"Ain't no rest for the Righteous"

Another fast week, like usual. We were packed and only really got to spend half the week in our area. We still got a lot done though and saw some awesome stuff happen. The Lord's hand is in the work.

The beginning of the week was spent in El Dorado. We went up for P-day and had some fun with them. It's always a blast to reunite with Elder Ross again. Tuesday morning the Smith's (a family in El Dorado) had us over for breakfast. Fried french toast! Yep, the fry everything down here. It turned out really awesome though because one of the less-actives and his non-member cousin came. The Elders have been working with them and have had a lot of success. We had a little testimony meeting all together and there was such a sweet spirit there. As I listened and then even bore a bit of my testimony, it helped me feel uplifted.

Thanksgiving was a blast. We baked 100+ cookies and went and handed them out to families, investigators, less-actives, random people on the street, etc.. It was pretty fun! We also got fed pretty well and enjoyed some good company at the Smith's house. (A family in Monroe, not El Dorado) They made us some good "dressing", it's like the southern version of stuffing. I liked it a lot! I had a lot of reason to give thanks that day, I am truly blessed. I hope y'all had an awesome Thanksgiving too.

Friday-Saturday we were up in Jonesboro with Elder Godfrey and Nuku. I love those guys so much. We had a blast together. Friday night we made a cake for Nuku and celebrated his birthday together because it is this week. Of course we sang to him and brought out the candles. Elder Nuku is a brother, I stinkin love him! On Saturday, there was a winter festival in this small town and they had a booth in it. So it was fun going around and talking to people about the church. Probably some of the weirdest experiences just walking up to random people, stopping people and so on. But, I love it and I will miss it. Luckily I can keep doing missionary work even after I get home. It was a blast in Jonesboro though and like 2,000 people were there so it turned out great.

Last highlights and updates. M____ is doing good, still is praying about Joseph Smith and the Restoration. We really have faith in her and know she will have the faith to change and be a pioneer for her and her family. E____ is also doing awesome! Yesterday we started into some commandments and it was blast to see the Jones boys do a lot of the teaching. These young kids are so smart, it is awesome. Other than them, we are really trying to find a lot. The Holidays get people busy and they say "we don't have time." This is the time we should be thinking about him most. I love this time of the year.

As the weeks wind down, a familiar verse is brought to mind. "..let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." (Hebrews 12:1) There ain't no rest for the Righteous, so we continue to finish strong here. I hope y'all have a great week, thank you for all the support. Like really.. the letters mean a lot. See y'all soon.

With lots of love and thanks,

Elder Mason Rankin :)

 

 

cookie delivery

Happy Thanksgiving!

Monroe is finally getting cold. People wonder why we are on there front door when it is so cold outside. "Preaching the Gospel never stops for anything"...

This week had it's low moments, I will be real. A lot of the people we were meeting with decided to drop off this week and no matter how many times we follow-up, it never helps. That's okay though, Heavenly Father continues to teach me patience. Even at this point in my mission.

The first highlight of the week was our Zone meeting on Tuesday with President. We all got together in Monroe for a couple of hours to learn and discuss the zone. It was really awesome and I had some thoughts down memory lane. I can still remember my first zone meeting and at the end the departing missionaries had to get up and bear their testimonies. Well that was me this last Tuesday, looking back... I never thought it would come but it really has. Everyday Elder Eggimann and I have been taking a video to remember the day. #25dayzofRankin instead of 25 days of Christmas. :) It was hard to bear my testimony, but I felt a great portion of the spirit as I did so. I am so grateful for all that I have learned.

M_____ is doing awesome, we were able to meet up with her a couple times this week. We pray for her often and know this is something that can change her life for good if she will allow it. She even came to church on Sunday and stayed for all 3 hours, it was awesome! She could get baptized before I leave it's all up to her though, we choose to have joy... "men are that they MIGHT have joy."

