The Scoop

This was one of my momentous mail days ever. I got three unique letters and a really awesome package. Great day!

This has certainly been one of the fastest weeks of the mission. We also only had two normal days which played a huge factor in it. On Wednesday we had Return and Report which I know I've already explained a few times but as a refresher it's a meeting for all of the new missionaries and their companions to basically check in and see how they're adjusting to the mission. Which took all day! On Thursday we had interviews with Pres. Miller and it was awesome! He basically just told me that when he talks he tends to ramble so he would just let me ask him whatever I wanted and it was so helpful for me to be able to rely on his experience. 

Meet my new companion Elder Acosta. He's a lot of fun and a great missionary. We got to go to the temple so that was good. 

Friday we went to EFY! It was the first time I've ever been but we were special guests and there were kids there from all over America! It was a little strange because they had all the missionaries there stand up on the stage and everybody was clapping and cheering and it felt so strange. Everything we try to do as a missionary is supposed to not attract attention to us and then we're put up on a stage and treated like we're famous. I don't think I liked it. I did like the part when we got to break off into groups and help the youth find the best ways to answer questions that their friends might ask them. That was a lot of fun. Hopefully I'll be able to send some pictures home from that. 

Steve has been in the hospital this whole week because he's going through Chemo so that's been really rough for all of us. On Sunday we got permission to leave our area to go and teach him, it was needed for all of us there. The Bishop's son drove us there and he helped us teach so that was nice but you could tell that Steve's health is failing, the only place he can turn to for nourishment is the gospel. He's more determined to get baptized this Sunday than any other person I've taught. I pray that he'll be released from the hospital in time.

On a bit of a funnier story I got pulled over for the first time. We were on our way to Bishops house to go teach Steve and we were running pretty late. I'm driving pretty quickly, we round a bend and just standing on the side of the road are like 5 cops with a speed gun. Well they wave for me to pull over so I do but the interesting thing is that they were all wearing bullet proof vests and they even had a few dogs with them so we're pretty sure they were there for something else. One of the cops pulls up to me and says "We just wanted to let you know that we pulled you over for going 47 in a 30 . Now I know that's pretty fast but we really had probably the best story that cop had ever heard: we were late to an appointment with a man trying to follow Jesus Christ who also has cancer. He also recognizes who we are and asks us if our church building is the one on Old Webster Road, it is. He doesn't even ask where we're going though, he just takes all the papers and stuff disappears and then comes back about 3 minutes later and says "it's just a verbal warning today but be careful next time" Pretty nice eh? We think it's because we had stuck a pass-along card of Jesus in the window earlier that day. 

Anyways it was a really good week for us!  Thanks and I love ya

-- 

Elder Trevon Turley

This is at a members house who fed us dinner Sunday night. They do foster care and two of their kids are being sealed to them this week. 

It's a slower paced life here in Oxford

I got your package. It was really great, thank you. 

This week's been a pretty good one. The stake President's son got home from his mission and gave his homecoming talk at church on Sunday and it was really good. He served in Rio de Janeiro. Hopefully we'll be able to get him to come out teaching with us before he goes back to school. 

Oxford is definitely a slower paced life than what I've been used to. We are working hard at finding some local community service we can get involved in. 

Steve is still our main man! Last week we went over to his house to teach him about the Law of Chastity, the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Tithing. He already knew Everything! When we asked him how he told us that he spends a lot of time driving so he listens to anything he can find on the Gospel Library app and apparently he listened to the audio recording of the pamphlets for all of those lessons. It messed up our commitment because we were going to ask him to read them. So we committed him instead to read about Temples because that's what we're going to teach him next time. Besides teaching the Restoration I think teaching people about Temples is my favorite lesson. It really links every other lesson together and gives people direction in understanding their responsibilities as a member. Of course that applies to every single member not just those recently baptized. 

Q & A with mom

1. Spice!

2. Having four distinct seasons

3. It's just the two of us and we cover 12 neighboring towns

4. When presented with some trial people feel more comfortable asking a friend for help. Why? Because they have developed a relationship with them. So it is with God, we must develop a relationship with him and increase our understanding of him. As we do this we feel more comfortable asking for his help and we are more apt to recognize his help when it does come. 

5. Understanding people in their adversity 

6. The responsibility the members feel to take care of us

7. A Yoga DVD

8. No, I get letters in the mail frequently but no packages

9. Go out with the missionaries

10. No but I have spoken with him about 4 times which is more than most.

 
1.. What is one thing food wise that you really miss from Arizona?
 
2. What is one thing that you will really miss about New England that you just don't see here in Arizona?
 
3. Are there just the two of you in Oxford? Do you just cover Oxford?  or are there neighboring cities you cover as well?   
 
