Week 7-Rock Springs, WY

Hey!
To answer your question, I picked Justin up midway. I really did get to know him though and care for his well being. I taught him probably 3 or 4 lessons before his baptism last week.

This week I went on splits to Elder Williams area for a day. Also, we had Trek on Monday.  It was a mission-wide Trek for the whole Salt Lake City-East mission. Trek was only one day but it was still a good experience. We played ball and had a testimony meeting afterwards. It was a good time. What I realized the most is that our time here is limited. And just like our time, after we die we will be limited as well. We won't be able to influence people as much and we won't be able to act and help others as greatly as our capacity on this earth life allows us. It was a call to motivation. In the same way, after I am off my mission I won't be able to effect people as much or be able to teach and be guided by the spirit as much as I can now. I need to make the most of my time!

Elder Freebairn, Elder Clark, Elder Bass after Trek

A little update on Heather... She came to church and it really was amazing to see her change. She said that she was finally able to focus on the scriptures. She shared this story in Gospel Principles class that Elder Clark and I were teaching. She said that our last lesson she realized something. When she was younger, she had to give up some of her kids to adoption. She has one picture of each of them. She said that she realized that if she could see her son, he would look a lot like me. I believe it was inspiration; I'm not sure she realizes it yet. She was always so hesitant about baptism and unsure and after that experience she said that she knows that she is supposed to get baptized and she knows that the gospel is good. We were going to move the baptism up but she still has to work out some things. It was kinda awkward that she shared that in front of all those people. It was all good in the end though.

We had the opportunity this week to go to a BYU dance performance. Our goal from the beginning was to get some nonmembers to go with us. We worked all day making visits and stuff with no success. We had a few maybes but we didnt have much hope for them. 10 minutes before it started, we stopped by one more house. She said that she would come! We met her there and she even brought and friend! After the performance was over, we were mingling with a lot of people. We met some of the dancers and we found out that another family of nonmembers we invited showed up! It was a great feeling because both families had awesome experiences!

Here are some tips get the members more involved in missionary work: Our stake is putting on a church open house. We are part of the organization committee for it. The missionaries are giving tours around the church starting every 15 minutes or so one day. They end in the gym where members are. Each family of members has a station that further describes the classes and auxiliaries of the church. They are going big on advertisement including billboards, radio, and newspaper. We are going door to door in our area handing out flyers. Every dinner we invite the members to pray about a family to bring. The talks in church are focused on missionary work. Its a great way to hasten missionary work. I could tell you more things but I'm running out of time. Congrats on the golfing btw! I wish some members could take us golfing! Anyways, hope that helped! Love you guys!
-Elder Bass

Later Notes: Something Elder Beard (one of my zone leaders at the time) did had a very big impression on me. He is super good at basketball. A lot of his mission budies were gathered together and were playing. For one reason or another i didnt make the team that was playing. He was very eager and persistent and gave up his spot so i could play.

In my journal i wrote of a time where i got up at 8am. We had personal study though my companion read Eragon. I weakly tried to initiate companionship study but Elder Clark didnt want to and my will power wasnt very strong. I slept through companionship study and Elder Clark wrote a letter to his girl friend.

Wisdom that i wrote down in my journal: After you have made the necessary preparations of planning and goal-setting, no need to worry about the future. The only worry should be doing the right thing now and the rest will take care of itself.

This week I had struggles getting along with people. I had trouble getting along with both Elder Clark and Elder Williams and had to vent about them both in my journal. I said that Elder Williams wasnt being an effective missionary. I said that Elder Clark doesnt have a desire to improve, has no self-restraint, and makes fun other missionaries just like any of the guys at school.



