So this last week has been a really great week, one of the best this transfer. On Monday, we had a fun family home evening with the Innes family. I absolutely love visiting with them. They are one of my favorite families. Sister Innes always texts and warns us of storms that are heading in. Like she did on Friday and we were stuck inside for three hours in the evening because of the lightning storm.
So Tuesday night, we only had one lesson, but it was an excellent lesson. We visited with Sam Gamboa's parents. Kattia and Carlos, and had a great evening reading through some chapters of the Book of Mormon in Alma 36 and 37 talking about faith and the tools that we have been given. We didn't realize until tonight how much we need to get the youth involved with us, especially those are mission age. Hopefully we can help them to change their desires and want to serve a mission. I know I say this about everyone, but I really love the people that I serve here in Florida. Sam's family being another one of them
After District meeting on Wednesday, we went on exchanges with the District Leader, Elder Peterson. Right now, Elder Peterson is training Elder Coleman, so for Elder Coleman's first exchange he came with me, and Elder Ronfeldt went with Elder Peterson in Bradenton. We had a pretty good day planned out, biking from one lesson to the next. We had four lessons altogether that day. The first was with Sister Milankovich who is 97 years old and her daughter Melanie. Melanie isn't a member, but absolutely loves the church. We went over the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and talked about baptism. Melanie had some pretty good questions about how to become a member, and where the authority comes from. She hasn't been investigating too much, and loves having us come by. She has been asking more questions every time that we go over, so we will continue meeting with them. We then had a visit with Sister Biggs. She hasn't been at church the past few Sundays, but she came yesterday and later told me in Gospel Principles that she was crying because she felt the Spirit, and that she has been missing that feeling. Another person we met with was with Brother Stoneburner, he ended up buying us some burgers at Freddy's (Which is a good place to eat at out here) and we had a great discussion with him. He has a strong testimony of the Gospel, but feels that sacrament meeting is boring. We told him that church is what you make it out to be, and the way that you prepare yourself before you come. We invited him to come this Sunday, and he told us that he does need to start coming again. I think that it will take time, but we will keep on working with him to see what we can do to help. The last lesson of the evening was with the Innes' again. We taught about missionary work from reading through D&C 100. Sister Innes has done a great job and inviting people to come to church and to different activities. One of her sons wanted to invite his friends at that very moment. He wants to serve a mission, and he is going to be a great missionary. We had a full and busy day, and it was nice to have that for a change with having one lesson after another. Hopefully we can have more days like that.
On Thursday, we went out to Myakka with a member of the ward to try and contact a few less actives that we didn't know at all. Myakka is a ways out from where we live, and this was the first time that I had been out there. We did have a little bit of luck out there, but not too much. We got the phone number of one guy who had moved up to Clearwater. Other than that, it was a pretty interesting experience. At one home, there were two big dogs, a rottweiler and a German Shepard. They looked friendly, but no one was willing to get out of the car to test it out. At another home as we were driving into the drive way, all of the windows were open and it looked like an empty house. We got out of the car then two faces appear in on of the back windows. We told them who we were looking for and they said that he lives up the street, but wouldn't tell us where. Then they said that we have to leave because they are naked. All I can say is that there are a few interesting people out there.
So the rest of the week not too much happened, we did have a missionary night with returned members and recent converts sharing stories and personal experiences. It was a lot of fun. On Sunday we had a fun Gospel Principles class with Brother Su'a teaching it. He gets everyone involved. So I ran out of time to finish my email. So I will have to update you more next week. Thanks for all of the love, letters, and prayers.
Loves you all, and I hope that you have a great fourth of July!!!
Love,
Elder Leavitt
RE: to letter sent from family
Thanks for the weekly update. Sounds like a lot of fun and busy things have been happening. I can't believe that the are 24 missionaries out in our ward now, I bet that quite a few will be leaving next summer if the YM outnumber the YW. In that package that I sent, did you find a flash drive in there? I lost the flashdrive that I has with pictures from other missionaries, so I been looking for it. If it's not in there, do you think that you can send me new one as soon as you can. I haven't lost any of my personal pictures, but I want to try to get other missionaries pictures again if I can. Thanks. I'm missing being at home with family in town and going to the mountains. You will have to tell them all hi for me and that I love them all. And that I hope that they will make another trip next summer to Utah to see them at my homecoming. :). I found out that shipping priority mail is much cheaper than it would be to not send it that way. The box would have cost $50 if I would have sent it any other way. I thought that putting cards and letters in sleeves would be fun, and that I would look back at them more if I did it that way, so now I am starting on a second binder. :). It will probably last me until I come home because you don't get as much as you do the first few months. Loves ya tons.
Love your Son,
Elder Chase Leavitt
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