A Few Bumps in the Road

Dear family,

 

              Things have been difficult recently here in the mission.  Our family of 4 who are supposed to get baptized missed church again because of things that came up so now it we have to push the baptism of 2 of them back a week and we need to sit down and talk about the importance of keeping commitments and especially coming to church.  It is frustrating because they are good people and are going to get baptized but Satan is certainly working hard to keep them out of the water.  We are going to see them tomorrow and we are going to make sure they are back on track to baptism and recieving the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  As well this weekend one of our Zone Leaders needed to go to the Emergency Room (internal bleeding in the stomach) and because of scheduling difficulties I had to go with him and we were there for 6 hours.  Then on Sunday I had to stay with him again because he was still sick but atleast he was back home in his apartment and I stayed with him there.  So the work was a little slower this week but I know that as we serve as missionaries doing the best with what we have the Lord will bless us and make up for the rest.  It is always that way in all things in life, that through our best work we give all to the Lord and then through faith in Him, He makes up the rest.  I have been praying to serve more and reach out to others more and the Lord has answered my prayers in waves and buckets of service and I cannot complain cause He definetly listens.

                As for my license I can just get a CA drivers license they said and then you don't have to worry about anything but also they said that some states allow you to renew it over the internet but our Vehicle Coordinator doesn't know about PA.  Do you know if I need to fill out something to renew it or do I only need to send you a picture and you can renew it?  I think it may just be easiest if I get a CA drivers license so I will just do that and if you object for some reason then call the mission office at 559 445 1467 and Sister Mauro will answer the phone (I just called her and she did say that you as my parents can call the mission office but calling me would be the only issue haha).  She is from PA too and she is my mission mom and she takes care of me while I am here and we are all going to hang out after the mission in PA and they will come to a Steeler game with us cause I told them we have season tickets but that is besides the point!  If you have any objection to my CA divers license then call the office.

                I have stopped reading Jesus the Christ but I promise I am going to start again it is just tough to find time with all the different responsibilities and investigators to study for but I will do it.  Also I did go to Yosemite and I will be printing pictures to send so just hold tight and they will be coming!  It is super warm out here and that is awesome that you are all going to the beach and Nate is coming.  Give him a big bear hug and tell him I could take him if I were home right now haha.  That is amazing too that Ruth is SO fast.  Tell Lauren Williams or whatever her name is from Rochester to watch out.

                  I could probably get like half of the articles of faith or maybe some more but not all of them.  That is something I would really like to work on as a missionary is memorizing those because I used to have all of them in primary.  Also tell Chris Hoke and President Carter I say hi and I love them as well as everyone else.  I wrote a letter to the young men of the ward and will send it home to you and if you could take it in to them that would be great.  I also heard actually the Chris retired cause I had dinner with a guy with the last name Lawrence who is good buddies with Chris from BYU and he told me that he retired.  I try to keep up with my friends from BYU but everyone outside of Elder Koford (Jordan) is in Russia or Brazil so it is tough to keep up with them but I have heard from them.

               Well I love you all and promise that pictures will be on the way. I miss you all so much but I LOVE my mission and fear that day when it must end so I just try to not think about it.  I love to serve and will my whole life. I hope you all cherish your missions still to this day as I do now and always remember that you are all always a missionary til death and even beyond that in the world to come.  I love you so much and am so greatful for your examples to me and especially Mom and Dad for raising me to love the Lord and love obedience.  Dad please tell me about some stories from your mission in Italy.  PLEASE!!  I love you so much and keep you in my prayers.

 

-Love your son/brother/grandson/nephew/cousin/uncle/friend Elder Neeley

Steven vs. "the big lady" (hint: Steven wins) :)

March 5th, 2012

Dear family,

 

          I feel like my mission is flying by and I don't know where the time is going.  Right now we have some solid investigators preparing for baptism on the 25th of March and we are very excited for them.  They are 4 young women named Maria (late early 30's), Maggie 22, Jenny 18 and Iridian who is 15.  They are really funny and they came on a Church tour and they all fealt the Spirit so strong.  This was my companion's very first day with me about 5 hours after we met and the tour was a complete train wreck.  There is a format usually for how it goes and it was hard to follow since my companion had only been in the field for a day and a half haha.  But it was a testimony to me that it doesn't matter what we know or how talented we are but if we are worthy and doing our best then the Spirit will make up for everything else.  It didn't matter that my companion was jumping everywhere or that there were awkward pauses or bad spanish.  The Spirit took us where we were at and made up the rest because we did all we could and now those Sisters and preparing for baptism because they unmistakeably felt the Holy Ghost.  The mom Maria said she felt it twice like a big hug that came over her all of a sudden.  It was a miracle.

