Christmas week and new beginnings

This week was both very relaxing while at the same time fairly busy. Monday and Tuesday were transfers and so that was pretty stressful making sure everyone got where they needed to be and then a 12+ hour bus ride on Tuesday, hitting every major city from Kalispell to Billings.

Got to Billings and I am pretty excited for the work. Elder Moore and I have been working really well together and we are having a lot of fun doing missionary work. We have quite a few part-member families that we visit and there are a few baptisms coming up in the next month or so. Pretty neat.

I am amazed at how many people have a link to back home. For example, the bishop in the Hawthorne ward lived in La Verkin for eight years. He built a small house about two doors away from the old church building. There are quite a few others that have either family or friends from the valley or St. George so it is pretty neat.

Christmas went really well. We had a get together with a couple of the other elders on Christmas Eve and then Christmas day we just got to spend some time relaxing. And of course the call home was awesome.

The scripture for the week is Luke 17:32. Now the reason this is the scripture is because Elder Holland gave a talk on it back in Jan. 2009 involving faith and the future. Here is a link to that talk that I would encourage everyone to spend some time studying as the new year is fast approaching. http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/56453/Elder-Jeffrey-R-Holland-Remember-Lots-wife.html

Take care

Elder Wixom

PS

I thought of something I was going to ask you to pass on to everyone involving the online missionary effort. Something I thought that would be beneficial is if you, the entire family, and anyone else you think would be willing to do it is to invite everyone to follow my blog. Here is the easiest way to do that.

Go to the Networkedblogs app.
click profile in the top left-hand side of the page
under blogs "I follow" click on the "A Marvelous World" picture
Under the picture and rating on the right-hand side, click "Invite people to follow"
Invite your friends

Everyday you can send out 16 invitations. The reason I thought of this is because I have gone through and invited all of my friends and so I was trying to figure a way to keep it going so others can see it. If you have any questions either email back or send a message on Facebook (Elder Hunter Wixom) and I'll try to explain better.

White Christmas

This week went really well; kind of stressful but everything went well in the end. First of all with transfers, I am getting transferred to the heights in Billings. I am going to continue to serve as a Zone Leader over there and my new companion's name is Elder Moore. I've met him a couple of times because he was in Cut Bank my first transfer in Great Falls. Ironic, we spent last Christmas together and we are spending this one together as well. I leave tomorrow morning at about 8 and get into Billings tomorrow night at about 8:30. Figure it'll be running late so I'll spend about 13-14 hours on the transfer bus.

The work is continuing to move forward in the Zone and our area which makes it really nice. The members are picking up the work and talking to a lot more of their friends which makes things nice.

We had dinner with an awesome family this past week. They help out at the YWAM base and are really cool. Steve, the dad, knows a lot about the history of the Bible and has a wall of Bible commentaries. I love meeting cool people like them who have a strong testimony of the Savior and are trying to do what He would have them do.

Everything else is going really well. The Taylors are still going strong and Sister Taylor recieved a calling this past week. Sandy, Jon, and the Uhde gang are having a lot of trials at the moment but have upmost faith in Christ and that everything will work out fine.

The scripture for the week is a little bit of a sillier one, but it shows that Santa existed back in Old Testament times. The references are Zechariah 1:7-8, 11 and 2:6. Like I said, pretty silly but cool. Then you can compare those 4 verses to the 18 pages of single print references in the Topical Guide about Jesus Christ. Yay for the Savior being real.

Have a very, merry Christmas.

Elder Wixom

Week 5

So this last week was pretty busy with meetings, but went really well. Lots of good things happening.

First of all with J, we moved his baptism back to the 8th of January. They were going out of town for the holidays and so we wanted to make sure we had time to go over everything and help him be the most prepared he can be.

We had our Christmas Zone Conference this week as well. One of the big highlights of it for me was that President Hill went over faith of a scientist and how evolution does not agree with science. It was pretty cool, a good refresher on the things I learned in high school. As always it was good to hear from President Gardner. The departing testimonies were overwhelming though. Elder King bore his as well as Elder Unga. Sister Ward who came out with me is also going home on Saturday. Crazy.

Other than that not much exciting happened this week. Work moves forward.

The scripture for the week is 1st Nephi 11:13,15,18,20. Simple but profound prophecy of the Savior as well as Mary. I love how Nephi is shown this scene because it is so important. Also sidenote, Alma 7:10 is the only place in the scriptures I've found that prophecies the Savior's mother's name. Pretty cool as well.

Take care and enjoy the holiday season.

Elder Wixom

YAY!!!

So this week was very busy and very exciting. Thoughts of good things are continuing to go on in our area and throughout the mission.

Saturday night was the baptism for Sandy and Kayla. It went really well and was very spiritual. The Uhde family had invited a lot of their non-member friends and the branch really came out in support. I'll attach a couple of pictures from it.

This last weekend was also the community Christmas celebration. The stake center was decorated in the gym with trees and poinsettias. There were also about 275 nativity scenes that were donated for the celebration. Live music from local groups and it was AMAZING!!!! There were a lot of people from the community that came and felt the Spirit and got excited for the holidays.

Last night was the Christmas devotional which is always spiritual. The Murrays and Sandy came to watch it at our place with our members last night. They are all so excited and on fire about the church. Sandy, Sis. Murray, and Br. Murray all got up in testimony meeting yesterday. There truly are miracles occurring and will keep going.

The scripture for the week is Helaman 14:2-6. This is Samuel the Lamanite prophesying about the coming of Christ into the world. What a great time of the year it is that we can remember all that the Savior did for us.

Take care and keep the spirit of Christmas going strong.

Elder Wixom

still snowing, still going

So this week was a snowy one. This is the first day in six that we have blue skies. Worst part, it has been snowing for the last five days pretty steadily. We are up to about a foot or so in the spots that are undisturbed. Elder Carlson and I have gotten seriously stuck twice so far, and it is only been a week.

The work is still going strong. Everyone is doing well and still progressing. The Ts all came to church yesterday. I finally met Br. T; he is really cool and knows the church is true. I actually learned how the Ts came back in contact with the church, and it is truly miraculous. The Lord knows His sheep and guides them back to the fold by using members of His church.

Thanksgiving went really well. We only had one dinner this year which was a great difference compared to the three last year. It is so weird to think that it was almost a year ago I got transferred to Great Falls. Where did all the time go, I couldn't tell you.

So the scripture for the week is Alma 34:37-41. Here Amulek is finishing his discourse to the Zoramites and is giving them instructions for what he hopes they will do. The part I would like to focus on is the end of verse 38 where Amulek says "live in thanksgiving daily." We just celebrated Thanksgiving, now we should live in the feeling of thanksgiving daily. Remember the things we are truly grateful for.

