The Standard of Truth

Greetings !

Elder Colligan and I had a great week, full of hard work, laughs, and investigators finally committing to baptism! We are teaching an awesome family, and the dad is a member who has come back to activity with us and his 2 youngest daughters are planning on getting baptized tomorrow! They are super funny and love church. The branch has helped out tons in fellow shipping, and they have really received the teachings well. They help me with Guarani every visit too. They are awesome. Even their older sister who didn't really want to go to church, get baptized, etc went to church for the first time yesterday, and is hopefully going to get baptized in August. It has been a great miracle.

I have been study, practice, and working on my ability to speak Guaraní. It is really hard and confusing, and uses weird noises, but I have already seen a lot of progress. And when I speak in Guaraní instead of Spanish, the people are more interested and receptive to the teachings. I have gotten down the prayer pretty good, also basic contacts of the gospel. The members are helping me a lot as well. Keep praying for me to communicate well the message of the Restoration with my Paraguayan brothers and sisters!

We were literally in the middle of nowhere looking for a former investigator of past Elders, when we came across a lone house/farm, with about 40 bulls standing there. We decided to contact it, so I clapped at the gate. Right when I clapped, it triggered something in the cows, and they started to sprint, about 5 of them right at us. So we also turned and started to hurry away. I thought that for sure, we were not going to make it out alive, but we got lucky and beat them out of the path. It was an adventure.

We had been teaching a really cool guy. He has cooled off a little bit due to false information about the church and its origin. It has been really frustrating to see the eternal effect of rumors, lies, and false stories about the church. Just when he was about to be baptized, and was almost certain that the church was true, it all fell apart. I was reading in Mormon 8, and I decided that Moroni said it best in verses 13-22. He said that the records that he had written, and that his father Mormon had abridged would only come to pass in the latter-days by the power of God, and that the person called to do so (Joseph Smith) would be blessed by the Lord. It also warns all that seek to destroy the work (be it through actions, lies, theories, etc) is in danger to be hewn down and cast into the fire. Then in verse 22, "For the eternal purposes of the Lord shall roll on, until all his promises shall be fulfilled." It reminded me of one of my favorite quotes, by the Prophet Joseph Smith himself, "The Standard of Truth has been erected. No unhallowed hand can stop the work. Persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame. But the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and dependent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, until the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah will say, `The work is done`". I know that it is true. Nobody but the Lord will ever be able to impede the work in which we have embarked. I love this work and I know it has been able to grow across the whole work only because it is a sacred, divine work of God.

Love you all! Pray for us!

Until next week,

Elder Babcock

Going Fishing

Hi

This week was the first week with Vanhin Nilsson. He is a very cool guy and very easy to get along with. I was thinking and there has not yet been a swede I have met that I have not liked. They are a pretty cool group of people I guess. We have a lot of fun ideas for this next change. For example, we also have the idea to wake up early and play tennis. He is a really athletic guy and so I am excited to get a lot of sport playing in this change. He is super good at sähly, which is just floor hockey and a pretty big deal here. It will be a great change.

This week we went fishing and it was fun. The river, although brown, was really pretty. We didn’t catch anything but it was great to sit and chat. It has been fun having Sisters and a senior couple in our same area.

We also had a meeting with Vanhin Richards this week. It was pretty long, but really good still. Being on a mission really teaches you how to sit through long meetings. Afterwards, I was chatting with his wife who was on the Primary Presidency board and you could tell.  In my journal I wrote "She made me feel like I was back in Primary.... but in a good way." She had that certain Primary Presidency voice that we have all come to love. She was very soft and loving and taught me some good tips about how to study.

I have been trying to work out a little bit and also eat healthier. I have been eating a fruit and vegetable smoothie every morning with all kinds of stuff in there. I could see myself really getting into that kind of stuff when I get back. Not as a profession, but as a hobby. 

We unfortunately had a lot of investigators drop us this week. And by a lot I mean all but 3. I don’t know why it all happened at once, but many of them (including the couple from China) let us know that they were not interested to continue meeting. It has stunk, but we are excited to get out there this change and find some more sweet investigators. It is always hard when people drop us, but that is just how it goes sometimes

We said goodbye to our good Turkish friend. He will be going back and staying there in Turkey. I don’t remember if I have said anything about him, but he is a good friend and really hilarious. We talked about him coming to Utah to ski and so I hope that someday it works out and you can all meet him. Ha he is great.

