Email: 22 February 2012

Here's my update. I need to get better at writing in my journal and not procrastinating my audio update =). Thankfully though this last week was probably my busiest week yet on my mission. Things are going great. We were able to have some training in our district this last week from President and Sister Beesley. We had interviews after that. I always love those =). I am thankful for the Gospel. I know it is true. I know now more than ever that things maybe hard at times, but the Lord always helps us get through it. Here in Alaska where there aren't too many people and the winters are dark it's easy to get a little discouraged at times. I have to admit there have been times when I've have gotten a little discouraged and been pretty stressed out. Here are some things I've found that help me to get out on top when things get hard.

1. Start pray fervently, with all your heart
2. Follow President Uchtdorf's advise to slow down and focus on the basics ex. reading, praying, prioritizing. Just figure out the most important things that need to be done and go from there.
3. SMILE!!! haha. It actually works, and laugh too.
4. As you can, surround yourself with good examples, and when your alone, the savior has promised to be there for you and you have good example in the scriptures.
5. DON'T GIVE UP! The Lord doesn't ever give us anything we can't handle without his help. If you remember, when the Lord wants to humble his people, he sends them into the wilderness.

I am thankful for the opportunities I've had to grow. It makes me smile to see how fast things are moving for Lorielle. I remember how crazy busy I was in the MTC. =) I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know our Savior lives and loves us. I know he is mighty to save. I know that often the Lord answers our prayers through other people, and that may be why it is so important to serve others. What a blessing it is to live on the earth at this time where the Lord is blessing us so abundantly. We have the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth today and it blesses my life and fills me with peace and comfort, so it doesn't matter what happens because through the savior I can feel peace in any trail. Thanks for all the support. Have a good week. I can't wait for the amazing Alaskan summers. =)

Love, Elder Record

Transcription: 22 February 2012

Hello, this is Elder Record and today is the 22^nd, Wednesday. We were too busy yesterday to do any email, so I didn't email – so that's why (haha). It was a holiday on Monday, so we didn't get to them. This last week was a blessing. It was a blessed week. Me and Elder Thorne are having so much fun. We are being able to do a lot of work, and we are able to see a lot of people and help a lot of people. It's so much fun to see people progress.

There is this one guy who is about seventeen, and he is just the humblest guy I've ever met. He is easily accepting all the changes that we commit him to make. He loves the gospel, and he's so excited to read (haha). Sister Tuiloma is the Relief Society President, and she is helping him out a lot. She will call him, and ask him if he has read, and she will get him to read a little bit more, too. She is just keeping him on track (haha), so things are great. He's a great guy.

We have this other guy too, who we are helping out, and he's progressing well. Just a lot of work is being done – just this last week has been the busiest week of my mission. We got to do a lot of service, and have a lot of fun stuff going on.

There is a Samoan who is deaf that I end up getting to teach. I get to switch with Elder Wereg, who is another elder in the Spanish district, but he knows ASL. So, we were able to go in and teach. He is progressing well. He is a very humble guy. Hopefully we can continue to help him.

Things are going great. All is well. I'm eating plenty of food (haha). I'm staying fairly healthy. I'm getting exercise, so all is well. I'll talk to you all next week.

Love, Elder Record

Questions: 13 February 2012

Elder Adam Thorne and Elder Record

Mom: Do you need anymore vitamins?

Nope I'm good.

Dad: Where is Elder Thorne from?

Spokane Washington (same place that our ancestor Joachim Langnese got his naturalization). He is the man.  We are very similar and love to work hard.  He likes to exercise too =).

Dad: What service projects have you worked on lately?

We helped with the iditarod dog sled race

Dad: What are you doing with family history right now?

Helping the elders in my district get started and see how things work

A bit cold that day

Dad: What challenging doctrinal question have you heard and how was it resolved?

I haven't had any challenging ones yet. I guess I just look to the scriptures. People's concerns are usually social. The doctrine just makes sense.

Transcription: 13 February 2012

Good morning, this is Monday the 13^th of February, and this is my update. This week was probably my favorite week so far. Just because, I probably taught more people this week with Elder Throne … well I've almost taught more people this week than I ever have before. It feels good to just get out and share the gospel with a lot of people. What is really neat too is that a lot of less active people we've been visiting, they are starting to get their testimonies back, they are starting to come to Church more, starting to do better and become happier (haha); it's so cool to see. We have another guy we are visiting with. He seems pretty cool, and he's hopefully going to be baptized soon. We have him on date to be baptized. He's excited about it (haha). The members he's staying with or that he visits a lot, I don't know if he is actually staying there or not, but the members came up to us on Sunday.

Member: “We heard that he is getting baptized in March!” (haha)

Elders: “Yeah, yeah he is.”

She hinted to us: “You know, Daniel can baptize him.”

And then she quickly covered up and said, “Oh no, but you guys worked hard, you can baptize him.” (haha)

Elders: “No, no, we want Daniel to be able to baptize him” (because Daniel is his friend)

Things are going great! It feels so good to help people. I kind of want to stay in this area, just … forever; just because how well we are teaching and how many people are progressing and the potential that is here, and all the work we can do.

