February 25, 2013 - Quick transfer

Dear Family,

Hopefully I can write a better email to y'all this week because I'm not as tired (though I still did work just as hard this last week) and a lot of great things have happened. Besides, Rachel let me know that she prayed that I would write a better email so it's got to be better, right?

First of all, transfer calls were on Saturday. Elder Heindel and I were hoping to stay together for another one and our wish was granted. I'm staying in Willard for at least another 6 weeks. Hooray! That means that after this coming transfer I'll have 2 transfers left. Of course, I have hopes that for those 2 transfers I'll be training my one and only "son," but let's not get ahead of ourselves. :) I should be grateful for what the Lord has already done for me so far and for my answered prayers. I've been truly blessed to be in the areas with the companions that I needed all throughout my mission. Sometimes in the moment I've wondered if I was in the right place with the right elder, but looking back I know that each situation has been just perfect for me to learn and grow. Missions are so great! Certain experiences that I've had have built up the appreciation that I have for Elder Heindel and my area that I wouldn't have otherwise. Does that make sense? Basically I'm just happy where I am and I know that the Lord knows what he's doing. Cool stuff.

This week was a good finding week. We've found some pretty neat people through tracting. People that are obviously prepared to receive the Gospel, whether they know it or not. On Tuesday Elder Heindel and I ran out of things to do. We went through our plans and realized that we only had a few options: tracting or....tracting (haha). There was Robberson St. in downtown Willard - one which we previously had prayerfully selected on a map, or we could tract somewhere else. We had been putting of Robberson for the longest time (a few weeks) because we doubted that we would be successful there. It's in downtown Willard and we figured that it had been tracted a million times. But as we were praying and trying to decide what to do, we couldn't get Robberson out of our minds. Finally, we decided to go for it. Time to quit fearing man more than God.

The first 10 doors were either not home or not interested. Surely our fears were coming to pass. But as we knocked on the 11th, a really nice lady stepped out of her house. She didn't seem too interested, but kindly listened to our approach and said, "What, you want me to read your book?" We smiled and explained that this book helps us draw closer to God and Jesus Christ. We then talked about modern prophets and apostles. As we spoke she began to show more and more interest. I asked her if she had felt the Spirit before. Expecting the normal emphatically-Christian YES, she surprised us by saying, "You know what, I haven't. I know that God's there, but I've always expected to feel the Spirit at church and stuff. That hasn't happened to me." We chatted some more and promised that she would feel the Spirit in a way only she could understand if she read the Book of Mormon, prayed about it, and learned more from us. We found out her name is Crystal and she said we could come back. Hopefully we can start teaching her this week.

The miracle continued through the next 2 houses where we met Graham - a nice guy that's not sure about his faith - and another man who teaches religion at Pitt State in Kansas. I don't remember his name, but he's very open-minded and said we could come back any time. I'm not sure how interested he is, but he's fascinated by anything to do with religion, theology, etc. He already has a couple of Book of Mormons. So, moral to the story is NEVER doubt a prompting! We had been impressed to tract Robberson for the longest time, but we just kept scaring ourselves away. Stupid Elder Atkin!! Why did I doubt?

Besides that, we found another lady named Jennifer who is the most dry Mormon I have ever met. And we also found an older man named James who's starting to question his purpose and wondering where he's going after this life. He's realized how close to death he really is and he's searching for the truth. We taught him the Plan of Salvation, thus answering some of his burning questions, but he's still looking for more. We'll go over Tuesday or Wednesday and share the Restoration. That'll get him :)

So yeah, life is good (I know I say that a lot. sorry). We're teaching a lot of lessons, even with a big ice storm on Wednesday night that shut everything down for a bit. I was actually stuck in Aurora for a couple of days, but that's a whole 'nother story.

Have a great week! Be safe, be courageous, have integrity, and show someone your love today. It's a beautiful day to be alive.

Love, Elder Atkin

P.S. Bro. McKinnon and Bro. White are both still doing well. They were both sustained to receive the priesthood and the office of a priest. Bro. McKinnon also received a calling to be the building clean-up director. He'll love that calling.

