10/27/14 - 8th LETTER FROM DUNCAN

Dear Followers,

Well, this week was awesome as usual in Duncan. It started off last Monday with us havin' an awesome preparation day. We cut our own hair to save money with clippers we got from our bishop. I have a semi hipster haircut now...so that's awesome! We had a good day. On Tuesday, we visited "N" and "K" (as usual) and watched a video about temples with them called Between Heaven and Earth. It was awesome. Our stomach's were growling the whole time, though...so "N" and "K" and us were laughing super hard. They're hilarious. We had our district meeting on Wednesday and it was awesome. We had the coveted McNasty at McDonald's and it was truly epic. (I was emailing back and forth with Colton today and had to ask him what the McNasty was.  This was his reply. McNasty=McDouble + McChicken. You tear the McDouble patties apart and put the McChicken in the middle. Mega sandwich! It's delicious!!!! Oh Colton, you will be ready for college when you get home!)  We had a great lesson with an investigator named "S", etc. It's raining super hard here, now. And it's pretty cold. It's like, Canada, or something! ;) I'm loving it, though. We have gotten a lot of chances to talk with everyone we can see, and that is awesome. We met a man named "J" who doesn't like God because of what his life has ended up as, etc. We are meeting with him on Tuesday to discuss the plan of salvation. He seems really interested in what we have to say. He's feeling that Spirit! We had to walk on Saturday, and so we did. It was pouring rain. There's no protection at that point. It's just pure wet...all over! We ate at a member's home--the Zeck's--that day, and it was super good. Spare ribs, potatoes, etc. They gave me some blackberry juice to pour in my cup. I did so. Then, I discovered that my cup was upside down.... Blackberry juice everywhere! Oh, man, living up to my father's legacy! ;) My companion can't stop laughing still! It was pretty embarrassingly funny. Then, we went to church and "N" asked us if we wanted to see the handcuffs. We were a little confused, and then he pulled out these handcuffs out of his jacket pocket.

"What are you doin' with those, "N"?" we asked.
"Don't ask me!" said "N".
"Are you going to take over the ward today?"
"Yeah..." said "N" with a creepy grin. Oh, man. It was pretty funny. So yeah, we're having a great time up here! The church is true! The gospel of Jesus Christ is literally flawless. I love it! As long as we live as the lord would have us live, we will find peace in this life and a fullness of joy in the life to come.

Elder Stock

 

I think someone might be missing the desert.

 New haircut!

 He's never needed a coat and beanie to keep warm at home....and it's only fall!  Can't wait to see him all bundled up in the winter.

 

10/20/14 - 7th LETTER FROM DUNCAN

Another great Monday....it's Missionary Mail time!!!!!

 

Dear Missionary Stalkers:

Hello! It's rainy in Duncan! As an Arizonan, I love it! Well, the mission is awesome. As usual! This week, I don't necessarily have too many crazy spiritual experiences. Or maybe I do, but I've gotten so used to them that they're normal... Either way, it was great week and more than that: this week was actually FUN! What?! Fun and mission in the same e-mail?! Yeah, I went there. Let's divulge:
So, Monday was great. P-Day...is fantastic. We ended the day by teaching some investigators about baptism and 2 Nephi 31, etc. Which was awesome. Oh, and now we have sister missionaries in our area. Translation: Elder Orr and I have to start working SUPER hard now to keep up with their work. Man, just when you get into a groove, the Lord kicks it up a notch. What the heck? Does he want us to improve and learn from challenges in order to grow and become like Him someday or something?! Anyways, we then saw our recent converts N and K on Tuesday. These guys are hilarious! We watched a bunch of LDS videos with them to keep them entertained, and then we asked them if they wanted to start to prepare to receive the Aaronic Priesthood. They said that that would be too hard. They just want to sit there in church. Wow! Well, at least they're honest! I wish I was courageous enough to say that back when I was twelve! "Yeah, bishop...if I get the priesthood...I'll just have even MORE responsibility...so....yeah...I'll take a rain check." Kidding! Love the priesthood! We also saw a crazy Celtic guy that has a ton of stained glass in his house and a cat the size of a small child!

 

He was hilarious to talk to. And we're going back around Halloween to see his decorations.

