Monday, January 25, 2015

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a great week. We had a pretty solid week full of lessons and inspirational training. This past Wednesday, there was a World Wide Mission training from Salt Lake City that we got to watch and learn from. There was some powerful lessons taught and it really made me reflect on missionary work. I took some pretty sweet notes so I'm excited to apply it to the work going on in Fayetteville.

Elder Greenwood and I are now getting into the swing of things and we are able to teach off of each other really really so we've got to have some amazing lessons lately. The training talked a lot about having the Spirit with you at all times.  We have been praying for the Spirit a lot more often during the day and we have been able to see a difference. We have also been praying for new people to teach and asking the Spirit to identify those people to us. The other day we had to get our car worked on so we decided to go out and talk to whoever we could find. We talked to quite a few people and some of them took a Book of Mormon and we gave out pass along cards as well. When we got our car back,  we were driving and we noticed a guy pulled of to the side of the street. We both had the prompting to help him. We helped him get his car running and he told us that the LDS church members have helped him out so much the past week as he has been preparing to move to Fayetteville. He wants to see us again so we got his number and we are hoping to teach him sometime!

This proves that people notice everything that we do. If members hadn't reached out to this guy and helped him, his heart might not have been ready to except the missionaries into his life. We only see a small portion of the influence we actually have on others. We never know the impact our habits as members of the church will have on certain individuals. Always be an example and always follow the spirit. Blessings will come and we are promised that.

I love you all and I hope everyone has a blessed week! Keep the Faith and keep pressing forward!

Love, Elder Leavitt

For some reason, Elder Greenwood thought this would be a good idea!

Our zone and Pres. Loveland moved a homeless shelter

Sums up Arkansas in one sentence 

Monday, January 18, 2016

Hey There!

So this past week I said goodbye to my old Comp and hello to the new one. Elder Greenwood is really great. He is definitely going to help out this area a lot and he is going to be a great companion. We have already taught a couple lessons together and he knows a lot and is ready to learn more. I'm excited for the new transfer. For some reason we thought it would be a good idea to go out this morning on a bike ride for our exercise. When we came out side, there was about a half inch of snow on the ground and I don't know why that didn't stop us but I got to experience the first real snow in Arkansas by just about sliding face first into it this morning.

This week we got to have a pretty serious talk with Michael and he told us that he has to put the baptism on hold. His brother is really sick and so he doesn't want to plan anything so that he can be with him. He knows that baptism is something he needs and wants to do but it's just hard for him right now. Jo is getting things all figured out this week so we are hoping to schedule a date with him later this week.

We went and visit Anthony and Norma this past week and it was their daughters birthday. Among all the craziness, Norma came up to us and said that she wants to start reading the Book of Mormon with us because she wants to understand it.  That is a huge step for her.  We are hoping that that will motivate Anthony as well.

I hope you all are doing well and I know that as you are going throughout your day with your attitude focused on what you can do for someone else, then God will put those opportunities in your path. As a missionary, it is vital that we have this mind set. Every member is a missionary so keep the faith you have and move forward looking for service opportunities. I love you all and I hope you all have a blessed week!

Love, Elder Leavitt

Burning of the tie ceremony for 6 months of service

Cereal Party at a members home.

Feeling like a Rebel

Monday, January 11, 2016

Hey everyone I hope you all had a great week. We received our transfer calls this past Saturday and it was sad to find out that Elder Anderson is going to be leaving. He is going up to Springfield Missouri. It's been a great couple of transfers with him and I'm now getting a new comp this week named Elder Greenwood. He hasn't been out long so I'm senior comp. Our District leader's area is getting shotgunned ( Missionary term we use which means both elders leave the area and two new people come in) with sisters so I've been assigned as the district leader so we will see how well this all plays out.

We finally got to see Michael this past week and the adversary has been really working on him these past couple of weeks. His next baptismal date is up in the air right now but we will continue to work with him and pray for him. Jo is in the same situation so we will see how these next couple of days and visits go.

The Weather is starting to get a bit colder now. It snowed the other day which was something new to me. I guess it's about time that I invest in a coat. I hope you all have been enjoying the new year and thanks for all the emails and support. I have been able to see the Lord's hand in my life recently and I pray that all of you can see his loving guidance as well. Love you all and have a blessed week.

Love, Elder Leavitt

Monday, January 4, 2016

This past week was a rough one to get through. Elder Anderson ended up getting really sick with the flu and was bed ridden for a couple of days. We had to do a lot of exchanging with the other elders so that we could get some lessons in. Right after he got over it, I caught what he had! I was only sick for a day but it was not an enjoyable one. The other day President Loveland's parents came into town and they all were in Fayetteville on Saturday. They invited us and some other elders to lunch. It was cool  to sit down with the President and his parents and just talk about what's been going on with life. He is a farmer too. He's really funny and tells a bunch of old guy stories so it was a good time.

On Tuesday we got a text from Michael saying that he wasn't ready to be baptized this week. We were sad to hear that and we tried to see him last week but we couldn't set an appointment up with him. We don't know what's up at this point. We are hoping all is well with him and we are hoping to see him soon. On a brighter note, we visited Jo this past week and he has been cigarette free for the past 2 and 1/2 weeks. He called us up and was really excited about it. He said that he has been so busy lately that he has just forgotten about smoking. What a blessing that has been! We are meeting with him and setting up his baptism so I hope I'm not jinxing it.

