1/25/16 - 1st LETTER FROM NANAIMO

THIS WEEK ON MISH LYFE: 'NAM-NAIMO...

The transfer train rolled through the station and shook everybody up. So many changes. Elder Stirland, my new companion, has been in my zone for a while, and so we just went to the ferries together and are already best friends because he's been my district leader for, like, four and a half months already. He's hilarious. From Riverton, Utah, and loves hunting. Him and I both have weird imaginations, so we view Nanaimo as a giant battleground where missionary work is about to explode. It's now called 'Nam-naimo...

We ended up on Tuesday morning driving all the way out to the ferries in Tsawessen at the crack of dawn and then we jumped onto the huge boats. We were accompanied by one of the new members of the Nanaimo zone, Elder Aua, who was coming from North Vancouver. He's from Papua New Guinea and is hilarious. A fish out of water in a first world country. Told us the weirdest thing he's eaten here was a tie between salad and a PB&J. He still doesn't understand why we eat leaves...

Us three boarded the ferries and headed off on the journey of a lifetime. Staring off into the distance of the ferry brought me back to the genesis of my mission. When I served in Duncan. Now I serve an hour up the Island Highway, in the big city of Nanaimo. On the ferry, we began planning what we were going to do to make this the best transfer yet. We're excited for what is to come. We ordered the traditional ferry poutine and enjoyed a peaceful ferry ride to the Island herself.

My companion and I are both new to the area. We're doing what we call in missionary work a "white wash"... It's intense. We're both trying to learn the area and get used to the zone, but it's going really well so far. We've met a lot of cool people in our area and have found quite a lot of people that are interested in learning more about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

We are teaching some incredible people, as well. I learned a lot from the worldwide missionary broadcast that aired this Wednesday on "Teaching Repentance and Baptizing Converts". I learned a lot about the true role of the Holy Ghost in this work, and how we are not the true teachers at all. The Spirit is. We are his tools in this work. I always love hearing from our Apostles and the general authorities of the Church. They have such an incredible knowledge of and faith in the restored gospel, and their teachings will truly never lead us astray.

Elder Neil L. Andersen taught us that, "Because of the Restoration, we know more about the Savior than anyone else..." Just think of that. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ allows us to know Him more fully than ever before. That's why we share it. That is why we preach of Christ and quickly refer to the message of the Restoration. Not because we worship the modern-day prophets we follow, but because through them, we can know the Savior in a deeply personal way. He is ever at the helm of His Church today, and He has such a marvelous work in store for us.

We had some incredible experiences this week. Vancouver Island is just an awesome place to serve as a missionary. Such potential here. While talking to everyone in downtown, we met a couple who've been searching for a church ever since they moved here about a month ago. We look forward to seeing them at church next week, and are excited to teach them!

We have just basically been getting used to the area and getting our feet on the ground, but it has been a successful week.

The Lord gives us all, as missionaries, a promise in the Doctrine and Covenants Section 21, verse 9, "I will bless all those who labor in my vineyard with a mighty blessing, and they shall believe on [the missionary's] words, which are given [the missionary] through me by the Comforter, which manifesteth that Jesus was crucified by sinful men for the sins of the world, yea, for the remission of sins unto the contrite heart..." I know this to be true. As we go forth and testify of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall have His Spirit to be with us. And by the power of His Spirit, we may know the truth of all things. He is the Teacher, He is the Converter. Let us all be ever more converted each day as we heed the promptings of the Holy Ghost. He will guide us to truth and right, and as we commit to follow the Savior, we will know for ourselves that His paths are true.

I know that our Savior lives. That He loves us. That He stands on the right hand of the Father and leads His Church through His prophet, Thomas S. Monson. That as we follow Him and His prophet, we will be blessed with peace and joy in this life and the life to come. I know that the Book of Mormon testifies of Him and helps us all to apply His Atonement, of which I am grateful for. It is real and it is infinite. It is for you and for me. I know that this work I am involved in is His work of salvation. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Catch you all later,
Elder Stock

Sayin' goodbye to some REALLY good friends of mine: Shoshanna (on the left), and Donny (in the middle). They're working hard to change and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's been incredible to help them out on the journey.

Nate Silva from the YSA. Shortly after I got to the Island, he reported to his mission field in San Fernando, California!!! 

