New transfer and new opportunities

This week we got transfer calls and I was transferred. Luckily I did not go too far, only down to Billings. My new companion, Elder Ika, and I are the first ever online assistants. You may be asking what do online assistants do? That is a very good question and we are trying to figure it out. President Gardner has put us in charge of figuring out what we are supposed to do. The gist of it is that we are to head up the online proselyting efforts in the mission. It is going to be lots of fun and lots of work, but I am ready.

Easter was really good. We had a mission wide conference call in the morning and then church. The talks were of course centered on Jesus Christ and the Atonement. I was asked to speak in Shepherd ward since it was going to be my last week. A lot of people attended the meetings and there were quite a few non-members.

We had a good last week in Shepherd. Kendall's baptism went really well and was a very spiritual event. The downside is that yesterday their family was having an Easter egg hunt and his sister stepped on a broken beer bottle and sliced her foot open. They had to rush her to the hospital so he was not able to get confirmed yesterday.

We had a lot of good lessons and were able to get in with some that we had not been able to. Work is still moving forward in Shepherd and there are a lot of good things that will be going on.

From what I have been able to tell, the work in Central and Blue Creek wards is going really well. I will let you know more as time goes on.

The scripture for the week is Luke 24:5-6. I love the angels' declaration that "He is not here, but is risen." Because of the resurrection we have the assurance that life continues on. We will be restored to an immortal, incorruptible, and glorified body when the time of resurrection occurs for all.

Hope everyone had a "Hoppy" Easter and is having a good spring. Take care.

Elder Wixom

Waking up to snow

This morning Elder Moore and I woke up to snow on our lawn. Kind of depressing, but it was gone by noon. We had our Zone Training this past week. It went really well and we were able to discuss some good things like baptisms and finding ideas. Elder Moore and I are continuing our walking and finding adventures. While on team-ups with the Assistants, Elder Moore found some new potentials. I am excited to meet them this week since Elder Moore said they seemed pretty interested in learning. K's baptism is Saturday! He is pretty excited and things are going well. This week we were able to get in with some families we had not been able to for a while so that was pretty nice. We want to get in with everyone before transfers this week. We have had a lot of good things going and hope to keep things up with the change most likely happening this upcoming week. The scripture for the week is John chapter 19. This is the passage in which Jesus is crucified and buried in the tomb. This week we celebrate Good Friday in remembrance of that dark and dreary day. Make sure to take some time and reflect what the Savior's sacrifice has done for you this week. Take care and have a happy Easter. Elder Wixom Easter Story: From Palms to Passion Easter Story: Passion of the Christ

Very busy week

This week was pretty crazy. It started off with Elder Moore and I in Hardin. I was able to go spend a day down on the Crow reservation and meet a lot of people down there. We had been walking a lot, so we decided to sit down and get some KFC to snack on to get warm and let our legs rest. Well while we were there, a lady walked up to us and asked if we were Mormons. We said yes and she then proceeded to tell us how she was a member but had not been active in years. She gave us her contact info and the elders are going to start visiting her. This weekend twelve of us elders were asked to sing a song at the 8th annual American Clergy Leadership Conference. That was a neat experience and we are going to be on TV tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how that impacts the work here. Elder Moore and I did a lot of walking this week. On Friday we were on our feet from about 1:20 to 5:50. We were able to talk to some interesting people, including a man who lives off of $1,000 a year and is completely off the grid. Best part, it was raining/snowing/windy/gloomy/cold/usual Montana spring. Currently it is over 60 degrees and the sun is shining. Every day is a change. BIG HIGHLIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!! K is getting baptized on the 23rd! They wanted to have him baptized before the next transfer since Elder Moore and I have been there for a while. I am pretty excited and the ward is as well. (This baptism will coincide with E. Wixom's sister Emily's baptism. E. Wixom was sad when he left that he would miss both his sister's baptisms, but he has had baptisms of his own each time. We feel this has been a real blessing for our family.) Since Easter is coming up, the scripture for the week is Matthew 26. This is where the Savior institutes the sacrament and performs the Atonement. What a great message of peace and hope. Through these two acts, we can be forgiven of our sins and be freed from feelings of guilt and shame. We can also have our burdens lightened because Jesus Christ has already carried them for us if we will let Him take it. Have a wonderful spring and be excited for Easter. Elder Wixom

General Conference was AWESOME!!

General Conference was definitely the highlight of this past week. I have learned to really love listening to the Prophet and the Apostles because they messages they have what we need to hear now. I especially loved the talk about the difference between "to be" and "to do". W came to the Priesthood session and then he came with J and his cousin C. They had mixed reviews, but it is a start.

The week other than that went really well. We went out to Round-up for District Meeting, which was pretty good. Round-up truly is the epitome of Montana stereotypes. We were driving and every guy was wearing a cowboy hat and belt buckle. Wild, wild west indeed.

Later on we went on team-ups with the Hilltop elders which was good. I was able to help them meet some of their investigators that I had seen before but that they hadn't been able to get in with.

Elder Moore and I got to help out with a funeral this past week. It was for a non-member whose living family is mostly less-active. I was asked to give the closing prayer at the service and Elder Moore was asked to dedicate the grave. Bishop Savage gave a powerful talk about the Plan of Salvation and the blessings that come with it.

The scripture for the week is Doctrine and Covenants 1:38. I love how the Lord declares that the words spoken by His servants are the same as if He had spoken them, similar to what Elder Holland talked about.

Have a good week and make sure to start reviewing the messages shared this past weekend.

Elder Wixom