Hello everyone,
It has been another amazing week here in Bunnell and Palm Coast! We only biked 100 miles this week so it wasn't as bad as last week! So, I love being a missionary!! I have been able to watch others' faith in Christ grow and it's amazing! And then watching that faith change their lives for the better is just as great! I love being a missionary and this amazing work I get to be a part of!
There have been many many miracles happening this week. On Tuesday we had an appointment fall through so we ended up at the apartment where the street ball players live! We saw Brandon and Deven playing a game so course we played a game of basketball with them! We were going to go teach them a lesson but a whole bunch of others came, and they went home... So we stood there trying to figure out what to do... We really wanted to teach a lesson. We talked to this one kid named Anthony about our lesson with him Monday! Then, I felt like we should go to Brandon and Deven's apartment, ask for water, then share with them how the Bible and Book of Mormon are similar and both teach God's words...Well, we stood there and as we were about to leave, Deven came back out and joined in the conversation with us and Anthony! It was so cool! Then, guess what?!?!? Out of no where this man walks up to us hands us bottles of water and walks away without another word... Like wow, blessings from on high to the max... They asked us some kinda weird questions but they led perfectly to exactly what we wanted to teach them, how the Book of Mormon and the Bible are similar and how they both testify of Jesus Christ! We gave them both Book of Mormons and they both were way interested and want to learn and talk to us more! I know God sent us there at that time for a reason! What a miracle!
On Wednesday we had a zone meeting and President Clark brought forth the "Title of Excellence" which are five main focus president Clark wants us to focus on! They are:
1.) Teach repentance and baptize converts
2.) Have Faith in Christ and Use His Atonement
3.) Follow the Spirit
4.) Honor His Name by Our Actions
5.) Be Positive, Obedient, Preach My Gospel Missionaries!
The trainings were all centered around these points and were so well put together and they really were so inspired! I love the modern day revelation and the priesthood keys our president has to direct the work of our Savior in the Florida Orlando Mission! Anyway, I was really touched by the trainings and am so pumped to be a better missionary.
That afternoon we were texting Sarah about the stake conference investigator meeting and she texted us back saying, "I need something peaceful and spiritual, what do ya got?" So we hurried and prayed and found a Mormon message and two scriptures; 2 Nephi 31:20 and the other was D&C 84:88. We gave them to her and she texted back telling us how that was absolutely perfect and what she needed! She explain how that answered her prayers she gave this morning! It was just the coolest experience ever!
On Friday we had a lesson with Bubba, he is an alligator hunter, taxidermist, and a skilled fisherman! We ate dinner with them and this week for my birthday when we go out there we may get to eat alligator! I'm stoked! Anyway, dinner was fun! He told us about his crazy stories and showed us his pictures of the 17 foot alligators he killed! We then taught him and his wife a great lesson about the Book of Mormon and having a desire to know if it's true and how God will give them an answer! He is so open and really want to start learning everything! We feel like we can put him on date next lesson! Which is my birthday!!!
On Saturday we got transfer calls and my Companion Elder Hill is leaving me mid training... He is going to be a zone leader! My new companion is Elder Honda and I can't what to meet him tomorrow! He has been out for 21 months so I will have a lot to learn from his experience. I will also be leading out the area so I have an amazing opportunity to grow this next transfer! I am so excited!!!
Sunday was stake conference and Elder Jörg Klebingat of the Seventy was there! Before the Sunday session there was an investigator and recent convert meeting, he was so straight forward and taught with power and love! Elder Jörg Klebingat taught about his position and authority and how there is nothing special about him! He expressed how there is nothing special about the men of the church other than the name they all represent! It is our Savior's church and it's His power! He explained the organization of the church and then he opened it up for questions! It was really cool to see these investigators open up and ask questions and he answered them so perfect relating them all back to the Savior!
The Sunday session of conference was so amazing! There were way too many things to put in this letter but some main points were about sticking to the basics. We need to have daily and family prayer, daily and family scripture study, weekly FHE, and productive Sabbath day observance! Through the basics we will be supported and lifted up by the spirit! Another major theme was the Savior and His saving grace and atonement! Elder Jörg Klebingat really focused on helping us understand that God doesn't compare us to anyone! There is only one standard and that is our Savior Jesus Christ! That is what we strive for! If we strive for anything else we are striving for imperfection! That was so incredibly profound to me! This week has been so full of amazing experiences, adventures, and miracles! I am doing oh so well! I love you all so much! I love this gospel and sharing it as a representative of our Lord and Savior! Keep being amazing and share your testimonies with all those you love!
Your faith filled missionary,
Elder Tracy
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Week 8 | Sept. 5, 2016
Hey everyone,
Another amazing week has come and gone, oh so very quickly! It has been raining a lot with Hurricane Hermine hitting the other side of the state! I'm sure you know what I'm about to say, but I have loved it so incredibly much! It's like happiness falling from the sky! I don't think many other people in Florida enjoy it too much but it's one of my favorite things ever! No crazy events happened this week so it was so nice to just get to work and start teaching people!
