WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 29, 2015

Elder and Sister Elkington

We spent most of this week helping prepare and serve Thanksgiving dinner to 95 people in Draper, Utah. This was in response to a commitment made several years ago.  While it was fulfilling in many ways, we really missed the missionary experience.  We were very glad to get back to missionary service and the Native Americans we have come to love.  We found the missionary spirit is only present when we are doing the missionary work.  We are grateful to be back doing what we love!

One positive thing happened as a result of our being gone over a Sunday.  We were unable to take the Native American children on the reservation to Church services.  We asked their mother to take them to Church in our absence and stressed the importance of them attending.  She stepped up and took them to Church.  We were thrilled and now have hope they can stay active when we are no longer available to take them.  We have been concerned about how these children could stay active after our mission ends and we are no longer available to  take them to Church.  It’s great to see their mother getting active.

Yesterday was the birthday of Katelynn, one of the reservation children.  Sister Elkington baked her a birthday cake.  Her family was very grateful.  I believe the baking of Sister Elkington has opened more doors and built more trust than any other activity we have done.

One family lost their 24 year old son last month.  We have called on them several times expressing our love and support – and taking banana bread and cookies.  The father and mother have really opened up as they relate their grieving experiences.  The father said he had kneeled by his deceased son’s bed and prayed for comfort.  Sometimes tragedy opens the door to change and activation.  Whether it happens or not, we will be there to offer love and support.

We are grateful to be part of God’s army of missionaries.

Weekly Report 15 November 2015

Elder and Sister Elkington

This is the first week since we started our mission that the Heritage Park Branch did not hold a family home evening.  They have stopped them for the season and will restart them about mid-February.  They provided a great opportunity for us to bring investigators and less active members in a non-threatening environment.  But it will free up a lot of time that was spent cooking/baking dishes to take to family home evenings.

Sister Elkington was ill the first part of the week – probably a bug she picked up last week in a teaching meeting on the reservation.  Some of the children were not feeling well.  Sister Elkington got a cold/flu that led to a sinus infection which was treated with antibiotic.  By the end of the week we were able to call on a few less active members.  Then on Saturday we held a pizza and home-made ice cream party at our home for 8 of the children from the reservation with two of their mothers.  We had promised the party to them a few weeks ago.  We used the party to talk to them about how to achieve success in their lives.  We told them they are very intelligent and stressed the importance of doing their school work and keeping God’s commandments.

Elder Elkington showed them a picture of the ramshackle ranch house he lived in as a child.  It had no running water, no electricity, no gas or central heating. He pointed out that they live in a nicer home than he lived in as a child.  He discussed the importance of attending Church meetings and paying their tithing.  He told them how his life was changed by paying his tithing and serving a Church mission, which led to his going to college and getting a good job.  He told them they can do the same thing.  

We want so much to help these children get and enjoy the blessings that come from embracing and living the Gospel.  Keeping the commandments is very important.  But we also want them to lift themselves from the environment they live in.  They deserve a chance to develop and use their minds to enable them to have challenging careers that will bring them financial freedom.

Sister Elkington is back to about 90% and we are looking forward to the new week.  We love our mission and the people we have been called to serve!

WEEK ENDING NOV 8, 2015

Elder and Sister Elkington

We continue to call on the less active Church members and to go with Elders Duncan and Isakson to teaching appointments.  We have also been spiritually fed this week by attendance at two Zone conferences.  The first was on Wednesday at the historic Pine Valley Chapel in Pine Valley, Utah where the live at home missionary couples met.  The meeting was uplifting and edifying.  The history behind the building caused us to contemplate on the sacrifices made by the pioneer settlers of this area.  The service we are giving is minor compared to the sacrifices and service of those early pioneers.  The second zone conference was held on Friday, where we were privileged to listen to David Archuletta sing, speak about his family and his missionary service in Chile, and bear his testimony. He was in St. George to perform at Tuacahn and agreed to talk and perform for the missionaries laboring in St. George. The Spirit was strong in both of these meetings. It was great to see someone like David Archuletta who has been given such a magnificent gift, use it in God’s service. It was an example to all of us on how to use our gifts and talents in declaring the Gospel.

We called on a less active member who has an unbaptized son age nine.  We invited her to have her son taught by the missionaries so he could be baptized.  She declined, so we will follow up with some scriptural lessons on the importance of baptism and on the responsibility of parents to teach and prepare their children for baptism.

The culmination of the spiritual experiences was on Saturday with the baptism of Ethan, one of the boys from the ShivWits Paiute Reservation that we have been taking to Church and Branch Family Home Evening meetings.  Ethan’s eleven year-old brother spoke at the baptismal service and related receiving the Holy Ghost when he was baptized eight months ago. Elder Elkington was asked to confirm Ethan in Heritage Park Branch Sacrament Meeting today. The seeds of the Gospel have been planted in these young hearts.  We hope to nourish those seeds through our love and service and pray others in their family and Branch will join in that effort.  We encouraged that by having a small reception after the baptism where we served cake to those who attended. A few families from the branch, including the Branch President, Chuck Saling, attended.  Ethan and his siblings and cousins participated in the Primary program presented in Sacrament Meeting.  We felt pride in their performances - like a couple of grandparents!

Elder and Sister Elkington

Weekly Report 1 Nov 2015

What a week!  When we went to pick up the children from the reservation to take them to the Heritage Park Branch Family Home Evening, there were three teenage girls and another boy who asked if they could come.  We told them we would return and get them if their mothers gave permission for them to go. (We could not haul all in one vehicle).  We took the regular six children to Anasazi Valley and left them under the care of the Branch President’s wife while we returned to the reservation to fetch the others.  After the Family Home Evening, we told the older girls and boy they were welcome to come to future Family Home Evenings, but they would need to have a parent bring them.  We knew we could not leave one group at Anasazi Valley while we took the others home.