Stay warm and be safe.

Elder Wixom

NO...SNOW. The work moves forward still

So this week there is some sad news. IT IS SNOWING!!!!! We are expecting to have ten inches by tomorrow night. Really depressing.

The work is still going strong. Sandy got the job in Whitefish which is really good. The bad part is that she has been working a lot and so we haven't been able to keep in good contact. But things are still set for Dec. 4th at the moment.

Brother Taylor came to church for the first time yesterday which is really big. Hopefully he will continue to come. The rest of the Taylor family is doing really well and they are being wrapped in the love of the ward.

This last week we also had leadership training in Helena. It went really well and there were a lot of new insights to the gospel. I love serving with President Gardner under his leadership.

The other highlight is that I finally had an opportunity to give a talk that I had written for two years. I wrote it back home one day in sacrament meeting and we spoke in the singles branch yesterday. It is on becoming like the Savior and a recipe for success; becoming the bread. Because of that the scripture for the week is John 6:35 where the Savior says that he is the bread of life.

Since this week is Thanksgiving, here is the link for the church's newest Thanksgiving video. Happy Thanksgiving and remember what you are grateful for.

Elder Wixom
http://www.youtube.com/mormonmessages#p/c/4E784EC0770935C0/0/wi0tqhedHIU

Miracles continue

So this week was pretty miraculous. The Lord is truly mindful of His children and wants the best for them. To sum up the big things...

We set two baptism dates!!!! Sandy and Kayla are going to be baptized on the 4th of December. Sandy is really taking charge to get the __ family to church; yesterday she brought the four older kids all by herself. Seeing her testimony of the gospel grow is such a blessing and I know the Lord is preparing her for something great.

TA had his triple-bypass surgery last Monday. What I consider miraculous, he was released from the hospital on Friday. Before his surgery he had a blessing that all would go well and he is doing great. Another sign that the Lord knows us personally and is taking care of us.

CT and her two kids are another great blessing for this area. Both of her kids have the desire to be baptized and continue coming to church. Sister T's example for them is so amazing because she is wanting to do what is best for her and her family.

P and her family are also doing well. We were not able to see them this past week; however, they were at church yesterday in Lakeside. Apparently P was answering most of the questions in Relief Society and her daughters had a good time in Primary. Her daughters also started attending the Faith in God classes (used to be called Achievement Days).

The work is continuing to move forward throughout the mission. Miracles are happening all over the place as the Lord prepares the way for the mission to reach its goal. With all the blessings we have seen, we know the Lord is on the team of us as missionaries. The question I have been asking myself recently is: Am I personally on the Lord's team? The scripture for the week is Exodus 32:26. Here Moses is calling for everyone that is on the Lord's side, or the Lord's team. We have a prophet today who is calling for those on the Lord's team as well. I hope I could honestly answer that question. For more on this thought, check out my blog in the next few days.

Hope everyone is getting ready for Thanksgiving. Remember to count your blessings.
Elder Wixom

Miracles do happen

So this week was a week of miracles. First of all, transfers. Elder Carlson and I are staying together for another transfer here in Bigfork and Lakeside. I am pretty excited because the work is moving along throughout the entire mission.

One of our big miracles is S. She lives with the U family. She came to church yesterday and bore her testimony in sacrament meeting. She told the story of how she asked God to show her the path she should go and the church she should join. Series of events, missionaries come and start teaching. She pretty much said she knows the Book of Mormon is true and that the church is true.

Another big miracle is a family named the Ts. Br. and Sis. T have been less-active for years and she started coming to church out of no where. She knows that this is the true church and where she feels the Spirit. Her daughter is 11 and so we are trying to start working with her. Br. and Sis. T came to the fireside, which I'll talk about later.

Sis. R is, a member here in Lakeside, her dad lives here as well and isn't a member. Well series of events, we started working with him. This last week we went by to visit him and he wasn't home. Elder Carlson suggested we go talk to Sis. R to get her opinion on the direction we should take. Sure enough, he was there at her house. We had a really good discussion with him and built good friendships.

This weekend was the fireside, "Tell Me the Stories of Jesus". It went really well, unfortunately not many people showed up. For our area though, the Ts, the Rs and R, and B. Really spiritual experience. I definitely broke down crying while I was speaking though. Reason is, my talk was on Christ coming to the Americas and I shared 3rd Nephi 17:20-24. So that is the scripture for the week.

Hope everyone is staying warm as the temp. drops.

Elder Wixom

Snowfall and Surprises

So this week was pretty fun. We taught a lot of lessons and a lot of success. Lots of fun as well. PM came to both the trunk-or-treat at the church and then came to church the next day. The members were really nice to her and welcomed her. We'll have to see what happens on Wednesday because we have another lesson with her.

Downside, it snowed massively. Worse part, we drove through it. Long story but it wasn't fun.

Halloween as a missionary is always fun. Last Monday we had a party as a Zone and everyone dressed up. Lots of fun activities and partying it up. Last night since it was Halloween, we had to be in by night. Since we come go up to Kalispell on Mondays for p-day, we came up last night and spent the night with the missionaries. Lots of fun.

Now for the big surprise. If you remember from a few weeks ago I said there were changes coming to the mission, well they started today for me. Our mission was selected as a trial mission for online proselyting. What that means, I am now a Facebook missionary!!! We are going to use Facebook and blogging to share the gospel. I'm excited but also a little hesitant; that's why it's taken almost four weeks to get on.
Because elections are tomorrow, the scripture for the week is D&C 101:76-80. This is the section which the Lord declares the Constitution to be inspired. Now it is up to us to do our part to uphold it and to elect those that will as well.

Enjoy the new month and the beauty of fall.

Elder Wixom


The following are messages that E. Wixom sent me regarding the use of FB and Blogging by the missionaries. I know some of it is repetitive, but I didn't want to miss anything.

AnnThe big thing this week, I need you to update my old Facebook. If you can raise the security so it doesn't appear in searches, that'd be great. The idea is that when people do a search for me, they need to find my missionary one. Now when it comes to Facebook, I can be friends with family and friends from back home, but I'm suppossed to keep communication to a minimum. So feel free to tell the fam to add me.

Sorry, I'm in a rushed mode. So FB I can spend up to an hour a day facebooking and blogging. The idea is to use Facebook to talk to people I've met and for members to use the things missionaries post to share the gospel with their friends. Right now it is limited to leadership in the mission, but President hopes to get it going for the whole mission. Any other questions?

