Pictures of members from recent areas

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This was the Aneca family. Really sweet family.  He was my ward mission leader.

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Durousky- Super sweet guy!

Wildes- a nice family in New Brighton.  He was a member in the bishopbric and also an institute teacher. 

Badesso- Used to be a ward missionary, then became Elders quorum president.  He's the one who pulled me over for a pretend prank on Dad!

July 7, 2015

Sorry I did not get this sent sooner. I had it saved in my drafts. I was not completely done with it. The Canadian Library computers had some problems. I added a little bit today.

 This week we got a new Mission President! President Miles drove in to Calgary last week. We were able to meet him, and he introduced himself and his wife, he showed us a slideshow of his family and a video of their mission call. It was so cool it reminded me of when I opened my mission call.

President Miles and his wife are so nice. They are full of love and they care about everyone! I have already grown to love them. I look forward to the future and to work with them. Not a whole lot in the mission will change because he said that he likes the things that President Nicholas has done and he is not going to change that. He said that he believes in having fun, and being efficient and managing your time wisely, and that too much of one thing is bad, which is true. He also talks about how to be a successful missionary. One quote that I wrote down is: "If the only one person you save is your companion, then the Lord will say ‘well done my good and faithful servant’”.

He went on and said that the three things that we ourselves have control over are:

Knowledge

Obedience

Being Dedicated to the Work (Hard Work) 

He related this to a three-legged chair. Each of those three things that we control represents one leg on that three-legged chair. If you remove one of those legs then the chair falls!

It is a lot of work being Zone Leader. We have lots of meetings. One of those meetings is MLC. All of the Zone Leaders, STLs, Assistants, and the Mission President meet together and talk about mission goals and how to meet those goals and topics for the district leaders for their training. We also talk about mission business, like why all of the zone leaders are getting the bigger cars like the trucks, vans, and the Equinox. Reason: They are not to be used for service or moving, because it is a liability reason.

We also have meetings with the stake president.

July first was Canada Day! We had a Canada Day BBQ at the Stake Center. There were LOTS of people there…members and non members. They had special guests like a well-known veteran, and the governor or mayor was there.

There were bouncy houses. This was a big deal, lots of preparation!

I was one of the missionaries that grilled hot dogs, there were about 1500 hot dogs total, I grilled about 500. I will have to send some pictures of that along with about 40 others when I get to the FHC. Internet Explore crashes when you send pictures on these Canadian library computers. We left kinda early because we had planned to have a lesson with a part member family. The wife is a member and the husband is not. He's a really smart guy. He's a homebuilder. He built his house.  He is teaching us how to build a chair and we are going to teach him the gospel :) Fair trade.  

We had a lessonish with Bob and Pat, They were a referral for some neighboring members. That went so well. They have a strong religious background. So we just talked with them and got to know them a lot better. They like us. When we were talking with them they said that before, if Mormon missionaries knocked on their door, they would say, “No thanks I have my own religion and I’m happy where I am.” But then they said something that I liked. They said, “If we had a son on a mission then we would want people to listen to him.”

I’m sure that they have been prepared by the Lord. 

On Saturday we had some Zone Finding in High River. That went really well. The missionaries in the area choose to do zone finding. They print off like 8 maps of the area with members on it. We go to the members and ask for two referrals of someone that they know who needs help with service, or if they would like to learn more or anything like that. We as a zone received 7 or 8 referrals and one new solid potential investigator for their area. 

We had a lesson with a LA . That went really well. We watched the Mormon Message “Carrying our Burdens With Hope”.

She is going through a lot. Divorce, trying to find a hope for her son that has Augsburg’s and down-syndrome, he can be very, very physical. Her husband has Augsburg’s too. We made her day. He was happy after we left and could not stop smiling. Success.    

The Assistants are in our zone. They come to pday with us. One of them is 

American and the other one is not. So we met up at the DQ parking lot and all the Americans (3 of us) listened to some patriotic music for like 4 minutes then we went off to our apts.  The Assistants are so cool! They are way fun to be around and work with.

We had a lesson with one of our investigators, Rocio. She's from Mexico and we talked about the reading assignment that we gave her in Moroni chapter 2. That went really well. She has a really strong belief in God. 

July 27, 2015

Scary week this week just because of the tornado.

Actually it just made it cool and exciting! It was weird to see a tornado up that close and to see a real one! We were in the Chevy dealership getting an oil change on our Equinox when that happened. We were inside, and our car was inside when the golf-sized hail came down. I have a video of it, the hail came down and it exploded as it smashed on the road and the brand-new cars in the lot. I would only imagine that would be the worst nightmare of the Chevy dealer to have hail damage on ALL of the cars in the lot. But insurance covers hail damage. All of the insurance companies in Alberta came together to help prevent hail. Whenever a storm starts to form they fly these planes around and spray something or they do something that prevents hail from falling. It’s kind of cool.