E____ is also doing well. He doesn't have a testimony of the Book of Mormon yet, but he does want to be baptized. We were able to review the Plan of Salvation yesterday and go through the Gospel of Jesus Christ as well. It's just amazing to be in the Jones' home to teach young E____. Their young boys help us teach and they amazing me at how much they know. They remind me a lot of Keaton and Bridger. Before we left yesterday, I got down to say goodbye to them and all of them ran over to give me a hug. It was a tender moments for me, they are the best family.

Amidst the slammed doors and cold weather, there was one other highlight. I got to go on exchanges with Elder Roberts in the North Monroe area this last week. We had a blast visiting the Caaman's, talking to people and knocking doors. We had a little miracle too. It was pitch dark at the end of the night and we had knocked a bunch of doors. We had time for one more door (why is it always the last door?) and we met an amazing family. The father had grown up in the church and has family that is still active. The wife is a non-member, and they have 2 kids. What's even better? They want to get into church so they can raise their kids in a church. It was so awesome! I hope they continue to have success meeting with them, there was such a sweet spirit in their home as I offered a prayer with them.

The days are numbered, but there is still time to accomplish so much! We continue to "finish strong" here in Monroe. We are doing well! I hope y'all take an opportunity this week, as we should every week, to give thanks for all we have been given and all the Lord has done for us..."that ye live in THANKSGIVING daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you." (Alma 34:38) Have a great week y'all, I am grateful for all of you... Especially my family, my Savior and my Heavenly Father.

With love and great thanks,

Elder Mason Rankinstein :)

Frozen Toes

Oh boy... this was a fast week.

Transfers finished and we hit this first week hard. On Thursday we got to go to MLC in Jackson. It was an awesome meeting, we talked about how we can help the mission improve their teaching, culture, finding, etc.. The spirit was definitely there. The best part/hardest part was probably getting called on to bear my testimony at the end. I am the only one going home from the council so it felt weird to look around and realize how young most of these missionaries are. 2 years of feelings just hit me, needless to say, there were a few tears. I recited 1 Cor 15:10 for part of my testimony, I can truly say I am who I am today because of Jesus Christ.

Update on M____.. she is doing awesome. She didn't come to church yesterday which kind of stunk but we met up with her and we read some from the Book of Mormon with her. She is still progressing, I know that as she continues to apply the things we teach, she will get baptized in the near future.

E____ is also doing awesome, we met with him yesterday and taught the Plan of Salvation. Being at the J____ house, it was crazy at moments with all the kids. But it ended up being good, it really is simple. Simple enough that a child can understand the Plan of Happiness.

One cool finding experience we had was this lady named C______. I feel like we get in some of the most awkward situations, it's kind of funny for me. We were heading to the car after trying someones apartment, when a lady came out of her apartment. I was trying to find a good way to approach her, when I noticed that her car had been hit. So I went up and asked her how it happened and then told about how one time I ran into a tree with my car. She thought it was pretty funny and said we could come back this week and meet up with her. Little blessings from the Lord..

The caption of this week is frozen toes, because this last Saturday night we had everything fall through. Like everything. We called members, potentials and literally got nothing. So we went out and knocked on doors for the evening. My initial thoughts were like, "you could stay inside, get some extra planning in, maybe drive around and waste time till the end of the night." But instead we extended our faith in hope of finding someone. A crazy guy, a few high people and a couple closed doors later... all we had were some frozen toes. It was almost the end of the night and it was way dark but we decided to try this one referral. We went by her house and what'd ya know? She was home with her family, she let us right in and we taught her. She now has a Book of Mormon and we are coming back this week to teach her more. Another little miracle with some frozen toes.

My thought for the week comes from a quote by Dallin H. Oaks.. "In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the Gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something." I think he sums it up perfectly. By extending our faith each and everyday, we are become someone better and stronger. I know this because I have seen it within my life.

Well I see y'all later, thanks for the prayers and emails. We continue to just "finish strong"...

With love,

Elder Mason Rankin :)

 

helping at the food bank

helping at the food bank

Missionary Leadership Council

 

Last Transfer...Rankinstein and Eggroll till the end!!