Sarah texted us early this week about her scripture study! She reads a chapter every single night and sent us all these questions asking about the doctrine! She then went on telling us about all these lessons she is learning from the scriptures! She is doing amazing and I'm so blessed to have such a good investigator. We have taught a lot of less-actives and some lessons were kinda weird! I feel like I am learning way more than they are... Hahah! It's just a testament of the scripture: D&C 50:22 where it talks about how both the teacher and student are edified by the spirit ! I have really been taught about gratitude and trusting our Lord and Savior! First we need to trust in Him! He has a plan so chill out and rely on Him. Second, He is there helping you through that plan so stop and say thank you for all the blessings that are continually poured down on you! Anyway, it's awesome that I can learn so much from the people I teach! I love this church and gospel but most of all my Savior!
This week Elder Hill and I have been digging through old general conference talks and they are AWESOME!! Bruce R McConkie, Ezra Taft Benson, and James E. Faust in particularly! It blows me away with the spiritual power they use! It left me with a new goal...I want to be a faithful disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ! I want to have a rock solid, shake the earth when I talk kind of testimony and knowledge of the gospel! I want to be like the apostles and prophets and have the faith they have... I know it's kinda a long term goal but honestly we all could reach that point! It just takes effort and dedication and then do your best each day to live the gospel with all your heart! Dig into it and live it!
There is a huge shift in the ward mentality and everyone is hyped about missionary work! Miracles are about to happen in Bunnell and I am so excited to be a part of it!
On Thursday we did so much! Moving from one great investigator or less-active to another! We did a lot of good today and it is a great feeling and I love it! We taught 2 less-actives and 3 investigators. One of them being Frank Phillips! This man is so prepared and open to the gospel it blows my mind! The new ward missionaries, Brother and Sister Barrington came with us. We would teach him and he'd full heartedly accept it and then be like I know this is what God wants me to do and so we'd move on but basically he has so much faith and is going to do whatever God asks of him! We tried to put him on date and he said he would be baptized when God tells him it's right but he wasn't totally excepting of the specific date... Yet... We will get him there!
I started memorizing scriptures this week and I am up to about 13 scripture masteries memorized. Another awesome thing that happened this week was a ward dinner and movie! Elder Hill and I and the Sister missionaries did most of the work and organized it! We had an amazing turn out. Probably 100 people came and we got a pop corn machine for the movie! There was tons of good food and I think people really enjoyed themselves! There were a couple of miracles, one is named Sarah and the other Sharon! Sarah is so amazing and surprises me over and over again. She came alone and brought a really yummy pasta dish, she sat down and started talking with people! I love how she is just diving into it all! We talked to her and said we needed to come by and answer her questions and she was like, "Actually I don't have any questions anymore. After I talked to you I decided to go back and reread it again, but highlight it this time and it answered all my questions".... LIKE WHAT?!?!? She is like a perfect investigator! Brother Hale invited her to come biking with ward members and she said she would come! I am going to pray with all my heart and soul that she will have a good experience Monday! She is amazing! The other miracle came to Sharon Jones! After we watched the Restoration, we asked our ward mission leader Abe Mills to bear his testimony! It was so great and I guess it was exactly what Sharon needed to hear! She felt like she needed to go talk to him after! She felt that she needed to now come to gospel principles and to church! She has a new desire to come to church! We are going to reteach her and get her baptized! The ward dinner was a hit and I could see the trust in us by the members increase! It feels good when something you plan comes out right and blesses other people's lives
Another awesome miracle happened as we tracked the next day, we didn't know what street to go on so we prayed and asked for help. We sat and stared at the maps on our iPads and we narrowed it down to a smaller section, picked a few streets and prayed to know if it was where God wanted us to go... After that we proceeded there. Both of us feeling good about that choice! We walked up to the first house and told the man we had been prompted by God to come see him and asked if we could share a scripture with him and he accepted. We talked a lit about his religious background then read Helaman 5:12 and testified of Jesus Christ and set up an appointment to come back and teach him more! We prayed with him and went on our way! I was kinda in awe a little bit! Pray works! I know it does! We were inspired to go there and I'm hoping we can really get him to progress, but I know God answers our prayers!
We just got back from mountain biking in the jungle so that was awesome! Elder Hill and I talked to this one member and planned it out and word spread like wild fire! There were a ton of people that came including Sarah and her boyfriend! Well, this is the life of your missionary! I love this gospel and I have come know the amazing power of this gospel! The power it has to change lives, bring people to repentance, and to bond families now and for all eternity! It's powerful stuff and I'm a part of the greatest work in the history of all man kind! I get to be apart of it! I'm so blessed! Well, I'm doing great and stayed clear from the hurricane!
