11/25/13

This week has been great! As the title of my email hints at, I met some famous people this week! Sorta.....

 

We met a family that we call the Jackson 5 because there's 5 of them and their last name is Jackson. Makes sense, huh? Yeah, we thought so too. It makes me laugh every time though, even though it's not that clever. Somewhat clever. Anyhow, it's kinda funny because their youngest is a little boy maybe 5 years old. I just want to call him Michael, but I don't think they'd think it was that funny. We met the mom on the street and offered to come leave a prayer with her and her family. They just went through a death in the family and needed the comfort. The Spirit was so strong and we set a time to come back and teach them. The first lesson went exactly as planned (which NEVER happens) and ended with their accepting to be baptized!!!! Please pray for them. They need the help and this gospel will be the greatest thing for them.

 

Okay, so I didn't actually meet Lily Potter, but I DID meet a little red-headed girl named Lily. I'm not sure what her parents were thinking when they named her Lily, that poor girl is going to get sick of that reference for the rest of her life! But I needed a third famous person's name, so I guess that'll do!

 

And finally, Bruce A. Carlson. He's awesome. He is serving as part of the Quorum of the Seventy in the Church (if you don't know what that is, read Luke 10:1 and ask a Mormon....!) He came to our mission to give training to all the missionaries. It was an excellent day, full of inspiration and revelation. I learned so much about what we can do to help our area but even more about what I can do to help me become closer to the Lord. I was one of four missionaries who were privileged to have an interview with him at one point in the day. It was wonderful to speak to such a spiritual man. I know that he is called by a Prophet and Apostles to do the Lord's work. He asked me two questions: "How has your mission been?" and "What do you hope to accomplish on your mission?" After discussing, he gave me some good advice and I left feeling that I was on the path that the Lord wanted me to be. The overall theme for the training was, once again, building trust with the Lord through obedience and diligence. As one of my favorite movies would say: "Coincidence? I think NOT!!!!!" The Lord is preparing me for what is ahead. I'm learning and developing more than I thought possible. I would invite you all to turn over your lives to Him. Study His word, keep His commandments, and serve others. He knows what we can become and He will change us to become that, if we let Him. I have a firm testimony of that.

 

Tomorrow, I get a new companion! I graduate from being a trainee and will act as senior companion for at least the next 6 weeks here in the area. My trainer is going to Kingman, Arizona, and I will be in charge now. AAAUUUGGGHH!HH!!! Scary thought, I know. But I trust the Lord and will give it my all. He'll cover my mistakes and faults as long as I put Him first and do His will. Thank you for your prayers, your letters, and your love. It means a lot out here in the middle of the desert. Stay true to what you know and come to know the truth. I pray for you and hope that you can see the miracles of God in the details of your lives. God bless!

Love,

Elder Norton

November 18, 2013

Yes, this week I was in charge. It's part of the training program and it was insane. We had 3 exchanges in 4 days and I stayed here all three times with an AP, a Zone Leader, and another new missionary that came out with me. It was nuts! But I gave it 110% and it payed off. Our work exploded this week and now we have 10 people or families to teach. What a miracle. Thank you for your prayers and support. I honestly got a little burned out in the beginning of the week and was exhausted for the rest of it, but still went as hard as I was able. Thank goodness for P-Day!

This week we had our Stake Conference. In it, our Stake President said something profound. He talked about how he viewed missionary work as a principle of obedience. That's something that we missionaries love. Obedience brings blessings, but exact obedience brings miracles. I am a witness of that and have a strong testimony of it. But then he went on to talk about how missionary work should be a principle of faith, even more than obedience. That really got me thinking. Where do I go after I'm being exactly obedient? How do I progress? By acting in faith. It's as simple as that. So I'm changing how I view things and instead of being exactly obedient for the sake of obedience, I am going to be exactly obedient to show the Lord my faith in Him and show that He can trust me as I trust Him. I know He will open my eyes to the miracles that will follow. I encourage and invite you to be exactly obedient as an act of faith and then to step back and watch the Lord pour out blessings on you so much that there won't be room enough to receive it. Stay close to Him and all will work out. May God bless you!
Elder Norton

Halloween in Vegas!

Hello all! It's been a great week here in Vegas. The weather is cooling down and starting to get really really nice. I now understand why people live here. I've even started to develop my missionary tan line on my neck! Yes, now I'm officially a missionary.

Our Mission President decided that it probably wouldn't be the best thing for us to be out proselyting Halloween night, so from 6 to 9 we got to go watch Ephraim's Rescue (church movie, of course) at the mission home and enjoy a little Halloween party there. That was such a great tender mercy. So glad I got a chance to just rest and enjoy myself. In the spirit of Halloween, I thought you'd all be interested to hear about some of the crazy Vegas people that I've come across here. It's quite entertaining, actually.

1. The man who was convinced that everyone was an apostle and that Christ told us to keep our religion secret. yeah...... that's not what He said. 

2. The homeless man yelling nonsense at passing cars at an intersection. That one is actually way more frequent than you'd think. 

3. The man staring at an speaking to a styrofoam cup in his hand. He looked very intent on what he was doing.

4. We befriended a security guard in our apartment complex. He told us that he had to shut down the hot tub because a group of people were..... ready for this? .... washing their dishes in the hot tub. NAAAASSSTTYY!!!!! So so so gross. 

5. A tipsy woman who invited us to have dinner with her. Friendly, but definitely drunk. 

And many more to come. Those are just the ones that come to mind right now. I'm enjoying being a missionary. I'm working harder than I ever have and I can feel the sustaining power of God. By small and simple things are great things brought to pass and I trust in God that my small and simple efforts will help bring about great things. We learn in Matthew 17:20 that if we have faith as big as a mustard seed, we could move mountains. I know that is true. I look forward to the mountains that will be moved and I know that it happens every day. We just have to open our eyes and see them. Mountains like seeing the Book of Mormon soften a woman's heart or testifying of eternal families so that a man invites us back to his home. These small things are great in the work because every soul is of incredible worth to God. Love one another as He has loved you and I promise you that your mountains will be removed. Love you all!

Elder Norton