So the rules for Facebook are that I spend an hour a day Facebooking and blogging (which i haven't gotten too yet). The purpose is to make contact and talk to mostly the people here in the mission, so they've asked that communication with family and friends be back home at a minimum. Once the blog gets going you can follow along and comment as you wish. The best part is that you take the posts that i leave and can forward them to everyone you know. That is the idea with social networking missionary work. We are still working out the kinks so I'll keep you up to date as we get more.

Meetings, meetings, and more meetings

I am pretty sure this week we spent more time in a car than we did working in our area. Ok, not really but we did do quite a bit of travelling this week. Lots of meetings and lots of good things.

Elder Alan Packer of the Seventy came and spoke to us this last week. We had a meeting in Helena with all the Zone Leaders to plan out the things that would be addressed in the meetings the next two days. On Wednesday we then had the mission tour meeting with Elder Packer. There were 80+ missionaries there; all of the Missoula, Kalispell, Butte/Helena, Great Falls, and Bozeman zones. We talked quite a bit about using the edges of time and the culture of the Spirit.

Last night we had a musical fireside in Polson which also went really well. The sisters down there put a lot of effort into making it a spiritual experience. Besides the technical difficulties in the beginning, Spirit came in and things were awesome.

Thursday night we were invited to attend a devotional at the YWAM base. It was different needless to say; a good message but a little too much comedy for my taste. Afterwards however we had some really good conversations with people who attend there. A lot of people curious what it is exactly we do. We were able to extend a lot of invitations to church; downside, they are all in Washington this week for a mini-outreach program. We'll see what happens later on.

Elder Carlson and I spoke in Lakeside yesterday on, of course, missionary work. I focused mine more on hunting since hunting season started yesterday and I live in one of the most hunting orientated states in the Union. So this week the scripture is Jeremiah 16:16. Now is the time to truly be hunting for those who need the blessings of the gospel and the blessings of the Atonement.

Keep going strong and enjoy the last weeks of warmer weather... oh wait, that's just for me. All well, have fun.

Elder Wixom

A Frosty Week in Bigfork

This week we had some really good times. It was a little bit slower, but still fun. The temperature has definitely dropped significantly though; it has been down in the twenties the past three nights.

The Ms fed us dinner on Wednesday night and we had a really good first lesson with them. The mom believes already that the Book of Mormon is scripture and understands the need for the Restoration. It was actually nice because she already knew the answers to all the questions we asked, even what apostasy meant. They are out of town this week, but I am pretty excited to keep working with them and helping them recognize their answer.

A while back we got a call from the office with a referral from missionaries in Seattle for a lady that just moved here. Well, she lived on the outskirts of our area and so we were not able to get out there until this last week. She is a nice older lady. She has been involved with the church since her youth off and on, but never had the desire to pursue it until now. The missionaries started teaching her in Washington and now that she is out here we get the privilege of teaching her now.

This week we also had the opportunity to go on team-ups with the missionaries in Eureka. It was lot of fun and we were able to find a couple of formers that the missionaries had no idea where they were. Definitely the Lord's hand in that one since we were just walking in an area we felt like we should and ran into them. The week before the elders in Eureka were trying to contact them and they had moved. Pretty neat.

Elder Carlson and I also helped the Strongs, members we live with, press some apples for apple cider. All together this year they got 50 gallons of cider. Lots of fun but lots of hard work as well. Sister Strong went crazy with her camera so I got some good pictures of it, which will be forwarded at a later date.

All the apples that made that cider came from six trees. Brother Strong when he first moved here planted a majority of those trees and is now seeing the results of years of work. The scripture for the week is the law of the harvest. One of the many scriptures that talks about this law is D&C 6:33. If we sow good we get good, bad for bad, joy for joy, mercy for mercy, love for love, and so on. By the "fruits" of a person, you can tell what kind of a person they are. Great motivation for us to make sure we are sowing good seeds as we go about our days so that we can harvest them when the time comes.

Hope everyone is getting ready for Halloween and have a good time.

Elder Wixom

Happy Thanksgiving

So today is Canadian Thanksgiving. I think at least. That's what I was told so I figured I might as well pass it on. Today is also Columbus Day. I love the weird holidays of October.

We had leadership meeting this past week. Let me just say the church is awesome and I'm so grateful to be in Montana at the moment. More to come in following weeks.

This week was pretty much awesome. It truly is a week of seeing the Lord's hand in preparing people. First of all, we had a really good visit with the KM family. Elder King had told me about them, but we had never had a chance to really sit down and talk with them so this was a neat chance. He has a good heart and has a growing belief in the gospel. We are excited to keep working with them.

Allow me to pose a question; how do you get a cat that is up 200 ft. up a tree down? That was the question that puzzled us last night. We went to check up on the M family and they were trying to get their cat out of a tree. We eventually gave up and went inside which was awesome. We had a really good visit and they offered to feed us dinner this week. Pretty cool, and also really prepared.

This past week we also began working with the U family. I'm not sure if I talked about them last week, so just in case here is their story. They are a part member family in which two of the kids are members and the dad and daughter are not members. Well both of them have a desire to get baptized and they came to church. When they came they brought a guy that lives with them and all that he knew about the church was the South Park episode about the First Vision. So we taught the first lesson and things went well.

The scripture for the week goes along with the theme that God is preparing people. It is 1st Nephi 13:12. This is Nephi seeing Columbus being prepared to come and discover America. So as you celebrate Columbus Day, remember that were it not for the Lord, in 1492 he would not have sailed the ocean blue.

Keep going strong and work hard.

Elder Wixom

A transfer of hard work

So this transfer is going to be a lot of hard work. Hopefully it will start to pick up soon; we are still trying to recover from transfers.

We had another good visit with Brian this past week. We had to call and cancel our one appointment with him because of scheduling conflicts. Turns out he was finishing the wood project we had helped him with earlier. So we went, finished, and had another good chat with him. He explained more of his background and we talked about the need for a restoration. It was pretty cool.

We also had a chat with a guy named Brian Emerson. Elder King had taught him when he was here but we never had been able to make contact. We had a really good discussion with him. Sad thing is that he is moving this week to CA, so yeah.

Conference was AMAZING as usual. I'm not sure which one was my favorite; everything has a different message that applies different ways. The worst part is that we have to wait six more months to hear from them again.

One of the big scriptures brought up in every session I think was Alma 41:10. So, that is the scripture for the week. The simple message of wickedness never was happiness is so true. The only way for us to have lasting joy is to do what is right.

So this week we should have some big things happen. I'll be sure to let you know next week.