Sorry for the long email, there is just way too many miracles I what to share!
Much love,
Elder Tracy
Another amazing week has come and gone, oh so very quickly! It has been raining a lot with Hurricane Hermine hitting the other side of the state! I'm sure you know what I'm about to say, but I have loved it so incredibly much! It's like happiness falling from the sky! I don't think many other people in Florida enjoy it too much but it's one of my favorite things ever! No crazy events happened this week so it was so nice to just get to work and start teaching people!
Sarah texted us early this week about her scripture study! She reads a chapter every single night and sent us all these questions asking about the doctrine! She then went on telling us about all these lessons she is learning from the scriptures! She is doing amazing and I'm so blessed to have such a good investigator. We have taught a lot of less-actives and some lessons were kinda weird! I feel like I am learning way more than they are... Hahah! It's just a testament of the scripture: D&C 50:22 where it talks about how both the teacher and student are edified by the spirit ! I have really been taught about gratitude and trusting our Lord and Savior! First we need to trust in Him! He has a plan so chill out and rely on Him. Second, He is there helping you through that plan so stop and say thank you for all the blessings that are continually poured down on you! Anyway, it's awesome that I can learn so much from the people I teach! I love this church and gospel but most of all my Savior!
This week Elder Hill and I have been digging through old general conference talks and they are AWESOME!! Bruce R McConkie, Ezra Taft Benson, and James E. Faust in particularly! It blows me away with the spiritual power they use! It left me with a new goal...I want to be a faithful disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ! I want to have a rock solid, shake the earth when I talk kind of testimony and knowledge of the gospel! I want to be like the apostles and prophets and have the faith they have... I know it's kinda a long term goal but honestly we all could reach that point! It just takes effort and dedication and then do your best each day to live the gospel with all your heart! Dig into it and live it!
There is a huge shift in the ward mentality and everyone is hyped about missionary work! Miracles are about to happen in Bunnell and I am so excited to be a part of it!
On Thursday we did so much! Moving from one great investigator or less-active to another! We did a lot of good today and it is a great feeling and I love it! We taught 2 less-actives and 3 investigators. One of them being Frank Phillips! This man is so prepared and open to the gospel it blows my mind! The new ward missionaries, Brother and Sister Barrington came with us. We would teach him and he'd full heartedly accept it and then be like I know this is what God wants me to do and so we'd move on but basically he has so much faith and is going to do whatever God asks of him! We tried to put him on date and he said he would be baptized when God tells him it's right but he wasn't totally excepting of the specific date... Yet... We will get him there!
I started memorizing scriptures this week and I am up to about 13 scripture masteries memorized. Another awesome thing that happened this week was a ward dinner and movie! Elder Hill and I and the Sister missionaries did most of the work and organized it! We had an amazing turn out. Probably 100 people came and we got a pop corn machine for the movie! There was tons of good food and I think people really enjoyed themselves! There were a couple of miracles, one is named Sarah and the other Sharon! Sarah is so amazing and surprises me over and over again. She came alone and brought a really yummy pasta dish, she sat down and started talking with people! I love how she is just diving into it all! We talked to her and said we needed to come by and answer her questions and she was like, "Actually I don't have any questions anymore. After I talked to you I decided to go back and reread it again, but highlight it this time and it answered all my questions".... LIKE WHAT?!?!? She is like a perfect investigator! Brother Hale invited her to come biking with ward members and she said she would come! I am going to pray with all my heart and soul that she will have a good experience Monday! She is amazing! The other miracle came to Sharon Jones! After we watched the Restoration, we asked our ward mission leader Abe Mills to bear his testimony! It was so great and I guess it was exactly what Sharon needed to hear! She felt like she needed to go talk to him after! She felt that she needed to now come to gospel principles and to church! She has a new desire to come to church! We are going to reteach her and get her baptized! The ward dinner was a hit and I could see the trust in us by the members increase! It feels good when something you plan comes out right and blesses other people's lives
Another awesome miracle happened as we tracked the next day, we didn't know what street to go on so we prayed and asked for help. We sat and stared at the maps on our iPads and we narrowed it down to a smaller section, picked a few streets and prayed to know if it was where God wanted us to go... After that we proceeded there. Both of us feeling good about that choice! We walked up to the first house and told the man we had been prompted by God to come see him and asked if we could share a scripture with him and he accepted. We talked a lit about his religious background then read Helaman 5:12 and testified of Jesus Christ and set up an appointment to come back and teach him more! We prayed with him and went on our way! I was kinda in awe a little bit! Pray works! I know it does! We were inspired to go there and I'm hoping we can really get him to progress, but I know God answers our prayers!
