8th Transfer Down, 9 to Go... - July 22, 2013

Salutations, It's been a great week!

 

We have some new missionaries in our district. It is us up in Story City and the 8 missionaries serving in Ames. Elder Newhouse and I are the only 'normal' companionship in the district.

 

In the Ames 1st Ward, they just added a new pair of Sisters in addition to the Elders already serving there. Elder Claridge, I served around him in Des Moines for 1 transfer and have been around him since I've been up here in Story City, is training Elder Hollan, who is a 2013 Grad from Timpanogos High School in Orem, UT. Sister Hill is training Sister Browne, who I went to high school with. She is from Lindon, UT and she went to PG and Timp. I had a Business Management class taught by Mr. Carter with her our sophomore year. We weren't very good friends, but we had a few conversations. It was funny when we met at district meeting because she said I looked familiar, and asked if my first name was Zach. I told her yes and asked if her first name was Laura. It was, so there is another familiar face in the mission for me.

 

In the Ames 2nd Ward, they also added a new pair of Sisters in addition to the Elders already serving there. Elder Kilpatrick, I served around him in Des Moines for 1 transfer and have been around him since I've been up here in Story City, and Elder Barger, I served around his trainer for 2 transfers and he was my district leader for the last transfer in Story City, are our Zone Leaders. Sister England is training Sister Paul. Sister England had served in Ankenny for her whole mission until she came up here. When she was down in Ankenny and I was in Des Moines, our companionships had an odd car share for a week until they got a full-time car. It was odd because Ankenny and Des Moines are in 2 different Zones in 2 different Stakes. Ankenny is in the Ames Zone and so we served in the same zone for the last transfer and now we are serving in the same district!

 

Needless to say, there is a lot of personal connection to the missionaries in this district for me. Lots of history there. It's really neat!

 

Brother Bennett is now technically reactivated! He has been 4 of the last 5 weeks! His wife isn't sure if she wants this right now. She wasn't really looking for the truth, she is a spiritual person, and so she is having a harder time having enthusiasm for joining or getting baptized. However, her son wants to be baptized and she will let him make his own decisions. We are going to keep working with them and make sure they have the best experience possible as they continue to coming to church.

 

We were able to volunteer at the Iowa Games all day this last Saturday. The Iowa Games are pretty much a tournament/Olympics for the state of Iowa "where YOU are the athlete." Elder Newhouse and I got to keep score for half of the 8th Grade Basketball games. It was fun watching and reminiscing about my days back when I played rec basketball. It was weird watching basketball for an entire day. The last time I got close to watching that many sports was last Summer during the Summer Olympics.

 

Our area is about 1015 square miles. Lots of farmland... There are bunches of little communities spread out throughout our area. The two biggest towns are Story City and Iowa Falls. Iowa Falls is about a 45 minute drive from Story City. A long way for members to drive each week to church. We just found out that Iowa Falls will be getting a pair of full-time missionaries. Roughly half of our area will be given to them to work. It won't happen until August 29th, but we have lots of preparing to help kick start that area. It is super exciting as we aren't able to spend much time up there, but there is lots of work to be done! A few of the major churches up there have lost lots of their membership. One had a pastor that retired after serving for a few decades, and they don't like the new pastor. One has a lesbian minister. One was caught in a Des Moines prostitute ring. And everyone up there thinks the Jehovah's Witnesses are too pushy; they knock the entire town twice a year. There is lots of potential up there, it is just a matter of unlocking it in the correct way, because tracting doesn't work.

 

In the last week or so I have been pondering and thinking about my faith. I am doing my best to fulfill and magnify the calling I have been given. I have become more aware of things to correct and have had a better attitude towards correcting them. I have been more introspective in the last week and I am doing my best to let the Lord work through me. I am studying how we as missionaries can better use the Preach My Gospel fundamental "Revelation throught Prayer" in our own personal lives, to help magnify our ability in helping others understand. 2 Peter Chapter 1 really hit me when I read it in my studies yesterday. Some ways to increase my faith and develop other Christlike attributes in the process.

 

I hope you all may think about your prayers, what you are praying about, and seeking for answers from God. Doctrine & Covenants Section 6 also has great counsel about revelation; receiving answers from the Lord.

 

Love,

Elder Zachary R McKenzie

Iowa Des Moines Mission

    D&C 6:34, 36

Doubt Not, Fear Not.
550 Souls to Christ

The Corn is Getting Tall... - July 15, 2013

Another Great Week in Story City!

 

We taught a FHE at a members home Monday night where we watched the mormon message "Our Eternal Life" with them and talked about how the internet and the videos the church produces can be such a good force in the world for truth. Use them!

 

Our branch has a new Branch Mission Plan!!! We are very excited. It has 3 parts.

1. Activate/introduce one person to the gospel and do all the temple work for one person. 
2. The focus families of the branch. 
3. Each quorum/auxiliary will be in charge of filling our schedule each week, one at a time.

The Young Men are in charge of it this week. We are excited for the members to get even more involved! Since the Work of Salvation Broadcast, our Branch President hasn't been able to get missionary work off his mind and he wants to do all he can to fulfill his responsibilities as the branch president. His first counselor is sending off a missionary this week to Paraguay, and their family is super awesome and supportive of missionary work as well.

