Stuck in a Rut

Hey everyone

Glad to be here to write this week.  Many challenges were placed before us this week.  I shall describe a few.  Wednesday we had the car for the second half of the day (because of transfers that the sisters had to go to) so we got the car and went out tracting in Valparaiso.  We saw on the GPS what looked like a good neighborhood.....turns out it was a cemetary.....so we turned around and were heading out and saw a dirt road.  Millard said go for it and then changed his mind when I actually went for it.  Turns out that that was government property and it was a sand trap.  We got stuck....After a police officer came and we spent half an hour trying to dig out we called a member and he came and pulled us out....Went strait to a lesson with the two girls that were supposed to get baptized on Saturday and the mom went off on us about how they were not ready.  Everything that we had to do for them to be prepared for baptism was done and they were ready but you can't go against the parents will.....worst part is the mother is a member and the great grandmother they are living with is an active member and both were opposed.  Super frustrating.

Thursday we had an investigator make on of our priests super uncomfortable so we got frosties after.  Finally, yesterday we had a member take us, an investigator, and a less active member to stake conference.  During the trip up there the member is freaking giving our investigator anti material!  What the freak!  SHUT UP!  So that sucked and then couldn't hear stake conference at all so it didn't even feel worth it. Did get to see one of my former companions though so that was really nice.  Elder Ellsworth.  He is a stud.

Despite all of the setbacks we were able to have some success.  Found a guy using family history and it was a super awesome experience.  He had been trying to do his family history for years but couldn't afford ancestry.  LOL we are free.  Then the adult session of stake conference Saturday night was great!  So spiritual!  but yeah that's what I got for ya'll this week.  Have a great one.

-- 

Elder Funk

Remember who you are and what HE stands for!

​My last planner with Elder Richardson and I!  LOL

​Elder Millard and Bro. Mayew with our car.....apparently Corolla's don't take well to the beach....who knew?​

Elder Ellsworth and I​

Put on your Star Wars Armor of God and all will be well

Sup Y'all,

Killer week this week.  We got so much work done it was wonderful!  Monday we were able to meet with Eric & Autumn who are getting married in a couple weeks. We got to set a baptismal date with Eric!  After Harry came and picked us up for a lesson.  He is progressing so well!  He came to church yesterday and bore his testimony during Sunday School about how God has influenced his life turning him from a kid in Juvie to a youth pastor and now to a Mormon!  Such a stud!  Tuesday we got to have a final lesson with Chance and Leah before they left for the summer.  Then helped a less active get his house in order.  It was so flippin cluttered.  Got at least one room done and he fixed Elder Millard's tire.

Wednesday it poured down rain and naturally we were on bikes...we got wet in case you didn't catch that.  Not too much success during the morning but had a solid afternoon.  We taught this returning family about putting on the armor of God.  Best part is we used Star Wars as the analogy.  Kids are the bomb!

Thursday we weekly planned.  Taught a few people and then got to go on splits with a priest and our ward mission leader.  I got to hang out with the priest, Seth.  Seth is so freakin funny!  I love that kid.  Friday we went tracting and found a lady who's family is die hard soccer fans....safe to say that we had an instant connection.  After that Jacob Cooley took us out to see some people and we had dinner with him.  Came back to the church to find Elder Millard's tire was completely flat.  The tube the less active put in was too big, pinched and popped.  So a nice long walk home.....

Saturday was a beast of a day.  We taught 7 lessons!  We had no free time whatsoever!  Those days are the best!  Sunday we had a good Sabbath day and found out that we are going to be staying here for 7 more weeks.....I am going to die here in Niceville.  Good place to die.  Have a great week Ya'll!  Don't forget Jesus!  He's a good guy.

President and Sister Smith going out with a bang!

Hey Y'all,

Pretty solid week this week.  Monday we played some intense volleyball.  By intense I mean 8 missionaries who have become so uncoordinated that we spent more time running after the ball than playing.  Still fun.  Tuesday I got to go down to Destin to become a spanish elder for a day.  I was just as useful as last time!  Wednesday we had our final Zone Conference with President and Sister Smith.  Sad to see them go but they have done incredible things here in the South and in my life.  At the end of it all we got forgotten about....our ride forgot that he was picking us up so we had to wait another 90 minutes to get picked up.  hahaha

Thursday we had an awesome teaching day.  We were able to do almost all  of our planning for next week and still have time to teach six lessons!  Best part is this six year old of a less active told our ward mission leader that "You can't handle that many kids" speaking of the four kids our ward mission leader has.  So funny.  Friday we taught a couple guys in the morning who wanted to know more about the church and one of them was so knowledgeable about the Bible and yet so humble about it.  Best part was he brought up Revelations where it says nothing shall be added to or taken away, and he explained how that was just for that book of scripture not the entire Bible!  No one knows that or applies it.

