May 12, 2014~ To be enabled

Well we're back to the mode of electronic communication my dear family!  It was a real treat to be able to chat with all of you last night . I believe it was a blessing in disguise we weren't able to Skype.  Haha Elder Whitehead, when he was done, came out of the room he was in with tear filled eyes and it took a little bit for him to gain his composure back.  Not that that's bad in any way, I just think I may have come out the same had I been able to Skype.  Anyways all is well!  Bdog, I didn't know you were the next William Joseph!  That's awesome!  Keep up the great work on your ivory tickling skills!  Aust thanks for the work out routines, that will really help.  Like you said, now I'll have at least some fighting chance come August when we're all back together pumpin iron!  Dad it looks like you scored with the Mothers Day gift, that's a pretty sweet lookin bike!  Next item on the list: one of those Ninja speed racing bikes. And mother. I feel bad because I didn't get a card or do anything special for mother's day, even though you deserve all of that and more.  I believe there's a quote by Abraham Lincoln where he says "All that am, and ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."  I don't believe I can say it any better myself than that!

I told you last night about the new couple that we found, Robin and Michelle.  We're really excited to have the opportunity to continue working with them.  We dropped a part member family this past week too, that missionaries have been meeting with for almost a year now.  It's come to the point where the member in the family wants to only hang with us and the spouse isn't willing to make any changes.   It's sad to see, the elders quorum in the ward is on top of it so we know that they won't go without a visit from the ward.  This past week we also received 3 referrals from other missionaries in Stillwater who are in other areas, so that's been a great blessing.  We haven't been able to contact all of them yet however. Hopefully next week I'll have better news!

Other than that  most of our investigator pool that we're working with are either people who missionaries have been meeting with for months, and we're going to need to make a decision too on whether or not we're going to drop them, or friends of recent converts.  We do a lot of teaching/visits to recent converts and we've been able to network through them and 5 of our potential investigators that we have right now are friends of recent converts.  We still have more people to find though! So miracles to come.

Like I mentioned last night briefly Elder Whitehead and I are holding a specialized training meeting next Monday and we'll be discussing overcoming fear and discouragement.

This morning in my studies, in preparation for that, I was reading in Matt 14, and the account of Peter when he walked on water.  There's a ton in there that I learned that I'll have to share another time, but one of my favorite insights was in vs 30.  It says "But when he (Peter) saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me."  In Peter's moment of fear and failure, he cried out to Christ and said "Lord, save me."  His response wasn't "well, I tried and failed, so that proves it can't be done."  Neither was it "I'm sinking! Looks like I need to go swim back to the boat where I know I can find safety."  He asked for help from his Savior, and "immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him... And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased."  I was thinking about it too and after Christ helped Peter how do you think they got back to the ship?  It doesn't say it in there, but it makes sense that they walked!  I don't think Christ would've taken Peter by the hand drug him along while He walked back to the boat.  With the aide and help of Christ,  Peter accomplished his goal and walked on water back to the boat.  

I've learned and know that in our moments of fear and failure, there's one source we can turn to for help.  To be enabled.  That source is our Savior. What a blessing that we can have opportunities where we fail and are afraid!  Because we then have the privilege of being led by the hand of Christ and come to know Him.  I love this gospel and I love my Savior. You're a tremendous family and I love all of you!  This week, when you're either afraid, or feel like you're failing, like Peter, call out "Lord, save me!" and watch as you're led by the hand back to the boat.  I hope you all have an incredible week! Love you!

Elder Traasdahl

May 5, 2014~ Adjusting to the transfer: Stillwater is a whole new different creature

I'm telling you what, it's been such a long time since I've had a week that has felt like it's taken so long to go by!  Haha I don't know why but it feels like it's been ages since we've talked! But it's good to hear from you, and it'll be good to chat with you on Mother's Day.  Mom! that's no good to hear that you got stung by a scorpion!  That's one critter that we hardly see out here anymore, thank goodness.  The fireflies are starting to come out now, which is really neat.  Those things are super cool.  And what the heck!  Austin and Dad had some bdays!!  I forgot to mention something about that last week.  Happy birthdays!! And bdog school's almost out isn't it?  Woo hoo!!  

Well Stillwater is a whole new different creature.  Haha it's pretty nuts.  In a good way though.  The bishop here is super gung-ho missionary minded, our WML is a my way or the highway type guy with his sights set on baptizing all of Stillwater, and together they've got a game plan.  On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights from 6:30-8:30 and then 6-9 on Saturday two brethren go on splits with us and we go our separate ways and visit people.  So the expectation's been set that we need to find enough people to have appointments to go to during those times.  In the last 2 weeks this area just had 7 baptisms, so they essentially baptized their whole investigator pool, and now we're left with filling it back up!  Haha but it's a good problem to have.  This expectation too isn't just from our Bishop but also across the stake.  Most the areas in the zone have the same type of systems going on.  Upon coming into the zone, I've noticed too that it seems like President W. has stacked this zone with some of the (best) missionaries in the mission.  It all starts from the top though!  President Bowen, the Stillwater stake president, set this expectation a year or so ago and now it continues move forward.

