#27 - Missionary Work and Miracles

We were in Indy 3rds apartment this week and guess what!? They had a bench press in the apartment with a few weights!! They didn't want them so I took them:) What a tender mercy! Now I have a little weight set! #timetogetswole hahaha. With the weights I took from the Martinsville apartment and theirs now I have a good amount of weight to workout with!

We went on exchanges this week with the zone leaders. Elder Larsen is a stud!! He is from Logan Utah! Great guy. We had a blast! Met a black guy named Darrel. I'm pretty sure he is Paul George's cousin! That dude is huge! My inner black came out when we started to talk to him. "Ah wassup dawg?" Hah just messing:)

Brother Kaptain always brings out the new missionaries to a place called White Castle. It is like McDonald's step sister... So greasy and gross!! He buys 40 sliders and the new missionary has to eat as many as they can! The most anyone has eaten is 20!! There was one in Martinsville and we would always die when a member brought us it. We are going this week and I am not excited!

Cheri, Tom, Alberta, and John all didn't make it to church this week. We wish they could have came! For some reason none of our investigators were answering their phones and doors... It has been a struggle.

Every Saturday morning we go on splits with the ward leaders. It is called shoulder to shoulder. I went out with Bishop Swenney on Saturday. We went to a less actives house and she was making breakfast! So we joined them haha! Sweet!

Missionary work brings so much joy! It is kind of like the fall of Adam and Eve. 2 Nephi 2:25 teaches us that, "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." In other words in order to know what happiness is you must experience sadness and pain. We teach that to investigators all the time, and this week we learned it for ourselves haha. When I was being trained, Elder Redmond would tell me how in the winter people would either talk to you through the window and tell you to go away, or ignore you! I never believed him! Hahah but it is the darnest thing because he was right! Even our investigators! So the struggle is real! But it is a new week and it will get warmer again I hear! I am just grateful I know how to ride a bike with no hands:)

We have a car part time, so on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday we drive and the weekend we ride bikes. But last Thursday for some reason our car wouldn't start so we decided to ride bikes in the snow. We must have rode about 5 miles when all of a sudden my tire went flat! Haha wouldn't ya know! So we walked the rest of the day. We could not be stopped from working! The quote of the day was, "Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven." As we were walking our bikes home that night I couldn't help but feel proud to know I am a representative of Jesus Christ. The Saviors example gives me strength to press on. Even when it is cold, snowing, and no one opens the door we will stand tall and keep going because we know someone here in Greenwood is prepared for the blessings of the gospel. "Missionary work is not easy because salvation isn't cheap." I am so grateful for a living prophet, for the priesthood that has been restored, and for a loving God who wants us to have joy. I am grateful the Lord loves me enough to cut me down.

LOVE YOU ALL! 

Elder Coon

These are one of my favorite talks. They really hit home for me this week: