August 19, 2013

Hey hey hey!!

So, I`m going to start out by telling you how great of a P-Day we had this week. We went out and played some tennis this morning, then we did shopping and were done in like 20 minutes, then we came home and dropped the food off, then we went to the Church building because our mission president just allowed us to play a little bit of sports!!!! We have played basketball and soccer for like the past 2 hours.... Ahh... it was awesome. Next week we hope to have some other teams with us so that it isn;t just the two of us. One-on-one basketball is only fun for so long when both of you are so out of shape and suck at basketball. =) But now here I am, ready for email time|!

We had a fun week. I had to give a baptismal interview for an investigator of the sisters in our ward, and it was awesome. But, unfortunately for the other missionaries, she was a talker. And for every question I had to ask her, she had a HUGE story to tell, and then a question to ask me back. So it ended up taking like 2 and a half hours. That is RIDICULOUS! that should never happen folks. My bad. But, on the good side, she "Passed" her interview (there really ins`t any way to pass or fail one of those. its just a way to see how the investigator is doing, and how we can help them out before and after their baptism.) with flying colors. The bad news is that she didn't get baptised like she was supposed tothis Saturday because of a few last minute switch ups with the spouse. So, she is still doing well, but we will see when she will finally get baptised. Great experiance none the less.

Soo... We were teaching our investigator, Pascal, and it was really funny. he is an economy major, trying to get his masters here in Quebec. So anyways, we were talking about Joseph smith, and the restoration of the church and we were trying to see how much he really knew about the church and the doctrine to see how much we would need to see him before his baptism. AAAAaaaannnnd, we found out that he really doesn't know a whole lot. that was evident when he started talking about how 'Adam Smith' very well could have been an inspired man and he wants to know if he really did start a church. Weeeell Pascal, first off, 'Adam Smith' didn't start a church. Adam smith is an economist, not a prophet. But we can definitely help you out to find out if JOSEPH SMITH was on the ball with the whole Inspiration from god stuff. =) He is going to need a bit of instruction before his baptism.

Anyways, I love you all, have a fantastic week!!

Elder Oviatt

August 13,2013

So... Let me update you on our awesome week, Aight?

First... Monday, we met with Brother Jean-Claude. The husband of the member. It was a great lesson. Well, it was a great meeting. His home teachers were there also, because he really has a great respect for them. one of them is the Temple president, and the other is just a good friend. We set up a few base ideas, taught the restoration of the gospel, and then told them we would come back on Thursday. We went back Thursday and had an INCREDIBLE lesson on the plan of salvation. He grasped the principles of the plan in the book of mormon so well when he read it (twice) that we basically didn't even have to teach him anything. He was even explaining things to his wife, who has been a member for 36 years. I was impressed. He was at church on Sunday, for the first "official" time. He loved it. He was walking around talking to people, and we had to bring him to Gospel Principles class, and he was telling all the members that he passed that he had to follow us, his "two angels". he was telling us how he is going to be going up north for work at the beginning of September and if we get transfered he is going to be so sad and how we have to be there for his baptism and how he just loves us so much already. It was really incredible. I'm so excited for this man, his life has so completely changed in the past few weeks. It's really amazing to see the joy the gospel brings, to everyone.

Next, we went to a less actives house that the sisters are teaching and helping come back to church because she wanted a blessing, and so Elder Echeverria and I headed over and we gave her a blessing and it was really awesome. She had really bad back problems, and she was having troubles standing up and walking, and sitting in her chair, and basically doing anything. And after the blessing, we went downstairs to grab her mail for her and when we came up she was fine. She was actually bending over and touching the floor, and leaning up against the wall, and sitting in her chair and getting out and getting back in it. It was really special. We went back on Sunday and are going back on Tuesday, because she is trying to quit smoking and wants a blessing as often as she can. She was also calling us her "little angels". That is something that hash't happened many times on my mission, but everytime someone calls me an angel, I feel so touched. 

Thirdly, we went and visited a guy named Pierre (the French Equivalent of Peter), who is from Haiti. He was baptised 3 years ago in the Dominican republic, and then went to school in Germany for a year and a half, and has been here for a bit longer than a year. But he never made it to church because he didn't know where it was. But he and his cousin, Pascal, were on the Metros in Montreal one day and they ran into the missionaries, gave them their phone numbers and their addresses and they live in our area. We visited PierreSaturday, and he asked if we had visited his cousin, Pascal, yet. We said no, we didn't think he lived in our area, but he did. So we gave him a call and asked if we could go over and visit him. He said "Uh, not right now Elders, I'm actually at the store right now buying a shirt and pants to go to church tomorrow. But come over in a n hour of something." So we went over, thinking this man was a member or something, but it turns out he isn't! He went to church almost every Sunday when he was in Haiti, but never was baptised. He told us that his only goal right now was to get baptised. He will probably be baptised before Kaden hits the MTC. Which is crazy. Anyways, Pascal was at church sunday (12:30 - 4:00), then went to a Single Adults activity (4:30-9:00+). He said he loved it though, and we are going to see him Tuesday. Things are going very well with the area right now. We are teaching a few people, and talking to members and passing by less actives the rest of the time. It's pretty crazy. We are always tired, but in such a good way.

I will toss in a few pictures but I love you all, and I shall talk to you next week!

Elder Oviatt

1. Elder Hansen wrapped his head in a blanket and used two toilet paper rolls as eyes and a banana as a mouth and walked around the apartment for probably about 30 minutes the other day. It was hilarious. We think he looked like The Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch had a baby. 

August 5, 2013

Hey,

 I am super sorry, this week, we were driving to the mall to do our emails, and we hit trafic so bad that we literally have enough time to tel you that I donèt have time to do emails. We are headed out to visit the husband of a member, who, after 36 years of being married to a Mormon woman and not wanting to know anything about it, decided to read the book of mormon and now wants to get baptised. We are so excited we can't even really explain ourselves. When they called us to let us know that they wanted us to come teach him and his wife, they said "My husband smokes, do you want him to stop smoking before we meet with you, or will you be able to help him out with that?" Well, He will have to have stopped before his baptism, but we would love to help him quit smoking. I have yet to have an investigator like this on my mission, but I am so excited to teach this man, and his family is so excited also. I can't wait!