The Zachtastic Movie Blog

Everyone who serves in this district is a goober, especially me. Nerf gun wars? YOU KNOW IT. Another transfer has beg un here in the Iowa Des Moines Mission. The summer heat (and unfortunately, the humidity) is about to kick in, but along with that some friends have come and gone, and then interesting changes have occurred as well. Among these things are that two of the first missionaries I ever met out here, Elders Parry and Brown, just went home this past weekend. Elder Brown's first area actually was the one I am currently serving in, so it was fun to talk to him about people in the branch and then investigators old and new. I will definitely miss those great elders, for they were an inspiration for me and I had fun serving alongside them in various capacities.  Elder Parry and I! He was my first District Leader while I was in Davenport. And then Elder Brown and I! He was one of my best friends in the mission, so I wish him the best. But anyway, I...

The message of my weekly email, as the title suggests, is a word of counsel that can bless anyone, regardless of whether or not you wear a black nametag:  always follow the Spirit . There are multiple reasons why this is the case, starting with one that brought both Elder Hopper and I much joy. But before I unfold that, here's an explanation of why I was called to finish his training in the first place: for the past few months, he has been on what is called a "trial mission." Because of various emotional difficulties the Missionary Department was initially hesitant towards assigning him to a full two-year mission, but they did send him to the Iowa Des Moines Mission to see if he could handle the work for a short period of time. I am proud to say that in these past six weeks, Elder Hopper's testimony, obedience, work ethic and wisdom have all shown forth wonderfully, and overall his performance has been exemplary. Because of all of that, the Prophet   has called Elder...

Holy mackerel, I am now 20 years old as of yesterday... that is absolutely nuts. I left for the mission field while I was still 18 and now I have entered into the third decade of my life here in the Hawkeye State.  Birthday balloons, anyone? I am certainly proud to serve the Lord at such a great time during my mortal existence though, for never in my life have 17 months meant so much to me. The time I have spent in preaching His Gospel has meant more to me than anything else I have ever experienced, for it's molded me, changed me and transformed me into someone completely new. My personality may be the same, but my attitude to the Lord has changed dramatically, and for that I am grateful. I definitely noticed this last night when I called my family via Facetime, in which most of the time I acted and spoke in much the same way as I did back home, but as I bore my testimony to them at the end of my call I realized how much the Atonement truly has impacted me while applying...

One could easily get discouraged when investigators seem to lose their desire in meeting with you or otherwise people don't want to talk to you, and honestly, Elder Hopper and I got somewhat discouraged as the week went by since we were unsuccessful at meeting with nearly all of our investigators, and some of them seem to be dodging us whenever we go by to see them. It is disappointing that some of these people are beginning to reject the great blessings that are entailed in living the Gospel, but what I am happy to report on is that we are not giving up. And here is the main reason why, which in my mind, is nothing short of a miracle: last Sunday we were doing some finding in a tiny town called Denmark right before we headed over to our dinner appointment. Just as we were walking over to our car to leave, we hear a voice from behind yelling for us both. We saw a man on his front porch and he said, "Are you guys Mormons?" in which I replied "Yeah!" With that he...