The same day we got a call from the APs that connected the call from some sister missionaries in a different zone. They said that there was a member in their area who was in the Foot Hills hospital that wanted a blessing before his surgery the next morning. It was about an hour drive because the traffic was the worse I have seen. Anyway we found the building and the room and we were able to give him this wonderful blessing. He was older and he was scared and had some anxiety from what awaited him, as I would think anyone would be that had to go into surgery. I was the same way when I had to get my wisdom teeth pulled. 

We had a lesson with Heidi again, not really progressing at all, not reading the Book of Mormon and she has been taught the first two lessons so far; Restoration and Plan of Salvation. We were going to teach her lesson three the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with an invite to baptism but that did not happen. Instead we talked about the Book of Mormon and the importance of it. That gave her a better understanding of it I could tell as we left. 

 Whenever we teach her it is always so so hard because she is a caretaker of a member in the ward. The member is old and forgot everything about the Gospel and she still thinks she’s Catholic and always talks about something random or talks about stuff that reminds her of something else when we teach. Like this last lesson she talked about dinosaurs, and how they found the new biggest dinosaur bird and it had feathers. Those lessons are always fun to see where they go... not really. 

We have two new investigators! We will have two on date for baptism next week and that will be followed by two baptisms! We have been working with this less active. She is now becoming active! She has been to church two times in a row with both of her kids. Both of her kids are over 8 and not baptized. When they attended Bishop’s son’s baptism they said that they would like to be baptized! The mom is supportive of their decision to be baptized. So we have to teach them all of the lessons before they can be baptized. When the mom came to church for the baptism that was her first time being in the church building in over 10 years. For this week, our focus is her 10 year old daughter and her 14 year old son. 

On Friday we went on exchanges with the Aps. I thought that I was staying in my area so all during the week I have been thinking of people that we can visit and things to so do so we stay busy the whole day. When that day came it turned out that I was working out of my area and that I would be working in the APs area. I was with Elder Smith. He’s a cool guy. I was working out of my area, so all of my plans went out the window, and I looked at Elder Smith’s planner and pretty much the whole day is finding........................... When that time came to find, my inward attitude had to change. Otherwise we were wasting our time and finding without faith. I give the suggestion that we do a Power Hour. I have done Power Hour once before in my first area, Power Hour is this: before you go tracting and knocking on doors, you go to a members house first and tell them what you are doing (tracting their neighborhood), share a message, and ask them to pray for you and do spiritual things like read scriptures or conference talks, and ask them to keep a prayer in their heart as you knock on doors for that hour. Then you return and report. 

The first time we did that was successful. The first door we knocked on we got a number, and they said that we could come back some time. Then we got another number in that same neighborhood. We did another one the same day in a different neighborhood. Again the first door we knocked on we got a number. We were talking to this mother with kids in a "richer neighborhood" for 30 minutes on the front door. She gave us her number and again said that we could come back some time. The kids were somewhat interested too, but they are way young. Both times the first door we knocked on we got a number. 

That was the week. Maybe next week we will have two baptisms! 

Mom's Letter to Jaden July 19 2015

My Dear Elder Condie,

I hope your week has been as wonderful as ours. EFY was amazing as always.  The Spirit is so strong there.  We had many opportunities to follow promptings.  The first day we were there, we received word that one of the participants had some mental illness that could lead to her being sent home if she gave in to her urges.  We had a good talk with her.  She said she felt like every time she was in a setting where the Spirit is strong she feels Satan doing all he can to inhibit her from feeling it by triggering her depression and addiction.  She asked for a blessing, which we arranged and she proved to be one of the most enthusiastic and involved participants throughout the rest of the week.   

Thursday, I was asked to talk to a girl who was "freaking out" with her depression.  I was a little apprehensive as I approached her, but again, after a quick prayer, the Spirit directed me in how to help her.  I knew the things I should say to calm and comfort her.  She cried, "I don't understand what's wrong.  I've been taking my medication every day and I have felt so depressed here at EFY.  I want to learn and feel the Spirit!"  I remembered how the other girl with depression described feeling that Satan was striving to use her illness to drive away the Spirit. I asked her if she was feeling that way and she said yes.  Then I felt I should ask her if she desired a blessing to which she quickly responded with a yes.  We called her dad for permission like we did with the other girl and after her blessing, she went right into the game show even though I told her I would sit out in the foyer with her if she preferred.  The next day, she happily found me and asked if we would come and eat lunch with her and her friends, which we did. She was so happy and social.  She told me she was feeling so much better and only wished it weren't so late in the week.  She came to me several times throughout the day and we talked and hugged.  She was happy the rest of EFY! 

There were so many miracles, but I will just tell you of one more.  On Friday night, Dad and I joined a company as they shared things they had learned and felt at EFY. One boy, who was strong and athletic looking sat next to me.  He raised his hand and shared how before EFY, he had no plans to serve a mission because he had a dream of playing college baseball. But because of what he had learned and felt at EFY, he had made a decision to go and if he could still play baseball after his mission, he would, but if not, that would be OK.  After he said that, I could hardly focus on what the other participants were sharing.  All I could think about was that I needed to talk to him and help him feel supported in this inspired decision.  I prayed to know what exactly I needed to say to him.  It was finally made clear to me what I needed to tell him.  I didn't get the opportunity until it was time for his company to go in for the night.  I pulled him aside, and as I spoke to him, he looked closely into my eyes as if he were hungry for whatever I had to say.  I talked to him about baseball and how I'm sure it was very important to him.  He said, "I've been playing since I was 3 years old." I told him how much I admired him for making such a tough decision and that it must have been very hard for him. He said he is the only member in his whole school.  I then said, "I feel like I need to tell you that this decision you have made to serve a mission is going to affect more than just you.  It could be your team mates, it could be your own children."  He nodded his head.  We talked a little more and then I gave him a hug.  I hope it helped him feel solidified in his resolve to serve.