Saturday was a rough day for us...Started off with me losing my helmet so I had to go get a new one.  On our way to the church for lunch we watched this elderly man fall on the sidewalk and kiss the ground hard.  So we stopped and helped him and got  him a ride to wherever he was going.  Elder Millard then proceeded to accidentally burn popcorn in the church.....smoke was everywhere.  hahaha it smelled so bad.  Sweated all afternoon and then we stopped by a less active's to end the night and he was going to fill our tires with air cause he said that they were low.  He fills one of Elder Millard's up and then BANG!  The first tire blew out and all we could do was laugh and then go to Walmart to get a new tube and tire for Elder Millard.  Funniest thing all week.

Sunday I was privileged to ordain Chance to a priest and give him the Aaronic Priesthood.  Super cool experience.  Yeah that was pretty much my week.  Hope y'all got a good read out of it.  Have a great week and in the words of Brigham Young, "There is no such thing as sacrifice, only exchanging a worse condition for a better one"

-- 

Elder Funk

Remember who you are and what HE stands for!

​Here Sister Smith was getting after me for something I did or didn't do....I don't know.   All I know is you can't be mad with a selfie stick!​

​But you can certainly look annoyed. hahahaha Love President and Sister Smith!​

Baptisms!

June 6, 2016

Y'ALL!!!!

Solid week.  Let me tell you about it.  Monday we had dinner with a family and we had a game of pool with their seven year old.  I bet you can guess who won ;)  yeah....the seven year old....we suck.... Tuesday we went to Fort Walton for district meeting and interviews with President Smith.  While waiting I told Sister Smith my joke about two missionaries and a priest walking into a bar.....she didn't find my joke funny....she found it less funny when I told her it was a true story.....hahaha oh well.

Wednesday we had a lot of success working with some investigators and helping them prepare for baptism in the next few weeks.  Thursday we planned a lot then finally got up with our ward mission leader who has been out of town for a month.  Chance and Leah got interviewed for baptism and passed!!!!  Friday was a lot of biking and teaching.

Saturday we had the baptism of Chance and Leah!  They had their cousins there and their grandparents.  The mother and aunt (who are identical twins....made it super confusing) went all out on decorations.  One is a photographer and the other is a wedding planner so they knew what they were doing.  I got to give a talk on baptism and related it to video games.  hahaha it was a one of a kind talk and no one will forget it.  Sunday we had their confirmation.  Super cool.  It was a wonderful opportunity to be able to bring almost all of a part member family together and to have the family come in from across the country to support them.  We got to have dinner with all of them last night and it was awesome!  They are so funny and the step father freakin loves us.  So hopefully we will be able to help him join the family and make it an eternal family.  So yeah that was my week.  Here are some pictures.  Enjoy and as Elder Jensen told me, "If you don't like it, like it" - Elder Yoon Hwan Choi of the 70.  Enjoy these pictures whether you want to or not hahaha.

-- 

Elder Funk

Remember who you are and what HE stands for!

​Chance and Leah, homemade CTR cake, ​

Mission calls on both sides of the veil

May 30, 2016

Hey Y'all!

Pretty solid week this week.  Monday night I got a call from Dusty saying he got his mission call!  (Dusty was a convert from campus)  He is going to Pocatello, ID spanish speaking on July 20th!  I am so proud of him!  So exciting that I will be on the mission the same time as one of my converts!

We had a lot of success finding this week finding another 6 new investigators!  We also have got Chance and Leah lined up for baptism this week!  Super exciting.  Highlight of the week was probably either Dusty or a child prayed for us to find good wives one night at dinner.  Oh my heck that was the funniest prayer ever!  The father could hardly keep it together during the prayer.  Totally made my week.

This week I gained a strong testimony of the Plan of Salvation.  I also gained another companion!  With the passing of my grandfather I was able to gain a new perspective on the plan of salvation and more support from the other side of the veil.  The gospel is such an incredible blessing.  Don't take it for granted.  There is a plan.  Stick to it and all will be well in the end.  Short sweet and to the point this week.  Have a great week Y'all!