April 29, 2013

Guys, SUPPPPPPP?

It's been a pretty boss week here, and crazily enough it's the end of another transfer and I am staying in North Newark for another one!  (in reality I am staying for the rest of my mission)  This one is gonna be super short because I procrastinated a little too much.  FIRST AND FOREMOST, everyone do me a favor and tell my mom how amazing she is. :)  She is such a boss!  Whenever I tell her I need something, she just gets it done and I can't tell her how much it means to me so I need EVERYONE to get on Facebook or when you talk to her, just tell her how amazing she is and how good of a mom she is.  I hope there is more than ten people that read this so that she is just overrun with comments.  I gotta throw a big shout out to Max Biegel who is THE BOSS!  I know that you are gonna be stellar.  I got your letter and it made my day!  One more goes out to my cousin Austin Huff who received his call to Tucson Arizona!  WHOOP WHOOP!  Shred it buddy!  The Lord is hastening his work.  Elder Thatcher and I see evidence of that every single day.  We get up and go pound pavement and then a miracle happens.  It's amazing!  I am so grateful to have the opportunity to serve the Lord and be a part of the "Gathering of Isread."  It Changes my life every day.  Every time I see someone accept the Gospel and become a new person in Christ, it ingrains His Gospel even deeper into my soul.  I love you guys and again, I apologize for the short update!

Elder Rodeback

                                                                      Newark's Happiest Missionaries!

April 15, 2013

Wass up guys?  Just when you think you got rid of me, I come back with another one of these things!  Haha!

It has been a crazy week out here in the dirty Jerz!  Full of outpourings of the Spirit!  We kicked off, what we are calling, Consecration Month, by writing up our contracts for President Jeppson, and it was awesome!  At the beginning of my mission I can honestly say that I would have been a little annoyed with doing something like this, but it's crazy how the Lord changes us.  I can honestly say that I am a very different person now, than I was when I came out almost 10 months ago.  I have learned how important it is to truly give ourselves up to the Lord and do what He needs us to do, not what we WANT to do.  Real quick, before I get into my little sermon on the office chair, we will be meeting with Jeremiah tonight and I am stoked!  We also met with an investigator named Julio last night and it was the most humbling experience.  Little back story on him.  He LOVES to talk and he will talk your ear off.  So, we hadn't been able to share full lessons with him until last night.  He had been studying with the Jehovah's Witnesses .  Back to the story, we got over to his house and we sat down and he started talking to us and he told us this story on how the JWs went to his house and and he picked up the New World translation and handed it back to them and said, "no thanks."  They asked if he was studying something else and he said, "I have been studying the Book of Mormons (that's what he calls it) and I know they are the truth."  Keep in mind, we haven't even taught this man the restoration.  All we have done is given him a Book of Mormon!  The doctors say he will be blind in 3-5 months so he can't even read.  He said that he knows it is true because every time we go over there, he feels happy and at peace.  He then asked us what he can and can't do and if he can wear a cross or  is it against the rules or not.  He is a catholic and he has had a Mary statue up in his living room.  He asked if he had to take it down and we said, "yes."  He promised that he would.  He made all of these decisions before he had even been taught about the restoration.  We taught it to him last night.  The Spirit that filled that home was NOT because of Elder Thatcher and I, it was because this man was willing to give up all he had and come to Christ.  I know that the only way we can show our love to God is by giving up our will to him.  I know with all of my heart that it is only by obedience that 1) We can show our love, 2) We Feel His love.

I love you guys!
Elder Rodeback

Elder Rodeback LOVES graffiti!

April 8, 2013

AHHHHHH my peeps!  WASSSSSS UPPPPPPP!
It's been a while, what's it been like 6 or 7 days?  How's it?  Hope everybody on the west side is livin' the dream, Rockin' hard!

It's been a glorious week hangin' with Snooki and Pauly D!  PSYCH!  But really, it's been an awesome week and what better way to end it than by hearing the words of our beloved Prophet.  Elder Thatcher and I get along amazingly!  Almost as well as my man smashing, Tongan brother and I did. Elder Hafoka is a boss!  Big props and shout outs to my Tongan Bro!  We had a killer week.  We weren't able to teach Jeremiah last week, but God blessed us to be able to find a family that is willing to hear the Gospel.  We had a power house Zone Meeting last week, which resulted in an amazing kick-off to consecration month.  I love the opportunities that I have been given to turn my will over, and completely trust in God.  I have found a renewed focus, if you will, just because of consecration month.  So, the lesson I learned over the past almost a year (holy cow) is that of, love for God.  Every lesson, every hard time I have had, all results return to how much I love God.  Every time I have an instance like that, the love I have for Him grows.  I have learned that, with a love for God comes a desire to give up the things that keep us from Him.  Even though I am not the best at giving things up, I will say that the things I have given up since I have been out here, have truly changed my entire life.  By giving our will to God, we are able to focus on the things that actually matter!  Like the Gospel!  It is much more important than the dumb things I used to focus on.  I learned today, in the Book of Mormon, that faith and love are in perfect harmony with one another.  So, if we love God, we will give "things" up in faith and leave the rest to God.  I learned that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, because of the perfect patience they have will all of us, will never, EVER lose faith in us.  I know that every time we slip up, they are waiting right there to catch us and throw us back on our feet.  Have faith in your Father in Heaven and in his Son and ALL things are possible.  They will NEVER let you down!

Love you guys!
Elder Rodeback

April 1, 2013

Good Morning Fellow Americans!

It has been another glorious week here in Jersey, filled with miracles from the Lord!  It has been awesome to be a part of the Lord's work in the day in age when he is hastening his work!  Elder Thatcher and I saw some beautiful miracles last week.  My favorite one was while we were walking around, I was prompted to stop this kid on his BMX bike, and talk to him.  It was awesome because he was on a BMX bike so we instantly had something in common to talk about.  It was weird that I was prompted to talk to him because he had big 'ole gauges in his ears and a lip ring to match.  But I contacted him none the less, and he was super interested and invited us to come to his house on Friday.  On Friday we did splits with some of the youth from the Caldwell Branch so Elder Thatcher went to the appointment with his partner.  They shared a quick message with Jeremiah (the kid on the bike), then his step dad came outta no where and said, "Read the book (Book of Mormon) Jeremiah, it's a good book."  Well, it turns out that his step dad is a member that has been less active for a really long time.  We will be teaching them again on Friday.  It's super funny because after the first contact with Jeremiah, I told Elder Thatcher that he would make a really good member of the church.  It seemed like he already had the Spirit with him.  I know that the Lord is hastening his work. I know that it was only because I followed a prompting, that this miracle came about.
The past couple of weeks I have been studying love.  Man the study is blowing my mind.  I have learned so much about God's love for us.  But I have also learned that we need to have love for God.  In D&C 6:34-37 the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ is illustrated beuatifully.  I would encourage all of you to read this and ask God to allow you to feel his love.  When you do, I know that he will shower it upon you.  It is through the enabling power of Christ's love that we are able to do all things.  In Moroni 7:33 he says that, "if ye will have faith in me, Ye shall have power to do whatsoever is expedient in me."  Faith can be replaced with love.  I know this to be true with all of my heart.  If we will just love Christ, we will be empowered with the strength of all of the heavens.  Be strong guys!  Always remember that God comes first!

LOVE YOU!
Elder Rodeback