Email sent May 26, 2015: "Well We Are Together for One More Transfer"

Hi Team,
Well we are emailing today since we had Memorial Day yesterday and President Bennion had us switch P-Day to today. We had a regular District Meeting yesterday and it's been sort of weird having a change in Districts because we were having such a solid time with our other District and the new members of our District are a bit more... dull.... But the District Leader, Elder Pena and I have been coming up with good ideas to have some fun but still learn and grow.

We did still have our transfer calls yesterday and we found out that Elder Swingler and I are going to stay together for one more. I'm not 100 % sure how I feel about it but I'm not really asked to agree, just asked how I'm going to react. So I'm going to take it as good as I can and work hard for a baptism. We didn't have a chance to baptize during the training so we hope that we can do it during this next one. I really hope the Lord is preparing some humble prepared soul for us. But if not, I'll find satisfaction in the work :) because when you do the work of the Lord, you always find joy :) 

I love you all so much and it looks like you guys have had a blast going to Moab! Man, I wasn't jealous at first of all of your trips but this one looked way fun. We definitely have to do stuff when I get back guys PLEASE!!!!! 

I love you all so much and i pray for the well being of all of you daily :) I know the lord has blessed our family. Without a doubt. We are so blessed :) 

Elder Rodabough

Email sent May 18, 2015: "The Week in a Nutshell"

Ok team,

So this past week was pretty fun overall. We didn't have to huge of miracles like last week but we had tons of little miracles that helped us long the way! I went on exchange this week with the Zone Leaders. I went to their area and Elder Lamb who is formerly a Spanish missionary and who served in my area and so I didn't have to worry about leaving Elder Swingler in the area. We had the chance to do some service which involved cutting down some trees and apparently I've become quite the expert on it. The member couldn't get his chainsaw working and so I looked at it and we figured things out. I mixed the oil and gas and was able to get it running. Apparently I've used enough chainsaws on my mission to use one pretty well. 

On Sunday we had an awesome Family Home Evening with a young family in the Branch where we made some "Silver Plates" and we wrote "The Book of the Guadarrama" on the cover of it and we wrote our testimonies of the church, the Book of Mormon, or whatever we felt like in a language that this Family Home Evening book we found in our apartment showed us. It went really well since the husband has some issues about his testimony and we think it helped him a bit. We told them to bury it in their yard but they don't really have a yard and so we told them to bury it in their storage closet haha.
 

We really have some high hopes for this week in lessons. We should have some solid progressing investigators after this week and so we're getting pumped for what happens. We hope to have a family of 7 on date for baptism before the week is over. We've been praying for some miracles and for opportunities to put people on date for baptism and we trust in the Lord. 

Sounds like from everybody's email that people are going to have a good week. Everybody down in Moab! FREAK! I want to go hiking so badly.... There is nothing here but trees and forest creatures that I periodically see splattered along the road. I saw an armadillo the other day, that was a first. 

Love.

Elder Rodabough

Email sent April 27, 2015: "Yeah Whatever, I'll Just Suck it Up"

What's up team?

So this week was pretty low key to be honest. We had a meeting on Tuesday up in Norcross at the good ole' Norcross building where I started my mission. It was crazy to think about how I started my mission there over 17 months ago. We had a meeting for a bunch of missionaries that have learning disabilities and so Elder Swingler and I were invited to go. It was a really helpful meeting and we learned some great learning techniques that we're going to start using. 

Then on Friday night we drove down to Lilburn to do exchanges with the Assistants. I don't know if I told you guys but Elder McArthur, my comp in Sugar Hill and my best friend out here is the new assistant and so it was just like we were companions again. He's not to happy being an AP haha the stress is pretty killer but he's not a murmurer so he's hunkering down to work. The APs go on exchanges with the Trainers and Trainees for two days in their area. So we spent two nights and a day and a half with them. Friday night to Sunday afternoon. It was so much fun except for when McArthur and I were doing service and I looked down and saw a whole baby spider colony crawling up my body to lay eggs in my ears or something. I didn't wait around to see where they would end up and so I ran away screaming like a little girl. McArthur's comment was, "Your lucky this family only has girls so that the neighbors don't think anything's up." 

Then Sunday is when things got CRAZY!! So last Sunday they announced that they were going to change the Branch Boundaries between the two Spanish Branches here in the Lilburn Stake. So Sunday we had church at the Lilburn building instead of the Lawrenceville building. Basically what happened is that they took 1/3 of the Riverside Branch and moved them to the other Branch called Stone Mountain. With that area they also took half of our members, our Branch Mission Leader and all of our missionary minded members. They also moved the Lawrenceville Branch to another building in the Stake, an extra 15 miles from our apartment. They took the other companionship of Elders out of Riverside so it's just Elder Swingler and I. Basically I decided that I'm going to spend the rest of my mission here reconstructing a Branch and getting this rolling again as to the missionary work. We have about 2 investigators now haha. It's like Winder all over again!! hahaha

We're going to be fine though. Elder Swingler is really positive which helps, but has no idea what any of this actually means for us haha. Oh how ignorance is bliss. 

