Members Coming in Clutch

Well sorry it's been a couple weeks but it's been lit as ever. It was my birthday last sunday and the members hardcore hooked me up haha we went to a couple different appointments with members in our wards and every single one of them made us a dessert and then gave us food haha I'll attach a picture of our haul for the night. Thanks to all of you that wrote and wished me a happy birthday.
It's been an unusual couple of weeks. Elder Anderson has had a lot going on, so we've spent a lot of time between different meetings and things of that nature. It's been hard, but it's been helping him so it's all good.
We had a couple pretty cool miracles. We were in this neighborhood the other day and felt this prompting to just walk down this street. There were a couple members on this street but we had no idea what to do, but we just walked down the street. A couple houses down there was this lady outside smoking. We talked to her for a minute and introduced ourselves and she just stopped us and said "I need to talk to you, just not around my kids" so we went and sat on the curb on the other side of her house and talked. She opened up about everything she has had going on. She told us that her mom died of cancer, her husband was killed in a car crash and then her brother was stabbed to death all within of a couple years of each other. So she adopted her brothers two kids and now has 6 kids in her home. She just barely got remarried so she's doing a bit better, but she said that she didn't believe in God anymore and wanted to just completely forget about him but that she knew he existed because she couldn't have been so angry at something that didn't exist. It broke our hearts, and we ended up talking with her for almost an hour. We've had a couple lessons with her and she is the definition of humble. She said that normally if missionaries came by she'd be swearing at them and yelling at them to go away but that she knew that she needed God back in her life. It's always really special when we get to meet with her and her kids.
Another night we went to go stop by a guy we had met on the street. He didn't answer but we felt prompted to stop by a former investigator who lived in the same complex. She opened the door and was super frazzled haha we talked a bit and she told us that her boyfriend had just gotten arrested and that she had been feeling for awhile that she needed to kick him out. She's in her 40s and he's in her 20's and he's not exactly the greatest kind of guy. We normally don't do this, but we felt prompted to give her a priesthood blessing. We gave her a super simple but powerful blessing. It was actually kind of weird, when we were talking with her her dog was barking just because he was trying to protect her but as soon as we started giving the blessing the dog immediately stopped but then her boyfriends cat started going beserk. There was definitely some bad juju about that guy. But it was a very powerful blessing and then afterwards we looked at her and just invited her to be baptized on the spot and said yes! It was so cool, and she's definitely prepared to bring Christ back into her life.
Last night we were on a little split with the Zone Leaders because one of them had to go to a baptism so the other one came and worked in our area. Our district leader called us and asked about something and then jokingly asked if we had any referrals for him. We didn't, but we promised him we'd get one within a couple hours. So we just went out and talked to people on the street and knocked on some doors and we saw these two high school kids out walking so we stopped them and they were HIGH. It was impressive haha so we just talked with them and joked around and took a selfie with them and we actually set a return appointment with them and then when we asked for their address we found out that they lived in our district leaders area, so that was his referral haha it was cool
It's been lit out here as always. I miss home but i love being out and serving others and helping the people in our area. I love you all. Stay lit
Elder Bond

Pics:

1-3: Birthday in the field was cool

4: Our new District Leader Elder Hill. He's tight

5: A cool car

6: A cool tree

7: Nick and Ollie, those two high kids

,

First Transfer Down

This week hasn't been anything too crazy. The first couple of days were pretty rough just because we had a TON going on and we were struggling to kinda get into a rhythm and work together and make it all happen, but it got better.

I mentioned a man named Bob in my email last week and we committed him to baptism! He's way cool, and as we've taught him it hasn't been as much teaching at has been just helping him realize that everything he already believes is truth haha we're stoked for that. His baptism is slated for the 24th of March but it will most likely be pushed back a week or two.

So transfers are this week. Basically for those of you that don't know, there are different areas within each mission where we go and serve and every 6 weeks our mission President shuffles some of the missionaries around. It's just a way to make sure missionaries don't get too comfortable in certain areas, and it keeps the areas fresh in a way. So I'll be staying in this same area (Hillsboro) for the next 6 weeks, which I'm excited for. I love this area.

One of the managers for our apartment complex is super awesome and bought us lunch at this restaurant called Mazatlan. It was super good, and we were super grateful. She says she's our Mexican momma haha she's way cool.

My birthday is next sunday and so I got a cake mix in the mail (sorry family, I didn't want until my bday to open my presents haha) and so for our Zone activity today I made the cake and brought it. That was a hit haha

All in all, the work is still going on. I've been humbled in a lot of ways this week, but I've recognized that with humility comes power. As I've learned very clearly, I am in no way capable of performing this work on my own. I cannot do it without Jesus Christ. He is the man. He is my rock, a rock that I know if I will build on I will not fail. I am so grateful for Him. For His life and His teachings and the sacrifice He has made for me and for all of us. Through Him and His grace I am made strong, and I know that each of you can be made strong as well if you will do your best to humble yourself and fully rely on Him. Prayer is a beautiful thing, and it gives us the opportunity to confess our gratitude, our weakness, our needs to our God, our Heavenly Father. In the words of a man named James E Talmage, who wrote the book "Jesus the Christ", he says "It is well to know that prayer is not compounded of words, words that may fail to express what one desires to say, words that so often cloak inconsistencies, words that may have no deeper source than the physical organs of speech, words that may be spoken to impress mortal ears. The dumb may pray, and that too with the eloquence that prevails in heaven. Prayer is made up of heart throbs and the righteous yearnings of the soul, of supplication based on the realization of need, of contrition and pure desire. If there lives a man who has never really prayed, that man is a being apart from the order of the divine in human nature, a stranger in the family of God’s children. Prayer is for the uplifting of the suppliant. God without our prayers would be God; but we without prayer cannot be admitted to the kingdom of God. So did Christ instruct: 'your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.'" I read that yesterday and felt a humility and a dependency on my God and my Savior unlike anything I've ever felt before. And as I prayed, I was blessed with yet another confirmation that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live, and love me too. They have a work for me to do, and that work is here in Oregon, in leaving my family for two years in full service and dedication to Them. To sum it all up, do not ever forget to pray.

