An Exciting Week

Hey everyone!

This last week has been exciting and some great things happened! We had a good amount of lessons and we were able to keep plenty busy. There was plenty of service to do. We helped with some grounds-keeping around one of the chapels we covered. We mostly helped with picking up trash and trimming some of the plants around the property. We also got a call from one of our Bishops saying a family was moving in and needed help moving. We jumped right on it and got to work. On Saturday, we helped set up some chairs and tables for a dinner after one of our baptisms, then helped to take them down afterwards as well. All of these service opportunities were spontaneous and we weren't completely prepared, so we ended up doing it all in our proselyting clothes (white shirt, tie, slacks, etc.). When you're serving a mission, you find that you'll do just about anything in a white shirt and tie.

We also had two baptisms this week! One of them was Brandon, he's been meeting with missionaries for quite some time and finally decided to get baptized. The other was Taylor, he kind of just reached out to us and asked to take the discussions so he could get baptized. Both of them are awesome guys and it was a great day overall, of course! The best part is they both live in the same ward, so their confirmations were during the same sacrament meeting. I'm excited to see their continued progression after baptism and to see how they grow further in the gospel.

Another exciting thing that happened this week was that we met for the first time with a new "Golden Investigator". He's been attending church and reading the scriptures on his own for a few months now and agreed to take the missionary discussions. He's a pretty quiet guy and has a good sense of humor. I can tell its going to a great time meeting with him and helping him grow in the gospel!

I'm trying to do better at taking more pictures and typing a bit less, so forgive me as I work to make the transition. You know what they say, a picture is worth a thousand words! I'm grateful for everyone's support and prayers and I hope to hear from some of you in the coming week! Have a great week!

Elder Orchard

Happy Easter!

Hey Everyone!

This week has been pretty great! We did some fun things and had some great missionary moments. It was uplifting and edifying all throughout!

The first half of the week was pretty slow and we didn't have a whole lot going on. We taught a few lessons here and there and did what we could to keep busy. On the contrary, Thursday was pretty busy. We started out with a zone Conference around noon or so. We had lunch along with it, which is always nice because we don't have to pay. Instead of the normal zone Conference configuration of sitting at tables, we all sat in the pews in the chapel. It was a different experience, but it was very spiritual nonetheless. The focus was on finding people to teach.

Later that day we had the opportunity to watch a special performance of the musical Lamb of God. It was really awesome because it details the end of the Savior's life. It was also fun because most of the other missionaries in the mission were there too. We were technically only supposed to go if we brought someone that we were working with, but we couldn't find anyone. We asked the mission president's wife and she said we could still go anyway, so it's all good!

On Saturday morning we had two baptismal interviews. Both of them passed, which we weren't surprised about at all because both are amazing guys who are progressing so well. One of them has been meeting with missionaries for several years now and finally accepted a baptismal date. The other we started working with about 5 weeks ago and wanted to be baptized from the get go. We don't have any pictures because they were just interviews, but I'll make sure to send some next week.

Well, that's everything from me. Everything else is going well here and I hope everyone is doing well! Have a great week!

Elder Orchard

Hey everyone!

This week hasn't been too busy, so I don't have too much to talk about. I'll do what I can to include the exciting things that happened though!

On Tuesday Elder Johnson had to go to the dentist because he thought he might've chipped a tooth and wanted to get it checked out. There wasn't anything to worry about, and the dentist gave him the check up for free, so that was great. While I was sitting in the waiting room, I was reading my scriptures and I noticed they had an Xbox set up for those waiting. I had to laugh because their forms of entertainment were just a bit dated, but it took me back to the good old days of gaming. It almost even made me want to bust out our old Xbox when I get home and play some classics. Of course I didn't play it, that would be just a bit against the rules, but it was still fun to see.

We had a few more opportunities to do service this week. We helped one of our Ward Mission Leaders move some shelves into his basement. He repayed us by making us some pizza and telling us some gruesome construction stories. The pizza didn't taste so good after the first piece.  On Saturday we helped set up chairs for a funeral, then came back later to take some of the chairs down and put up tables for a luncheon, then came back a third time to help clean up after the luncheon and set up for church the next day. It wasn't much, but I always love the opportunity to serve others!

