Mission Week 38-Manacor, Island of Mallorca

Family!!!!!

This has been such a great week. We are getting so excited for the baptism of C. scheduled for this Friday.  She is getting very excited as well!!!

So we just found out today that we are getting a senior couple out here to our branch!!!! They are the Brems!!!!!! We are so excited to have them to help our members!!!!

We went to Palma this week for Zone Conference. It was so good to see President!!!! I ate nine pieces of pizza. I've still got it!!!! I got your package!!! Thank you so much.

Today for preparation day we did some spring cleaning and caught up on some sleep.  We had church in Inca this week, so we stayed the night in Inca.

We are so pumped for General Conference!!!! We have a stash of money for shopping each week, and whatever we have left over, we are buying snacks!!!!!! It should be great. This is what we share with all of our members leading up to conference, I thought I would share it with you.

So In the book of Mosiah, we read about the first General Conference of the Nephites. Everyone gathers around to here the words of the Prophet. In Mosiah 2:5 we read, "And it came to pass that when they came up to the temple, they pitched their tents round about, every man according to his family, consisting of his wife, and his sons, and his daughters, and their sons, and their daughters, from the eldest down to the youngest, every family being separate one from another."

It's interesting to me that these people first, faced themselves towards the temple. I hope that with Conference this week, you will wake time to go to the temple, and have questions ready in mind. Next it explains that everyone was organized by family. I always loved Conference because it is such a family time. May we put a higher focus on strengthening our family, and being edifices together this Conference.

So why do we have Conference? What is the goal? I would say it is the same as the People of Nephi. That we can experience what they experienced in Mosiah 5:2, "And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually."

It is my hope that as we come to Conference, that we might receive a mighty change of heart. that we might be able to have a disposition to do good continually!!! I am so excited to hear from our modern Prophets and change my disposition to better serve the Lord, Jesus Christ.

 

Our miracle this week comes from the opportunity we had to go to the Old Folks Home on Tuesday to visit C's mother. She is ninety-nine and so kind. We met so many people and enjoyed our time getting to know these amazing people. Elder Cook and I decided to make that our weekly service project. Every Tuesday we are now going out to the Home and talking with the residents. As we left last week, they were all asking when we would return, looking into their sweet faces, we had to tell them the next week. We are so excited. My whole mission I have been looking for more service opportunities, and here it is!! What a miracle. We loving serving the Lord!

We had a special meeting in Palma with an Area Authority, and he talked about how we are trying to become a stake, but why is that important? We talked about how a stake is used to tie down a tent to protect it from the the storms. That is the same reason we have them today. To protect the church from the storms of the adversary. It is our duty to strengthen our stakes so that when the storms come, we can be firm and the campers can sleep through the night!!

 

Doctrine and Covenants 115:6 "And that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth.And that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth."

Elder Tyson

 

 

Mission Week 36-Manacor March 14, 2016

This has just been a solid week. The weather made everything very interesting. It poured rained most of the days. It was so fantastic. We loved the rain, and greater enough, people actually stopped to talk to us in the rain.

I have been learning a lot in my studies of the Old Testament and particularly about sustain our leaders, and specifically the Prophet. In the times of ancient Israel, the prophet communicated directly with the prophet and truly manifested his power on earth. I feel so grateful that we have a prophet on the earth today that has the power of God to guide us in these latter days. I have also learned that when we sustain the prophet, we promise to follow his example in our lives. 

I had the opportunity yesterday to teach the whole branch yesterday, in a talk during sacrament meeting, and during a combined priesthood, Relief Society meeting. the class was on the prophet Joseph Smith. I love the prophet Joseph. His example of not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ really inspires me. I asked the members in what ways are we persecuted for our beliefs today. It was amazing to see them bear powerful testimony and share experiences of experiences they have had in defending the faith. The class inspired me to find ways I can better follow the Prophet and defend our faith.

Elder Cook is amazing. He is finding ways to connect with our members that I had never been able to before. He has really helped us better gain the trust of the members here. We were both so glad that we weren't transferred, because we feel like the last five weeks flew by and we didn't want to end this amazing companionship. I love him so much. He has taught me so much about patience. With the work, with the members, and with ourselves. He is a wonderful example to me.

Our friend C. is doing well. she has been coming to church, and we had a visit with her last night where she said that the Word Of Wisdom wouldn't really be a problem for her. She said that every church has good things and bad things, Except ours. She said ours was the only one that followed the Bible exactly, and she could see the difference in our church. So we asked her, Why won't you be a part of it? She then explained that she would feel bad to cut off the other churches, and that they all have good things. We are taking it one concern at a time. we realized that we need to establish a better foundation in the Book of Mormon, we are excited to see her progress and Come Unto Christ.

Our biggest miracle this week comes from our experience with M.L. She is a friend that we had lost contact with,but while at a member's home, they said they had invited her to come over and have a blessing. She has been struggling with depression, and Elder Cook and I were able to give her a blessing. The Spirit was so strong, she said she knew God would help her. It was an amazing experience because we were able to exercise our Priesthood and truly be Representatives of Jesus Christ, but also, that our members trusted us enough to invite a friend to receive a blessing was amazing. I am so grateful for the Priesthood that we hold and can bless the lives of others.