Well... Elder Eggimann and I are staying together!! We are pretty stoked! Lots of emotions and thoughts are running with this being my last transfer. We are going to hit it hard, that is for sure. We are excited to stay together another! With transfers and our brains going everywhere, I will try to recount my last weeks highlights.

We found this sweet family this last week. It was a mother, her 2 daughters and a son. We were talking about how the Gospel blesses families and really helping them see that this could help them with everything they were going through. The Mom was intrigued by something I said, so much that it caused her to go grab her son and bring him out to listen to what we were saying. It was really awesome and it was cool to just think about where I would be without the Gospel. Probably in a lot of the same shoes that these kids are that we teach. No direction, no motivation, a lot of questions and no drive. The Gospel really can bring peace to a family, I've seen it and experienced it.

I really can't remember too much. I did go on exchanges with Elder Davidson though and we were able to find a sweet family in their area. It was a sweet experience to sit there and learn about them, hear what they have been through. We then applied the Gospel right to their lives and they loved it. It became something that they wanted, they were listening and wanted to hear more. It was thankful to be there with him and teach this family.

Our area.. I feel like everyone in our area knows I am leaving soon because they don't want to listen, lots of slammed doors, people want to bash and a lot of people have dropped off. It's been humbling to see, especially with how much effort and prayer we put in each day. I read the other day in 2 Cor 12 about how Paul takes pleasure in tribulation. How can someone take pleasure in that? It finishes the verse in stating because when he is weak, then he is strong. I feel the same way. 

We have little miracles though that keep us going. Maybe an experience in studies or with a member or even yesterday. We started teaching this young boy named E____. I don't know if I have talked much about him. But we shared with him the Restoration and he already wants to be a missionary some day. He is a friend of a family in the ward, so we teach him there. They have 5 young boys, so you know it's just a blast being there with them. Plus they have a son named Mason, so they are already my favorite. :)

Well today is going to busy, so this will be short. This week we have MLC, transfers and a new start so it shall be busy and fun! Stay true to the faith, it's time to finish strong! You are all in my prayers.

With love and bunches and bunches of hugs,

Elder Mason Rankin :)

 

we made matching ties.

cool bridge

 

"Yielding their hearts unto God.."

Happy Halloween y'all! 3rd one on the mission... Kind of crazy! But it shall be awesome! :)This last week was packed full of stuff, I'll hit y'all with the highlights!

Towards of the beginning of the week I got to go on exchanges with Elder Vinson again. He is from Australia. It was awesome to teach with him again and spend sometime together learning from one another. He's a good mate, I like him. My favorite lesson of the day was probably with K____. He is 17 years old and one of the smartest guys I have taught. We talked about the Path of Righteousness with him and the authority to baptize this last week. The spirit could be felt with both visit and what I love is how sincere he is. He want to know, he is yielding his heart to God. I pray his answer to his prayers come soon to know that what we have shared is true!

Later in the week we had an exchange with the AP's so I got to go with good ole Elder Vestosterone. It was a blast to teach together again! My favorite visit from that night was with a less-active family. We showed up, everything was going crazy, baby's screaming, Dad just showed up, Mom has a toothache... just everything was was all over the place. Within 30 minutes, we were down reading from the scriptures, praying and you could feel the spirit within that home. It was peaceful, the parents were listening, the children were quiet and we all left in peace. I loved it. I know that as we take those short moments within the day as a family, we can bring peace together even in the craziness of our lives.

