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Friday, May 24, 2013

Ten Times Better Than a State Championship


Well it sounds like we all had a pretty great weekend! Here in New Mexico we had a baptism, and ya'll tore it up on the track in Boise!!! WOOO YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Dylan and Matt, way ta go fellas. Man that was fun to read about, I'm sure it was crazy to be there! That's so cool! STATE CHAMPS 2013 BABY!!!

         It was a really good week for me and Elder Ballif in the Nob Hill YSA! We were on exchanges almost every day this week with zone leaders. Lots of traveling, and lots of late nights, but it is all awesome. Remember Kyle Robison? He had a baptism date for the 25, and we had dinner with him this week when he told us his parents wanted to be at the baptism but that they were going out of town on the 25 so he asked us if he could move his baptism up a week. So it happened! It was a miracle for sure. Kyle got introduced to the church by his best friend Austin (Cool sidenote... Austin works for Kenny up in Santa Fe! :) ) Austin was baptized in October. We met Kyle just 4 weeks ago, he has had an amazing 4 week journey into the church and is absolutely on fire.  Austin baptized him and that was amazing to see. After the baptism Kyle bore his testimony and talked about his journey into the church. Kyle had both his parents there, and his step dad is really against the church but came to support him. The spirit was so strong at the baptism there is no way he didn't feel it. It was a special weekend to be with Kyle and Austin. Man I love those two. So think of what it felt like and still feels like to take state Dylan and Matt... and magnify that by 10. Is that enough motivation to go on a mission? Of course if the reward feels 10 times better, that means the workouts are 10 times harder.....


Kyle and his best friend Austin who is a convert of 7 months



 
         We are really teaching some incredible people right now, I wish I could tell you about every single one of them. I love working with the young single adults! There is always a group of them who get together every Sunday night for supper, and they invite us, so yesterday we made it count! For our dinner message we shared a video we made to show at zone conference on the blessings of baptism, and we promised them while watching it that a name of a friend would come to mind that they could write down for us. We got 7 referrals! It was awesome!
 
    I had a really neat answer to a prayer yesterday at church as I talked to one of the members of the branch. Him and a few other kids came down to ABQ from USU for the summer to sell living scriptures. One of them is roommates with David Bingham! They are all super cool. Anyway I was talking to one of them and we got to talking about his mission and he just said some things that I really needed to hear. It's amazing how Heavenly Father will use other people to answer your prayers. I'm sure he didn't even know he was an answer to my prayer, I am just thankful he was able to be an instrument for Heavenly Father.
 
We had interviews with President Miller this week. He is visiting all the missionaries and giving them their final interview with him. It was a very spiritual experience. He started the interview by relating the story of Christ washing his apostles feet. He then invited me to take off my shoes, and he shined them. Wow. What a humbling experience. I almost wanted to be like Peter and say no at first, It was incredible. That just sums up the kind of Christlike person President Miller is.
 
This week will be intense as we start President Millers last zone conferences. We have 3 this week and 2 the next. I am excited for them, it should be really good.
  
Thanks for all you do! Thanks for winning state too, that just made my P-Day! I am glad you got some rain! Have a great week!
 
Love you all!
 
Elder Turnbow                                    
     

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

I love everyday when you're looking for investigators, and every night when you're exhausted!


Hey!
   
  It was great to see everybody yesterday! Ya'll look good and happy that's for sure. #1 Family any day in my books. Everybody is growing up and that is crazy!

Thanks for the pictures and quotes, Mom! Happy Mother's Day again!
 
Just a couple little things to email about today... KYLE!! So we were having a lesson with a new investigator Rosie this week, and Kyle and Austin (member) were sitting in too. In the middle of the lesson Kyle raised his hand as if he had a question. It kinda caught me off guard.. So I said, "Yes Kyle?" To which he replied, "Today I have decided that I do want to get baptized on the 25." I reached over, gave him a fist bump, and continued teaching Rosie. haha The lesson with Rosie went super well! After we taught Kyle, and he said he had read 3 Nephi 11 and prayed about it and got an answer to be baptized. So cool! Kyle has come a long ways, we are really excited for him.
 
We were on exchanges pretty much everyday last week! It is fun to be with different missionaries, I always learn a lot. We traveled to Espanola, Los Lunas, and Rio Rancho. I got to go back and serve in Panorama Heights for a day! SOOO Awesome!
 
So... sorry this email is short and probably lame... haha Just know how much I love each one of you, and am forever grateful for your examples.
 
I love Friday Nights when you're looking for a win, and Saturday mornin when ya found one! Or... I love everyday when you're looking for investigators, and every night when you're exhausted!
 
Have a great week, BOISE BOUND!!!!! Good luck!
 
