No better reason to be tired

This was a really long week. It went by slowly and not too much happened. We did a lot of service with the Zone Leaders helping them move out a less-active man in their ward who was being evicted. It was a lot of work but we were happy to help somebody who was in need. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday definitely felt the longest. Our ward was at a YSA summit in San Diego (basically they went camping for the weekend and did fun stuff) so we couldn't meet with any of them and then church was there on Sunday but we weren't allowed to go since the campgrounds are an hour and a half outside the mission. On Sunday we went to a regular OLD family ward for the farewell of a guy in our ward. The reason for the emphasis on old is because of the Sunday school class we went to. It was gospel essentials and it was the longest 45 minutes of mine and Elder Davies lives, us and the other missionaries in there were probably a solid 50 to 60 years younger than the rest of the people in the class. After this we went to the Saddleback YSA ward and I felt much more at home. Whenever it ends up being that I get transferred out of this area it is going to be a rough adjustment back to a family ward.

The highlight of the week by far was talking to a guy named Tyler on the pier. The last time we went he gave us free clam chowder because he recognized us as missionaries and then this time we sat and talked with him for a while about what he does and he told us that he has always been kind of interested in Mormons so we were able to give him a copy of The Book of Mormon and he was excited to finally have a chance to read it. The next day we added him as a friend on Facebook and we saw that he had posted a picture of The Book of Mormon and seemed excited to have one. After he accepted our request he posted a picture with a bunch of Mormon stereotypes on our page and joked about it but then said he was glad to meet us. He has a pretty crazy life style but he seems genuinely open to learning more so we have the faith and hope that he will accept it and change.

I'm tired all the time, and can definitely relate to that scene in the district when it shows Elder Moreno saying he is tired all the time but there is no better reason to be tired than from being in the service of our Heavenly Father. This morning in my studies I read a bunch of talks from Elder Holland and one part of one stuck out to me. It is from his talk in the October 2010 session of conference entitled "Because of Your Faith". In it he says, "To you, Mom and Dad, and to all the moms and dads and families and faithful people everywhere, I thank you for sacrificing for your children (and for other people’s children!), for wanting so much to give them advantages you never had, for wanting so much to give them the happiest life you could provide. My thanks to all you wonderful members of the Church—and legions of good people not of our faith—for proving every day of your life that the pure love of Christ “never faileth.”  No one of you is insignificant, in part because you make the gospel of Jesus Christ what it is—a living reminder of His grace and mercy, a private but powerful manifestation in small villages and large cities of the good He did and the life He gave bringing peace and salvation to other people. We are honored beyond expression to be counted one with you in such a sacred cause."

Even though he is speaking for the apostles when he says we I want to echo the same thanks that he has for all of you. I'm grateful for all those who have helped me get to where I am and for those of you who will help others reach this point. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that his love for us is unmatched, also talked about by Elder Holland this year in conference, and that we are all children of God who loves us very much.  I love being here so much, These people are good and I need to be with them.

Love,

Elder Cheever

The best part of the week was Ross' baptism

This last week felt really long but was definitely worth the wait for the weekend, even though weekends don't feel like a break anymore. I was able to see a lot of miracles occur in the last few days of the week. On Friday we got to meet with our investigator Kurtis who is super solid. As we have taught him about the Restoration of the gospel, The Book of Mormon, and the Plan of Salvation he has absorbed it all and really wants to follow the gospel and follow our Savior. Currently he lives with his girlfriend and he has asked us about things we can't do so we mentioned the word of wisdom and the law of chastity so he understands that abstinence until marriage is a part of our belief but now quite why yet. He wants to be able to do what is right so he wants to know what he should do before he goes whole heartedly into the church while still doing what’s wrong so the next time we meet with him (Thursday) we will talk about the law of chastity and help him know the why of it and help him understand the blessings that come from it and allow him to pray to know what he should do.

The rest of Friday and Saturday were filled with a lot of service to the stake for the San Clemente Readiness Festival. After we helped set up on Friday, Elder Davies and I were worn out and feeling pretty down not only because we were tired and a little mad that the stake only sent a couple members to help us out and expected the whole zone to be the work force for their event. So after we set up and were tired we decided we needed food so we stopped at a Jersey Mike's subs because I felt like we needed something healthy to eat and that that was the best option. When we arrived there was a lady from the Newport Stake named Sister Jackson who generously offered to pay for our dinner and when we told her she didn't have to she pressed the issue even more. It was such a blessing to see a member who appreciated and loved us and definitely helped boost mine and Elder Davies' spirits.