Ok, that’s about all. Things are going well here and I hope it is the same for all of you. Thanks for all the love and support you all give, it helps a lot.

Love you all,

Vanhin Merkley

Something I need to do

We also had district meeting in Rauma. They all dared me to eat the end of a watermelon with no utensils. I fully accepted because come on, it’s a dare, you can’t say no to a dare. I went at it and they filmed it so when I send it home, it's alot more funny if you watch it on fast forward.

We found 4 new investigators which was fun.  Two of them are these super great people from China. They don’t speak English perfectly well and they have no Christian background at all, but the first teach with them went really well. We talked about prayer with them, which was a completely foreign idea. One of my favorite questions they had was "What is pray?"

About my homecoming--President Rawlings told me that the only option is going home December 18 or stay my full mission and go home February 7. These are the only options because pulling a missionary out mid way through a transfer has a lot of complications (closing a city, moving missionaries, etc.) Going home on December 18 is too early for me. I need to stay, which means I’ll be coming home February 7.  I know that if I don’t stay, I will regret it. This is something I need to do.

We got the change call this week. Elder Kääriä is leaving and I will be getting a new Swede companion. President Rawlings joked that there is something the Swedes need from being a companion with me and something I need from the Swedes. I personally think that he keeps putting with these Europeans hoping that some of their sense of style will rub off on me.  But I have been with Kääriä for 3 months and my ties are as hideous as ever. I’m still going strong.  It will be sad to say goodbye to Elder Kääriä. He has been the perfect companion and the perfect time for me. I respect the guy a lot.

Love you all,

Vanhin Merkley

Do you believe in miracles?

Hello to all!
Last week was transfer week, always scary. So we were waiting for the phone call to get changes from the Assistants, and they said all the changes, then did mine last. He goes, "alright, your mission is about to change forever." I was pretty nervous, of course. Then, he says, "I am only going to tell you once, and I promise I am not lying...You are going to _____ with Elder Colligan." I just about died! Lets just say I did scream...pretty loud haha. I felt like when the US Hockey Team beat Russia and the announcer says "DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!" So ya, we are totally companions right now. I will get back to there.
I said my goodbyes to my very, very special area, and to one of my best friends/examples Elder Andreasen. It was sad to say goodbyes to all the great people I had been about to teach.
Since I don't need to say much about my new companion, because the majority of you guys know him, I will explain a little bit about my area.  It is a small city, well populated, very different. Everyone here speaks Guaraní, few speak Spanish, so Elder Colligan and I are dedicating to Guaraní. It has been tough but cool. We are in a good sized branch, the chapel is huge. It was great to come in at this time, we are teaching many great investigators.
I love the mission. It is so full of excitement, experiences, changes, love, faith, Spirit, power, and more than anything, miracles! I know that as we live worthy of the Lords blessings, He blesses us with miracles. They can be big like Elder Colligan and I being companions, etc. They are mostly always small, like seeing humble people learn to pray, helping young investigators feel comfortable at church, not messing up too much playing the piano in sacrament meeting, etc. I know that God is a God of miracles, and I can only imagine the joy He feels when He blesses us with them!
Love you all! Pray for us here.
Until next week,
Elder Babcock

Treasures in Heaven

Hello to all!
I am really enjoying my time reading in 3 Nephi. I love the chapters 12-14 (which are also in Matthew), and the counsel it gives to live the "higher law" that Christ taught. I read 3 Nephi 13:19-21 on Saturday morning in my personal study, and really loved it. It says "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal; But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." When I read it, it really hit me hard. This life is a long journey that we take step by step, collecting treasures daily. It is easy to fall into the trap of collecting the "treasures upon earth" which are essentially the things that do not matter much, like fancy cars, clothes, luxury, work, sports, music (yes, I said it, Dave Matthews Band may qualify as a treasure upon earth...I cant believe i said it), etc. We spend so much time worrying about those things, when the really reward comes from collecting "treasures in heaven", the things we can take with us, like our family, knowledge, friendships, personalities, testimonies, covenants, ordinances, and all the great things that God has given us to find real joy. It really hit me hard. We visited a member who was going through a hard time, and asked us how she could better balance her work stuff, family stuff, and church stuff. We shared this scripture, and she started crying. I love the scriptures, because they are a divine source of revelation. As we read them, we can and will find the answers we are looking for. I have seen that time after time, especially once I was called to serve. I invite all of you to know them more profoundly, and to apply their teachings in your lives. You will feel the Spirit stronger, your family relationships will improve, your strength to resist temptation will increase, your love for others will be more genuine, your testimony will be more firm, and your determination to reach eternal live with become "steadfast and immovable".
We will receive transfers tonight, it will be interesting to see what happens with my good friend Elder Andreasen and I. Love you all! Keep us in your prayers!
Elder Babcock

