Transfer 8, Week 4: Exchange, Exchange, Blitz

Hey Everyone, 
          So... How are we all today? Has Spring struck too harshly for anyone? Haha. Spring allergies are always a "joyful" part of the season. This past week has many mixed feelings involved. I'm not sure what to think of it at this point. 
          Like I said though, it was and has been a really fast week for us. We went from one thing to another almost nonstop. It was pretty crazy. And it makes it a little hard to know where to start. 
        Well, I guess I can start at the beginning. As a District, we decided to try to do a Blitz of each area, and help build each other up. So on Monday, we did so after Preparation day. It was decided we would Blitz the Byron/Cowley area this time, and then we'll do the Lovell areas next. So, we drove and took 1 companionship to a small town called Deaver, and the other companionship went to Frannie. While on the Blitz, we were able share the video, and we got a new person out of it, so was I excited about that. 
        Tuesday, we went on exchanges with the Lovell 1,4 elders. It went really well. Elder Bekmezian and I stayed in Byron/Cowley. While Elder Lewis and Hunt went to Lovell. It was a long day of finding and trying to share the video, sadly without much luck. :( But we learned a lot from each other as we worked to have meaningful things planned for the day. It went well, even though it felt like it took forever. I loved this exchange. 

         Cameron, one of the people we are currently teaching has been great. He is so prepared to receive the gospel, and is just soaking up whatever we can teach. It is so awesome. He is golden and wants to be baptized. So we are working with him closely as much as possible to help him find the way to Christ.

          We had a major scare with the Chevrolet Malibu that we have to drive around. During the week, and moving into this next week, we have been experiencing many April showers, with that means muddy roads. After a couple hours of working out on some of the dirt roads that cover the area, we started to hear a screeching sound when we got back to town. We took a look and thought we had broke the car. Ha Ha nope, thankfully. It is just a rock stuck in the rear brakes. We took it in for a free inspection, and that's what they told us, and that it should come out within a week, but until then, the car makes a noise that turns all heads.
           Saturday, we had yet another exchange. This one wasn't as planned actually in advance. We were planning on going on exchanges with the other Lovell elders in a week or so, but they had a change of plans, and this Saturday was the best for them, so we adapted as we could. It was good. I stayed in Lovell with Elder Ames, and Elder Lewis went to Byron/Cowley with Elder Walker. Elder Ames and I had a great time even though it wasn't what I expected. We did a lot of service, like all day long. It was pretty crazy. But we had and found joy in doing so. One thing we saw that was pretty cool was as we cleaned out an old shed for a nonmember, we found a Queen Bee all on her own, and got some pictures. No Bees were hurt or missionaries stung. Yeah!!!!

            But anyway, that exchange went well, but not what I was hoping for or expecting at all. Oh well, I'm sure I can minister to them in different ways. 

             Lastly, on Sunday we were able to meet with one of our investigators that seems to have eluded us all transfer so far, and that was good to finally meet them. I am happy for that as well. As well as, I got an awesome present that I wasn't expecting. In Church on Sunday, I got a text from the current Fairfield Elders who updated on John. For those of you who don't remember, John was my first investigator that I worked with while in Fairfield. Anyway I got this Message and a picture from them of John in baptismal white. Yea!!!!!!!!!! John got Baptized. I am so happy especially to see the fruits of my labors coming forth in this new time. 

          Moving forward, I have renewed determination to be the best I can. There is no greater work than what I am currently engaged in, and I love every moment of the work as I spend each day. I love being out here, and I can't wait for this next week. 

Love,

Elder Sherwood

Pictures: Only 1 ... Sorry!