Elder Wixom

I'm lonely, oh so lonely

So I'm not completely lonely, there are a lot of missionaries here. The downside is though that I have been companion-less for going on five days now. Elder King was called to serve as an Assistant. He got the call Wednesday evening and left Thursday morning. I have been serving with the elders in Kalispell, Whitefish, and Colombia Falls. So, there really isn't an update on my area because I haven't been in it for five days. The positive side, Elder Carlson gets in tonight and we are going to head back to our area tomorrow. In case you don't remember Elder Carlson served as my first District Leader in Great Falls. In fact, Elder Davis is getting transferred to Kalispell and so all three district leaders from my time in Great Falls, the two of them and myself, are going to be here now.

And because I have been companion-less, it has caused me to reflect on having a companion. The scripture for the week is D&C 42:6. I have come to realize that companions are here to support us and to keep us going. They bear testimony of the work and everything goes well. Even after full-time service, if we are teaching with the Spirit and trusting the Lord then the work moves forward.

So I'll have more next week to talk about and we'll have fun.

Enjoy the new month and General Conference this weekend.
Elder Wixom

Field is white.... so is the sky

So pretty much this week just emphasized how white the field truly is.

The Murray baptism was absolutely amazing!!! Most of the branch was there and just everything went the way it should. The Spirit was so strong and there were tears shed by many in attendance. How grateful I am for the blessing it was to be a part of their story.

This week while working in Big Fork we tried a man that Elder King and Elder Larson had street contacted into a few months ago. We had a good chat and he talked about how he would like his daughter to perhaps attend BYU. Well we talked about that and he invited us in. His two kids came in on their own and sat down and started talking to us. His wife was working on dinner and so was kind of busy but joined in as well. We had a really good discussion and they are pretty neat people. After words Todd, the dad, told us how grateful he was because he had been trying to find a way to bring religion back into their lives. We'll see what happens.

Add them to the D family and the M family and the Mc family and the M family, it just goes to show how the Lord is preparing people to recieve the message of the Restoration.

This morning we went and hiked Mount Aneas, which is the tallest peak around here. On a clear day you can see from Polson to Colombia Falls (roughly from Hurricane to Beaver I think). Well, this last week has been rain, rain, rain but that's ok. It was really foggy but made for some cool pictures. Maybe we'll go when it is clearer; depends on transfers and snow.

So attached are a lot of pictures:

1) Murray's before their baptism
2) Our Zone on Mount Aneas
3) Me on the peak of Mount Aneas (cool and mysterious shot)
4) Just a really cool scenery shot on the mountain

Hope you enjoy and hope everything is going well.

Elder Wixom

Another week in Montana

So today is the beginning of week 5. It is hard to imagine that this transfer is almost over. So much has gone on and so much is still in the works; just pretty awesome to be out here. The weather is turning for the better which is a good thing; how long it will last though, no one knows. As I'm sure you have heard me say before, "If you don't like the weather in Montana, wait five minutes for it to change.

This week we spent most of the time in Lakeside. We also taught the most lessons so far this transfer which is really good. The Zone as a whole also taught the most we have this transfer this past week. The work is still moving and going strong which is really cool.

We found another new investigator this past week. His name is Warren Williams. He has been having a lot of health issues and has a good history with the church; his grandmother was a member. We mostly just got to know him better this past week and learned more about his background. We then discussed the importance of the Book of Mormon and overall had a really good visit.

The main focus this week was the Murrays. We finished the lessons with them, they all had their baptismal interview, and now we are just getting ready for Saturday!!! It is going to be a really neat and spiritual experience. The Lord truly is preparing people out there for the gospel. I'm just grateful I got to be a part of their experience and were able to help them in whatever small way I could.

The scripture for the week is the classic Matthew 11:28-30. We can come to the Savior and find comfort in our different struggles. As we take His name upon us, learn more about Him, and become more like Him we will find rest unto our souls. Baptism is the first step for us to find that lasting peace. Then as we continue through life and make other covenants with our Heavenly Father, we will learn more and find more as long as we magnify what we know and strive to be faithful to it.

Hope everything continues to go well. Enjoy the last weeks of summer; fall is just around the corner.

Elder Wixom

Oh the madness

So this week was really exciting. Zone Conference was a very neat experience; it was neat to be outside to enjoy the beauty of nature. We talked a lot about faith and about how to be better finders. Overall a unique experience since I most likely will not have another one on my mission.

Team-ups in Kalispell and Whitefish were neat. The area is so beautiful. It was a neat experience to spend time with the other missionaries one-on-one and get to know them better. The work was a little slower those two days, but that is what happens sometimes.

Elder King had a lot of success in our area. He and Elder Lanham taught a new family in Bigfork. Elder King said they are absolutely prepared by the Lord to recieve the gospel. I'll meet them this week and I'll have more info.

Sorry for the short one. We are in a very big time crunch and yeah. I'll have more this next week considering I'll be in the area for more than three days.

The scripture for the week is Jacob 4:4,6. The reason for this scripture is that Elder King and I are working on memorizing scriptures and this is the one we are working on. I like how it puts emphasis on scriptures and prophets.

Hope everything goes well. Have a good week.

Elder Wixom

Lakeside is lovely

So this week was really nice. We have been having a good time and are getting quite a bit of work accomplished. Weather report first of all; today is the first day that it has been above 60 in four days. We also think the mountains got their first snow of the year yesterday. It has been raining and cold and wet most of the week.

We had a really powerful lesson with the Huckins this past week. The Spirit was really strong and they asked us to help them learn more about the church and the scriptures. We were pretty grateful for that.

On Wednesday we had a really neat experience. There is a group of Europeans out here that have been adopted by a Native tribe down in Florida. They are all spiritual healers and are really nice. Well one of the members of the Bigfork ward set up a time that we could go give a presentation to the group of them. There were six that listened to the whole thing and others that came in and out. One lady named Gemma, from Netherlands by-the-way, was really interested and had a few really good questions.

Probably the biggest highlight of the week is the Murray family. They are a family that missionaries tracted into a few months ago and have been working with. They love the missionaries, love the church, and want to be baptized!!!! This week we set a baptism date with the whole family for Sept. 18th. They have all made big changes and are completely prepared by the Lord. He has been blessing us greatly and taking good care of us.

This upcoming week is pretty exciting. We have an outdoor Zone Conference tomorrow, team-ups with the Assistants on Wednesday, team-ups with the Kalispell elders on Friday, and team-ups with the Whitefish elders on Saturday. I'm excited because I get to go to the Kalispell and Whitefish areas with the junior companion while Elder King works with the senior companion in our area. Get to enjoy more of the beauty of this area.

Yesterday Elder King and I were asked to teach Sunday School in the singles branch and the topic was missionary work. The scripture for the week is the whole book of Jonah. Jonah is a powerful story of accepting the callings of the Lord and magnifying our callings. It is also a lesson on repentance, forgiveness, and love. And of course, musical numbers with vegetables :)

Hope everything is going well and enjoy the weather because winter is fast approaching.

