The Pathway to Happiness

Well I don't have too much time this week but I would like to share with everyone something that was confirmed for me this week.

I had the opportunity to sing at the civil wedding of an investigator and his wife this weekend. While sitting there as they took their vows, I pondered in something that our mission president had shown us a couple months back in regards to saving ordinances.

He had drawn six circles in a pattern very similar to a rock climbing wall. He then drew a couple of lines and labeled the circles starting at the very bottom with baptism and ending with marriage in the Temple, also known as a Temple Sealing. Much like this

Temple Sealing

              Endowment

-----------------------------

Melchizedek Priesthood

-----------------------------

              Sacrament

Confirmation

              Baptism

He then told us that we as missionaries are focusing a lot on this first part (below the bottom line) and how sometimes people get stuck there. The thing is in order to achieve the highest degree of glory and live with our Heavenly Father after this life, a man must receive the Melchizedek Priesthood which a woman does not need to obtain. And then everyone must obtain their Endowments and be sealed in the temple for time and for all eternity. These things are ESSENTIAL to achieve Eternal Life.

As I was pondering this I thought of the importance of the Temple. Our own temple, the Montreal Temple, has been closed for my entire mission so far for renovations and has been announced to open in November. This announcement has given us a wonderful opportunity to testify of the blessings of a temple and how it is a building wherein we receive sacred ordinances that allow us to live with our families for eternity and to live with Heavenly Father after the coming of the last days.

Growing up it feels like I did not understand the importance of the temple, and I was just beginning to cherish it when I was whisked away to the wonderful land of Quebec where there is no temple for the time being. Ironically this has made me cherish it even more. I know now that the Lord loves his children and wishes them to come back to him. In order to do so and live with our families for eternity we must be baptized by someone holding the proper priesthood authority and then given the Holy Ghost through the confirmation, which ordinances we then receive and renew when we take the sacrament every Sunday. And then we may receive those ordinances that are so cherished and holy that can only be made in the holy temple of the Lord.

I know and I can testify that the Lord loves his children and he has provided them a way for them to return to him through the sacred ordinances that we make a take a part in. I know that this church is true and it holds the fullness of the gospel and that through this we have the true power of God and by this power we may be baptized, confirmed and receive the holy covenants in the temple and be sealed for all time and eternity with a family who we love and they love us. I am so grateful to be a member of this church and to be a missionary out here sharing these wonderful truths. And I leave you with these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Missionaries get sick too!

Dear friends and family:

This week was one of the rougher weeks I've had on my mission again. It wasn't that Elder Storm and I didn't get along, we got along very well this week actually. It was rough because starting late Tuesday/early Wednesday, Elder Storm and I both started getting sick. We received a cold from one of our investigators. (It was an unwelcome gift, but we graciously accepted anyway.) We then proceeded to miserably work through the brunt of it until it became too rough to keep going, and we went home an hour/an hour and a half early (on Thursday, I believe) to take care of our runny (and bloody) noses and a small fever that I had started developing.

Lesson learned. Don't try to work through a debilitating sickness, just stay home and that way you'll heal up quicker and be more effective when you get back to work.

We had some promising investigators that we picked up at the start of the week, but we lost contact with each of them by the end of the week, and when we went to round them up on Sunday morning, we were unable to talk with any of them. I think we might have scared them off by our runny noses and sniffly testimonies. :P Hopefully none of them caught the cold from us.

One of the highlights of the week was the Haitian conference on Saturday. It was really a fantastic event. I've never before seen so many Haitian saints in the same place. The turnout of the conference was over 400 people from the seven stakes, but I know that just from the Miami Shores ward, there were many Haitians that were unable to come because of work or transportation issues. The conference bodes well for creating another Haitian Creole branch in the near future, which I understand is one of the underlying purposes they had in organizing the conference. I hope that I am still in my mission when that happens.

Another thing that was great about this week is that Abigaile came to both the conference, and to church just yesterday. That is the third week in a row that she has come to church, despite the fact that she still does not believe in Joseph Smith or the restoration. It just goes to show how much better it is for a member to invite friends to come to church than for us to invite random people who we just met. It's difficult enough for us to get people to come to church even a single time, but here we have a member who invited a friend to come to church, and she's come three times already!

We received the conference ensign this Tuesday, and I've been trying to study the talks during personal study. I've been keeping tally of the general topics of the talks so far, and I've had to laugh again at how many of the talks are about marriage and families. More than half of the Saturday morning talks are directly about it, while almost all of them mention it at least briefly.

Thanks,

Elder Slade

P.S. Next week, my P-Day will probably be on Tuesday due to the holiday on Monday.

La Fete des Meres- Let us go a singing

Happy Mother’s Day everyone! It was amazing to be able to see and talk to my family via skype this week as they told me all about their adventures and who is going where on their missions and who is getting married to who. *cough* Brittney *cough cough* I love them all so much and am so grateful to have such a wonderful family and a brother whom the next time I will see him he will be the one wearing the plaque.

