October 6, 2014

Hey everyone! I'm doing well. This week was crazy. We had meetings galore and lots of prayer, effort, and hours went into preparing and delivering them. I've been getting much better at recognizing how the Spirit "distills upon the soul as the dews from heaven." Elder Bednar describes it as a sunrise, gradually and slowly delivering light and revelation. What the Lord has been telling me recently about the work is that the most teaching, the best teaching, happens when we're not even there. It comes in the quiet moments when the investigators are following through on their commitments and receive witness from the Holy Ghost. Understanding that has changed my teaching a lot. I went into Conference looking for a big, life changing experience like I had last time, and was really confused when I didn't feel like I had it. But then the Lord told me "The most teaching, the best teaching, happens when you're not even there." He was reminding me that Conference will make a huge impact in my life IF I ponder the messages I got, review the teachings, and have those quiet moments. I'm looking forward to it.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement.

Elder Norton 

September 29, 2104

Hey everyone!

It's been a good week! The temperature is cooling off and it's PERFECT weather. So nice. Now I can see why people live in Vegas. It rained buckets the other night. We got soaked, but it was a blast. Huge blessings. 

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we believe that God continues to speak through prophets today. These men are righteous men of great faith and are given priesthood authority, the same that the Apostles in the Early Church had. Twice a year, we get the chance to hear from the Prophet and the Apostles in General Conference. And it's coming this weekend! I'm so excited!!!

Last General Conference in April, I was going through a tough time on my mission. I was feeling a lot of stress because of my work and I went to Conference looking for guidance, just like I would the scriptures. As the Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, gave his address, I felt my burden lifted. He spoke of charity and love. But as I listened to his words, the Holy Ghost gave me an answer to my problem. It fit perfectly. Immediately, I understood what I was to do. Because of this experience, I know for myself that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God. He speaks the words of Christ and is the mouthpiece for God on the earth today. I love hearing his counsel. If you have the opportunity at all, please watch General Conference this weekend. It will be broadcasted online or on the TV, or in a local chapel. I promise that you can know for yourself that there is a prophet on earth today. It's part of the glorious message I get to share every day. How blessed we are to have living revelation today. And if you come with a question, and prayerfully consider the messages you hear, you will get an answer. It's happened to me. 

Love you all!
Elder Norton 

Meet the Mormons- September 15, 2014

Hey everyone! 

I don't know if you've heard about this yet, but if you haven't, listen! 

On October 10, 2014, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will be releasing a full-length documentary called Meet the Mormons, in theaters around the nation. This follows the stories of 6 individuals who are members of the Church and how the gospel of Jesus Christ affects their lives. 

Super cool. If you want to know more about who Mormons are or what we believe, this will help a ton. It's very uplifting and inspiring. It's not designed to preach to people, but to inform them. With so many voices saying who we are, go see for yourself! 

I love this gospel I love this work! Thanks for your prayers and support! 

Elder Norton 

August 19, 2014- The One Year Mark

So sorry it's been so long:

Friends and family,

Believe it or not, this week I hit my one year mark. I know, it's insane isn't it? I feel like it was last week I was writing my first email home. But a year has gone by and here we are. It's been the greatest year of my life. I've had to deal with challenges I couldn't imagine and I've received more blessings than I ever thought possible. I am definitely not the same person I was a year ago. But that's the point, right?

This last week has been good. I'm still in the Paradise Stake in Las Vegas with Elder Borden, from Hawaii. I'm also serving with Elder Howe from Alabama. He's staying with us until he goes home on Wednesday. He's hilarious. Both are great elders and I'm happy to be serving with them.

One of the benefits of serving with a Polynesian companion is that somehow, we always get fed. It's great. Other Polynesian families are so willing to give us food. We never go without. Huge blessing. Elder Borden has taught me a lot about Christ-like love. He cares for people genuinely. We've grown a lot serving together and I have a testimony of team work. We can't do it all on our own. That's why Father gave us families. 