           We have some other investigators that have very good potential for baptism but we need to work really close with them to keep them running and feeling the Spirit so that they are ready.  Oh by the way here is a good story!  So me and another Elder that was going to train were together for one day while waiting til the next day to get our official companion.  So we went to see a less active but he was not there due to miscommunication.  So we stopped by the house of the neighbor of this member.  There was just a drunk man out on the porch and the contact wasn't going anywhere so we gave him and card and were going to leave when his girlfriend came out who is like 50 and she was talking coherently so we talk to her.  So they let us sit down with them on their back porch and we start talking about the Book of Mormon and she is telling us just to teach her from the Bible cause she doesn't need some "little guide book" so we asked if we could explain briefly for 5 minutes about the Book of Mormon and then we would leave if she didn't like it.  So we start and she cuts in about how the church is in you and the church is in me and religion is man made and we just need to read the Bible and love God.  Then her husband/boyfriend guy was like wait I want to get baptized and so we say that through prayer God  can show him where (which Church) he should be baptized.  Then she yells out "I can baptize you in the tub if you want!" and start laughing like a crazy person.  So we felt like it isn't going anywhere and so I tell her to read the Book of Mormon and God can tell her if it is true and she starts going crazy and starts raising her voice till she is screaming saying how we need to teach what is in the Bible and need to share the message about saving others not some church that is man made or some "little book".  During this she gets up, while screaming at me and is getting closer and closer to me until she is right over me (and she was a big lady) and her spit is getting on me.  And she is just yelling about how we just need Christ and not anything we had in our "little book".  And then she started poking me in the chest!  So I said she is right and we need Christ and that He is is found in this "book".  She continued to ask "Just answer me this, is that little book more important than the Bible?"  There was a 5 second pause and I said "yes" and she kicked us out and pretty much told us never to come back.  I felt like Satan was sitting right there by that lady the whole time.

        So I love my mission and it literally is the greatest thing I have been able to do as my own personal service.  I am still working out and I have not finished reading Jesus the Christ but I need to and am going to.  I am in Mosiah in the Book of Mormon and in Acts in the New Testament.  I hope you are all searching for opportunities every day to share the Gospel and invite others to come to Christ in any means possible which may just be dinner at the house.  Uncle Keith I have not had a "perfect day" yet and like you said it is extremely difficult but I am constantly striving to be exactly obedient and pray one day to get there.  I love you all so much and do plan on writing you all more often so just wait for those letters.  I love you and pray for you all.  Thank you for all you do and all the prayers for me.

 

-Love your son/brother/grandson/nephew/cousin Elder Neeley

New Companion from Idaho

Dear family,

 

            We confirmed Alma Contreras yesterday after a fantastic stak conference.  President Gelwix and a member of the 70, Elder Haney, spoke and it was amazing.  I wish so bad that I would have listened to all the talks of all the conferences I have watched in my life because I have come to realize that the messages are inspired and have something specifically for me.  The Church is true!  We didn't have the other baptism of Anabelly but we are still working with her and she will be baptized soon.  We found another family of 4 who also seem very solid and we are excited for them.  They are the friend of a recent convert and they came on a church tour and the Spirit was strong and one said they would get baptized. 

            I have my new companion now and his name is Elder Hafen.  He is from Idaho Falls and he is awesome.  He works very hard and is very humble.  His spanish is not too bad at all for being brand new and we get along just fine.  My spanish I think has gotten really good and I would consider myself fluent in Spanish.  I really love to speak the language especially now that it isn't something I have to think about but just comes naturally.

            I also just wanted to share something about the stake conference that President Gelwix and Elder Haney of the 70 talked about.  They talked about inviting people and inviting and inviting and inviting haha.  Elder Haney said that we just need to do what we are already good at.  The Lord wants to use our talents as we have them to spread the Gospel.  He said we need to do 2 things and that is pretty much it, and they are: 1)make our house a temple, just like the celestial room i.e. clean, read scriptures every day(personal and family) and say prayers every day(personal and family) and 2)we just need to invite our friends over for dinner and then invite them again for dinner and keep doing it.  Mom you are VERY good at cooking and the Lord wants to use that talent.  Just keep cooking and invite our neighbors and friends.  Invite the Hansens and invite them again!  They WILL feel the Spirit and eventually will ask questions and open up to the Gospel without even us as members "pushing" it upon them.

