Monday, August 26, 2013

Talk

Jason's sister, Lorielle, was recently released from full-time missionary service. Jason and Lorielle both spoke together. They did an amazing job and the Spirit was so strong. I love to hear their testimonies of the truth.

Jason plans to start his university studies mid-September at BYU Idaho. He is really looking forward to getting started. He will be studying Electrical Engineering.

End of Blog

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Speaking Assignment

Jason will be speaking this Sunday, Aug 25 at 1:00pm at the Canyon Ridge Ward building at 2162 East Canyon Road, Spanish Fork, Utah. He will be speaking with his sister, Sister Lorielle Record, who will returning home from her mission to Oklahoma this Thursday, Aug 22.

Speaking Topics:

Jason Record: Faith in and Use of the Priesthood
Sister Record: Recognizing and Acting on Promptings from the Spirit

I am told you need to get there really early if you want a seat. 

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Speaking Assignments

Elder Record will be speaking this Sunday, July 28 at 11:00am at the Spanish Highlands Ward building at 2188 E 100 S, Spanish Fork, Utah. He will also be speaking with his sister, Sister Lorielle Record on Aug 25 at 1:00pm at the Canyon Ridge Ward building at 2162 East Canyon Road, Spanish Fork, Utah.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Welcome Home, Elder Record!

Elder Record made it safely home today. He was very tired having had only about an hour of sleep, but he is in good spirits and doing great.
Coming down the escalators with the five other missionaries from his same mission.

Elder Record on the left coming down the esclator
So good to see Elder Record again!
Yes, Mom is very happy!

Mom gets the first hug
Elder Record on the left and Chris on the right. Chris is Elder Record's "little brother."

Family and friends to greet him
President Ross Baadsgaard of the Maple Mountain Stake released Elder Record officially at 10:00am this morning.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Coming Home Soon!

Elder Record is really busy with a group of new missionaries that entered the mission field today. We look forward to seeing him on Wednesday. We will post home coming pictures later this week.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Inspiration and Prayer


Helloooo!! So yesterday was pretty cool, because of a few things. We got to speak in Church. My topic was “How we can find peace in this tumultuous world through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.” Elder Yde's topic was “How we can find personal freedom through living the gospel.” They tied in really well. He gave his talk first, then I gave mine. Then a sister leaving on her mission spoke after us. It was really fun. We prayed really hard, and it went well. I think a lot of people were able to be touched and reminded of those things that are really important.

(If there is white noise, I have the window rolled down because it's super hot.)

We also got to teach sharing time. That was interesting. For July we did the week 2 sharing time. It went well. There are a lot of cool kids there.

We were able to teach more people yesterday than we really have any other single day during our time with each other. It seemed that we were really able to get in with people. I guess it being the richer area, people are often gone. So it's kind of tricky. Then you have the problem where sometimes people don't answer their phones. So (haha), it makes things interesting. It was really good because we were able to see a lot of people. I am convinced through prayer and fasting miracles happen. I think it is because we really wanted it. We really wanted to help everybody in the area, and I think the Lord helped us.

Also, this week we have been starting transfers. It has been a crazy schedule getting things ready for the mix up of the missionaries and having new missionaries come in. Today we are going to pick up two elders that are going to be coming in a little early. The rest of the 10 to 12 missionaries are coming in next Monday.

We taught a guy who is the son of a recent convert in the ward. We were going to teach him the restoration so we could invite him to read the Book of Mormon so he would know what it was about and how it came about. We just really felt like we needed to talk to him about prayer and help him understand his relationship with his Heavenly Father. He needed to know so he would feel and be able to ask Him if [the Book of Mormon] was true. We focused on that and it went really well. It was probably the most specific that I've helped anyone on my mission to understand prayer and how we can receive answers. It was really good, and I think he really understood how. I think now when he prays, it's going to be a lot more meaningful. So we are excited to see how he progresses. He's a good kid. He's like 15 and has a heart of gold. So he is really fun to teach.

I look forward to seeing you all soon. I hope you have a really great day. I appreciate the letter dad. That was pretty awesome. That is one thing I really like is that all of you helping Sister Record and I to stay really focused as far as what you write to us. Hearing from or about other missionaries sometimes they can get pretty distracted when their families start talking to them about things they don't need to. So, I'm glad you guys have really helped us out there. It's definitely a blessing.

See you all later. Have a great day! Bye!

Love, Elder Record

Thursday, July 11, 2013

The Score was Fun to Fun!

So, this week I will try to make an attempt at a more detailed description of spiritual events that have happened. So, let me get out my planner because my memory only works for like the last three hours. Yesterday we were going to eat dinner with a family. Their neighbors just barely moved in from Norway. We got to talk with the kids in the family for a little bit and get to know them. Hopefully we will get to go back and teach them more. They have never really heard anything about the Church. It was fun, and the food was delicious.

It is tricky in our area. There are a lot of people who are comfortable where they are at. A lot of people have heard about the Church, have seen missionaries or something. It is more effective for one of the members to go up and invite them to learn more, verses us asking them. There just seems to be a wall that is immediately up – a feeling that “I'm good and don't need anything extra.”

Oh, hey!!! There's a former mission president walking down the street! He was the mission president for some mission in India. He and his wife walk every morning down the streets – this morning on De Armoun Road.

We went to Fairbanks. I am really happy because there is a really good missionary in my old ward, Fairbanks 3rd Ward, and he's really doing well. I found out that one of our investigators who we struggled to meet with, but was super solid, wanting to learn more and find out, the missionaries were able to continue teaching her. She is progressing really well; she is coming to Church, and reading the Book of Mormon. She is already in Heleman. So it is just super awesome to see how positive things are going in that area. All the missionaries seem to be doing really well in Fairbanks. For the most part there is a lot more unity with the missionaries. It seems like there is a lot more mind set to just work and share the gospel with everybody.

We got to play soccer on Monday for the first time in my mission. I guess I kind of did it once before, but it was for a morning exercise. It wasn't much of a game, but we actually got to play a soccer game. We whomped them, the score was fun to fun!

We were also able to do some service by mowing some people's lawn.

We found [Name withheld] that wants to be taught. We are teaching him, and he is excited. He has a really big desire to come closer to Jesus Christ. So we are able to help him, and we will see how things go.

I may or may not have a ton of time to email in the future because next Monday we are bringing in new missionaries, and the next Monday we are bringing in new missionaries. Anyway, please keep writing. I will probably be able to read it.

