Service

April 25, 2016

If you haven't watched the Mormon Message, “LIFT" stop what you’re doing right now and go watch it. It completely changed my perspective on the principle of service. And this last week we had a couple cool opportunities to provide service!

First we got to go to a local Goodwill and be volunteers there for a couple hours. We just helped tidy things up and pick up trash and such. We weren't allowed to proselyte, but if people asked us questions we could obviously answer them, so we got to have a couple good conversations with folks. I went to do the service on the day I was on exchanges with one of the District Leaders, none other then my good bud Elder Anderson! I love this guy. We have been together since day 1 back in the good ol' CCM! I've grown to really love this kid on my mission and I am excited that we will be finishing together. We had a really good exchange and worked hard, but towards the end of the day it really hit us that we don't have much time left. We are going into the final 10 weeks of our missions! Can't get trunky, though. There’s too much work to do.

The other service we did was actually a repeat of one I had done back in the Las Vegas Zone with Elder Walker. Remember the lady from “Meet the Mormons” who does the dinner thing for the homeless? Well, we got to go help out again with another dinner event and it was a lot of fun! I think my kitchen skills have increased at least 4 levels since I came out on my mission.

The best day of this past week, though, was Sunday. Gotta love the Sabbath! We did a special missionary-themed sacrament meeting for the Hillpointe Ward and it went so great! Our Ward Mission Leader Bro. King spoke, and then we had a bunch of recent converts speak, and a couple ward members and it finished off with the missionaries.

I actually ended up being the concluding speaker. I had been praying hard that the Spirit would guide my words. I went up with a script, but never ended up looking at it. I really can't describe the experience. I wish you could have been there, but it was one of my favorite talks I have been able to give yet. It felt a little scattered to me, but I trusted that the Spirit was guiding me.

What struck me the most, though, throughout the rest of that Sunday and getting to interact with different members of the ward, is just how much I love the Hillpointe Ward. This ward has been awesome and I’ve gotten really close to so many of the members here, especially the Priest Quorum. There are these three guys right now, all 18, all preparing to turn in their papers: Jake, Cole, and Easton. I love these guys! They are studs and I have gotten pretty close to them and helped them to prepare for their missionary service. Hopefully, I will get to be there when they all open their calls.

The meeting was also a kick off to start a 40 day fast in the ward and we are excited for that. We had 30 families sign up right after sacrament meeting finished! We are hoping many investigators and new converts will be found through this program.

Well, that was the last week. And now it's time for HOLLAND WEEK!!! I feel like a giddy little kid in Christmas waiting for this week. And Elder Holland isn't just visiting the missionaries. He is spending the whole weekend in Las Vegas and doing a couple different devotionals and it’s looking like I will get to attend 3 different ones! I will let you know how it goes next week :)

Love y'all!

-Elder Alley