...And a Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a Great Christmas like I did! 

2015 is wrapping up and I can Confidently say this has been the BEST YEAR OF MY LIFE!

(only cuz the full year of missionary service hasn't yet begun)

I am so glad I was able to spend it with all of you (well for the first half) 

I made such awesome friends and strengthen already awesome friendships.

I defeated demons and paved the way to an everlasting future

I learned so much of Christ and the truth that brings divine lasting Peace. 

I learned the value of Hard work and Determination in following a dream.

I learned how to work well with others (and sometimes how not to step on there toes when you really want to..)

I was taught from the  Best books how to lead a life of Love and Kindness.

I learned that God's timing is ALWAYS on time... so wait XD

I learned true friends build and seek your personal successes where others seek to pull you down to misery

I am a new Person, and I will continue to be a new person as I move forward in life.

Change is Infinite and we have infinite potential

Keep working toward God 

I love you all

Elder Bone

OCM

Mosiah 27:29

My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.

 

Short and sweet sorta

So since our technical Preparation day is on Christmas we get to email shortly for today so breif rundown

Tuesday 

District Meeting, met with Kyle and he's still doing awesome set a date for him to work toward and he's super excited about it!

Wednesday

worked at Good Neighbors to do some Christmas service helping families still have Christmas presents, then did some Secret Santa drop offs from the ward for the ward *Shhhh*

Thursday

WE ACTUALLY WEEKLY PLANNED AND IT WAS BORING AS ALL GET OUT BUT I WAS SO HAPPY I DIDN'T EVEN CARE!

Then we met with Kyle and taught him the word of wisdom and gave him a blessing which right after we did he grabbed his pack of cigarettes that was on the couch and crumpled them up into dust it was so cool!

Friday

Updated the Progress record cuz mission president said we need to switch days

met with sister Ortero a very nice Less active who really is showing a desire to " be a good Christian again" 

Met Tom Thompson who is a cool guy that loves to Draw and is pretty good at it. he can kinda fly off the conspiracy sidetrack but other than that he really does love the church :)

Saturday

Cold wet day of exchanges with the Zone leaders. also one of those days where all you get is a door slammed in your face and curse words yelled in your ears. but hey all a part of the job to be done.

Sunday

KIRTLAND TRIP! (this time I took pictures too! I don't have them today but I will get them next week)

but yeah the ward went to Kirtland and we got to go with Kyle and see all the Nativities and the lights and then we got to sing Christmas Hymns in the Kirtland Temple 

So that was the week (no ponderize yet cuz I forgot to do it this morning)\

Love you all and Merry Christmas 

Elder Bone

OCM

PS 

Thanks to all who sent me Christmas Cards I really am grateful for the boost :) 

no way that can't be right...

I was looking at the calendar and unless I am mistaken I just passed my first quarter of a mission. like has it really already been 6 months?! anyway this has been a crazy week (in a good way) for me so lets hop to it!

 A New Home, New People and a New Companion:

So my new residence is in the Tallmage ward and its still (thankfully) a four elder apartment! and my roommates are none other than the Akron Zone leaders which is sweet! plus they are total (in the words of my sister)  Dorks. we all have been having a good time just having fun!

 The Tallmage ward is broken up in to 3 areas (its a really big ward over 700 members but only 200 or so are actually active) 

Tallmage North (The Zone Leaders)

Tallmage South (the other elders (they aren't in the same apartment as us though) 

and my new area Tallmage West which happens to be a Biking area! (so I am praying that this good weather and lack of snow persists XD)

My new companion, Elder Larsen, is awesome. He was actually trained by the Zone leaders (which isn't at all normal but new mission presidents like to shake things up sometimes) for one transfer and then by Elder Davis (who I replaced) for the last transfer. Elder Larsen and I are both eager to do the work and we do come home crawling though the door every day! (mainly cuz Tallmage is where Ohio stores all it's actual elevation changes but hey i'll take it!)

On to some Highlights for the week

Met Kyle on Thursday, he is really interested in the Gospel and even came to church! Elder Larsen and I are really excited about where he's going so keep him in your prayers!

While we were contacting from a list of former potentials that literally fell into our hands (it was in the area book and fell out of it)  we met Pete and taught him the restoration and we all felt the spirit reading from Moroni 10. we gave him the challenge to read from the Book of Mormon and Pray about it. we are following up on him tomorrow so keep him in your prayers as well!

I am so glad for this change I know that Elder Larsen and I can get work done here in Tallmage and that we both really want to help bless peoples lives.

