FELIZ NADIADAD FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!! Not going to lie this week has been AWESOME, despite quarantine and arctic gusts sneaking upon us in the middle of the night. This week we had the absolute pleasure of having our area seventy and his wife (Elder and Sister Jaggie) virtually tour the mission while richly testifying about our Savior Jesus Christ and the importance of keeping "our eyes on the Brethren". In Doctrine and Covenants 1:38 we read/learn that the word of the Lord "shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by [his] own voice or by the voice of [His] servants, it is the same". In these trying last days with pandemics, violent civil unrest, and natural disasters it can be difficult to hear the voice of the Lord as well as His plan for us in these Latter-days just as it might have been for Peter to see past the wind and the waves while walking on water towards Jesus Christ. The difference between these two events and their outcomes may be that when Peter began to sink he cried out to the Lord for help and took his focus away from the world and focused it on our older brother, our Savior Jesus Christ. In these trying last days, we see many hardships, however, let us take away our focus and attention on these trails and instead shift our focus and faith to the brethren of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and First Presidency, and most importantly our Savior Jesus Christ. Brothers and Sisters if we consistently and constantly keep our eyes on The Brethren I know without a doubt that we will not be led astray, but rather become receptive to more blessings and miracles that will help soothe us in these trying times.
So like I mentioned above we have been exposed to Covid, again, and have been in Quarantine for the past seven days, again, but luckily we have still had some amazing spiritual experiences and also a lot of fun as a companionship. As you may have read in the caption I have started creating my own reality tv series called "The Real Houseplants of Bismarck" and let me tell you things are going down (and it's not just my sanity level)! Currently, Sherman and Tiffany are separated due to an argument about Tiffany's overspending on various ornaments and Jewelry instead of trying to save money for an upcoming trip to Europe they plan on doing with their old college friends Hank and Linda. I bet that this is only a momentary lapse in their relationship and that they will eventually get back together and realize that overzealous spending is just an element of Tiffany's already over the top personality and should be gradually reeled in, at least that my opinion, but we will have to see what happens in the next episode. In other news the members in our ward have been super caring and loving by ordering us Doordash, randomly dropping off desserts, and sending super sweet texts about how much they miss us at Sacrament Meeting. One Sister in our ward who recently sent out a Son on a mission to Argentina has been especially looking out for us, so much in fact that she has called almost every member of the Relief Society and has scheduled meals for us almost every night of the week, and reserved us for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner. Honestly without the "Real Houseplants of Bismarck", Sister Southam, and the other super kind and caring members of the Bismarck 2nd ward, Quarantine would have been a lot harder and less fun.
FRIEND UPDATE!!! Unfortunately, with being in quarantine and all we had to cancel all of our in-person teaching appointments and try and do them over Facebook Messenger or Zoom. Both Eugene and Hope said they would rather just wait till we were out of quarantine for our meeting rather than do it over Zoom. Not the response we were hoping for but we have still just been checking in on how they are doing and mostly everything is going well. Elder Post, Garner, and I have also really tried to friend thirty-five people and have twenty conversations a day with people on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, it was super hard but luckily we were able to do it and we have started seeing some truly amazing blessings happen! For starters, I have been messaging this one guy from Dubai who is now living in Bismarck for the past week and it turns out he's a pretty cool guy and is a marketing expert for a couple of oil drilling and refining companies around Bismarck and Mandan area, he also has a side job of DJing at various events all over North and South Dakota. One day completely out of the blue he messages me and says, "I think I've got something that you will enjoy" and then adds me to a private Facebook Group with DJs, Sound Technicians, and singers from all over North and South Dakota. BUT if that wasn't good enough, he gave me a shout-out when he added me saying I was a pretty cool guy and that people should message me if they want to talk to someone upbeat and positive, but also loves talking about business and business development. So now I have tons of super cool people messaging me asking me questions about where I am from, why I am here, and why I have a black shield on my chest in my profile pic. So awesome am I right!!!!
Now for one last miracle that happened this week, on Saturday we were kind of feeling bummed out about life and felt like weren't making any difference and simply wasting Church resources, when Elder Post got a response from a guy he has been messaging on Instagram saying he was down to do a Bible study tomorrow at five. We get on the video call and this guy is only twenty and honestly super cool, but straight ELECT. What was originally going to only be a fifteen-minute Bible Study turned out to be an hour-long conversation about Jesus Christ and why he gives us challenges in life like losing a loved one or struggling with various sins. It was such a powerful lesson, but it got even better! At the end of the conversation Haven (the guy we are talking to) said he felt so much happiness and joy that he wants to do these every two days if his schedule allows, BUT IT GETS EVEN BETTER!!!! We were about to say the closing prayer when he says "can I ask you a super dumb question that has been bothering me for a while? I have attended various churches like the Baptist, Catholic, Evangelist, and Lutheran faiths, but they all practice different things and say different things, how can I find the true Church of Jesus Christ"? Low-key we almost exploded with excitement and told him that we have the perfect answer for him and we will tell him on Tuesday, to which he responded, "I'm counting down the minutes, thank you for my brothers'!!!!!! So basically, I'm now counting down the minutes and practicing the Restoration Lesson each hour so it's perfect for him.
All in all this week has been extraordinary and a true testament that the Lord knows us and what we are going through. I know without a doubt that we have a Savior and Heavenly Father that love us, so much in fact that one of them was born this Christmas Season to be our mediator and Savior. I am so grateful for my mission and all of the wonderful experiences that I am having and for the wonderful people of North Dakota. I love and miss you all so much, but I hope that this letter finds you warm and well during this truly amazing time of the year! Love you all so much!!!
Elder McMullin :)
Photo Gallery!!!
1) The Good ol' North Dakota Weather
2-3) Sweet Members and their Meals