Yesterday we spent about seven hours in church, which is our typical Sunday schedule. It was an especially long seven hours because it was fast Sunday. Let me tell you, there are some interesting testimonies that are presented every time we have fast and testimony meeting. There are so many that are spiritually uplifting though, so it evens out. I would even say it goes beyond and makes it well beyond worth it. At the end of the day, I'm always glad that I have the opportunity to attend three sacraments every week

The rest of the week was pretty normal. We taught lessons, helped people feel the spirit, and tried to be examples of Christ in all that we could. I love the opportunity that I have to dedicate two years to serving him and others. I hope that I can be a positive influence on those here in Utah as well as those back home in Nebraska. I hope everyone has an awesome week!

Elder Orchard

General Conference & Service

Hey everybody!

We've had a great week this past week, especially with General Conference this last weekend. What an amazing opportunity it was to hear from our beloved prophet! I can't wait to tell you all about it and the many other great things that have happened!

This last week we had the opportunity to do lots of service. Most of it took place on Friday, so that was a pretty busy day for us. We started out in the morning by spending time with a few seminary classes at one of the high schools in our area. We pretty much taught the class period by talking about missions, answering questions, and doing an example teaching situation. It was great to get to see all of the youth participate, and we hope that we were able to have a lasting impact on them!

After that, we helped a part member family move across town into their new house. We didn't have anything else planned for the day, so we pretty much used all of our time just helping them move their things. For the first couple of hours we were helping them, we were in white shirts and ties because we still had dinner later in the day. After dinner we were able to change into some actual work clothes and more effectively help them with the process. I love having the opportunity to serve others and being an example of our Savior!

The highlight of this last week was obviously General Conference, as I mentioned earlier. I think this General Conference probably had more of an effect on me than any other conference so far. For both of the Saturday sessions, my companion and I just stayed home and watched. We tried to find someone to watch with, but so many people were out of town that we couldn't find anyone who was available. It's really kind of disheartening to see how many people take Conference for granted out here. We watched the priesthood session at a chapel, as per usual.

Yesterday morning my companion and I had the wonderful opportunity of attending General Conference in person. I would recommend everyone take the opportunity at least once in their life to attend a live session of conference. There is nothing that compares to the enormous outpouring of the spirit felt there. It was particularly special because we were able to be present in person when President Monson spoke. I've looked forward to having the opportunity to hear him speak ever since he was ordained president of the church. I hope he is able to preside at the next conference in October.

Other than Conference and service, our week was pretty typical. I am grateful for the many things I was able to learn this week, and I am looking forward to further learning and growth in the coming weeks! I hope you all have a wonderful week and I look forward to writing again next week!

Elder Orchard

Elder Johnson and Me in the Conference Center

Elder Johnson and Me in front of the Salt Lake City Temple

Some trees in our area that are starting to blossom. They look
awesome, but they don't smell too great.

A Pretty Great Week!

Hey everybody!

This last week has been pretty great, as always! A lot of good things are happening and we have definitely seen the Lord's hand in our lives as we have worked hard and did the work of the Lord!

Last Monday was pretty eventful. We had the opportunity to leave the mission several times to get some repairs for Elder Johnson's bike as well as to run some errands to Deseret Book. While we were only ever across the street from the mission and like 50 feet out of the mission, it was still exciting to leave the mission. It will be weird after my mission to not have to ask permission to walk across to the other side of the street, haha!

On Tuesday, we had the opportunity to have interviews with our mission president, President Killpack. We only had about 8 minutes apiece, but they are a very productive 8 minutes. I don't think there is anyone in the mission that doesn't look forward to President interviews. Fun fact, I was the first missionary to be interviewed this round of interviews. It's not that special of a thing, but it still makes me somewhat special. Also, during the meeting, those of us who were waiting for companions to interview, rides, and other missionary things, had the opportunity to preview the church's Easter Initiative for 2017, titled "Prince of Peace". It is an awesome video and I feel it will be an even more awesome initiative!

