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!  

          

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                                    

     

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

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

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