I love you all and thank you for the prayers and support you give 

Elder Bone OCM

PS

So this is a tangent but one that made my blood boil when I heard it

So the day before Dave Williams was being baptized Elder Koppenhafer and Gledhill went with him to Kirtland. when they arrived they saw a bunch of High school students mulling around the Kirtland temple grounds. not thinking too much of it they walked down to the actual visitor site that's a little ways away from the parking lot

When they were headed back up the High school students were holding a PEP rally INSIDE THE TEMPLE! with drums and all kinds of shouting.

Elder K told me that it took every part of him to not just run in and start flipping tables and whipping people.

The Kirtland Temple was built as a holy house and they made it in to a glorified gymnasium It was despicable.

so yeah made me MAD 

PPS

Ponderize for the week 

Helaman 14:31

31 He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.

Onward and Upward

Hey all! So this week was INSANITY so brace yourself

Tuesday is where the madness and awesomeness began with CHRISTMAS CONFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!

So since we are in the mission with the one and Only Kirtland temple guess where we get to have our Christmas devotional? Yeah it was AWESOME! 

But before that (and mom don't kill me for this next bit) we went to Kirtland! so that was cool seeing all the Missionaries there. We watched the new Initiatives at the Visitor Center theater (8.1 Surround Sound was intense for the "In a World without a savior" one) then we got to see the +900 nativities that are all around the place for Christmas. so the reason I said don't kill me is I spaced life and forgot my camera... oops. but they were all awesome take my word for it!

so this is still all Tuesday morning by the way 

We then went as the whole Mission to Lunch where they showed a cool slideshow of all the missionaries and there companions. It was really funny too! then as a COMPLETE surprise President Brown stunned us all as we heard these Opening Bars

         ♪ Mama Makes the Best Fried Chicken ♪

               ♪ Wrangler makes the best Blue Jeans ♪

         

         ♪ I believe that Mormons make the Best Pioneers ♪ 

We then got to watch the ENTIRE movie of The Best Two Years! It was so much funnier now that I get all the jokes as a Missionary XD

After that we had our devotional in the Kirtland temple which was awesome and super powerful as we sung The Spirit of God once again in that wonderful building.

The next day was Wednesday and we had Zone Training Meeting and afterward we had exchanges and I went with Elder Gledhill and we had a great time teaching and preaching and talking about life.

Thursday as Elder Gledhill and myself were getting ready, Elder Koppenhafer came in to the room and was like "Heads up President Brown is gonna be joining us for studies" So me, thinking there is no way that is happening and they tease me for being gullible once and a while was like "I'll believe it when I see it" sure enough not five minutes later a knock on the door was heard and the very distinctive "fear of god" kind of voice rang out from the family room "Good to see you this morning Elders" The face Elder Gledhill made was Priceless. Sure enough Pres just chilled in our Family room and watched us all study and then went with Elder Sanches and Koppenhafer to lessons

Friday Was Weekly Bore day so there's that :P

Saturday

DAVE WILLIAMS GOT BAPTIZED!

He was a Part-member that is just the nicest old guy i've met Elder Koppenhafer got to preform it and we all got to be there it was really cool.

That evening was rather interesting as we discovered in all our excitement that Elder Koppenhafer had baptized Dave with is Left arm to the square.... so we had to refill the font and have a Do over it was alright though as he was a good sport about it and that brings me to Sunday

Sunday was well Awesome and the WORST at the same time. Dave got confirmed and that was so great. It was fast Sunday so you know what that means a lot of little kids getting up and bearing testimony as well as adults telling pointless stories all and all the usual. 

Now as to the things that made it absolutely Unbearable.

I can't remember if I've mentioned Scott Davis, he's a sorta Preacher (its kinda his hobby I think) and He LOVES to bash, Especially with Mormon Missionaries. Now I HATE bashing it is pointless and irritating, however Elder stanches loves a good fight so he called him up and he graciously gave us dinner while He and Sanches went ham on each other. 

I thought that was the end of it.... NOPE

So the next week, being this week, he shows up at our ward, (which is even stranger when we found out he lives in Ashland which is like a 30 minute drive out of the way to come to Our building ) He then proceeded to spend ALL of gospel Principles bashing with the teacher and our ward mission leader, and then he had the Audacity to say WE invited him. HE'S NOT EVEN IN OUR AREA! 

so that was Sunday, that evening Elder K got a call and found out he is being Out-staked so that's cool   

Monday was pretty much his farewell tour that all 4 of us went on. that evening we got transfer calls and I am being transferred!

I will find out tomorrow where to but I am excited and apprehensive. I know I am going to be in the same Zone though so I should know my new companion a bit

Love you all from still surprisingly sunny and warm Ohio

Trust me the locals are as shocked as I am 

Elder Bone

OCM

Doctrine and Covenants  Section 121 verses 7-8

 7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; 8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.