July 25, 2017

So this week has been pretty good, on Sunday there was a non-member that randomly showed up to church that is living with one of the members in the ward. This member has already given him a Book of Mormon and he has read it twice. He stayed for the whole time at church and another member named Brother Work invited him over to have burgers with us this Wednesday so we will be able to share the first discussion with him and pick him up as a new investigator. The only concern is that he smokes but I bet he will be able to overcome it. We also had a cool fireside with all the youth in the ward and it went very well they asked us questions and we answered them. It was a little quiet at first but towards the end it was a great experience. Other than that we have been contacting the less-actives in the Ward. Sorry it is so short this week I kinda ran out of time because of a mission wide survey but it is good to hear that you are all doing well I pray for you guys every day, keep up the good work I love you all and sure do miss ya. 

Love, Elder Allred 

July 18, 2017

Lunch after New Trainer's meeting!

I have been dropping poundage like crazy, I was 200 and now I am I down to 188 I think that I might be a little less than that too because that was last week that I weighed. Keep going strong! 

To tell you the truth the work is great I am learning more then I ever thought that I ever would. It was a little slower because of the stampede going on this week but it ended on Sunday and so things will pick up again. A funny story I would like to tell you about is when we were walking home on Thursday we were a little late getting home because the Calgary transit is not as reliable on time as what it should be but we were walking home and we were almost home. It was around 9:45 at night and the sun was still up in the sky that's just how it is up here in Canada... But we were walking on the sidewalk when a girl from the other side with her boyfriend called out to us and asked us if we were missionaries and we just figured it was some member and we said that we were and she said that is sweet I have a friend I am rooming with that is Mormon and she is super cool. They looked like they were in a big hurry and so we said oh that's awesome and told them to have a good night. After walking maybe 50 ft. another couple appeared on the other side of the road and the guy in the relationship called out to us and asked us if we were Elders and we said yes we are and we went over and started talking to them and as we were the other couple turned around and so we ended up talking to these two young couples. They appeared to me to be around 22ish years old. They were super cool but as soon as we got over there the girls we could tell were quite buzzed. The girls started flurting it up with me and it was pretty funny, to make a long story short though I got both of their numbers and they all wanted to go out for ice cream or something so I am going to give them a call and we will see what happens. One of the guys lives in our area so maybe we will be able to at least pick him up and start teaching him. 

Sorry this is kinda short I will maybe email you a little more later on today but if not have a good week I love you all! 

July 11, 2017

This week has been pretty good, it is the week of the big Calgary stampede and everyone is either gone vacationing or are at it. I guess a highlight of the week was that we had another mission wide fast on Friday where we were supposed to do a food fast and then go street contact and tracked people out from 2 to 5 in the afternoon. We ended up tracking people out in a group of houses, and we got to this one house and it was Elder Bunch's turn and there was an elephant on the top of the door. When the guy answered the door Elder Bunch asked him what the elephant stood for and he said that he worshiped it, and that he was Hindu. He then asked him where he was from because he had a little accent. I never thought that that could ever be a wrong question to ask but I guess that it was because he said what, my home is here! And he was getting so mad that his lip and nose were twitching. He told us that this was the problem with caucasians, that they think that everybody are immigrants but them when really they too are immigrants, it was so funny. He said that the only people here that weren't immigrants are the Native Americans, when really I believe that they were also immigrants. But I wish that I would have lied to him and told him that I was part native but it never went through my head until I was already walking away from the door. So all that we could do was tell him sorry and that he was right and we would never make that mistake again. He said it is quite alright alright, so I think that we left on good terms. 

On Saturday we got to help out at a free breakfast thing down in Bowness where a big parade went through Calgary. It was pretty fun they had 13 grills going that were just cooking pancakes and two that were cooking sausages. They also had a guy that was running around with these two hand held squeezer things that would shoot the batter on the stove, and I did that for a while, pretty fun but people get picky about how you place them on their grill, especially this one older guy from France, I think is where he was from. But it was pretty fun there had to have been 10,000 people that we served it was nuts. 