More Trek Pictures:

Left side middle during the sisters pull

Alex is in the back middle

Week 6-Rock Springs, WY

I can tell you've been busy! Its going well out here! So this week, we went on "greenie" splits. It was a pretty cool experience I went out with Elder Williams who was from my district in the MTC! He is pretty quiet but super obedient! And we were! Sometimes I struggle with my trainer.... He's an amazing guy and he's only been out 4 months! He misses his girlfriend a lot and he can be unmotivated but nevertheless I love him. My trainer went with Elder William's trainer and they were gone Monday- Friday!

We were lost for the first little bit but we tried to be exactly obedient and trust in the Lord! Each morning and night, we would earnestly pray for our investigators those that we came in contact with, to be more Christ-like, and to see miracles! Just a few experiences that we had....

We did some list work on our down time. The first night we set up like 4 or so appointments for the next week. It was great!  All of the appointment we set up are with part-member families!

We felt impressed this past Wednesday to knock on this one lady's door. A member that we did service for had mentioned that the people who lived there were nice but wouldn't be interested. An older lady opened the door. We got talking to her and probably talked with her for 30 or so minutes on the door step! The topic of conversation eventually turned to religion. She explained that she had been Presbyterian for the longest time but lately their church had moved out of the city. She said the Presbyterian faith had begun to accept gay marriages and changed some of their doctrine to please its members. She is very intelligent.  She saw that we were holding a Book of Mormon and said that she recognizes it and stuff. We asked her what she thought about it. She replied that she's read it three times! We set up another appointment for a few days later. When we came we talked for a while about a lot of things. We started to ask her more about the Book of Mormon and she said that intellectually she believes its true. I explained that when I was younger I felt the same way. I shared that in order to really feel and know that its true it's something different. I had to pray to know. She said she felt it was true! Such an awesome experience! This past weekend we stopped by and did some service for them! She has a husband and they are both investigators now! Tell Grandpa Ricks that his drip system stuff came of good use because that's what we did! They have a vast garden that needs watered and i was able to put my knowledge to good use! They accepted to take the lessons and so that's what we will be doing this next week.

Elder Williams and I were blessed with so much success! We had a vast amount of lessons and made a lot of progress! Our Heavenly Father truly blesses us for our obedience! I've also learned that we can never really pay him back. The more obedient we are the more he blesses us and the more we are truly behind. He loves his children SO MUCH!

Another experience briefly, we met a guy battling stage four cancer. We agreed to help him with service for his yard! It turned out good. We helped him in ways where he couldn't help himself. After we were finished, we talked a little bit and then got into the spiritual message. As I was opening to a more basic "God loves you" scripture or something like it, a scripture in Alma caught my eye. I looked at it and it talked about the judgment and resurrection. Simultaneously the thought came that everyone had different needs. I was hesitant because I didn't want to bring up death and resurrection to someone battling stage-four cancer. But I shared it anyways... He was super receptive to our message and said that he thought that he just was a spirit forever after this. It seemed to make him a little more happy or bright if that makes sense!

There were a few more awesome experiences but I just don't have time. I love this work! This is truly the time of his hastening and I'm so thrilled to be a part of it! Jesus Christ lives and God loves us! I know it! Thank you for all the support! Please feel free to write me I want to know! I love you all.
-Elder Bass

Later Notes: One story that i forgot to mention was a person that was named Sister Mcmurtrey, We stopped by her house because it was on the part member family list. She apparently said that she wasnt interested. I didnt hear her and asked for a return appointment, She gave us a return appointment. Elder Williams told me this afterwards.

Vicki and Evan finding was a miracle and something that i will never forget and a relationship that i will always treasure!

There was a 15 year old boy that we made a lot of effort to help. We went out and kicked the soccer ball around with him. We shared a thought and a prayer with that boy.  Looking back it is something that i am very proud of and something i see and minister of Christ would have done,

We also taught a lady named Melissa watson. She also has cancer. She let us come many times while i was in Rock Springs. This particular time we were on her porch and we couldnt go inside because of the third male rule. I remember the sun on her pale face.