Following dinner we had a window of Heaven planned and almost immediately a man from Compass Bible Church, one of the churches in the area that always bashes with missionaries, began trying to bash with us and argue about doctrine. It was really tiring and draining because the Spirit was absolutely not there and any time we tried to bear testimony he would cut us off and ruin the Spirit we tried to bring in. I hate when people try to bash, it just ruins whatever we are doing and tends to make me mad but one good thing that comes of it every time is that my testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel comes out stronger no matter what because I know that I must be doing something right in the work I'm doing for Satan to put people in my path to try to sway me off my path. This lasted for the first half hour of the window and we felt like nothing else could go right until a young man walking with some friends gave me a chick fil a sandwhich that he didn't want to eat. When he handed it to me I felt prompted to wait to eat it until we had finished the window and were back at our car. On the way back to our car we walked past a guy playing his guitar trying to get a little bit of money and I knew he was the one who needed the sandwhich. When I gave it to him the joy in his eyes was amazing. He was so pleased to be offered a shred of human kindness that he opened up to us and told us of his past experiences of learning about the gospel with some past missionaries in the area so we encouraged him to try to read and pray about the Book of Mormon again and to seek to know its truth.

The best part of the week was Sunday night when we had the opportunity to witness our investigator Ross' baptism. It was so amazing. The hours leading up to it were stressful as we filled the font, waited for Ross to arrive, and got everything ready to begin but as soon as we sang the opening song, "Joseph Smith's First Prayer", all the worry disappeared and I felt the Spirit enter the room. It was an amazing service and it was so cool to see Ross and how happy he was after being baptized and confirmed as he bore his testimony. An issue that I have been struggling with lately is feeling like I am doing enough for the Lord because there are many days in the YSA area where we try our best to get out and find people to teach whether they be less-actives or to find new investigators where nothing happens and I just feel useless; during the baptism as people spoke on the ordinance of baptism and on the Gift of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit touched my heart and mind in almost a small voice that said to me "Mads, you have done what I want you to". It witnessed to me that as I have helped Ross come closer to our Heavenly Father I have been doing the work that He wants me to do and that he is proud of me and that he is thankful for the help that I have been in bringing His children to Him. I began to feel a little more how he feels as each person gets baptized and confirmed when I had the opportunity to meet the mother of a less-active member of our ward. When she came up to us she thanked us for the help we have been and with tears in her eyes said that she never thought that he would come back to church.

I see now that this is how Heavenly Father feels about each person we help, He knows them as His children who He loves dearly and He will do guide them as much as He can without taking their agency so when they choose to return to the fold and accept the gospel I think that He, with tears in His eyes accepts them lovingly into His home and I can't wait to continue serving him and bringing people home.

I love this place and the people here and can't wait to find more people to bring home to my Father in Heaven. I love the gospel and I love the opportunity to be here serving God. I love these people, they are good and I need to be with them.

Love

Elder Cheever

[Madsen also mentioned that Cam will most likely be baptized on either the 29th of October or the 5th of November.]

Family Home Evening carving pumpkins with the San Clemente YSA ward.
 







On the pier at San Clemente

"Can I get one of those?"

[Here is Madsen’s letter from this week]

Alright here goes the real fun of the week😉

This week was pretty jam packed with stuff. It gets really tough to remember everything that happens in a week even when I write about it in my journal. Tuesday we got to go to dinner and have a lesson with Bobby, it's so amazing to see how much happier he is now that he has the gift of the Holy Ghost. On Wednesday we went to the Saddleback College campus with a bunch of missionaries and walked around to invite people to come to a free lunch and a class about Christ at the institute building. While we were walking around a kid came up to us and said "can I get one of those?" pointing to The Book of Mormon in my hand so we gave it to him and then he wanted to know more so we taught him the Restoration lesson and taught him a lot more about The Book of Mormon. It was cool to see somebody ask for it and teach them instead of finding people and trying to talk to them. On Thursday we met with Ross again, we can't wait for his baptism so we can see how much happier he becomes and then in years time if he goes on a mission like he wants to. On Friday we spent the day in San Clemente which is by far my favorite part of my area. We walked out on the pier and it was so cool to look back at the beach. We talked to a ton of members on vacation who were hanging out there and then got free clam chowder from a random guy in a store there who knew we were missionaries. As we were leaving the missionaries covering the San Clemente area called us and told us they had two investigators for us who had baptismal dates! We met with them on Saturday and they are super solid and excited to learn more. On Saturday the best thing happened! President Lutz, one of the members of the mission presidency, met with Cam and approved his baptism!!!!!! He was so happy afterwards so that should be happening this month and we can't wait. Yesterday I had an email from the church with a referral and we also contacted one of the investigators from San Clemente and scheduled times to meet with him which was cool.

