We all have work

Good afternoon from the wicked North! It's stinking hot up here! and Muggy, due to the lake we're situated on. Perfect conditions for doing missionary work. The Sun goes down at 10:00 and rises at 4:30.  Thank goodness for the Senior Couple, who got us a dark curtain to cover the darn thing. They are such a blessing! 

Transfer calls were Monday and seeing as Elder Hunsaker and I have been together for 3 months, we expected a change. And we got it. Elder Hunsaker is getting transferred and will be a Zone Leader. We aren't sure where yet but that is the information we've received. And guess what?? I will be training another new missionary!! I'm so excited to get this chance again. I've already got the week planned out and things together for this Kid to hit the ground runnin'. 

So for the last few days, Elder Hunsaker and I have been doing a good bit of packing and getting records and boards all up to date. We spent all Monday in the apartment finishing weekly planning because we have been so booked for the last few days. Our apartment is awesome, but it's on the 3rd floor and only a couple fans. It's pretty steamy. Kind of reminds me of Carthage jail right now, but anyways. Everything is squared away.

 We were able to go up to Wabasca with the Parks on Sunday to administer the sacrament and have a brief sacrament meeting. We were able to teach Lyle and he is doing awesome. We've been able to get really close with him in the last while and he tells us we've changed his life. Salt of the earth kind of guy. We continue to meet With Andrew and Carla. All is well there and we've been coordinating with the missionaries in Whitecourt for the passover. They'll be moving in a little over a week. They made it to church this week! We had to go over and knock there door for 5 minutes and then go around back and knock directly on the window of their room to get them up, but we did it! I'll have to send you a picture of them after the meeting haha. 

I hope you are all doing well down south! I'm excited for this opportunity to train. It's hard work, But It will keep me on my toes which is how I should be. This is exactly what I want to do right now. May God prosper each of us, one and all.

Love,

Elder Higginson

In the field week 78--Lincoln's Testimony of Discipleship and missionary work

Happy Tuesday the fourteenth everyone! I hope everyone is having a good week down south. I'm pleased to hear that Ashlynn and Dallin are keeping active and staying out of trouble.  And Good luck with drivers ed Ashlynn! 

We had a week of miracles here in Slave Lake. We are working hard to get everything ready for the anticipated transfer call next Monday. We have been fairly consistent as far as teaching and finding new people to teach goes. Consistency is always a good thing to strive for in the work. I feel like things are going well in my personal ministry here and I expect to see great success in the coming transfer. 

I told you last time about how Andrew really felt the spirit during our lesson with Carla. This week we were invited back and we shared a message to help Andrew understand what he felt during the blessing. We then invited him to take the lessons which he accepted with all sincerity.  His less active girl friend is super on board haha. She's been waiting for this for quite some time. So she called us up to teach a lesson last Sunday afternoon. rarely do we ever have people calling and wanting to meet with us; what a pleasant surprise! So we came into the house and sat down with them and Carla's like "oh wait, I forgot something." So she leaves and comes back with a decent stack of copies of the Book of Mormon and like 50 dilapidated pamphlets haha! We love Carla, she's a great missionary. We had a wonderful lesson about the restoration and invited Andrew to baptism, Which he said he would do when he was ready. He understands that he needs to make a lot of changes but he told us he needs to do this. So he prayed to know if the book was true. He had scarcely said "Dear Heavenly Father" when I felt the spirit stronger than I ever had, at least that I can remember presently. It started at my waist and rose through the rest of my body, causing me to weep. I cannot remember anything he said, but I will not shortly forget how I felt. What an indication of real intent. When he ended the prayer we could tell that he had felt the spirit for sure, we all had in fact. We taught him the Plan of Salvation the next day and He's taking it all in. He's got a long way to go but none of us even thought that this would have been possible for him eight days ago. He had expressed no interest in religion at all since the missionaries first met him. God truly does soften hearts and nothing is impossible to Him.

We saw another great miracle last night! We were tracting a couple weeks back and we ran into some construction workers doing some roofing. I called out to one of them on the porch and we had just started talking when a dog came from the door way and took him out haha! But he got up and came over to us and we asked if he'd be interested in hearing a message about Jesus Christ. He told us that he would and gave us his address. Anyway we stopped by at 7:00 last night to find him just getting back from work. So we drove down the street and back around to give him a little time before knocking his door. When we pulled up we saw him sitting on his porch, reading a book. A moment later he put his head in his and hands. I felt a prompting that told me he was reading the bible and that God wanted us to stop by at this time for a reason. So we said a quick prayer and got out of the car. We asked him how he was doing and he told us he had just read Genesis 2:24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." He told us that he felt so much guilt for the lifestyle that he lived when he was younger and had disobeyed God. We told him that our message was meant to help him overcome his guilt and shame. We told him that whatever he had done, he could be cleansed through Jesus Christ. This seemed to relive him greatly and became as teachable as a child. We shared the message of the Restoration and testified that he could get an answer through study and prayer. He agreed to be baptized if he got an answer from God. 

We have seen so many miracles here lately and have been richly blessed. True happiness is not in lifting ourselves, but in lifting others and helping them feel of Gods love for them. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life. We do not need to be perfect to be instruments in the Lords hands (D&C 4:3). We just need to have a little humility, penitence and a desire to serve God. Doesn't mean it still wont be tough sometimes. That's part of the program. But it's got to be one the most fulfilling things I've ever done. 

Love, 

Elder Higginson

Last week's email

(this is stupid, but for some reason this email didn't send last week. Well, here it is I guess. Enjoy)

Howdy one and all! Sounds like everyone had a wild couple of weeks! Congratulations to Aubrey with graduation and going off to school! I can't believe how fast that all happened. Glad there's been a lot of good family time being had. our week was pretty good up here. We taught some good lessons and found a few new people. We saw miracles. 

Our investigators are doing well. We have been averaging about 10 lessons a week this transfer which is not bad at all. Since the missionary training we did with the members, we have received 4 member referrals! that's really good! 2 of those we will likely begin teaching - one is the sister of a recent convert and the other is the grandson of our ward mission leader. We will be capitalising on it shortly! 

I got to go on exchanges with Elder Wood from Wednesday to Thursday. He's only got a couple weeks left in the mission, then he'll be heading home. He just came down from Yellowknife to finish off his last transfer. Big Football player and a great guy. We got invited to go on an impromptu tour of the Ukrainian Orthodox church in Athabasca. It was really cool on the inside. We also ran into a lady whose husband had just been killed a couple weeks before. She was willing to meet so hopefully something good comes of it.

Last night Elder Hunsaker and I were rapping up our nightly planning when we received a text from Carla, one of our Less-Actives. She has been sick a lot for the last couple months and restrained to her bed quite often. She texted and told us that she was in a lot of pain and that she would like a blessing. So we asked President Park to come with us and we all headed over to Carla's house. We came into her bedroom with her boyfriend Andrew there. We have known him for a while and though he has been friendly and nice, he has had no interest in learning about the church. Anyway, so I anointed with oil and Elder Hunsaker acted as voice for the blessing. The spirit was really strong and we all felt it. After the blessing, Carla was crying and thanking us and Andrew was weeping a bit as well. We wondered about that on the way home. We weren't sure if he was just sad for Carla or if he was feeling the spirit or what. But Carla texted us about 30 minutes later and told us that Andrew was "in shock about how he felt during the blessing." The next text read "Andrew is in awe.. he said he felt something powerful.. he's having a hard time understanding what he felt and putting it into words lol...it's awesome." I'll spare you the rest of the texts but it was so cool to see the spirit of the Lord work within this man. This is what missions are about. Blessing the people through diligence and obedience to the commandments. 