Wednesday, we helped someone move into their home, and we talked with our recent convert, J, about the concerns she still has. Her testimony is growing so powerfully and she can literally feel the Holy Ghost in her life. That's awesome! We ended the night by talking about skinwalkers and ghost stories over the phone with Elder Gawrys from Campbell River.... Scary stuff! Thursday was awesome. We helped a potential investigator plant some trees in his yard, and he was super appreciative. He's looking for a church, but he's still not too sure yet. Boy, he's so ready! I love seeing how the Lord literally prepares people to receive this gospel. We went with our awesome bishop to contact some former investigators, and ran into this crazy guy with beer cans and cigarettes COVERING his floor. The gospel's for everybody! So we went in and got into a huge discussion about God with Him. He told us we were pretty nice for being open minded, but he's already figured out what God wants for him. So he kicked us out. Yeah, man...I'm not sure God WANTS you to have addictions to nasty substances, but, you know, who am I to judge? ;) 
Friday was the day that we were compelled to be humble. All of our plans fell through, and so we were finding (tracting, street contacting, etc.) all day. It was nuts. We saw literally no success. So, we had a super spiritual companionship inventory where we set major goals for this next transfer of how we are going to become awesome missionaries and consecrate ourselves to  the work. It was awesome. We then met with Big Papa, one of our investigators, and we drove to Nanaimo for stake conference. The whole zone went to the meeting because President Burt was there. As I was sitting there, some guy taps my shoulder. I turned around and BOOM!

Elder McCown, in the flesh!

 

Whoa! He's being trained in Port Alberni, so he's in my zone! It was awesome to see him and his excitement for the work. I'm so pumped to be serving in the same zone as him. We stayed the night in Nanaimo South's apartment. Me and Elders Orr, Burns, Durfee, Gawrys, and Briscoe all in the same apartment,. We PT'd (Pillow Talk), like, all night haha. It was nuts. But it was super fun. I love being surrounded by missionaries and that we each have that same goal of inviting others to come unto Christ. It's awesome. Then, we went to stake conference on Sunday after we all made heavenly breakfast burritos, and President Burt interviewed our investigator, S, and cleared her for baptism! Miracles! So, Duncan will have another baptism soon! Man, the work is hastening. I am so glad. I love this gospel, and I love the Book of Mormon. It is truly the keystone of our religion, and of the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What a joy and a peace that that brings into our lives. I love it! I hope you're all having a wonderful week, and remember: everyone's a missionary! Share this gospel out of a pure love for everyone you see!

That One Guy,

Elder Stock

 

We finally have missionaries on our bulletin board!!!!  Elder Blake Sanders is serving in South Africa.  His family just moved into our ward this summer.  Then Colton!!!  It's not quite the 16x20 he envisioned, but it works ;-)

 

10/13/14 - 6th LETTER FROM DUNCAN

I can't believe I didn't get this letter up last week!  Life is busy.  Enjoy another great letter from Elder Stock.

 

Dear Fans and Everyone Else,

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!! Yep, Canada, man. They celebrate Thanksgiving now because it's too cold to celebrate the harvest meaningfully in November up here, so they do it in mid-October! And there's not really a special Canadian twist on it, either, it's just a carbon-copy of American Thanksgiving, but without any mention of Mayflowers or Native Americans, pilgrims, etc. I kind of liked it better that way, though, because as we sat down with a family in our ward called the Lusts (don't worry, we didn't seek after them ;), we basically just had a huge turkey dinner and said what we're thankful for, and there was more focus on that simply, underlying exercise than the whole laborious story of the purpose of Thanksgiving. It was interesting and above all, super tasty. As a missionary living at the mercy of Great Value macaroni and cheese and whatever the microwave doesn't consume first, we were especially thankful for this feast. And plus, the family we were with was awesome. They had three boys, too, and so watching them fight each other and do crazy stuff together reminded me a lot of home, but not in a depressing way. Instead I truly thought of how thankful I was to have such an astounding family to raise me up in this gospel, to deal with me through my life and to help me become something better. That's what I was mainly thankful for this Thanksgiving: my family, and the importance of families in our Heavenly Father's plan for our individual salvation. 
So, I guess I'll just recount how my week went! First off, the second after I e-mailed you all last Monday, Elder Orr and I tore off down the road in our Chevy Cruze (#MormonLyfe) and headed into Wal-mart to buy our groceries for the week! And you can imagine how that goes when two 18-20 year old missionaries buy food. Don't worry, mom: I got the essentials! Toaster waffles, the coveted perogy, Great value mac and cheese, etc. And, of course, the mandatory Kinder Egg! After grocery shopping, we went to Boston Pizza and celebrated Elder Orr's birthday in style: with Spicy Perogy Burgers!!!! That was delicious! We took care of some stuff for the week, like washing our car, etc. It was a great P-Day that ended with some tracting and a new member lesson with Judith! 
Then, on Tuesday, I went on an exchange with Elder Burns from Nanaimo (it's a small little harbor city on the coast of Vancouver Island). We headed off to some teaching appointments there and had a lot of fun with some crazy people. For lunch, Elder Burns took some East Indian food he was given by their neighbor and cooked it on the stove. It looked nasty!

