Week 101: Elder McMinn is coming home!!

 

We had another opportunity to set a baptism date with someone. Brandie Wright is now planning on being baptized on June 29th! She came to the realization on her own that baptism is the correct choice for her and she wants her brother, who is a convert to the church. We had a lesson with Victor Ewing this week too and he brought a friend along who he wants to start looking into the Book of Mormon. His name is David! We had a really great lesson with Megan and Memphis yesterday too! Megan is really pumped about her baptism on July 4th. Those two are my favorite!

The mission was one of the most incredible experiences that I have ever had in my life! There have been so many instances where I have learned to rely on the Lord and recognize that he is in my life on a daily basis! I have come to love the Book of Mormon and ask the teachings in it. I also really love the Bible and the messages that it holds of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ! I know this church is Christ's church and that the restoration is continuing to process!

Elder McMinn

Well done thou good and faithful servant. We love our missionary! Welcome home Kyle!

"When you help another up a mountain, you are a little nearer to the top yourself."

-President Thomas S. Monson

Week 100: 9 days to go and no slowing down

We had an opportunity to have a new baptism date this week. Megan Tripp decided that she wants to be baptized and to follow the example of her little sister. 

We had a few really good lessons this week. We had Brandie Wright come to church too with her brother who is a member in Tulsa. She is the coolest lady. We are planning to put her on baptism date soon too. We have 9 days out here we have 10 lessons set up for later. Things are going to be great this week. 

"May we see the light of Christ in others constantly and help them see it in themselves."

-Elder Bragg

Elder McMinn

Week 99: No email just a few pictures

I think that he spent most of his time talking on the phone today because we didn't get a group email. He is doing great and there is a lot of work happening in Shawnee right now but he is also getting excited to come home in a few weeks too. I can't believe we made it!! We sure love him!

God is eagerly waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams just as he always has but he can't if you don't pray and he can't if you don't dream, in short, he can't if you don't believe.

- Jeffrey R. Holland

Rely on the Lord, for only he can turn a mess into a message, a test into a testimony, a trial into a triumph, and what's broken into something beautiful.

-Zandra Vranes

Week 98: Lots of Potential

We had such a fun week. We were stuck in Shawnee Monday for a big tornado warning so that was fun. We had a really cool experience when we gave the survey to a couple. One of them was a state representative and they are both super nice! We set a great return appointment with them. We had quite a few good lessons this week and we found 9 potentials and had return appointments for all of them! It was a great week. 

Elder McMinn

 "Joy has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives."

-Russell M. Nelson

Week 97: President Eyring Visits Oklahoma

Monday we had a Tri-zone all day p day! We went up to Edmond and spent most of the day at Mitch Park with a large group of missionaries playing games like basketball and capture flag. That evening we went to a church building in downtown OKC and had past for dinner. Then we had a testimony meeting and played zone family feud. This was not one of the most exciting activities I had been a part of but I think I had the most fun at this one because of the group of missionaries that were there and the awesome friends I have made out here. 

Tuesday we were trying potentials for the majority of the day with little luck. It was about 5 in the evening at the point where we had a break in visits and we had the thought to go tracting in a neighborhood that we had seen the Saturday before. We had picked a street to start knocking and went after it. The first house we knocked at the man told us he would like to help us out and visit with us but he was really busy so we moved on to the next one.

Wednesday we drove up and spent the night in Stillwater so that we could participate in volunteering at the Special Olympics. On the drive up there we were taking a highway that took us through the country roads of Oklahoma. I found one little beauty of this state that isn't seen usually back home. There were fireflies flickering on both sides of us. I spent about 20 minutes in silence just staring out the window watching the flickering and admiring it. 

President Eyring came to Oklahoma to rededicate the Oklahoma City Temple. We had a really cool opportunity to shake hands with him! During the temple dedication, he came over to us and visited with the missionaries in our mission. He spoke to us! It was one of the coolest experiences! 

Elder McMinn

"It is in the temple that we remember who we really are and see with clarity who we really can become."

-Jean A. Stevens

Week 96: Staying busy but getting close

This week on Tuesday we had a Catholic monk give us a tour of the monastery again since Elder Spillman had not seen it. We had a really good discussion with him about the Book of Mormon afterward too. 