A few weeks ago, there were some cousins who were there while the missionaries taught Ethan.  We gave them cookies along with the others.  They asked if we would come to their home.  We promised them we would do it.  On Friday we felt prompted to visit their home and met their parents.  We found the parents were Church members.  We asked the father the names and ages of his children.  He said the oldest is a boy age 10, and the next one is a girl age 9.  We asked if he would like them taught so they can be baptized.  He paused and then said, “Yes”. We now need to coordinate the teaching with Elders Duncan and Isakson.

When the Elders started teaching Ethan, there was another cousin, Victor, who was there for one or two lessons.  We met him and promised to take him to the Branch FHE if his mother approved.  Then we met his mother at the Branch Halloween party on Saturday.  We asked if Victor could go to the Branch FHE.  She said, “Yes” and then we asked if she would like Victor to be taught the Gospel so he could be baptized.  Once again, she said, “yes”.  So we need to coordinate his being taught the Gospel.

We also met the father of a less active woman we are teaching.  He said he is a baptized member. (He does not appear on Heritage Park Branch records.)   He said his daughter had told him about us and he thanked us for what we are doing for her.  He said he wants the blessings of the Gospel in the lives of his grandchildren.

While at the Branch Halloween party we were told of the son of a couple on the reservation that had just died.  We called on the parents and left them a loaf of banana bread.  We talked with them for a while and asked if we could be of assistance during this difficult time in their lives.  We told them we had been praying for them since we had heard of their son’s death.  We then asked if we could offer a prayer with them. They said we could and called their teenage son from another room to join us for the prayer.  We found these parents were baptized as children, but the branch has no record for them.  (We turned the information in to the branch president.) We felt good about the spirit in their home and will follow up with more visits.

We continue to feel God’s love for these Native American people.  We taught Ethan and his siblings and cousins that we are all spirit children of Our Father in Heaven and that is why we call each other brother or sister. Ethan’s brother asked if we were really all brothers and sisters.  We said, “Yes, we are.”  We explained the difference between physical or mortal brothers and sisters and spirit brothers and sisters. He then said “You mean all the kids at school are my brothers and sisters?”  We assured him they were his spirit brothers and sisters.  We got the feeling many at school have probably made him feel less than them.

Oh, what a privilege it is to see and feel God’s love for the descendants of Lehi!

We were spiritually fed and given new missionary insights as we attended the St George Area Zone Conference on Thursday! These young missionaries are an inspiration to behold!  What a privilege to serve with them.

Elder and Sister Elkington

Weekly Report 1 Nov 2015

What a week!  When we went to pick up the children from the reservation to take them to the Heritage Park Branch Family Home Evening, there were three teenage girls and another boy who asked if they could come.  We told them we would return and get them if their mothers gave permission for them to go. (We could not haul all in one vehicle).  We took the regular six children to Anasazi Valley and left them under the care of the Branch President’s wife while we returned to the reservation to fetch the others.  After the Family Home Evening, we told the older girls and boy they were welcome to come to future Family Home Evenings, but they would need to have a parent bring them.  We knew we could not leave one group at Anasazi Valley while we took the others home.

A few weeks ago, there were some cousins who were there while the missionaries taught Ethan.  We gave them cookies along with the others.  They asked if we would come to their home.  We promised them we would do it.  On Friday we felt prompted to visit their home and met their parents.  We found the parents were Church members.  We asked the father the names and ages of his children.  He said the oldest is a boy age 10, and the next one is a girl age 9.  We asked if he would like them taught so they can be baptized.  He paused and then said, “Yes”. We now need to coordinate the teaching with Elders Duncan and Isakson.

When the Elders started teaching Ethan, there was another cousin, Victor, who was there for one or two lessons.  We met him and promised to take him to the Branch FHE if his mother approved.  Then we met his mother at the Branch Halloween party on Saturday.  We asked if Victor could go to the Branch FHE.  She said, “Yes” and then we asked if she would like Victor to be taught the Gospel so he could be baptized.  Once again, she said, “yes”.  So we need to coordinate his being taught the Gospel.

We also met the father of a less active woman we are teaching.  He said he is a baptized member. (He does not appear on Heritage Park Branch records.)   He said his daughter had told him about us and he thanked us for what we are doing for her.  He said he wants the blessings of the Gospel in the lives of his grandchildren.

While at the Branch Halloween party we were told of the son of a couple on the reservation that had just died.  We called on the parents and left them a loaf of banana bread.  We talked with them for a while and asked if we could be of assistance during this difficult time in their lives.  We told them we had been praying for them since we had heard of their son’s death.  We then asked if we could offer a prayer with them. They said we could and called their teenage son from another room to join us for the prayer.  We found these parents were baptized as children, but the branch has no record for them.  (We turned the information in to the branch president.) We felt good about the spirit in their home and will follow up with more visits.

We continue to feel God’s love for these Native American people.  We taught Ethan and his siblings and cousins that we are all spirit children of Our Father in Heaven and that is why we call each other brother or sister. Ethan’s brother asked if we were really all brothers and sisters.  We said, “Yes, we are.”  We explained the difference between physical or mortal brothers and sisters and spirit brothers and sisters. He then said “You mean all the kids at school are my brothers and sisters?”  We assured him they were his spirit brothers and sisters.  We got the feeling many at school have probably made him feel less than them.

Oh, what a privilege it is to see and feel God’s love for the descendants of Lehi!

We were spiritually fed and given new missionary insights as we attended the St George Area Zone Conference on Thursday! These young missionaries are an inspiration to behold!  What a privilege to serve with them.