 

But, we ate it. Yikes. Bad mistake. That stuff was weird lol. So, there's my first weird food experience of the mission! Our night in Nanaimo culminated in the weirdest experience of the mission thus far. Some crazy drunk guy by the 7 Eleven yelled at us to come and pray with him. We weren't gonna turn down a potential investigator! So, we did. He grabbed our hands, and started chanting some crazy stuff about the Lord and then knelt before us and put Elder Burns' hands on his head, and said, "Do it! Do the special prayer!" Woah. I wasn't about to do a priesthood blessing right then and there, especially to this man... But we listened to the Spirit, and sure enough, the Spirit said, "No." We just said a regular prayer with Elder Burns' hand on his head, and as he did, this drunk guy started rising from his knees and chanting stuff. We got out of there fast! But, maybe when he's sober one day, he'll remember us and give us a call? The Lord works in mysterious ways, and alcohol doesn't help people come closer to Christ... 
Wednesday was our zone meeting with President Burt. He's awesome and super inspired. Truly called of God! Anyways, he gave us some awesome instruction on what we need to be doing in our areas to hasten His work. And it was awesome. The love he has for each of us as missionaries is truly astounding. 

Thursday was great! I went on exchange with Elder Huni from Nanaimo as well. He's my zone leader and we worked in Duncan for the day. We did a ton of street contacting in downtown Duncan, and that was awesome! Talking to people in a natural setting is super cool and way less awkward than tracting. But they're both vital for this work to move forward! We placed a Book of Mormon with our neighbor, Colleen. I love that book!!! You never really, truly realize the sheer awesomeness of the Book of Mormon until you're out here, doing the Lord's work. It is truly God's word. It is evidence that Joseph Smith was and is the restorative prophet of this dispensation, and the testament of Jesus Christ that, combined with the Bible, give us the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ! It is evidence of continued revelation from a loving Heavenly Father, and I love it's healing effects in the lives of our investigators. It speaks to your soul in a way that no other book can, and as I continue to study it throughout my mission, I am gaining a stronger and stronger testimony of just how true it is and just how powerful it is. Without the Book of Mormon, then The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not exist. And without this Church, we cannot enter the kingdom of God and live with Him after this life, we cannot gain exaltation. Man, this gospel is TOO cool! 

Friday was pretty cool. We taught an investigator with the Book of Mormon and she really got a lot out of it. She's planning on working towards baptism, but isn't sure about a specific date just yet. But hey, she's realizing the importance of the doctrine of Christ and of taking that step towards Him! 

on Saturday, we had a powerful lesson with a First Nations couple, R and K. We taught them about the Restoration, and helped them recognize that the good feeling they had while we taught was the Spirit of God testifying to them that what we were sharing is true. We invited them to read and ponder and pray about the Book of Mormon, and then I asked them how they were feeling right at that very moment. They responded, "Good. I feel intrigued." Boom. That was my chance! As soon as your investigators feel the Spirit, so within the first lesson, you invite them to be baptized! That's how Christ taught, and that's who we represent, and so I invited them to, when they knew this gospel was true, to be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God. And they said they would. No hesitation. THAT'S the Spirit! Not me or Elder Orr! It was super awesome! So they're planning on being baptized around November 8th. It's a goal they'll work towards. I love it. 

Sunday was Thanksgiving, and so we were in members' homes, teaching them principles and getting referrals, etc.
I love the mish!!! The Church is true, the Book of Mormon is the keystone of it, and as Joseph Smith said, we will "get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." I know this to be true. This is the Lord's work. Not ours. So pray all the time, read your scriptures, and read Preach My Gospel! I love you all!!!!

 

This was Asher's birthday gift from Colton. 