Preparation day today, we made some alfredo and bought that cool hat. They have like handmade basket stores where everything you can think of is handmade and mostly straw. It is so cool!!!!!!

 

 

We made the pancakes yesterday with a member!!!! They turned out really well!!!!! We bought stuff to make them again!!!! 

 

Yesterday, Elder Cook and I basically ran sacrament meeting. We chose the hymns, I blessed the sacrament, he played the piano, we both spoke, he taught, Gospel Principles, and I taught combined Priesthood and Relief Society. it was so great. It is so nice that our branch leadership trusts us with so much!!!! We had 12 in church, including us and our investigator!!!!

 

Oh ya... I ate rabbit this week, and fish....the whole thing... eyes and all!!!! Not bad!!! They sell rabbit like beef here.

 

Love you!!!!

 

Elder Tyson

Mission Week 35-Staying in Manacor with Elder Cook! March 8, 2016

Elder Tyson here with another weekly report, and what a report it is. We shared the Plan of Salvation with her, using the scriptures in 2 Nephi 2, and she committed to be baptized for this coming Saturday. The Spirit was so strong, we left so excited.

We had another visit with her on Saturday, and something had changed. All her desires to be baptized had left and we're just filled with doubts. She didn't think that wine was bad and she said that she wouldn't be assisting church every week. We did our best to follow the Spirit to discern her needs, listen and ask questions, but she would interrupt us at every turn with a completely different concern that would change everything again.

It was a very tough lesson, but we made it through and committed her to read the Book of Mormon to know for sure if Joseph Smith was a prophet. She then came to church, but said she had to leave after Sacrament meeting. So we thanked her and tried to set up a time to meet with her. She then left, but returned in the middle of our Gospel Principles class to give Elder Cook and I some dessert she had. She then stayed for the rest of the class and we were able to talk about the Atonement and. The Fall.

She is such a kind person. Elder Cook and I have been praying and fasting to know her concerns and how we can help her. We have realized that she is ready to hear the Gospel but is not quite ready for baptism. This is exactly why we are here. We are just guides for her, so that she can come Unto Christ and receive the fullness of the Gospel. What a miracle it is that we get to be here doing the greatest work ever. 

I love these people. Old, young, Spanish, Hispanic, or Muslim, they are all children of God, and I am so grateful that the Lord has allowed me to come here and share my testimony with them. To love them as He loved, to serve them as He serves, and to be friend to all.

For preparation day today we went to the famous caves de drach... they were so pretty... a little expensive to go in, but its a once in a lifetime opportunity, right???

Oh ya, I am staying in my area, our whole district stayed the same.

It rained a ton this week... but we loved every minute of it...

WE ARE OFFICIALLY THE ONLY MISSIONARIES IN THE WORLD THAT HAVE A MAJORQUIN TABLE!!!!! For those who don't know, it is a table that is covered with a blanket, then underneath is a heater to warm your legs. It's amazing! We found it in our like church shed, and our president in our branch said we could have it. So, BOOM!!!!!!!! WE GOT IT!!!!! THE ONLY ELDERS IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!

Anyways... gettiing my haircut later, its really needed... hahaha... excited for another great week...

That picture of the beware of dogs sign is for mom, I know you loved the common beliefs and establishing relationships. I thought of mission prep and the door knocking... so fun!!!!

By the way, I just hit 8 months!!!!! We got new office elders, and lots of new missionaries... really cool!!!!!

Thank you for the thoughts and prayers. Every area you go to, you try to figure out why you are there, and I am not sure why I was sent here. I am trying to figure it out, but I know that I am here for a reason.

One of my favorite things is that when we see a really angry old man, I just say to Elder Cook, "talk to him until he smiles", and we put on big smiles and just kill them with kindness. It makes me so happy... big waves and big smiles... it pulls them out of their world and reminds them that this life is happy! There are good people in this world. I love just giving people hope!!!!!!!!

Our candy lady (investigator), reminds me a lot of Grandma Harrington. she looks a lot like her. It makes me want to help her so much more! She has a family that wants her for eternity too!!!!!

I couldn't ask for better parents. Man, Elder Cook and I were talking today, we are literally on our own, in the middle of an island, in the sea, away from family, friends, work, education, all in the name of the Lord. How amazing is it? I want to thank you for being the best parents anyone could ask for. I think back to all those things you told me to do that I thought were dumb, but are now blessing my life. Things like "try night", keeping your room clean, being in the room and not on your phone, seeing the best in others, getting on bed on time, and most importantly, not putting yourself in situations that could drive away the Spirit. As strong as Satan is, he has got nothing on my parents. :) Thank you so much for caring. For pushing me to be involved in different things, to always give my best. I love you so much.

Well, I have to go... love you lots!