Love, Elder Record

Monday, July 1, 2013

Fairbanks and Family History


So, don't have too much time to email home and I didn't get an audio recorded. I'm on exchanges right now up in Fairbanks again. We are exchanging with the companionships that have the new missionaries to see how they are doing and how their training is going. Life is good. We're working hard. We had about 3 or 4 full days to work in our area. It was a blast! Although, everyone is fishing so we had to work extra hard and be creative since everyone was gone. =)

I was also able to teach about Family History in the Brayton ward combined 3rd hour youth meeting. It went well, I thought, and the spirit was there. It was really directed at helping them focus on the temple and a role they can play in the work of salvation especially with how capable they all are. The next 2 Mondays after this coming Monday will be pretty busy because we have new missionaries coming in. That is my favorite thing, welcoming in the new missionaries.

I love the gospel. It just makes sense. I love the Savior. I love helping people feel that.

Love, Elder Record

Monday, June 24, 2013

A Testimony of Christ


I didn't get around to making an audio update today. Things are kind of rushed. We're getting 2 new missionaries today, 2 more in a couple weeks, and about 15 more on the 22nd. So today we'll be giving the new missionaries some orientation =) I loved the Missionary Broadcast. I think it really helped everyone to realize how much things are progressing and how much we need to change. I'm happy to be on this end of it right now because I get a unique perspective on it. We're the ones kind of making all the preparations for the change to occur and for the whole wave of missionaries with the new tools to have room and be in place.

Life is good up here. The work in the ward is really starting to blossom. The ward is so supportive. We love it here.

This week I've really been thinking a lot about the Book of Mormon. I've been impressed with the power it has to help us change. Whenever I read it I always feel so much better, so much more confident. I'm able to have a clearer mind to cope with struggles and, when we're teaching, with objections and rejections. I'm realizing that the reason that is the case is because of how clearly and powerfully the Book of Mormon testifies of Christ and His divinity. As I read the stories in the Book of Mormon I see how the people were able to find help and strength (grace) through the savior. I learn how I can apply that grace in my every day life because I'm able to easily see how they did it in theirs. I especially love the powerful testimonies of the Atonement that are given. I love reading about their boldness and their determination to serve the Lord till the very end. I love the messages of never giving up even in the face of extreme opposition. It's so fun to see how much the Book of Mormon really does focus on the Savior. I love Him, and I know He lives. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to learn of Him, not only from reading about Him, but by serving Him as well. I pray I'll continue to gain a deeper understanding of the Atonement and love for the Savior.

Love, Elder Record

Monday, June 17, 2013

Challenges of a New Missionary

Elder Yde and I on our way back from Soldotna.
I'm standing outside; backing up Elder Yde [pronounced wide]. We are about to go inside the mission home and email, and it's HOT!! It's so hot! It's sunny and beautiful and green, but it's baking. The car is on fire!! It's 80ºF in Anchorage. How on earth does it get 80º in Anchorage? So I don't know what I'm going to do. Although, I do have hope because a guy that we know went down to Mexico for two weeks. He said it got to 120, but he said it felt the same there as it does in here because it's more humid here. So, I'm hoping that's why it feels really, really hot right now. I'm hoping that when I set foot in Utah, I won't turn into toast.

This week we actually went on exchanges down to Soldatna. Elder Yde was with Stirling for a little while, but I stayed in Soldatna the whole time, or with the Elders in Soldatna I should say. That was good. They are good hard workers, and they teach well. There wasn't anything we really needed to be concerned about.
The new group of missionaries.
They are wonderful and we're so happy to have them here! =)
 
We had transfers. That was pretty intense. We helped all the new missionaries and helped them get in ad situated. We had to bring in a bomb squad to clean our apartment. It was pretty trashed. It was pretty hectic until about a day or two ago, and then we went down to Soldatna. We haven't even stayed in our apartment for the last two weeks. Well I haven't. When Elder Yde came in, we stayed in the mission home for like a week. Anyway, it's been fun; super busy; super awesome. I'm definitely learning a lot, especially about being organized. I committed to be super diligent, especially in my record keeping (no pun intended) this last transfer.

I am excited to be with Elder Yde. I'm pumped about the area; it looks like we will have more time to work in our area and help the people there. We have a few investigators that are really cool and prepared to hear the message of the gospel. Yeah, I really couldn't ask for anything more; I'm pretty happy.

Life is good. Talk to you all next week.
Elder Record, Elder Martinez and Elder Yde

Oh! HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DAD!

Various places Elder Record has traveled as an Assistant to the President.
View AP Travels in a larger map

Q: As you have begun working with the 18 and 19 year old new missionaries, have you noticed any common challenges they face that are different from the challenges the older missionaries faced?

No, I think the struggles are pretty much the same. I think the focus should definitely be on the mental preparation like you said. That's the biggest challenge I see in both groups. People talk about how wonderful and spiritual missionary work is, but in conversation it's hardly ever discussed how stressful and challenging it is. For example, I came out very idealistic thinking that all missionaries loved being there, loved being obedient to the mission rules, and were always happy and energetic, always focusing on the work. You have the exact same struggles, attitude, and challenges you came out with. Things don't change overnight. I'm not clueless, but I guess the thought never crosses my mind that everyone wasn't perfect... sounds silly, but nobody ever really expressed the stress that's involved. However because of experiences you shared dad, and from other things I knew there would be challenges, I just never had any idea at what magnitude. I've grown so much because the Lord has helped me to look forward with hope much like it's described in 2 Nephi 31:20. So when things got really hard, the question wasn't "do I do this or not?", but "how do I get through this?" It was also important for me to know that my first source of support was my Father in Heaven, then those around me.

Anyway, that's kind of a long winded version of what I was trying to say =). Just make sure they prepare for the mental stress and not to shy away from letting people who need to know, know your struggles. One of the biggest things that causes us grief is when we find out problems people have after things have gotten out of control when we could have prevented the problem by helping out in the beginning. Spiritually people seem to be really prepared, and that is so wonderful, but missionaries tend to be way less mentally prepared for the challenges of dealing with people and working hard and effective all day. Physically I've never noticed any problems. =)...

One more thing, tell the missionaries to lock their hearts. If there is anyone in there waiting for them leave them locked inside. Don't bring them out on your mission, and don't let anyone in on your mission. A mission president, not mine =), once got up in front of his missionaries and asked very kindly, "By a show of hands, who has been promised in their patriarchal blessing that they would find their eternal companion on their mission?" Everyone, of course looked around wondering who it was, expecting to see some raised hands. Nobody raised their hands. The mission president then said, "Nobody? Then stop looking!" and sat back down.