           I absolutely love my mission and I LOVE being a missionary.  I think I did a pretty good job as a younger kid being an example to my friends of the Gospel but I regret so much not INVITING my friends to do more things.  I don't mean going up and saying "hey (name) do you want to get baptized?", although that would be good I don't even mean that.  I just wish I would have taken every opportunity to invite all my friends AND acquaintances(sorry for spelling) to come to mutual or to dinner or scouts or church or a church dance, anything!  I just wish I would have and I plead that EVERYONE in our family and especially the youth will not pass up one opportunity to invite their friends to do something.  They want the Gospel and they KNOW it is true.  Their testimony though is covered by forgetfullness of the veil and sin, tradition and fear.  You just need to invite them to do something where they will feel the Spirit, who will remind them of their testimony of this Gospel.  Please go out this week and every single member of our family and invite atleast one person to do something to feel the Spirit.  I love you all and promise as a representative of Christ that you will feel the Savior's love in your life as you do so and you will, through effort, help others to come to the Gospel and have the same happiness we have.  Please everyone send me an email and tell me how your invitations went.  I love you all so much and greatful everyday to know we can and will live together forever through honoring our convenants.  I pray for you always and am greatful for the letters, prayers, and love that you all offer me.  I LOVE YOU!!!!     P.S. Grandma I have gotten your letters and I love them and appreciate them.  Tambien Tio Keith te amo y que bueno que ustedes bautizaron en los rios y el mar.  Esta es una cosa que yo quiero hacer pero no pienso que es posible para mi en mi mision. Te amo!

 

-Love your son/brother/grandson/nephew/cousin/uncle/friend Elder Neeley

Still Going Strong

Dear family,

 

       This week we had the baptism of Alma Contreras.  It was a very spiritual experience for all who attended.  It was a little stressful coming up to it though because she wanted to be baptized in the stake center by the temple rather than our stake center so we didn't have keys to the building.  Then the program wouldn't print right so we were later than we should have been so the font was not filled when we started and we had to get giant serving bowls from the kitchen and fill them in the shower in the men's restroom and throw the water in the font.  It is funny looking back at it and everything turned out well but it was a little stressful haha.

        We had transfers again and I will still be staying in the Echo ward (the ward where I started my mission) and I will be training again so I will be here for atleast 12 more weeks.  I will find out thursday who my companion is and he is either form Chile, Texas or Idaho and they all speak spanish well as far as I know.  I am really excited to find out and will let you know next week!  Elder Worthen my companion is going down south in the mission and will be in a spanish/english area.  He is a great missionary and I will miss him a ton but like I said I am really glad to train again and help out another missionary love their mission as much as  I do.  We said bye to some families and we got some great pictures I will try to send but I need to get them from Elder Worthen cause something is wrong with my camera and it is broken right now.

       Also tell David Jordan congratulations and that is so awesome that he is going to London.  We will definitely need to go visit it him when I get back and no I do not have a passport so we will need to get one of those.

        That is also really amazing that you all did the half marathon together and that you all finished it.  I wish I could have been there for that.  Tell Alex I said good job and that he has ran further than I ever have for a straight period of time haha.  I love you all so much and appreciate your prayers and the support you give me.  I keep you all in my prayers ever day.

         How is the missionary work going in the ward and in your lives personally? Are you all praying to know who you can share the Gospel with.  The Lord will tell you as you ask Him, I promise you that.  I love it here and my mission and I miss you a ton but I will be very sad to leave this place when that day finally comes.  I'm sure Mom doesn't want to hear that but it is true.  I love missionary work and all the people that have come into my life through it and the blessings of happiness it has brought others.  LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

 

-Love your son/brother/grandson/nephew/cousin/uncle/friend Elder Neeley

Short and Sweet from Stevie

Dear family,

           Sorry but this will have to be a shorter email because I don't have quite as much time this week.  Being a district leader is great and I love working with these missionaries.  We have transfer calls this Saturday so I will let you know next week if I am still in the Echo ward (my only ward my whole mission) or if I am getting moved.

           Thank you so much for your personal emails and I am sorry I cannot respond back to all of them this week.  I am really excited for all of you to do that marathon and hope you all do really well and are safe.  I got some time to write some more letters and one to Victoria so don't worry haha.

          The work is going really well and we have a baptism on the 19th and the 25th.  I will send pictures.  I love you all so much!!!!!!!!!!!

Keeping the Faith

Dear family,

 

        The camcorder charger is in the mail as of today and is on way to your house and from there you can give it to the Weeks family.  Give them my apology and let them know I am reeeeeeeeally sorry.

         This past week has had some really great stuff and some not so great things happen.  We were able to set a baptismal goal with a lady named America (yes like the United States of...) and she just needs to get married but she is awesome and really interested we are excited for her.  There are two other people that are going to get baptized this month of Feburary and they are both really great too.  They are named Alma, a 60 year old single lady, and Anabelly, a 17 year old who is going through so really tough times and has a boyfriend(problem).  But they are both also really solid.  Also this past Thursday a man from Salt Lake came to the mission and he is from the missionary department of the MTC and he went out for the night with us to have dinner and visit people and it went really well.  The next day he and another brother from Salt Lake who went out with some other missionaries gave us training on different ways to be a better missionary and it was great.

