Lead by The Spirit!

So we were delayed getting to email by 2 days (abnormal) and when we started this morning my computer froze up completely (yes, I tried ctrl-alt-del, esc, and everything else).  It was completely stuck (also kind of abnormal).  So, I let my companion know that I was frozen out and waited for anything to happen.  I decided I would try one last thing.... pray!!

 

So in my prayer, I told Heavenly Father that I KNEW He could fix my computer and that I had tried everything!  I asked that I would know what to do and said that I know that whatever happened was for a reason. it was still stuck (not as abnormal, haha)  so I started looking around for stuff to entertain/do while I waited for my comp to finish.  When I was looking behind me (something I definitely wouldn't have done if my computer was working) I noticed someone struggling to talk to the head librarian.  After seeing the familiar grunts and movements, I realized that she was signing!!!!!!!!!

 

I immediately walked over and "asked" if she was deaf.  She was and both of us were glad to find someone we could sign with!!  We signed for 5-10 minutes talking about work, back home, life, and sign language!  I even was able to suggest a cool Mormon deaf video on Youtube!!  She said when her work schedule was and so we'll stop by and sign with her again sometime!!!

 

I was completely blown away!! I was so blessed to have my email freeze!!  I was able to know instantly what the Lord wanted and what to do!!  I'm still kind of shaking from the experience!!! This isn't even the first experience this week like this where the Spirit has told us exactly what and when to do something and it has brought immediate fruits!!

Still though, even though Signing was incredible (another super cool thing I need to tell you about), just the fact that the Spirit is that close in directing us just inflates my heart and carries me away!

Check out our tree!!!  Now our study room smells like orange, popcorn, and pumpkin pie spice!!!

Monday:

-14*

tracting

made a quick reference compilation of recipes

 

Tuesday:

"Freakin" awesome answer to prayer,  we had to walk down the hill and were hoping to talk to people on the way, we made it a specific part of our departing prayer and ended up having a fantastic contact that turned into a Potential Investigator!!  The Spirit was leading the entire conversation!!  Telling us what and when to speak!!  Did service.  it was awesome!

 

Wednesday:

I bought furry inside/ leather outside coat!!!

Taught a good lesson to a family and I helped the kids solve their rubic's cubes!  (I had to take some apart in the process, but not all!!!)

 

Thursday:

I tried (and it kinda worked) to have a conversation in French with a trucker.... teehee

We had a super good lesson with a couple we’ve been working with, He's "getting better" at stop smoking... :P help, prayer, etc. would be appreciated!!!

The Lions Club is going to mention us (and the church!!!!) in the local newspaper thanking us for our service!!

Friday:

We helped to load 600 head of cattle!!  I was covered in "un-mentionables" by the end of the day, but was successful in helping truckers prep trailers, load cows, try and ride calves (lol), not have my leg broken when a cow kicked it.... (owwwwwww!!!!), wasn't seriously injured by cattle prods,  and didn't get my arm broken either!!!

Saturday:

We tracted in the middle of NOWHERE  literally, Its getting super dark by 5-6 o'clock at night... :(  but it was super fun!!!!!!!  Oh, I also used the last of our wild caught free fish.... :P  I made double battered fish sticks from scratch with the halibut fillets we had!!! (it turned out beautifully!!!!!!!!! perfect texture, consistency, smell, everything!!!)

Sunday:

President and Sister Manion visited our Branch today!!!  It was -15* this morning...... super super super cold.... XP  I asked Pres.  about becoming an ASL missionary.... and then I had this crazy experience today!!!

 

Monday:

Helped at a Crafting thing

Moved furniture

Finished kitting my rag/hotpad thing

started a tie for District Meeting the next day!!

 

Tuesday:

Finished knitting my tie (the only one I brought!!) right before the opening prayer for District Meeting

We were again delayed and lea by the Spirit to visit a certain investigator who is going through some super tough times!!  THE SPIRIT IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's Pretty Cold!!!!

We told Elder Eyler that everyone asks: “How cold is it?”

I'm pretty sure we spent yesterday in the negatives, but thankfully we found stuff to do so we were spared having to tract in -6*C weather.... with crazy winds and snow!!!!!!  :D  (it was still pretty cold walking around in that though....)

Monday:

We emailed, I baked some more bread, slept, bought a sharpener, and paid for a nice warm jacket from a member's trip to costco! ... yeah!

Tuesday:

We did service the entire day!!!  Worked with the highschool football team filling sand bags (it was weird/awesome being the "older/popular" kids!!!), worked inside/around/on top of that huge backhoe again (why didn't I already buy my coveralls.... :P I was covered in motor oil by the end of the day.... :P),

helped get feeding stations set up for draft horses (while they were walking around us.... [they're huge!!!!!!!!!!!!!! O_o]), and split wood, worked on my french, and burned old wood stuff!

