Week 2 - Springville South - Now a trio and all is well

This week has been full of surprises! We had an emergency where I am
now joined back with my old area, I'm in a trio with my old companion,
and found out one of our investigators is now pregnant! It has just
been a really crazy week! So to start off, on last Monday we had to do
laundry at the Singletons and they also fed us lunch. The Singletons
are so nice! They're awesome! So then that night we had a lesson with
an awesome young mother who we found out is pregnant! Congrats to her!
It was a good lesson and we are happy for her. Not that this matters
but another call missed from President on Monday. Ya basically I
should never have the phone. :P haha we had dinner that night with our
senior couple missionaries called the Sargent's! They are awesome!
They are so kind and really work hard to help the stake and us.

Tuesday we got up in the morning and found out we had to go join up
with Elder Allen into our Trio in a matter of 40 minutes, all the way
across town! So we headed out and we had a ways to go with about 5
minutes left until we needed to be there. Me and Elder Howard said
lets pray that maybe someone can give us a ride. It was not a second
after I said that that a car stopped and backed up to where we were
and offered us a ride. I was so very thankful and I know that prayers
truly are answered right away, as well as when our Father in Heaven
sees fit that we receive an answer. I know that we will always receive
an answer and what we ask for, as long as it is in accordance with his
will, and when he sees fit that we need that prayer answered. We then
arrived and got together. So we are now in a trio covering 3 stakes!
In other words, 22 wards! It defiantly keeps us busy and we are trying
to do as much as we can in each ward. It is keeping us busy that's for
sure! I'm loving it though, it means we have the opportunity to teach
many and bring as many as we can unto Christ, our ultimate purpose
here on a mission.

I got a gift from my awesome sweet Kassy! She got
me a wood burn art kit! And a teddy bear! She is the best! I also
appreciate the early valentine gifts from my family! Thank you! So on
Wednesday we got up and packed things up and moved it all to the Veeches
apartment (where I stayed in my last area, which is now my area again
:P) we had a lot of lessons today but it was great to have! I love
teaching the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ! When we do the things
the Prophets and apostles ask us to do, we show Faith and as we work
on the things were not doing so well we are going through the process
of repentance. I know that these two things are the first principles
of the Gospel, and through these processes we can truly grow and draw
closer to our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Last week before this one I had a hard week. I was stressed and didn't
know how I was going to
handle everything. I got a lot of reminders that I am not even close
to having a hard time. To think and know everything our Prophets and
Apostles do day to day at the age they are is truly through the help
of our Father. They devote their lives to the Gospel and Joseph Smith
gave his life for the Gospel. I know that if they can do these things,
I can truly do anything. Heavenly Father truly does take care of his
children. Anything is possible through the help of the Lord.

 So on
Thursday we went to a Zone Training Meeting as well as spent our
studies studying the Holy Ghost. The Spirit is so big in our lives.
There have been so many times where I just have made decisions and I
look back and it turned out to be the right decision. I know the Holy
Ghost quietly helps to guide me on my journey back to my Father in
Heaven. I know that the Spirit truly does inspire us and give us peace
an comfort. We had a lesson with a couple tonight and the Spirit was
truly there. I could feel the Love in the room, and I know that it is
through the Spirit that we can know the truth of all things. The
Spirit is such a help in every part of my life. I know Without the
Spirit the words I speak would not be enough to bring people truly to
Christ. The spirit is my guide and I know through him I can truly
manifest the truth of what I say.

On Friday morning we got a car!
Since we are covering so much area now, they allowed us to have a car!
It is awesome! We are able to move so much faster and see so many more
people in a shorter amount of time. It truly helps us hasten the work
of Salvation. I know Christ lives!

So Saturday is Valentine's Day! The
day I was baptized! Haha wow I saw so many couples today and there's
me with my two male companions thinking wow this kinda stinks :P haha
no it was good, kinda made me miss things but it's ok, I will live!
Barely :P haha I have this wonderful time to serve the Lord! What a
blessing to me and my Family and even my future family. I know I am
truly growing as I am out here and learning so many things. We had a
waffle breakfast at a ward and that was yummy and fun. I really
enjoyed it.