         They bad news this week is that the Santiesteban family were so close to accepting a baptismal date and the daughters want to but the parents just aren't ready yet.  They said they want to keep coming to church and said we can stop by if we want but they just don't know when they are going to be ready.  They have told us they know it is true and they have explained how they can feel the Spirit at church and when they read and when we are there but they said that they aren't ready and it is just really hard because we love them.  We really just love them and they know it and are not accepting it.  I know the Lord has a plan though and they will be baptized.  This is just a trial and I know that there is always a trial for the greatest of blessings.  Satan always works harder it seems on those really big steps we take and the amount of potential we have to do good.  I have a testimony it will all work out through faith and hope which are both principles of action.  I really do love this work and it is the best thing that I could be doing and I am more greatful everyday to be here.

           The weather here is in the high 60's during the day and 40's at night.  They said that this is a dryer and warmer summer than usual so maybe it will cool down a little as more rain comes.  There is a huge difference in the shade and when the sun is actually out.  Also that is great that you are all doing that marathon.  You will need to let me know how that goes.  Also I am writing people back today because I do want to and I am making more time for it.  I have wrote a letter to Matt and have more to go after this email.  I hope you are all still taking every opportunity you get to share the gospel and to work your hardest to be missionaries every day.  Pray every night to know who you can reach out to and the Lord will show you who in you life you can share the Gospel with.   I love you all so much and you are all great examples to me.  I pray for you all every night and I love you and miss you and appreciate all you do for me!  Love you soooooooo much!!

 

-Love your son/brother/grandson/nephew/cousin/uncle/friend Elder Neeley

Steven is Working So Hard

Dear family,

 

        So things are going well in Fresno as always but there has been some stress in the work recently.  We have a family that is investigating the Church and know that they are going to get baptized but keep saying they need to wait.  We are working our hardest to resolve doubts and buil their testimony but they just can't seem to take that step.  They are such and amazing family and I love them so much.  They love us too and cook for us every time we come and we never ask.  The daughter fixed my Book of Mormon the othr week when the spine was coming loose and they are just awesome but the mom still feels unready.  It is so frustrating but I know they will be baptized in the coming month.  Until then it is just a lot of faith and hope and waiting until they finally accept the answers they are recieving about this message. We have 2 other baptismal candidates for feburary that have dates and one is very excited and solid and the other is a 17 year old girl who is also excited but has been sick recently and we need to see her because it has been a little while. 

                I love my mission and I am just trying to work my hardest and be more obedient every day but I always seem to keep messing up but what is new haha.  The Atonement is very much necessary and I become more and more greatful for the amount that Christ suffered for me alone and I still don't fully understand how much it really was.  I am also continually amazing that he can possibley forgive me over and over and over again.  He truly is perfect and loves us perfectly and is willing to lift us when we fall over and over again.

                 Also I got Matt Hansen's letters all of a sudden and I will be writing him back.  He seems to be doing well and I am glad he hasn't forgotten me.  Also I have not written anyone for the past 4 weeks I think.   I am really sorry and I am getting everyone's mail but I am lazy and I am repenting and I will be writing letters today and sending them this week.  I am sorry but know that I love you a ton and still pray for you always.  I still need to send back to charger to the cam cord and I am sorry like wise for that, I am a bad person.  I am still the same height I think and my pants are all still great.  Also there is always a special bond between the family that a missionary teaches and that missionary and President Gelwix has told me that I just have an inherent ability to love everyone which I believe is true (maybe you all who have grown up with me would say otherwise haha) but I have a very close an personal relationship with just about all investigators and certainly all who have been baptized.  Dad,  I love being a district leader and just try to do my best but I feel like I don't know what I am doing and feel like I am constantly messing up and not being the best example for these missionaries but I try my hardest to repent and do better all the time.  I do enjoy it though.  All the missionaries in the district and I are very close and we love and respect eachother and you know that I have always had that ability to just become close with the people I work with and it is the same with all these missionaries.

         It sounds like so much is going on at home all the time now and maybe I just get the high lights but everyone is really busy.  That is so awesome that you are doing a half marathon Dad and it is great that you all got that time to spend together in SLC and that some skiing was done.  That sounds like a lot of fun!  Also that is so awesome that David Jordan was called to be a mission president!  He will love that and if you can tell him I said congratulations and to roll with the punches because they will come.  My mission president always says "the biggest lie is that the mission president knows what he is doing"  maybe he will find truth in that but it is the same in all things:  The Lord knows what to do so we just need to ALWAYS go to Him.  I love you all a ton and miss you and will be writing.  Dad I am still like 6'4 and like 170ish I think, no fat.  Love you all!!!!!!