June 24, 2013

Dear Family:

Can you imagine what it would be like if a non-member saw what went on in that Broadcast last night??  How could this possibly NOT be the true Church of Jesus Christ?  It was amazing seeing the amount of missionaries in that choir in the Marriott Center.  Everything that was spoken was so inspiring.  Elder Phelps and I have been talking a lot about what we are going to do to help the ward to grow and that Broadcast opened our eyes even wider to all of the wonderful possibilities there are.  It's a great testimony to me to know that there are members, like you, really trying to reach out to get to know their neighbors and be anxious to share the gospel with them.  Didn't you love what Elder Nelson said?  I think that presentation with that southern accent lady was my favorite part of the whole broadcast.  I loved when he described his mission companion's experience on the plane ride.  "I'm a Mormon, ARE YOU?" The testimonies of those leading this church, under the inspired instruction of the Lord, make me so excited to get out and share this with everyone.  I honestly wonder at times why everyone isn't a member of the church.  There will be many more soon though.  Hannah and I are so blessed to be a part of this time of missionary work.  We have an army out preaching the restored gospel to every part of the world.  

This week will be the last week before President and Sister Barry leave.  We have been finding a lot more people that usual.  We have several new investigators that are pretty active in their own churches, but they are very interested at times during our teaching.  We found out that a boy that has been attending a while named Luis is not a member of the church.  He comes with the Bishops granddaughter every week and told us that he would be fine with us teaching him more about the "basics" of the church.  His parents are Hispanic, so hopefully we see something from that!  We hope to start helping members to get to know their neighbors more and to be friendly and open in sharing the gospel. I'm guessing that President Cottle is going to have a lot of things to tell us next week about the way that we are going to move forward as a new mission.  

I'm still the District Leader and still don't really know much, but it's been great.  District Meetings have been great and I really love my District.  We talk pretty frequently with each other and I'd say we're all pretty close.  I don't know of much more that I could be doing.  Pray that I pick back up though.  I have been slowing down a lot because of the transition we're making between Presidents.  I love you!!!

Love,

Elder Moore

June 17, 2013

Dear Family:

Elder Phelps is a great missionary.  He is from Layton, UT, and he has been out for about 21 months.  I'm probably going to be sending him home from Beaufort in the next few months, unless President Cottle decides to switch things up when the mission changes in July.  Who knows?  I could be on the other end of Georgia in three weeks.  

I LOVE the tie that you sent!  Sorry I didn't say anything more about it.  I had to come up with a more creative way of tying it because it's really thin, but I get a lot of compliments, especially from other missionaries about it!  Thank you so much for sending it!!  

This weekend we got to go out to these migrant worker camps on St. Helena Island.  It was a lot of fun and kind of a breath of fresh air away from all of the English work I've been doing for the past several weeks.  I can safely say that I feel more comfortable teaching the gospel in Spanish.  At least as a missionary.  I talked to a man from Mexico named Max all about the life that these people live and it's amazing.  They all are permitted to come to the US for several months to work on these plantations (basically) and pick vegetables or do other similar jobs.  They are paid according to the amount of food they end up picking.  Max told me there are days he makes up to 200 dollars and more a day!  They live in either trailers or basically shack-style apartment buildings for a couple months and then move on to the next place or go back to their country.  Seems like a pretty good deal, but the downside is pretty much no transportation and the living conditions.  We talked to a lot of people yesterday and invited them to learn more about the restoration.  There were several people that showed a lot of promise and we'll be heading back there this weekend to go and see them!  It feels like we are in Mexico when we are at those camps.  I don't think there was a single white person there other than Elder Phelps and I.

Things at Parris Island are good.  Nobody's set to get baptized for now, but we're working with all of them.  It's hard to teach to their needs because, from what we found out yesterday, everybody is there for a different reason!  I think that I'll be going to Recruit Thompson and Recruit Campbell's graduation because they invited us, but we'll see what President Barry says.  It's two Wednesdays from now.  

We just got Sister missionaries in the ward and every companionship was affected by the transfer.  Our district is a lot of fun and I'm excited to be a part of it.  I don't know if you remember me talking about Elder Eklof, but he's serving in Hilton Head now!  We will be heading down to Hilton Head today to go have some P Day fun :)  

I love you!  Have a good week :)

Love,

Eric

June 11, 2013

Dear Family,

It happened!  I'm staying in Beaufort meaning, GMM HERE WE COME!!  Elder Lundberg is being transferred down to High Springs, FL and I will be serving with another Spanish Elder, Elder Phelps!  It's his last transfer and from what I hear, he likes to work haha.  I'll tell you all about him when I meet him.  