Elder Wixom

Start of area number five

Well this week was quite an adventure. First of all, here is a little background on our area. We cover the Bigfork ward and the Lakeside and single adult branches. If you take the Flathead Lake, we cover the northern half of it. Pretty much it is a very big and very beautiful area. Only problem is is that because it is so big it splits our focus. We go from Wednesday to Tuesday in one area, and then switch off every week. Kind of makes it difficult scheduling and having things to do but it is worth it. My new address is:

691 McCaffery Rd.
Bigfork, MT 59911

So there you have it. Depending on if we stop by at the house during our Lakeside week or not, mail may not get to me until the next week so if you send something and I don't respond right away, sorry about that.

According to Elder King, this week was a bit of a slower one work wise, but there are a few things that we are contributing that to. First of all, we didn't get our car until Friday. It was in the shop for two weeks and that made working a little bit harder; especially because we live seven miles out of town on highway with no bike lanes. There were also a lot of people who were out of town for the last week of summer and had to cancel lessons or just couldn't meet with us this week.

We did have quite a bit of success though. First of all there is a part-member family named the Huckins. She was raised in the church but has not been the most active and he is not a member. We got to know him better and his background and past experiences with missionaries. And we did this while vacuum packaging green beans.

One of our more progressing investigators is Sharon Snell. She has been meeting with missionaries for a while and her daughter is a member here in the ward. She has been reading the Book of Mormon and feels that it is true and so we will continue to work with her in helping her come to church more often.

Another neat lesson we had is with a lady named Sherrie and her two daughters, Kaylee and Tiegan. They have extended family that are members of the church and Sherrie wants her daughters to know more about the church and what their cousins believe. We had a nice, simple lesson where we introduced the Restoration and we will talk about it more when we meet with them again.

We pretty much live on a mini-farm and the member we live with threw his back out a few weeks ago, so we have been doing a lot of service around the house. So far I have dug and de-sprouted potatoes and butchered chickens. It has been lots of fun and lots of fresh veggies.

We were asked to speak in sacrament meeting this past week and I had the opportunity to speak on missionary work. So the scripture for the week is one that I shared in my talk. It is D&C 84:62, 76. This is the Lord's command for us to share the gospel with those around us. This life is all about seeing if we will keep all of God's commandments, so sharing the gospel is a requirement for us to have everlasting joy.

Hope everything is going well. Keep up the good work and talk to you soon.

Elder Wixom

p.s. Attached is a picture from my first morning here in the Flathead valley. Jealous? I thought you might be :)

Warm welcome from Kalispell

So in case you didn't catch it, I got transferred. We left at about eight this morning and I am now e-mailing. I am going to be serving in the Big Fork and Lakeside wards. I was also asked to serve as a Zone Leader, so that will make this fairly interesting. My new companion is..................................................Elder King!!!! That's right, the same Elder King from Worland, WY. It is going to be so exciting. Unfortunately he isn't here yet, he went to drop his old companion off, but he'll be back tonight.

My last week in Stevensville was pretty quiet. Not a whole lot of exciting things happened. One really big event is that we went country tracting south of Victor. Walked for four and a half hours, and no potential investigators. It was pretty cool.

Sorry for the short email. We are kind of in a rush and so I'll write more next week when I have more time. And since time is so short, the scripture for the week is John 11:35. If I got the reference right (my scripture are packed) is says "Jesus wept". Short but powerful. I think it shows that God cares for us and will weep for us when we have a hard time and rejoice when it is going well.

Have a good week and I'll write more next week.

Elder Wixom

A little bitter in the Bitterroot, but still going strong.

So this week was a little bit of a slower one, we only taught nine lessons. Part of that was we had four or five set lessons cancel on us, so that was pretty depressing especially since they were ones we were looking forward to. But we had good lessons with the ones we did which is nice.

We visited with a part-member family named the Ls. All of our plans had fallen through a couple of weeks ago and so we were going through the area book to see if we could find any formers or potentials in the area since we had driven out there and wanted to make the best use of our miles. And so we found them. He was raised in the church but never really developed a testimony and fell away. They are a really nice couple and enjoy having missionaries over for visits. So we will keep working with them and see what we can do.

This week we started Br. R on the stop smoking plan. He is ready to go and has the desire to quit which is the most important part so hopefully it all goes well.

On a sadder note, we called S to try and set up a time to visit this week and he dropped us. He said he has a lot of questions but just wants to read and think it through on his own for the time being. Hopefully the Spirit works with him and he has the desire to learn more about the church and then ask the questions he has.

This weekend was Creamery Picnic Days here in Stevensville. It is a lot like Peach Days, only when the town of 1,000 people approaches 5,000 you know it is a big event. There are some members that live on the road that leads to the park so they let us set up a booth to talk to people. It did not go as well as we had hoped; however, it was worth it. A man approached us and started talking to us with his two kids. We had had members from all over the valley talk to us and so I figured he was a member in another ward and when he gave his kids an Article of Faith pass-along card I was pretty sure. Then he told us that he had been a member his whole life but has not been active for some time. Better part, he lives in Stevensville!!! Downside, we know the road, just not which house is his. Motivation to go tracting, especially since he expressed a desire to start coming back.

The scripture for the week is 1st Corinthians 10:13. Elder Senior shared this scripture when we were working with Br. Rogers this last week and I had almost forgotten about it. I think it is a good reminder that God does not give us anything we can not handle and no temptation we can not resist. Our trials are for our good and that is what matters most.

We get transfer calls this week so it will be interesting to see what happens. Hope everyone is looking forward to school starting and have an awesome year.

Elder Wixom

AMAZING!!!

So this week was pretty good in the long-run. We had a lot of success but a lot of problems start creeping up as well. We'll see what happens.

First of all, Sherrie. Things have been a roller-coaster for her. I don't remember if I said this, but she is recovering from neck surgery. Well this last week was really bad for her; a lot of pain and fear. We had a really powerful lesson about service and she retained a lot of it. Problem however, due to the economy and not having been at work since March, she is renting out her basement to a friend of a friend. Problem #1, he's a guy which means she can't get baptized as long as he is there. Problem #2, we found out he attends the Assembly of God church here in town that doesn't like us, so we're a little worried about him anti-ing her. But she likes us and has a good view of us so maybe she'll work on him.

We had another fun lesson with Gwen & Zack. Gospel of Jesus Christ and they understood and were able to teach it back. That is always a good thing.