 

We received a referral from a member in another ward for a less-active member that lived in ours. She told him that she was ready to come back to church. Her name is Paula. She smoked for years, and had a stroke with a couple of aneurisms and she now has trouble getting all of her thoughts and words put together. But she is coming to church next week!

 

Brother Bennett's friend had a wedding Saturday. He asked his friend if he could bring some friends, and told him his friends were mormon missionaries. His friend said it was fine, so we went to a wedding Saturday! And to Kaiden's Open House/Farwell Barbeque! Kaiden is a member of the branch here who leaves to Paraguay Wednesday for his mission. He will be going to the MTC in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  

 

From my studies this week. One definition of call is "invitation," another is "cry." In the scriptures, we read of God's servants crying repentance unto the people. As missionaries, our puprose is to "invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through ... repentance" (Preach My Gospel, pg. 1). We are to invite others to repent. Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, when he visited the Iowa Des Moines Mission on May 4, 2013, told us that we are fulfilling our purpose if we "get them [people we work with] through some repentance." We all need to repent daily. As we love God and His Son, Jesus Christ, we truly want to be seen as clean in their presence always. We all sin and therefore are need to follow Alma's counsel which says "And now, my brethren, I would that ye should humble yourselves before God, and bring forth fruit meet for repentance, that ye may also enter into that rest" (Alma 13:13). I pray that we may all repent always.

 

Love, 

Elder Zachary R McKenzie

Iowa Des Moines Mission

    D&C 6:34, 36

Doubt Not, Fear Not.
550 Souls to Christ

Independence Day - July 9, 2013

"The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord." -Proverbs 16:1

This week has been another good one. Brother Bennett came to church again yesterday with his wife! He told us that when he met his wife 3 years ago, he told her that he was a Mormon, not a very good one, but that he was and he would return eventually. She was alright with that. When we knocked on his door one month ago, his wife answered the door and we asked for him. When she went back and told him that the missionaries were there, the first things that went through his head were "I guess it's time" and "church is at 10." He came yesterday, paid his tithing, and met with the branch president! He said that when we initially came that I had a conviction. That was pretty neat.

We were able to celebrate Independence Day a bit. We were up in Iowa Falls the day before and that morning. We ate at Pizza Ranch Wednesday night (it is a high-quality pizza and chicken restaurant that has buffet hours), only to find out that there was free food a block down. We found that out on Thursday... We had a curfew of 6 o'clock unless we were with a member on the 4th. The member we were thinking of was down by Des Moines that night, so we stayed in. Elder Newhouse has a card game version of "Settlers of Catan." That game is based in medieval times, how grateful I am for the independence and freedom we are able to celebrate and enjoy! We had our "4th of July Branch Picnic" on Saturday, the 6th of July. It was great as we got to know a lot of the members better! It was time well invested. We were able to speak with the Stake President for about 30 minutes at the end (he is in our branch). Even without fireworks our Independence Day celebrations were pretty good. :)

Today I had the opportunity to talk with Elder Herrin, one of my Zone Leaders who will be finishing his mission hext week. He showed me what he has learned and how to apply it and how to get closer to Christ through more effective planning. It was great and I am grateful to implement such incredible counsel.

Charity is the center of everything. I would exhort each of you to implement and study Preach My Gospel in your everyday life. It is not just for missionaries, but every person in the world. Just as the Book of Mormon is not just for members of the "Mormon" Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Love,

Elder Zachary R McKenzie

Iowa Des Moines Mission

    D&C 6:34, 36

Doubt Not, Fear Not.
550 Souls to Christ

11 Months Out! - July 1, 2013

It's hard to believe it has already almost been a year!

 

One year ago I was enjoying my last fast Sunday as not a missionary. It is pretty weird to think it has been so long!

 

The Iowa Des Moines Mission is officially under new leadership as President and Sister Jensen are now here and President and Sister Jergensen have completed their service. We have a Zone Conference tomorrow with them, so I am excited to meet them and see how they are! Our mission is also one zone smaller as the Peoria Zone is now officially a part of the Illinois Chicago West Mission.

 

This week was good. Elder Newhouse turned 20 on Tuesday! Some members made cake and had ice cream, so we got that two days in a row. :)

 

I think the highlight of my week was "The Work of Salvation" broadcast. If you haven't seen it, WATCH IT!!! There are lots of different videos and other trainings found here. The Spirit is super powerful and I hope you can learn something new from the Spirit as you watch it. The part about the missionaries in Oklahoma includes my friend from BYU, Elder Byrd, as one of the missionaries working there. It was exciting seeing a bunch of familiar faces in the crowd of missionaries going out to serve!

 

For our 5th Sunday, combined Priesthood and Relief Society 3rd hour, a member of our Branch Presidency had a few clips he downloaded from the Broadcast and watched with the members. It was really neat to see them be so excited about the new things, and help bring these things to the members and get them excited as well. We are on the brink of some amazing work happening here in the Story City Branch! Missionary Work is changing! Do all you can to be a part of it! :)

 

The Bennett family came to church again this week! Brother Bennett, who has been less-active for almost 20 years, is coming back and is very excited! He participates in Sunday meetings quite a lot. You can see a renewed interest in him about the true gospel of Jesus Christ. He wants to quit smoking this week! We are hoping it all goes well!

 

Love,

Elder Zachary R McKenzie

Iowa Des Moines Mission

    D&C 6:34, 36

Doubt Not, Fear Not.
550 Souls to Christ