I love you all so much! I'm happy to hear that you are all doing well in your prospective lives and locations! Keep it up Rodaboughs. There are hard things to be done and nobody better to do them than us. COWBOY UP!!! 

Elder Rodabough the second

Email sent April 20, 2015: " Counselors, Baptism and Eccentric Members"

Well hey der folks!

 

So this week was a ton better. The district saw a ton of success and also a lot of change. So Sister Jones, the closest sister friend that I had here finished her mission and they ended up removing the sisters from the Lawrenceville Ward all together. They put in a companionship of Elders. It was a little concerning because the sisters had someone on date for baptism this Saturday! But luckily the Elders that were put in are amazing and so they had everything under control. I was able to do the interview for the investigator named Tony. It was one of the most spiritual experiences of my mission talking to him. He has taken to the Gospel so fast and is so faithful. At the end of the interview he offered the prayer and prayed so purely. He pleaded with the Lord to remove all of the negativity, the sins, and all of the evil inside of him at his baptism. So that he could become a new creature. I was crying at the end of the prayer. 

We also went to see the mission counselor. She's actually a Marriage and Family Therapist as well! So I was able to talk to her about her practice and DBT training haha. But I also have been feeling especially stressed about training Elder Swingler, so I asked to talk to her as well. It was a really wonderful talk and during it I realized that Madi and Bailey, we have a very excellent father. And while yes, he is a therapist haha, he still is an amazing father who loves to help us. 

Now, for the funniest part of the week. So last night we had a lesson planned with an awesome potential investigator that we had met on Saturday. We got the most enthusiastic member who helps out a ton with missionary work, (basically he's a lot like mom haha just Hispanic) to come with us but when we got there to the lesson, they didn't show up... So we waited and waited and finally we decided to just go teach the lesson without them. We taught from the doorway--No male present.... :( , But as we were leaving the member called us saying she was still going to come and meet our investigator! So we walked back up to the same door we had just been at for 20 minutes and explained the situation. Our member showed up and basically just invited herself into the house and talked with the mother and niece who live there.  They are super awesome. But here's where it got interesting.... So we were about to wrap up the chit chat and leave when Hna Lupercio, our member asked if our investigator would like to have a Family Home Evening tomorrow. The investigator said sure! Then.... Hna Lupercio said, "Now, my house isn't big enough, so can we have it in your home?" We were like "WHAT???" But the investigator said "Sure"! We don't know if she realizes what she's getting into. The Lupercios have 5 kids, and both companionships of elders... Wish us luck guys...

Overall things are going great here in Lawrenceville :) I'm really happy :) Thanks for all of your prayers guys I really can feel them. I hope all is well back home and that you are all keeping Holy! 

Love,

Elder Rodabough

Email sent April 13, 2015: "One Rough Week"

Well family, I don't know what we did to deserve such a week, but good heavens it was a rough one. We like to think that we're just being tested--hahaha

So Monday we actually had a really spiritual experience. So we were returning home from trying to see a few investigators to no avail. As we pulled into our apartment complex, Elder Swingler and I both felt prompted to go see a 17 year old investigator named Pedro who lives at the back of our complex. So we parked and walked down the complex and knocked on his door.  His mother opened the door and said that Pedro wasn't really in a good condition to speak to us, but he stormed passed her and said he wanted to talk. So we sat down and he asked if we could pray. He was acting a little weird and we could smell a little bit of alcohol on his breath. After we ended the prayer, Pedro was crying. We let him cry for a minute then asked him if he was ok. He said that he had found out that even though they had just gotten there a week before, his mom is looking to buy a house somewhere else... He explained that he felt no hope for a future. That he was tired of having his life yanked out from underneath him time, after time, after time. Now before I go on I don't know if I've ever explained about Pedro, but for the duration of Pedro's entire life, his mother has gone from man to man looking for support, but ending up on the street, with another baby on the way. He hasn't had a great past. 

I asked him if we wanted to change. Pedro responded by saying that he wasn't capable of change. Then he cried a little bit more. After a minute he looked up at us and said something amazing. He said, "I knew you were going to come. Something told me that it would be you guys on the other side of the door when I heard the knock. And I know you can help me." Elder Swingler and I were dumbfounded.  We taught him about the Atonement, and how through the Atonement, no matter who we were or are, God only cares about who we are going to become. We asked him to pray right then and there and ask God if he is capable of change. Pedro offered a prayer and we gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon with Alma 36, the conversion of Alma the Younger. A few days later on Thursday we stopped by again and he was so happy. He said he'd read the chapter that very night in the bathroom but fell asleep shortly after. He said he woke up the next day completely free of the despair that he had felt he weeks leading up to that night. 