M____ came to church y'all!!!!!! It's been a long time coming, but it was awesome! We didn't believe it was real to we walked out the front doors to see her there with Ty. We just started shouting and dancing for joy. She came!! We have had some awesome visits with her lately and she came to the Halloween party on Wednesday. That was a blast, there were a ton of people there. You can tell a difference in M____ though, she looks so happy and is glowing. Why? Because she is applying the gospel into her life and praying each day. We met with her yesterday and we set a date for her to get baptized on Dec 10th as well! Answers to prayers and miracles all week, it just makes me smile. I know she can make it! :)

Last thing for this week. I studied in Helaman this last week and came to Helaman 3:35. The whole verse is great, but I kept on focusing on the end this last week where it says.. "yielding their hearts unto God." The blessing it states are numerous. From purifying, to firmer faith and joy. We all want joy. I have noticed throughout my life and this short time I have been on my mission, that as we "yield our hearts" to God we receive many blessings and God changes us into better people. I think to the beginning of the mission where I was scared and didn't yield my heart to God. I wanted to hold on to my old self at home and not give it up. Slowly the Lord worked with me through my studies and others.. now I have truly "yielded my heart to God." I can tell such a difference with who I am and what I have become. Even this morning, we were walking through Wal-mart and I was looking for someone we could teach the Gospel too. As we were looking at the fruit, I went up to young lady named K___. She is a student at ULM and wants to meet with us hopefully this weekend after her finals this week. At the beginning of my mission, I would have been terrified to walk up to a random stranger and talk about the Gospel with them. Why was it so easy? Because I yielded my heart to God, put my desires and comfort aside, and just went and talked to her. Just one little miracle I had today. I pray that each of us try to "yield our hearts to God." He will mold you, as he has done with me, into a better person.

Well... their are the highlights of my week! I hope y'all have a God bless! I love ya and miss ya!

See ya later! 

With much love,

Elder Mason Rankin :)

 

Only in the south! on Halloween even!

Ward Halloween party!

handing out candy and church pamphlets during halloween at the zoo!

 

A "New Creature"

This week flew by, I can't even remember all of it but let me hit some highlights that I do remember.

Earlier in the week we went up to Jonesboro to go on exchanges with Elder Godfrey and Nuku. 2 of my favorites brothers. It was a blast to be there with them. Elder Nuku went and hit it hard for the day. Brought back memories of G'ville. It was a blast to be together again and teach some people. We were able to find this solid guy while knockin doors and had a powerful lesson with him about the Book of Mormon. It was perfect. Then Nuku grilled up some BBQ chicken that night and had some good laughs together. It was a good start to the week.

Back in Monroe, we found this lady named S_____  that we are working with. She is preparing to be baptized on Dec 3rd, we are praying she will be ready for that day. Missionaries used to meet with her in the past but she stopped meeting with them because she got sucked into the world. Us meeting her again was a sign that she needed to get right with God. We were able to teach her about the Restoration and she understood it pretty well. She even was supposed to come to church but she didn't... it was kind of a bummer... Hopefully this week we can keep meeting with her and helping her progress.

We also got to meet with the C___ this week. We read some from the Book of Mormon with them and plan on teaching them more about it next time. There are some of the most genuine guys, I love them. They even treated us to some pizza, so they know the quick way to a missionaries heart. :)

Last highlight that I can remember was yesterday. We taught Gospel Principles and then had to help someone move after church. Gospel Principles was on "sacrifice." I love this topic a lot! This last week I was studying in 2 Cor 5 and came across v 17. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." I love this, I feel like this applies to me so much. As we 'sacrifice' our lives to the Lord, we become something 'new.' We are still the same person, just better. Better than we could ever be on our own. We give up our will and submit it to his. I know as I have sacrificed my life to Lord, I have become something 'new.' Someone way better, someone happier... I will never be able to thank the Lord enough for all the growth I have seen in myself. I have meaning in my life and an understanding that can't be found anywhere else. I know that you can have these same feelings, thoughts and change of nature as you do as I have done. Give yourself to the Lord, you will never regret it. Sacrifice is the definition of being a disciple of Christ and member of the Church. I have seen it.

Well I hope y'all have a great week and keep on smiling! God is great, Monroe is good and Elder Rankin is crazy... :)

With love and bunches of hugs,

Elder Mason Rankin :)

 

Re-united on splits with Nuku!

 

 

 

 

Yee-Haw!