This week we also had a 20-hour Zone Conference. Went from 9-9 on Thursday and 9-5 of Friday. Lots of craziness. Salt Lake has now changed the focus of missionary work from What to teach, What to do to now on "How to be a better teacher". They put out eight main points and we spent about two hours focused on each point. Lots of role-playing and lots of discussions. It was a really neat experience to be a part of. I told Elder Senior I'm a little jealous of him because he gets to work on this for pretty his full two years. We were told they aren't really starting to push this in the MTC until May. All well.

Friday night when we got back to town we had another lesson with Steve. Elder Senior and I wanted to apply the things that we had just been taught. Ending result... probably one of the most powerful lessons I've been a part of on my mission. We focused primarily on listening and I really think we taught him, and not just another lesson. I felt the Spirit and I hope that Steve did and recognizes it. A very neat experience overall.

The scripture for the week is Moroni 6:4-6. This is Moroni explaining how the Nephite church worked and lists the reasons for church. Here in Montana we get a lot of, "My church is in the mountains" or "I don't need to go to church to worship God". I personally like church because it gives a chance to learn and grow from one another. And you can only take the sacrament at church so that is a very good reason to go; be cleansed from sins and start over. Plus, after eight hours of church every week, it becomes a spiritual high.

Hope everyone enjoys the last of summer, autumn is just around the corner. Good luck with everything and have fun.

Elder Wixom

Pioneers and missionaries

So this week was a pretty successful week. We taught 3 member present lessons and 7 other lessons. Lot of success is going on right now and I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to be a part of it. I've decided that the Lord doesn't work in mysterious ways, they are very obvious as long as you are paying attention and looking for them. If not then they seem unusual.

Yesterday hit 100 degrees here in Stevensville. Very hot and, if not careful, can be dangerous health wise as well. We've both been trying to drink more water and stay hydrated. Yesterday there was a fire that started on one of the mountains that surrounds the valley. It looks like they are trying to control this one which is good, but as of this morning it is still smoking.

This last week we committed Deb to be baptized and she said yes!!! Only problem is that she doesn't want to get baptized because her boyfriend's house may be selling and he may have to move in with her. At least she understands it's not bueno, but he is being stubborn and won't marry her. All well, what can you do?

Heather and Ray fed us dinner one night this week. It was a great chance to relax and to enjoy one another's company as well as talk a little about how each of our churches is organized. Overall a very enjoyable evening with not a whole lot of stress.

We also started teaching two kids this last week. They are here in town for the summer living with their grandparents and come to church every week. Neither one of them are members and they wanted to take the lessons so they could learn more about the church. Pretty neat opportunity and really smart kids. The best part, we've been able to have really fun lessons.

And of course, this week was also Pioneer Day!!! Both wards of ours had ward parties and so that was really fun. Good chance for us to reflect on the pioneers in our lives; both our ancestors as well as the modern-day pioneers we see around us every day.

So the scripture for the week is one of the ones found in the hymn book. First one is in the Primary book. This week we felt like pioneer children cause we walked, and walked, and walked, and walked, and walked, and.... On a more serious note, if you turn to hymn page 252, "Put your shoulder to the wheel" (hopefully that's right, I don't have my hymn book on me). Probably my favorite part is that the world has need of willing men who bear the worker's seal. So many people today think they can get everything for nothing; it doesn't work that way. We all have to do our part. And as Brother Croxford would always say, "We all have work, so don't be a jerk. Put your shoulder to the wheel."

Hope you have a fantastic week and that everything is going well.

Elder Wixom

WOW... where has the time gone?

July 19, 2010

So it seems really weird that I've been out a year already. Today actually technically marks the beginning of the 2nd half of my mission, which is an even weirder feeling. Weird also to think how much changes in a year, it'll be a completely new life when I get home so that's kind of cool I guess. All well, not very much time left to work so just got to keep trying to do my best.

We've been helping out with a lot of service this week. We helped some members pound in fence-poles for their electric fence. We've also been helping members move and get things organized. It's been lots of fun.

The work out here is continuing to go well. This week we taught a total of 13 lessons, 4 of which were lessons with a member present and 3 more investigator lessons. Elder Senior and I are trying to get as many members involved with the work as possible to keep them going and getting excited. We are getting quite a few refferals as well which is really helping out.

One of those referrals was a guy named Steve. He is in his early 30's and was in the army for ten years. He described himself as a left-brained, needs to make sense kind of guy. We answered some of his questions about the church and then talked about Joseph Smith and the Restoration. It went really well and we have another lesson scheduled for later this week which I'm excited about.

Last Tuesday we had our plan to work here in town; however, we got a call from a kind-of investigator during district meeting. He talked about how his life was falling apart and wanted us to stop by. Well... he lived clear out on the northern border of our area, but we went by and changed our plans. On our way back to town we got a call from the office with a media referral and it was on the way so we went and stopped by. It was for an 18-year old named Brian. He had just gone down to Salt Lake to learn some more about the church for knowledge sake and requested a visit. He claims to be an athiest and is learning to learn. It was a really cool visit and we'll probably go back in a week or two to check up on him.

We had another good lesson with Heather and Ray. A lot less anti and a lot more honest questions. Heather seems to be taking a greater interest than Ray is at the moment, but we are going to keep doing our best to keep answering their questions and talking about the church.

This week has also been crazy with disasters. Thursday there was a propane fire which also burned some junk cars down from Sherrie's house. While we were visiting with her on Friday there was another fire in the exact same spot which was interesting. There was also another fire on the other side of town. And on Friday we were visiting with a less-active family named the Rogers. After the lesson, we looked out the window and saw a 350+ pound sheep just wandering down the street. So we helped his owners round him up and get him home. By-the-way, sheep are very stubborn animals and don't move when they don't want to.

So the scripture for the week is 1st Kings 12:1-16. This is the story of when Rehoboam pretty much loses the kingdom. I just think it goes to show that if we ignore the good advice for what we want to hear, we're going to find ourselves in trouble. Think of the old men as the General Authorities. They're telling us what we need to be happy. If we listen to them great; however, if we choose to listen to the world, or the young men, we will find ourselves in trouble later on. So... listen to those who know what's best and not for the popular vote.

Hope everything is going well with all of you. Keep going strong and enjoy the rest of summer.

Elder Wixom

Stories from Stevi

July 12, 2010

So Stevensville is going pretty well so far. We are having a lot of good times and the work is really progressing. So where to start...

First of all, my new address is:

978 S. Sunset Bench Rd.
Stevensville, MT 59870

The house is pretty cool. We live with one of our ward mission leaders about five miles out of town, so lot of ranches and hay fields and animals and wide open spaces. Love it!!!

My new companion is Elder Senior. He is from Alpine, UT and has been out only one transfer before this one. Pretty exciting. He went to BYU for three years before coming out and is going to major in Business Finance. He is the third of four boys in his family and his dad is actually a professor at BYU.