Some other things we did this week. We helped out with the Iditarod. We were helping to bag and stack and wrap bails of hay onto palates. Those will be shipped out to different check points in Alaska for the Iditarod race. That was on Thursday. This coming Thursday we are going to help out with the Iditarod again, but we are going to help out with food and stuff. So, that will be fun. They gave us a little hat (haha) that's got Iditarod 2012 on it. We have had a great week, and things are going good. I am very happy. We are visiting a lot of people and getting to know everybody. We are able to work really well with the ward now, and things are just going great. Little miracles are happening everywhere (haha)! I am so thankful to be a missionary. It's so much fun, and it feels so good.

I know the gospel's true, and I am thankful for all the things I'm learning in the scriptures. I am having such and easy time with my language study right now. As I read in the books and stuff, I am starting to really comprehend. As I listen to people, I'm starting to understand sentences. So, I'm pretty sure if I have a little bit of time here, now that I kind of gotten really into studying, I'll have an easier time.

That's what has been going on this week. I'm excited for next week.

Happy Birthday, Annie! Today is your birthday – the 13^th. (haha) You're seventeen! That's really weird. I can't really comprehend that right now (haha). Good luck with driving and dating and everything. Be safe. Everybody take care, and I'll talk to you next week.

Love, Elder Record

Transcription: 6 February 2012

Good morning everybody, this is Elder Record and today is February 6^th, and it's P-day. I'm pretty excited about that.

This week was AWESOME!!! I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK!!!! I LOVE THE SAMOAN PEOPLE!!! I LOVE THE SAMOAN LANGUAGE!!! I LOVE THE SAMOAN FOOD!!! I love everything about life and the great plan of happiness that our Heavenly Father has laid out for us. I'm grateful for His tender mercies and for the opportunity I have to make a difference in peoples lives.

It has probably been one of my favorite weeks so far, just because I have an awesome companion and we are doing a lot of good work. This last week we had a day where we got snowed in, so we had to stay and were not able to do any work. It was also transfers, so we weren't able to do anything for the first couple of days.

On Wednesday I took Elder Thorne out to meet with the bishop and a couple of the active members in the ward to kind of introduce him. So really we kind of started on Thursday, but we had an awesome week. We taught a lot of lessons, and we set up a ton of stuff for next week. We have like four investigators who are planning on putting on date for baptism, and they are just progressing awesome. We are excited to be teaching more people in this coming week. Yeah, it's been very exciting (haha). We have been able to do a lot. I am pretty sure every mission has what they call standards of excellence. It's just goals for the whole mission to help the missionaries be able to work toward something, so they can make sure they are working their hardest. With our standards of excellence, there are a certain number of lessons that we should be able to be teaching a week. Pretty soon, hopefully, we will be able to get to that. So I'm pretty excited. We are starting to use a lot of the members; a lot of the youth too, in taking them out with us. So we are excited about that. We might be getting a treadmill (haha) from one of the members who isn't using it. Yeah, we are just meeting a lot of people and getting a lot of potential.

In my studies this week, I was reading in Alma chapter 43 verse 19. It is kind of talking about how Moroni had prepared the people with breastplates, arm shields, shields to defend their heads, thick clothing, and all these things to kind of prepare them individually. Later in the story after they go through the whole ordeal with Zerahemna and surrounding them in the valley, they go back and Moroni prepares the people kind of as groups and cities. He fortifies the cities. So I just kind of took that and applied it to families. In the gospel we need to prepare ourselves individually and work from the inside out. It is most important for us to be prepared individually with armor, you know for the temptations and the hard things that are out there in the world. Then we can prepare and fortify our families so that we have a place of refuge from the storm there. I think it's kind of neat how Moroni goes through the same thing. It says while he's fortifying the cities, in chapter 48 or something, he is also preparing them spiritually. So to be able to not only physically meet the demands of the war and the battles that are going on, but also to spiritually meet them.

So, I'm thankful for my family, and the strength all of you have provided for me. It has made things definitely a lot easier. I'm thankful for the gospel. I'm thankful that when we go and teach people, that it's so easy because it's something that I care about and something that has blessed my life. It's very easy to share that with somebody. It makes it so much fun because a lot of times they have a lot of questions, but the gospel has a lot of answers (haha); so there's never a question that can't be answered. I love that about the gospel. People find a lot of comfort in that, and they are able to go and seek an answer from their Heavenly Father for themselves and know that it is true. We just invite them to make that choice to look for the answer. It's not really up to us (haha), we just provide the people with the opportunity. I am thankful to be serving in this area with Elder Thorne. I'm starting to get a hang of Samoan more. I'm starting to learn more about the structure of everything. I am starting to be able to understand a lot of what's going on. I am excited for this next week! It will be fun!