Ronny Sears. The gem of the YSA...

 

 Former service missionary, Joshua Sloan. What a boss.

 Ty Loewen....funny, funny guy!

 Adam Leonard.... British branch mission leader....definition of suave...

 THE Harman....what a guy!

 Tommy Verde doin' a really creepy face... Don't worry, he's actually one of the best teachers in Elder's Quorum that you can find!

 Brady Moore. He's a champion stallion.

 Elder Aua (left) and Elder Stirland (right) stare into the void that is the Georgia Strait...

 Elder Stirland and I getting ready for 'Nam-naimo...

 Professional companionship photo...

 THE best companionship photo of all time!!!

 Ferry poutine. Classic!

 Coolest mural ever in downtown Nanaimo...

 Time to obtain revelation from on high...

1/18/16 - 23rd LETTER FROM LANGLEY

THIS WEEK ON MISH LYFE: LANGLEY YSA SEASON FINALE....

About a year and a half ago, a young man named Elder Stock was thrown up into the Great White North with two suitcases full of shirts and ties, some scriptures, and a basic testimony of the Book of Mormon and the restored gospel. He ended up on a road trip to a distant land mass off the coast of mainland BC known as Vancouver Island. He managed to arrive in a sacred and hallowed area of the mission known as Duncan. While there for six months, he learned how to be a missionary from some incredible companions and had some magnificent spiritual experiences helping souls come unto repentance. Nearly a year passed and he journeyed to different parts of the province, learning much and forging new friendships.

Then, one fateful night in January 2016, while he sat in a Fresh Slice pizza shop in the dystopic city of Surrey, he received a phone call from the assistants to his mission president. A phone call regarding his transfer from the Fraser Valley YSA branch to another area...

Ladies and gentlemen, I am getting transferred BACK TO VANCOUVER ISLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to Nanaimo!!!!!! Literally, I am going to the zone that I started in. I am so excited. The island is hallowed ground, it's pretty much the greatest area in the mission/world. So excited. Anyways, I won't geek out for too long.

This week was great. We taught a lot and got to say goodbye to some incredible YSA members. I am so excited to be able to go to my new area, and also so shocked that I am leaving the YSA. It feels like I got here yesterday. There's been a lot of memories here. Lots of incredible experience and people to meet. Being a full-time missionary is incredible. I can't quite express how awesome it is. Mainly because it just sounds cliche to all of you missionary-muggles. But just imagine the greatest joy you have felt. And multiply it. Because it is the Lord's eternal work. His glory and His purpose for us. I'll keep you posted on next week's new season, MISH LYFE: NANAIMO....

But for now have a great week,
Elder Stock

He didn't send photos....so I'll improvise. Here's the totem from Duncan. 

(September 2014)

 My favorite drawing of his.....

Elder Zilla!!!

(September 2014)

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature"

Mark 16:15

 New missionary

Elder Stock with President and Sister Burt

(September 2014)

1/11/16 - 22nd LETTER FROM LANGLEY

THIS WEEK OF MISH LYFE: LANGLEY YSA...

We are here to teach repentance to baptize converts. That is our mission, that is our purpose. And it is awesome. This week, I was able to be a part of another step in someone's conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are all on a journey together to "press forward with a steadfastness in Christ" and participate in saving ordinances, making covenants to our Father in Heaven that bind us to Him and His Son, the Savior Jesus Christ. As we do this, we feel eternal joy now and forever.

Josh Brodie, one of our newest YSA members who was baptized about a month ago, received the Aaronic Priesthood yesterday. He was so prepared and excited to receive it and is grateful for the opportunities that he has ahead of him to serve and to be an instrument in God's hands. It was a special moment and the Spirit was incredibly strong. I am grateful for him and for the joy of bringing souls to repentance and being God's instrument in keeping pace with His Hastening.

I am especially grateful t be serving in the Canada Vancouver Mission. What an incredible opportunity to serve and to learn to be exactly obedient. To God and His chosen servants. And this YSA is awesome.