I forgot to mention that we are going on trek this week so that should be pretty exciting! Justin was baptized this week. The baptism was AWESOME! We had to work to get people there and stuff but I truly felt like he was welcomed into the ward. He is such a great guy and he's going to fit in so well. Please be kind and fellowship those who are new they need you! He really wants to be a good person and a man of God. It went very smoothly.

I went on exchanges this week to Green River. We lived with an older couple for a few days and did some yard and house work for them! Here's a picture of me lifting weights at their house.

Do you remember my blocks tie?Sunday we have to go to three different churches so I developed an equation to calculate the volume of the tie! It turned out to be an awesome problem!

picture of Elder Williams from the MTC

Week 5-Rock Springs, WY

Umm lets see this week...  Emailing is so time consuming. Maybe its just because I'm a slow typer haha.

We have done a lot of service this week. The National High school Rodeo is held here so we have been volunteering there! We've met people from all over the country and Canada! We got a cool tshirt and free tickets to the rodeo which we're going to be using tonight!

This is such a blessed area! We have seen so many lessons.We actually have a baptism this weekend. His name is Justin, and he's from South Carolina. He moved up here for a girl and she dumped him a few weeks later. So he was kinda stuck... He started working at Taco Bell and met us (we're trying to get him to hook us up haha). We started teaching him and he looks really thuggish but he's such a nice guy. I've really had to get over my judging barriers. Yesterday he told us a girl is moving up here from South Carolina for him. She's a not a member and he said he told her that it wasn't gonna happen unless they went to church and stuff. Such a proud moment!

Our stake leaders and bishops are awesome! It does seem to fall off a little bit at the Elders Quorum, but we're working with them. We have such a great vision for the area. I know that we can do great things with God!

Elder Clark is a great guy! We are really starting to play off each other and be good at teaching! Most of what we do is just create an environment so that the spirit can touch them. Without God and his help our effort are ineffective and virtually meaningless. We have 4 people on date for baptism in this area. We are working with 10 more or so! I love working with the members and I testify that the more they are involved the more success we have. Easily.

I am going on exchanges with a guy from my MTC district we're both really excited and it will be cool to run my area for the first time. Hopefully I dont get lost!

Super excited for tonight I'm going to try and get a belt buckle at the rodeo!

The spirit leads and guides us in all that we do! It's hard work for it to be that way though. I wish I could talk to Jared. It would be such a great experience for him. I can't think of any experiences off the top of my head so I'll try to write them down when they happen. Thank you for all the love and support! I love you all!

-Elder Bass

Later Notes:

The beginning of my mission i struggled a lot with small talk and getting people to feel comfortable around me. I think that helped me so much was the week long exchange that happened this week. It was really only about 3-4 days.

The guy i was with at the time, Elder Williams, was a great missionary. He was very timid and shy. He would almost do no talking so it was all pretty much up to me.

I remember looking forward to the exchanges that we went on. It was a time when i got to do things completely my way. A lot of the things that my trainer did were irritating to me. One of the things was he would spend along time small talking. He would talk to some people as long as they would let him. I remember listening to conversations next to him for like 40 min+.

Alex's two buddies meet in the Salt Lake City-West mission today!!  Nick picked Derek up at the airport after spending 6 weeks in the Mexico MTC.

Week 4-Rock Springs, WY

Elder Bass and Elder Clark

(I copied part of my letter to him at the beginning so you will understand his responses. )

Me: It sounds like you are being well-fed!!  What did you do with 5 pizzas?  What kind of food do you usually get?  Have you gained any weight?  Do your pants still fit? :)  Are the members strong in Rock Springs?  Are you starting to get to know the members?  Are you and Elder Clark over just one ward there?  How many missionaries are in Rock Springs?

We ate the pizzas. We've been getting so much pizza lately. We are so spoiled by our members, but the work gets hard. We are a no-tracting mission. We get all sorts and varieties of meals, all are good though!

