Oct 28, 2013

Hello family and friends! Greetings from Henderson, NV!

Some of the highlights this week include:

Inventing a new lunch: a grilled cheese sandwich with an egg in it, used as a bun for a hot dog. Add chili on top and you have a monster of deliciousness. It was very good and I had it all over my face! 

Having a dog puke ALL over the floor in the middle of a lesson. It took us all by surprise! The poor dog had been whining before and no one understood why. After he up-chucked and interrupted a very spiritual point in the meeting, he was just fine!! He then proceeded to lick the Elder's Quorum president's hand (who arrived after this event) the entire time during the closing prayer. NASTY. 

This week has been great! We're finding a lot more people to teach and we can feel the work increasing. We are finding more things to fill our time that have turned out to be productive and beneficial to the work. This next week we have our ward Trunk Or Treat, which should be a very fun activity with tons of new faces and people to meet! 

This week I had a very great experience. We went on exchanges again and I stayed in the area once more. My personal study that morning greatly revolved around the question "Where should I go?" As I studied, I came across three verses in the Doctrine and Covenants that say that the Comforter would lead me where to go. All three used the word "Comforter." The Comforter is another title for the Holy Ghost, but I wondered why they would use the term Comforter instead of Holy Ghost or Spirit. As I pondered I found a verse in Moroni 8 that says that the Comforter fills us with hope and perfect love. I discovered that as we are filled with hope, which provides the motivation and goals to keep moving, and with perfect love, which casts out all fear, we are then in a position to act and be guided. I tried to apply that during the rest of the day and I had two unique, incredible experiences where I was led by the Comforter to someone who needed to speak with us. I know with all my heart that God answers prayers and that miracles are possible if you ask and have faith. Don't be afraid to ask for miracles. Pray for them with all your might, then go and do your best to make them happen, being filled with hope and perfect love, and I promise you that you will feel the guidance of the Comforter. It is more subtle than can be described, but if you are doing the Lord's will, He will never let you fail. I love you all! Be safe and stay close to the Lord!

Elder Norton

October 21, 2013

Happy 2 months! How weird is that? Doesn't seem like it at all.

 

The weather here is getting SO NICE. It's beautiful out here and biking feels great. I understand why people live here now. I didn't before.... too hot. The desert is quite beautiful at times! I've been kept safe, which is such a blessing. We started our second transfer, so a new 6 week period has begun. I stayed in my area with my companion, although some missionaries got transferred to new areas. My trainer will probably be transferred next time and I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll be training a new missionary.... YIKES.

 

This week I want to express my gratitude to all of you. I have felt the affects of your prayers. I have been uplifted and sustained by your prayers and I know it comes from you because there isn't much different in what I'm doing or how the work is. But I have felt a spiritual power that I know is a blessing from our Heavenly Father. He truly lives. He truly answers prayers and He is so invested in our well-being that we can't even comprehend it. I'm so blessed to be representing Jesus Christ. That is a privilege that I am so humbled to accept. The Lord lives and the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been fully Restored. Truth exists and can be found. Come and see what this Church has to offer and I promise you that the teachings of Christ will bless you no matter what your lifestyle is. I truly believe that. I have come to know that for myself. Thank you for your support to me and my family. I love you all!
Elder Norton

October 14, 2013

Can you believe that one transfer is already over? I've been here for 6 weeks already! Weird weird weird. It's gone by so fast and so slow. It's kinda hard to remember what life was like before this! This week has been awesome and difficult. Most weeks are. 

On Tuesday, we did this thing called an exchange. That's where a missionary from one area switches with a missionary in a different area for 24 hours. It helps us learn from other missionaries, other people, and a great experience. HOWEVER! My companion was the one who went out to a different area and I was left in charge of ours! It was so difficult but I learned a ton. It was incredible how when I really listened to the Spirit and asked the Lord where we should go, miracles happened. It was a successful day and I saw a lot of progression in myself. The Lord answers prayers. Every day I see that more and more. He's shaping me for what's to come. It's hard to be patient, but I trust in His timing. For all those who want to know my favorite Conference talk, it's so hard to pick just one. But I'd probably say either Elder Ballard's, President Uchtdorf's (Both of them) and President Eyring. There's some incredible promises in there. I know that we have a Prophet on the earth. What an incredible blessing. Thank you all for your prayers and your letters. I barely have time to write letters, but I will try to get to as many as I can. May God bless you as you do your best to learn of Him. I promise that there are blessings that He wants to give you and that if you do what He asks, they can be yours. This work is so real. With the world moving farther and farther away from the Lord, it's so great to know that God is unchangeable and that happiness comes from the Gospel. 

All of my love, 

Elder Norton

First week in October

Hello world! Is there really more people out there? My whole world is very small here for the moment and it's probably going to be so for a long time! But that's good and how it should be. 

This week was bizarre. The first half of the week we had almost  no appointments and ended up biking more than 20 miles every day. Yeah, it was SUPER tiring. My legs felt like jelly afterward. Good exercise though. The second half we had tons and tons of meetings, trainings, and General Conference, where we listen to the Prophet and the Apostles as they tell us the things the Lord would have us know at this time. So we had very minimal proselyting between Friday and Sunday. Yet the work still continues to go forward. 

In answer to the question of why I named my email what I did, I'll relate this experience. My companion and I decided to go find a less-active member of the church. We went to the address according to the records and approached it. As we did, we noticed that on the street and up the driveway was a large chalk drawing. This drawing started on the street as a potted plant, with the stems and vines going up on the driveway. On the pot was the word "JUDGE." This plant was huge and extended all around the driveway and up it. It looked as though it had been done by a child, yet on different spots on the leaves and branches was the word yet again: "JUDGE," JUDGE," "JUDGE." It was honestly kind of creepy. It would have been sinister if it had been nighttime and drawn in something else besides pink chalk. At the top was the words: "Judge Forever, Dog by choice."

Yeah, I have no idea either. That will remain a mystery for forever. If you have any insights, please share! Another mystery I'd like to pose for you is this: Are pineapples and palm trees related? they have to be. They're so similar! Someone find out for me! 

The Lord works by small and simple means. It's the every day decisions that affect eternity. By making small choices, we learn how to make larger ones. I have been trying to choose to see every day as bright and full of hope. It has helped my spiritual strength so much. We are the masters of our lives. We can use the wonderful gift of agency that God has given us as a tool to better our lives. I've seen so many people enslaved by addictions here to all sorts of things, including gambling. Addiction destroys agency. But when we follow the commandments of God, we're enabled, put into a state to act, and have the Holy Ghost with us. Make the small decisions to draw closer to God. Decide to be optimistic and it will greatly better your life. Thank you for your prayers and support. I love you all and keep you in my prayers as well. May the work of the Lord move forward!

Love, 

Elder Norton