week 38

It's been a wonderful week here in the Maryland Heights area. We were blessed to find 5 new investigators this week, which is the highest I've seen since I've been here! 

Monday we ended up going to the zoo, which was a blast! It's fun having faint memories of going there as a kid.

Tuesday morning we had District Meeting, which went really well. After that I went on exchanges in the next area over, Pagedale. I was with Elder Fa'anunu, a really awesome missionary from Tonga!

Wednesday we picked up 2 new investigators, Denise and Dejah, a mother and daughter who are really eager to learn about the Book of Mormon and how it testifies of Christ. It was a really neat lesson.

Thursday we sadly dropped one of our investigators who wasn't progressing. It's always a sad thing, but a necessary part if the work is to move forward.

Friday we Weekly Planned, taught Ira, one of our investigators, and then had visits with Josh, a recent convert; the Walls, a part member family; and the Robinsons, all of which went well.

Saturday we picked up another new investigator named Larry. We were planning on teaching him about the Restoration, but felt prompted to teach the Plan of Salvation. It went really well, and he was very receptive to what we had to say. That evening we had Transfer Calls... Dun dun dun... Haha Elder Bishop is heading off to Waterloo, Illinois, and I'm staying here in Maryland Heights. Not only that, but I'm getting a Spanish companion, Elder Vergara! There's quite a large Spanish-speaking portion of our ward, so we will get to help out with that, particularly. To make things even more exciting, we will be serving together as Co-District Leader!! I've never even heard of that happening before, but I'm really excited! It'll be a blast!

Sunday we had Church in the morning, which was great. That afternoon we picked up two more new investigators: Dorris, an older Baptist lady who is willing to listen, and a man named Rafael from Mexico (it's a good thing I'm getting a Spanish companion because his wife only speaks Spanish).

It's been a really amazing week seeing God place people in our path who we truly hadn't anticipated being there. He most definitely is always watching over us wherever we are.

One thought that came from a talk in Sacrament Meeting this week was about the story of the Brother of Jared. In Ether, it talks about how he made the barges "tight like unto a dish" so that the water wouldn't seep in through the cracks. In a similar manner, our lives, families, and homes must be "tight like unto a dish" in order to keep out all the evil influences of Satan. However, just keeping the bad out is not enough. Like it says in Ether 6:3 "And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness." We must also fill our "barges" with the light that shines always, which is the light of Christ, for our Father in Heaven desires that we not "cross [our] great waters in darkness." I definitely thought it was a very cool thought.

I love this work, and I love all of you!

The Church is True!

Love,

Elder Fullmer

[Peter ran across this old photo of our family that was taken by a family we knew well when we lived in St. Louis. The boy on the left is their son and he would often baby sit our kids. Hard to believe our family was so young and small back then!]

week 37

We had a really good week this week. The past few weeks we have really been focusing on finding and talking to people, but this past week we have seen a shift from finding to teaching, which is exciting to see.

Monday we played basketball for about an hour and a half, which was a blast. It felt super good to just run around and release some energy. That evening we met with Clarance, an investigator we picked up about a week ago. We taught him the Restoration, which went extremely well. The Spirit was definitely there, and he really has an open heart and a willing mind.

Tuesday we had District Meeting in the morning, and then that evening we went to visit a part member family that we're working with.

Wednesday morning we did service at a food pantry and then met up with the other Elders in our District to do exchanges. Elder Brown, the District Leader, was in Maryland Heights with me, and it was a great exchange. We picked up a new investigator named Ira, an older man who already had a Book of Mormon and was interested in learning more. The lesson went really well, and we're hoping to see him again this next week. We also talked to this really nice lady named Robin for about a half hour just out on her front steps. We should be going back to see her this week as well.

Thursday we taught Ron again, and we're really trying to get him involved and engaged in what we're teaching. He's pretty apathetic about most things, so hopefully we can help him find his purpose through the gospel. That evening we taught a really nice man named David, who just recently moved into the area. He said he had talked to missionaries around 20 years ago and didn't remember much, but was willing to learn more. We had an amazing lesson with him, and the Spirit was super strong. We are really excited to see him progress.