Well, I'm short on time. We have an appointment here in a sec so I've got to run. But I am so happy things are going well back home. Family time is the best! I'll look forward to seeing how you are doing next week! 

Driven with the Wind and Tossed

Good afternoon everyone! It has been a great week in the work of the ministry. We've done some good finding, teaching and also a great deal of driving. Almost 3,400 Kilometers this month so far. But the scenery is pretty so it's all worth-while. Lets start at the beginning.

On Monday we were heading out to teach an investigator in Kinuso when a member called and told us she had a bunch of extra eggs from the Hutterites! For all of you who don't know, the Hutterites are a lot like the Amish. Except these ones drive cars and have electricity. But they dress about the same (We actually saw some of them yard-saleing the other week, which struck us as quite funny and peculiar). The most important thing to know about them is they make the most delightful food and their goods are always of the highest quality. So I've been eating large eggs all week. 

On Wednesday we were able to go and meet with Lyle up in Wabasca. We had a great lesson as always and he is coming along nicely. He's given up a lot to prepare for baptism and life in the church and he is not backing down.

Twice a week in the morning, we walk a dog for a disabled woman in town. We basically use it as a way to street contact around town. I've probably seen more success per-person doing this than any other street contacting I've done in my mission. One of the guys I talked to randomly showed up at church. Another two began meeting with us. We got the contact info for 5 or 6 other people and couples who said we could come by. There is no reason to just walk by people and not talk to them about the gospel.

On Thursday afternoon we went down for a session at the Temple. I was able to see 6 members that I had known in previous areas, which was nice. One of them was a young man who had come with us to some lessons back in the North Stake. He had received his mission call to New Mexico and was working in the Temple. After the session we went over to have our interviews with President Manion in the mission home where we spent the night. I'm really going to miss President Manion and his wife when they leave next month. They've been such solid leaders and I've been comforted by them through many a difficult season in the mission field. The sister missionaries that came out with me will be going home in three weeks, can you believe!?!? One of them is from Star and went to Middleton. So strange how the time flies eh? That leaves me with 4 transfers to get as much as I can done here in Alberta. 

And of course the Family. We have been helping Blake and Bev move into their new trailer for a couple weeks now and it's all done! The new trailer is a definite upgrade and they all seem to be happy about it. On Sunday, Blake came to church with three of the boys and they stayed for all three hours. Blake has reassured us that they are working towards baptism and it won't be too much longer. We are so happy that things are starting to quiet down in their lives somewhat now that they are moved in. Hopefully our waiting will come to a joyful end soon. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week! What ere thou art', play well thy part.

Love,

Elder Higginson

 

Purple Tie Gang

 

It has been quite rainy up here. Just took a detour off the road back

                            from Wabasca and had some fun in the forest.

 

Our golden boy Lyle up in Wabaska.

 

Balute. Ate with no problem.

 

Meese

Short Email

This weeks email will be a bit brief, seeing that I'm short on time. But I've had a great week in the work of the ministry! It rained all week and then yesterday it was super hot and cloudless. But crazy weather won't stop the work!

We were able to meet with Lyle on Thursday up in Wabasca, 1 1/2 hours north east of us. He didn't realize that he had to go to work when we got there, but he just said "hop in" and he took us up with him to the camp ground that he takes care of. It's super pretty up there and Lyle has got some grand plans for the place. He is doing super well these days. He's reading the Book of Mormon on his own and making good progress. We had a lesson with him up on the beach which is part of the area he is in charge of and he really is totally ready to receive the gospel. We were also able to contact a referral up there who seemed very happy to see us and willing to meet! 

The work is progressing and we are staying very busy! We will be going down to Edmonton on Thursday to do a cession at the temple and have our last interviews with President Manion. We will be staying overnight at the mission home and then having ZTM the next day. Lots of exciting stuff and a great deal of driving.  

What a great time to be a missionary. I get to talk to people about Jesus all day and get fed really well! What could be better? I hope you all enjoy your week! 

Love 

Elder Higginson