We are expected to devote all our time and attention to serving the Lord. That is what we promise when we come out. It's not a status thing. It's not a rite of passage. It's for the Lord and about him. Your not going to be a very happy missionary if all you can see is yourself. You need to learn how to look past yourself and see others. No part of serving a mission is about you. It's about the Lord and your brothers and sisters you are here to help. If someone can't handle it mentally, things aren't magically going to change when they get here. They have to have the mindset before they come out that they can turn to the Lord, and that He can and will help. I wasn't entirely prepared to come out. When I got here I was very much overwhelmed and stressed out. However, I knew that He is mighty to save and I could turn to Him with "full purpose of heart" and He would deliver me (Mosiah 7:33). The principles found in Ether 12:27 also helped me out a ton. I'm not perfect and I'm still not perfect, but if anyone has a desire to serve the Lord in full-time missionary service, they need to understand the principle of turning to the Lord for their support if they want to be happy, have fun, and grow the way the Lord intends them to on their mission.

Ya... you can tell I've been thinking about this a lot lately =) I hope some part of that helped. It helped me understand my thoughts a little more. =)

Love, Elder Record

Monday, June 10, 2013

Transfers Are Complete

This week has taken a lot of energy. So many people need help, and there is only so much help we as individuals can give. I'm so happy to hear all the wonderful news of how well things are going back home, I can't really even explain it. Transfers are tomorrow and we've been busy all week. It's an interesting process. President and Sister Beesley, Elder Martinez, and myself gather around the projector as we view all the missionaries in the mission. We prayerfully try to determine where the Lord wants each individual missionary. Some things come together quickly others take longer. We get to the point where everything feels comfortable, except for one. We try to fit them in but nothing seems to work, so we have to pull several people out and shift things around again. It seems almost impossible for things to come together the way they need to. Then President reassures us that this happens every time, but that something amazing happens also. He tells us that things get to the point where it will never seem to work, but then we fit one person in the right place with the right person and everything falls into place in a very dramatic way. This time it happened with a new missionary. We felt uncomfortable about who he was with and that he needed to be trained by someone else. We finally found the right person and just like President said, everything fell into place. It was like a bunch of puzzle pieces dropping into place. It helped me to know even more how our Heavenly Father is concerned about the one. He knows us individually and loves us. He is into the details of our lives and knows where we need to be and what we need to do. If we turn to Him, He will help us.

I love the Lord, and I feel so good as I diligently serve him. It feels so good to be diligent in general. I feel like I'm gaining so many experiences that, though hard, are preparing me to be so much more capable of helping others. I pray the Lord will help me to stay focused on the one so that I won't ever pass by someone who needs my help. It's exhilarating to stay focused and improve myself each day in hopes of being more ready to help people. What motivates me the most however is the thought that one day I will stand before my Father in Heaven as He embraces me and says, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant..."(Matt. 25:21)

Life is good! We truly can find joy and peace even in hard times. We can also find it in the happy times.

P.S. Cool side note, I met my friend, Thatcher Lamb, again. I ran into him at the temple when we went to ponder the transfers, and at church yesterday in Rabbit Creek ward. He just got off his mission in Paraguay and we was up with some family working. I love to come back after a while of not seeing someone to find that they are still striving to draw nearer to the Savior. Alma 17:2 came to mind. Also my new companion is Elder Yde. Elder Martinez is going home to Arizona tomorrow night. We'll be covering only the Rabbit Creek Ward which we are very excited about. We get to focus more on one area and not be spread as thin. A lot is happening too. The members are really helping us out with the missionary work too.

=) Love you all, Elder Record

Monday, June 3, 2013

Beautiful Juneau and Ketchikan

Elder Record
Man! This week we were in Juneau and Ketchikan, and it was incredible; it's beautiful there. If I were to ever go on vacation to Alaska, I would go there. It was amazing. We had a lot of fun walking through down town and OIM'ing and visiting people whose homes were down there. It was awesome. We were just working hard and going from place to place. The scenery was amazing. Ketchikan is setup … like the whole city is packed in close, but it's on a hill too. So it's like walking in a movie, and it's beautiful – super green, the water is beautiful. Anyway, it was really fun; and the work is going really well down there. The missionaries are doing a really good job. It was cool because I got to be with Elder Blackhurst again.

Elder Bernie and Elder Record.
This was p-day at mormon hill in Juneau,
another BEAUTIFUL CITY!!!!
In Juneau I got to be with Elder Bernie and Elder Thorne; some of my other companions, who are Zone Leaders down there. So it was really fun. I got to be with the missionaries. They are doing great! It was really nice. We got some really good insights for how everybody is doing and what we need to do for transfers; which we are working on this week. We are trying to seek the inspiration from the Lord where they should go and what should happen, and how we can best help the missionaries to improve.

We have been given a couple of referrals. We are excited to go contact these people. The ward is really getting excited about missionary work; and … that's good (haha). We love serving.

So yeah, if I were to ever come back on vacation, I would probably take one of those Alaskan cruises and stop in Ketchikan and Juneau because those places are amazing!

Life it good. I can't wait to work more in our area next week. Actually, we are going to be kind of busy because we have all the transfer stuff to do and a lot of new missionaries coming in. In July there is going to be even more. Elder Martinez will be leaving in a few days. So we are helping him cope (haha). I know who my new companion is, but nobody else does so I can't tell you yet.
Anchorage before we left.
Now it's green =) in a matter of less than a week.

It's amazing you can almost pull up a chair and watch everything grow. It pulls my thoughts to the Savior and the new life that can fill people's hearts as they let him in. The change can be slow, but it's wonderful to be in that chair watching the beautiful transformation that can happen in people's souls. From night to day, dark gray to vibrant green and full of life. I know this gospel blesses our lives because it's true. The Savior's help is real. I was thinking about grace the other day. It is basically divine help or strength given to us. I read a verse in the Book of Mormon, Mosiah 7:13, that I thought described grace very well and how we access it. Grace isn't just for after we die. Grace is for today. Grace is for right now.

Love, Elder Record




Elder Record waiting for the ferry to Ketchikan
Cruise ship in Ketchikan
Ketchikan, AK

Friday, May 31, 2013

Work in Juneau


Hello Family! We are here in Juneau and life is amazing. The trees here are beautiful. We got to fly in and see the ocean. It smells great here – not inside the building, but outside the building. Right now I'm looking at a waterfall that's really little. Apparently there were bears outside yesterday at church. It's so green. I'm pretty happy and excited to be here.