This week my testimony has been strengthened because of the Book of Mormon. That book has been critical in my understanding of who Christ is. I truly know that it contains the words of eternal life. It fills my daily life with purpose and direction. As the people we teach read from its words, they find their own answers. If you desire to strengthen your relationship with God, read it and pray about it. The power of those verses is undeniable. And it's open to all who want to read it. Just try. Read from it, ponder what it says, and especially ask God if it's true. He will tell you. He's told me. I have a real witness that I can never deny is true. It came as I asked Him to help me understand and to reveal to me if that Book was from Him. And knowing that it is makes all the difference in the world. I would invite you all to be in the Book of Mormon every day. You will never regret it. It adds color to life and grounds me to the Rock of the Savior. I love that Book so much. I hope you do too. Stay safe, take care of each other, and trust that Heavenly Father has good things ahead for you! 

Happy 1 year!

Elder Norton

July 21, 2014

Hey everyone!
It's been a little while, but life is going awesome here in Vegas. Crazy busy, but awesome. It's getting really really hot here (surprise!) but doesn't stop us from working hard! For those who have visited Vegas, I'll try to explain where the area that I am serving in is. It's kind of a brain teaser. Imagine you're flying into Vegas. 5 seconds before you touch down on the landing strip, you throw a football out of the right side of the airplane. Then I stop on my bike and catch that football. Just to give you all a visual :) that's where my area is! It's wonderful. It's such a blessing to be able to be here. I love teaching people about Jesus Christ and helping them understand more about the Atonement. I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a disciple of Christ. If we truly want to do what He would do, how much of the time that we spend in our days are spent doing what He would do? He spent His days being kind. I had an experience this last week that taught me a little about this.  Last Saturday, our phone broke. Super frustrating, especially because we had so much to do that day. We contacted the mission staff and the phone people, Elder and Sister Neal, told us to meet at the office so they could help. They don't usually work on the weekends, so we felt super bad. We brought them cookies and some peach bread to try to thank them for taking the time. I was annoyed driving over there and couldn't help thinking why would Heavenly Father have this happen? I don't see the Master's plan in this, it's simply inconvenient for every one. I am trying to master myself in my thoughts, so I changed my attitude and thought "Maybe Elder and Sister Neal simply need cookies." When we got there and were working through it, Sister Neal remarked to her husband that she could feel her blood sugar was dropping. Conveniently (funny how that works, huh?) we had brought some cookies that she could eat to get it back up. A simple, quiet lesson to me. Sometimes, people just need cookies. So don't be afraid to go out of your way, especially when it's inconvenient to help people feel better. That's what the Savior did. That's what President Monson does. We just got an email that said that President Monson went and paid Sister Neider a visit in the hospital. Such a testimony to me about how he spends his time. I love this gospel. I wish I could be better at the missionary skills so that I could spend more time finding those who just need cookies. That's the hope. I love being a servant of Christ. I hope you all find the time to simply be kind to someone. Love you all, take care! 

Elder Norton 

Picture of the Day

May 19, 2014-Welcome to Paradise

Hello world! 

Say good bye to North Las Vegas! This week I was transferred to the Paradise zone! It stretches from the Strip all the way to the temple. I'm now serving in the Hacienda ward and it is AWESOME. I love it! It was really sad to leave all of my really great friends up in North, but I am confident that the Lord will look after them and keep the work progressing there. 

My companion is Elder Dunn, who was one of my first Zone Leaders when I started my mission. He's awesome. He loves sports, working hard, and sports! He looks like Jim Carey. True story. I'm learning a lot from him, since this is his last transfer and he's a seasoned veteran. Although in Vegas there's really only one season.... 

So this week was all about getting acquainted to the new area, the new ward, the new responsibilities, and the new companion. I know I'm going to love this ward. They seem really on top of things and very missionary minded. That's a huge help. The first night I was here, we ate dinner at the Second Counselor in the bishopric's home. We had a great time, until he asked me to speak in church that Sunday! Um, hey, I haven't been to church here yet! I don't know anyone! What an initiation, huh? So my first experience with the ward was speaking in front of everyone! I tried to make them laugh, and I think I succeeded. I told them that for all those hoping to serve a mission, I'm living proof that you don't necessarily have to grow a foot or two to do so! Haha it's fun. 

I'm really looking forward to serving here. There are miracles ahead! I've never felt the Spirit so strongly as I have this last week. Don't ever give up on answers to prayers. They're real! They come as you be as obedient as you can. You'll be happy! I love you all! May God bless you!
Elder Norton