Wednesday:

Even more service, again, all day long.... O_o  We worked again on the backhoes (still without coveralls... can you see "wear" I'm going with this? :P) got greased over again…

And then proceeded to be called out early to the two moves in our branch that were happening simultaneously (and thank goodness, in the same place, lol)  which lasted the rest of the day....

I WAS COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday:

Can you guess?.... even more service!!!!!!!! lol, we helped at the library, setup 2 halloween parties, carved pumpkins, moved chairs, tables, setup booths at the carnival, ate lunch, and had the Lord bless us the entire time.  I fell into bed after giving the apartment a good cleaning with our extra time that night!  (My halloween costume was a french chef.... hu-hu-hu *in a french accent* with a fake mustache and apron)

Friday:

Service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and baking..... service and baking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We helped pregnancy test about 4 dozen heifers... kinda awkward, but still super fun!!!  By the way, after 2 days in motor oil covered p-day clothes, I broke down and bought some coveralls, just in time!!!!!!  I was the one running in and around the cows getting them rounded up, lined up and in the chute for all the tests and tags...  It was so awesome!!!!!!!  Not to mention the fact that I'm super glad I was wearing my boots and coveralls while running through the un-mentionables..... lol

Then we went down to Rochester to start helping with the baking!!!!  When we first got there they kinda looked at us funny and put us to work peeling and dicing turnips.  But by the end of the night we were having a blast. Elder Anderson was having a first cleaning frozen turkeys.... imagine Mr. Magoo with a younger face and an awesome smile!!  I was making 240~ rolls.... it was a crazy day, and a huge miracle (thanks for praying specifically that it would go well!  It did!!!)

Saturday!!:

We spent the rest of the day in service!!!!!!!  We split 4-5 cords of wood... loaded and unloaded trucks

[ we interrupt this email for a cool miracle  ]

So as we were throwing split log sections (30-40lbs each) +8 feet in the air, I got super tired. ( it was just me and another guy throwing them....)  and so I knew I not only couldn't keep it up, but I wouldn't be able to help later that night or possibly the next day either...  So I did the only thing I could do, I prayed.... a lot

The answer I got came instantly and over the next day and a half.  First, the thought, had I done my part to stay in good physical condition to do the Lords work? Not really.... I need to start working out.... which sucks.... cause I'm tired and have no motivation..... But!  The Lord is extremely merciful and not only instantly gave me more strength to keep going (and stronger than before!!!!) but that I was able to help at the kitchen later that night and I wasn't sore the next day.  In fact, He decided to add in a bonus, it was daylight saving weekend and fast Sunday!!!!  So I ended up getting between 9-10 hours of sleep while still keeping the Missionary Schedule!!!!!!

[continuing transmission]

We finished the wood and avoided drinking the fly infested water.... (Elder Anderson and I were sitting across the table when they offered us some bottled water.... but we noticed a small black dot floating in the opaque jug.... our worst fears were comfirmed.... it was a fly..... X_x  Thankfully, they noticed it too and didn't make us drink the water! lol)  and headed off to help in the kitchen.  We cooked, cleaned, served, talked, and ate the night away, it was awesome!!!!!!!  I was totally in my element and was able to not only make friends with everyone in the kitchen, but we had an incredible time during and after the event!

Sunday:

A day of "rest"... lol that's funny... :P haha

Had some awesome answers to prayers/fasts.

It snowed.  It was cold.

Did service.

Taught some cool member lessons, and had fun not tracting!!!!  Lol, the Lord has blessed us in abundance!

Service with a Smile and the Art of Knitting

• I picked up a rather addicting habit for car rides and lax time.....  KNITTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  haha, yes, I know, here come the "where's your skirt, sister?" jokes, but I will stand strong in my kitchen of manliness!!!!!!!!! 
• 
  

• We drove past a hotel with the advertisement

"Try our quiet clean rooms!"

and all I could think of was Grandpa Bear making some crack about their other "noisy and dirty rooms"...

Monday:

We saw a HUGE wildfire (it light up the sky and made the moon orange.... to bad it didn't stay till halloween... :P)  I started my kitchen/hand towel! Got over a small "stress-test"  Prayer worked almost instantly!!!

Tuesday:

We found a bunch of cool service opportunities at the Native Friendship center!! (OA helped again!!!!!)

We also peaked inside during our lunch break and I found a sweet mixer!!!!!!!!!!   Its a hand/standing mixer and has attachments for a food processor and a blender!!!!  I spent the rest of lunch deep cleaning/bleaching the metaphorical tar out of it...  haha.