And also, it's lit.

I love you all, keep being awesome

Elder Bond

1. We got a new couch from a member. It's pretty dang nice haha

2. Yesenia, our Mexican momma

3. A cool bridge, featuring some even cooler books (The Book of Mormon)

4. One of my favorite pictures of Jesus Christ. It's almost as if he's saying "I'm waiting for you to follow Me. You know I'm right here. Just come follow Me.”

5. This is my little study space. Lots of cool experiences have happened at this very desk. 

What a Week

This week has been insane.

Tuesday was a pretty normal day. We did some service and had a couple lessons.

Wednesday though. What a day. We got to go to the temple which was amazing. The Portland temple is soo beautiful. Almost as nice as the Gilbert temple ;) But we went through and Elder Anderson ditched out pretty early. He's had a lot on his plate, and he's been thinking about going home. But he left the temple and called his mom and said he wanted to come home, but didn't tell any of us until we were in the car and we had just dropped off the other elders we had with us and he turns to me and says "Elder Bond, I've decided I'm going home." It was a surprise and a half. I knew he had been struggling, but I never thought he would decide to go home. It was a long, crazy, pretty hard day but after a lot of talking with him and praying and giving him a Priesthood blessing and counseling with some of our leadership he decided he was going to stay. It's a really long, crazy story but I figure I'll leave it at that for you guys haha but guys. God listens to our prayers, and He is perfectly aware of us in every moment and Elder Anderson and I saw that firsthand as we figured out what he was going to do. I'm definitely glad he's staying, but let me tell you as much as I love him he can definitely be a handful. And I mean that in the best way. I've learned a ton about forgetting about myself and focusing on others and what they're going through. I've gotten a lot better at being aware of others and paying attention to them and knowing what they might need. I've learned a lot with Elder Anderson, and I really do love him. And yeah, that was that haha.

Thursday was my one month mark in the field (it feels really weird to think about that. It's flying by). We only had one or two appointments that afternoon so we had a lot of time to be out talking to people and teaching them. In around two hours we talked to probably 20-25 people and taught them all and gave 8 of them a copy of the Book of Mormon and scheduled follow up visits with three of them. It was soo good. There was this lady named Lisa we met that was super cool. We were walking and she was on rollerskates going the opposite way and so we just said hi as she rolled by and she didn't say anything, but then we heard a noise and we turned around and she had fallen! She didn't move for a couple seconds which freaked us out, but we ran over and helped her up and got to talking and ended up talking for like 15-20 minutes. She's Lutheran and very politely but clearly said she wasn't interested in changing that, which was fine because we can still teach about Jesus Christ ;) We talked more and got to know her and we did eventually turn the conversation back to religion and the Gospel and I just felt this prompting to be bold with her. I just started talking and started quoting sections from the Book of Mormon to her and I said some really bold things that I wouldn't have normally said to someone on the street, and afterwards she said she'd take a copy of the Book of Mormon to read and asked for our number and we set up a time to go and meet with her again. I know that that was the Holy Ghost filling my mouth with the words Lisa needed to hear. It was super cool.

On Friday Elder Anderson had a doctors appointment in another city that's a ways away, which took a big chunk of our day but we were able to go out and meet with some more people. We met this kid named Alex. He's super cool, and we had another lesson with him yesterday.

Saturday we did a good amount of service, which is always good. Then we met with this guy named Bob. Bob is one of a kind. He's like 6' 6" and super muscular and he has this super long ponytail and broken teeth and really rough skin. He has this huge dog and tiki masks and swords on his walls and three or four motorcycles and fourwheelers and guns and tools and a huge truck in his garage. He's basically super cool. We met him for the first time on Friday and we had a lesson with him on Saturday and it went so well. He already knows a lot, and we just kinda helped him understand more and fit some of the things he already knows together into a more complete whole. He's kept up on every commitment we left with him, and he came to church with us on Sunday and totally loved it. He's just a really cool guy and I genuinely enjoy talking with him and getting to know him, and I'm stoked to see him learn more about the Gospel and his relationship with Jesus Christ. You'll be hearing more about Bob in the future haha

All in all I'm seriously loving my mission. It's hard, but I'm becoming stronger. As I pray and study I can literally feel my Heavenly Father blessing me with what I stand in need of. Jesus Christ is becoming my closest friend. As i learn more about him and try my best to apply his teachings to real life I feel this confidence and this peace that I can't really explain. Jesus Christ is the man. I know He lived, and I know He still lives and loves each of us perfectly and without end. I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the restored church that contains the fulness of His gospel, and that through Him and by Him we can return to be with our families in our Heavenly Father's presence forever. I love my family, and I love this Gospel. I hope you all are doing well, keep being great. 

Love,

Elder Bond

1. Our zone at the temple

2. Me, Elder Petersen, Elder Anderson (my comp), and Elder Hoffart. I love those guys.

3. One of my favorite parks in the area. We always meet tons of people here

4. We made this little block wall and planted these flowers for one of our investigators named Susie around her favorite tree. She's pretty old but basically the ultimate grandma, (besides my grandma. Love you Grandma Jo😁)

5. One of our members used to be a professional drag racer and has this in his garage. He's pretty tight.