 

10/06/14 - 5th LETTER FROM DUNCAN

Dear Loyal Fans and Internet Stalkers Alike,

Well, this marks another fantastic week here in Duncan, BC! Elder Orr and I are like two peas in a pod, two buns on a burger, two seats on a see-saw... Wow. Those were ALL super weird and creepy. But yeah, we're doin' good. ;) We're like brothers now. Well, technically, he's my dad (You're missionary trainer is nicknamed your dad). You better believe I have fun with that! Jokes like, "Tracting with dad," and "Dunkin' in Duncan with dad," are constantly being said. It's hilarious. To me, at least. Anyways, it's Elder Orr's birthday!!!!! Happy Birthday with dad!!! Gonna have to go eat something awesome after we e-mail!
So, this week, as usual on the mish, has been full of miracles and pure spiritual awesomeness. Not only was this weekend a super spiritual recharge with the pure awesomeness that was general conference, but we had our first baptism last night!!!! {:D
So, the week was awesome. We met with our investigator, Judith, almost everyday this week to prepare her for her baptism this Sunday. And those meetings were great. She has such a desire to follow the example of Christ and be baptized and work toward a more faithful life of service to Him. It's so awesome to see. We had awesome spiritual experiences this week. We met with some born-again Christian guy to do service for him (move some logs and stuff in his yard) and he gave us lunch. Little did we know was that it was a trap. Well, the food was super good so we stayed anyways, but this guy goes on and on about how we're being deceived by the devil "disguised as an angel of light", etc. It was hilarious to watch. We kind of just ate our bratwursts and let him drone on. He told us that heaven is gonna be awesome, and the purpose of Captain America and the Hulk is that we are supposed to be like them in heaven. Haha... He'll believe THAT, but not that God caleld another prophet...just like He's done throughout the beginning of the Earth.... Riiiiiighhtt.... Anyways, it's crazy to see how lost people are and how hard Satan works at people to try to turn them away from the truth: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is Jesus Christ's church, reestablished on the Earth through a modern-day prophet Joseph Smith. I know this through the Holy Ghost. It has born witness to me of its truthfulness, and as President Uchtdorf said two days ago, the truths that the Spirit teaches you are more valuable than the highest education on Earth. It's so true. Heavenly Father wants us to know all, and He can give us knowledge through His Spirit. It's so awesome!
So, then we got to meet with another investigator, A. This guy has been through some ridiculously hard times, and wants to follow Christ, and he says that whenever we meet with him, he feels this spiritual recharge that last for a while, then dwindles and is recharged again when we come back to him. We told him that this was the Holy Ghost, which we have access to through ordinances like baptism and confirmation. We asked him if he wanted the constant companionship of this "spiritual recharge", and he said, more than anything. We committed him to baptism and he said he needs to think about it, but he said he'd like to soon! Miracles have not ceased!!!!
Anyways, general conference was SUPER awesome. Every speaker had with them such a wondrous Spirit. I got so much out of this conference, and I look forward to applying it to my life this week as I go out and represent Jesus Christ and minister to His children, and invite them to join His fold. This work is not ours, it is His. He is with us on our left and on our right.
After conference, we had a baptismal service for Judith Shaw..... Guess who got baptize her?
...

ME! It was crazy awesome. The Spirit was so strong at the service, and I was so grateful that I am able to use my priesthood to help bless the lives of others. She said that as she was under the water, she felt this indescribable feeling. She said it felt really good. Elder Orr and I told her that some people have described it as a warm blanket being wrapped around you. She said that was a good way to put it. And the difference in her countenance before and after the baptism was staggering. She's a new person. She has truly been born again in Christ (and not in the weird Captain-America-heaven way, but in the correct way, by His sacred priesthood authority!) Oh, man, this weekend was tremendous. Easily the best of my life thus far, as far as just feeling that Spirit and and having Him testify and confirm to me the wonderful truths of this gospel.

I love you all. You seriously all rock. This Church is true. Jesus Christ lives. He is with us now. And he is at the helm of this great work. I know this to be true.

-Elder Stock

 

09/29/14 - 4th LETTER FROM DUNCAN

Today, Tony and I are in beautiful San Diego!  Since we aren't working, we have been able to email back and forth with Elder Stock this morning.  It's really the best!!!!!!  Wish I could do this every week. For now, I'll be thankful that I am available for three Monday's in a row. This week Colton wrote us a private family letter and then one for the blog.  This is how he addressed everyone!