It's been a LONG week.  We have been learning all about desire and diligence so that everyone doesn't just sleep for the last month before the great divide and it's been somewhat helpful.  It's been a difficult transfer because we're just so far from everything, it's hard to feel responsibility at times.  Recruit Jonica Hernandez was baptized on Sunday!  I'm so happy for her :)  She has family that are members back home and was fellowshipped and invited to church by another recruit at Parris Island.  It's still so amazing every Sunday that we get to go out there and teach them.  She was the first person that I have ever actually performed the ordinance of baptism on, outside of the temple.  It was really an honor and I feel great to know that I hold the authority to do that!

I'm so excited to hear about Charlotte as well!  I wish that I had more things to tell her and Hannah about preparing that would really help them to be "great missionaries," but when it comes down to it I think that it really is a completely different experience for every person from what I have seen.  I'm proud of them both and expect to hear great things :)  

It's been a great week.  A lot of people were baptized last week in the mission...  About as many as were baptized in the whole month of May, so I feel that the Lord is blessing the Barrys for their faithful and incredible service.  They spoke in Sacrament Meeting in Beaufort on Sunday and it was the last time that I will see them until I go back to Provo for school...  It's definitely going to be sad to see them go, but I'm happy to know that there are people that faithful in the world and that they did everything that the Lord wanted them to from what I can tell.  They say that the greatest measure of success, however, will come when they see who their missionaries turn out to be in ten and twenty years.  I think that their efforts in converting their Elders and Sisters have been marvelous.  

Keep praying for me!  I love you so much and I hope that you like the letter I sent you for you birthday.  Sorry it was late :) 

Love,

Elder Moore

P-Day Fun, June 3, 2013

A member of their ward treated Eric and his companion, Elder Lundberg, to a horse drawn carriage tour of Beaufort, South Carolina, as part of their P-Day activities

Love the trees, spanish moss, and the homes!

Trying not to look like tourists, haha!  

June 3, 2013

Hola!!

It's been a great week!  In the past couple of weeks I have been able to interview two people for baptism and it's an amazing experience!  Our district is doing amazing and it feels like we have been coming together a lot more lately.  I felt like the spirit was very strong in district meeting for the first time when I was up there helping everyone to get excited for the month of June.  I have been learning something I hadn't really realized before lately though.  As amazing as baptisms are, I honestly don't feel like they are anywhere near the most important measure of how successful a missionary is.  I made a prediction when I came back out that things wouldn't be like they were before where I would teach a million pointless lessons a week, but rather have more meaningful numbers and it has made a great difference.  It's been amazing how much the Lord has blessed Elder Lundberg and I.  

I thought for sure that I would have been called to train this transfer along with the rest of the Spanish Elders, but I wasn't so it's looking more and more like Elder Lundberg and I will be here together for another transfer.  I'll know by the next time I write you, I guess...  

We have been teaching a lot of elect recruits over at Parris Island and helping them to understand what it truly means to repent.  The Zone Leaders came up to interview Sister Hernandez for her baptism on Sunday and she is SO excited.  Church for them is really the most free time that they get all week, so they are just happy to have normal people to talk to.  They are always asking us to bring them cookies and brownies or protein bars or some sort of food because they are just used to the stuff that the government feeds them every day.  Haha One of their moms might be sending us something to take in to them on Sunday and we can keep whatever they don't get!  Recruit Thompson received the priesthood yesterday and will be exercising it next week at sacrament meeting :) passing the sacrament!!

It's been an amazing couple of weeks.  The faith of the Savannah GA Zone is incredibly high because we are going to make June the best month of President Barry's mission before heading out into a new mission.  I can't lie, I would be a little bit sad if I was put back into the FJM.  Transfers are next Wednesday though, so I'll know by Monday night.  My prediction is that Charlotte gets called to the Macon mission and then somehow I'm put back into the FJM.  Haha 

I'll definitely try out the diet changes.  I have been doing pretty good, but it's nice to see a list of the things that I should be shopping for.  It makes shopping somewhat easier.  We're going on a horse-drawn carriage tour of Beaufort with some members at 1:00 today!  I'll try to get some good pictures to send to you.  

