Visit From An Apostle -- Progressing Investigator

Well this coming week is Thanksgiving. It'll be the fourth Thanksgiving away from home in a row. The way the transfers fall if things were to go normally I would be flying home on Thanksgiving day of next year. I wonder if they will send us home early or late or something... but anyways I have way too long to worry about that so I won't.

     The weather has stayed pretty cool. Not too cold. I still wear short sleeves every day. It has been a nice change from sweating every day.

     We had a pretty good week. Our investigator named Mark had a baptismal interview on Thursday. He isn't 100% percent ready. He still has some concerns about prophets and the Book of Mormon. He finished the Book of Mormon the day of his interview. He is still reading and praying. We will baptize him in December.

     We also begun teaching a lady that has had multiple strokes leaving her right side paralyzed. She was raised Catholic, but is happy to meet with us. She really felt the spirit as we testified of the atonement. She made it to church on Sunday. She is a really nice lady. She talks and moves a lot slower than she actually is. I hope the ward will be good about fellowshipping.

     Last Tuesday we found out that Elder D Todd Christopherson would be in the mission and invited all of the missionaries to meet with him. We were all able to shake his hand, then he spoke to us, and then opened it up for a question and answer session. He told us how much the Lord would bless us for our service, and reminded us that he never is in debt to us. He also spoke on how we can know the Lord. He is a powerful teacher and I learned a lot while listening to him.

     The Church is still true here in Temple TX. Keep praying for us.

Love

Elder Rindlisbacher

One Year Mark -- Growth in Testimony and Patience

Well this Thursday it'll be November 18th, one year since I left home. Because I have only contributed enough money for about half of my mission I will be coming home....... Just Kidding. It is kind of interesting to try to think back to that day I left. Dad and Chase drove me to the airport. Uncle Matt R, and Grandma and Grandpa Tuft greeted me at the airport. They took me to lunch and we got to see Hope.

     It doesn't feel like that much time has passed by. I think I've grown quite a bit. I weigh in fifteen pounds heavier than when I left, but fit into all of the same clothes fine. I think some of my pants have gotten a little shorter, that or I've grown a little. I also feel way more confident. There really isn't much I can't accomplish. I feel like I am doing pretty good as a teacher. My testimony has grown. I think I've developed a little more patience... maybe. Anyways I know there isn't anything that I could be doing right now that would be better for me.

     The work here in Temple has slowed down dramatically. We are thinking of better ways to find people. I wish I could find a way to get the ward excited about inviting there friends. We have started tracting a different part of town and the people seem to be a bit more effective.

     The man named Mark that we've been visiting with since I've been here is getting really close. He has set a date for himself but still has some concerns about the Book of Mormon and modern prophets. It doesn't seem like he is praying very sincerely when he prays in front of us.  He just prays that my companion Elder Bevan, who is pretty quiet, will get a speaking engagement in the great city of Salt Lake. We continue to invite him to pray. He will be finishing the Book of Mormon this week. I think that he believes that it is true, but is just being stubborn. Will you please pray for him.

     Elder Bevan and I are getting along really well. We haven't had a disagreement this transfer. It has been really good. We are trying to think of ways that we can be a little more obedient and diligent so that the work will improve.

I love y'all.

Cooler Weather and Investigator Cooling Off as Well

Well we had transfer calls this last Saturday evening. It was a surprise. Nothing is changing for my companion and I. He is a little upset. This is his greenie area and he will be here for 6 months at the end of this transfer. I remember Richard being a little upset when he had to stay in Lamar for that long. I loved my greenie area and was ready to stay for another little bit.

     The weather has sure cooled down quite a bit. There is a weather service we are allowed to call and the other day it said it was 41 degrees at 9 in the morning. It heated up to about 65 that day. It has stayed around 70 for most of the week. It is nice to have it be a little warmer. It is a little harder to make it out the door for exercise in the mornings though.

     Planning on areas to tract is getting a little harder. We have knocked a lot of the doors that are near by our apartment. The streets of temple are pretty crowded and there aren't any side walks so we try to stay off of our bikes most of the time. It is a little easier to contact people while on foot anyway. I think we will spend more time on the bikes this transfer to save some time.

     We had a disappointment this week. We had a man named Clifford scheduled for baptism this last week. The day before his baptism we got a call from him. He had punched on an appointment the night before. He told us that his cousin got into an accident and he had to go take care of him so he was moving that day. He was moving to his uncle's house who is a pastor of another church. I'm pretty sure he didn't move. He has had a hard time giving up cigarettes and I think he is just embarrassed to tell us.

     Other than that we had a pretty good week. We found a few people that seem semi promising. I know that if we continue to work hard and be obedient we will be blessed.

