Satan Sucks! Fact.

Dear family,

This week was great! Yesterday we spent the whole day with Marcus B. Nash of the Seventy and his wife. They are awesome! He is truly full of charity, the pure love of Christ, and I learned so much from him.

I went into the meeting feeling pretty confident about myself, and like I was finally getting the hang of this mission thing, but within a few minutes I was sufficiently humbled. Ha-ha.

We had a special training after for mission leaders, which our whole district attended. There were about 15 other missionaries in there. He ran over a few things and taught us a bit about leadership. I felt super prompted to share at the end something that has helped me on my mission, and especially in leadership. It was weird because usually in meetings like that I don't raise my hand --ever, partly to let everyone else have a chance, and partly because I know I'm not the best out here and I have a lot to learn from everyone else, so I want to hear what they have to say more than say what I already know, y'know? But I felt prompted to share this time. As I was sharing however, Elder Nash looked at me super seriously. Without giving too much detail in this email, he took what I said not how I meant him to. But I'm glad he did. I was humbled once again, and I learned a ton about leadership and about the Savoir I never would have learned otherwise.

I had raised my hand right as we were about to close the half-hour meeting, but it ended up going another half hour with that, and with a conversation sparked from Elder Nash reproving me that was incredibly beneficial to a new missionary in the field here as well as to everyone else about self-worth. So it was cool to see how the Lord used me, little old me, to fulfill more of His purposes. That young missionary would have gone home feeling terrible about himself if Elder Nash weren't so inspired to get onto that topic. He is a great spiritual man, who really knows his stuff. I love that man! He is probably my favorite General Authority I've met. It was a great day!

Other than that, things here are going well. Yes we all sleep in the same room so we can study in different ones. Studies are more important than sleep, and if all 4 of you are in a room, you'll be wasting time on something ha-ha. It's just too fun being with Elder Thompson! He is such a good guy. I love being here in Spartanburg. Did I mention we have a bench press here? I don't know how it got here, but Elder Abankwa had it last year when he served here in Spartanburg, so it's been around for a while. I'm getting huge. Ha-ha. None of the other guys here exercise (they all just sit on their beds and watch), so I am even more motivated to get huge and make it look fun so that they will get excited about morning exercise. I upped all my working out, and I've lost another 3 lbs since getting here. I'm down below 155 consistently. :)

The people we are working with are going through some rough times. Satan sucks! Fact. That's all I'll say about that. But the Atonement is real!!!

I love being a missionary so much! 

Love ya'll! Have a safe flight!

Elder Seaver

Endure to the End

Dear mom,

I am now in Spartanburg. Spartanburg 1st ward - Greenville East zone. Back in the upstate! With none other than Elder Stephens! He is a guy who I spent one day with when I got transferred out of Anderson, and he is also a former companion of Elder Memmott. So we got along instantly since we already basically knew each other. I'm also living with Elder Gemmell, who just finished being trained. And his companion is... Elder Thompson!!! The guy who came out with me, was in my district in Anderson, was in my district in Aiken, was in my zone in W. Columbia, and is now finally in my district again! And we all live together! It's so awesome! I love it! We have so much fun! 

We're working with an awesome family, the S., as well as a part member family, C. P. (the mom, she's a less-active) and her two kids C. and S..  Please keep them in your prayers.

By the way, yes Sister Robertson came out with me and yes she goes home in March. Sister Garlick is off in Martinez (said like a southerner- martin-ez, not like a Mexican mar-teen-ez) Georgia training. She lives with Sister Chai, who came out with me, and a sister who is half way through being trained by her.

I have been studying lately for a talk we were asked to prepare for next Monday. Elder Marcus B. Nash is coming and doing a tour of our mission. He asked every missionary to prepare a talk on 1 of 3 topics, then to report what topic we picked. Then on the spot he will choose someone from each category to speak.

The topics are 1) How to be a Successful Missionary, 2) How to teach with Power, and 3) How to Work Successfully with Members.

I picked 1. As I studied for it, and continue to study for it, my thoughts are constantly directed to the Savior. In short, if you want to be a successful missionary, or a successful father, or a successful anything, you need to understand the Atonement. If you can't open your mouth and tell someone from experience that you know the Atonement is real and that Jesus Christ is the Promised Messiah, then you need to get on your knees and pray for that gift with all your might- you need to pray for an opportunity to witness the cleansing, redeeming, strengthening power of the Atonement. Once you have experienced it for yourself, and you have attained a hope in Christ, then you can testify boldly and lovingly of it. Otherwise it is empty and vain and no one will care to listen. And once you know how it works and have a personal witness that it does, then you can truly Endure to the End in all your doings. I know that the Atonement is true. It is the central focus of our message and doctrine; everything else is just an appendage to it.