The people out here are actually a really rough group. Most of the men do grunt work in mines and have pretty rough schedules. That's why a lot of people are inactive! They're super outdoorsy. Everyone hunts and fishes and camps and everything outdoors. I am learning to love the people here even though I've only been in the field two weeks. In Rock Springs there are 2 sets of elders and 2 sets of sisters. I cover three wards. So, I'm pretty much at church all day Sunday going to different meetings and sacrament meetings and so forth! My companion and I bore our testimony in all three of our wards in an effort to help get them to trust us and everything! I have definitely seen a rougher side of life. I have fasted and prayed for charity and love and I am really starting to see them more how God sees them!

My companion is a cool guy. We work hard and have seen results even if small in our area! We have started this 7-day missionary work challenge! We just started it so we'll see how it works. We get along really well. Somedays he likes to sleep a little longer than he's supposed to but we do get really tired. I don't have a scale so I don't know if I've gained weight. I most likely have. We get fed every night easily. I'm starting to know the members now so it only goes up from here. My suit pants actually are a little tight. We have a gym in our apartment complex and I exercise everyday (except Sunday). Elder Clark and I really have been trying hard to teach people and be better missionaries and we have started to see success. For the Fourth, we had a zone meeting an hour or so away! Everything is so far away in Wyoming! We have had to make the drive to Salt Lake Way too many times! After we got back, we went to a golf course thing for fireworks. We just did it for exposure and to meet new people! My companion participated in a pie eating contest! It was pretty fun overall but we had to be in before the fireworks even started!

Anyways a kinda cool experience... we were teaching someone in the samari apartments. We stopped by because she didn't come to church and she's one that we had on date for baptism, so we were like what the heck. Her mother was there and her mother is sick so we happened to run into the guys who were giving her the sacrament! We gave her the sacrament and then they left. Her mother started to explain that Heather had been having some problems about the Book of Mormon. So we were like, hey let's read a chapter right now! She has been struggling with A LOT from her past. This guy abused her and has left her super scarred. I gave a prayer fervently before we started and asked that Heather would feel the power of the atonement to let those things go and focus and know that as we read she would feel the truth of what we were talking about. The spirit was so strong, she started to tear up and cry. We read through some of Alma chapter 34 together. She cried at multiple points. I tried to listen to understand and ask inspired questions. We stopped every 6 verses or so and talked about the different thoughts and impressions that we had and said that these were the spirit. We left gave her a chapter to read and concluded. I was happy because I felt she came closer to God from our visit.

Dad asked for experiences where I was guided by the spirit. Honestly we always are. We have a lot of people that we see and we feel like we should visit certain names and we just go from there. We had three cool lessons last night. That was just one of them.

One instance was Thursday, we felt like we should stop by just to see if she was home. Randomly, no one had visited her in a long time. She opened to us and was super receptive. She explained that her son went through these series of medical issues the past few weeks and could've died. But miraculously, she said that it was a miracle from God that he's alive and he's fine now. She said she wouldn't have let us in if it would have been a month or so ago, but this experience had opened her eyes. We were like-sweet. She works THREE jobs so it was a miracle that we even saw her. We asked her to take the lessons and she was was silent for a little bit then said she thought that was a good idea! Anyways keep giving me stories from home! I love to read them! Love you guys!

Elder Bass

Later Notes:

Most nights we would get in at around 9-9:30. We would almost always have ping-pong tournaments. We would play many games of ping pong. Everyone in the Apartment was always really good,

I would always sleep in the long car rides. This particular one I fell asleep relatively fast. I remember Elder Clark was super tired as well. He swerved off the road and we almost died... This trip was when we headed to the new missionary training.

I got a letter from Cassidy this particular week. I was super thrilled about it. I was under the silent subconscious misconception that she was the only attractive mormon girl.

Elder Clark participated in a pie eating contest. We talked to quite a few people that night. My contacting shifted significantly through my mission. At this point it was a lot less direct and more shifted towards building a relationship and breaking down walls.