I testify of the power that the Atonement has for us. I know, that through the loving sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ we can receive strength when we need it. When it is beyond our physical ability. And that through the Atonement, all that is unfair in this life shall be made up. All of our losses, will be recompensed, and we can be together with Christ. It was such a wonderful week guys. It was so rough and included damaging our car, getting yelled at by a member for an hour straight, not having a single teaching appointment the whole week. But was so wonderful to have been an answer to someone's prayer. I know and testify that the Lord knows us. He hears us and will act according to our faith. I was reading in D&C 10 today and between verses 49-53 the Lord says that by "the faith in their prayers" they shall receive the blessings they desire. I know of this principle. 

I love you guys so much! I know that we are doing the best we can do in our perspective states, jobs, etc! Keep it up team!

 

Love,

Elder Rodabough, the second

Email sent April 6, 2015: " Don't be bad at me--this is a short one"

I'm sorry this one will be short!!! We had a great week.

We went to the mission counselor and found out that Elder Swingler has Traumatic Brain Disorder from shoving a key into a light socket when he was 8. The left side of his brain was apparently damaged which explains his struggles with reading and memorizing.

We had a super sweet lesson with an investigator where we showed the Because He Lives video when we were teaching the Resurrection during the Plan of Salvation. The spirit was so strong! They agreed to be baptized if they come to know that the Book of Mormon is true. Things are beginning to look up for us in Lawrenceville!!!

Conference was amazing! Although I am greatly concerned for the health of Elder Packer, Elder Hales, Elder Scott, and President Monson. I know that the Lord will protect them and give them help, but I invite you all to keep them in your prayers.  Before the first session on Saturday, which started at 12:00 noon here, we had an Easter Egg Hunt with all the missionaries in Lawrenceville and we all really enjoyed it. 

Things should be fun this next week. We have a lot of investigators to see and we continue to have a lot of success. I will repent and send a longer email next week .

 

Love

Elder Rodabough

Email sent March 30, 2014: "What is going on here?"

Pretty solid week when it comes to finding investigators if I do say so myself. we found 7 new investigators and the majority of them were couples and various members of a family. We have some solid appointments this coming week which we are excited for. Our biggest struggle the past couple months have been changing new investigators into progressing investigators. So this week we're going to focus really hard on the new investigators that we have in order to get someone on date for baptism and progressing towards making covenants with God. Let's get it on.

We actually made investigators out of our neighbors! We helped them move in and then offered to come back and do a Blessing on their home and they agreed! We're going back this week to teach them about how families can be more united with the Gospel. We also had a really cool moment last night with a new set of investigators. 

So we had an appointment set up which we were half an hour late for. The wife of our potential investigator answered the door but looked so stressed out that we said we would come back. The mother of the wife came out from behind us and asked us to come in and pray for her. As we went in the wife explained that her mother had been diagnosed with Dementia and that had been causing some big problems in the house in the past week. We could feel such a lack of hope and lots of despair as we entered so we sat down and said the prayer. The spirit descended so strongly during the prayer. Everyone calmed down and we were able to talk about trials we face in life and how they are for our benefit. We talked about how the Lord will never give us anything that we cannot overcome. I explained that my sister was sick and that my family had been facing trials as well, but through the Savior Jesus Christ we have been able to be strong. We asked if we could come back next week and they said sure! 

We've got some really good things working in our area. But overall the morale has been really low in the district. We had our meeting changed to Thursday this past week instead of Tuesday and it was much later in the afternoon. We started the meeting and there was a complete absence of the Spirit in the room. I gave the first training and halfway through it got to be too much. So I stopped and asked "What is going on here? Why is the spirit not here?" Sister Jones, (who is a "hommie") said "There is no spirit here. Let's kneel down and pray." So we all kneeled down right then and there and prayed. The Spirit filled the room. Later, as we were talking a bit more about our problems as a District we all felt like we've been running into a brick wall over and over again. We didn't know what to do, so we went down the hall and invited President Bennion, who was in the building doing interviews, and he came and trained us on faith and patience. I'll have to explain to you guys his training because it was amazing. Mom, take a list of the things that I've said that need some more explaining and when I get back I'll lay it all down on the table for you guys. 

It was a really good week overall and we're working hard at it. I love you all so much guys. Thank you so much for your updates on how things are doing. I know that sometimes I don't respond individually, but to know at least what is going on with everyone brings me some peace. I love you all so much!

Bryce