This past week though has been filled with coming to grips that I'm actually leaving Norman, and then trying to learn a whole new ward, investigators, less actives, and so forth.  My mind has been slightly mush these past few days.  This week though I've taken a lot of comfort in the experience of Ammon and his brethren.  President asked the mission to study Alma 26 this past week so we did and verse 1 really stuck out to me.  It says  "And now, these are the words of Ammon to his brethren, which say thus:  My brothers and my brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we started from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?"  I really liked this verse because it helps us realize that when they started out on their journey, they weren't expecting loads and loads of converts.   I'm sure they probably thought maybe a handful of people converted to the Lord would've been more than they could have asked for.  They still embarked on their journey though because they knew they needed to follow the promptings of the spirit that they felt, and that those feelings were from God.  They knew and trust that if they did follow those feelings, then they didn't need to worry about any other detail.  I also appreciate Ammon's example because he took time to reflect upon the experience after he acted in faith.

 I know at times that I act in faith and then don't give myself the credit I deserve, or Heavenly Father the credit he deserves for providing the blessings that he did because of the act of faith taken.  Rather those blessings can be looked over or counted for nought because of their simplicity.  Anyways, I know that reflective learning is progressive learning.  Not progressive in the bad way, but the good way :)  I know that the gospel is true, and I know that God loves you.  We were talking with an atheist the other day, who was a really pleasant man, but when it came to God he was prideful and mocked Him.  He asked me how I knew God was real, and I told him of an experience I had where I knew that God loved me, which is the foundation of my testimony.  As I bore my testimony those same feelings came back which reaffirmed to me that God is our Father, and that he does love us.  After I finished sharing that experience, this man was silent for a few moments, and then cracked a joke to change the subject because he was uncomfortable with feeling the spirit.  It was sad to see.  However I know that that's true.  I love you all, and look forward to talking to soon!

Elder Traasdahl

April 28th ~ Transfer Alert - Stillwater, Oklahoma is next on the list

April 28th, 2014

Hello familia!  Well it sounds like you all have had such a wonderful week!  Aust, I feel your pain, I was afflicted too this week with a cold.  It doesn't sound like I got it as bad as you did, but I've been hacking up some good mucus and my voice dropped a few octaves and I a few snot filled hanky's later I was set!  Mom I used those on guard beadlets you sent and the peppermint oil, the deliverance oil and sought a priesthood blessing and I've been able to plug along!  Braden way to hook Basil up with a comfortable bed!  He'd thank you for that if he could talk.

 Well let's get down to business!  We got the call yesterday afternoon and I'm getting transferred to Stillwater.  It still hasn't really hit me yet that I'm leaving though.  Haha I've been here so long that it doesn't feel like I can leave, even though I know I needed the change.  I was stopping by saying bye to a few families yesterday and plan to throughout the day today and man!  It feels like I'm saying goodbye all over again to my family as if I was leaving for my mission!  Norman's been good to me, I've loved serving here.  I know though that change is good and I'll learn a lot in Stillwater.  The area/zone I'm going to is one of the highest baptizing zone's in the mission, so I'm looking forward to teaching a lot and learning how to work with member effectively, because that's the reason why they're so successful.

The members in that stake are really missionary minded, and the stake president has a goal to have his stake be split because of the growth of their missionary efforts.  There was a missionary who came home and gave his homecoming talk this past Sunday, and he said something interesting in his talk.  He said "I hope that there's been something that' been said today that has given you a desire to change, because if it hasn't, then you've merely been entertained.  If you're not changed then you've only been entertained."  That really struck me because it's a really stark contrast but it's makes a really good point.  We can either allow a message to affect us and the decisions that we make, or we can let it be a nice flowery message that we enjoy and the effects wear off as soon as our thoughts are distracted by the next entertaining idea or message.  I feel the key difference on whether we allow a message or doctrine to either change us or merely entertain is whether or not we have an open heart and an open mind, with a spirit of humility about us.  Well I love all of you lots and look forward to talking to you on Mothers day!!

Elder Traasdahl

1. This is Paul Wognaku.  Convert to the church.  He's had 5 strokes, which has left him paralyzed and unable to talk.  He has the slight use of 1 arm so the way we communicate is we talk to him and he writes back his response on a piece of paper. He's from Africa and was a professor at OU before his health problems.  We would visit him and sing him hymns and read a chapter with him so he could have some influence of the spirit in his life.  He also speaks 3 languages, but can't use them.. pretty rough situation.