The Queen Bee

Transfer 8, Week 3: Happy Easter

Hey Everyone,
          How was your Easter? Have we all enjoyed the sprinng feeling and the love that Christ has felt for each of us as he completed his task? 
         This week has been pretty good. We have seen ups and downs, the good and the bad. We are very hopeful for the near future. Especially in the aspect of the mission. We are on a roll to great success soon. 
          To start, We both have been hit a little bit because of the season change. Elder Lewis was sick in the beginning of the week, and I have been hit by the seasonal allergies all week long, so it's been a difficult one, but trials are what this work is all about. 
          For the most part of the week, it was pretty similar to last week. We spent a lot of time finding, or trying to find, by sharing the video challenge that President Larsen gave us as a tool for finding. 
        We have seen a few successes in this area though this week. Many little miracles. One of which is that we found a bunch of new potentials to go try this next week. It has been pretty sweet to see this. 
        We also went on exchanges with the Zone leaders this week. Elder Callister stayed in Byron, while Elder Lewis went to Powell. It was fantastic. I really learned a lot, and we were able to work our butts off to find no one. 😢. Haha. No it was good. We had a funny story involved. 
       So we go to this small town called Deaver, and tried to do a bit of finding because there aren't really any members there. So as we are there trying to find some people, we showed the Easter video to a bunch of non members. They were nice, but not too interested. A little while later when we are heading out to go get some dinner, a lady from the group flags us down and offers us some food. So we accepted, and got drawn into a birthday party for little girl named Emma. It was sweet. We had a blast getting to know these people, and conversing, even though none of them were interested in our message. 
       Story number 2, it has been a tricky week, because our toilet clogged, and won't come undone. The repairman come by, but couldn't solve the solution without getting a new toilet. So we have no working toilet now. Ugh!!!!
         We also found a new person to teach this week. His name is Cameron, and he is super interested. We also got a phone call from a someone who asked us a couple questions about Baptism, and the church, and then said he would call us to find a good time to meet this week. I'm so excited. That might be 2 new people in 2 weeks. Yeah!!!!!!!
       The missionary work here may be difficult, but that is the reason that we do our best and try to help find both in our own, and through members. Member missionary work can and is a huge factor into our success. And I know that as we do our best to follow Christ, and trust in the system, we can make great work come to pass. 
        Spiritual thought for the week. With Easter, I just wanted to share one of my favorite scriptures from the book of Mormon. It is Alma 7:11-13, it says....

"11.And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me."

       I hope that you all had a great Easter, and that spring is just as fun for you has it has been for me. I love you all.

Love,
Elder Sherwood

Pictures:

Elder Callister burning weeds.

Service with Elder Callister

Awesome pictures we took during Exchanges.

Transfer 8, Week 2: Service Opportunities Right and Left

Hey Everyone, 
     How are we doing? Spring is definetly upon us now, and I am personally loving every second of it. It feels so good to no longer have snow, and a fair bit of warmth again. But without further ado... 
     So.. This week definetly had it's ups and downs. We had zone council in Cody on Monday with zone preparation day. We had a ton of fun meeting with mission friends, and learning a lot. Part of the day included zone council, and learning more about the goal of the zone this transfer. 
     To be honest, most of the week didn't go as smoothly as we would wish. As we are both fairly new, whether in general or just to the area, we didn't have a clear sense of what needed to happen, so we did what missionaries do best, and go out and try different things. It went ok, I guess. We have a lot to learn and work on before we will be in the right spot. 
     So, like the subject says, we had a few service opportunities this week that helped us introduce ourselves into the local area. We did 2 main projects. The 1st was working with the Lovell 1, 4 Elders to help build a fence for this investigator of theirs. It was quite fun, but cold, as the wind picked up and blew a lot. The other project was more my favorite. We got to help a nonmember burn down her weeds. In Wyoming, you can do a controlled burn for anything as long as you alert the fire department. So we assisted in the burning. It stunk, and we smelled like smoke afterwards, but it was quite fun. 
     I got to go to church for the first time here in Byron and Cowley. We went to the Cowley 1st and 2nd wards this week. It was kind of weird going to 2 sacrement meetings back to back in one day, but it was cool. We had a good time. It is at least 5 hours of church though every week. It fills the time, but that's not necessarily good. Haha, oh well. I'll get use to it. 
     We got to spend some quality time on the streets this week. Not only because of the video challenge, but also because all of our appointments fell through. I guess it was just a bad week for everyone. I'm sure it will get better soon. 
     Well, I think that just about sums up the week. Even with the bumpy roads, everyone can still keep the fire going, and the determination to do more and find more to do. I know this is true, especially this week. But also, we can continue to work and try to be better, and those opportunities that we are seeking for will open up. I just know it. 

Love,
Elder Sherwood

Pictures...

Group Preparation Day picture

P-Day

P-Day

P-Day

P-Day

Service on Saturday

Service

Elder Hunt caught two mice.

Service

Service

Service

Service

Service

Service

A cool Brigham Young book holder I found.

Mutual activity cake contest

A cool waterfall/dam we saw.

