Lying flat on my face in the New Mexico desert?

What a week!

   Please tell me that you all watched the world wide broadcast last night?! "The Work of Salvation" Nobody mentioned it in their emails, but I really hope you saw it. If not... I call you to repentance and get on to LDS.org and watch it! haha It was incredible, and it will change the way we do missionary work forever. I can't believe how inspired our prophet and apostles are. As I sat next to Elder Ballif and President and Sister Miller and our branch president and watched it at the ABQ stake center, and I couldn't believe how many times my heart was touched.

 

     So this week was a really good and busy week! We went on three different exchanges and got a lot of good work done. Thursday I went back to Rio Rancho to my old area and was with Elder Vial. We were able to stop by and see Keith. As soon as he saw me he started crying, and gave me one of the most sincere hugs I have probably ever received. He is struggling right now, not doing the best. My heart hurts to see him struggling, but I know he will be OK. He kept saying, "You don't have to say anything. Just you being here and seeing you makes me feel guilty. You and Elder Chalk saved my life." We had a really good talk, I was pretty bold and loving. I heard from the zone leaders that he was at church yesterday.  Boy that made me happy. Also while I was there, we were able to visit Margie Kamakaokalani and her husband Jim! Teyshia has since moved back to Hawaii and is doing well there. Boy, it was great to see them!    

 

     Friday night we drove down to El Paso to do exchanges with the Mount Franklin zone leaders. We got there super late, and then Elder Smith and woke up super early and drove back up to ABQ to work for the day. Elder Smith is one of my favorites! He is from North Logan, and he actually lives really close to Grandpa Phillips. We have been able to make a ton of connections. We had a great day together. There is this place on campus where all the students go to eat lunch called the Frontier, and we went there for lunch and contacted while we ate. It was a blast! That is actually how we found one of the investigators that we are teaching right now. It is a great place to be!  Jessica got home from her vacation with her mom and we taught her that day as well. Something Incredible about that lesson though is that we had Dylan Salahien come teach her with us! Dylan is the young man that Elder Chalk and I taught in Rio Rancho. Before the lesson we talked for a bit and he told me he is working to go on a mission this winter! AAAHHH!!!! I cannot tell you how happy that made me. As we were in the lesson he bore his testimony to Jessica, and as I sat there and listened to somebody I taught and watch go through the conversion process bear a powerful testimony to someone who is at the same place he was 9 months before, I almost couldn't believe it. What a lesson to be in. Wow. What a happy day.

       After our lesson with Jessica we loaded up and headed back down south to exchange back. Funny Story.... I got pulled over.... darnit... haha No ticket though, just a warning! Phew! As soon as the cop flipped on his lights we put a Book of Mormon on the dash, along with temple mormon.org cards, we think that is what got him ;)

        So we exchanged back in Las Cruces and spent the night there with the Las Cruces zone leaders. We got there super late and then woke up super early to get to branch council by 9. Church was great! We had two investigators there, and two members brought their friends that we are going to start teaching! One of the members plays on the UNM soccer team, and she brought her friend who plays on the men's soccer team. He's a cool guy! After church we watched the broadcast that I noted.  After that, and then we and the sisters went to our branch president's house and had an amazing dinner and discussion about the work in our YSA branch. It's on fire! Time to flame it!

       

           President Miller goes home a week from today. I don't know where the days went. It flies by like "my hand out the window in the wind."   Elders Echo Hawk and Villa Real are coming this weekend as well. We are super busy preparing for the departure and arrival of both President Millers, and for all the crazy details of that and the details for the 70. I know that Dallas Turnbow wouldn't be able to handle the things that have been going on, the church must indeed be true or I would be lying flat on my face in the New Mexico desert. I love you all, thanks for the strength!

 

Love, Elder Turnbow

 

PS. President Miller quote of the week "The Nob Hill YSA Branch is a unique beast!"    AAAHHH YEAAAHHH ;)

The prettiest sunsets are in your own backyard...

Hey Family!!!

 

    This email may be a tad shorter because you just heard from me Friday, but we'll see what I can come up with! My heart is full as I read about one of my best friends back home, thank you for sharing that with me dad. Also, Happy Fathers day yesterday! I can't say it enough, but boy I am lucky to have a dad like you! Thanks for being tough when you needed to be, I think that is what I now appreciate the most. Yesterday the Relief Society gave all the men ties for "Future Fathers Day." They weren't just any ties though, they were pretty hideous! We all rocked them with style; it was a good time in the YSA branch.

Elder Turnbow, Desiree, Elder Ballif

    It was a great weekend in the branch as well with the baptism and confirmation of Desiree. Two great days! Desiree has come such a long ways from day one, and has gone through a lot to be where she is now. When I think of her conversion it's one of truly becoming like a little child. We have seen many miracles teaching her, and many many prayers have been answered. I will send pictures when I finish typing this.