Not a whole lot happened from Tuesday to Thursday. We did a lot of contacting, as usual, and there weren't a whole lot of people home during the days, as usual. On Thursday we had our weekly District Training Meeting. It wasn't all that different than our typical Thursday meetings, but it is still always good to see the district and spend time with them.

On Friday, we had the opportunity to drive down to the mission office to get a hitch installed on our car as well as pick up a new bike rack. This was pretty exciting because we're the first missionaries to get one on our car and the second one total (the first being the Mission Van). We are kind of the guinea pigs of the mission in terms of testing out the bike racks and figuring out how to use them properly and to the best of their ability. We spent about three hours at the mission office and did our weekly planning while we waited for the vehicle coordinator, Elder Anderson, to return with our car. We even helped with some of the office work that the senior couples had. They were more than welcome to allow us to help out!

Saturday and Sunday went by pretty quick. It was pretty rainy here on Saturday, so a lot of people stayed home and we were able to make a lot of good contacts with some potential investigators. On Sunday, we attended our typical three sacrament meetings and tried to stay awake the whole time. We even had the opportunity to speak in one of them. They had planned for four speakers, one of which was a missionary departure, another was a missionary homecoming, and the last two were my companion and me. They also planned for a special musical number in between. By the time our turns to speak came around, we only had about four minutes each to talk. We did our best to condense the 10 minutes of material we had prepared into a 4 minute time slot. It wasn't really an easy task, but somehow we made it work!

The rest of Sunday was pretty typical. This morning, we had the first of two Zone activities this transfer. We played volleyball a good amount of the time as well as did a short get-to-know-you activity. It was pretty much the same as the zone activity we had last transfer, but this time with a little more structure. It was pretty fun all in all, but it could have been better. That brings us up to about now, where we're just sitting around at our apartment relaxing. I couldn't think of a better way to spend p-day!

Well, that's all that I have this week, I love hearing from everyone and I hope you all have a great week!

Elder Orchard

Our mission after the March Musical Fireside a week and a half ago.

Mount Timpanogos Temple

Hey Everybody!

This last week has been quite eventful! A lot has happened that has provided spiritual growth. I know that Heavenly Father has placed many of these things together in the same week for a reason, and I feel that reason was to make sure that I was spiritually fed. I hope to be able to remember these things in the future and always keep in mind how much our Heavenly Father loves and cares for each and every one of us.

On Tuesday, we had the opportunity to attend the Timpanogos Temple as a district. We get the chance to go once every three months, and I personally look forward to that opportunity every time. Elder Johnson and I arrived a little early so that we could get breakfast from the cafeteria under the temple. It was pretty good and kept us full well throughout the session! I love going to the temple because not only do we get to be physically fed if we choose to, but we also get to be spiritually fed. I love being able to just sit in the temple for a few minutes and relax and feel the spirit. It is one of the most refreshing things that I have the opportunity to do.

Wednesday morning was transfer morning, but since Elder Johnson and I stayed together, it was mostly the same as any other morning. However, we got an email form the Vehicle Coordinator saying that we had to come into the mission office to get our new insurance cards for our car, so we got to make the trip to the mission office anyway. I love going to the mission office on transfer days because I get to see a lot of the missionaries that I wouldn't normally get to see during the transfer. I've met so many other amazing missionaries so far, and it is really nice to get to see them every now and then. It definitely helps that our mission is so small and travel around the mission is incredibly convenient! The next day we had our beginning to the transfer District Training Meeting, but our entire district stayed the same, so it was just like any regular DTM.