Wednesday was our zone conference and it was President and Sister Mansell's last one so they went all out and gave us so much information to look at and a lot of really cool information which was fun to learn. It went from about 9 AM to about 7 PM. I never thought that I would be able to sit and listen to gospel information for that long and not get tired of it. 

Thursday was really cool. When I was in Moore I had the opportunity to meet a guy named JT and his whole family. They are some of my favorite people. They moved into an area that was close to where we were on exchanges in Edmond I was able to go visit them! It was the coolest thing. I love the Alvarado family. Friday and Saturday were back to all the daily things that missionaries do. It was cool to be able to have a lot of lessons still happen even with such little time that we had in our own area.

Elder McMinn

"Ask the missionaries, they can help you!"

President Russell M. Nelson

Week 95: Temple Service

This was another good week. Tuesday was a day that was filled with a lot of trying new people to see how interested they may be. We found this new girl named Gabby. Missionaries have stopped by her in the past. They even gave her a book of Mormon but we were unaware of that. She seemed super interested in what we had to say. Then we stopped by to see her next-door neighbor, Jacory. We tried the survey with him and he let us right in and he accepted a book of Mormon and told us that he will read it by the time we come to see him next.

Wednesday we had the opportunity to go to the temple and help and participate in the keen house activities. This time, we did the parking duties. It was the most fun job I could do there. They allowed us the chance to go through the Temple tour and see the changes. It was beautiful.

We had a fun activity this week. On Saturday we participated in an event called Sound the Alarm. It is an event where we install fire alarms into homes who do not have them and teach a little short thing about fire safety. It was a lot of fun and we were well received. 

Elder McMinn

Week 94: There is a New Guy in Town

This was a really fun week. We had a few lessons this week but a lot of contact with people that we had not been able to get in contact with before. I think it is the power of being with someone who is right out and has no bias on anything and he is enjoying his time here. I am really enjoying him being here. I really scored with the missionary that we are training. His name is Elder Spillman and he is from Kaysville, UT. 

We had 4 people at sacrament meeting this week and 3 of them are really close to baptism which is awesome. It was Riley and Tanner Belanger, Megan, and Athea. They are all unbaptized children and we may have found another one last night named Olivia. She is awesome. She is 9 and has such an awesome personality. 

We had a lesson with a guy named Joe and Elder Spillman took the lead on the lesson already. He bore powerful testimony and kept the lesson in line and spiritual. Joe is searching for truth and he wants to search without including faith in the equation. He thinks it is an easy answer that is not exclusive. 

We have a lot of lessons coming up this week so I am excited to explain those later.

Elder McMinn

"My dear brethren, you were chosen by our Father to come to earth at this crucial time because of your premortal valor. You are among the finest, most valiant men who have ever come to the earth."

-President Russell M. Nelson

Week 93: Training in Shawnee

This past Monday we went to the OBU campus and did a little bit of rock climbing with one of the students who go there. He is a member of the church and is on the football team and he is willing to hook us up with whatever we need and is helping us turn OBU into BYU-O! That night we had a really good impromptu lesson with Jon Herrera and his family! They aren't good at giving us time on when we need to be at their place so we just drop in and teach a lesson then. They have had a lot of death in the family so we went straight to the plan of salvation for them. They loved it. The daughter in law even jumped in asking questions so that is a potential new investigator.

On Wednesday we helped one of our investigators, who is in a wheelchair, clean up his garden so that way he can plant vegetables. It was so much fun honestly. He has really softened up to us and has been listening to a lot more. He does not keep large commitments well but the small stuff he is willing to follow and commit to so we are working on getting him big steps now.

Friday we found a really cool guy. We had been tracting for 2 hours and found no one but at the last house, we found Joe. He has an agnostic belief but has a lot of questions. He is not convinced by faith at all and wants all logic so we were trying to help him know that logic can only get him so far and faith has to play a part in it all too. I am excited to show him more. We taught him a good chunk of the restoration too! 

We got transfer updates for my last transfer. Elder Capron and I are staying but... We are trio training. This is going to be so fun!

Elder McMinn

"We are on His errand. Let us learn from Him. Let us follow in His footsteps. Let us live by His precepts." 