     I am sure some of you are wondering what has happened with John. He is still doing great! We have not been able to meet with him since that day, but we have had connection through the phone. He is loving the Book of Mormon, and we are going to get him all set up to meet with the missionaries when he returns home. He is super crazy busy, but we are hoping to meet up with him one more time before he takes off. Every time I reflect back on that experience we had on those temple grounds I am humbled, knowing that we were able to be trusted by the Lord to help a man who has been on a journey for 7 plus years. I hope to always be the person the Lord can count on, so when he calls my number, I am always ready.

 

     Last night there was a huge storm out over the west desert. We had a great view as we were driving home for the night. The sky was full of lightning, and loud cracks of thunder every few seconds. With the final minutes of light, the sun burst through and filled the New Mexico sky with one of the most gorgeous sunsets I have ever seen. I love New Mexico. This place is sacred ground.

 

Have a great week, and go be a missionary for somebody in need! 

   

          Much love!

 

 Elder Turnbow  

These are Days Never to be Forgotten!

I have THE hardest time sitting down and trying to type up my feelings on the last week every time we come to email. It's like after you have a great game and the news reporter comes up and asks. "You had a great game! How do you feel about it!"  Me:  "Uh... It was... good?"   

 

   Anyway, how is everybody!? It's hot here! We were over 100 most of the days this week. We had a thunder storm yesterday that cooled things off for a couple minutes so that was nice, I love the rain.

 

We saw miracle after miracle this week in the mission. First one being we made it though transfers! haha It was good.  We had 30 new missionaries arrive on Monday, so that was intense. It is so fun to see them at the airport; they have that glazed over shocked face on each time without fail. With that many new missionaries we were able to open up eight new areas! It's just incredible how the Lord is hastening his work.

 

I cannot believe it was President Miller's last transfer execution in the mission. The revelation that flows to him is just incredible. My testimony has strengthened 100 fold on revelation and just how this church is run. It is something that I have always believed, but to get to witness it first hand, and even experience it for yourself is indescribable. The church is true, my friends. No doubt.

 

With that many new missionaries a lot of areas split too, including our YSA branch! We now have two great sisters serving with us. One is brand new who came out Monday, and the other has been out 12 weeks and is training for her second time. With all the new sisters coming out, the Lord is simply asking the sisters to step up at a young age in the mission, and they are responding well in the NMAM.

 

Desiree is doing great! It has been a bumpy road with ups and downs, but she is all set for baptism tomorrow. We are super excited, and our branch president is going to baptize her! It literally has come down to the last minute, many prayers from us and the branch have been answered. We are still praying, but tomorrow should be an amazing day for her.

 

Jessica is simply incredible. She has accepted the gospel and is just running with it. The lessons we have with her are always a spiritual experience for all who are there. She goes to the temple grounds, and tells us of answers to prayers she gets there. We invited her to a baptism last Saturday for an older lady who the haines ward missionaries were teaching and she loved it. She is going back to Las Vegas today and spending a week with her mom on vacation and she is going to tell her she is getting baptized. We have been praying for her mom's heart to soften, she will be in our prayers all week. Thank goodness for cell phones so we don't lose contact with her!  

 

Yesterday morning we had an experience that I will never forget. Elder Ballif typed it up earlier, so I am just going to send his account of it. (See below)   For a little more background on this man he is from Beverly Hills California, he is super loaded when it comes to money, and he is a seeker of truth. After our experience, he called up somebody and asked, "What do I have going on the next couple of days?" After some pause, he then said, "Cancel everything, I am going to be staying in ABQ for a few days" I will send the account Elder Ballif gave right away.

 

We took the departing missionaries to the airport Wednesday, and among them was my old companion Elder Johnson. Man, it was hard to see him go.  He is incredible. It is always quite the experience to get to spend the day and night with all the missionaries going home. I learn a lot.

 

Well, if you asked my how my week was, I'll give you the best "good" I can muster up! It's very good. I love it.

 

Love you all!

 

Elder T.

Elder Ballif's account:

Yesterday, as Elder Turnbow and I were finishing our companionship study, we received a phone call from an unknown number. It was one of the landscape workers at the Albuquerque temple. He told us that he was with man who came to the temple looking for answers to some of his religious questions. Before we could inquire more, the worker handed the phone to the visitor. A business like voice asked, “I’d like to meet. When are you available?”

We told him we would be there in twenty minutes. We then asked if there was anything specific that he would like to talk about. He said, “Yes. Born again and reconciliation.”

