"CPR" - IT SAVES LIVES!

Dated:  October 21, 2013

This has been a great week. It was a little stressful at the beginning because I had the opportunity to do a district meeting with our district and our Zone Leaders and President and Sister Pitt. Pres. Pitt was there for interviews. It was fantastic. I love being around President. He is amazing. I believe that the Lord sent me to this mission because of President Pitt. He and Sister Pitt have really impacted my whole life! The district meeting was alright. Everyone told me it was great. I hope it was. We talked about finding people and teaching simple doctrine to people so that the spirit can testify to them of the truth of what we are saying.

I went on exchanges with our Zone Leaders. They are great too. I learned a lot. Elder Fielding is the Zone Leader I went with. He has been out 9 months. Our mission is so young! I am coming up on 8 months and that makes me sad. Two years isn't enough time. I really love this work.

Elder MacPherson and I taught a lady named Terry the Stop Smoking Program. It is a 7 day program that if the people will commit to do it, they will be smoke free in 7 days. It is pretty neat.

On Saturday, We all went up to Huntington, WV for the adult session of Stake Conference. It was all about missionary work. I have been thinking about how much church and conference and other meetings are focused on missionary work. It is obviously something that we need to work on as a church, or we wouldn't be spending so much time on it. We need to think about what it means to us to hasten. The Lord has hastened his work. President Pitt says that He thinks the Savior wants to come, but things need to happen and we need to prepare the world. The world is getting nasty and it is getting worse by the hour, the Savior wants to come. Lets do our part so he will.

Something that I was thinking about this week is just how awesome Heaven is going to be. Do you have someone that you just love being in the presence of? Someone that you just love being around? Someone that you love and they love you? Now think about what it will be like to be with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ FOREVER. Think of all those that you love on the earth now that will also be there. That is where I want to be.  I want to be where my family is going to be. I want to be where my amazing friends are going to be. I want to be where President and Sister Pitt and the amazing missionaries that I serve with are going to be. I want to be where Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are going to be.  I want to be where the amazing people that I love and the people I get to serve with are going to be.  I want everyone to be there. And there is only one place that can be, The Celestial Kingdom. So, everyone make it to the Celestial Kingdom because I want to be with you there. GOT IT!?!?  Good!  A good question to think about when you are tempted is "So, Where do you want to be and who do you want to be with?"

The CHURCH IS TRUE!!! This is the path, the way, the one true way back to our Father. He has told us exactly what we must do, and so lets do it with smiles on our face for we believe in Christ. "...as many as shall believe in Christ shall also become a delightsome people." -2 Ne. 30:7
We are a Delightsome people.

I love you all. Keep up the great work you do. Go to Church, Read, Pray. "CPR" It saves Lives.

Love,

Elder Spencer

Drywall!  (Elder Josh is at the far end holding up the drywall.)


Preparing for the Jenny Wiley Festival


Making District Calls

A Little Gift for Patsy

Dated:  October 14, 2013

Dear Elder Spencer's mom,
Your son is one of my favorite missionaries out here in the WVCM. He is currently my district leader here in Kentucky. I'm actually sitting next to him this very second! I want you to know how well of a job you have done in raising him to be an excellent servant of the Lord! I pray that you will find comfort and joy in this email. Elder Spencer is my favorite, exactly obedient, and goofy missionary! God bless :)
-Elder Mackelprang serving in Martin

IT CHANGES LIVES! IT WORKS!

Dated: October 14, 2013

This was transfers week. It was a good week. Our Ward had a Baptism from the other elders in our ward. She has a great conversion. I had the blessing of being able to confirm her yesterday at church. It was neat. She asked me to do it. I am not sure why.

My new companion is Elder Jordan MacPherson. He is from Mt. Green Utah and has been out for 16 months.  He and I are connecting really well.  I think he is going to be a big help to me.

On Friday and Saturday, we had a festival called the Jenny Willey days. We had a booth for family history and about our church. We got about 12 referrals which was really sweet! We got a bunch of free stuff too. They had a coal company there and they had a simulation of how they mine coal. So we saw that so that we could better understand the people out here and their lifestyle.

We have a less-active member that we have been working with very closely. He used to drink very heavily. 10 weeks ago he was probably drinking about 6-8 12oz beers a day. We have been working with him and last week he set the goal to only drink 1 a day. Wow that is a lot of progression. Well Elder Staveley and I were praying that he would lose the desire to drink. On Wednesday he went to he ER because his leg has been hurting him for a few days and the pain was getting worse. He called us and told us that they found a HUGE blood clot in his leg. It was about the length of his leg. Both of the doctors said that they had never seen a blood clot that big. So he was in the hospital for 5 days. I guess that since alcohol had been such a part of his system, that cutting down on it thickened his blood. So now he is home, he was released yesterday, and we went over and saw him. We asked him if he is going to drink again and he said no. He can’t. They have him on some medicine that thins his blood, and if he drinks any alcohol, it will probably kill him. So he said he is done with it. That makes me very happy. I was very worried while he was in the hospital because I love him very much. He is so amazing. He is reading and praying and coming to church, and really trying to put himself back on the path. There is a whole different spirit about him. This is what the gospel does. IT CHANGES LIVES. IT WORKS. IT IS THE TRUTH.

