Hey everyone!
Lots of stuff this week! It ended with a pretty funny rumor
yesterday that Elder Wood made at my expense. So he was asked to speak
in Copper Canyon ward. I'm sitting in the congregation and listening. He
did an awesome job. At the end he was bearing his testimony and said,
"I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with Elder Turner. He's a
great companion and a great example to me and he's going to be a great
Assistant to the President." I couldn't believe it. He sat down and I
just glared at him from the back row. He had the goofiest looking grin
on his face and we both just laughed. After sacrament meeting a ton of
members, including Bishop Smith, approached me and asked in a panicked
tone if I was getting transferred. It was a little annoying at first but
then it just got funny. I had to keep telling people it was a lie, that
Elder Wood was joking over the pulpit. Elder Wood's face just kept
getting redder and redder because he was laughing so hard. In the car he
said, "Woo that worked out better than I thought it would. I've been
planning that all morning!!" So yeah, to anyone in Copper Canyon who
heard the bold-faced lie from my companion in church yesterday, it isn't
true...but it's pretty hilarious!
Tuesday night we had Bro. Steinagel join us at a few lessons. He's a
good friend of President Taylor from Provo, former bishop under Pres.
Taylor's stake presidency, and was just released as president of the
Ukraine Kiev Mission. He was in town with Bro. Watson of the missionary
department in Salt Lake. President wanted him to join me and Elder Wood
on Tuesday at some teaching appointments. Thankfully they were great
appointments, some of the best we've had in a while! He and Bro. Watson
were there the next day at Zone Leader Council, and the next day at the
mission leadership training meeting.
Bro. Watson is the director of proselyting for the church. He came
to train us and to evaluate how the mission was doing. He was down here
back in September to introduce the mormon.org
media campaign. At the zone leader council and at the leadership
meeting, he invited us to try something new while we were out on the
streets. He asked us to pray with people. Go into their homes and offer
prayers over their homes and families. It sounded so weird to us. One
Elder had the guts to say that it sounded weird. Bro. Watson replied,
"You know why it's weird? It's because you're a Mormon!" We thought
about it for a second, and didn't get it. He continued by saying that if
you think about it, it's not in Mormon culture to just gather to gather
and offer prayers on the spot. Typically in the Church, people either
pray in families, church meetings or just personally. Christians of
other denominations LOVE to pray! Offer to pray with and for them! We've
been trying it and it's been awesome! Even if people don't want
anything to do with us, they love and appreciate the offer to pray with
their families. It's been a great way to bring the love of Christ into
homes and families. Not only that, but missionaries have just been
happier about the work. You find great joy in sincerely praying for
someone else's welfare and happiness. Elder Wood and I have been doing
that over the past few days and it's been amazing. For everyone out
there who hasn't ever had the chance to talk with missionaries, invite
them into your home to pray. Don't want to go to church with them or
hear what they have to say? That's ok! No big deal! Take the
opportunity to come together and pray for one another, and then see how
the rest of your day feels.
We had a pretty amazing lesson with Chris this week. He had grown
so much over the past few weeks. He's gone from "I don't want to be
baptized," to "baptism is good for people who want to change," to
"Elders, I want to be baptized." The Spirit was very strong as we taught
the doctrine of Christ and invited him to be baptized on March 24th. He
wasn't sure about it, but was very deep in thought. We invited him to
pray about it on the spot. We knelt down together and Chris offered a
simple, sincere prayer asking if that's what he should do. He texted us
yesterday saying that this weekend has been very difficult for him and
that he wants to meet again very soon. I hope that he's starting to
recognize the blessing of living the Gospel in his life.
The leadership training meeting this week was very powerful. It was
mostly the same things being taught at zone leader council, but the
location was different. It was held at the church building on 51st and
Pinnacle Peak, across the parking lot from the location of the Phoenix
Arizona Temple. I've attached a picture of me at the site, with the
picture of the new temple and the construction behind me. I was a
powerful experience to stand there on that sacred ground. Most of the
basement walls and foundation of the temple are complete, and they'll
start going up here in a few weeks. My mind quickly raced back to 2001
when the temple back home was being built. I remember standing on the
little wooden platform, looking over the site and up to the spire as it
was being assembled. It was cool for someone as young as I was to
witness the construction of the House of the Lord. I felt an an immense
amount of joy as I looked at the site for the Phoenix temple. President
Taylor always takes the opportunity to teach, one of his many attributes
I greatly admire. He stood in front of all the zone leaders, district
leaders and trainers and said, "Elders and Sisters, next door will be
the location of the Phoenix Arizona Temple. Some of you will be here to
see its completion..." He paused for a moment, and his voice choked with
emotion as he continued, "...but most of you will not." That was beyond
difficult for many of us to hear, especially myself. Having witnessed
the construction of a temple back home and having been through it for
myself, I understand the magnitude of its creation and how it blesses
the lives of all who are within its spiritual reach. A feeling of
sadness grew within my heart, but certainly not for selfish reasons.
President continued on, "but know that the people you have taught and
baptized will shortly have the opportunity to receive the all
the blessings and ordinances of the Lord in this His Holy House." We all
felt what he meant, and joy filled the room as we thought of the lives
we've touched during our service.
Isn't being a missionary fantastic? Victor has been doing double
duty of church in his current ward and then he comes to Copper Canyon.
Every time I see him I just give him a hug and tell him how awesome he
is. It's wonderful to be here to witness his growth and the progression
of everyone else I've come to know and love. Write back soon everyone!
Take care and be good.
Much love,
Elder Eric James Turner
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| At the site of the Phoenix Temple |
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