Transfer 8, Week 1: Welcome to Wyoming

Hey Everyone, 
      How are we all doing this week? Was Spring Break good for those that had it this past week? And how about General Conference? What a great and busy week we have had!
       So... I guess that you are probably all wondering what the subject is all about. Don't worry, yes I was called to the Montana Billings Mission, but we also cover about the top 3rd of Wyoming, all the way across. Yep, I got transferred again. I didn't think this transfer was coming since Elder Reese is still in training, but I guess change is still good. 
       My new area is in the most northern part of Wyoming we cover. It's also the closest point to Billings, from Wyoming. I cover the Cowley 1, 2, and Byron Wards of Wyoming. It is about 5 minutes north of Lovell Wyoming. Its kind of weird to cover 3 wards, but I think I'll come to like it quickly. One thing I know for sure though, there is a huge concentration of members in these small towns. I would guess that they are 80-90% members of the church, which will make the work different in many ways out here. 
       My Companion's name is Elder Lewis. He is a great missionary that is learning the ropes pretty well. One of the cool parts of this situation is that Elder Lewis was Elder Reese's MTC Companion. Yep, I'm on my 3rd trainee, and I'm not quite at my year mark. It seems like this may be one of the main reasons I am out on a mission, to train other missionaries. A little about Elder Lewis, he is 20 years old. He turned 20 last transfer, he loves sports, and is about 6 ft 3 or 4. He is from Duchesne Utah, and decided to work for a year before coming out. But I'm sure he is as excited as I am to work here in Wyoming. 
      Another fun fact that I didn't think would happen for a long time, and it feels kind of weird to say this, but the district I am now currently serving in is a quite young district. I mean really young. I have been out longer than anyone else in my district. I knew this would happen eventually, but I didnt think it would until about my 18 month mark or so. Haha. I'm excited to serve and train and teach these missionaries, and to be taught by them. 
       So, this week has been pretty good. Thursday, Transfer Day, was really long. It was about an 8 hour drive from Butte, to Helena, to Billings, and then to Lovell. And I'm so glad it's over for now. 
We are currently working with a few people, but we haven't had our appointments yet with them, so I haven't met them. Around Conference though, we spent the majority of our time working on getting to know the members of the ward, because none of us know them too well at all. But I know that as we come to know them, the work will open up. 
      Speaking of Conference though. I thought it was fantastic. Like many of you, I was expecting some major changes, but I appreciate President Nelson's charge to keep Conference sacred. I know that as we do so we will be blessed in more numerous ways than we will expect. 
       Well, I hope you are all loving the new spring feeling and weather. I know I am. I hope you all have a fantastic week, and keep up the great work. I love you all.

Love,
Elder Sherwood

Pictures ... Only 1 sorry

 Day 1, there was a major black plume of smoke coming up out of the corner of the town.

Transfer 7, Week 6: No Effort is Wasted and Transfer News

Hey Everyone,
     How are we all doing this week? It has been a decent week for me. And to top it all off, we are getting great weather here in Montana. It finally feels like spring is coming once again. Anyway, lets jump right in...
     For the most part, the week was pretty monotone. We worked to find new people to teach through the tools given us by our mission president, and the Lord. 
     On monday, after Preparation day we were handed the oppurtunity to help prepare an archery range. We helped move trees out of the way, and place flags for the targets. It was a lot of fun. 
     We had exchanges with the Dillion Elders this week. I went to Dilion with Elder Eveleth. Elder Reese and Elder Herring tore it up in Twin Bridges. It was a lot of Fun. We tried our best to make some contacts and share the video. It didn't go to smoothly, but we tried none the less. We also had the oppurtunity to go to institute that night. Little said, it was a fairly fulfilling exchange despite the disappointment. 
       Like I said though, most of the week, Elder Reese and I spent as much time as we could attempting to show the video(s) that President Larsen wanted the whole mission to share for the next 30 days. We tried many ways to see if it will help. We tried contacting people on the street, tracting and showing it, offering service before sharing it, and even seeing if we can share it in a part member household, but had no luck. It is quite frustrating. But I guess we can't get mad for trying We'll just have to keep at it.
       Well, I'm super excited for General Conference. I hope you are as well. It is such an exciting time we live in, and I can't wat to see what the prophet has to say for each of us. 
       I think that is about it. Transfers are this week, and we are hopeful to get the news relatively soon. But until then, I will see and talk to you all next week. 

Love,
Elder Sherwood



Hey, 

I'll explain most of the details in next week's email. 