This week the parable of the talents, once shared by Jesus Christ, has often come to mind. For those unfamiliar with the story Christ tells of a master who just before leaving for a far off country had entrusted three of his servants with varying amounts of monetary units, then called talents however we can easily relate these to our denotation of a talent. Two of these servants had been able to use those talents and trade until the moment when they had gathered double than what they had originally been given. However the last of the servants had hid his talent and wished not to share it and by the time his master returned, had lost the place where he had buried his gift. In the end the two servants who worked hard with these talents had in turn received many more blessings than imagined while the one who hadn't was left with none.

You might be wondering why this is so constantly in my thoughts this week. Well I had a memory this week of the moment that I had decided that I had wanted to take voice lessons. My wise parents had recognized that I was able to sing and had lovingly encouraged me to practice and grow this talent through voice lessons and participating in choirs. The hard work has paid off at many moments and God has blessed me with a voice that can and has touch the hearts of his children on many occasions.

One such occasion was this past Friday. As we do every Friday, my companion and I with a handful of other missionaries, visit a nursing home and volunteer by gathering the residence and singing with them a whole bunch of Quebecois songs. Many of which are really quite hilarious, residence and the songs. The woman who directs this had noticed that I had been blessed with a pretty good voice and as a "finale" asked me to sing for everyone. Choosing one of the only songs that I would actually know I was able to share my rendition of "Danny Boy."

Though this song is not one of the most spiritual of songs in the bunch I tried my hardest to pour my testimony into it, as we were asked not to sing very spiritual of songs for the sake of unity in the residency. Luckily very few could understand the English I was singing and instead focused on the spirit and the sound. Afterwards I sat down and an elderly woman sitting next to my with tears in her eyes, hugged me while saying "thank you I felt loved."

This moment has helped me to grow my testimony in God. He gave me a talent and helped me to cater it to the moment where it became something I could give to others. In my setting apart blessing that called me to be a missionary the man who blessed me promised me that music would be the way I could share the spirit with many. This blessing has been fulfilled on many occasions but was most apparent at this moment when a woman was touched by the feeling she felt and not the words which she heard. I know that I have been called by a real and true prophet of God who is guided by a loving Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for the moments he has given me to be the instrument in his hands as he helps others to feel his love. I am so grateful to be his missionary, to be called to go forth with faith and tell the world of the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ on this Earth. I am grateful for the moment I have to sing the song of redeeming love to the people of Quebec, Canada. I love you all and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

In Miami

Dear friends and family:

It was really fun to skype with all of you and to see you again! It was also good to finally meet with Ben and to hear about how you are all doing. That was the last time that we will skype, the next time we'll talk to each other will be on September 3rd, when I go home. (I still have 4 months left.)

Elder Storm and I are having a great time in Miami. There are still a lot of rough spots, but it's really fun to be together.

Thank you for all of the packages as well. I made no-bake cookies today, but I haven't eaten any yet so I don't know how they turned out. I also loved the T-shirt from Neumont University. It makes me happy to wear it :D. I received both packages right on time, the day before my birthday.

We had two investigators come to church this Sunday. One of them also came the week before; her name is Abigaile. One of the young women in the ward had invited her to come, and so she agreed, and then we set up a meeting with her. We taught her several times this week. She is excited to prepare for baptism, but she doesn't believe in the Book of Mormon or the restoration, and she feels like she won't be ready to be baptized for several more months, or years. But she has come to church two times now, and so we're again just going to focus on the Book of Mormon, so that she can gain a testimony of the Restoration, and she can feel more ready to be baptized.

The other investigator who came to church is named Mackensie. He is a former investigator, who works almost every Sunday, and so has very few opportunities to come to church. We'll try to see him again and get him pumped up for baptism, but the last time Elder Storm taught him he seemed to be pretty adamant that he wouldn't be ready to be baptized for a long time. (More so than Abigaile.)

In my personal study, I just finished reading the Book of Mormon again on Saturday.

Thanks,

Elder Slade

Back in Miami

Dear friends and family:

I'm back in Miami! It's time for round three!

Miami Shores Creole is by far my favorite area that I have served in. I'm so excited to find and teach the people who God has prepared for me here.

My new companion, Elder Storm, is doing great. He is Haitian! His first language(s) are Haitian Creole and French. His accent is going to help me! I really admire the fire that he has for the work. You could see it especially on Sunday morning, with how much energy he exhibited while we were rounding up for church. Without his diligent efforts we would not have been able to get Roberto, one of our investigators, a ride; but because of him, he came to church and is progressing towards baptism. It is a little rough sometimes to be his companion just because of communication issues. He speaks English well, but we misunderstand each other often due to our different cultures - cultures in the mission, as well as demographic cultures.

We had four investigators show up to Sacrament meeting. Our most promising investigator is named Roberto. Elder Storm and Elder Claude had been teaching him for about two weeks already, and now we're teaching him. He came to church for the first time this Sunday, and he really wants to be baptized. We've already made plans to see him every day so that he can be ready to be baptized.