A Clean Conscience

Well this week in our ward Victoria (Victory) we had the wonderful opportunity to see a family of six walk in just in time for sacrament meeting. They already know a lot of the members and are progressing extremely fast. Their baptism is for the 26th of this month. They actually even signed up to clean the chapel on Saturday :) Not even the members show up to clean the chapel ha-ha. Our ward is kinda sad... I hope they can be a pillar of strength and a flow of excitement here. They testified of the Book of Mormon and the truthfulness of the gospel. What a fun opportunity as a missionary.

Oh and our changes! I get to stay here to see their baptism and I think progression in the gospel. Elder Avila and I will stay together till Elder Avila goes home. Then I’m sure I’ll be here for another exchange to receive someone new here... and then I only have one exchange left. So looks like this might be my last area! It’s going to be another long time in the same ward. Another 9 month-er I think. Pray for me and I’ll do the same :) I said a prayer like I always do before receiving the exchanges and I promised to do all that I can do, expressed my feelings and desires and left the rest up to the boss. Well I guess our "natural eyes can’t see the designs of our God" ...yet :) I’m sure something will happen here that will serve for my good in the future and for my time in this area. I’m exited to keep being a missionary and just oh so jolly to see this family learning and applying.

Mom we kept things simple (at the Zone Conference) and tried to let the "spirit be the teacher" it’s a type of plan that elder Bednar taught us and President said that we applied the plan very well, letting the missionaries reason and understand on their own, leading them with basic gospel principles. It was pretty great. We taught on how to make and keep commitments. I just wanted to share one last thing. In my reading this week of the book of Mormon, the words and prophecies of Isaiah and the gospel of Jesus Christ, I felt something different. Every time I passed by "repent ye, repent ye" "ye that doth not repenteth shallth be thrusteth to an endless hell and woweth" and all the rest of the thousand times it says repent in second Nephi, well I guess you could say the whole Book of Mormon right? But every time I passed by one of those phrases and scriptures, I had a warm peaceful feeling, a feeling of "keep it up" and keep doing you best. Keep repenting, but nothing to do with guilt. I love reading the Book of Mormon having a clean conscience and knowing you’re doing your best. The "great comforter".

Thanks for everything Mum and Dud

Golden Family

Well no pictures this week, but it went pretty well. On Tuesday we received a reference from another ward of a "golden family" anyway we call him up, sounded exited, and go to meet him. Well it’s a complete family of 6, five in the baptismal age, and they are progressing really fast. They’ve gone to church, he knows the book of Mormon is true, his kids like the church and are excited to keep going, and we had a get-together with the bishop and they got along really well and stayed talking with them for a pretty long time... They will be baptized the twenty-sixth of this month. But I’m thinking I’m not going to be here for it because changes are next week. My companion only has one change left so if I stay, I'll be staying here for the next nine months... or I’ll leave. I’ll do what the lord wants but I’m thinking I might leave next week. Anyway that was the great experience of the week; it’s kind of really hot here, like really really hot :) Sometimes I imagine above my head the little energy bars that are above Pokémon or like whatever action figure that tells them how much life they have left, and in the middle of the day see it dropping really really fast ha-ha We gave a training meeting in the zone conference this week and president said it was the best of all the conferences he’d been to.

Nice compliment. I’m exited to keep studying and learning. I’m on track in second Nephi 3. Sounds like a lot of people are going to be doing it. Thanks for the support

Elder Rhodes