Send any mail to 

130 E. 5th Street Lovell, WY 82431

Love,

Elder Sherwood

Transfer 7, Week 5: Zone Conference and Mission Life

Hey Everyone,
     How are we all loving the spring weather? I sure do. It feels so great after that early cold spout that we had been bit with. I am so glad for all of the amazing upcoming adventures for the next little bit. 
     This week has been quite interesting to say the least. There were a lot of unexpected changes. But there were also a few amazing opportunities coming forth. I am excited to see how it pans out. 
     First off Zone Conference. It was held in Bozeman this transfer. A lot of the messages that we heard were of pointed towards becoming personally better through the atonement of Christ. It was great. We learned a lot, and had a fun time. 
     Other parts of the week had a few ups and downs. One of those was that Kris chose to no longer meet with us. This was sad, but we didn't let it get to us. We are optimistic to find more people in the near future. 
     We were able to go around and meet a large portion of our members this week, thanks to our "ward mission leader". He was able to drive us around for a bunch of the weekend. We were out pretty much all week, working and seeing new chances and opportunities. 
     At zone conference, President Larsen put a new finding initiative for the mission. We were given a couple short videos from comeuntochrist.org, and were told to use them as conversation starters and hopefully find new people to teach. 
     Overall, this week has been full of ups and downs, but I feel that it has been a quite great time. We are excited for the new adventures, and hope that we can be the best possible this week. 

Love,
Elder Sherwood

Pictures:

Off to Zone Conference

We saw a moose!

Elder Eveleth

Companionship selfie

I fell and needed to fix my leg.

Selfie

Transfer 7, Week 4: The Ward Kicks In

Hey Everyone,
     How are we all doing? Is the warmer weather pleasant yet? I don't know about everyone else, but I am loving all the warmth that we are getting right now.
     This week has been much different from those of before. This has been mostly because the Whitehall Ward has really kept us on our toes. They have been on fire with getting us rides and assisting us in every aspect of the work that they can. It has been quite awesome. 
The Sheridan Ward is having a difficult time adjusting at the moment, making it hard to work out there, especially since they are the ward that we need rides more from. But we are getting by, the work just seems to be slower.
     Most of the week was spent getting to know the members. In a council meeting the week before, the members expressed that they weren't too excited to help the work because they don't know the misssionaries. Well, we started to work on fixing that. We spent a lot of time this week in member homes, reestablishing contact and trust in them, and hopefully we can see an uplift in progress soon. This also really helps with the stake goal of 20 lessons a week for the missionaries. Which we were able to accomplish this week. Yay! 
     As far as Kris goes, we are waiting on President to get back to us on any instructions that we need to move foreward. Hopefully that comes soon.
     We were also given a lot of good tips and tricks on what to do, from ward members that served missions. We are excited to try them out and see if they work for the area.  
     Sadly, this email will be short, but that is ok. The week has been pretty good, but it doesn't take a lot of explain what happened. I'm excited to see how this week's progress will continue into this next week. but until then, we will keep moving forward, and hope you all have a great one as well.

Love,
Elder Sherwood

Pictures ...

Breaking out the lighter jackets

Some cool icicles

Transfer 7, Week 3: Exchanges and Other Fun Activities

Hey Everyonne,
      How are we all doing today? Are we all enjoying the warmer weather that we have been recieving. It has been pretty fantastic. I have loved the area, and the way things are going...
        So, first of all we had exchanges with the zone leaders this week. Elder Loomis and I stayed in Twin bridges and Elder Reese headed to Butte with Elder Slesk. After district council, Elder Loomis and found a couple new people, and we are excited for the new opportunities coming forth in the near future there. 
        We also had interviews with President Larsen on Thursday. They went really well. Instruction was recieved and plans made to improve the area, and ourselves.
        We are excited for Kris as well. He had his baptismal interview for his upcoming date conference weekend. We are excited for him. Only 1 month away.. 
       Other than that, there was only really the exciting change in attitude for missionary work. The Whitehall Ward is getting fired up and prepared for the work to move forward at an alarming rate. We are excited to see this happen and can't wait for more. 
        I guess that pretty much sums it all up for this week. There weren't too many highlights, but that is ok. We have been working hard to be good examples, and we are excited that it may start finally paying off. 
       Well, I hope that all is well, and that you are all enjoying the good times ahead. Spring is coming, so that is always a plus as well. Have a great week. We'll talk to you next week.

Love,
Elder Sherwood

Pictures...
😢😢😢 sorry, I didn't take any this week