So I will say, as much as I loved our investigators back in Great Falls, it has been nice to meet some new people. One of those is Deb. She originally lived in Corvallis (town south of us) and took the missionary lessons there. Then she moved up here and we are teaching her them again. Pretty exciting. She wants to be baptized and has come to church for the last month. She just has some issues with WoW we are helping her work through and then we'll see.

Two of our investigators are a couple named Heather and Ray. I'm not sure what church they go to, but their pastor used to be a member of the LDS church and so he has given them a lot of interesting views. This last week when we went by they had 14 pages of anti-material that we went over with them. They cool thing is that they really aren't antagonistic, just wanting to learn what we believe; even better, they are listening to us over their pastor for what our beliefs are, which is a nice change.

Another investigator we have is a lady named Sherrie. She lives out in the country a little and so has quite the zoo at her place: four dogs, three cats, three goats, a sheep, and a miniature horse. She loves animals and nature and volunteers at the bear dog shelter. She reminds me a lot of the lady who is over the Springdale Community Center (I feel bad cause I can't remember her name). Anyway Elder Senior and Elder Tanner tracted into her and started teaching her. So we taught her on Wednesday and then she explained how she had been conned into buying stain for her fence and promised labor and then the labor quit and she has health issues and just a bad situation; so she asked if we could help her. So Saturday we went over with some of the ward members and stained her fence. The first group had four guys and they did half the fence in about eight hours. With the six of us, we did the whole fence, including re-doing what had been done, and did it in about four and a half hours. Lots of fun. Only the back of my legs got really sunburned so I was grateful for that; I must have missed that part when putting on the sunscreen.

So last night at dinner we were talking about being prepared for the last days. So we watched the movie about the ten virgins. I really liked the scripture at the end so that'll be the one for the week. It is Matthew 25:1-13 and then D&C 45:56-57. Every little act that is good adds a drop of oil to our lamp. So keep doing the little and the big things so that when the end comes you are part of the wise group.

Keep up the good work and talk to you later.

Elder Wixom

Adieu, Sayonarra, Good-bye, and Farewell

July 5, 2010

Well 30 weeks later, and I am back on the transfer cycle. I'm heading out in about three hours to Stevensville, MT. In case you don't know, that is just south of Missoula. I've heard that is it really pretty there and that the people aren't quite as weird as they are in Missoula which is a good thing. It has been an adventure here in Great Falls and I've grown so much. It was really hard yesterday in church saying good-bye to everyone because I've just become so close with the members here. This is definately a place I'm coming back to. I don't have the address for my new place but I'll get that to you next week.

Our last week was another slower one, but still had good progress. Sis. G went a little over a week with not smoking, but then her life took a major turn for the worse and so she's back into it. Depressing because she wants to get baptized and it is just this one thing in the way. I guess a lesson of life, even if it is just a little thing, it can hold us back from what matters most.

We just keep losing investigators which kind of stinks. We're pretty sure Tabitha moved because it looked like people were cleaning her apartment when we drove by one day. We haven't tried to see but their cars are gone so that's a bummer.

Fourth of July was a blast here. Sat. we spent the night at the Lefebres with fireworks, snacks, and Apples to Apples. Last night we went to the Colwells for more fun and games. We made s'mores as well which were really tasty. Overall just a good weekend and a good way to celebrate my last, first holiday (also a weird thought).

So the patriotic scripture for the week is Alma 58:40. God has made us a free people so that we could progress the best. All he asks now is that we "stand fast in the liberty wherewith [He] has made [us] free." Do the things that we know are right and do them to the best of our ability. It is the little things that bring the greatest blessings.

Hope you had a fantastic 4th and that the summer is amazing so far. Stay strong and steadfast.

Elder Wixom

Keep it going and keep going strong

June 28, 2010

So this week was definately a slower one for Elder Murillo and I; however, the rest of our district hit the highlight this week. This weekend our district had four baptisms, three of which I was able to attend and all four I had the privelage of interviewing. All of them came with miracle stories of their own from seeing the blessings of living commandments to finally getting permission to be baptized to coming back to the church years after first getting a testimony. What a neat experience to have been a part of and I'm grateful for the blessing it truly was.

With the sun shining we also are loving life here in Great Falls. Problem is though is that we are finding a lot of people are gone enjoying the weather or don't have time to talk with us. M also told us that she doesn't agree with our beliefs and asked us not to come over again as well as V saying that he wasn't interested either. Kind of depressing but what can you do other than trust the Lord and keep working?

We had a really good lesson with Sis. G this last week and talked about how we all have hard times but the Atonement can help pull us through them. We've been using that DVD we got at Zone Conference a lot, especially Elder Holland's "None Were With Him", President Eyring's "Choose This Day", and Elder Cook's "Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time". What a blessing it is to have people on the earth who speak with God and are His mouthpiece, telling us what God would have us know.

Last night we had a really powerful lesson with the H's after dinner. We talked about laying up treasures to God and seeking for the kingdom of heaven before riches. It was the first time we had taught it since we had the idea come to us Sat. night. It definately needs some work, but we can only get better and keep working on it.

Transfers are this week so we'll find out on Friday if Elder Murillo or I are leaving. We'll see what happens. No matter what, it is definately the Lord's will in all things.

So with everything going on, the scripture for the week that I found comforting was D&C 31:5-6. Here the Lord is promising that as long as we continue to work and are trying to do our best to help His children, then He'll take care of our families and that all will be well. He will provide a place for them and for us, not only in this life but also in the eternities to live with Him.

As Tim Allen's character in Galaxy Quest says "Never give up! Never surrender!" That is what matters most.

Elder Wixom

Cloudy with a Ray of Sunshine

June 21, 2010

So this last week was a longer one. We had three straight days of rain, Tuesday thru Thursday. Luckilly those are the days we had the car so we didn't get too wet. But I was very sick of it by the end of the week. The rest of the week was nice and warm and sunny. Today it's raining again and I'm not sure for how long it'll be going but yeah.

This week was also a hard blow for missionary work. We had three of our potential investigators tell us they weren't interested and we also had two of our investigators drop us. So that wasn't too great of a feeling. We also talked to M and her mom about M getting baptized and her mom doesn't think she's old enough to make the decision yet and so that stunk. Sis. G's life also got stressful again and so she started smoking again. Also stinks because if I get transferred I won't be here for her baptism when it happens. So yeah that's a big bummer.