Elder Tyson

Mission Week 34-Manacor Hair Wars Episode 5: The Shampoo Strikes Back Feb. 29, 2016

Ok first things first, I heard you wanted a little bit from me for grandpa's retirement party, so I whipped this little morsel up as I was doing the dishes. I think it was sum up my thoughts perfectly.

Grandpa-An original poem

There at the Capital

Up on the hill

Worked hard for years

Never called in ill

His career was fantastic

They should have filmed him

Or at least changed the name

Of good old Camp Williams

He brought energy to the state

And also to work

he put his shoulder to the wheel

He let no one shirk

It's time to fly high

Like a kite

Join his brothers

The other two Nephites

He is the ultimate grandpa

On all the world's great face

I want to grow up to be like him

Not some astronaut up in outer space

Saved my life

Pulled a coin from my throat

Always prepared

Our trusty motor boat

He is an early riser

Around 5 o'clock

Enjoys a stroll in the evenings

Usually the 18th hole around the block

He likes his things tidy

Lined up in a row

but how the years just flew by

He will never know

He now has more time

For his weekly Costco runs

Drumsticks are a must have

They just make everything much more fun

He is a master at games

Especially at cards

All 13 tricks, come on

For him, nothing is too hard

Our Father's Day competition

He was never contested

His worm went undefeated

Never was bested

Full of generosity

Full of care

No wonder he was voted

The precinct chair

He now has more time too golf

More time to love

More time to relax

More time to give to God above

More time to think

More time to ponder

More time to sleep

More time to wander

There is no end to matter;

There is no end to space;

There is no end to spirit;

There is no end to race.

There is no end to virtue;

There is no end to might;

There is no end to wisdom;

There is no end to light.

There is no end to union;

There is no end to youth;

There is no end to priesthood;

There is no end to truth.

There is no end to glory;

There is no end to love;

There is no end to being;

There is no death above.

Magnifies his callings

In every which way

Represents the Savior

In every action, every day

He is so kind

Loving, and clean

He is a true example

Of Romans one, sixteen

Now the hair!!!!! What a wreck! Like I told you before, I have been using shampoo as hair gel. So, I put the shampoo on my hands to put it through my hair, then throughout the day, my eyes were stinging really bad, and I realized I had kept rubbing my eyes and the shampoo was burning them. It was awful! My skin dried out so bad, and the udder balm, is just starting to work. It was a mess. I was dying. :)

This week was one of the best in my mission, all weeks are great, but this one was extra special. We received a district goal to teach at least four lessons a day, invite one person to be baptized, and have six lessons with a member present every week. We took this goal as if it was from God, and I am pleased to announce that we were able to complete it. We worked harder than ever, we planned like nothing before, we were exactly obedient, we fought until the last stroke of ten to find new investigators, and invite them to be baptized.

Our members really came through for us this week. They were so willing to help, and I think that was partly because we were very diligent in inviting them to help us. We also had two friends come to church. After the meeting we set up visits with each of them, one for that very day. One of them has many doubts about the church. We had planned to talk about the Restoration, but listening to her situation, we were prompted to share with her Alma 32. we talked about faith, and how we need to act upon the seed that is planted in our heart, and if it dies, it does not signify that the seed was bad, but lot of times we let it die. We asked her how she felt at church, she said that she felt nothing, that our members looked like every other religious person, but she could sense a big difference in us. We testified of the great power of the Atonement, and how it can change us. How the Lord will answer us, if we act on our faith and have real intent. We invited her to be baptized and she said she would pray and ask God if that was what she needed to do.

We left that lesson, and this whole week feeling like real missionaries. We pushed ourselves and saw miracles. We set a companionship goal to give out two copies of the Book of Mormon everyday, and most days we were able to, and every other we gave out one.

We served more this week, helped the members, and exercised our priesthood. It was so busy, and hard at times, but it was so worth it! it was an amazing week, and we plan to do it again!

Our president of the branch was in the hospital this week and so was his wife, they weren't super sick, but health care is free here, so everyone goes to the hospital. We dropped by the hospital to see them. I do not like hospitals, but it was good. He was able to come to church and we were able to give him a blessing. He is a trooper.

Elder Cook and I are doing great, so united and loving it! We teach so well and so in harmony. I am big with using the scriptures, and he is a testifying and applying maniac! He applies the lesson to them in the greatest ways. I learn so much from him. He is loving the contacting, we have a blast!

We got a majorquin table this week. It is a table that has a blanket over it, and underneath is a heater, so when you sit you just put your feet by it and it warms your legs. It was in the church garage, and president said we could have it. It is so awesome!!!!!

For preparation day we were going to play soccer with a bunch of people in my branch, but no one showed, so we played ping pong for a couple hours. Watch out... Elder Cook taught me how to spin the ball!!!! Also, he is teaching me the piano!!!! I struggle but I can pound out High on a Mountain Top!!!!!

Transfers are next week so preparation day will be on Tuesday!!!!

 

It snowed the other day... not horrible, but the people made a big deal. Apparently the last time it snowed, I wasn't born yet!!!!