On Friday, we had our bi-annual Missionary Musical Fireside at the Alpine Tabernacle in American Fork. For these firesides, we typically have a guest keynote speaker and a guest musical performer or group, along with testimonies, conversion stories, and musical numbers from missionaries in the mission. This time around we had Hank Smith as our guest speaker. He is a lot like John Bytheway in that he speaks to a lot of youth groups and such, but is overall just a great inspirational speaker. The musical guest was the Utah Valley Children's Choir. They were awesome, except I don't know if I would call them a "children's" choir because some of them drove themselves to the tabernacle. The theme of this fireside was the family. As a mission, we were asked to attempt to memorize The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Elder Johnson and I were able to memorize the whole thing, and we recited it as a mission at the fireside. All in all, it was a fantastic evening!

Saturday went by as any other day, and on Sunday we had Stake Conference in one of our Stakes. We watched the general session at one of the other buildings in the Stake other than the Stake Center so that we could watch with some investigators, but all of the talks were still very spiritual. We had the opportunity to hear from our mission president, President Killpack, who was in attendance. We were also able to hear from Elder Kevin G. Worthen, who is a member of the quorum of the Seventy as well as the president of BYU. It was a great meeting and we enjoyed it thoroughly.

The rest of Sunday was pretty casual. In one of our wards, we had the opportunity to teach a combined youth class about missionary work, but other than that, it was a normal Sunday afternoon. That brings me to this morning when I am writing this. We have the whole rest of our p-day to use, and I'm sure we'll find a great way to use it! I hope everyone has a great week and has all of their prayers answered, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Elder Orchard

Our district at the Mount Timpanogos Temple

Hank Smith and Me after the Musical Fireside

Great things are happening!

Hey everyone!

This week was pretty exciting! We got a lot of work done and some great things are happening in this area! I know the Lord has been working to influence the people in this area and we are seeing blessings left and right for our efforts.

On Tuesday we met with a young man who is very eager to get baptized. We've had several people reach out to us telling us he wanted to get baptized, so we finally contacted him to set something up. When we first met him, he was super enthusiastic and very excited to have the opportunity to be taught. We set a baptismal date almost right away! He even agreed to meet twice a week so that we could work and meet the goal that we set with him. He is an awesome guy and we know he will be a very strong member. The best part is he lives in Draper and is moving to South Jordan, which are both out of our mission. However, he goes to his girlfriends home ward and wants to take the lessons at their house, which is in our area! We look forward to seeing him get baptized.

Other than the guy above, we had four more new investigators this week. Three of them are brothers and sisters, and the fourth is a lady that we were trying to meet with for a while, but she was always super busy, so it was taking a while to set up an appointment. The father of the three kids actually reached out to us and asked to meet with the missionaries. We met with them Tuesday and the three kids were all super excited. We hope that we can continue working with them and help them get baptized. We were also finally able to meet with the other lady. We weren't able to share the message of the restoration because we didn't have a whole lot of time, but we feel we will be able to share it soon.

On Sunday we had the opportunity to speak in church...twice! One of them we had almost two weeks to prepare for, but the other we were asked on the Thursday before because the other speakers had backed out. For that one, we had to speak for 20 minutes apiece because there were no other speakers. The second one we only had to speak for 15. Of course, I didn't start preparing for the talk until the day before. Is there really any other way to do it? I talked about obedience and took a lot of stuff from Elder Christofferson's talk from this last General Conference titled "Abide in My Love". I feel that I did pretty good, except it was mostly the spirit that did all of the work to be honest.

Today we had our zone activity. We did a few "Minute to Win It" sort of mini games, but for the most part we just played basketball. It was pretty fun because we got to spend time and just hang out with the other missionaries in our zone, who are all pretty cool people. It wasn't all that exciting, but that's okay because it doesn't have to be exciting to be fun.

Today is the last Monday of the transfer, so that means it is the day that everybody found out what was happening with transfers. Elder Johnson and I will be staying together another transfer and covering the same area. In fact, our entire district is staying the same! We were both pretty excited about the news because we get along pretty well and we have a lot of promising work in the area. We are looking forward to all of the great things going on in this area and the miracles to come!

That's all I have for this week, I hope everyone is doing swell and living life to the fullest. I hope you all have a great week and I'll write to you all next week!

Elder Orchard

A portrait of Elder Johnson

A panorama of the mountains above some houses

Jammin in the car wash