Then we spent the rest of the day doing service for a woman in the area(I got a good sized cut on my thumb from a power washer..... but I was also able to talk food with her!!!!! And I helped fix her quad!!!  (4 wheeler, not scriptures... lol)

Afterward, she gave us a box of garden potatoes and carrots, a loaf of homemade bread (which was super good!!!) and frozen packages of Salmon fillets (with the fins,skin, and some bones!!) and Halibut fillets that she got fresh caught from friends!!!!!!!

Then I made frosting with my new *clean*  mixer!!  :D

Wednesday:

We did service the whole day!!!!!  We helped the Branch President help a nm fix his HUGE back hoe...  at one point I was down to my waist inside the machine cleaning out gunk.... lol.  Then we worked on Pres.'s farm before a big supper!!!!

Also, a man called his wife out of the blue and asked a bunch of questions so she could get her family baptized and involved in the church!!!!!!

Thursday:

Did more service  (Bishop Blair is totally right, I'm lovin' it!!!!! XD )  we helped shelve at the library, clean up after a half dozen quilters (hauling sewing machines, moving quilts, eating extra food, mopping, sweeping, tables, chairs, etc.) it was like I was back at Humanitarian aid!!!

lol, Then we worked at the Branch mission leaders house installing floors, pulling boulders out of his lawn/driveway and burning extra wood!!!!

Another cool miracle, we stopped by the FCSS (Family & Community Support Services) and even though we didn't think we'd find much checking in again to see if they had any service. They got an email the night before asking for volunteers and had a bunch of projects lined up!!!!!

Friday:

It was Rachel's birthday!!!!!!!!  I woke up with that in mind.... haha.  Um, we spent basically the entire day doing service for a la family (who came to church on Sunday!!!) split wood, gathered/burned yard waste, dug holes, played with horses, etc!!

Saturday:

More community service  (helped clean and de-paint windows)  found more service opportunities!!!!!  I might get a degree in HRM (historical recreational management.... or something)? um.... because of my cooking background/conversations we were asked (totally out of the blue!!!) to help cook a dinner for a large school silent auction!!!!!!  and its gonna be mostly from scratch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  :D

I was so happy when they asked us to help!!!!!!  I'm pretty sure I wasn't on the ground during the whole conversation!

That night I fried up the Salmon fillets some one gave us with a special sauce mix I made from stuff around the Apartment!  with fried potatoes, even Elder Anderson liked the "is that really done?" salmon!!! haha

Sunday:

Even though it was pretty cold (a high of -1 C.... tracting was.... uncomfortable) we had an awesome day at church!!!  They asked us to give the Priesthood lesson, literally at the end of Sacrament meeting (we only have 2 blocks at church, SM and P/RS)  But the Spirit was super strong and gave a great lesson!!!!!!!!!!

Another Update From Elder Eyler

The lip is almost back to normal!!!  It should be totally back to normal within the month!

Tuesday: 

I bought a muffin/brownie tin for making awesome treats :D

We helped at a family’s house clearing/moving grass, with PITCHFORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday:

We met a cool family with lots of antique stuff....  and nothing else... really.... today kinda sucked....

 

Thursday:

I MADE RASPBERRY MUFFINS FROM SCRATCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We also had a us super cool miracle while tracting.  We got distracted by a trail sign (talking about portage trails!!!!!) when this older lady (who was struggling to screw something into her sink faucet) looked out the window and saw us standing there!!!!!!  So we got to help her, and then God found us another service project with the Heritage Society (to restore old buildings in Athabasca!!!) on Saturday!

Friday:

We painted a door, tied rebar, I baked another loaf, and we had an AWESOME LESSON WITH JEFF AND WHITNEY!!!  The Spirit was super strong!!!!  We answered questions, soothed souls, and challenged to baptism!! They're moving down to Calgary but they're gonna stay involved and probably be baptized down there!!!!!

Saturday:

Service with the Heritage Society (we worked on a one-room school house and toured an old train station!!!!!  WE’RE SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!)

I made more muffins (Banana-granola [didn't have any nuts.... :P])

I got some leather work gloves that I'll actually start using (as opposed to my bare hands, which are kinda cut up, but AWESOME LOOKING AND TOUGH!!!!)

I also baked the Grouse on top of carrots, perogies (no potatoes at home.... :P) and onions, stuffed with a homemade stuffing of nuts, berries, cheese bread, olive oil, butter, and various spices....  IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Tasted a little "grouse" though ah!!!

Sunday:

finally, yesterday, we had potluck Sunday, um, yeah..... and the birthday party for a girl in the branch - she turned 6!!