All of the seven stakes in our mission are putting on a Creole Conference in about two weeks. It will be a full-day event, about all sorts of topics, mostly in relation with temples and family history. We've gotten a lot of people committed to come, and we can't wait to go there and to be a part of it. The new things that are happening in the church with regards to Haitians are fantastic, not the least of which is the new temple announced in Port-au-Prince.

Some of you already knew that I was back in Miami, from something on Facebook that Karen Putnam Guillian put out yesterday. She and her husband had moved to Miami the second time I served in Miami, over 8-9 months ago. We didn't know that we were related. It was only a few days/weeks ago that she read an email about Britney being married that she made the connection and thought that we might be related. Then, I came back into the area and we found out that she and my mom are cousins. We had no idea this whole time. (Note from Nancy...Brandon wasn't quite sure who Karen was when she introduced herself while she was there visiting her son, Brandon and his wife Camille, and new daughter...hence the confusion of Karen being Brandon's wife, not mother. I filled in the blanks when we were emailing today!)

It's also really interesting to see time pass. About nine months ago, shortly after Brandon Guillian became our ward mission leader, Elder Fisher and I were some of the first to get the announcement that Karen (Note again from Nancy: Camillle, not Karen)  Guillian was pregnant. (We just happened to be in the right place at the right time.) Now, I'm back, about a week after she gave birth. That really puts things into perspective for me. Time really is blowing by, extremely quickly!

Mother's day: I can't wait to skype with all of you! According to a letter from President, the rules have changed again. I can skype with you all for 40 minutes now, not just 30. Do you know if Britney and her new husband will be there? I'll call on Sunday morning for 1-2 minutes just to finalize plans, but it will probably be around 3-3:30, my time, when we actually start the call. What skype username will you all be using?

Thanks,

Elder Slade

Whale Noises

Well I don't have too much time at this moment but I would like to share with you a miracle. One of the many spiritual basis that our religion holds in common with many others is that of fasting. And I am here to testify of the reality of the power of a fast.

This Sunday my companion and I started a fast, or an avoidance of food or drink for achieving a higher spiritual state. We fasted specifically for the ability to find success in our area of Lemoyne. We have recently been realizing that many of our investigators are not progressing as we would like them to. We found ourselves after fasting about nine hours really really hungry. As in why is my stomach making whale noises, oh right I haven't eaten in who knows how long. But my companion and I had prayed and set a time that we would finish our fast. And we were determined. Sure enough after we had struggled through to the end we ate like Queens. It was a feast. However there was something special about the sacrifice that we had made. But we just continued on with our day until one moment when we were teaching a young man whom we were debating on dropping, suddenly all of his friends came into his house. He invited them to join us but they had preferred to stay in the next room over. We continued with lesson and then someone asked "are you the Jehovah's witnesses? You don't look like them." We looked over to see that all of his friends were in the doorway listening. We obviously took the moment to testify and to share about the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ on the Earth through Joseph Smith. Little by little the group was brought to the table until every ear and eye was focused on the words that we shared. That night we received six referrals and three new investigators. And when in general we struggle to even find one.

We were on our way home that night, hyped up that something so amazing had just happened when Sister Ford said "Its because of the fast." Her words hit home.

It was true. We had sacrificed a moment and had received so many blessings. I can testify that God loves his children and when one or many join in a prayer backed up by a sacrifice as little as hunger. He recognizes the love that we show him and the trust. I know that He answers our prayers. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Transferring again

Dear friends and family:

I'm astonished that I am transferring again. I had resolved myself to serve in Fort Myers for the last four transfers of my mission, but I guess that's not where the Lord wants me to be at this time. Elder Parker and I are both determined to leave the area in a good condition, so the new missionaries can come in and take up where we left off. We're cleaning everything really well, making notes about weekly meetings and future appointments, which members are available usually to come out teaching, and other such information.

The Fort Myers stake has been trying to focus on contacting prospective elders - members who have the Aaronic priesthood, and who have been members for a long time, but who have never received the Melchizedek priesthood. That has been a large part of our efforts this week, and we have seen a few miracles from that. One of them we saw when we tried to visit an inactive member who is married to a nonmember, both of whom lived in Utah for several years. They let us come in to their gated community, which is surprising because as they told us, they rejected missionaries every time we tried to come over for several years. They allowed us to share a quick message from the scriptures, which brought in the spirit. He is not ready to come back just yet, but that gave us the opportunity for God to work in their hearts.

Elando was unfortunately unable to come to church this week, because he was in Bonita. But Jorkens, a 19-year-old Haitian investigator who just moved here from Haiti, came to church and can't wait to be baptized! He's a little hard to get in contact with, because he is still in High School and he is going to college almost every night in order to learn English, but it's a blessing that we were able to work with him and we will miss him a lot, even though we will not be here to see him baptized.

I don't know exactly what time I will be skyping on Mother's day, because I don't know exactly where I will be. But it most likely be in the early afternoon for me, which means late morning for you. What time is church in Rye? Also, which skype account will you be using?

I'm excited to hear about all of my cousins receiving their mission calls. Yes, Austin is in the Milan, Italy mission as well.

Thanks,

Elder Slade