Oh by the way, on Saturday we found this train track and we put pennies on it to flatten them. We were going to go back another day to pick em up, but a train came by just a minute later. As we were picking up the pennies, it started to drizzle, then hail a bit, then.... Snow. It snowed! It snowed a ton! I have some pictures and video of it from our apartment while we were waiting for a member to pick us up for a teaching appointment. It was awesome! It all melted away by Sunday afternoon, but it was great! I wore my snowflake tie ya'll sent me to commemorate ha-ha. With that, yes I got my package. I gave a tie to each of the other Elders living with me now. It was great. Thanks!

That's about it this week. Love ya'll!

Elder Seaver           

Be Obedient, Work Hard, Love Everyone! It's That Simple.

Dear mom,

To answer your questions:

 Write some inspiring words for Sean- you can email them or mail them to me and I will put them on a 3 x 5 card.  

• It's only as tough as you make it. 
• Proper planning and preparation prevents poor performance.
• The worst it's ever been is wonderful.
• "I will give place no more for the enemy of my soul." - Nephi, 2 Ne 4:28
• Work hard, be obedient, and love the people.
• "Remember, it's better to look up." - President Monson
• "Great men set goals and read them every day." - Lisa Holm
• Everything we do is centered on the first principles of the gospel: Faith unto Repentance. Teach the Atonement. 
• "The flesh is weak, but the spirit is willing... Not my will, but as thou wilt... It is finished, thy will is done." - Our Master. Don't you dare come home without being able to say to the Master, "It is finished, thy will is done." Don't you quit. Don't you ever, ever selfishly quit. This isn't about you, it isn't about me, it's about our Savior and the people he has trusted us to minister to. Do not waste a minute of this precious time. 
• I love tough things, I am first to do tough things, I do tough things first. I'm a finisher.

Did you get your package yet?

• Nope. I'll probably get it at transfers.

Is there a transfer in your future?

• Yep. I'm getting transferred out of here. I'll be a district leader somewhere in a "struggling district" is what President told me. I'm not super excited to go. I love Florence and I love Elder Memmott, Sister Garlick (who is also being transferred to whitewash train) and Sister Robertson (who already knows her next companion- a struggling sister who needs some help). But it kind of is a compliment to see how President loves our district enough to give us all tough assignments (Except for Elder Memmott, he'll just stay Zone Leader. But that is tough in itself. Ha-ha. Never been so stressed.). Anyways. That's what the future has to hold for us.  

Are you ripping through any more shirts?

• Not yet. Thankfully.

At the Big Lift Fireside- was that a fireside for missionaries and investigators?  Were all the missionaries attending at least one fireside?  Was it in a chapel?  How long did it last?

• It is primarily for new and returning members and investigators. Missionaries are only allowed to go if they have a less-active, recent convert, or investigator attend. They are held in chapels around the mission. Last time 8, this upcoming one 6. They last an hour, with an hour before and an hour after to have the chance to meet President and Sister Holm and local leaders. I'll attach the flyer.

Anyways.

This week was pretty good. We had 3 baptisms in Florence, the M. girls. They are a PM family, the mom is a member. The dad still isn't biting yet, but he's coming along. The Sisters worked with them this transfer, and they just got bapitzed. Pretty sweet! Those sisters do great work. I'll miss being in this district. But the Lord knows better, and not my will, but His be done. 

Anyways. Other than that, we wound down the transfer with 7 baptisms in the zone, putting us at 11 this month, and a goal of 18. It's looking pretty good. Bummer is I won't get to see or partake of the fruits of success if they hit it. But that's not what matters. What matters is that there are 7 more souls Father in Heaven is holding us accountable for this month. And things are looking pretty good to exceed that goal. I love being a missionary! 

