Josh's Mission Sept 29 2014

Iokwe Baamle!!

Yeah we heard about the flooding from couple of people, I'm glad that everything is alright though. that's so great that the little kids are being such great missionaries! (I told him about our Primary Program on Sunday) it's so true that they do so much good. they are wonderful examples. there was a story told yesterday in Sacrament that I really liked; it talked about a little girl that was preparing for baptism. she learned about repentance and how important it is to be honest and treat others how you would want to be treated. the story went that her sister had a candy bar that she really liked and wanted to eat it but her sister told her that couldn't have any right now. When the girl's sister left for work, the young girl took some of the candy bar, telling herself that it would be just one piece. that same night she went and talked with her bishop about being baptized. She knew all the answers and said everything right. Her bishop also emphasized how important it is to be honest with others and yourself. as the week went along the young girl continued to take some of her sister's candy, until one night her sister caught her taking it. Her sister yelled at her and called her a lair and a thief, and the girl responded unkindly. deep down the girl knew that she really did something wrong and she felt that she needed to repent before she could be baptized. So she talked to her bishop and she decided that she would wait for a month before she was baptized. For the next month the girl worked really hard at a neighbors house to earn some money. finally she earned enough that she could buy the candy bar that her sister had had. when it came time for the girl to be baptized, she talked with her bishop again about how she had been trying to repent and correct the mistake that she had made. Her bishop told her that he felt like she had fully repented and that she now needed to talk to her sister. So that night she did. She gave her sister the candy bar and said that she was sorry. The next day she was baptized. as she went down in the water with her father, she felt a strong feeling of love and peace that she was doing what was right and that had truly repented. After she came up from the water, she hugged her dad and look at her sister through the glass and felt really warm inside. 

It really impressed me yesterday how important it is to be childlike and to do everything that heavenly father would want us to do, with all of our heart. 

 

It's been a  really good week. it's so strange how fast time flies I just can't believe that It's October already! This week we did a lot of service, it was wonderful! I think that I really like doing service so much because of all the hard work that we did as a family. We helped a few people move, a lady (who we are teaching) asked to paint her garage which we are finishing up tomorrow. And i just remembered this, but we also went and gave a couple people blessings, which was a great service for them. it was for a returning member family; one of the daughters was pregnant and wanted a blessing, unfortunately, she had a miscarriage a couple days later. But her brother, who is a member, talked to her and helped her to understand the blessing was from Heavenly father and everything is in the Lord's time.   From that I learned, again, how important it is to just give our life to the Lord and trust him to make us who He needs us to be.

 

We had a really good time studying from the Book of Mormon this week. it was really amazing to see myself change. all through the week, it just seemed like the spirit was different, but I guess it was me that was different. i noticed a lot this week as I read, that the words in the Book of Mormon didn't so much tell me what i needed to learn, it was definitely from the Spirit. the book of Mormon is so wonderful and  I know that when we read with the intent to ask, seek, and knock, that Heavenly Father will help is to find the answers that we desire, he will fill us with the spirit and lead us in the path that we need to go. 

This past week we did a lot of work with our Less active members and we tried to talk to our members a lot about what our branch needs to do to improve and move forward in Heavenly fathers work. 

We are also trying to find those people that Heavenly father has prepared by working with the members here a lot more. Something that one of our leaders said really stuck with me. How can we work with people that we don't know. we have to get to know the people that we are serving with, we have to help other understand that we love them, we show that we love them by listening to them and then helping them to come closer to Christ.

We are way excited for conference this week! I just can't believe that it's here already, it feels like just 6 months ago we were getting ready to watch it..... I guess it was 6 months ago. :) so i've been trying to figure out some questions that I want to go to conference with. What are somethings that you are going to ask heavenly father to answer?  oh and we are trying to have all the members her invite someone that they know who is either a non member of who is less active to come watch conference with them. 

Oh and have you seen the new Mormon message that is out?? it is really good. It talks a lot about feeling successful and realizing what you are accomplishing. 

I love you all!! thank you so much for your prayers, love, and support! 

Kajoor ilo Christ

ij iokwe eok!!

Elder Broadbent

Josh's Mission Sept 20 2014

Iokwe baamle!!!!

it's been a very good week!! I really don't have a lot of time, but I just wanted to say thank you so much for all that you do. Your email was wonderful!! It definitely pulled my heart strings, but it just makes me glad that I'm out here serving the Lord. I love our family so much!! that is really one of my biggest motivations, is family. I just want everyone to enjoy the blessings of the temple like our family has. :)

The dedication sounds like it went really well, I'm so glad that Ogden has a temple so close, that is a huge blessing :) thank you so much for helping us to be a righteous family.