We were walking around yesterday and in the grass by a sidewalk I found this rock that looks like a dinosaur tooth I don't have a camera converter thing but I will try and send you some pictures of it later today. 

The work is going good in this area every week that I have been here we have been able to pick up a new investigator. This week we have a couple of potentials that we are going to try to pick up this week but we will see what happens. 

Well have a good week! Talk to you maybe later today. Love you guys

July 4, 2017

I read something pretty interesting yesterday in my morning studies. I was reading in the Book of Mormon and was cross referencing a bit and got to a scripture in D&C 42:48-51 that I thought was pretty cool. You will have to look at it. It made me think of priesthood blessings when it said he that hath Faith to see shall see, he that hath Faith to hear shall hear, and it goes the same way with people who are sick. So I think what you should do is get Dad to give you a blessing and I bet if you have enough Faith you will bounce back to your normal self and be able to have some fun during this holiday.

This week has been really good, it is hard not having a car in this area at all. We take the train and bus everywhere, and if the bus can't get us somewhere we have to walk because we only have one bike. The other one got stolen right before I got here. The week started off pretty cool. After p-day was over and we had dinner we had the opportunity of going on splits with our ward mission leader and a ward missionary and visit some less actives and go home teaching with them. I just so happened to go with Brother Melchin who was a Former Area 70. He is a sweet guy and one of those people that seem to know everything about any situation. In Ward Council it is funny to see him talk because everyone respects him as if he were the prophet. He keeps everything in order and on track and keeps the ward moving. So I went with him and his home teaching companion has been gone for a while and so we got to do his home teaching route. We pulled up to the first house which was the Fisks, which just so happened to be the Bishop in Strathmores brother. And right before we got out of the car he told me well Elder Allred I believe you have the lesson, and I said alright sounds good. He never told me how many people he had in his route I just figured it would be one maybe two, but it ended up that he had four. It was pretty neat though because in every appointment that we went into something would pop in my head and that's what I knew that I should share. At first I was pretty scared but it ended up being one of the most fun nights. 

The week was overall pretty good we picked up a new investigator that's a girl 19 years of age that appears to like to cut herself all up and down her arm and leg, she seems really crazy so we will have to see what happens with her. We have some pretty solid potentials that if all goes well we will have 2 new investigators by the end of this week. It is pretty cool because for a long time this area hasn't had any investigators for a long time, and we are about to have 4 of them. But my most favorite part of the week was yesterday when Elder Bunch and I went to visit a less-active that they had been working with and this was the first time that I got to meet her. She is maybe in her mid 20's and has had a concern about gays and why the prophet and apostles don't pray to receive new revelation about why they can't be accepted in the church. She went on for a long time and had some pretty legit concerns about it. She has a brother who is gay and several friends as well. I don't think that I have felt the spirit so strong in any lesson before. I have definitely felt the spirit in lessons but with this lesson it was beyond any other lesson that I had felt the spirit in. Elder Bunch had the most random scriptures he was sharing and I had the same. We talked about the family the proclamation to the world and she read it right there and I told her that this was modern revelation for us for this time. I asked her if she had ever prayed to know if the prophet and what he says is what's good, and she said no I haven't, and so I talked a bit about Joseph Smith and the scripture that he found when he was searching for an answer, and how she can pray as he did, and she will receive an answer. It was crazy and It was especially cool because the spirit was so strong with us that when we left we both could feel it, to me it felt as if there was a glow that was surrounding us, and as we headed home on the bus and train people, it seemed like, were attracted to us like a magnet. I wish that I could talk about it more but we have to go. I hope that you have a great day and get feeling better! I know that you will. 

Love, Elder Trevor Allred

 

June 27, 2017 Calgary, Elder Bunch

This week has been pretty crazy. I got transferred out of Lethbridge last Thursday and my new area is Rockyview Ward, which is in Calgary. It is in between the temple and downtown Calgary, by the big ski jumps. I never thought that I would be serving in the big city since I am from a small town, it was quite the surprise. My new companion is Elder Bunch and so far we are having a blast! This is his last transfer in the mission and he will be going home. He is really trying to push hard to the end. My first day up here in Calgary we picked up a new investigator, which right now is our only investigator. Last night we had our second lesson with her and we were able to get her on date. For this coming week we have the ability to pick up at least 1-2 new investigators which is going to be awesome. I am only covering one ward now, it really makes meetings on Sunday fly and feel like nothing. Our ward mission leader was a 70 for a while, I don't know what quorum but he is really sweet and works the members like you wouldn't believe. The members love us and are always feeding us when we stop by their house to get to know them. I am really going to have to watch myself here.. 