We just got back from mountain biking in the jungle so that was awesome! Elder Hill and I talked to this one member and planned it out and word spread like wild fire! There were a ton of people that came including Sarah and her boyfriend! Well, this is the life of your missionary! I love this gospel and I have come know the amazing power of this gospel! The power it has to change lives, bring people to repentance, and to bond families now and for all eternity! It's powerful stuff and I'm a part of the greatest work in the history of all man kind! I get to be apart of it! I'm so blessed! Well, I'm doing great and stayed clear from the hurricane!
Sorry for the long email, there is just way too many miracles I what to share!
Much love,
Elder Tracy
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Friday, September 16, 2016
Email from Conner about Simon
Conner’s mission president gave him permission to write home about Simon’s passing. Here is his email.
President Clark is allowing me to respond home in correspondence to this incident. This just makes my heart ache. How is his family doing? Please give me updates on the family and let me know if I can help in any way! We are all given the same amount of time in a day but not in a lifetime! I learned a lot yesterday about using our time wisely and how important it is to use our timely wisely while on a mission and in life! Time is a blessing of God--let us not miss a moment to say I love you and treasure that time spent with those we love! I hope you all know how much I love you all!!! I hope you do as I have and rely on our Savior for help through this time of trial! I know that we have a just and loving Father in Heaven who judges us on our hearts! Simon had a good heart and I think anyone who met him will agree! I will miss him but I know I will see him again and that he is in a place where he isn't alone, lost, or depressed--he is surrounded by those who love and care about him! I encourage you all to stop focusing on how you feel but help others understand the amazing principle of the Plan of Salvation! I'm not worried because I know this true! I know we have a Savior that wants to help us and will if we turn to him through faith and prayer! I love you all! Update me please! Big hugs!!
Elder Conner Tracy
Week 6 | Aug. 22, 2016
What an absolutely amazing week it has been!!! It has been car week so we got a lot more work done this week which is so refreshing! This week has been very unusual starting with exchanges on Tuesday! I love exchanges and the miracles that come from them! I really focused on faith during this exchange with Elder Lyon! He is from Germany and is just a really funny, really friendly guy and such an amazing missionary! So anyway, I was in Daytona North and we prayed to have strong faith and to see miracles that day. We did this in every single prayer!!! It was amazing!!! Well, my testimony grew in leaps and bounds in that 24 hour period! Miracles truly happened! And I was able to teach with power unlike every before! We taught 10 lessons, put in 2 hours of service at this homeless shelter and I was able to commit 2 individuals to baptism!!! It was amazing!!! Well it wasn't really me it was the spirit that came as I testified of the truthfulness of this amazing gospel!!! It was amazing!!!! I grew to love those people so much within just one meeting with them!!! It was crazy I would turn to Elder Lyon and say I have faith we can teach 3 people at this apartment complex, we'd go in start teaching an investigator and then out of no where two other people walk by and join in the lesson.... Or Elder Lyon prayed for a upgrade on his guitar... And what do you know some random dude gave him this $250 guitar as a gift... It was old and needed a fix up but it was mind blowing to see how God was sending people our way left and right and how he answered EVERY SINGLE PRAYER that day!!! Even a silly plea for a guitar....
The next day we had district meeting and I learned that my cousin Simon had passed away! It was really hard but I was comforted throughout the day. It's hard to explain how I was feeling but I wasn't alone! I thought about it and realized every reason I had to be sad were all selfish reasons! I know that I'll see him again and that our Heavenly Father has a plan for him and each of us! Simon was needed in the spirit world and I know he is doing missionary work there just like I am here! The rest of the week I was blessed with so many people to teach, I didn't have much time to dwell on it I just knew it was part of God's plan!
We had a trainer follow-up on Thursday and I got to see Elder Fine again which was super nice and I learned a lot about faith... Again!!!On Friday WE GOT TO GO TO THE TEMPLE!!!!! I love the temple! We had to wake up at 4:00am to get there for our session but it was amazing to be there with so many missionaries! The celestial room was filled with the spirit stronger than I have felt ever before!!! Well, I wish I had more time! We had an amazing experience with our investigator on Sunday but I'll save it for next weeks email! Cause it's AWESOME!!! But, we are going to go play some more street ball and hopefully teach a lesson to them after. We have to bike there so I got to go... Just know I LOVE this gospel! I know that if we have the faith that miracles will happen, then miracles WILL happen!
The church is so true and I love it, don't forget it!
Elder Tracy
The next day we had district meeting and I learned that my cousin Simon had passed away! It was really hard but I was comforted throughout the day. It's hard to explain how I was feeling but I wasn't alone! I thought about it and realized every reason I had to be sad were all selfish reasons! I know that I'll see him again and that our Heavenly Father has a plan for him and each of us! Simon was needed in the spirit world and I know he is doing missionary work there just like I am here! The rest of the week I was blessed with so many people to teach, I didn't have much time to dwell on it I just knew it was part of God's plan!
