Travis - A week to remember

Oh what a good week!
 We have spent a lot of This week doing service. We are reaching out
to different groups in the community and working at different donation
places and at food banks. It's such a blast being a missionary. In a
million years I would never have guess that I would enjoy spending
time talking to complete strangers. We met with our melt prominent
investigator right now which is James! James is an older retired man
and his girlfriend who just can't help but bust out jokes left and
right. He always loves bringing smiles to people's faces but when the
gospel comes along he seems to be uplifted by the spirit in which his
most common phrase is 'I don't know why more people don't Lenten to
you guys!' Although he has a lot on his plate being retired he does
have a desire to be baptized and we are working word to help him get
to the church...on time :). But another miracle we had is we are doing
a lot of finding and changing in our teaching. Working with a few
wards is quite difficult (I can't imagine the Utah missionaries) but
we are really working with members in the YSA to meet people, we have
done a lot of work of going out on splits visiting less actives. These
people are so AWESOME too because they all grew up together majorly or
they know them from somewhere. So when we teach they get pretty blunt
and really know how to fellowship and answer concerns. Best of all
though is that because we got out working with them, they in turn each
have given us REFERRALS! Getting referrals and good ones are few and
far between, but it makes our day to know that someone trusts us to
teach there friend.
 But you know exciting things keep going on too, I've become more
involved in helping missionaries with there iPads since the majority
of tech people just went home :,(. It's giving me new insight into how
missionaries each work as I view there set up for teaching and who
they are teaching. But it also made me realize and focus on teaching
missionaries that they are the tools to teach in the hands of the
spirit NOT the iPad. Sometimes it seems missionaries and members rely
to much on a good movie or touching story to make them feel the Spirit
and do all the teaching, when in reality the best way to ignite the
spirit is to connect and share your own testimony. So I always
challenge missionaries to go without iPads and see what happens. The
spirit can work greatly simply through us, for it is where truth comes
from. Although scripture and teachers help, the best way to help
someone learn is straight from God.

I'm doing great, and I hope all of you are having a fantastic time!!

Love y'all

Elder Heckel