I love y'all

Elder Rindlisbacher

Encouragement for us to share the gospel with our friends

     So I've been in Temple for about 5 weeks now. It is crazy how fast time flies here. It's been interesting because we've had general and stake conference. I've only attended out ward three times. I wish I knew the ward a little better because Elder Bevan will probably be transferred in about a week and a half.

     We had to push back the baptismal date we had with Clifford. He is scheduled to be baptised this coming Saturday. He has read and prayed like we've asked and feels that he knows it is true. He was raised Jehovah Whiteness, so he says there are a few beliefs that are a little hard to leave behind but he is excited to be baptised. We just need to keep him out of the pool hall where he used to hang out so he can stay away from cigarettes and coffee.

     We attended the ward Halloween party on Saturday. We had about 6 people we've been working with there. The ward did a very good job of making everyone feel comfortable. We had a part member family there and their infant won one of the costume contests.

     Last night (for Halloween) we were not allowed to go out. We got with our district and had a district meeting up in Waco. After the meeting we stayed at another missionaries apartment so we could participate in a P Day activity. After studies and things this morning we played some football and capture the flag. It was pretty fun. I really enjoy being in a more social environment than a companionship.

     Well the church is still true here in Temple TX. I love y'all. Pray for missionaries and don't be scared to open your mouth to friends. Teaching members friends is way more productive than knocking doors.

 

Love, Elder Rindlisbacher

 

PS Thanks for the pictures and the pictures to come. Rachel sure has grown. Especially her hair. .

 

President and Sister Thurston

Experiencing Some Success

     We had a pretty good week this week. Since I've been it Temple that finding has been pretty slow and it has been a tad bit frustrating. However we had a series of fortunate events this week that made it wonderful. Last Sunday after stake conference we had James, the young man we've been teaching, interviewed. He passed! It was a relief. We thought there might be some things that would hold him back for a bit. So on Wednesday evening after the mutual activity we gathered all of the young men and young women to watch James get baptized. It was a good service, nice and brief with lots of people in attendance. He asked that one of the Spanish missionaries, who was a marine before the mission, be the one who baptized him. It was good for him because he's only been out for 3 weeks in the field.
     At the beginning of the week we had two other baptismal dates set. We were able to see one of them and to solidify everything, since then we haven't been able to get in to contact with her. She works nights at the local WalMart, and has been in and out of the hospital with seizures. She is also planning on moving in the near future so we worry about her a bit.
     Our other baptismal date was really hard to get in contact with this week as well. He in the past has had a problem with smoking and drinking coffee. We thought he might be trying to avoid us. Then last night we dropped by his place. He wasn't home. We were driving away and I saw him a few streets down. We stopped and asked if we could meet with him. He agreed. We visited with him for a while about the role of the Holy Ghost. He let us know how he knew the Book of Mormon is true. So we set another baptismal date and set appointments for the rest of the week. He is getting baptized on Halloween.
     Also at church on Sunday we had 3 new people that we will be able to start teaching this week. One just had his wife pass away and she was a member of the church. The other is the wife of a less active return missionary. And the last is a friend of a recent convert. It is awesome to see the blessings flow.

Love,
Elder Rindlisbacher

A New Stake Created

     Well another week is past and gone. We had some history going on here. The Killeen Texas Stake was split this weekend. There is now a Killeen Texas State and a Waco Texas Stake. We had a wonderful stake conference and we were able to have a few of our investigators there. We had Elder Malm of the First Quorum of the Seventy visiting. He was a very powerful speaker, and he had a fun accent. I guess he is from Sweden.
    The messages were great, but a lot of the meeting was dedicated to business. Dividing the stake and lots of testimonies from the old and new stake presidencies.
     After stake conference our mission president interviewed the young man we have been working with. He passed and will be baptized this Wednesday. I feel that he is prepared, but it will take some fellowshipping to keep him active.
     We saw a few tender mercies this week. It seems like this area isn't much for tracting. We seem to just run into a lot of retired Baptists that are happy to tell us they are satisfied with their religion. We got a phone call from a lady that we had seen my first night here and hadn't seen since. She had been out of town and also in the hospital. We were able to meet with her again and set a baptismal date. She is pretty excited. She also had a 10 year old son who is a lot less excited. He doesn't really talk to us. When you ask him a question or teach him something he doesn't agree with he just moans and wont look at us. It is pretty funny really. I think he'll come around.
     We were also invited by our bishop to go and teach a friend of his daughter. He is an older man. In the conversation I asked if he had felt he had ever had a prayer answered. His reply is "you're sitting there." He is searching for truth. It's awesome.
     My companion and I are getting along a little better. We just have differences in opinions a lot. Especially on how we should use our time. I'm trying very hard to love him and not cause contention. I'm trying to keep my joking to a minimum.
     Well the church is still true here in Texas. I'm loving life, even if it throws trials at me every now and again.