Apparently my companion is upset that my visa doesn't run
out in 6 months :P oh well, he will live! Haha we love to joke around
a little bit while we stay focused on the work of the Lord. Yesterday
we went to a lot of church! I love the blessings of church and all
that I learn at church. We went to a really beautiful chapel where it
had carvings of Joseph Smith getting the Gold Plates, the 3 witnesses,
and the 8 witnesses. They also have Moroni 10:3 carved out as well. It
was so beautiful and spiritual. I loved the talks on miracles as
nothing is ever a coincidence, it is truly miracles of our Father in
Heaven and it is through careful observance that we notice how many
miracles we have in our life. I also learned about how Heavenly Father
weeps to see his children lost and astray. He wants us all to return
to him, but he also has to keep his plan of us making our own choices.
The speaker shared toy story and how buzz didn't know who he was, but
through Woody, He found out that he was special and someone. He was
Andy's Toy. How true is that in our lives! We are all Heavenly Fathers
Children! We are very special in his eyes just as children are in the
lives of everyone. There was also a talk on Family Home Evening and
how it should happen every week if we want to draw closer as families.
As we draw closer to our Savior as a family, we draw closer together.
I am so grateful to be on a mission and so humbled to know that I will
always need help from my Father in Heaven and his Son in my life. I
know I need the Spirit daily. Thanks for all the support and I hope
everyone has a fantastic week! Love you all! Also I am currently
sleeping on a cot for the next 4 weeks!
-Elder Noad

Elder Noad, Elder Howard and Elder Allen

Elder Noad's ties

Wonderful family who provided dinner one evening.

Week 1 Springville South

So this week has been a long week! This week was transfer week. Our Area split and the new Area I cover is called Springville South and it covers the Hobble Creek West Stake and the Kolob Stake! I got a new companion and his name is Elder Howard! We know the Kolob stake pretty good but with the Hobble Creek West we are not sure at all! So we have spent like all week just trying to set up meetings to try and get to know the Hobble Creek West stake better. It has been long and stressful and trying to keep up is difficult but we are slowly getting there. We want to work with more people upcoming here so we are working hard to get to know Hobble Creek West. This week we hope that we will be working more with people and getting back into teaching. We have a lot of work to do in that stake but it is coming, we are slowly getting there. I really want to see this Area boom and it is going to be me and Elder Howard who is going to get it there. So it is going to

take some work. So Monday we found out about the transfers. So that was fun and we spent some time as a district playing some soccer and what not. It was a good Pday. On Tuesday we had to go to a trainers meeting for Elder Allen and basically did our lessons for the day and told people I was being transferred. This week really wasn't that interesting or fun or crazy awesome, but it is getting better! I do enjoy that I have been given this amazing opportunity to help out this place. I can't wait to see this Area start to really move along! We then had transfer day! This is where I got my new companion! We went in early for another training meeting. We then went and taught people that night and did the Lords work. I know that this transfer is starting out quite hard for me, but I know without a doubt that this has a lot of potential and with the Lords help, anything is possible. This Area truly has potential we just have to open that and work hard to help the people in these two stakes. We then on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, spent a lot of time meeting with Ward Mission Leaders and going out with some. The HCW stake has very good ideas, they just

need help putting them into place. We are on foot and it takes time to get across to the HCW stake, but we try our best to make it over there. The people we have met are great people we just have to set the missionary work up in the most efficient way possible. I know this Area is great and that I was sent here for a reason. This is the time that we all need to hasten the work. I love Sunday's! We were able to go to sacrament and gospel principles and meet with the WML! Sundays always bring the spirit more into my life. The importance of Sunday's is to go to church and to spend time as a family. Sundays always bring that spiritual boost for the rest of the week :) well this week has been long but we're getting there! Have a great week and enjoy everything you have! Oh also we are locked out of our apartment and were really not sure how that happened :P anyways have a great week!