February 19, 2012 - Hey

Dear Family,

Golly, this week was a blur. It's hard for me to remember everything that happened. There are some Mondays that I come and sit at the computer and have so much to say but don't know how to say it. Today is one of those days. I've been sitting here for about 15 minutes looking at the screen trying to conjure up a sentence or two. What's so hard about typing an email about my week??? I just feel deflated. Don't worry, I don't mean that in a bad way. My brain seems to shut down on the "Day of Jubilee." It's probably because my mind has been running a million miles an hour since the last Preparation Day. Don't get mad at me for summarizing my week in a list:

-The baptism was incredible. Tons of people showed up to witness Bro. White and Bro. Mckinnon get baptized after years of investigating the church. I felt such joy for both families as they took giant leaps toward being eternal families. Just like many other baptisms I've witnessed, Bro. White had to be dunked twice because Elder Denton said the prayer wrong. No big deal.
-We set baptismal dates with Cassi and her son Matt for the 20th of April. Cassi really wants to make changes in her life after seeing her friend get baptized last year. Matt (13 years old) has a great understanding of the Gospel and is really solid too. Great people!
-Sunday was ward conference and we got a new bishop. The old Bishop - now Bro. Stoll - is moving his family to Colorado to accept a job there. Bishop Stoll will be replaced by Bro. Sanders. Bishop Sanders is a chiropractor here in town so everyone knows him. He'll do great.
-I met a less-active family named the Sneeds up in Walnut Grove on Friday. They lived in Lewiston and Preston for a long time until just a few years ago. We had a blast talking about Cache Valley - Gossner's, A&W, Macey's, Utah State, etc. I'm pretty sure they're my new favorite family in the ward :) Haha as long as they don't get me too trunky.

Besides that, we just worked our tails off visiting less-actives and investigators. It was one of those weeks where I felt like we worked so hard for barely any results (besides the baptisms, of course). But that's okay, we can't always instantly see the fruits of our labors.

Transfer calls are already this coming Saturday. I just got here! Next Monday I'll be sure to let you know what happened with that. And I also promise that I'll send a longer email next time. Gosh, I don't know why I'm so bushed... Maybe I just need to take a nap.

The Gospel is true! I love it and I love you.

Love, Elder Atkin

February 11, 2013 - Lo! In Camora's lonely hill

Dear Family,

Mom, you can't believe that I like tracting?? Gee, that makes me feel special.... Haha I'm kidding :) But really, I love to knock doors. There's such a thrill that comes with not knowing what's on the other side. This week we did some tracting in a trailer park and had great success. I'll admit that I usually go for those who live in more "humble circumstances," but I get what I can take. I'm a firm believer that if you say the right thing and are nice enough, 90% of people will respond positively even if they aren't interested. God's servants need to be happy! I try my best to do just that. The result? At that trailer park I met another nice Jehovah's Witness. That's 2 in the last few months! We had an excellent conversation about heaven and the 2nd coming and such. She made it obvious that she disagreed with us, but she was cordial. Tender mercies.

I love what you said about Bishop's talk in ward conference. I have really grown to love hymns as of late, but I think it's a fantastic idea to sing a hymn every morning. One hymn that Elder Heindel and I have thought a lot about lately is "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy." We've used it for a spiritual thought a couple times in members' homes after dinner. We'll sing the hymn to them and then talk about what it means to be a "lower light." I love the line where it talks about the Lord trusting us with the lights along the shore. We've been trusted with such a beautiful gift of light that we need to share with other people. It's our responsibility to shine the light and guide others to Christ. Missionary work isn't just fun. It's our duty.

Speaking of talks in church - Elder Heindel and I were asked to give talks in sacrament meeting on our personal conversions. We only had enough time to prepare the day of, so I was a bit worried. As I tried to gather my thoughts, I prayed and asked for guidance and for inspiration. And ya know what? It came! Suddenly all of my thoughts organized themselves miraculously onto paper and before I knew it the talk was prepared. Golly, the Lord comes through EVERY time for me! Even for something as small as a talk. Both of us were able to deliver our talks with power and by the Spirit and people really liked them. Not that I wanted praise or anything, but it was good to know that we didn't bore too many people. I talked about how my conversion has been like the sunrise: slowly, but surely the Lord has revealed to me his truth throughout my life until it's become plain and clear what is right. I'm still on the path of conversion, but the sun is high enough for me to see clearly and know what's true. And what I know to be true is more comforting than anything else. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

This week was another great week for the two of us. We had ZLC in Tulsa, 2 exchanges, zone meeting, and other things to possibly distract us, yet we worked as hard as we could and taught 17 lessons - another high for us. We wanted to reach 20, but considering the amount of cancelled appointments we did awesome. We picked up another couple of investigators, including a Hispanic lady named Inede. Her husband made it clear that he didn't want to be "preached at," but she expressed interest. We've taught her a bit about Priesthood and the Book of Mormon and she likes it so far. She wonders why there's so many Christian denominations. She's so prepared! We'll be taking over Spanish-speaking members in the future to help her feel comfortable.