4. What is something that you learned this week in your studies that we could all benefit hearing about.  
 
5.  What do you feel your current companions greatest strength is?
 
6.  What is something you really love about the ward you are in? 
 
7. If you were to get a package from home is there anything you would like to see in it?
 
8. Has anyone else sent you a package recently?
 
9.  What counsel would you give to the Priests in our ward who are preparing to go out on missions?
 
10. Have you had a chance to have an interview with the new mission president yet? 

Love ya guys!
-- 

Elder Trevon Turley

Everybody falls short sometimes but the Atonement is what allows us to get back up

I'm in a car again, I'm driving. My companion has been out a whole week and a half and I think we'll be able to attend the temple. Yvonne got your package so thank for that. She loved it. 

Well I've really enjoyed this past week in Oxford. We've had the opportunity to meet with Steve twice this week and both have been marvelous experiences. He is honestly one of the best men I have ever met. His kindness and integrity is an example to me. He has truly been prepared to receive the restored Gospel. He read the entire Book of Mormon in a month and he has such amazing faith in it. I'm grateful for him and I hope to continue to find others like him during my time here in Oxford. 

On the flip side there are a few families that we're working with that are really struggling. They still have faith in God and a testimony of the church but for whatever reason they aren't living up to the commandments of God. I am also grateful for the chance I have to work with these people. Sometimes I find myself thinking that those who are "prepared" are those who have no struggles in accepting God's commandments. This is not true! The Atonement is real and I'm successful as a missionary when I can help others learn how to accept and apply it in their lives. The people who are "prepared"are those who are humble enough to accept the restored Gospel regardless of background. Everybody falls short sometimes but the Atonement is what allows us to get back up.

Please pray for Elder Acosta and I that we will be able to find those who are prepared to receive the restored Gospel.

 

-- 

Elder Trevon Turley

Our dinner calendar is all filled up for the entire month and I'm really excited for that!

Well I'm officially in Oxford! Everything has been going really well and I'm so grateful for the members for welcoming us in with open arms. Many of the brethren were very excited to have us because it makes things a little easier for them to participate in the missionary work. A lot of them were hugging us because they were so excited. Now we just need to find people to teach so we can bring them a long with us. We don't really have that many investigators but we do have one really solid investigator who has a baptismal date for August 2. We haven't met with him yet but I've only heard great things about him from the ward members. The members here are quite different than the members in Boston but that was to be expected. Thankfully they love to feed us so our dinner calendar is all filled out for the entire month and I'm really excited for that!  

This is pretty much what every house in Oxford looks like. It's very scenic and beautiful. 

Elder Acosta is really fun too. I know he's going to teach me a lot about perseverance and diligence in doing the Lord's work and I'm grateful for that. He's from Orem Utah and he actually went to the same High School as Elder Nixon so they know some of the same people. 

President Miller is really awesome as well. He's very enthusiastic about the work and has so much joy when he speaks about his new calling. We got a chance to meet him on Friday and I spoke with him for about 30 seconds is all but it was enough for me to know that he has been called of God to direct the missionary efforts here in New England.

This was my last dinner in Boston. It's a 20 inch creamy jalapeño chicken sub and I ate all of it. 

I was worried that I would miss Boston so much that I would short change my experience in Boston but I feel so strongly that I'm here to accomplish a specific task that I don't have time to miss Boston. I'm too occupied trying to figure what it is that God needs me to accomplish here in Oxford. Currently I feel very strongly that we need to work with strengthening the members specifically those who aren't active. We're presented with a wonderful opportunity since Elder Acosta and I are both new and we get to start fresh with every single member. 

We had a car for my last three days in Boston which was very convenient. 

Thanks for your support, I love you all. If anyone wanted to send me some beef jerky I'd be most appreciative. 

-- 

Elder Trevon Turley

P.S. I just realized I hit my 9 month mark in 2 days. Boy has time gone quick. In 3 months I'll have been gone for a whole year!

I'm headed to Oxford

This week has been pretty crazy! President Packard is done and President Miller and his family arrives tonight. We're all very excited to see how he will improve the Kingdom here in Boston. I'm lucky enought to be one of the first missionaries to truly work with him since I'll be going to the mission home on Wednesday to get my new companion and head off to Oxford. I'm really excited and not really nervous anymore. I've decided I'll just do my best and say a lot of prayers and I'm certain everything will be alright. 

I'm currently in a trio with elder Nixon and Elder Lutkin. elder Lutkin is the one replacing me and I'm so grateful for him. I know that he'll do so much work here in Boston. He was made to serve in areas like Boston. Yesterday we gave away 10 copies of the Book of Mormon! I've never done anything like that before, it was pretty great. Elder Nixon and Elder Lutkin are going to do great work and I know that Boston english is going to be having quite a few baptisms in the upcoming weeks. 

I love Boston and I'm sad to leave especially after 6 months of my life has been spent here. I love the people, I love the lifestyle, I love the "T" and I love church in Boston. I have never seen a more diverse ward in my life than the Boston 1 English Ward and I don't know if I'll ever see one like it again. When I first arrived I was quite disturbed by how differently the church is ran here than what I'm used to. It has helped me get over myself and realize that although what people do here might not alwyas be culturally appropriate or even protocol but at the heart the people here love eachother and do what they can to help out where they can. I am grateful for their example. Every Sunday was filled with unique curveballs that I could never have imagined on my own and I am glad for those experiences.