When I got here I found out that our apartment has a gym! I am super happy for that, we have been lifting weights every morning. The area that I am in right now is the only walking area in the mission, I thought that I was going to be safe from getting sent here but just like everything, when you think that you are good you really aren't. 

I had a pretty cool experience yesterday. Since MLC (Mission Leadership Council) is on Wednesday we had our district meeting on Monday. And Sunday night I ate something that I think didn't agree with me very well, because that night my stomach started to hurt but it wasn't bad enough for me to think much of it and when morning came I had some pretty bad cramps, like so bad that I couldn't stand up straight or really do anything except just lay there, it was so weird. I really thought that I was going to die, and I knew for sure that I wasn't going to be able to make it to district meeting. But I somehow managed to get ready anyways after praying and asking Heavenly Father to help me. We got a ride from some of the other elders, and it was kinda funny because the pain didn't leave until I stepped out of the car when we got to the church, and when I stepped out of the car the pain was completely gone. It sure stinks to have to go through some of the things we do, but I know that we are being watched over, and all that we have to do is ask for help and we will be helped no matter what we go through. 

Well I love you all and hope that you have a great week! 

Love, E. Allred 

June 20, 2017

This week was pretty good, it has also been the last week that I will be in Lethbridge, I don't know where I will be getting transferred. The calls come in tonight and so I will let you all know where I am next week. I have really gotten to love this area and the people here. Some of the investigators that we were working with Keely, Carol-lee, the Carltons, and Finola were the solid investigators out of the people that we were working with, and I was sure that they were going to be baptized in the time that I was here, and it is sad that they haven't. But I am sure that every one of them will. It's kinda crazy how much you get to know someone in just 6 months, and come to love them.

We got to help Rod (who is a non-member, he always calls me the calf roper because I am so tall and lengthy) move some of his cows on Friday, and after we did that we helped him fix some of his fence. It sure did remind me of doing cows and stuff back home. After we helped him we took some pictures just off the hill from where we were helping him. 

This Sunday, I think was the most spiritual Sunday that I have had on the mission. ​​It started out as just a normal Sunday, the first ward was Park Meadows. And after sacrament meeting we were invited to go in with the young men and talk to them a little bit about the importance of serving a mission and why we did it. While we were doing it I could definitely feel the spirit in the room. After we were done we watched a couple of videos, one of them was by President Monson that every worthy and able young man should serve a mission. While watching it, I felt a very strong feeling that I am out here doing the right thing at the right time. Right after that video we watched another one about the man that was good enough to play on the all blacks team for rugby, and he decided to serve a mission and he came back and got right back into his life as if nothing had happened, and played on the all blacks team. It made me feel that I wasn't missing anything back home, not just basketball but school, and my family.

I love you guys tons, have a great week!

Love, E. Allred

June 13, 2017 Demolition Derby

8 of the Elders here volunteered to help with the derby.

June 13, 2017

This is the certificate that we made for Keely, our Chinese investigator. It really meant a lot to her, she keeps saying that it looks better than what her college one looks like. Lately Keely hasn't been doing so well, she hasn't been progressing really at all for the past couple of weeks. She hasn't been reading her scriptures, praying, or going to church. This Sunday though we were able to get her to commit to coming to church, and it was cool because her husband Rob came as well. We read the Book of Mormon with her yesterday, my companion and I both felt like the spirit wasn't there like it should have been, probably because Rob was a little high on marijuana. But there was still a good outcome. Keely said that she would for sure read out of the Book of Mormon and pray that night. She also said that she would start coming back to church no matter what Rob is doing, so that was pretty neat. 

June 6, 2017 Waterton

Pictures of Waterton!