Elder Turnbow and I dropped to our knees and asked Heavenly Father to inspire us and bless us with the Spirit as we taught this humble seeker of truth. We asked that He would unbind our tongues and help us to testify of what we knew would be the answer to whatever questions this man would have. The Spirit gave us comfort and confidence.

As we scanned the temple grounds from the parking lot below, we saw nobody.  The landscape worker directed us toward the temple. As we neared the temple fountain we saw an older man rounding the temple’s south corner. We introduced ourselves.

His name is John. He has been on a search for truth for the last seven years. He has met with various church leaders and religious experts throughout the world, looking for something to satisfy his soul. He learned to read ancient manuscripts in Hebrew and Aramaic, and has met with dozens of experts to find the origin of pure Christianity. Thus far, nobody had been able to answer his questions. He stopped in Albuquerque to meet with a well renowned Baptist minister. After their meeting that very morning, he threw his things into his car, slammed the door and drove off in a fury; he was not happy with what the minister had to say. As he was driving back to his hotel in hopeless defeat, he saw the temple and felt impressed to visit.

 “So,” he said, “Here we are. What is it that you teach?”

“John,” we said, “we are representatives of Jesus Christ. We are not experts in theology. Our credentials are not of the world. We have been called of God to teach all men everywhere that He has restored His truth to the earth. We’d like to share with you how you can know if this is the truth you’ve been searching for.”

As we spoke, his eyes gazed deep into ours; it was as if he was examining our souls to see if we truly believed what we were teaching. The sincerity in his countenance was moving. Intrigued, he asked us to continue. We taught how Christ’s church was on the earth, but how it fell into apostasy. We taught about dispensations; how God always calls prophets to preach His gospel; a concept already familiar to him. Elder Turnbow explained how Joseph Smith was looking for the truth. He invited John to listen to the Spirit as I shared Joseph’s account of the first vision. With power he promised, “John, as Elder Ballif recounts the experience of Joseph Smith, you will feel in your heart that it is true.” Halfway through the account of Joseph’s divine encounter, tears welled up in John’s eyes and he interrupted me. With tenderness and confidence he said, “I know that this is true. I know it.”

Elder Turnbow then bore one of the most powerful testimonies I have heard. There was an overwhelming spirit on those hallowed grounds as we taught with simplicity and the guidance of the Holy Ghost. After seven years of the best research and professional opinion money can buy, thirty minutes of restored truth brought to him the understanding he had so desperately searched for.

I am so grateful that the Lord trusted us with that sacred experience. I know with all of my heart that this is Christ’s restored church on the earth. I know that it is only by the Spirit of God that two awkward young men can speak with great power, as with the voice of a trumpet. How humbled I am to be one of the Lord’s servants in these last days.

 

 

There Ain't No Rest For The Wicked.... Or Righteous.

Sounds like a great week at home with the cabin, farming, sports and dirtbikes! Thanks for the package I did indeed get it! The office staff and President and Sister Miller are looking forward to the jerky!  Also... Haley is having a baby!? No way!!! When?? AAHH that's awesome!

I honestly don't even know where to start with this week. It was crazy!!!! Tuesday we left for El Paso, and I didn't come back up until Saturday. We did three exchanges this week and 2 zone conferences all down south. El Paso is insane, that's all I am going to say. haha After being there all week I am pretty sure I speak pretty good Spanish. Ok not really, but I like to think I do. I memorized most of the first vision in Spanish for fun and can do it on a moments notice :) It's amazing how close we were to Juarez Mexico. It was literally a stone throw away, and we went through border patrol a couple times. It did not feel like America to me, I couldn't understand anybody!  I heard some crazy stories from members and people down there about the drug cartels and all that good gang stuff.

President Miller did his last zone conference ever Friday in Las Cruces. That morning he woke up throwing up so that was a little curve ball threw at us. Being the champ that he is though he was able to make it a little later and delivered a powerful conference. The Lord sustains his servants, and he truly was carried with the spirit for his last one. It was pretty emotional to say the least.

Saturday I drove up to ABQ with Elder Johnson! Elder Johnson was my companion during Christmas, he goes home next week :(  Saturday was a very special day for me. I was asked by somebody me and Elder Eaton were teaching in my last area to come back and baptize her. It was Corra, she is a sweet little girl. We helped reactivate the family, and it was just a happy day!

Corra Belle Tallow

Also that day we had a great lesson with Jessica!! She's the one who played for UNLV and played Volleyball in Europe. We followed up and asked if she had prayed about the Book of Mormon. She said the first time she did it didn't go well, but she tried again the next night and was just crying and crying. She said she tried to clear her mind of everything and just sincerely ask if this is what she needs in her life. She said when she did that she immediately stopped crying and felt a peace come over her. You could feel the spirit bearing witness it was an answer to her prayer even when she related that to us. So we taught about what it means to receive an answer to a prayer and what it meant for her, and then we set a baptism date with her! Her mom is against the church, so she is going home to Las Vegas in a couple weeks to tell her the news and then will come back and get baptized on the 12 of July. She picked the 12 because it's her volleyball number, I could completely understand that one! We are praying for her moms heart to be softened, it will mean everything to Jessica.