One of the lessons that got reinforced for me was the power of fasting and prayer especially when people are united in it. On Saturday as a district we fasted for all of our investigators and that day everything with Cam got worked out and then a potential investigator responded to us. Then I fasted again on Sunday and was especially fasting that we could find somebody new to teach and that's when we got in contact with Paul and got the new referral. I know that our Heavenly Father and loves us and wants to help us with things we need but we first have to ask him and then when we sacrifice even more and fast he sees how much we want it. I love being a missionary and helping so many people and learning all the time. Even right now at institute we have a less active member of our ward who has been slowly coming back and meeting with us who now has a ton of friends here and it's so amazing to see the happiness back in his life and his willingness to meet with us from where he started out not wanting to talk to the past missionaries. I know this church is true and that we are led by a modern day Prophet. I love this work, and these people are good and I need to be with them!

Love

Elder Cheever

The coolest thing was when...

[I’m a little slow getting this out, but here is Madsen’s email from last week (October 5)]

This week went by really slowly but I learned a lot from it.

On Tuesday we met with Cam and talked about his baptism for a little bit then the rest of the day Elder Nielsen packed and I sent out texts to the guys in our ward asking them to extend the invitation to watch conference to their friends. Then we got to go to transfer meeting. It was a fun time but I definitely liked it much more when I didn't have to worry about getting a new companion. I'm still in the San Clemente YSA ward but now I am with Elder Davies. He is from Cedar City, Utah and did a year at SUU before he came on his mission, he has only been out here for one transfer more than I have (6 weeks) making our area one of the youngest in the missions since all four of us have been out less than 6 months.

We had a ton of meetings this week because it is the first week of the transfer but we were able to get some good lessons in with Cam and Ross. We were able to set a baptism date with Ross which was awesome. He is so faithful and wants so much to serve God and even plans to serve a mission when he is allowed to.

I was extremely stressed for much of the week because of Cam and his baptism. Because he is from Lebanon, President Orgill wants to make sure that his family will be safe if he gets baptized. In discussing this with Cam we learned that his mother lives in Syria so President Orgill wants to meet with Cam before the baptism happens. I spent much of the week in prayer and fasting regarding this situation hoping it would all work out and that Cam would get baptized on Saturday. Unfortunately President is a very busy man and didn't have time. When I got the call that we would have to move the baptism I had to hold back tears because of how disappointed I was. I felt like my fast was a waste of time and I was sad that we would have to wait to baptize Cam even though he is so ready. I was sad for Cam because I know how much he wants to get baptized and confirmed and make that covenant with Heavenly Father. As I thought about it all I realized how important this General Conference was and that if his baptism had gone on as scheduled I would not have been able to watch the Saturday morning session because I would have been filling the font and that because of that I would have missed some answers to questions I had. Our hope is that President will meet with Cam this week and that he will get baptized this coming Saturday and then the next Sunday is when we have Ross' date set so there is a lot of good stuff happening here.

Last night was amazing too. Down at Camp Pendleton I had the opportunity to give a blessing to a marine who wasn't a member, unbeknownst to me, but who wanted some help. In the blessing I felt prompted to mention that he should remember the promises that he has made with God, again I thought he was a member so I was thinking stuff like baptismal covenants, and then that he should also remember the things he has been taught and that as he did so he would be guided and protected through his training. After the blessing he talked about how he promised God he would serve him and that he was a lot closer to God as a child and was just starting to try to build that relationship again. The coolest thing was when we were talking about it he said that as I gave the blessing he was almost positive that he could hear somebody telling me what I should say to him! The faith that these boys, because they are boys just the same age as me, have as they serve our country is amazing and I'm so glad that I am worthy to hold the priesthood and bless the lives of others through it.

General Conference was amazing. All those who spoke are called of God and teach His truths. Thomas S. Monson is the Prophet today called by God to lead and guide us in these days and I love him and all them members of the first presidency and the Quorum of the 12 so much. I know with all my being that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father and that His Son and our brother Jesus Christ truly did suffer for our mistakes and our shortcomings and that he paid the price so that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again someday. He is our greatest example and should be our best friend because no matter what we are going through he will always be there to support and strengthen us. I know that this gospel is Christ's true church established on the Earth today and that we are guided by prophets, seers, and revelators who commune with our Father and Christ. I love serving them and bringing the lost sheep back into the fold. These People are good and I need to be with them.

Love

Elder Cheever