When Elder Zwick came here, he said that we should begin setting goals, not just with ourselves for the work we are doing, but we should be setting those goals with the ward. So we came up with a system for recording that. I have a little card that I can fit in my planner. We meet with our ward mission leader and have goals and people in mind. We talk with him about people he thinks, along with us, that we can teach and find – goals like that. So it's pretty handy because I think it will get the work going a lot. Instead of just being us planning the goals, it will be a whole bunch of people planning with us. It will make things easy and make more things happen, and they will be updated all the time on how things are going so they will constantly have it in the back of their head. So it looks like missionary work will definitely progress, especially in the ward we are at.

I love Rabbit Creek ward, and Brayton Ward, but Rabbit Creek ward give the best. They have like 20 to 25 active priests. It's insane! We took them to the mission home and had that little fireside. We have been taking them out teaching with us. We have gone over to all the priests' house teaching the lessons to them too, so they could see them and how it works. In Rabbit Creek, we have like four potential investigators. The members are setting up lessons for us. So, that's pretty cool. It's exciting to see everybody excited.

What else is super awesome about this week? We went to Fairbanks. That was pretty cool too. I got to be in my old area a little bit, and help them reconnect with a couple of people. It was warm and sunny and hot. We then came back to Anchorage, and it was not. Now it's kind of warmer. Juneau is like 60 degrees. There is like a cool breeze that comes off the ocean; it's so nice.

Let me look at my planner. What other cool things happened? We are starting transfers to look at where people should go. That's fun. It's kind of weird though; it's like I'm picking my next companion, so that's weird.

On Tuesday we got to go and see one of our investigators, who is super awesome. He could totally get baptized, if he realized he was ready. Right now he wants to take a step back and make sure he understands the Bible, which … I don't think anyone understands the Bible; okay well maybe some people do. Anyway, we are going to study with him and cross reference things with other scriptures, and help him understand and come closer to Christ. Hopefully as he does that, he will feel more confident and want to study the Book of Mormon and ask if it's true. It's either going to take him a long time to be baptized or not very long at all.

We got to help a recent convert move some of her stuff around. We got to know her two kids. They are probably going to let us come by and teach them. They are not members of the Church yet. Anyway, that is how the week went. It has been super busy because we have been meeting usually with President Beesley, with any spare time that we had.

I love you all, bye.

Love, Elder Record

Monday, May 20, 2013

Exchanges in Fairbanks


[Regarding Mount Pavlof eruptions] Oh, that make sense. We've been getting earthquake updates on the phone and there are tons of little 5.0 quakes off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia which is near Alaska. We're fine, but now it makes sense as to why there would be so many earthquakes in one area.

I'm on exchanges right now in Fairbanks. I'm happy because I get to serve for a day in my old area with a new missionary and his trainer. Unfortunately I don't have much time to email, but I'll write a letter this time and have dad send it to everyone.

=) so, life is good. Clear sunny skies. Plenty to eat, and loving the work. I love airplanes =) I also can't wait to take pictures of Juneau, Ketchikan and Metlakatla when we go down on the 27th. Maybe not Metlakatla, but we'll see.

Love you all!

Love, Elder Record

Friday, May 17, 2013

Volcanoes

Due to the recent reports of volcanic activity in Alaska, I thought I would share a map of the volcanoes relative to Elder Record's location. The volcanoes are pretty remote, and I don't expect Elder Record to report any problems this Monday.

For more information, read the CNN report "Alaska volcano 'fountaining' with fire, spreading expansive ash cloud".


View Mt Pavlof in a larger map

Monday, May 13, 2013

Mother's Day

[NOTE] We had a great visit with Elder Record yesterday. He was able to talk with his Mom who was traveling back to Utah from Arizona. The rest of the family followed up with a call on speaker phone.

Since I talked to most everyone, I'll just write about a couple experiences I've been having. We went to go contact a referral this week in the Brayton area. We had one of the Priests from the Rabbit Creek ward with us. It was kind of funny because we thought we went to the right place but we ended up going to the wrong address. The people there weren't the people we were trying to contact so we asked if we could share what we had with them. They said no, so we asked if they knew anyone who would. They told us to go see the people downstairs. So we went to go see them. A little girl answered the door so we asked if her mom was there. The mom came and invited us in and we taught her the message of the restoration. She invited us back to teach her with her husband how that message will bless our families. It was really neat to see. It's the first time I can remember being invited in from the doorstep and then being able to come back. I'm grateful for the opportunity to share the gospel and it's an amazing feeling to be able to talk with someone about it who wants to know.

We also had the opportunity to be a part of [Name withheld]'s baptism. He was baptized and confirmed by a young man in the ward who is about to go on a mission. Wes also received the priesthood from his little brother who ordained him to the office of a priest. Wes bore a powerful testimony. You could tell how much he loves the Lord.

Love you all =) Happy Mothers Day again to all the wonderful mothers! Thanks for all you do in helping us to become more like our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Love, Elder Record

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Flight Itinerary

We just received Elder Record's flight itinerary. He arrives at Salt Lake City International Airport on Wednesday, 24 July 2013 at 7:57am. We are so excited! That's Pioneer Day!

Monday, May 6, 2013

Hola! Mi Familia


Hola! Mi familia. This is Elder Record and Elder Martinez. Elder Martinez just celebrated cinco de mayo. He is from Mesa, Arizona, Mom.

There is a family in this ward who is kind of less active. We are hopefully going to go and see them some time this week. They are from the colonies. They got out of the polygamist colonies in Mexico. This person's mother was born in Chiuaua, Mexico. So, maybe they know some of our predecessors that were from there. I am excited to talk with them.

We just finished a lesson with this guy who is going to get baptized this weekend. He is so awesome! He is full of the Spirit. He studies and prays. He is just an honest seeker of truth. He is just a good guy and soaks it all in like a sponge. It is so much fun to talk with him because … well you know how I get, like when I get way excited talking about a topic I've been studying. Well, he is the same way. It's fun to talk with him because we just start talking about the topic. He's awesome. He is so ready! Hopefully we will get him introduced to a little family history so after he's baptized, he can go be baptized for some of his ancestors. Hopefully they accept those ordinances on the other side that were done on their behalf.

There are tractors. It is break up. They are getting all the dirt off of the grass. They don't spray salt here, they spray dirt and rocks – because it gets too cold I guess. Because of so much snow, I think it's more of a traction issue than wanting to get rid of the snow – because it's just going to be here (haha).