This is the best time of year to reflect on our weaknesses ( even though we don't want to sometimes) and strive this next year to improve on them. I know that if we spiritually reflect on what we need to change and strengthen in our lives this next year, we can receive personal revelation that will bless our lives forever not just for a year. Love you all and I hope 2016 is a good one for everyone.

Love, Elder Leavitt

 

Go Razorbacks!

 

 

Monday, December 28, 2015

I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas! The members here took care of us, especially the Richardson family. They had us over there all morning and let us take part in all their Christmas traditions. They have 12 kids and most of them are still in school so it was a full house, which kept it in the Christmas spirit. It was awesome talking to the family and it seems like all is well back home. We ate dinner over at an older couples home with all the elders and they were like," Want to watch some cool videos?" And then they whipped out these old home videos of them hanging out with David A. Bednar and his family back when they lived down here! Apparently they were in the Stake Presidency together and they are still super close friends. It was pretty interesting seeing an apostle water ski and coach basketball. Thank you to all that sent me stuff for Christmas. It was very thoughtful of you.

The past week has been full of street contacting and trying to get people to remember the true meaning of Christmas. One night we were walking around talking to people at the Christmas lights and we ran into the Dugger family. That's the family off of 19 kids and counting. I wouldn't have even known that if an Elder didn't say something. We heard that they live around this area. We got to meet them and we gave them a Christmas card and talked for a while. It was pretty cool.

Michael is having his Baptism interview tomorrow and if all goes well, we will be having his baptism this Saturday. We are so stoked for him! We haven't been able to get in contact with Jo lately and we are hoping it's just the holiday craziness. We are hoping he is still doing good. Anthony and Norma and their little girl Mickayla came to church yesterday. They didn't want to read the Book of Mormon but after we taught a surprise Gospel Principles lesson on the Scriptures, they asked for a Book of Mormon and said they would start reading. What a blessing in their lives and it all came from coming to church one Sunday.

Thank you for all the prayers and support in my behalf. I can feel the change happening in my life as I serve and continue to learn. Love you all and have a happy New Year.

Love, Elder Leavitt

The crew out contacting

Some of the Dugger Family. (19 kids and counting)

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Hey everyone sorry about the late email. I forgot to mention last week that I would be at a mission conference all day yesterday and wouldn't be able to email until today. So I'll let you know how the past week has been for us.

Michael is all set for baptism! We taught him the last couple of lessons this past week and with everything we said he just said, "If that's what I need to do, then I'll do it." We are beyond excited for him and all he needs is to have is his baptism interview and he's all set.

Jo has been off smoking since last week and he just needs to have it completely out of his system so that we can get him baptized as well. They have gained really strong testimonies of this church so we are praying that they will be able to over come their earthly struggles so that they can be spiritually blessed.

The other day I had one of the most amazing experiences of my life. So, us and the other elders went to lake Fayetteville to try and talk to some people and show the Christmas video. I went with Elder Constandse and no one would talk to us. We saw this lady out on a dock and we felt like we should talk to her. We went up and started talking to her and when Christmas came up in the conversation we mentioned the video and started to watch it with her. Halfway through the video she starts bawling. Afterwards, we have a really deep talk about the spirit and she said to us that she was about to jump into the freezing lake seconds before we showed up and talked to her. She gave us all her information, took a Book of Mormon, and said she would read it before the missionaries in her area came to see her.  I know that there are no coincidences in the Lord's work. We were there and she was there at the exact moment that God wanted us to be there. If we hadn't listened to that prompting to talk to her, who knows what would have happened to her. I'm thankful for this time I get to be a part of His work.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and I hope all is well with all of you. Always look for the ones who are ready. Love you all and wish you the best!

Love, Elder Leavitt

Monday, December 14, 2015

This past week has gone by so fast and so much has happened that I'm really excited about! It's been in the 60's for the past week and everyone has been telling us that if it's this warm now, then January and February are going to be brutal. I don't know how I feel about that.

I've got some good news on Michael! We visited him last week and we taught the word of wisdom. He said that he doesn't smoke or drink coffee or alcohol but he said he does drink tea. When we told him that he had to stop drinking tea to get baptized all he said was,"I've got some tea in the fridge and when I run out I just won't make anymore." So he is determined to stop that and we officially set his baptismal date to January 2nd. He came to church yesterday and was so excited to tell everyone about his date. He is practically part of the ward family now. Everyone loves him! We are hoping that the next couple of weeks go by smoothly and everything works out.

Jo Szot has also committed to be baptized on January 2nd too so we might have ourselves a double dipper! He was struggling with the smoking thing at first but he really wants it so we are hoping that he is able to quit the awful habit and be baptized.

We are teaching a little girl named Hazel Holt and I think I've mentioned her before. She came to church yesterday with a less active lady in our ward. She went to primary for the first time and absolutely loved it! We hope that we can get permission from her dad to start teaching her the lessons and we are hoping to set a date with her soon.

The work is so fun to be a part of and I'm thankful for it everyday. There are so many people hid from the truth because they don't know where to find it. It is my goal and hope that I can find those searching and I challenge all of you to keep your eyes open for those who are spiritually ready for this gospel. Love you all and have an amazing week!

Love, Elder Leavitt

Merry Christmas!

We found this confederate cemetery out in the middle of nowhere.

This is how crazy warm it has been! Don't worry I wasn't driving!

Elder Foster from the second quorum of the Seventy and his wife came to visit.