I am so proud of you for your decision to serve and for the guidance you gave our boys at EFY through your video.  

I am learning how to rely on the Spirit for teaching as I'm sure you are.  When we teach with the sole purpose of delivering whatever message the Lord has for those particular individuals, he blesses us with the right words to say.  It's an exciting thing to be able to put your trust in.  I spoke in the YSA ward today, and for the first time, I stood their without any talk in front of me.  The words all came with clarity and order just as I had prayed.  It's proof to me that He loves his children and wants them to receive the gospel message.

I love you SO MUCH!

Have a wonderful week!

Mom

P.S. We went to SLC tonight to visit my friend Kassi Anderson and her son who is going to the MTC on Wed. (Twin Falls, ID mission).  By-the-way, Jenafer was seriously attacked by a dog.  She has been in a wheelchair for her recovery.  Kassi showed me pictures and she and puncture wounds and muscle tears over a good portion of her body.

John Bytheway was one of our teachers.  We enjoyed getting acquainted with him.

July 20 2015

This past week was a good one. We received some rain.  We picked up a new investigator I think it was on Tuesday, We were contacting these referrals that we got from members from zone finding in our area weeks ago. We tried contacting this referral before but we were unsuccessful, so we tried again and she was home! We told her who we were and talked about her neighbors who referred us to her. We talked about her family, which I could tell opened her door of interest. She is divorced and she has some kids and some step-kids. Asking questions! That is what opens the door in most cases. You show a interest in them and show that you care and then they will be more open.  We asked her if we could come by another time and talk about religion and about Jesus Christ. She said, “Yes that would be great, but I'm very busy so I can’t schedule a time right now.” We got her number and we will hopefully be teaching her in the near future.  

 On Wednesday we had a lesson with Rocio. She also was a referral. I think that she was taught before by some sister missionaries but they did not know the answers to the questions that she had, so they passed her off to us. When we visited her, we followed up on the assignment that we gave her to read. 2 Nephi 31 and 32. We also read Mosiah with her and talked about why little children do not need to be baptized. She is a Catholic, so that lesson did not really go anywhere. Before we left we asked her if she had any questions or if she wanted to know anything else. She said that she wants to learn more about prophets, because the Catholic Church does not have any prophets. I'm excited for that lesson. That same day we visited a less active.

 I opened my parcel Thursday morning after breakfast. Thank you again for it. I loved that "Back scratcher" that you made Dad. It lasted for about 3 minutes. Those forks are like spears and razor blades, it did not hurt too much because of all the hair on of my back. It’s like a pillow. Hahha just kidding. ;) I miss Chicken in a Bisket. They are really good.

The members who took me to Buffalo Wild Wings

Elder Maughan has some hook ups. He got ahold of some members in his last area and they came up and they took us to Buffalo Wild Wings! I did the Hot Wing Challenge! As do lots of other missionaries. They took my picture because I completed it in 3 minutes 39 seconds!! They have this wall at Buffalo Wild Wings of all of the top records of people who complete it. The record is 48 seconds. That is from a missionary too! :)  They also have a little TV with a slide show of all of those who complete it, There are lots of missionaries that have done this challenge because they show up a lot on the TV. Haha 

Then I burned my white shirt that you made. I love what you did to it. I have pictures of that, along with pictures and a video of me eating those wings! I fear that the video will be too long to send so I might have to use Google drive.

Friday we had interviews with the mission president. That was nice. We were there from 11:00 to 6:00. We were the last ones to be interviewed because we are zone leaders.  I had to inspect all of the cars in the rain and Maughan inspected all of the area books inside.

 Saturday we took a missionary’s bike in our district to get it fixed. There is a member in our ward whose name is Mark Bishop. He is like Dan Weston. Mark is a crazy avid biker. He has bikes everywhere! Nice ones too! He has a BMW Venture motorcycle. He knows a lot about bikes so that's why we went to him to have him help us. He tried patching the hole but there were too many holes and the tube was old. So we bought a new one and he put it on and we returned the bike.

 We had a lesson with a LA that we have been working with. We invited her to the baptism that we had the same night. Bishop’s son was getting baptized. We shared a Mormon message that brought tears to her eyes. The spirit was there. She even came to church the next day.

Some members in Maughan’s last area took us out to Gaucho Grill. It is a Brazilian restaurant just like the ones in SLC.

 Sounds like EFY went well. I”m glad to hear that the house is still standing.

I enjoyed hearing of your experiences Mom and Dad.