Dear Loyal Fans,

How's it going?! I'm still alive up here in Canada. The Island is awesome. great weather, very laid back life style, etc. And the gospel, as it always will and always has, is moving forward. The Lord is hastening His work in every single place of His vineyard. I have a firm testimony in Him and His power. As long as we put our trust in Him and walk by faith, knowing that He will provide for us, we will succeed. Granted, we're going to fall short, and we're going to make mistakes, but He is there to lift us back up, to help us to return to our Father in Heaven by walking beside us and helping us every step of the way. I know this to be true, because I've seen it in my life and in the lives of others already.

This week in Duncan was crazy. We did a lot of tracting, and had some awesome dinners with members. However: it seemed like no one was willing to listen, like no one was ready to receive this gospel. It was frustrating. But, the Lord works in His own time. I think something cool I've already seen out here is the fact that there are SO many different religions and faiths, all claiming to be the one way of life. And then when you come back to this gospel, and when you truly realize the eternal nature of it, and the fact that this is Christ's church restored on the Earth, and that He is at the head of it, and all other churches have parts of the fullness of His gospel, but we're the only ones that have it all, then it makes your work more urgent. I am literally the messenger of salvation and exaltation to these people. We should feel that burning desire to reach out to them and give them this gospel. It is the only way that we can find everlasting joy. True, we're not the only church that offers happiness. You can be happy by doing just about anything. That's not what we're offering: this gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ, gives us everlasting joy and eternal life! Think of it: living in the presence of God, your creator, alongside your family, and then receiving all of the blessings He has?! Crazy stuff.

When you think of the gospel in its rightful respect like that, you just can't help but run out there and scream it from the rooftops. It's awesome. So, we've had some cool experiences. There are spiders EVERYWHERE out here. We go to doorstep and flippin' Shelob decides to show up.

(for anyone who isn't familiar, here's Shelob....can't you just picture this laying in wait as Colton walks up to a door?!?  For video click here to see Frodo's encounter with Shelob)

 I'm all, "Dude! Ask Frodo! I'm not affiliated with you!" And there are crazy people out here. We were walking up to talk to some guy about the church who was working on his car when these punks sped by, yelling, "I'm a Satanist!" the car-worker thought we said that so he got super scared. Not a good image for the church lol. Anyways, we're having tons of fun. Prayin' for everyone back home as well as everyone here. Lots and lots of prayer. I love it. I've never felt so close to God before in my life. The Lord is literally by our side as long as we let Him. Super insane to think about. Missionary work is awesome. It's crazy, terrifying, and awkward as heck sometimes, but it is the best and most important anyone can be doing. It is the way we can return to live with Him.

I love this gospel, and the strength it gives me. The power and clarity it offers all of us is something we can't simply overlook. it is Christ church restored to the Earth. Joseph Smith was and is a true prophet of God. The priesthood's real. It's available to us to bless the lives of those we come in contact to and those we love. This is the only way we can return to live with our Heavenly Father, and He wants all of us to partake of that blessing. I know this to be true. Thank you all for your support and don't forget to e-mail me if you have any exciting news or stuff like that haha.

Sincerely, 
Elder Stock

We're so happy for Colton and the experiences he's having!  This Wednesday, one of Colton's EFY friends will enter the MTC and two weeks from then he will fly up to start serving in the Canada Vancouver Mission too!  Elder McCown's dad took this photo after they both had their calls.

09/22/2014 - 3rd LETTER FROM DUNCAN

Another week has gone by and Saturday marked a special day.....He's been out a WHOLE MONTH!!!!!  Tony and I celebrated by packing up his room.  So happy that is done and he can deal with the three boxes (and his arrow from his Arrow of Light that doesn't fit in any of boxes) when he gets home.  I love having an email waiting for me after work on Monday.  Here's the latest:

Dear Stock Fam,

Wow, it's always great to hear from you all. I'm so blessed to have such a supportive family and such a wonderful example of how to live the gospel. It comes in handy out here. Anyways, I am super excited that you all are doing so well, and of course: ACP Soccer getting a win?! Just another one of the Lord's miracles that I've seen/heard this week. Man, I am so happy for all of you. Yes, mom: I barely noticed it was my month mark until the day it happened, and I looked up at Elder Orr and said, "Elder...I've been out for a month!" And he just laughed and said, "How does it feel?" Well...it feels like I've been out here forever and yet it feels like I got here yesterday... I swear, these name tags mess with the time-space continuum or something, because days and weeks are flying by now. I hear it just gets faster and faster the more you get lost in the work. Dang! I only have two years to do this! I need to make it count. 
So, Elder Orr and I have made it our personal crusade to be exactly obedient to the mission rules and to the guidance and counsel we receive from the Lord through our own personal revelation as well as through the revelation the Lord gives to President Burt. We know that as we follow with exactness and utilize our faith and our diligence, that the blessings of heaven will open unto us. As Ezra Taft Benson said, "When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes a quest, it is in that moment that God endows us with power." Wow. I think that this is something that EVERYONE, not just missionaries, can apply to their lives. All we need to do is love God and because we love Him, keep His commandments. He doesn't give us a commandment, no matter how small or big it is, without giving us a way to follow this commandment, and blessing us for our obedience to Him. 

I think the most important thing to do is to obey not out of fear or out of our own desire for blessings, but to do it out of pure love for our Savior and for our Heavenly Father. That's key. So, we have seen blessings already come from this. As we go out and tract/find those who are ready to receive the restored gospel, we don't do it hesitantly or with even a bit of shame or doubt. We literally ran from door to door yesterday, almost out of breath from doing so, and talked to everyone we saw. We testified to them of the truthfulness and the crucial importance that the restoration of the Gospel has in their lives, and after we have done that, it is their choice to accept or reject it. But if we are not willing to give it our all and testify boldly, and teach them with full power, then we cannot stand spotless before God. It is our responsibility as members of His Church to testify and share this gospel with everyone we see. 

Now, whether that means we literally walk up to them and teach them these plain and precious truths, or testify of the glorious gospel with our actions, it doesn't matter: we just need to do it. We don't need to be star keepers or awesome midfielders to play on the Lord's team (SOCCER-GOSPEL ANALOGIES!!!), but rather, we just need to get a jersey on and RUN! Get out there and do something. Ether 12:12 says that unless we have faith, the Lord can do no miracles among the children of men. So as we seek to find those who are ready to receive this gospel, and the Lord gives us names of those who are ready, then we need to act on these prompting and put our faith and trust in the Lord. Otherwise, nothing can happen. That's what we've been teaching to the members of the Duncan ward. (They're awesome.) I know this to be true. I know that unless we act and put our faith in the Lord, we will not see the glory that is waiting for us. The Lord is literally sitting there, waiting to bless us, and unless we act, He can't.
We had our first dinner appointment yesterday. The Bachelders fed us...holy heck it was good! They prepared a ton of smoked salmon, slow roasted vegetables, and some awesome French bread. It was probably the best meal I've had in a long while. We were so sluggish afterward, though, but we ran from door to door to preach this gospel! It was great. We have a dinner appointment with the Ruttans tonight right after P-Day ends. Excited for even more food! but yeah, we're doing great out here. We had a guy we tracted into that was literally so excited about the news we shared on living prophets being called of God today, that he literally grabbed the Book of Mormon out of Elder Orr's hands and asked him how much he wanted for it. When we told him it was free, he was astounded. the guy was so prepared to receive this gospel. We meet with him next week. I'll tell you how it goes! We set another baptismal date with an investigator we picked up who came to church on his own (MIRACLE). It is awesome. The Lord really is mindful of us. He is on our right and on our left and is guiding us each and every day. I know this to be true. I'm so happy to hear from you guys, and I hope Gilbert has recovered from the Kaiju attack it suffered! I know the government's hiding something. ;) Oh: one request. SEND ME PICTURES! I want to see how you're doing, etc. It's awesome when I get pictures from people haha. I'm so glad to be out here. My faith has grown so much in just two weeks of field experience. I can't wait to see what the Lord can help me become in two years! Oh, also: do I have a missionary plaque?! If so: send me a picture lol. 
I hope you're all doing great, and I hope you have a wonderful week. 3 Nephi 11 is probably the most powerful scripture ever recorded. the very fact that Jesus Christ let each and every one of them feel the prints in his hands and his feet, and allowed them to form their own testimony of Him, is evidence alone that He is mindful of each and every one of us. I know He is. He knows us by name, and wants each of us to grow. Ah, man! The mission rocks! I'm lovin' it! I will send you pictures of my activities. They have been awesome haha. I love you all so much!!!