This week, we got a referral from some guy in a food court as we were eating. ALWAYS DO MISSIONARY WORK! And we called this referral up. His name is A. He's from Syria and really wants to convert to Christianity. We met with him and he's got a baptismal date for January 31. He's super cool. He's barely 30 with a huge beard and big muscles. He looks like he's at least 40....Just a crazy awesome, genuine guy. It's been fun teaching him so far. We also decided to create an advertisement for us missionaries that could reach the entire branch of YSA members. It's hanging up in the hallway, now....it's incredibly goofy. (See picture included)

I've been learning a lot recently about how we need to teach and how God teaches us. I have been growing a lot as a missionary. I am grateful for these experiences I am having and for the people I am working with. That I am helping. I know that our purpose is real. We're not just here for ourselves, and we're not just here to fail. This isn't a two year pension to earn yourself a better status as a member of some organization. "It's the cause of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost" (D. Todd Christofferson). Missionary work is incredibly important to the Lord. I had the privilege to be able to go this week to a special meeting in Richmond with President Burt and some other missionaries throughout the mission. We drove the Abbotsford 1st ward elders out to the city and ran into some INTENSE traffic on the way. We barely got into the meeting on an appropriate time... But the meeting was incredible! We learned a lot about how we can be better and how we can improve our already stunning mission culture and teach to convert, not just to baptize! Hoorah!

I'll have more exciting news next week, probably... This was a lot of spiritual tangents. Sorry. Unless you like spiritual tangents. In which case you are worthy of the kingdom of God. Just kidding. That was overbearing. But it's true. So...yeah...

Have an awesome week!
Elder Stock

The poster ad of the Langley YSA Elders...

Competing with the other missionaries..

1/4/16 - 21st LETTER FROM LANGLEY.....ok, maybe just photos!

I know Elder Stock has forgotten to send photos with his letter, but he's never forgotten the letter....until today! He even emailed me and asked if I received it yet. I let him know I had NOT received a letter, just the photos. I sent him a few more emails pleading for the letter.....but to no avail. :-( At least we have some photos to look at. Enjoy!

Farewell to Elder Reay....the Tri-Force is shattered :(

Frosty day...Elder Briscoe and I brace the cold on our way to church.

The map of our favorite finding spot...

The bridge across the Fraser River. That's a part of the city of Surrey!

Frosty trees!

12/28/15 - 20th LETTER FROM LANGLEY

THIS WEEK ON MISH LYFE: LANGLEY YSA CHRISTMAS SPECIAL...

A white board. Once used to record the names and progress of investigators in the Langley zone with a baptismal date...now leaned against the wall on Christmas Eve. A lonely piece of paper, with a Crayon drawn Christmas tree splayed across it is taped to the board...in the upper center. Accompanied by a painting of the Master Teacher, the Center of Christmas, the Son of God directly above it. Very indicative of a missionary's decorative touch.... Underneath the makeshift tree are about ten cards and packages of various shapes, sized and values. Three representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ gather around it. And count their many blessings. That night in their prayers, they remember the birth, life and sacrifice of their Savior. They remember their missions, and the incredible experiences they have had. The suffering and regret of the past now washed clean by the sweet warmth of the Spirit, reassuring them of the worthiness of their service, of the value of their work. Merry Christmas, Langley Tri-SA. Merry Christmas, indeed.

It's a special time of year, Christmas is, and I hope that each of you were able to take a few moments as I did to reflect. To reflect on the simple joy that a Savior is born. That He has the power to help us, to redeem us, to lift us. And it's a joy to be able to serve Him as one of His missionaries at this time. I am grateful for it. I am grateful for all you, too! And for your support, it really makes a difference. Thank you.

This week, even though it was Christmas week, was nothing short of busy and miracle-filled. We had an incredible YSA activity on Tuesday where some members of the branch sang Christmas carols at a sky train station while us missionaries proselyted and handed out "A Savior is Born" cards. It was incredible. We also found a handful of new investigators. One of them is from Uganda. His name is A and he is incredible. We were able to teach him about the Restoration of the gospel and specifically the Book of Mormon. He loved it and when we read 3 Nephi 11 with him, the Spirit was so strong.

I've learned a lot about the power of the Spirit in conversion, and what it really means. The Holy Ghost is here to teach us truth and to confirm it, yes, but it also does much more than that. The Holy Ghost nourishes our desire to follow the Savior, engenders a love for God and our fellow man, helps us feel of the love that our Father in Heaven has for us, and is the only pathway to conversion. I am grateful for the Spirit in my life, and to be able to improve and work on teaching more by the Spirit.