We had a trainer follow-up on Thursday and I got to see Elder Fine again which was super nice and I learned a lot about faith... Again!!!On Friday WE GOT TO GO TO THE TEMPLE!!!!! I love the temple! We had to wake up at 4:00am to get there for our session but it was amazing to be there with so many missionaries! The celestial room was filled with the spirit stronger than I have felt ever before!!! Well, I wish I had more time! We had an amazing experience with our investigator on Sunday but I'll save it for next weeks email! Cause it's AWESOME!!! But, we are going to go play some more street ball and hopefully teach a lesson to them after. We have to bike there so I got to go... Just know I LOVE this gospel! I know that if we have the faith that miracles will happen, then miracles WILL happen!
The church is so true and I love it, don't forget it!
Elder Tracy
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Week 5 | Aug. 15, 2016
Where to begin... I guess I'll start with our goal... We still don't have anyone with a baptismal date, but I know through faith and continual hard work we will find the individual God has prepared for baptism! We will find them! So, this week has been the hardest week I have ever had! We are on bikes so ended up biking 151.9 miles over 6 days...70 of which were in the pouring rain and the rest was in the heat! We only taught 5 lessons all week, 2 of which were yesterday... Hahah Also Elder Hill got a flat on Wednesday and I got a flat on Saturday which I need to go fix today... Let's just say this is the hardest thing I have ever done but I wouldn't trade it for anything! My faith is growing ten fold and I'm learning to rely fully on our Savior Jesus Christ! I am learning that I am His representative and I'm doing His work, in His way! I need to stop thinking about myself! It's not about me, it doesn't matter if I'm sore or wet or tired, it doesn't matter if I want to succeed or to get baptisms. What matters is His children who are looking for this gospel and furthering His work, in His way!
I can see how many blessing I have had this week... Like our flat tires were placed at perfect times that didn't truly hinder our work. Our flats and cancelations led us to a few individuals who needed to hear about the gospel at that time! It led us to meeting members and less actives that needed a smile or service! We were able to give 10 hours of service this week! I love this gospel so much!!! On Thursday we taught 0 lessons but... Because of our cancellations we were riding around and got this feeling to stop by these apartments... Maybe it was the spirit or maybe it was the fact our bodies were hot and hurting, either way it led us to theses boys who were about to go shoot some hoops, we followed them and ended up surrounded by 8 big sweaty boys, one of which was this investigator who is so close to baptism but has been ignoring us, anyway I asked if we could play so Elder Hill and I played a game of street basketball! Hahah let's just say it's a whole different sport, but it was awesome!!! We gained respect balling it up in our white shirts and ties, that's all I needed to say! I then asked if we could pray with them and we said a prayer with all these rough teenage boys! It was such a blessing that God put us in that situation! We are planning to set up a game and lesson with them later this week!
We have two quality investigators, Frank Phillps and Sarah Figale. We taught them both this week about the plan of salvation! God has prepared these amazing individuals and they are both doing everything they can to know there is a God and how to strengthen their faith in Him and our Savior! Keep them both in your prayers to help them come to the answer that this is the true church! I LOVE LOVE LOVE THE MISSION, FLORIDA, AND ALL THE PEOPLE I HAVE SEEN AND TAUGHT!!! I am so blessed and so grateful! Heavenly Father is taking care of me! Hope everything is going well back at home! I encourage you all to really search for the blessings in our lives! They are there and as we look for them we will realized how much our Father in Heaven takes care of us! Life's trials are easier to bare as we focus on the good! Remember our Savior is there and loves us! He can help us through any trial, even helping an out of shape greenie bike 160 miles in the rain!!! Church is true y'all! Don't forget it!
Elder Tracy!
I can see how many blessing I have had this week... Like our flat tires were placed at perfect times that didn't truly hinder our work. Our flats and cancelations led us to a few individuals who needed to hear about the gospel at that time! It led us to meeting members and less actives that needed a smile or service! We were able to give 10 hours of service this week! I love this gospel so much!!! On Thursday we taught 0 lessons but... Because of our cancellations we were riding around and got this feeling to stop by these apartments... Maybe it was the spirit or maybe it was the fact our bodies were hot and hurting, either way it led us to theses boys who were about to go shoot some hoops, we followed them and ended up surrounded by 8 big sweaty boys, one of which was this investigator who is so close to baptism but has been ignoring us, anyway I asked if we could play so Elder Hill and I played a game of street basketball! Hahah let's just say it's a whole different sport, but it was awesome!!! We gained respect balling it up in our white shirts and ties, that's all I needed to say! I then asked if we could pray with them and we said a prayer with all these rough teenage boys! It was such a blessing that God put us in that situation! We are planning to set up a game and lesson with them later this week!