I love New England and I'm going to love Oxford. The people here remind me of pineapples they might be a little hard and bumpy on the outside but once you get through that layer you'll find that their all pretty great. 

Anyway I love you too... bye

-- 

Elder Trevon Turley

For the colony, and for oppressed ants everywhere!

Hello everybody,

This week has been pretty awesome as usual. We got a new investigator this week who's a former investigator and is a part member family and he came back to church all on his own. When he told us that he and his girlfriend were finally getting married he then added "that means I can get baptized and married in the temple too, right?" It was pretty great. I'll probably only teach him once more though since I'm getting transferred. That's alright the new Elder and Elder Nixon will do a great job. 

Well I'm finally getting transferred and I'm pretty sad about that but if you haven't mailed that stuff I requested yet then just hold off so I won't have as much to bring to my new apartment but if you have already mailed it then no biggie.

We had a Ward Barbecue and it was so great for us. It was the first ward event since I'd been in the area and it was needed. We played soccer afterwards in the field behind the church and we were trying to get one of our investigators Eddyson to come play too. Eventually he did but he was pretty shy about it but once he got in the goalie box he became a new man. He opened up and did a really good job! He was probably the best one out there. Unfortunatley he was on the other team so we lost. But so long as Eddyson had a good time with the ward members I'm content. 

We haven't been able to get a hold of Fred recently since his phone ran out of minutes but hopefully at the beginning of the month we'll be able to reconnect with him and set something up at that time. 

We were helping a member find his fathers grave so that he could go and give him flowers on fathers day using the website findagrave.com. It was a great experience and I'm grateful to have helped him do that. Afterwards we decided to see if we could do any work for Elder Nixon since he knows nothing about his family and the actual familysearch website hasn't had the records. Well lo and behold we were able to link 1500 names to Elder Nixons tree all becasue we found the missing links through findagrave.com, it was really awesome and Elder Nixon was so happy and I was too.

On Thursday Elder NIxon and I went to a Return and Report which is a missionary meeting for trainers and the new missionaries. It was the last one that President Packard will preside over and it was truly amazing. At first he spoke about consecration and Zion and what God expects us to do as missionaries and lifelong members in regards to living consecrated lives. Then we received training and stuff but at the end President spoke specifically about the relationship between Convenants and Ordinances and reasons why God uses them. Right after that we all went to the temple and boy am I grateful for President Packard for living the kind of life where the things that he teaches us about life he can testify of becasue of the personal life he has lived and the spiritual experiences he has gone through. 

Here we are at the temple with Harry who recently got baptized. 

Anyways thanks for caring for me and doing all that you can to help me be my best, I love you and pray for you.

-- 

Elder Trevon Turley

Hold on to that ball Petey!

This week has been one of the busiest weeks of my mission and it has been great! We set a goal as the English unit to have at least 1 member interaction per companionship every day. We've done it too and it's improved every aspect of our work. Last week a lot of our member interactions was us going over to their house to share a message with them but rolling into this week most of our member interactions are going to have to come from members who come out teaching with us since we've already filled most of our schedule with lessons with non-members. It's been a huge motivator and blessing. I attribute it to Elder Nixon who's not content to let things coast, he's constantly helping me and the area as a whole. 

On Sunday a less active invited us over on a bit of a whim but we could fit it in our schedule so we head over to her house planning to be there for maybe an hour or so but suddenly we're helping her with dishes and we're bringing food out of her pantry/fridge and then she pulls out the grill. Next thing we know there's a neighborhood barbecue going on and for whatever reason I was the appointed grill master. I have probably grilled like once before in my life but I figured it couldn't be too hard so I tried to wield the spatula confidently. I must say things turned out much better than I thought they would plus the whole neighborhood has the missionaries number and we have all their numbers too! 

We also met this guy named Fred at Boston Common. We were down there trying to meet with a potential investigator but he wasn't there so we decided to do a little planning before our next appointment. Fred was sitting next to us and he was noticeably stressed so before we leave we go talk to him. We didn't even tell him who we were but he just starts telling us about how poorly his life has been lately. It was really sad so many things happened to him that were out of his control. He wasn't homeless or drunk he was just down on himself. So we listen to him for a while he figures out we're missionaries and before we leave we give him our number and tell him if he ever needs someone to talk to the he can just give us a call. That night at 3 AM he called us. We called him the next day and he told us that he prayed to God looking for direction and he felt like he should call us. It was really great. Even though we're missionaries we didn't push anything on him. We didn't try to give him a Book of Mormon or invite him to church. We did what we could to meet his needs and as his needs change we'll do what we can to meet them. He wants to meet with us and as he continues to do so we will help him. Hopefully we will be able to help him find the restored gospel but until then we'll have to see where it goes.

I know that this church is true and that any need, challenge or concern that anybody might have can be met and answered through the right gospel principle found within our church. I pray for the gift of discernment to know what and when to share with those around me and as I move forward in faith I know that God will use me as an instrument in his hand.

I love you! 

-- 

Elder Trevon Turley