We had a couple of dinner appointments this Christmas season, and were able to enjoy some good home-cooked food for once in the YSA. Tender mercies, it was a great Christmas. I enjoyed some awesome Skype calls with the family, and I am so grateful for them and for their support and encouragement in me serving a mission. Thank you, mom and dad! You are awesome.

Christmas 2015 will go down in history as the most missionary-centered Christmas of my life. It's been awesome. I am honored to be here in the Canada Vancouver Mission. It's a mission on fire, in case you didn't hear on the streets. I am honored to be a missionary, in the first place. And to know that my Redeemer lives. To know Him. To know that He is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. I know that He leads His Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today. His prophets and apostles are inspired of God. He is the light and the life of the world. He loves us all infinitely and at the same time personally. He knows who we are and what we can become. And if we trust Him, follow Him, and serve Him, we will feel the most joy and happiness in this life and in the life to come. I know it is true and I know this from the power of the Holy Ghost. Who testifies of Him. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!
Elder Stock

The Tri at Christmas

 Another way of looking at it

12/21/15 - 19th LETTER FROM LANGLEY

THIS WEEK ON MISH LYFE: LANGLEY YSA...

The sleek, metallic beast roared down the road in a blur of light and sound, spraying leftover rain up into the air off of the highway, shooting through entire cities in the blink of an eye. Her name? Queen Rogue--a Nissan Rogue commandeered by the elite Elders Stock, Briscoe, and Reay used to hasten the work of salvation. The Queen skidded to a halt in the slurry of rain and mud in front of an investigator's apartment complex. The three warriors within stared at each other. "Let's do this..." They said in perfect, Spirit-tuned unison. The doors to Queen Rogue were opened and they stepped out into the cold, humid air. The whir of a dilapidated sky train and the agonizing yelps of the godless dregs of Surrey Central echoed in the night air. It was about to go down...

There's a little taste of the epicness that is missionary work during the Lord's hastening. If you're a priest-aged young man reading this and that didn't get you to mission prep, then I don't know what will....

This week was incredible. I mean, it's hard for a week of missionary life NOT to be incredible. It's like making a microwavable burrito. It takes a special skill set to ruin it.

We had the privilege of being able to have our combined zone meeting this week. We went all the way out to Abbotsford where we correlated with Elder Stone (the King of Abbotsford) and had an incredibly uplifting zone meeting centered on giving the gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ to others this Christmas season as missionaries. We had a lot of time to role play and really focus on using inspired questions in our teaching. It's helped a lot, and it's been nice to see a change as we more fully apply the counsel we have been given in Preach My Gospel. It's as if the book is inspired or something...

At the zone meeting, we had a huge Christmas tree with everyone's Christmas packages and letters underneath it. We also got these incredible consecrated oil vials that were handmade for our mission. They say Canada Vancouver Mission on the side along with our motto. "Love. Serve. Obey!" And a little Canadian maple leaf is included as well. Solid stuff! The senior couples from Hope and Chilliwhack also made us a huge lunch. As a missionary, and especially as a YSA missionary, your appreciation for food is pretty intense. So we devoured that Christmas food as if it was about to sprout legs and run away from us.

We have been teaching our friend C for a little while now and he is so excited for his baptism in January. He was down to be baptized, like, yesterday, but he found out that he's got to go to Penticton this week for Christmas. So as soon as he gets back, he's cannonballing into the font. Well, probably not literally because that would hurt and be blasphemous...you'd feel two effects of the Fall: Pain and Spiritual Death... He's doing so well, though! It's been fun to be able to teach him and help him understand the gospel. Especially because he is incredibly prepared and eager to learn more. He told us this week that he wants to increase his virtue and knowledge even more in order to live a more Christ-centered life....because he learned about those principles at church. What an amazing thing this gospel is. I marvel every day at how much Christ changes people. How much He changes me, and how much He can change everyone in this world. If only we let Him. We need to "yield our hearts" to Him, and then we shall experience that peace, joy and sanctification that only He can give (Helaman 3:35).

We also were able to see our investigator, S and give her a blessing to help her feel better from her illness she's had for a little bit. She's doing really well, though! And her family is now interested in meeting with us missionaries. Say what?!?