We have two quality investigators, Frank Phillps and Sarah Figale. We taught them both this week about the plan of salvation! God has prepared these amazing individuals and they are both doing everything they can to know there is a God and how to strengthen their faith in Him and our Savior! Keep them both in your prayers to help them come to the answer that this is the true church! I LOVE LOVE LOVE THE MISSION, FLORIDA, AND ALL THE PEOPLE I HAVE SEEN AND TAUGHT!!! I am so blessed and so grateful! Heavenly Father is taking care of me! Hope everything is going well back at home! I encourage you all to really search for the blessings in our lives! They are there and as we look for them we will realized how much our Father in Heaven takes care of us! Life's trials are easier to bare as we focus on the good! Remember our Savior is there and loves us! He can help us through any trial, even helping an out of shape greenie bike 160 miles in the rain!!! Church is true y'all! Don't forget it!
Elder Tracy!
Friday, August 26, 2016
Week 3 and 4 | Aug. 8, 2016
Hello everyone! Well, I made it here and I absolutely love everything about this place! I'm serving in Bunnell which the northern most area of the mission! My companion is Elder Hill, he has been out for 13 months and is from Heber City! He is a really cool guy and I am
learning so much from him! He is the district leader of our "sistrict". Our district only has sisters so that's fun! They are the reason for a lot of stress for Elder Hill but they are great missionaries and are killing it! Wow! I have way too much to say! Hahah So Bunnell is this old town that's kinda run down a bit! There is quite a bit of diversity so that's nice and I love getting to know the people! People here are generally really kind and the ward members feed us a ton! Like I'm going to get really fat if I stay here long!
Well, this week has actually been really slow, people cancel on us, slam doors in our faces, it's super hot and humid, we bike so much, and I LOVE EVERY SECOND!!! Like I'm a missionary and that is about the coolest thing ever! Thursday was one of the best days ever despite us only teaching one lesson... So we got cancellation after cancellation and door after door slammed in my our faces, we do this car share so one week we will have it and the next the sisters have it. But anyway, we have a maximum number of miles and we were running low so we were biking everywhere in the heat. Anyway, out of nowhere this huge storm comes in and starts drenching us as we are riding our bikes through this paradise! I felt like I was swimming hahah! It was the best warm rain ever! I was just smiling ear to ear and trying not to slide off into the rivers that were forming on the sides of the roads! We decided to go tracting! Hahah We got the strangest looks as we stood there dripping from head to toe! Well our dinner appointment (like everything else) got canceled so we ate at this run down gas station! We bought a sandwich and a cheap bag of chips and ate on this bench on the side of the road! Hahah it was one of the funniest things I've ever done!
The rest of the week was pretty similar. We didn't get rained on, but we didn't get to teach much. Yesterday we just stopped in a parking lot and said a prayer that we would somehow find someone to teach. We knew if we had the faith Heavenly Father would place people in our path! After our prayer we got out of the car and began walking around. Not even a minute later we ran into this lady and we began teaching. We got a full lesson in before she had to go, we then taught her son, and then a neighbor, another lady that walked by, and then this less active man across the street! It may not seem like much but it truly was a miracle! I am learning that much of the success that happens out here is hinged upon the faith we have! If we put our faith in our Savior Jesus Christ we can do miracles! He will give us the strength to accomplish any and every task that is out in our way! I love this gospel and I know I will find more people to teach! In fact we set a goal for our ward that if they help us, we can find, teach, and baptize someone by the second week of September! It won't be easy but I know if we have faith and pray for that specific goal it will happen! We will find that individual God has prepared to receive this gospel! Anyway, I love to hear from you and how you are doing! I can read emails on my iPad at anytime throughout the week. I just can't respond until Monday!
My new address is:
10502 satellite blvd. suite E
Orlando Florida 32837
This is my apartment! It's gorgeous!
This is what most streets look like!
learning so much from him! He is the district leader of our "sistrict". Our district only has sisters so that's fun! They are the reason for a lot of stress for Elder Hill but they are great missionaries and are killing it! Wow! I have way too much to say! Hahah So Bunnell is this old town that's kinda run down a bit! There is quite a bit of diversity so that's nice and I love getting to know the people! People here are generally really kind and the ward members feed us a ton! Like I'm going to get really fat if I stay here long!
Well, this week has actually been really slow, people cancel on us, slam doors in our faces, it's super hot and humid, we bike so much, and I LOVE EVERY SECOND!!! Like I'm a missionary and that is about the coolest thing ever! Thursday was one of the best days ever despite us only teaching one lesson... So we got cancellation after cancellation and door after door slammed in my our faces, we do this car share so one week we will have it and the next the sisters have it. But anyway, we have a maximum number of miles and we were running low so we were biking everywhere in the heat. Anyway, out of nowhere this huge storm comes in and starts drenching us as we are riding our bikes through this paradise! I felt like I was swimming hahah! It was the best warm rain ever! I was just smiling ear to ear and trying not to slide off into the rivers that were forming on the sides of the roads! We decided to go tracting! Hahah We got the strangest looks as we stood there dripping from head to toe! Well our dinner appointment (like everything else) got canceled so we ate at this run down gas station! We bought a sandwich and a cheap bag of chips and ate on this bench on the side of the road! Hahah it was one of the funniest things I've ever done!