-Thomas S. Monson

Week 92: The Work Moves On

We had a really cool opportunity to get in contact with an awesome part member family called the Squires. He has been a member his whole life but she grew up never attending a church at all. We are pretty much starting from scratch with teaching her so that will be so awesome. They had us over for dinner on last Tuesday and they are having us over for dinner again tonight. We will start the real lessons tonight.

We had a really good lesson with a guy named Victor Ewing. We have been visiting with him for a while. Missionaries, in general, have been visiting with him for a long time but now he is getting really close to being ready for baptism. He was talking about how he believes in the messages that the Book of Mormon contains but is not quite sure yet if Joseph Smith is a prophet. For me those, go hand in hand so we are just needing to help him realize that one.

Saturday was a total downpour and we had to help a family move. It was not the most exciting move and it was actually extremely cold. I had to come home after the move and take a hot shower just to warm up. The rest of the day we had members who were willing to go out on visits with us and to see people in our area. When we do splits on Saturdays we focus on part-member families and less active members. It was nice to stay our of that weather.

Elder McMinn

“My dear brethren, you were chosen to come to earth at this crucial time because of your premortal valor. You are among the finest, most valiant men who have ever come to earth.”

-President Russell M. Nelson

Week 91: General Conference

This was a really great week. On Monday we had a day filled with trying new potentials. We had a great lesson with this girl named, Brandie Wright. She told us that she wants to be baptized she just wants to know some peeps in the church first so we are bringing sisters with us to the next lesson. Then she will be at church this next week! We had a good meet up with the wife of one of our potentials. She has some family members who are members of the church. She was very kind and willing to let us come over again. We are going over on Wednesday this week for a lesson.

Thursday this past week was our interviews with the president. While we waited for our turn to be interviewed we played a role play bingo game where you are given a topic and then have to explain it and set a return appointment in 5 minutes. Some of the topics were, explain the Trinity, how do I recognize answers to prayers, what's so special about your church?, etc.

We had exchanges with the district leaders right after. We had a really cool opportunity on Friday to get a tour of a Catholic Abbey. It was so cool to see the insides of another church building and learn to appreciate their religion. We had a friend of ours, who is a monk there, give us a tour. It was cool to see.

General conference was incredible. There were so many powerful talks and so many that had such powerful testimonies of the Savior. The testimonies are my favorite part. I don't know if I have a favorite. I love Conference. This was the last General Conference for me in the mission. It was a great week.

Elder McMinn

“All Heavenly Father asks of us is to do the very best we can every day.”

-M. Russell Ballard

Week 90: Still in Shawnee

 

This week, we did not have any lessons sadly and our contact with new people was really slow but it was still a really good week. We had an opportunity to go to a multi-faith convention on how we, as Christians can come together in a divided world. It was a very exciting forum and it gave everyone present insight on how to interact with each other. We were hosted at a Presbyterian church so it was also fun to have the experience of being in another church.

We had two people come to church this week. Megan and Riley. They both have come quite a bit in the past but it was nice to see them there again and for us to have someone at church again. In all, it was a really good week. 

Elder McMinn

"Of this be sure: you do not find the happy life. You make it!"

-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

"To testify is to know and to declare. The gospel challenges us to be 'converted.' Which requires us to do and to become."

-Dallin H. Oaks

Week 89: Shawnee (Week 2)

 

This week has been filled with lessons and return appointments. We had 8 lessons and 11 return appointments in 3 days (Friday - Sunday). We have 4 people now who are praying about baptism and when would be a good day for them (Tanner, Riley, Megan, and Brandi). We have had a lot of lessons with new people and have been getting a lot of referrals from people on who to go see and not even just from members.

We had a lesson with Brandi this week. She is a single sister whose husband passed away 7 years ago. He was a member. She loves the church and loves how they reached out to her after his passing but then she slipped through the cracks. We found her. As we have been visiting with her, she has brought up baptism and how she feels that it may change her life for the better. She is currently praying about it.

“God is determined to make more of us than we thought we could be.”

-Jeffrey R. Holland

There has been a lot happening out here and I love it... Obviously.

Elder McMinn

P-Day at the Zoo in Oklahoma City.