In the Spanish district that we have, things are going pretty good. It's fun. We had district meeting in Spanish, and I recorded some of it. We went and played some games with them when we were snowed in. I think we are going to start going on exchanges. Elder Thorne will go with people into the Spanish Branch, and I will bring somebody in here and we will work here. It's been pretty fun to associate with everybody speaking Spanish (haha).

Everybody, have a good week. Make sure you all go to Church (haha), and read your scriptures and pray. I love you so much, and I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

See you later.

Love, Elder Record

Questions: 30 January 2012

Everyone: How was the baptism and did you get pictures?

It went great! Everyone felt the spirit there, and everything went smoothly. While they were changing we watched the ending clip of the testaments where the savior appears. I testified of the savior afterwards and I think it went well. Yes I got pictures.

Dad: If Lorielle starts sending weekly audio updates, will you be able to listen to the MP3? Can you copy them to your voice record to listen to them later instead of using your one hour computer time?

That should work, I don't see why it wouldn't.

Dad, in answer to those chapters you gave me. Here is an excerpt from my weekly to president Beesley about what I studied.

'I was studying in Alma 48 and 49. My dad referenced those to me because he knows I like Ether 12:27. I was reading and discovered that Captain Moroni exemplifies Ether 12:27. In chapter 48 it says that Moroni had been “preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God.” And in verse 12 it shows his humility, “Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.” Not only was he humble, but he also had charity and spent all his time thinking about and working for his people, not himself. And in verse 16 it says, “And also, that God would make it known unto them whither they should go to defend themselves against their enemies… and this was the faith of Moroni, and his heart did glory in it;” They were humble and sought after righteousness, and they were guided and protected by the Lord. I am thankful to have the Lord on my side. I know he is always there for me. Whenever I need help I know where to turn and can say like Nephi, “Nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.” What a blessing it is to be serving the Lord and our Heavenly Father’s children here in Alaska.'

Love, Elder Record

Transcription: 30 January 2012

Malo! Today is Sunday the 29^th and this is my update for the week. Probably the most exciting thing that happened this week was the baptism for the little nine year old girl we were teaching. She is sooo smart (haha). She is so nice. She is so happy all the time. She remembers a lot of what we teach her, and she was so excited to be baptized. She was a good example for her family. We had her uncle doing the baptism and confirmations, because her baptism was combined with her cousin who was turning eight. They were able to get a lot of family there, a lot of less active members of the family. There were some other elders who brought an investigator. They said she was crying and during the talk about baptism she knew she was ready to be baptized. Definitely the Spirit is there. I read it somewhere in Preach My Gospel where it says the Spirit is strongly manifest in a baptism, because that is like your first step in covenant making – through ordinances with your Heavenly Father. It is a powerful Spirit that accompanies it.

I know I have felt it as I do baptisms in the temple, I mean not anymore, but when I have and when I will. I always am touched a little more than really anywhere else. I don't know – it's because it's that first step I guess, and that people are waiting. Through taking that first step people are able to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and have Him as their constant companion as long as they are righteous. It has definitely been a blessing in my life since I've had it. I don't really like to think of what life would be without it, because I have received so much help and strength, especially on my mission, through the Holy Ghost. It really is that Comforter that Christ talked about. I know that our Heavenly Father is there for us and answers our prayers. I know that He loves us. I know that we're never alone. I am thankful I don't have to rely on my own strength (haha), because being honest, we as people make a lot of mistakes. I make a lot of mistakes, and a lot of times it is hard. It is very comforting to know we have a Heavenly Father there who loves us and can provide us with strength. We just need to ask, and then do our best to make it through.

I love you all. Thanks for all your support and prayers. I'm excited for the transfer that is coming up. I found out that Elder Leota will be going to Fairbanks to be serving with a pretty cool elder named, Elder Butler. I will be staying here. I will be getting an elder named Elder Thorne. I have heard a lot about him, and he seems like a pretty cool guy. I think I met him once. Everybody I've talked to really likes him. He was apparently a cross country runner at Stanford (haha), but he's not a very big guy. He doesn't look too old, but apparently he's pretty smart and pretty quick. So I'm excited to be running in the mornings (haha). I have kind of miss that, so it will be nice. He is actually one of the missionaries who was called to be Spanish speaking in this mission. So, we will be part of the Spanish district, and I will probably be learning some Spanish with him, and him Samoan. So I'm excited to hopefully be in some Spanish lessons (haha). So we'll see how that goes. I have definitely found that after trying to learn Samoan, I mean I'm picking it up slowly, but after learning about Samoan I found that Spanish is a relatively easy language. It's a lot easier to learn than Samoan (haha). If I were to come back from my mission or anytime else, I would probably pick Spanish, just because learning a language is not easy. I'm excited! It will be a fun experience, and we'll see how everything goes.

I looked at the picture of the Palmers on the new arrivals board at the mission office, and I will be excited when they come up (haha). I will be sending my SD card in the mail after I take some pictures of my new companion. I love you all. Fasafua!

Elder Record