We found some new investigators as well. We are teaching a man named L who's progressed a lot surprisingly in the short week we've been teaching him. His first lesson, he had a full bottle of hard whiskey on the table when we first started teaching him which he drank from mid-lesson. By yesterday's lesson, he didn't have any alcohol that we could see in the house, was much more alert and spiritually receptive as a result and has committed to really read and pray about the Book of Mormon. I love it. I love this gospel!!!!

We've had a lot of funny and awesome experiences lately. It's hard to write down all of it when I get to e-mail time...kind of like what the prophets of the Book of Mormon felt as they tried to write down everything in the scriptures but either didn't have room or were overwhelmed by everything. But it's been a great week.

I am excited for this week to celebrate Christmas and to be able to help others to find Christ in their lives. To invite them to come unto Him. It is my testimony that as we yield our hearts unto God more fully, He will bless us with increased sensitivity to the Spirit and with more of a desire to obey Him. He will help us to find those in our lives that need a helping hand, that need a Savior in their lives. And we, with our knowledge and testimony of Him, are those they need. To guide them to Him. This is God's plan for us. To bring us together in unity and to help us become like Him and His Son, our Perfect Example. I am grateful for this Christmas season, and cannot wait to report on the amazing miracles we see in His service on His day. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Sincerely,
Elder Stock

Abbotsford/Langley Zone Christmas Tree!

 Josh Sloan was with us again...

 Elder Briscoe thinks he's fat....He's not. He's actually a stud...

12/14/15 - 18th LETTER FROM LANGLEY

THIS WEEK ON MISH LYFE: LANGLEY YSA...

Whoa. Transfer week. More like....chaotic whirlpool of flying across the Lower Mainland in a Nissan Rogue week...

Elder Gawrys is gone. Cannon shot up to the Great White North. I remain. A lone wolf....with two other companions now...

Elder Briscoe and Elder Reay are awesome. It's a blast to have such good companions and to have three of us in the YSA. Work is about to get DONE!

So...I was in the MTC with Elder Briscoe. We know each other quite well. He's from Missouri and is a blast. He's hilarious, loves pandas, and is really diligent. He sits in the back of the car and phones through TONS of potential investigators that we have found and sets up crazy awesome teaching appointments. He's also super new to YSA work and so it's fun to watch his reaction to the incredibly fast pace of it all.

Elder Reay is incredible. He's from Slidell, Texas...a town of 125 and filled to the brim with American character. He's got a thicker accent than most and is basically a cowboy incarnate. He's got an awesome testimony and is an asset to the area.

Together, we form the indestructible tri-force of missionary work called the Langely Tri-SA. Well, with the Spirit magnifying our call, of course...

We have had a good week so far together. It's been hectic and crazy, but good.

C is doing well and we are still on track with him to be baptized, and we are hoping and praying that everything goes well with that.

Also...it's apparently almost Christmas. It has been sneaking up really quickly and it is actually a weird thought to think that Christmas is almost upon us. But, I guess I will just roll with it...

It's a great time of year to do missionary work, though. I am enthralled to be here. Especially in the Fraser Valley YSA. It's incredible.

I can't really remember what happened this week...it was kind of a blur of little to no sleep and driving all over the place through cities to drop off and pick up missionaries. I do know, however, that I was able to eat at an all-you-can-eat Korean and Japanese BBQ called Il Uk Jo's....and that was incredible. Oh, and I also got to do some cool new thing they're doing in the mission.

So, when new missionaries come into the mission now they do this thing where the new missionary gets paired up with a missionary in the Lower Mainland and we go do some missionary work for a couple hours and then drop 'em off at the mission office for them to meet their trainers. I got paired up with Elder Weli, a Norwegian who's super fresh looking. It was fun. We went to Surrey Central sky train and just went crazy and got Fresh Slice pizza and then threw him back at the other greenies as if nothing happened.

We've got zone meeting coming up, so that will be fun! It's Christmas/Atonement themed, so we are excited. There's even going to be a nice warm Christmas lunch! Bring on the food!

I'll keep you all updated. Thanks for the support and have an incredible week!

Until next time,
Elder Stock

The Langley Tri-SA is here. Get feared.

Getting ready for the first wave of food...

 All you can eat sushi!!!!