[Name withheld 1] and [Name withheld 2] are awesome! She is an active member, and she has got a strong testimony. These people are amazing! We go over like twice a week. They are just so spiritually minded. [Name withheld 1] is a non-member, but he is coming along. Right now we are on the topic of the Plan of Salvation. He is just soaking it in like a sponge. He loves it. Great people! The Spirit is always there so strong when we go, and it's so much fun to be there. That gets me super excited (haha).

Life is good. I have never been this busy in my entire life! We go from one thing to the next – boom, boom, boom; covering two wards. We go home and go to sleep, and then start first thing in the morning again. We just keep going and going. It's super fun. It's fun to be around President Beesley because he is so cool, and Sister Beesley is so cool too.

It's fun to see all the missionaries too, and to help them out. We got to call some of the new missionaries that are going to be coming into the MTC and arriving in June. We will call more later. We get to make a lot of trips to go on exchanges with new missionaries and zone leaders out in different areas. Here in a little bit – I think the week of the 27th – we are going to go fly out to Juneau, Ketchikan, and then I think we will go to Metlakatla too. We will come back to Juneau and then Anchorage. We are also going to go up to Fairbanks and probably Soldotna.

It's fun and just great to serving the Lord and be helping people out. We'll talk to you next week.

Love, Elder Record

Monday, April 29, 2013

New Assignment, No Sleep

Hello everybody! This week on Tuesday, we got a text from President Beesley that said to meet with him. So I went and talked to him and he called me to be the next assistant to the president. So I've been busy, crazy the whole week. It's actually been super fun because we got to be a part of transfers. The transfers were basically already done. The two assistants will be going home this transfer, so they needed to call two new ones. Anyway, they were already doing the transfers, and they got everything figured out where they wanted everybody to go. So, then we came in and reviewed it with them. We gave some of our suggestions and changed a couple of minor things. Then we took it to the temple, and thought about it, and prayed about it, and then we came out and discussed any changes we thought we needed to make. There were a couple. We then prayed about each missionary, for their new area and asked the Lord to bless them. So it was pretty cool. It was a really neat experience.

I prayed pretty hard for the Lord to strengthen me because of the lack of sleep I get sometimes.  But my lack of sleep is nothing compared to President Beesley.  He one of the most humble, patient, forgiving, diligent, and kind people I know.  I'm so happy to be able to serve around President Beesley.

I think this mission is one of the worst as far as logistics; as far as moving people around. It is just so big and so much needs to happen. In other areas of the United States, the seventies are only there for one day, but here they usually extend their time to three days, but usually that's not even enough. That is really cool because I get to be here as an assistant when Elder Zwick comes. That will be fun. I'm excited about that. So anyway, with logistics, we have been working really hard on those. I had to spend a couple of late nights. So, I'm super tired. But, it's super fun and happiness, because I get to be around President Beesley all the time.

Elder Record, Brother Swensen and Elder Terry
My companions are awesome, and I'm going to miss them. It was kind of fun because I got to call them and give them their logistics.

I got introduced to a couple of people in my new area. I'm going to be covering the Brayton and Rabbit Creek Wards, the two southern most wards in the Anchorage Stake. I went to a couple of lessons with Elder Duvall and Elder Durfee. When I was in one of the lessons, this guy had kind of been lingering and wanted to finish reading the Book of Mormon before he got baptized. Then we were talking with him, and for the first time in a year since his motorcycle accident he's going to be able to go back to work. However it won't be until September before he actually goes back. So he said he wants to be baptized before then. He is going to be baptized on May 11th. We were really excited about that. It will be one of the first things that happens when I get into the new area. We met some good people, and it seems like there are a lot of people prepared that I will get to work with.

Our investigator that I talked about last time got married, and he is going to get baptized this Thursday. He asked me to baptize him.

Life is hectic, and it will continue to be hectic because we are going to go today – I don't really get a P-day, but I'll get to email. I will then be helping with the new missionaries coming in – their orientation and everything like that. So I will probably have a few late nights until about Wednesday. But, I get to sleep in until 7:30am because we are staying up late because it's crazy and busy and the work just needs to get done.

This has been a weird winter. It has snowed really late. It's cloudy and bright outside. I can see... well I guess I can't see the sun, but it can see the brightness of the sun, but I can't see the sun. It's a beautiful morning. I sing “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” every time I leave the family history center on Wednesdays... and every time I leave district meeting. Anyway, good bye. I love you everybody. Have a great week.

Love, Elder Record

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Breakup!


Good morning everybody. This is a beautiful, sunny day today, and it's 36 degrees. Elder Terry is sitting next to me in the driver's seat. The leaves are still not on the trees because there is still a lot of snow, but it's all melting. I think break up is finally here! Yeah!! Breakup is like it's own season here, where all the snow and ice break up and melt because there is so much of it. It's pretty dirty right now. They don't spray the roads with salt because it's too cold. Salt is apparently just not good enough, but they spray the roads with gravel so you have grip on the snow. So you are usually driving on snow all winter, which is why everybody gets winter tires. All missionaries get studded tires. There is still lots of snow in the snow banks on the side of the roads, but the roads are clear – for the most part. They are kind of wet too.

This week has been kind of busy. Not only have we been covering the two areas, but we also had to do some major cleaning. We ended up going on exchanges with one of the missionaries up here in our zone because he was sick, and caught a neural virus. You basically end up throwing up out of the blue with no warning – maybe like three seconds warning. Luckily this missionary was in the shower at the time, so he was able to make it to the toilet in those three seconds. But, 90% of the kids at Chugiak High School caught it. So they closed the high school down for a little bit. I also heard that 60% of Diamond High School caught it. There were kids throwing up in the middle of class and throwing up everywhere. This missionary also threw up everywhere in the morning – well probably just the toilet. So apparently a lot of people are getting sick, but this is Anchorage. It tends to happen. I have never been more sick than I have been in Anchorage (haha).

But, it's beautiful!, except for the roads. The mountains I'm looking at are snowy and white and wonderful. The ocean is very pretty. I've been taking a couple pictures there. We are actually going to be hiking Flat Top today most likely, which will be a neat experience. Hopefully it's not too cold, but I'm well suited for that.

Besides all the cleaning and craziness, one of our investigators is planning on getting baptized this weekend. He is going to get married after 4 yours. So that's pretty exciting. That will be the third marriage I have been a part of on my mission. He is going to get married on Wednesday. It's exciting. It is always kind of tough leading up to the baptism, but we will keep encouraging them to do their best and to have faith. He is a really awesome guy, and he knows the Book of Mormon is true. He knows the gospel is true.