Love,
Elder Rindlisbacher

Learning to Get Along with My Companion

   Yes another week is gone. They just fly by. I'm still loving life and having a great time. Temple seems to be a good place. It is weird to think I've almost been here for two weeks. General Conference kept me from meeting the ward for an entire week, and then this coming Sunday we have stake conference. Before I know it another transfer will have flown by and I'll have a new companion. Things are moving crazy fast.

     Our area is a little rough. We cover the entire city of Temple and we're on bikes. I really don't think it'd be that big of deal, however there are not a lot of sidewalks and the streets we travel seem to be busy all of the time. We have been doing a lot of walking, which slows us down a bit. It also gives us a lot of street contacting opportunities.

     There is a huge hospital and a medical school in town. It seems like about a third of the people in the ward are either med students or residents. It is kind of fun having so many return missionaries to work with. They are good about feeding us and we have exchanges almost every night.

     We have a baptismal date with the 16 yer old kid that made it out to one session of conference. We also set a date with another individual that attended two sessions. The man that attended for all five sessions is a really good guy, but he is still stuck on some of his old Baptist doctrines.

     I'm not a district leader this transfer. I'm pretty grateful. That sure seemed to keep me super busy and on the phones every night. I'm follow up training Elder Bevan. I have to be careful with my words around him because he is easily offended. I was asking him questions and then playing devil's advocate just for the sake of conversation this weekend. Apparently he felt I was being really rude and didn't talk to me until I had apologized. I'm trying real hard to keep off his toes. I'm sure we'll get along great if I can keep from being a tease.

Love Y'all,

Elder Rindlisbacher

Star Valley Wyoming Companion

     The weeks just keep flying by. I'm in Temple TX and I am serving with Elder Bevan. He is from Star Valley WY, and he has been in the mission field for two transfers. I am his second companion. He seems to be a really cool guy. He is fairly quiet in the lessons. I'll have to push him a bit to be a bit more outgoing. He seems to have a pretty good grasp on the gospel. It should be a good transfer.

    The work seems to be going pretty well. Conference was great. We had three investigators attend. One of them attended all five sessions. His name is Mark. He is a guy that is a little down on his luck, but is very smart. He has a degree in accounting, but moved down here durring a recession and can't find any work. He was raised Southern Baptist and knows alot about the Bible. He has read about half of the Book of Mormon. He is a great guy with a few concerns. I hope we'll be able to help his with them. The members are very supportive. We've had rides for all of our investigators, and exchanges every night.

     I really enjoyed conference for myself. There seemed to be a lot of talks on gratitude and also revelation. I really enjoyed Elder Oaks talk. It always seems like there are talks specifically for me, and I noticed that some of the talks were perfect for our investigators.

     I'm loving life. The work is rollin' along.

Love,

Elder Rindlisbacher

PS: CONGRATZ RICHARD AND BRITTANY!!!!!! I'm excited for y'all I'll get a letter in the mail for ya today.

Moving to Temple

     Well we received our transfer calls this last Saturday, and I will be leaving the Fossil Ridge area. I have mixed feelings about leaving. I'm sad to leave some of the families. The ward is great and gives us a lot of support. There are some recent converts and less active members that I've grown fairly close to. I'm not too upset about leaving because I've knocked almost every door in the area in my short stay, and the work has slowed down quite a bit.

     I will be transferred to the Temple 1st area. It is in the Killean West zone. It is one of the farthest south areas in the mission. I'm excited to be headed back to a more country place. I hear the work is always pretty strong, despite the heavy southern baptist leaning down there.

    My companion will be Elder Bevan. I haven't talked to anyone who knows him, so I guess we'll find out Wednesday. I think he is probably a fairly young missionary.

     We had an eventful week. Last Monday Elder Walker had some weird chest pain. Tuesday we went to the doctors to check it out. The doctor said it was probably something to do with his esophagus, and scheduled him to have a camera shoved down his throat. On Friday we went to go get the camera shoved down his throat. The doctor said that he had some disease that meant that he had acid reflux, and also some scarring from previous surgeries that food gets hung up on. All in all he is fine. They said he just needs to adjust his diet a bit and to chew his food more.

     We had begun teaching the young man that is the boyfriend to a member of the ward. He was progressing well and everything, but then he broke up with his member girlfriend. We found out how pure his intentions were when we gave him a call to see if he still wanted to learn. When he found out who it was he hung up on us. It was a tad bit frustrating.

    I know that Walker and his new companion will be able to turn things around. It's the Lord's work and it must go on.

Anyways,

Love,

Elder Rindlisbacher