Week 6 Springville

This week has been a very up and down week. More ups than downs I am happy to say! So last Monday we decided that maybe it was a good idea to clean! (since the cleaning inspector came already and saw our messy apartment) So we spent all day cleaning and it was awesome! Not fun, but it was nice to have a clean apartment! We taught some people and had Family Home Evening (FHE) with a family with 9 kids! I felt so at home! It was a great quick FHE and we were able to talk about the Book of Mormon. They were all so well behaved and nice and I accredit it to their parents, but also because they all read scriptures daily. When we draw closer to our Savior and Heavenly Father, we only draw closer as families. So that night we come back to the apartment and see the Zone Leaders. Turns out we were doing exchanges for 24 hours! (I was not prepared) So I had the opportunity to spend Tuesday with an Elder Roberts from Wales. He is a great guy! I woke up with a head cold with a sore throat :/ Yay. We went to a physical therapist appointment and there was a fish tank there. It was so awesome! They had Nemo, Dorry, and Marlen!!! It was so awesome and funny to see! I tried to get a quick photo but they all swam away :P It was so cool though! We tried meeting with people and had a meeting with a person over missionary work here that went great! I am excited to see the changes in the Kolob Stake! we then ate dinner where we had tacos. They were awesome! We finished off the night teaching and this week there was multiple times that we had to run/bike across or on a highway. So ya quite interesting. The exchanges went great and I really enjoyed working with Elder Roberts. Wednesday was great! I still had my cold! actually I am still just getting over it! I love how many sick people we come in contact with! haha No it is all good. I am very done with this phone. I don't think one good thing has come from me holding the phone and using it, except for dinners! This week we had two people phone us and tell us they are pretty much mad at us for either handing them off to ward missionaries, or that they don't want to be baptized :P So ya I think I am going to give the phone to my companion from now on. Did I forget to mention I phoned someone up and I didn't even get out this is the missionaries by the time he hung up? Well it happened :P lol I'm all good things are going great I love to just say things. We have solved all problems and things are going great. We had two experiences on Wednesday where we learned that through Heavenly Father, we were in the right place at the right time. We met this family and we are helping them now get to the temple and it turns out they were praying for someone to help encourage them and help them out. That is when we went and knocked on their door. It was amazing! The dog owner of the dog we found a week or so back apparently saw us riding our bikes when she was wondering who else she could contact about her dog. That's when she decided to call us. I know that Heavenly Father has a plan and purpose and knows exactly what he's doing even if we don't. We should always put our trust in our Father in Heaven. On Friday we rode our bikes even more (I'm not complaining or nothing, but I do want to throw my bike off of the mountain we ride up all the time). We ride our bikes a lot and they really are faster than walking so it truly is a blessing that is hard to see. We had a recent convert and less active family who are now doing great teach us today about the Millennium out of Gospel Principles. It was a lot of fun and a very good lesson! This week, like every week here in Utah, we have people who tell us their false belief of the "Mormon Church". It is always so frustrating to hear the things they say, but I know that my Testimony is built upon a rock, and that rock is the rock of my Redeemer. I know that if we are not converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ daily, that is when we start to fall. I invite all to come unto Christ and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness. This is done through prayer, scriptures, and keeping all the commandments of Heavenly Father. I know this Church is true, and it is through the things we teach that we can return to our Father in Heaven. We are trying something me and my companion. To truly know if the scriptures can help you ask yourself a question you truly want answered. Search the scriptures and you will find the answer. I know this because I have found answers to questions all the time. So Sunday we fasted and went to 2 ward councils. one at 7:30 and one at 11:00. They were very good. The rest of the day we went to church, looked for people to teach, had meetings, and grew our testimony through doing these things. It was a good day. I know that it is by reading the Book of Mormon that we may know what we must do to live with our Father in Heaven as families again. Please read the Book of Mormon sincerely. Have a great week! Love ya all! Oh! and I am being transferred! Stay tuned for where I am going! I am super excited!

-Elder Noad

Some pictures of Elder Noad's appartment

Birthday Cake. Dad forgot to send the icing for the cake in a jar.