We have been using family history a little bit. There are a couple of people who we offered to help with their family history. So we are working on that, and it's pretty exciting. It makes it a lot easier to get on good terms with the person using family history. It makes it easier to lead into talking about families and the plan of salvation and the gospel. So life is good, life is busy. I'm having fun in Anchorage. I actually wouldn't mind if I stayed here for the rest of my mission, but we'll find out in a week.

Holly duckies! My ducky video is too big. I was going to send it, but it's just too big. I will have to get it to everybody eventually. Lots of duckies here at the Anchorage library.

I think that is probably it for the highlights. It is really fun being a zone leader because people are always struggling, and we get to be the people that help them with their struggles. It's fun – good service.

Love, Elder Record

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Minimal Update

Elder Record only responded to our emails without giving us a formal update. He is still working in a trio with Elder McMillian and Elder Terry. They are covering two areas. Elder Record likes it because he gets to focus on people who want to hear the gospel and progress. More next week.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Life is Good!


Hola, mi familia. Today is snowy and cloudy and cold; it's thirteen degrees. Just a couple of days ago, actually yesterday, it was sunny and warm; it was like 25 degrees. It was warm because it was sunny. The weather is kind of weird, but that's because it is break up. It's kind of coming on and off like a light switch. Soon all this will be melted, and safer to drive on. We will just have to be careful because we already got our winter tires switched off. Luckily we are in a truck and have four-wheel drive. So that's a benefit, and Elder Terry is a master driver.

This week has been very fun because we had the opportunity to go around like crazy (haha). We are covering two wards right now. We have been going back and forth, doing things. That has been occupying us a lot.

One of our investigators is going to have us over for dinner. That is exciting. I guess that shows we are growing on him (haha). This guy seems to be progressing more and more. They have so much junk around them though. He is an honest, humble seeker of truth it seems, but all these distractions are getting in the way. We are hoping to help them feel the Spirit and get an environment where he can feel the Spirit.

We had one of our investigators just get done with five years of recovery from slipping on the stairs and breaking a bunch of stuff and tumbling down the stairs. She just got over that, and she just barely got in a car accident, and hurt her neck a little bit. We are going to go see her soon and see how she's doing. So, pray for her.

General Conference was also really good. I think my favorite talk with Richard G. Scott. I think he only gave one talk. He talked about technology and using technology and how it can be a protection to us if we use it right. You know you always think if you use it right it can be a tool, or you know if you're not careful it can be bad; it can be a temptation. I like how he mentioned with all the good that you can put on those devices now, especially because of the things the Church has put out, it can be a protection to you if you use it right. It can help you “keep virtue garnishing your thoughts.” I was impressed by that. I also loved so much how they talked about families and strengthening families, and family relationships and enduring to the end. It was like answers to prayers every single session. It was just amazing. It was so good.

Another talk that I really liked was Elder Holland's. That kind of pierced me right where I needed it. He kind of hit my concerns right on the head. Yeah, it was awesome; I felt the Spirit. Because I felt the Spirit there in the meeting, I knew what they said was true. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet. I know the apostles are as well. I know they are called of God, and they lead and guide us, and help us to do what's right. That is pretty cool when you think about it, that we have the opportunity to have apostles and prophets on the earth. Not too many people got that opportunity in the earth's history, but we do, and we can take advantage of it, if we will listen to them. I was grateful for the opportunity to listen to them.

I kept remembering the statement that President Monson made at the beginning to be alert and pay attention. So, there was one time when I was about to fall asleep (I think it was during President Eyring's talk), but I remembered that. I was kind of prompted I guess to stay away, so I stayed awake during his talk. I ended up getting some personal revelation that was really neat, that I would not have gotten if I had fallen asleep (haha). So, I was thankful for that (haha).

I am grateful for the chance to be in Alaska because it's awesome. I am happy that Lorielle is doing so well on her mission. I'm just happy to see all the things happening – like in conference they talked a lot about missionary work and how the Lord is hastening His work. In our mission alone we have not received that many missionaries. We might receive like five or ten more, but the work is almost double. There are so many more baptisms happening. In our zone this last month, there were more people baptized in our zone in March than almost the entire year of 2012. That is pretty amazing to see.

Anyway, things are just awesome. Life it good and happy! We are in a trio right now. It is super fun. I love trios. I know Lorielle has been in trios like forever. Transfers are coming up in three weeks. I'll have to ask Lorielle how many times she has trained – or I guess I should say Sister Record. Anyway, she just seems like she's doing awesome. People here are awesome. I love teaching the gospel. Bye!

Love, Elder Record

Monday, April 1, 2013

Ukraine Temple Dedication Touches Investigator

Good morning everybody. I've got this really fun video of Elder Terry feeding some duckies with a big bag of bread. I will have to email it. We watched it after district meeting. It's pretty funny. There are like 5,000 ducks, and that was at the library.

I am on exchanges with Elder McMillian. It's been pretty fun. We've been together for a couple of days because he's not feeling too well and I had my gum surgery. So, it helps me to not smile as much, I guess (haha). We have been in O'Malley ward, having a blast, and working hard. We met this cool guy, [Name withheld], whose from Ukraine. We were able to show him that Mormon message of the temple dedication in Kyiv, Ukraine. He really liked that and the festivities. He was excited because it was his culture and the culture of the countries around him. 



We plan on getting him on conference in the near future to listen to it in Ukrainian, in this own language. It will probably help them better understand the principles of the Gospel than if we were teaching them in English. That's exciting, and he even came to Church when his back was hurting him really bad.

There was this one lady who was going to invite this old man to church, and he needed a listening device. So we got the listening device ready. Turns out he didn't come, but [Name withheld] came. He has pretty bad hearing too, so we just happened to have his listening device. We handed it to him, and he used it. It seemed to go really well. It was kind of a mini-miracle.

We taught some Easter messages to people. We have been playing basketball in the mornings so we are in shape and awake in the morning for studies more than normal. It's been beautiful! It's beautiful right now. A couple of days ago it was cloudy and dull. There was one day that it was foggy and cloudy and rainy and sunny all in the same day; and it snowed! I have some more big meetings coming up next week. That will be fun. We went tracting a lot this week. The people were so nice.

Love, Elder Record

A drawing, in the works, of the Savior by Elder Terry

Northern Lights as seen out my back window.

My super awesome, double gold printed,
factory mess-up, study Book of Mormon =)
It's got character.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Helping While Healing


Hello family. This week I wasn't able to go out a whole ton because of the gum surgery. It was pretty cool. Elder Terry was helping out as Brother Mischler's assistant. It was a pretty neat experience, but unfortunately I was on a liquid diet for the next two days. That was interesting (haha). I wasn't allowed to smile. I wasn't allowed to talk for those two days or smile. I'm not really supposed to smile, so I'm trying not to, but I'm not perfect. It seems to be healing really well. I was inside for a good part of four days letting that recover.