We drove to Las Cruces late Saturday night, spent the night there, and then Elder Ballif and I woke up super early to get back to ABQ by 9 for branch council. Church was great! We witnessed another miracle with Desiree yesterday. Desiree sorta fell off the map a couples weeks ago the week she was supposed to get baptized. She's back! Such a miracle and many prayers have been answered. She fell away because of her boyfriend, but he is moved out again, and things are looking good. We had a way good lesson yesterday, and reset a baptism date with her for the 15. We are stoked.

As we were driving home yesterday I was rethinking our incredibly busy/insane/tiring week, and I just had the biggest smile on my face. I was soo tired, but even more happy! That may sound corny but I don't care, It was a special moment for me. With the amount of sleep I have been getting lately there is no way I could do this if it wasn't truly the Lords work, and I love it.

Today we started transfer planning! It just never ends for us. haha So it's going to be another intense week. Guess what!? President Miller told us that the week before he goes home Elder Larry Echohawk and Elder Villa Real are coming to our mission! Elder Echohawk gave that amazing conference talk focusing on the native americans, and he is coming here to do a rescue for the natives, and they are doing a fireside as well. They have asked to meet with President Miller and me and Elder Ballif. So cool! I am excited to say the least. It is President Millers last week, and President Miller told us they are going to help train us a little more for the transition.

Well, those are the highlights, there is soo much more I could tell you but I am not that fastest typer. It is just so humbling to be a missionary, it is a privilege to represent my Savior and wear His name. Thank you for your prayers and love, it helps. Have another stellar week!

Love, Elder Turnbow

PS Next week is transfer week which means crazyyyyyyy...... So Elder Ballif and I get our PDay on Friday most likely. So you may not hear from me until then, so don't be alarmed.

Already to Harvest

     First let me give a shout out to Dylan, Bryan, and Caitlyn! Congrats on graduating and thanks for the announcements! You all look great! Also Rachel and Tukker! Thanks for the announcement, I happily accept Tukker into the family, a great addition I might say!  

      I'm sure it was a party today with Ricks beans and lots of good food! I hope you all had a great time.

      It was another fine week here in the great NMAM! We are in the middle of doing zone conferences right now. We did three last week and have 2 this week. They have all gone really well, It is great to be around so many amazing missionaries and get to help them every day. The theme for the zone conference is increasing faith, and opening your aperture. Elder Ballif and I are doing training on the blessings of baptism. Let me share with you some things from conference that President Miller and we are focusing on. In DC 4 it says the field is white already to harvest right? So using that President does his training on faith, and said that if you think you are called to an area just to plant seeds then that is a lack of faith. Powerful right? It's awesome! It's so true, the Lord is the one preparing people. He labors with us preparing people so it can be a never ending harvest. We have to take the DC 4 scripture as a promise. It's always harvesting season when it comes to this work!! After all, as much as we love the planting season, isn't the harvest what we all look forward to on the farm? 

          

      I had one of the neatest experiences on my mission Saturday. Ted Ortiz baptized his daughter Elizabeth, and I was able to go. It was such a special moment. He also confirmed her, and asked me to join in the circle. I can't fully describe to you the joy that I felt as I listened to somebody who when Elder Weston and I first taught didn't really believe in God, confirm his little girl a member of the church. It was a treat to be a part of that special day. 

Elizabeth's Baptism

       Well the YSA branch is having a huge FHE BBQ tonight and we are off to go contact the non members that come! This week we started teaching an awesome girl named Jessica. She played basketball at UNLV until she decided to focus on her education. She is dating a member and has been around the church for about a year. She was meeting with missionaries in Las Vegas and just moved down here for the summer. We are really excited for her. 

         So tomorrow we are heading down to El Paso Texas! Home of Glory Road! Oh, and I am not coming back to ABQ until Saturday! It's going to be a great week in the heat! We have zone conferences in Las Cruces, and El Paso, and then we are doing exchanges. 

          Yesterday we taught a mission prep class for the ABQ east stake. We did it in the mission home with President and Sister Miller. It was fun! A bunch of young little Elders and Sisters. They will be great. 

             You all have a great week and have a fun summer!!

               Love, Elder Turnbow

PS. Thanks for the pics and updates on everything, always fun to read about everybody's experiences! 

PPS. President and Sister Miller told me they saw Aunt Jenny and Kenny Wilkens on Sunday!