2. The Richichi family.  He's a computer wiz that's hooked us up when we've needed technical help in any trainings and she's a great cook that would always fill in the holes of our dinner calendar. Great family!

3. The Norman zone!

4. Elder Vance caught me about to sneeze. He got a fancy camera so he's been trigger happy the last few weeks

Pictures from Spring 2014

April 21, 2013 ~ I invite you to say your prayers out loud tonight!

The work continues on my friends.  Great to hear from you this week!  Mom you said in your email that the divide between the good and the bad keeps on getting ever wider and it's so true.  That's something I think we were able to witness this week.  But I'll talk about that in a second.  Braden I heard that you went on a really awesome campout!  I remember when we went to camp Geronimo.  Tyler and the rest of the troop one night decided to prank another troop and put twinkies in their shoes.  I was too scared to and kept sleeping.  I still stand by that decision :)  One of these days Austin you'll send us a play by play of the week, I just know it!

This week my testimony has grown in the importance of living the Law of Chastity.  All of the couples that we're working with towards baptism are not married currently. Each investigator this week that has a baptismal date, (minus Seth and Emily) have had some stumbling blocks in their way because of their not being married.  Eric and Michelle got in an argument this past weekend, and Eric took off to Broken Bow, OK (4 hrs away) he hasn't come back since.  Michelle plans on leaving back to LA on Wednesday if he doesn't come back today or tomorrow. When we were talking to her one of the greatest feelings she was expressing was that she felt no trust between them.  We have another investigator, Andrew, who's been with his girlfriend for 15 years, but has never married her.  He just got in a fight with her and she left him as well.  While talking with him he said the exact same thing, he felt like there was no trust.  From these few experience, and after talking about, Elder Vance and I came to the conclusion trust is one of the natural consequences that come as we're obedient to the Law of Chastity.  The feelings of doubt, deceit, fraud, and infidelity all come from the same source:  Satan and disobedience to God's commandments.

The other spiritual highlight of this week real quick has to do with a commitment that a missionary left with me while on exchanges a few days ago.  We were talking about our prayer communication and I mentioned how there are times that I struggle with organizing my thoughts and keeping my prayers on line.  He suggested that for my evening prayers, before I go to bed, I go into another room and say my prayers out loud. I've heard of that suggestion but have never done it (in front of a companion).  Well I've been doing it for the past few days and goodness gracious does it make it difference!  If you haven't done it in a while do it tonight, and if you do do it keep on doing it!  Say your prayers out loud.  It makes such a difference.  For myself it makes my communication with Heavenly Father all the more real, even tangible.  As I've been doing it I know that my prayers have been more guided by the spirit as well.  So again, I invite you to say your prayers out loud tonight!

Keep on working growing and progressing in the gospel. I love you all so very much!

Elder Traasdahl

"Easter Sunday dinner spent at our bishops home. (left to right) Elder Vance (comp) Elder Brotherson, Elder Morris, me!"

April 14, 2014~ The Gospel 101 - God is our Father, and Christ is our Savior.

My goodness!!  It sounds like everyone had such a fantastic week!  Braden I'm glad that you had such a great experience with the EVMCO concert!  We were listening to a general conference talk the other morning as we were getting ready and it was on hymns, and the speaker made the comment that music is a one of the quickest ways that we can invite the spirit into any avenue.  I believe that principle was confirmed for all of us this weekend!  Mom that's pretty neat that you were able to share your experiences with the Stewart's parents, I know that they'll have a hard time forgetting what you told them. And can I just say, man y'all are a good looking family!  You cleaned up nice in that photo you sent me mom.  It's not cool that Braden's up to Dad's shoulders but that's okay, I can still take him in a skeet shoot out ;)

Well we had another busy week.  Right now our zone is in the phase where all the new missionaries are no longer new missionaries, they're out now 6 months - 1 year, so we're all learning how to put our nose to the grind stone, dig deep, learn what we're actually made of, and overcome discouragement.  I sincerely feel one of the reasons the Lord is blessing us with success is so that we'll be able to then say "hey, elders, (or sisters) there's a reason enduring to the end is a principle of the doctrine of Christ.  If you keep on pressing forward, the Lord will have your back!"

I was on exchanges this past weekend with an elder that I went on exchanges with nearly 10 months ago in Duncan.  He was a new missionary at the time and on our first exchange I was saying to him "shoot tomorrow I hit my year mark!" and just the other day he said "Elder Traasdahl, don't you only have a few months left?"  It's incredible how fast time flies.  We had a great exchange though.  We taught a crazy LA sister that has beef with just about every principle and doctrine of the church from A-Z.  While we were talking with her though it came up that she believes Christ is a son of God like myself or any or man on earth is, and doesn't have any divinity about him.  So now we know where to start!  