Friday morning we planned for our week and then taught the Walls, a part member family in our ward

Saturday evening we got to go to Stake Conference, which was wonderful. Elder Renland of the 70 was there, and he really had some amazing stories. I also ran into a family named the Parks, who I guess was pretty close to my family when we used to live in St. Louis. I vaguely remembered them, but it was still fun to finally meet someone who remembered me!

Sunday we had another session of Stake Conference, which also was great. One of the speakers spoke about how each of us uses the gifts that God has bestowed upon us. Do we embrace them or lay them to the side and not use them? He pointed out 4 very important gifts that each of us has been given: agency, laws and commandments, time, and the Atonement. It was some really good food for thought. 

One thing that Elder Renland talked a lot about on Sunday was the importance of being grateful. He pointed out a portion of King Benjamin's address found in Mosiah 4:11-12: "And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.

 12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.

What a wonderful promise that as we remember God and all that He has done for us, we will ALWAYS rejoice. That principle is so true.

I love this work, and I love all of you!

The Church is True!

Love,

Elder Fullmer

Peter is serving in Maryland Heights and he found this sign. He was happy to find this for Sarah and Jeremy who live in Baltimore, Maryland!

week 36

It was another great week this week. It is starting to warm up, which is bringing back some not-so-fond memories of the hot and humid summer.

This past Monday we emailed, shopped, and went out to work. Shortly before it was time to turn in, we ran into a man who was extremely eager to talk to us. Sadly, he was only there to try and convince us that he was right and we were wrong. We sat politely listening, testified, and then left. That was about all we could do.

Tuesday we had District Meeting, which was really good. Then on our way home, a lady called us over and asked us to pray for her son, who is struggling in life right now. She also expressed a desire to come to church with us, which hopefully we will be able to make happen this next week. Later that day we also picked up a new investigator named Clarance, a nice retired man, who although active in his church, admires what we do and is actually interested in our message. Exciting!

Wednesday we did service at a food pantry, which is always fun. Later that day, we were walking, and a man walked out behind us. We almost didn't talk to him, but we ended up going over and talking to him. It turns out that he has a daughter who is a member, and his father just recently passed away. He said that we were welcome to stop by sometime and share more about Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon with him. That evening we had a Bible Study at our Ward Mission Leader's home. He holds one every Wednesday evening as a way to help fellowship recent converts, nonmembers, and less actives. 

Thursday was full of stopping by to visit people and contacting lots more people.

Friday, we helped clean out the mission storage unit, full of furniture, mattresses, and odds and ends, which was fun.

Saturday, we talked to this girl on the bus who was reading a very large book on Mozart. Apparently she is extremely interested in classical music, so it was fun to be able to connect with someone on that level. Better yet, she was even interested in the Book of Mormon and what we share! We had Coordination meeting, where we found that we had contacted (talked to/invited to learn more about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ) 160 people this past week! It was great! Later that day we ran into a super nice young couple. They weren't too interested in learning more, but it was really nice to have someone at least reject us nicely. haha

Sunday Brother Robinson was confirmed, which was wonderful to see. I also played "Oh How Lovely was the Morning," in Sacrament Meeting, which went very well. We also met with a couple other Part-member families later that day. 

It has been a great week!

The theme of our Sacrament Meeting yesterday was D&C 4:2, which is the Youth theme for this year: 

Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all yor heart, might, mind and stregth, that ye may stand blamelss before God at the last day.

What a great reminder that as we truly dedicate our lives to God, that we truly can be forgiven of our sins and receive all that he has to offer.

I love this work, and I love all of you!

The Church is True!

Love,

Elder Fullmer

week 34

It got pretty cold this week. It was 11 degrees this morning when we walked out the door. Luckily, when we bundle up in all of our gear, it really isn't that bad at all.

So we really looking forward to seeing Steve baptized this weekend, but it was postponed due to the weather. We will just have to wait until this next Saturday before we get to see him make that wonderful step towards Christ.