The rest of the week was pretty similar. We didn't get rained on, but we didn't get to teach much. Yesterday we just stopped in a parking lot and said a prayer that we would somehow find someone to teach. We knew if we had the faith Heavenly Father would place people in our path! After our prayer we got out of the car and began walking around. Not even a minute later we ran into this lady and we began teaching. We got a full lesson in before she had to go, we then taught her son, and then a neighbor, another lady that walked by, and then this less active man across the street! It may not seem like much but it truly was a miracle! I am learning that much of the success that happens out here is hinged upon the faith we have! If we put our faith in our Savior Jesus Christ we can do miracles! He will give us the strength to accomplish any and every task that is out in our way! I love this gospel and I know I will find more people to teach! In fact we set a goal for our ward that if they help us, we can find, teach, and baptize someone by the second week of September! It won't be easy but I know if we have faith and pray for that specific goal it will happen! We will find that individual God has prepared to receive this gospel! Anyway, I love to hear from you and how you are doing! I can read emails on my iPad at anytime throughout the week. I just can't respond until Monday!
My new address is:
10502 satellite blvd. suite E
Orlando Florida 32837
This is my apartment! It's gorgeous!
I made it! | Aug. 1, 2016
Well I made it here to Florida! I LOVE IT HERE!!! President Clark is an amazing man! Hope you are all doing well! I love you all!
Week 2 | July 26, 2016
Hello everyone!!! I love hearing from you all! This has been another amazing week! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it here! I am really starting to lose track of time which I am pretty sure is a good sign! It's weird though...I don't know if time is flying by or taking it's sweet time, but either way I love it and I love the spirit that is felt here! It's amazing seeing my buddies from school here, serving our Father in Heaven by my side! Shandon's rocking the skirt! Jonah has been carrying his companion's load each and every day, and Parker is learning the language so quickly it blows my mind! This week has been full of ups and downs for my district! My companion and I finished out the week with our tough investigators! Our 'golden investigator' turned out to not be so golden and blind sided us with a lot of doubt, fear, and hostility which was tough to swallow! It's crazy though how much I have learned to love these people no matter what they choose to accept! I am continually learning that it's by the power of the Holy Ghost that our investigators and our selves will be converted!
Elder Fine and I taught priesthood meeting which was all focused on the Holy Ghost! I learned so much and it strengthened my testimony of how much of a game changer the Holy Ghost is! Also all the Elders came prepared and fulfilled the assignments we gave them so I was impressed! The only down side of the amazing lesson is our branch president was there so I think my chances to talk in sacrament meeting went up... haha jk kidding I kinda want to talk! I was praying that we'd get to speak last week and I think my companion thought I was crazy!
The basketball court has finally been reopened so that has been fun! I love playing! I have had several chances to play with some smaller, inexperienced elders and I just gave them compliment after compliment and I think it really helped them open up and feel more comfortable here! I'm telling you, when you approach everything in life with love for others amazing things happen!!! Which brings up another coolish experience.
The other day my district got a little distracted... They started talking about 'Me Before You' and some other chick flicks! They were all talking about how selfish the man in the movie was and so on and so forth. Anyway I joined in and kinda took the floor I explained for a good 5 mins that although I disagreed with what the man did he did it out of love, both characters followed their hearts and did what they thought would bring the other the most joy and happiness in their lives... I then stuck on a Mormon Message about the old lady who was paralyzed and her husband took care of her and danced with her and loved her. Almost everyone was in tears, I then testified to them all about how Jesus Christ did everything out of love and how He gave His life so we could be happy! He loves us more than we can ever imagine! I testified that if we love our investigators and love our companions this work will grow like wildfire!!! It was so powerful and wow...it's an experience I don't think any of us will forget!!! I encourage you all to feel more and love deeper! Find someone that needs a friend and love them! Love your family!
The other day my district got a little distracted... They started talking about 'Me Before You' and some other chick flicks! They were all talking about how selfish the man in the movie was and so on and so forth. Anyway I joined in and kinda took the floor I explained for a good 5 mins that although I disagreed with what the man did he did it out of love, both characters followed their hearts and did what they thought would bring the other the most joy and happiness in their lives... I then stuck on a Mormon Message about the old lady who was paralyzed and her husband took care of her and danced with her and loved her. Almost everyone was in tears, I then testified to them all about how Jesus Christ did everything out of love and how He gave His life so we could be happy! He loves us more than we can ever imagine! I testified that if we love our investigators and love our companions this work will grow like wildfire!!! It was so powerful and wow...it's an experience I don't think any of us will forget!!! I encourage you all to feel more and love deeper! Find someone that needs a friend and love them! Love your family!