I love you a lot!!  I'm glad that you had so much fun in Italy.  It's amazing that you're already done, but I'm glad that you were saying it felt like you were gone for a long time to you a few weeks ago.  I'm feeling a lot better.  Keep praying for me though because that can change at any given moment :)  

Love,

Elder Moore

May 27, 2013

Dear Family,

This week was fantastic.  We had a great Zone Meeting about true growth in the church coming as a result of TRUE repentance.  It was inspiring and everyone left there feeling like a million bucks.  We baptized a recruit named Thompson this weekend and confirmed him right there on the spot.  It was really cool!  They have a baptismal font in the ground that fills up in like twenty minutes and it was in the middle of one of the chapels.  Thompson was telling us that he was feeling great and that he is excited to get home and tell his parents about the changes that he has decided to make in his life by becoming a member of the church.  

Today we had a zone P-Day, a rarity for the Savannah Zone...  We played baseball on Parris Island with a member and a bunch of other missionaries.  They came up from Savannah and the surrounding areas to play.  We went to a museum afterwards and learned about the history of the Marines.  I don't think I would ever put myself through that.  I guess a mission is kind of like the spiritual equivalent though!  

It sounds like you are having a LOT of fun in Italy.  I would love to be there with you.  I saw probably all of the pictures you posted on Facebook and it really does look like a dream.  It's amazing!!  I hope that you have a great last week!  What's the best thing you have eaten???  

Love,

Eric

May 20, 2013

Cara famiglia,

I'm feeling pretty brain dead as well after a week like this one.  I went on three trade-offs and ended up having to get up early on Sunday to go to church, so we're both just incredibly tired.  There have been several days this transfer I have just wanted to not get up out of bed, but it's a good thing I set the alarm like ten minutes early so I have time to make the dreadful decision before 6:30 comes around.  I just realized how amazing it is how much my attitude switches from the moment I wake up to a few minutes later when I am feeling great about getting up and ready to get outside and run or something :)  The Lord enables you when you really want to follow him.  

This week was fruitful.  The Lord has been blessing us like I have never before been blessed as a missionary.  I still don't really have a clue what we're doing most of the time, but we suddenly have a bunch of people progressing toward baptism and with dates, not only in our companionship, but in the district as well.  South Carolina is rising again :)  Parris Island is still an amazing experience and we interviewed Recruit Thompson yesterday for baptism.  He'll be baptized next Sunday after Sacrament meeting!!  We forgot to tell him to bring a change of underwear though so he might have to go commando the whole day of his baptism!  Hahaha  I just can't wait to see what the service is going to be like.  We are talking to another recruit that believes everything we have taught and would be fine with getting baptized this coming Sunday if it wasn't for this doubt she has about the three kingdoms of glory.  It's interesting because she believes that some people will be more blessed in heaven than others but can't grasp the fact that they are three separate places...  I need to study that doctrine I don't even think I know enough to answer her haha.  She just thinks that there's heaven and hell and wasn't having it even after we read to her from 1 Corinthians 15.

We met with another lady this week named Jessica that was referred to us by her friend in Tennessee.  Her husband is a drill instructor at Parris Island, so he's not usually around, but apparently both of them are very interested and excited to learn.  We taught her about the Restoration and asked her how she felt and she told us that she feels that she has been lied to her whole life.  She believed everything that we taught and learned so much, just from the hour we were with her.  We explained to her the origin of the Bible and she was amazed that she had never put it together.  (That it is written by the prophets.)  She understood very clearly why there would be prophets today and their role.  We will continue teaching her and hopefully she'll be baptized in the next few weeks or month or so.  :)  She went to the store and bought a skirt to come to church and feel more like she fits in.  She also invited her less-active friends to come :)  It's amazing how the Lord just uses us to do what he really wants to happen.  We just have to work hard and pretty much just wait for him to put us in the right place.  

I have been thinking a lot about my own personal conversion over the past few days and it's interesting because I still don't feel like I'm totally converted to everything that I should be, but I know that I want to be at least.  I think that's enough.  Everything resolves itself with time.  I remember someone comparing life to a slow cooker one time.  You put in the right seasonings and just have to wait a long time before you're actually what you are aiming for.  (If that makes any sense.)  The gospel is great and true, but at the same time interesting like that.  

It was a good week and I continue to learn a lot!  Pray for me that I don't go crazy while I wait for this great divide of the mission and switch to occur in July.  I am so excited to see what things will be like with a new President, in a new mission.  (If I end up in Georgia, that is.)  Keep having fun and pray for me!!  I loooooooooove you :)

Love,

Elder Moore