Transfer Day

So friends and fam, 

My mission president called me and said that I'm going to the Spanish Fork Canyon Area with ElderBilodeau. I'm really excited because I already know him. He's from Modesto, California. Plus, he's a hard worker and I know we'll work hard. 

My companion Elder Bradford was moved up to be a zone leader in the Mapleton area. 

This last week I got to speak to 3 fluent Portuguese speakers, not bad haha. Also, Heavenly Father sent us a lot more investigators 3 of which are on date now. I'm excited for them and that I'm not going too far, so I can go to their baptisms if I still haven't gotten my VISA. It's tough getting transferred because you have to say goodbye to all of those that you taught and worked with, but luckily, this is Utah county and I will be back after my mission. Also, Spanish Fork is really just 15 minutes away. 

I knew I was going to be transferred and I feel like I'm ready for it. I put in a lot of hard work here, and now President McCune wants me to build up another area in Spanish Fork.

There's this guy named Jason from Nebraska who showed up to church last week. He's staying with some members and this is the first time he has heard anything about the gospel. After going to church he told us that he wanted to know more and he'd like to have the discussions. After teaching the restoration and about Joseph Smith's first vision, he told us that he knew it was true. I then committed him to be baptized and he said yes. (in the first lesson!) Okay, I sort of saw it coming..but still. I know that the spirit is really working through him. He's been to all 3 hours of church 2 weeks in a row and his baptismal date is in late november. The cool part is that my companion and I had nothing to do with it. All we did was invite him to meet with us and then to be baptized. The Lord did the rest. He prepared Jason for the incredible transformation that is about to happen in his life. I have seen the hand of the Lord through this week with each and every teaching appointment. I'm definitely leaving Mapleton on a high note. 

I love you all!! I really mean it! Send me a short e-mail this week, I'd love to hear from you.

-Elder Sellers

Last Week of the Transfer

Hello friends and family! 

This week flew by as they all do, but one of the highlights is that we now have 4 investigators which we are working with on top of all of the Less Actives we're teaching, so our hands are pretty full, plus any opportunity that I get to teach is something I look forward to. 

I am excited to see growth in the missionary work in our area and to know that I am able to be a part of it. 

This week I've been teaching a lot more on Facebook which brings me to my miracle of the week. So, a month ago I got a friend request from a girl named An Drei. I had never spoken to her, or met her, and we had no mutual friends on Facebook. On top of all that she was from the Phillipines, so I really did not see why she added me. For about a week I put it past me, but I did notice that she liked to post scriptures and spiritual thoughts on Facebook. Basically, all the time. Like us. So I decided to ask her why she added me, because it couldn't hurt. She then apologized to me because she thought I was an "Elder Seller" that she met in the Phillipines 2 years ago. Again, I put it in the back of my mind, but then I felt impressed to know the whole story, so I asked her. This is what she told me. (her english isn't perfect.)

"It was just one fine day, that we have met on the bus on the way to city. I think they we're on the mission. And we talk a little about religion and he shared to me the book of mormon. I like the concept of what he say "that someday our family will be united in da kingdom of God forever." "

After reading that I pieced the whole puzzle together and realized that this was a miracle staring me in the face. She added me because she met an Elder with a similar name to mine, she told me that he shared a Book of Mormon with her, and she likes the idea that someday we can be with our families forever!

I asked her if she wanted to learn more about the Book of Mormon and how she can be with her family forever.

She said of course. Since then I've taught her two lessons on Facebook and Invited her to read the Book of Mormon and Pray about it. This missionary experience was an answer to my prayers and strengthened my testimony that "the field is white already to harvest". God is preparing people in our lives right now and all we have to do is open our mouths share what we know to be true. If we pray for missionary opportunities and earnestly look for them. We will find them.

I love you all. Have a great week!

-Elder Sellers

Things Are Looking Up!

So I don't want to make this too long, but yesterday was a sweet day, we spoke in one of the primaries in Mapleton about missionary work because that is their theme for the month. Also, we went to a sacrament meeting at 1 pm hoping to see our 1 progressing investigator (Mapleton is 98% LDS, so that's not too bad haha)...Anyways, we chose to go to that sacrament meeting even though there were a lot of other options we had. Just after we sat down, a woman came and introduced us to her 88 year old father who has been investigating the church in another state, but he just recently moved to live with them in Mapleton. We met him and we're setting up a lesson with him soon. that's another investigator!

Then last night we stopped by Brian's house. Brian is the only non-member in his family and we've tried to contact him for over a month now, when we had dinner with his family, but we didn't feel that it was the right time to talk to him about hearing the discussions. I've been praying about him for weeks now and all day I fasted for him that "his heart would be softened and that we'd be able to contact him soon". Before we pull up to his house, we decided to say a prayer, afterwards we saw that all of the lights in his house were on and so things were looking up. We knock on the door and Brian answers. He invites us in and we started visiting with him. We found out that their family had just gotten back from their 4 day trip to Disneyland an hour before. Also, his whole family was busy unpacking or resting, so the setting was perfect to ask him about teaching him, but we didn't get to........because he basically asked us to teach him! At some point in the conversation he told us about how he isn't a member and is still learning about what he believes, he also told us that he came from an anti-mormon family, but he took everything negative that they heard about the church with a grain of salt, (A big grain of salt!). I asked him if he wanted to hear the discussions so he could learn more. He said yeah! We scheduled to teach him this Saturday, but not after having a discussion about the atonement. He already believes in a large part of the Plan of Salvation. Anyways, Brian is the first new investigator we have had since I got here 4 weeks ago. That's big news! I'm so grateful that my prayers were answered and I my testimony of fasting has never been stronger. If we really need something from our Heavenly Father, fast and for it. The timing, the setting, the words that were put in our mouths couldn't have been our own. We weren't even planning on stopping by that night because we we called him twice that day. It was all one big miracle for us and a huge testimony builder that God is really involved in His work.

This wasn't short haha, but I was too excited about it to not write all about it. I love this work. I love this mission. I love being a missionary! 

Also.... I love you all! and would love to hear from you!

You're e-mails always pick me up. 

Have a great week!

Love, Elder Sellers

PS: I may be going to the BYU...Boise State game...