together and said a prayer right there on that corner. We were guided to take the bus up north which we normally take to get home!
"We had talked to some people on the bus and when we got off we started talking to this guy named Angel. At first he was very timid but after a while he opened up and seemed to have a lot of questions. We met with him the next day and he had traveled an hour and a half on bus just to see us! In that lesson we set a baptism date for a month out and he was baptized a month later and now has the priesthood and is one of my best friends to this day! I’m grateful the Lord guided us to Angel and that he was ready and willing to accept our message!"
Sister McKenna Brough
Feathering Sands Ward
"Hey Y'all!! I'm Sister Brough from the Feathering Sands Ward, and I'm serving in the Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission! But at the end of this month I will be heading back to Utah! But I wanted to share a story from my mission that means a lot to me!
“This was back in September of 2023! Me and my companion were driving around seeing where we should go! We decided to stop by our friend Latonya's house! We have been meeting with her for a while but she was going through some hard things!
“So we stopped by just to check up on her and see how she was doing! So get over there and knock, she was home! So we talked to her, she was telling us all that she was going through! While she was talking I had the impression to share with her Helaman 5:12!
“It states" And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."
“When I read this to her she started crying and said, "This is the answer to my prayers!" She knew that God loved her! A few days later she called us and said "I'm ready to be baptized!"
“I know that God hears our prayers! He loves each one of us! And knows exactly who we are and what we are going through!” – Sister (Kenna) Brough
Elder Carson Smith
Wild Horse Springs Ward
"As a full time representative of the Lord Jesus Christ I have been called to witness for His name! Throughout my mission I have come to learn that the greatest privilege is to "witness for His name."
"At first, I looked at this phrase as witnessing for His name through all things that I do and say. I have come to learn that is only part of the meaning of this phrase. I have come to learn that it is my privilege to be an instrument in God's hands by singing the song of redeeming love for all to hear! I get to witness Jesus Christ use His infinite power to change the lives of Heavenly Father's children. It is truly amazing to witness Him doing his great work while I'm an instrument that is being played by the master!
"I love my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus the Christ, the Living Son of the Living God!"
Elder Matias Rodriguez
Wheatfield Ward
"Paulo!"This is my friends Paulo and he is awesome! Paulo comes from a rougher background and at first couldn't come to church. We kept visiting him and then he got permission to go to church. Since that day he never missed! He didn't have permission to get baptized so we decided to fast and practice how he would ask for permission! By some miracle his father gave him permission and Paulo was Baptized! He goes to church every week by himself and is a baller member Missionary!
"Paulo has showed me that with perseverance and faith the Lord will provide a way! I am grateful for Paulo and the example that he is! I am grateful for the opportunity that I has to share the Gospel with Paulo and show him the path that God has for him! I know that God wants us to be happy and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ will bring that to us! I love the Gospel and missionary work! In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."
Elder Rodriguez has just arrived home after dedicated missionary service in the Argentina Salta Mission. He will be speaking this Sunday, February 11th at 1:30 PM in the Wheatfield Ward at the Sand Springs Building.
Sister Mayson Rollins
Willow Ridge Ward
"Hi! My name is Sister Mayson Rollins and I am from the Willow Ridge ward. For the past 18 months, I have been serving in Northern California in the California Roseville Mission and I LOVE it! I have seen SO MANY miracles on my mission that have shown to me that I have a testimony that GOD IS IN THE DETAILS!! Every single day there is something that screams "God is in this day".
"There was one transfer where I went Spanish speaking. It was the first weekend of the transfer and one day me and my companion were trying to deliver something to an inactive member, but on the way we went to the wrong house. We were walking out when this man, his name is Marco Antonio Del Rio, he saw us and asked "are you Jesus people?" We got really excited and nodded yes! He invited us in and he started crying. He told us that he was in a really hard place and he prayed that night before for help. We taught him almost every single day that whole transfer and after 2 weeks, he was put on date for baptism! He was so ready to hear the gospel and God literally put us in his path. If we didn't go to the wrong house, we wouldn't have ever met him.
"I have a strong testimony that God knows us personally! He wants us to turn the day over to him, and he will bless us with miracles! Things will go the way that's best for us! I am so grateful for my mission and all the experiences that I have seen and witnessed. I know that God is in the details and that THIS IS the church of Jesus Christ!"
Sister Rollins recently returned home from faithfully serving in the California Roseville Mission. She will be speaking this Sunday, February 11th at 12 Noon in the Willow Ridge Ward at the Layton Legacy Stake Center.