Well, there's not much else to say except that Bro. McKinnon and Bro. White are ready to be baptized this Saturday. Bro. Gould isn't too far behind - it's only a matter of time. Josh came to church with a haircut and a white shirt and tie, so that was a miracle. He's already changing! We hope to set a date with him this week.

Life is good in the OTM! Thanks for your prayers and love. Happy Valentines and Happy Birthdays to Mom and Amy!

Love, Elder Atkin

P.S. Here's a picture of me next to a '67 Camaro at Bro. Gould's house. I'm hoping that sometime him and his wife take us for a spin. Cool stuff!

February 4, 2012 - Week 2 in Willard

Dear Family,

What an amazing week! Elder Heindel and I jumped up 10 lessons from our total last week and we picked up a couple of investigators. We've been tracting maniacs since we showed up. We still have Bro. McKinnon and Bro. White set for their date on the 16th with more investigators on the way to setting dates. It's been an absolute blast witnessing miracles happen in our area ever since we "shotgunned" in. Haha I was so excited about it that I just had to bear my testimony in sacrament meeting :) My heart is so full and I'm grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord. I know without a doubt that He has led us by the power of his Spirit day by day as we simply asked him for it. Elder Heindel and I make sure to kneel and pray often and go forward with faith. Of course, we are not perfect but Heavenly Father is merciful and blesses us continually.

One such example of the Lord directing us when we needed it happened this last week. We had another wide open evening and we had no idea where to go. After praying for guidance, Elder Heindel and I decided to stop by a bunch of names that the bishop had given us. It mostly consisted of less-actives. As we were traveling to visit the Langowskis - the first name we picked - I felt the prompting that we should invite the Flynns to come visit them with us. We knew that Bro. Flynn worked with Bro. Langowski and their families were good friends. Lucky enough, Bro. Flynn happily accepted as I called him and asked. So we drove on over with Bro. Flynn and his wife and knocked on the door. Bro. Langowski let us right in. We soon met Sis. Langowski and her son, daughter, and her daughter's boyfriend named Josh. They took us into their backyard and showed us their baby goats. They were so cute! We went back inside and sat down and just chatted for a bit. It was a little bit awkward because I could tell that they were bracing for a lesson. It's how all less-actives are. I didn't really know what we were going to say. After a long pause, the previously quiet Elder Heindel opened his scriptures and simply said, "Tonight we want to share a message about Joseph Smith and the Restoration." The lesson started off really slow at first. Everyone was really quiet. But soon enough the Spirit entered the room and we were able to testify boldly. It was a short, powerful lesson - just the way it should be. As we ended, Josh spoke up. "That makes sense," he said. We again testified of the truthfulness of our message and invited Josh to take the discussions from us. Soon everyone was joining in encouraging him to learn about the Gospel, including the Langowskis. The Flynns invited everyone to come over to their house the next week for pizza and to watch "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration." Josh accepted.

So, to make a long story short, we had a wonderful time at the Flynns and Josh loved the movie. He still has doubts and concerns, but he has great questions and wants to learn more. He came to church yesterday (along with most of our other investigators. Miracles!) and we're going to teach him later this week at the Langowskis. It all goes back to prayer. Elder Heindel and I were inspired to do specific things that resulted in a miracle. Once again, I'm grateful that the Lord led us that evening and that he continues to do so as we're obedient and work hard. I love it!

I wish I had more time to tell you about the countless other miracles and fun stories from the week (including the story of me saying a special prayer for a cat), but alas I have to go. We're traveling to Tulsa for ZLC today. Heavenly Father loves us! He wants us to have success in righteous endeavors! I know that he'll be there for Elder Heindel and I again this coming week. I look forward to more adventures :)

Love, Elder Atkin

P.S. Here's a picture of one of the most brilliant sunsets I've ever seen. Elder Heindel and I were in awe and we beheld the spectacular display that seemed to be painted by our Heavenly Father.