I will miss Florence, but the Lord is sending me somewhere to lift. He sent me here to Florence, which in history is the lowest baptizing zone where you just kind of send the disobedient missionaries to float and drift to the end of their missions, and now it's the highest baptizing zone per missionary in the mission. He sent me to Gilbert with Elder Stanley and we baptized more in 6 months than that area had done in 2 years. He sent me to Aiken before that and the same thing. By the way, tangent real quick- Elder Kerr told me he just asked someone serving there about our convert D.. He said, "How is D. doing?" The missionaries said, "D? I don't know a D, sorry.. She must not be coming anymore." Elder Kerr was sad, and surprised, so he said, "D. V.? She's really not there?" and they responded, "Oh, Sister V.! Yeah she's great! I didn't know she was a recent convert! She's Relief Society Secretary right now." That's awesome news to hear about one of your converts- a lasting conversion. Back to my point. And Anderson, historically a "dead area" but we tore it up. I'm starting to realize something. I'm what President Holm would call a "lifter." I say this in all humility, only to prove a point of doctrine. President Holm and the Lord send me places to fix 'em. Huh. And you know what the trick is? Just be obedient, work hard, and love the people. That's all it takes. And that goes for life, too. Be obedient to the commandments, work your heart out in His service (and in everything you endeavor to do), and love everyone, including yourself! Do that, and things work out. Imagine that? It's that simple.

This place has been like the refiner's fire for me. I truly understand the Atonement now. I know what it means to be "covered by the blood of the Lamb," which so many protestants like to justify themselves with. They don't know. I don't condemn them for not knowing, but no man can be saved in ignorance. That's why I walk miles and miles every day, getting blisters on my feet and my knuckle from knocking so many doors, ruin shirt after shirt and pants after pants with sweat, blood, and tears in the pouring rain for 16 hours a day. There is nothing more important than sharing the gospel with all who will listen. In fact, it is a commandment. I will be obedient to the Father unto the end. I will never stop doing His will. There is nothing more important. Share the gospel. Do it for Him. If nothing else, do it for Him. Do it because He asked us to. And do it because it's the only intelligent thing to do. We will be held accountable for everything we do, and for the things we should have done that we didn't do. I can't imagine the fear and pain that must wrack and harrow up a soul of someone who has to stand before Him in that great day and say, "Sorry, Father, but I was too lazy, or too scared, or too selfish to have shared the gospel. Sorry you lost one of your children because of me. And because of that, sorry you lost me, too." 

Ok, enough ranting. But I only rant because I know how important this is! Ok, but enough of that. 

I love you all so much! I pray for you every day. I know you pray for me, too. I have received strength well beyond my own. I know our Father lives, and loves us, too. I bear you that testimony humbly in the name of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Elder Seaver

The Big Lift was Great

Dear Mom,

The big lift was great! I went to Cheraw with Elders Israelsen and Muir. Elder Israelsen was an assistant for a while and now is training Elder Muir. Elder Israelsen is one of the greatest missionaries ever to grace South Carolina. I am very thankful that I got to go watch him in action working hard. I learned a lot and I hope I helped them as much as they did me. 

As for the fireside, we had 2 in our zone because it's so spread out- one here in Florence, and one in Conway. We just went to the Florence one. Our zone had 200 people show up to the firesides, the most of any zone by over 50, and it was great! While I was on the lift I got to meet D. and I. G-, a mom and daughter of a family of 8 kids and the mom and dad. D. had member friends growing up, but the husband is kind of against the church and all that. Well anyway, D. and I. came to the fireside, and afterward talked with President Holm and Sister Holm. They all cried together. I don't know what they talked about, I was too far away. Long story short, yesterday Elder Memmott and I interviewed them for baptism!

D. is a awesome lady. I interviewed her, and Elder Memmott interviewed I. (she's 14 by the way). It was a great experience. I love how the interview is designed. It's not what I originally thought it was. Rather than a review of what they have been taught, it's simply a series of inspired questions to prompt the investigator and myself to bear testimony of the Savior and the Atonement. I caught the vision when I asked her the first question, "Do you believe God is our Eternal Father? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior and Redeemer of the world?" She looked at me, nodded, and said yes. I asked her, what does that mean to you. She was still a little nervous, and replied with a simple answer. I then bore testimony, and as we kept talking we both teared up. We laughed, we cried, and we both left "edified and [rejoicing] together". I said things in there that I know are from Father in Heaven, and she knows it too. She testified to me boldly about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the blessings that have already come, and the hope of blessings to come. It was a great experience, and I will forever be grateful to Father in Heaven for that opportunity to grow closer to him.

Other than that, the week was pretty normal. Our investigator, K., took all 4 of us missionaries, and her 3 kids, and a nephew and niece, to Hibachi Buffet. It was awesome! I ate a little baby octopus. It was gross, Ha-ha, great food though. K. is awesome. She has a solid testimony of the atonement. I hope and pray she can get baptized soon. Her nephew D. is also progressing nicely. He'll get baptized on the 16th if we can get over there and teach him everything. The young men have him fellowshipped already. He's in. Ha-ha. Go young men's program!

Anyway, yeah, that was the week. I love being a missionary! 

Love ya!

Elder Seaver