We did get to see a couple of people. There is this one guy – I think I talked about him last week or maybe not – but anyway, he accepted to get baptized. He is going to take that jump of faith and do the things that he needs to prepare himself for that. So we are going to help him, and we made him a little calendar that has a scripture for every day leading up to the baptism. We are going to help him do those things he needs to do to get baptized.

We also had a neat experience where I felt prompted to go to the mission home to help Sister Beesley out to avoid smiling, and let my companion go on exchanges with some of the elders that were there helping Sister Beesley. So, Elder Terry went with that elder to go visit a part member family. The other elder that they brought ended up clicking really well, and they ended up inviting the Spirit. The invited them to basically do better (haha). We kind of figured out that they are converted to missionaries. So we need to help them get converted to the Lord. If there are missionaries that are bad or lazy, they will just hang out with them and not progress. If the missionaries are good, they don't really like the pressure to do good. It is kind of tough because they want to be excused from everything. We figured out it is because they are mostly not converted to the Lord, just the missionaries. So anyway, the missionaries had a really neat spiritual experience teaching them and invited the Spirit. Hopefully that helped motivate them to do good and to stay on track and progress, and not get complacent.

We had a lesson with another investigator who is preparing for baptism as well. We talked about conversion a little and what baptism is and about baptisms for the dead, and how he can extend the blessings he has been given to his deceased ancestors. His mom passed way, so he seemed pretty touched that he could be sealed to his family and to do the baptism for his mom. That was a neat experience.

We had stake conference this weekend. It was all about Christ and the Spirit was there. They had two sessions. We went to the first session and then we were able to get another person to come, so we went to the second session.

One thing that happened the week before was we got to go to the temple. I neglected to mention that. It was a really neat experience.

I will continue to try and heal, and not talk too much and smile too much. Hopefully I can do that pretty soon because it's hard to put off bad if you're never smiling. Hopefully I'll be able to still smile with my eyes; I still haven't figured that out yet (haha). President Beesley kind of messes with me. He came up to me and gave me a great big smile and then said, “don't smile.” Of course I can't help but smiling. So yeah, he's getting me there and messing with me (haha). That's okay, it's funny, but I'm not supposed to laugh.

I hope all is going well with all of you. I love you. I'm having a wonderful time up here in Alaska helping people. I pray that I can continue to do so and be close to the Spirit. I know the Church is true. I know the Book of Mormon is true. I'm glad I get the chance to share that with others. I am grateful for the Lord and how He strengthens us and helps us to become what we can't on our own. I know He has a big part in our lives and in the work, because it's His work. I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love, Elder Record

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Surgery Went Well

Elder Record had oral surgery to fix a problem with his gums on Wednesday, 20 March. He is doing well and says he is healing quickly. He is not supposed to talk for the rest of today, and may need to rest more depending on how his mouth heals. Thank you for your concern and prayers on his behalf.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Our Unfailing Friend

My thoughts are all basically in my weekly to President Beesley, so here are some excerpts. And thank you again for always being sensitive and private with the names of these wonderful people. Hope you all have a good week. =)

Elder Record and Elder Terry. A special thanks to the Fabers for taking such good care of our missionaries.
I’m very happy with the progress of some of our investigators. It makes it all worth it to see hardened hearts soften, even if it’s only a little. [Name withheld 1] is one of our investigators. He’s getting close to marrying his girlfriend, sister [Name withheld 2]. They both used to be pretty big partiers, but they’ve cut significantly back. I think it’s because they are parents and are awakening to their duties. [Name withheld 1] is a fairly humble guy and an honest seeker of truth. He wants good in his life and he wants to understand. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to be able to talk with people like that. Even though he is caught in the world, and we hardly ever catch him when he’s not high from marijuana, he notices that something is missing and he wants to find it. We had a really good lesson with him the other day. We caught him right as he was done working out. The spirit was present as we discussed the plan of salvation. It was awesome because we were just “discussing”, not talking at him but with him, the things that will truly make us happy and about our eternal potential as children of a Heavenly Father who loves us. I hope we he will continue to allow the Lord to make a difference in his life.

[Name withheld 3] is doing very well. The Lord provided a long awaited miracle. It seems they will be able to get married because the insurance will work better now if they are married than if they are not. We will do all we can to help him make the right choice and take that leap of faith to progress towards baptism.

It is interesting to me that as often as we turn to the Savior, His hands are outstretched towards us. He is unfailing. He never leaves us, even when at times we desert him. As often as we come back, He lovingly welcomes us in. Even if it’s only for a short time, He takes us in for as long as we’ll stay. I love the Lord! I know He lives. I know He is our unfailing friend. I’m reminded of verse 16 in Alma 34; “And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption.” He is mighty to save. His mercy is profound and I love him for that. In Helaman 3:27-28 it says,

27 Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name.
28 Yea, thus we see that the agate of heaven is open unto ball, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God.

I’m grateful for all the learning opportunities I’ve been given. I know that all my challenges and experiences have been for my good. I know that He wants to make me into something better. I pray my heart will be humble enough to accept His will and do what He would have me do, act how He would have me act.

Love, Elder Record

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Masi Samoa

This is a video of Elder Matthew Wright and Elder Record (on the right) while in the Samoan ward. They are singing a song called Masi Samoa. Masi Samoa is the name of a coconut cookie the Samoans make. Regardless, this is a fun video. Before his mission, Elder Record would never have consented to performing something like this. He has come a long way. He also taught himself how to play the ukulele.


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Feeling the Spirit

Hello everybody. This week at church, sacrament meeting was way awesome. The Spirit was there really strong. It was probably one of the best sacrament meetings I've attended because the Spirit there was so strong. They started with this younger girl. She was like fifteen or so. She was talking about how she joined the church. Then, Elder Terry got up and spoke. He bore his testimony and talked about why he served a mission and how much it's meant to him. After Elder Terry, one of the ward members got up and talked about how to do member missionary work. He talked on that conference talk by Elder Russell M. Nelson. After that, they had this musical number, and the lady was an awesome singer. She had perfect control over her voice and it was steady and right on pitch; it was awesome. It was just very calming and peaceful and the Spirit was there. Brother [Name withheld 1], who hasn't been to church since I've been here, came that Sunday, and all that was happening; and it was awesome (haha). He was tearing up after the song, and after that one of the ward missionaries spoke. She's awesome, she's a returned missionary, and she just has tons of energy. She had the Spirit with her while she was talking. She talked about Christ and how to bring people closer to Him basically, and how that's the focus of missionary work, to bring people closer to Christ. It was a really good day.