God is our Father, and Christ is our Savior.  The Gospel 101.  We also had a lesson with Seth and Emily on tithing and was a great lesson.   Kristy, their grandmother, who's not a member, also participated and taught them about fast offerings too!!  It was so sweet too because she was bearing her testimony to them the whole time about the importance of paying tithes and fast offerings.  Mini miracle right there.  Br. Shinn also told Elder Ravsten, while he was down here on exchanges early on in the week that he plans on getting married to Kristy by the end of this month, so we'll see where that goes.  And last but not least Eric and Michelle!  We had breakfast with them Saturday morning at Br. Swaim's home with the other elders, and afterwards taught them the 1st half of the Plan of Salvation.  Sis. Swaim shared a really sweet testimony of their conversion to the church, and the spirit was undeniable in the room.  We took that opportunity to then set a goal for baptism for them, and they're going to work towards may 24!  They're not married either so sooner than later we'll be getting some wedding plans going!  They didn't come to church because they felt embarrassed because they didn't have anything "churchy" to wear, but we'll fix that.

Well real quick, here's a spiritual insight for the week.  Yesterday we got snagged and were asked to teach the apostasy in YW's during the 3rd hour.  It was a different experience teaching that doctrine to a group of members, after having been teaching it non-members for so long.  But what struck me yesterday after teaching it is how important it is for each of us to have a testimony that Joseph Smith is a prophet.  I know this is kind of a "well duhhh" statement, but I add my witness to that statement.  If there's anywhere one is looking to start to gain or nurture their testimony of the gospel, begin by finding out if Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.  Something that has always struck me so odd is that most everyone we talk to recognizes that there's been an apostasy and that truth has been scattered across all the denominations.  What separates the wheat from the tares is whether or not one is willing to act in faith to find the whole truth when presented to them.  Well, I love you all, you're a special and blessed family.  Thank you for your support and prayers.  Continue to have your FHE, daily prayer and daily scripture study, it's the best protection we can get.  Love you!

Elder Traasdahl

April 7, 2014~ THERE ARE PROPHETS AND APOSTLES ON THE EARTH

Shoot howdy dang it's Monday!  Time is zipping on by folks!  Tax season is about to wind down pops, woo hoo!!  Mozeltoff.  Sounds like you've got some big plans for this weekend Mom and Braden!  I look forward to hearing how it goes next week.  Yayyyy for the new job Austin!! Well, at least getting to start it today.

 Let me tell you what, if it wasn't evident before, then after this weekend it sure is evident now, THERE ARE PROPHETS AND APOSTLES ON THE EARTH AND THEY GUIDE CHRIST'S CHURCH!!!  There were a couple themes that stood out to me.  One is that there were a large number of talks that were directed to the youth.  Heavenly Father is interested in the noble youth of the church.  He's helping them understand how they can rise to their greatest potential!  Another theme I felt like was throughout the entire was "WARNING: Oppostion ahead.  Be prepared to defend your faith."  There were so many call to action's to defend truth, to defend our faith, and to never back down.  It was awesome!  Shoot it awoke it the fighter in me as I was watching all those talks.  It was probably the first time I've ever even thought about getting a soap box and standing in the public square to shout out and declare the truth of the gospel.  The other two themes, which were closely related to each other that kept popping up to me, were Charity and Obedience. How many times did we hear the greatest commandment was to love the Lord our God?  And the 2nd was like unto it?  To love our neighbor as ourself?  And then to tie in obedience, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Elder Holland's comment was so spot on "Christlike love is the greatness need we have on this planet."  Suffice it to say, general conference was incredible.

We had a fantastic week. We had two visits with Seth and Emily this week.  Our first visit with them we were able to set a baptismal date with them for the 31st of May!  So thank you so much for your prayers!!  They watched general conference as well, and Br. Shinn watched the priesthood session as well at his home, which is such a big step for him.  Eric and Michelle are doing great too.  I can't remember if this we before or after last Monday, but we had a lesson with them and taught them the restoration and they accepted the invitation to be baptized!  He has a record and will need to be interviewed by President when that time comes so we're holding off on a date for now. They both came to the last session of General Conference and loved it.  Afterwards we had a church tour with them and Eric made the comment "Man, I feel so good right now."  That's the only way he could express how he was feeling but we both knew that it was the spirit.  We testified to him that was the spirit and promised him that he'd get that good feeling each time he came to church.  The member that gave them a ride to the church building offered to have them over as well for a breakfast on Saturday morning with us, so we're really looking forward to that!

Other than that the work continues to move forward.  We have a few media referrals we have to contact this week.  There's a companionship in the zone we went on exchanges with this last week that have decided they want to be service missionaries rather than proselyting missionaries.  I've learned that there will always be a hand to help, and need to fill, and heart to comfort.  It makes sense then why the 2nd greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves. Well I love you all, and am so grateful for all you prayers and support!!

Moroni7:45-48

Love,

Elder Traasdahl