Love, Elder Turnbow

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Serving in a YSA Branch


Hey everybody!!
      Thanks for all of the emails and fun notes, It is awesome to hear from each and every one of you!
   Good luck to the boys with the district track meet! Dylan and Matt will tear it up this week for sure!
     It has been a really good couple of days for us in the branch! Yesterday was an awesome Sunday! I love the branch more and more each day. President Brown is the branch president and he is an amazing man. (Not just because he owns a huge ranch with amazing hunting :) ) He really runs a tight ship and is very missionary minded. Before I forget we will be at his house Sunday to skype home! I am excited to see you all. We are going for dinner at 530 so we will either call home before then or after then.. not sure yet.
First Ever Mission Leader Conference

      We had a really good lesson with Kyle yesterday. We taught the restoration, and after the first vision and asking him how he felt he said... "It felt like my heart almost stopped, it felt... really good." The spirit was super strong as we testified to him that he was feeling the spirit. It was a very spiritual lesson as his best friend Austin testified to him as well. Man I love being a missionary! I am super excited for Kyle.
      Desiree is still doing great! She showed up to church yesterday with a quad!  In our last lesson with her we taught the first half of the plan of salvation, and she told us yesterday that she finished studying it by herself and loved it! She is one who is feasting upon the word. It is so fun to teach her. Last night we watched the CES fireside broadcast, it was Elder Walker speaking and he talked on the Life of President Monson and how he set a pattern for us to follow to help us follow the savior. Desiree loved it! I loved it too, and I learned a ton. I thought of the people I have tried to pattern my life after that help me pattern my life after the savior. I thought of you my family, and church leaders, coaches, and the more I got to thinking about it the more I realized just how many incredible people I have been blessed to rub shoulders with.
     It is very different serving in a YSA branch and not a family ward, I am still adjusting but really loving it. The kids in the branch are hilarious and super fun to work with. They are all fired up about sharing the gospel!
Elders Turnbow, Hanks, and Ballif

    I love each and every one of you. I will be sure to pray for some rain.
   Have a great week, and I will do the same! (Bonus points for rhyming? I think so!)
Elder Turnbow



Saturday, May 4, 2013

Elder Turnballif...


Dear Loved Ones,

Hello!

Somehow I am still alive. This week was intense. It was the most stressful, overwhelming, crazy, insane, humbling, spiritual, etc,... week of my life.

Monday was arrival day. It was a trip down memory lane to be in the airport picking them up. It took me back for sure! We spent the entire day with them doing different trainings for them. It was a good time! It was a good group of Elders and Sisters. There were 21 total.

Tuesday was the actual transfer day, and it got pretty crazy. We had the big meeting in ABQ and it went well, but as we were driving back to the mission office we got a call from Elder Weston and he told us the transfer van was in a car accident. We have a member drive the big van with missionaries, and it pulls the trailer with all the luggage in it too. A semi ran a red light and thus the accident. Our driver did an awesome job to avoid it mostly but still ended up clipping the semis trailer. Everybody was fine, but the van couldn't be driven. President Miller had just entered the temple with the departing missionaries so we couldn't go to him and ask what to do. So... We said a prayer and went to work. Members in my last area really pulled through, it's an incredible ward. The first three i called were able and willing to help. We got one with a truck to drive the trailer down to Las Cruces, and a family in the ward has a big van just like ours that we were able to borrow and drive down. So me and Elder Ballif took an unexpected trip down to Las Cruces and back up! It was a very exciting day to say the least.

Wednseday morning super early we dropped off all the departing missionaries at the airport. That was weird! It gave me a very empty feeling watching them all walk away. It made me want to cherish every moment even more, and live in the moment. Elder Hanks went home with them and that was sad to see. He helped me stay sane and alive this week. I will miss that kid. He lives in Ephraim UT though so I will see him again!

Yesterday was our first ever Mission Leadership Council! It took the place of zone leader council due to the new sister leadership positions. (Sister Training Leaders) It was a very good meeting. Elder Ballif and I did a training on the role of the Holy Ghost in conversion. Being with all of those missionaries is powerful. They are absolutely amazing. I look up to every single one of them. I think I might have already rubbed off on President Miller a little bit, because he used a deer hunting analogy yesterday ;) Oh ya! haha

So a little bit about our area. We serve in the Nob Hill YSA branch! It covers UNM campus. Oh man it's sweet! I am already having a blast here, it's so cool to teach and work with young single adults! Sometimes it's a little awkward... but it's good. haha The relief society president in our branch starts for the Lobos basketball team. (Just a cool sidenote :) ) The members are sweet, and they are amazing at doing missionary work! My first week here we taught a girl named Desiree. She is so prepared for the gospel it's incredible. We set a baptism date with her for the 18! A recent convert brought his friend to sports night, and then church, and then we taught him that day. His name is Kyle and he is super cool. On Wednesday we had a combined lesson with him, Desiree, and about 4 members from the branch. It was a powerful lesson as we all testified of the atonement. At the end we were able to set a baptism date with Kyle for the 25! Good things are happening! The members are super stoked for the work right now.

Elder Ballif and I are learning and growing together, this week has really made a bond for us. and that bond has a name.... TURNBALLIF!

I will write again on Monday when we get to take a real Pday. I havn't played basketball for the longest time! That is ok though, I didn't come on a mission to play basketball. I have learned and grown so much just in this last week it's crazy. I love it.

Love you all!

Elder Turnballif