Elder Stock

 

Also: new favorite song is The Harvester by Brandon Heath. It gets you pumped up to tract. It's epic. I highly encourage you all to YouTube and listen to it in F.H.E. or something haha. Oh, and there are big spiders here on the Island. I call them Shilob. It makes door approaches interesting. We were knocking on a door and then one of them landed on my bag and Elder Orr screamed and slapped it off and we threw a mormon.org card at the door and booked it out of there lol. Good times!

Duncan's Claim to Fame: Canada's Largest Hockey Stick!!! 

Comp Unity

 Totems!!!

Preaching to These People....They're Made of Wax or Something ;)

Study time with Elder Zilla!

  Pac Rim! I've Made It!

  Super Tired Elder Stock Selfie

 

09/15/14 - 2nd LETTER FROM DUNCAN

We're so excited to receive his 2nd letter from Duncan.  We're sending his first care package today.....his "GREENIE" package. (it will also include a pair of socks and garments he forgot!  That boy!!!)  I chose not to keep names of investigators/new converts intact in the letter.  You'll just see a letter in place of a name.

(if he doesn't send photos.....I pick them from my stash!)

Hey, mom! Elder Orr has us e-mail at 11;00-ish every Monday. but I'll try to bring it down to chat with you. Grocery shopping went well! Everything's going well! We're getting settled in Duncan, and so that's awesome. it's beautiful here. Yes, I tried poutine. that stuff is wicked good lol. Every restaurant serves it. Even McDonald's! I don't want to try theirs haha. I'll write Mamita. Sorry! I have too many women to write. ;) Lol jk. Sounds like you're pretty busy! That's good, though. I like when I'm busy up here, because time flies and I get a lot done lol. That YW in Excellence song is classic! Haha KIP!!! "Well I guess you can say...I guess you can say that people are getting baptized up here." Lol.
Elder Orr and I are teaching a good pool of people. Three of them are preparing for baptism, and the first baptism we have planned is this Sunday. So...yeah, gospel's true. The Lord is hastening his work. It's awesome. I'll give you a little recap of my week according to my journal.
Monday: P-Day! Epic.
Tuesday: Taught B. She wasn't too receptive. Oh well, good practice. We visited two recent converts, N and K. They are twin guys that are obsessed with Duck Dynasty and have huge beards to show their devotion lol. They're pretty funny and just good guys. They worship the TV. Everything they watch on it is sacred to them. they have Planet of the Apes collection in their apartment. Our Bishop, Bishop Coleman, is a boss. He's such a hard worker and went out with us to teach one of our baptismal investigators. Shared with us his vision for the Duncan ward. read Ether 12:12. By our FAITH, the Lord can bring unto us miracles. Cool stuff. We're on the winning team. We don't need to be gorilla linemen, or star receivers, we just need to put on the jersey and run. :)
Wednesday: Busy day, met with G, our 97 year old investigator! He loves dancing lol. Tracted for a while. Got some good conversations in. Taught one of our baptismal investigators. Tithing analogy was awesome.
Thursday: Planned for the week. It was a grind. But we persevered. Met a man who's Bahi. Learned about that religion. He gave us Triscuits, though, so....I count it as a win!
Friday: We had an awesome zone meeting in which they announced that we can now eat dinner with members!!!! Whoa!!! So that's awesome. People are so excited to have us in the home again. We met with some investigators and it went well.
Saturday: Fun day, lots of tracting, member visit at the Cyphers. We had a ward social at night....I heard worldly music! AH! Haha it was great. Don't tell my leaders.... :O We had a lot of investigators there, though. So that was good.
Sunday: Awesome day, as usual. A man named D just up and showed up at church. We're teaching him tonight.
The Lord works many miracles. I know He loves each of His children, and he wants to help them personally and individually. It's awesome. Elder Orr and I are doin' pretty well! I hope you have a great week! Also: in Lehi's dream of the Iron Rod, I find it interesting when he says there were some who clung to the rod, and there were others who held steadfast to it. Those who hold steadfast and never let go, even when their life is going well, endure to the end and return to live with Him. Those that cling to him in their hard times and let go in the good times are easily led away. It was a cool lesson I learned from the scriptures. Anyways, I love you so much, mom!
Have a great week!
Elder Stock

Sorry there were no pictures this week....I left my USB at home... Next week, though! Also, we have a CD of 9 hours of church/mission music in our car... One of the songs is Have I Done Any Good? by Alex Boye!!!!! Ya-yuh!!!! We love it. Haha. That's the mish anthem now... But yeah, we're doin' well. Love you!