This week went by very fast. It seems like the time is just flying by, and I don't want it to.  As a mission, we are doing something different this week. We were invited by our AP's to read the book of Mormon exclusively this week. the reason is that we are trying to "lift our mission" and try harder to do what heavenly father wants us to do. I know that the Book of Mormon is true! It has such a strong spirit and when you read from it daily, it will strengthen you. they also asked us to pray specifically for a vision and a strength in testimony of the book of Mormon.

We were really blessed with our investigators this week as well. Taika is doing very good. her parents still are being stubborn about her being baptized, but she said that one sunday one of the talks really spoke to her. She felt that She needs to be persistent and endure with faith the trials that she is going through. She told us that she knows that this is what Heavenly father wants her to do, and that her parents will come around. Then Yesterday we found a new investigator, which was a huge blessing from heavenly Father. Her name is Lori, and she is a really sweet spirit. She told us that she feels really good and warm when she prays, and when we read over the first vision with her, she said that she felt the same way. :) it was really amazing to see the spirit work with her.

I love you all!! thank you so much for everything! Thank you for your support, prayers, and love! I love you!!

Kajoor ilo Christ

ij iokwe eok!!

Elder Broadbent

Josh's Mission Sept 16 2014

(Josh didn't explain why he sent his email today instead of yesterday - so here it is!)

that's really great news that you will be able to be there for the dedication! that is way exciting! is mary going to be in there too? or just you and Dad? I really wish that I could be there, but that's okay, you are there for me. I really hope that you have a good time there!

thank you so much for your help. I can't tell you enough just how much I appreciate your council and advice. I have definitely been doing some repenting this week and trying really hard not to focus so much on what I think I need or want and focus more on what Heavenly father needs me to do, then asking his help for that. As I've been studying this week (I started the Book Of Mormon again) I've noticed just how important attitude is. Having a good attitude effects everything. Nephi is such a great example of that. he goes through the exact same trials that his brothers do, but the out come is so different. Nephi chooses to but God's will first and have faith and hope for better things. And some times we don't see how the trials that we go through will actually be a blessing to us. 

there is a part in 1 Nephi 15 that I really like. In verses 3-6 Nephi says that he is overcome by his afflictions and was grieved, and then he says"after I had received strength I spake unto my brethren. " for some reason that just really stood out to me, that Nephi is having a really hard time, but he presses forward and then after he receives strength, he goes out and talks to his brothers. It's very impressive to me how diligent Nephi is.

And I really like that in John 4:36,(I mentioned that I had been reading in John and this verse was one I had never paid attention to before -- 36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth mayrejoice together.)      I don't know if I've ever really connected that. Some thing else that i've realized again this week is that this is the Lord's work. this is not my mission or my investigators, this is Heavenly Father's mission, this is His time, and I am serving Him, by serving my brothers and sisters. I've realized again, just how precious this time is to Him and really how precious our lives are to Him. This is a very short time, the mission that I am on, but I know that it will be the best 2 years for my life and eternity. 

Well, it was a really great week! Oh and I am staying in Knoxville, I don't know if i told you that yet. On Thursday we went to transfers and got a new Zone leader and so our short time as a trio with our other Zone leader was over and we were able to spend the rest of the week in town. 

there is this really sweet old lady here, a returning less active, (I don't remember if I've told you about her yet) sister T. She is so great and she takes care of us so well. She is trying really hard to come back to the church so that she can go to the temple. she has such a strong spirit! She told us that even though it is very hard to change, she doesn't want to let Heavenly father down and not do what he wants. Hopefully she'll be able to go through the temple while I am here, but we are helping to prepare her. Also, a recent Convert, C S is trying really hard to go to the temple! We had a really great lesson with her about how we need to always rely on Heavenly father and especially be sensitive to those who are around us. You can watch it here. 

it is really awesome helping other prepare for the temple! That is something that I have really enjoyed while serving here. I've come to have a greater understanding and purpose of the convents that we make. Something else that I noticed in my studies is in the dream that Lehi has about the tree of life it talks about how there were others how came and took hold of the end of the rod of iron. I realized just how significant that is. there is a beginning to our journey here on earth. it really begins when we decide to grad hold of the end of the iron rod and accept the covenant of baptism, then we move forward, holding tight to the iron rod, and choose to follow Christ, until eventually, we will partake of the fruit of the tree and have everlasting life. i know that this is true! I know that Heavenly Father loves us and that he really is there for us. 

thank you so much for everything that you do! I love you so much and I am very grateful for your love, prayers, and support!

Kajoor ilo Christ

ij iokwe eok!!

Elder Broadbent

Josh's Mission Sept 8 2014

Iokwe Baamle!!

Our mission mom, told us to tell everyone that they are putting pictures up of our mission on facebook now the page is: Iowa Des Moines Mission Jensen 2013-1016. So check it our on facebook! 

That is really amazing that you invited and helped Sonny and Ben to the open house. It is so true that you are planting those seeds. I know that they probably felt the spirit and if nothing else, they know more about the true Church and I know the spirit will work on them.