Yesterday our ward mission leader gave us some really important advice that I found very helpful in helping me become better at helping others come to Christ. He started by sharing Alma 4:19

"And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them."

Our ward mission leader made sure we understood that the only way that someone will be given an actual opportunity to choose to follow Christ is by feeling the Spirit. The only way that others can feel the spirit is by bearing "pure testimony" like Alma says. The Holy Ghost testifies of truth, and so if we testify that something is true, then the Spirit WILL be there. Then it truly is up to that person to either accept and act upon what they feel or deny and reject what they now know to be true. 

Another thing that was pointed out was the fact that the Spirit rings strongest when someone testifies of Christ. He is the center of everything that is taught in this gospel, and He is the way that we return to live with our Father in Heaven. He lives, and He loves us.

I love all of you, and I love this work!

The Church is True!

Love,

Elder Fullmer

week 33

Yesterday was Presidents' Day (I think), so we didn't get to email until this morning. Sorry it's a day late, but better late than never!

This past week has been full of making adjustments as I've been getting used to the new area. The ward here is wonderful, with lots of members who are extremely willing to help us in teaching appointments. There are actually 3 sets of missionaries in this ward! (one of the companionships is Spanish-speaking, though) This area is a walk/bus/bike area, which is probably the biggest adjustment. I've enjoyed it a lot more than I've thought I would, though. There are so many more opportunities to stop and talk to people as you are traveling, which is great. There are also a lot more people who are willing and interested in talking to us. 

Another highlight from this past week was reuniting with the Robinson family. He is not a member (quite yet), and we were working with them in my last area until they moved here. It was great seeing the expressions on their faces when they recognized who I was. He is planning on being baptized this upcoming Saturday, and he asked that I baptize him. I was humbled by his request. It seems that I'm in this area for very specific people, and I believe he is one of them.

A theme that I've noticed throughout my studies recently is how God really views us. A great example of this is in Alma 26, when Ammon is rejoicing in the success that he and his brethren have been blessed with. In verses 17-20, Ammon says "Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state. Behold, we went forth even in wrath, with mighty threatenings to destroy his church.Oh then, why did he not consign us to an awful destruction,yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal despair. Oh, my soul, almost as it were, fleeth at the thought. Behold,he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting gulf of death and misery,even to the salvation of our souls."

Ammon asks in that passage "Why didn't God immediately condemn us for our sins?" I thought about this and came to the conclusion that God does not look for our immediate perfection, but rather our eternal potential. God could see what good Ammon and his brethren could do, and so he gave them the opportunity to change and do better. What an amazing blessing it is to know that God is doing everything He possibly can to help us become all that we can be. He loves us, and He knows what is best for us.

I love this work, and I love all of you!

The Church is True!

Love,

Elder Fullmer

week 32

Well it's been another great week here in the Weldon Spring area. 

We had transfer calls this past Saturday, and I will be heading to the Maryland Heights ward, which is in the St. Louis Stake. I will definitely miss this area. There are so many amazing people here that I have had the opportunity to serve with. I really feel like I was meant to come to this area to learn specific things. But, I am excited to turn the page to the next chapter of my mission. One thing that I'm really excited about is the fact that the Robinsons, a part member family we had been working with before Christmas, moved away. It turns out that they actually moved into the Maryland Heights ward, so I will be excited to see them again!

Considering it's Valentines Day this Saturday, I thought I would the chance to let all of you know how much a love and appreciate everything that you do. So many people have had such an impact on my life, and I thank each and every one of you for making me the person I am today.

Along with that, something that has been on my mind lately has been the topic of charity. In the scriptures, it often points out that without charity, we truly are nothing. It is essential for each of us to learn the attribute of charity in order to learn to become like our savior, Jesus Christ, for it truly is the "pure love of Christ." I would encourage everyone, including myself, to take the counsel given to us by the prophet Mormon: "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen." (Moroni 7:48)

If we truly desire to become like Chirst, we need to understand and experience the love that He has for each person that has ever walked this Earth. We experience that love as we sincerely seek it through prayer. 

I love this work, and I love all of you so much!

The Church is True!

Love,

Elder Fullmer