Midwest Sturm

the Sturms

SQUAD

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY. Hope you all had a party of a week celebrating this wonderful country we call home. Another fun one over here in the sweaty, humid heat of the Midwest. I cannot wait for that dry heat back home. It'll be nice and refreshing. The greatest miracle occurred on the 4th... Let me tell you how. We were doing a bunch of service for a member in the ward. She needed post holes dug, piles of dirt cleaned up, etc etc. You think of a bunch of strenuous labor and we did it. She made us food though so it was worth it. But of course we are just sweating buckets in the weather. Non stop. It was brutal. We knew we had a dinner later that day and the last thing we wanted was to get in our pros clothes and just go sweat to death in our whites some more. Then the miracle... We get a text from the member saying, "White shirts not allowed tonight." Holy moly was I one happy boy. Just the most clutch move ever on the members part. We ended up having a nice relaxed, still very sweaty, BBQ but was sooooo nice. Miracles happen when you're in the service of your fellow beings. Bless up.

Good thing though is that that wasn't the biggest miracle of the week... We were able to get our man Ray to the church for a nice little church tour. He showed up 30 minutes early all ready to go. Why it was such a huge miracle to get him out to the church is that he is not down at all for new things. He would rather just stay at home and that's it. Really struggles with social anxiety. As we took him around, he was pretty quite. We could not get him to talk to save our lives. It wasn't until we went and sat down in the chapel where he all the sudden opened up and shared with us his past and what he has been looking for. Obviously the Spirit touched him the second we sat down in the most spirit filled room in the entire church. Was really humbling to see Elder Clark and I struggle for the entire time to get him to say more than 5 words, then to see the Spirit work it's effortless magic on him. We promised him the peace and joy he wants in his life is a reality for him through the restored gospel and partaking of the sacrament each week. He made that courageous step today to come and see for himself during church.

We also had a week of welcome zone conferences with the Sturms! Was so fun for them to meet everyone and for everyone to just welcome them in with open arms. President Sturm is a doctrinal wizard. Like holy cow. Unbelievable. He literally blew everyone away with his training and insight of the Bible. I kept telling Elder Clark that I would definitely stay for 6 more months if I could hear trainings and lessons like that every month. I'll be picking his mind for more and more info everytime I get the chance.

Alma 36:3, "for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day."

Difícil es bueno. T-40.

Elder Christensen

Working hard or hardly working?

Depart thee hence Satan

Elder Morales - s/o to Guatemala boyz