On Wednesday this member, before he went to the ER, took us fishing. We went to a lake and fished. I caught a 3 inch fish and then a 9 inch fish. The hook came out by the eye on both of them. I don't know why I am telling you that. I felt bad for the fish. I was thinking of using the 3 inch fish as bait and just throwing it back in on the hook and trying to catch a bigger fish with it, but I was told that I probably shouldn't do that. So I didn't. We had fun fishing though.

The work is hastening, will you hasten with it?

I love you all. Keep up the good things you are doing. Remember that God loves you no matter what.

Love,

Elder Spencer

"THE LORD WANTS YOU TO SERVE AS A DISTRICT LEADER"

Dated:  October 9, 2013

So I am staying this transfer in Martin 2 (Prestonsburg). Elder Staveley is moving to the area just above me. President Pitt called me on Sunday and told me "Elder Spencer, the Lord wants you to serve as a District Leader." So that is my new assignment. I am not training again this transfer. I am kind of happy and kind of sad about it. I have decided I like training. My new companion is Elder Mcpherson (not sure if that is spelled right) but I hope it will be a good transfer. I don’t know anything about him.

Conference was great. I loved it so much. It is just a huge spiritual time. I love it that one of our investigators watched it. She is so great! She is progressing a lot and she is really recognizing the gospel and how it can bless her.

Something I have learned this week is opposition and agency. We will all face opposition in life, and when that opposition comes, how we use our agency determines the outcome. If we make correct choices then our faith will grow from the opposition we are facing. It is so important that we use our agency to make correct choices. We do all make mistakes, and God knew this. That is why there is The Atonement.

I also did a deep study of 1 Ne. 8 and the rod of iron vision. There is so much to that vision. I think I want to make sure that every one of my investigators knows and understands that vision because it is something that you can always fall back on. I was thinking, what would happen if that vision really happened! What if we were all in a huge waste land, and there was just a big fog? We as members of the church would know what was going on because we will have read about it in the Book Of Mormon. I would run around trying to find that ROD! And I would tell all that I could to follow me and help me find it. There would be all our fellow human beings, many confused because they wouldn’t know what was going on. When I would find the rod I would tell everyone to hold on to it fast and start walking. I wouldn't let go, no matter how long I had gone. That is what we are doing in life now. We have the full truth, and it is leading us to happiness in Gods presence. There are so many people that just don’t know what is going on. They don’t know that there is a tree of life that has fruit that can make them happy. They need to know this!!!! They need to know that there is a path that leads to happiness!

I love the gospel. I love the church. I love Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father. Heavenly Father is a real person, a glorified perfect person. He is our Father. As we talk to him in prayer, we are really talking to a real person with a real body. Remember that, remember that and strive to develop a relationship with your Father. That is the most important relationship we can have, a loving relationship with our Father in Heaven. He loves us, he is and will do his part. Are we going to choose to do ours?

I love you all. Pray for a White Christmas, for those of you who know about it. The Lord is Hastening his work and We, the Latter-day saints are on the Frontlines! WOOT!  HOW EXCITING!!!

Love,

Elder Joshua R. Spencer

P.S.  Just wanted to say sorry if in my letters things are said weird or something like that. The grammar out here is way different. The accent is so cool. I hope I come home with one!

I SAW MY COMPANION'S ORGANS!!!!

Dated: September 30, 2013

So this was a good week. The best part was specialized training. President Pitt is amazing. He has influenced my life so much. He has an amazing testimony and he just radiates with love and with the spirit. I am really going to be sad when he leaves.

This week we went to the doctor for Elder Staveley. As one of the tests they did an ultra sound. I saw his organs! It was weird. I know him inside and out, better than any of my other companions. ;)

We haven't done too much this week. We had a good day on Friday. We found a new investigator and we taught our progressing investigator again. I am excited to continue to teach them.

At church on Sunday we had a big pot-luck afterwards. They do that every 5th Sunday here. It was fun and there was lots of good food. The members here are really great.

I am really excited for conference.  That is the best!

Sorry there is not much in this letter, but I am really not sure of what else to talk about. I love you all. Study and Ponder the scriptures, Pray fervently, and Go to church in an attitude of humility and prepared to take the sacrament.

Love,

Elder Spencer