That same day, we ended up picking up the elders at the Cordova airport, because they were flying in to go to their zone conference. We ended up figuring things out and spending the day with them. We have had a lot of missionaries that were sick in the zone, so we ended up doing some exchanges to help them out so that their companions could go to some of their lessons.

We have two 18 year old missionaries in our zone, and one 19 year old sister. There is only one other 18 year old missionary, but he's not in our zone.

We had a couple of neat things happen this week. We found these members that moved in. The sister is a recent convert. My trainer, Elder Johnson, actually baptized her. So we've been teaching her and her husband. They are excited about the gospel and have a lot of positive energy in the right direction. We are continuing to strengthen them and help them grow. We just got a referral today that I'm excited about; some people that want to meet with the missionaries. That will be fun.

We had a lesson with [Name withheld 2]. His mom is a member – so is he, but he hasn't had a lot to do with the church. We were able to break the ice with him more. He is thinking more and more about praying and God. So that's exciting to see and went really well.

I also had something happen that was kind of neat. My gum line is receding, which isn't good. I was worried about it and praying about what I needed to do. I was asking Heavenly Father to heal that. That was a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday at Church we ended up talking to one of the members, who is a dentist, about dental work. I ended up mentioning that I was worried about my gum line receding. He took a look and said I would need surgery because the resilient part of the gum was gone, and I was just brushing the rest away. Anyway it was an answer to my prayer because I found out what needed to happen and he offered to do it for free. I'll go in on Wednesday the 20th and get it done. I'll be out for the day to give my mouth a chance to rest. He'll take a skin graft from the roof of my mouth and graft it to my gum. Moral of this story, don't brush too hard =) and that the Lord loves individually and looks out for His children. Love you all! =) Have a wonderful day.

Love, Elder Record

Monday, March 4, 2013

Changing Apartments and Helping with Iditerod


So, another week! We switched apartments with the sisters because apparently there are some sketchy neighbors where they were at, so we are getting put there (haha). But, that's okay. It's a very nice apartment, and we get a dish washer. They are in our apartment, which is a fairly safe environment. It's a win-win. I mean we probably won't have any problems with the sketchy neighbors. Anyway, I'm happy because we get a dishwasher! This is the first time on my mission that I have ever had a dishwasher. It's convenient. There is a lot of work out equipment too.

We went to that CES broadcast the other night with Elder David A. Bednar speaking. It was really good. I liked it a lot.

We were able to go on exchanges this week. While I was down with the Elders in the Huffman Ward, we had a baptismal interview. That was cool because this person is really prepared.

Elder Terry doesn't feel good. He's feeling like he is about to puke. So pray for him. He will probably survive. If not, then you will know why I get a new companion.

Life is good, studying is fun. I love the Book of Mormon.

I didn't get accepted into BYU (Provo), but I did for BYU Idaho. So at the moment, that's the plan. So I'm going to set it up to go there I guess. I'm planning on electrical engineering. I think the other things I wanted to do were just on a whim. This would be something that would be really fun to learn about. I think I am going to just stick it through and go through with what I originally wanted.

Elder Record: Elder Terry do you have any profound words to say?
Elder Terry: [Someone] of the Seventy said the way you serve the Lord on your mission is the way He will serve you for the rest of your life.
Elder Record: Profound. Words from my dieing companion.

It's really sunny. Good, nice, beautiful warm day. I mean there is snow everywhere, but it's nice.

Oh, we helped direct traffic at the BLM facility at the finish line of the ceremonial start for the Iditarod. I finally got to use my ham radio skills in using a radio to help in the coordination. =)

Talk to you all next week, bye.

Love, Elder Record

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Baptism and an Irish Convert

This week, [Name withheld] was baptized on Saturday the 23rd. That was pretty fun because I got to baptize her. I enjoyed doing that. That is actually the first time on my mission that I have in person done it. It went really good. President Beesley was there, and there was a lot of support from the members. It went really well and the Spirit was there. On Sunday she was confirmed.
Elder Terry, [Name withheld] and Elder Record

We had dinner with this guy who's from Ireland. He grew up in Ireland and lived in London. He told us about his conversion story. He was living in England with his former wife, and the missionaries knocked on the door, and she slammed the door shut! She slammed it so hard that he wondered who it was. So he asked his wife, “who was it?” She responded, “you don't want to know.” He really did want to know, but she wouldn't tell him. So he walked outside to find the people, because she had shut the door so rudely. So he went and talked to them. He had just been reading about the Mormons and really wanted to talk with them. So, he grabs the missionaries, brings them back into his house, into a room and starts talking to them. He asked them a bunch of questions, and he started investigating the Church. The only problem was, his wife was outside. The way he put it, she was in a furor, and he said that would be putting it calmly (haha). So the Spirit wasn't there, obviously. So they were able to meet in other places, and was able to learn from the missionaries. He felt it was true, so he joined. He ended up having to travel about a hundred miles away to get baptized (haha), which was kind of funny.

Right now we are at the mission office. We are email and doing the mail. That is fun, just kind of hanging out. Relaxing on P-day. We have to do a bunch of administrative stuff because we are the zone leaders. So this week has been busy in that regard too.

Oh, Mom! I got the card from you. That was awesome! That made me happy. I smiled. Thank you very much.

We met this guy in Church who is from Spanish Fork. He was up here, and his flight didn't leave, so he was there and said he was going to call you guys and say “hi” for me (haha). We'll see. That was pretty exciting. [NOTE: Brother Ray Lambert indeed called to say hi on Monday, 25 Feb. I had just listened to Elder Record's update when he called. He reports they are healthy and doing great.]

Anchorage Zone, 20 Feb 2013. Elder Record and Elder Terry are the zone leaders.
The sound wasn't working in Church. We were in the middle of sacrament. Everybody had to talk loud at the pulpit, and so it was kind of hard to hear for some people. Then, out of the blue, some like commercial started coming on – I think it was the radio. But anyway, it starting going on the sound system and talking, and everybody burst out laughing. It kind of killed the Spirit (haha). It was in the middle of somebody's testimony. It ended up fine. It was unique. I have never had that happen before in sacrament meeting.

I am kind of tired. I might take a nap today. I'll talk to you all next week. Have a good time. I will find out, maybe today, if I got accepted to BYU Provo. It might have to be next Monday. We'll see. Anyway, bye.

Love, Elder Record