Love you all SO much, your love filled missionary,
Week 1 | July 19, 2016
Alright, a few things before I tell you about the coolest experience! My companion is Elder Fine! I love the kid and he is super similar to me! The coolest part is it's Lindsey Nielson's cousin! So it's been fun to talk about his experiences in Riverton. Small world right? He is the jokester in our district but we get along so well!!! I LOVE MY DISTRICT!!!! They are becoming like my family and I truly have come to love them with all my heart! They are becoming "my brotheren (and sistern) in the lord." We have four elders going to Washington, four sisters going to Detroit Michigan who remind me a lot of Samantha, which has been so helpful and calming for me. Boy do they have sass!!! It's hilarious though!!! And then four elders going to Orlando Florida! I have seen everyone here at the MTC which is really cool!
So yeah, I made it to the MTC and it is becoming one of my favorite places on earth because of the amazing spirit that I have felt here and the ability to learn and grow in faith in Christ so easily! I think other than the temple, this is the closest I'm going to get to living in the celestial kingdom! All day, everyday is focused on Christ and how to love and teach His gospel! I have already had some of the coolest things happen! I have been able to give a blessing to an Elder and friend for his pain! At about 2:00am I woke up with a bloody nose which like never happens to me, so anyway, I had to get up and go to the bathroom to take care of it. Anyway, one of the other elders in my room saw me get up and then asked a little after I got back to give him a blessing. I had my companion anoint and then gave him a powerful blessing! The pain subsided and he went to bed! Miracles do happen if we are ready and worthy to act. I talked to him about it and He said the moment I put my hands on his head he could feel the power of God! It touched my heart to know Heavenly Father trusts me and can use me to be a tool in His hand! The next day a sister came to me and asked for a blessing of comfort! I started to talk and right away I started saying things I never would have. They weren't my words but it was exactly what this dear sister needed to hear! She stood up with tears in her eyes and told me it was exactly what she needed to hear! I'm a so grateful that Heavenly Father chose to work through me!!! Then yesterday was so cool as well! We taught our first TRC investigators (May or may not be real investigators.) Elder Fine and I kinda struggled through our first few lessons! Which made this stressful for me because this is like the real thing. Anyway, our first investigator was named Reed and he was TOUGH!!! We spent 30 mins trying to explain to him about God and Jesus Christ, he was like "I understand that's what you believe...I just don't." He asked about why the holocaust had to happen or illness, and why people are disabled people if God loved us. It was hard but we were able to speak out of love and we FOLLOWED THE SPIRIT!!! I was prompt to commit him to baptism and he was like NO. He said no to praying with us and kinda reject everything but we just testified to him and he said he would pray to know if it's true! We came out of the lesson SO HAPPY because we fully trusted in Christ and taught by the spirit! Our other investigator Dylan is golden! He knows pretty much all about our church and has such great faith in Christ! We had an amazing lesson about the Holy Ghost and I testified with such power it was amazing and he said he wanted to be baptized he just needs to know if its the right thing to do! It was amazing! If we trust in our Savior I know that He will use us and teach us the things which we need to say.
Okay Last thing... sorry for the long email! There is just so much I love and want to share!!! Okay, so we had our Sunday devotional and we watched the Character of Christ which was given by Elder Bednar several years ago. It was exactly what I needed to hear!!! It taught so many things and I actually took over 10 pages of notes!!! It talked about turning OUTWARD and serving others like Christ would even in our hardest trials! Anyway, the video ended and Elder Bednar himself walks in!!! The spirit was so strong!!!! He spent the next 2 and a half hours answering our questions! It was the coolest experience and I learned so much! I had been hard on myself, thinking I don't know enough or I didn't teach that well or what not... Elder Bednar testified how self centered that was. He was like "do you really think people join the church because of you? Are you kidding? They join the Church because of the way they feel when you are there." I thought of the quote, "Forget yourself and go to work." I have come to understand that I am just a tool in the Lord's hands. I just need to help people feel the holy ghost and feel of Heavenly Father and our Savior's love for them. We need to fully rely on our Savior. When we do He will give us strength and help us do His work!!!
Love you all so very much! Thank you for everything you have done for me!!! Remember that God loves His children and wants us to be happy!
Much Love, Elder Tracy
This is my MTC mailing address:
Elder Conner Joseph Tracy
AUG01 FL-ORL
2005 N 900 E Unit 71
Provo UT 84602
Elder Conner Joseph Tracy
AUG01 FL-ORL
2005 N 900 E Unit 71
Provo UT 84602
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