One highlight is that we were definately led to an awesome lady. Her name is Ma and she is 73. We were walking trying some of our people and happenned across her. It looked like she was pruning her bushes so we offerred to help. Turns out what she was really doing was cutting chicken wire. The original owners of the house had planted the bushes and the chicken wire to protect them. Well, they never took care of the bushes so they grew through the wire. So Elder Murillo and I helped her get the wire out all the way. While working she told us that she was trying to get closer to God and have a better relationship with him. So when we were done cutting wires we taught her about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. She seemed to accept what we were teaching. We have another appointment with her tomorrow so we'll see how it goes.

This week was also Zone Conference which was nice. We talked a lot about being obedient and how disobedience keeps us from amplifying the Spirit to those around us. President Gardner used tuning forks to help teach us which made a really good point and helped me see the connection. We also practiced teaching people about recognizing the Spirit and the feelings that it brings into their lives. Overall a really good meeting.

So since yesterday was Father's Day, Happy Late Father's Day to all of you out there. Hope you had a good one.

While we were at church, the Primary had made bow-ties out of M&M's for the dads. Well we got some cause we were in Priesthood and they gave them to us. One of the members made the comment that we were fathers-in-training and so that's why we got one. Got me thinking about how we are all gods in training because we all have that potential. So the scripture for the week is Abraham 3:25-26. Here the Lord talks about how this life will be a time for us to gain experience and to show that we will follow God. And He says that if we stay faithful and keep the commandments, we will have glory added unto us forever and we will be like our Heavenly Father. Pretty cool and good motivation to do what is right.

Hope everything is going well and that you have a bright and beautiful week.
Elder Wixom

Craziness and missionary work...

June 14, 2010

I've decided that a really crazy week can either be a real blessing to helping the work move forward or it can turn a week into not as successful. This last week was one of the latter options, although we still had some successes. The thing that made this last week extremely crazy was that we finally took our car into the shop. Yep, we now have a brand new bumper on our car. Only problem is that it took two full days to fix, and both of those days were days we were thinking we were going to have the car. So we did a lot of walking and were kind of limited in how far we could go and who we could see, but we still got out there and walked on roads I have just usually driven on.

Another part of the craziness was that Tuesday we were told that the stake wanted us to move out of the Croxford's. They are wanting to give them a break from housing missionaries since they have been doing it for nearly two and a half years. So the two options were to have us be travelling elders and rotate houses every other week or so, or move in with the other elders into their house/apartment thing. Well neither option is very good, but we were counselled on doing the second one. So we are now living with the other elders.

Here's the new address:
1635 6th Ave NW
Great Falls, MT 59404

Yeah, so I currently am still deciding if this is a good idea or not. It'll be fun living with the other missionaries, since Elder Sargent and I came out together; however, it is going to require a major shift in how we do missionary work now since we are living across town.

With all the craziness though we still had success. We had another good lesson with C and her grand-daughter. We taught about what happens after we die. She didn't make it to church again though so that was a little depressing. We are going back tomorrow and hopefully have a member go with us which will be nice.

Sis. G is making progress. She told us she has given up smoking now and so in three weeks she can get baptized. Baptized the third, Confirmed the fourth, and her anniversary is the fifth. Pretty cool. We're just praying that she'll have the strength to get through it and to keep it out of her life.

We had another good lesson with S last night. Pretty much a party; him, two elders, six in the family, another friend, and another member from his ward was there to start fellowshipping. We handed him off to the other elders which is kind of sad 'cause I really enjoyed teaching him and he is so ready to be baptized. He was asking me if I thought he would be able to serve a mission or not and things like that. But if we go against the order of the church we get chaos and apostasy, that's what happened to the early church. Wards are set up to bless us and help us more. So we do what we can and let the Lord do the rest.

This week the scripture is Romans 8:16. The very first thing we teach people and help them realize is that God is our Heavenly Father. Because he is our Father he wants the best for us and is willing to help us. Being His children also make it possible for us to become like Him if we live faithful which is a true blessing indeed. And since Father's Day is this Sunday, take some time to remember all that our Heavenly Father has done for us.

Hope you have a good week and that all goes well.
Elder Wixom

June 7, 2010

So this last week was crazy overall. It was definitely one of those weeks where you just don't seem to have enough time to do everything you need to. But that's ok, a tired elder is a happy elder.

Started off with my first District Meeting as District Leader. It felt very weird and kind of scary. Overall I thought it went really well; everyone seemed to learn something to help them be a better missionary which is the most important part.

This week was also Leadership Conference. All the mission leaders from Butte, Helena, Bozeman, Great Falls, Missoula, and Kalispell got together and had a meeting. It was a lot of fun because I got to see a lot of my missionary friends that I haven't been around for a while. It was also good to get more instructions from President Gardner on how we can continue to be better missionaries and do everything we need to. One funny part is that if you took how many transfers the missionaries from Great Falls were on, our two Zone Leaders and the other District Leaders combined were six and I'm on number five. It's been fun to be here for a while and to see the progress that is going on. There is only one other missionary that has been here since I've been here; every other companionship has changed.

Now for the craziness of our lessons. Last Sunday one of the families brought a friend named S to church. Well he told us that he had a lotof questions about the church and wanted to meet with us. This last week we met with him twice and taught the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation. He seems to be liking what he is learning and keeps showing a desire to learn about the church. Only problem is that he doesn't live in our area; helives across town in another ward. So at some point we are most likely going to be changing missionaries teaching, but until then Elder Murillo and I are going to keep working with him.

This week we finally were able to meet with C. I tracted into her back when Elder Wardell was here and we just have never been able to meet with her. Well this week changed that. She started talking about how her friend invited her to church when she was a youth and how she loved it. She kept talking about how she agrees with the teachings of the church and just how she liked everything. Well I began to think that she was a member so Iasked if she had ever been baptized. She said no and that she didn't know why she hadn't. "We can fix that" I thought to myself. So this next week we are going back and hopefully begin the lessons with her.

We also had another interesting discussion with L. She brought up how her big thing against the church is that we don't believe in the Trinity. So we talked about that for a while and are planning on having another lesson with her this week. I just loved the fact that we were able to have a discussion on our different beliefs without yelling at each other and that it could be pleasant. So far on my mission, that doesn't happen very often which is depressing to me.

Sis. G is still making progress and this last week cut back on the cigarettes a lot which is really good. She seems to be enjoying life more and although there are rough times, she's working through them instead of giving up.

The scripture for the week is D&C 130: 20-21. At leadership we talked a lot about obedience and how it brings us the blessings that we need. It was a nice review and gave me motivation to keep going and to do my best.

Hope everything is going well for all of you and that the weather isn't too bad. Attached are a couple of pictures. The first one is just the beautiful landscape we have here in Great Falls and the other picture is me by the memorial ground of Shep in Fort Benton. Keep up the good work and enjoy life, you only get one to live.

Elder Wixom

http://www.fortbenton.com/shep/story.html