I just have to say thank you. thank you so much for saying thank you. I just realized that it feels really great to be appreciated and to know that others are benefiting from the things that the Lord has us do. I've been having kind of a hard time this week feeling like I am really worthy to be a leader and a missionary. I just feel like there are so many other people that are better than me. there are tons of great missionaries that are doing so much better than me and I just feel like I'm not doing enough.   But then to go along with that i know that heavenly father puts us where we need to be and he expects us to work as hard as we can with what we have. I know that as we rely on Christ and come unto Him and try our hardest he will help us through and over everything. i know that Christ truly is our Savior and that He knows what we go through. Just like Enos, sometime I wonder "Lord, how is it done?" and i know that as we have that "unshaken faith" in Jesus Christ, we will know that all things are possible through our Savior. Just like Enos we will have "a desire for the welfare of" our brothers who are around us. and the Lord calls those who have those to desire to His work.

Again, thank you so much for everything. 

that is really great that Stacey is on a mission. It is definitely hard sometimes to not think about all that things that you miss, but those things will wait for you when we come home. 

That is really exciting that Ben is moving out here. maybe I'll be able to serve around there someday. 

Well, this week has been an adventure for sure. So I'll just start with the beginning, it's a very good place to start. :) so last week I don't remember if I told you, but our Zone Leader (elder Cleverly) got called as the Assistant to the President. So we drove him up to Des Moines on Monday, and we've been with his companion, our other Zone Leader (elder Morgansen). So all week we've been working in both of our areas. the ZL's area is about Half hour away from us, so we've been doing a lot of driving. It's been really great though! I think that Heavenly father Definitely knew that we needed to spend some time with him, it's really help me a lot and it's really helped Elder Stoddard as well. i think one thing that I really realized this week is the importance of improving. It is so important that we are always striving to move forward and only look back on things in the past to learn from them, never to dwell on what was. we have to focus on what is in front of us right now. A couple of conferences ago, Elder Dube gave a great talk about that, which you can find here. I love his story about looking forward at what we still have left to do. He said "In the sight of the Lord, it is not so much what we have done or where we have been but much more where we are willing to go."

I know that is true. The Lord is always willing work with us as long as we are willing to work with him. 

So just a little update: we did find out this week that Taika was able to go to the Young Women's in Excellence that was out on this week, which is really great! He dad was also able to go to that, which is just awesome!! we haven't heard how everything went, but We are really hoping that this will be the turning point for her and her parents. Other than that, there isn't too much new that we know. We're excited for this week though, it is really going to be great! Transfers are on Thursday, and we find out later today if we are staying or leaving, most likely both elder Stoddard and I will stay, so we're excited for another transfer. 

I love you all! thank you so much everything that you do! thank you mom and family for diligently letting me know what is going on at home :) I love you! thank you so much for your prayers and support! have a great week!!

Kajoor ilo Christ

ij iokwe eok!!

Elder Broadbent

Josh's Mission Sept 2 2014

Iokwe baamle!

hm, I don't really know where to start. I feel overwhelmed by the spirit right now for some reason. I am so grateful for the wonderful family that we have. our earthly family, our church family, and our Heavenly family. I know that I say this all the time, but truly I am so grateful for family. I think that when we realize that Christ is really the center of everything that we do, everything becomes clear and focused, despite how hard Satan tries to make us think that it is complicate and hard.

That's great that you had 3 baptisms! I do understand though what you mean. it's hard when we feel like those people aren't ready, but I like what you said, that you are going to help them to want to keep coming, even though it's hard to. That is really one of the most important parts of missionary work, is holding on to the fruit, holding on to those people who need the gospel.

this week we had a great time at interviews with president! He is such a great example. we talked a lot about how Heavenly father has a great plan for each of us to some back to him and enter into his kingdom, but we  must be willing take his hand to enter in.

It really can be hard sometimes, it's true. I think that as members of the church we are bombarded at every angle with the fiery darts of Satan. this world is not easy, but I again, reflect on what Alma tells his son in Alma 37, that it is easy to follow the path of Christ. His way is the only easy and best way to have happiness. But sometimes because it is so easy, we feel like we have to make it hard for ourselves. I know that I definitely do that sometimes. I think that things have to be complicated or hard, but really they don't. I know that when we decide to do what Christ would have us do, that everything becomes easy. His yoke truly is easy and His burden really is light.

We had a really great lesson this week with a less active. her name is Cris. I been meeting with her since I got here, and we've been trying to figure out what we could do to help her progress and especially come back to church. She is in her upper 50's and has a little bit of a mental disorder, but she is really sweet and loves meeting with us. But this week, she told us that she wants to go to the temple. We had a great discussion about the things that she will need to change and do so that she can enter the temple. It was a huge blessing.

I love you! thank you so much for everything! know that I really do appreciate all that you do!

 

ij iokwe eok!!