Pics 4

January 27, 2014

 

 

1-me and adolfo again

2-random goofball in dc :)

3-whitehouse

 

Pics 3

January 27, 2014

 

 

 

1-me and elder olivo in dc

2-again

3-me and elder alfaro in front of the whitehouse

4-me and clandi (he's in the old town ward, from gautamala and a great friend)

Pics 2

January 27, 2014

 

 

1-me and adolfo (he's the one who had the stroke this past week)

2-me and hermana panteleon

3-me and elder farns 

4-me and elder ruiz-leon

5-me and caleb earnshaw (rm who came to visit)

Elder Nielson

January 27, 2014

hey family! this week was really great!

on tuesday it decided to snow a pretty good amount! so we couldn't drive so we walked and because theres no work here (or anything really, everythiing closes for snow) we had a great day and found a lot of people at home!!! which was great! we taught 5 lessons that day it felt so good haha

we have been working really hard and saw some cool fruits that took place this week! we got this super solid family referral and went to go see them and had a great lesson only to find out after they are just outside of our boundary haha so we passed them! but we went to church yesterday and a golden investigator just showed up and we were super excited about that! 

the work here and the ward here is all moving forward! its crazy to see and literally feel that the work is hastening! i can feel it in me too! it feels like my head is traveling 100mph haha and almost as if everything is a sprint! its crazy! just so many things happening and so many things to do! i'm loving it!

on friday i had a really good interview with President Riggs, he's great! i really look up to him a ton, just like it says in my setting apart blessing. 

then on saturday we had a great whole mission conference and elder s. gifford nielson came to talk with us. he's 6'5" so tall, president riggs is really big and tall but elder nielson made him look small haha! elder nielson is the one who gave the lord's game plan talk this past general conference! then after wards we had a small meeting with him and all the stake presidents in the mission, i really enjoyed that a lot! especially because it was such a small group of us with him! one thing i really enjoyed about the things he shared were just some of the simple ways that everyone can share the gospel with friends and neighbors and family. he shared a couple different stories of just how sitting by someone on an airplane and simply by starting a normal conversation then bringing up the gospel, it was really great. 

as i mentioned the ward here is doing really great, on saturday the ward had 3 baptisms and another one on tuesday and we just put 2 people on date in the next couple weeks so it really is hastening at a fast pace!

it was so good to read your emails and see the pictures! i've been thinking i should probably start getting a small plan of school and work so i don't decide at the last minute, i just have no clue still! so maybe you can help me out haha! thats one thing that has been crazy is that it feels that each month that comes goes even faster i told that to president and he was like oh yeah. 

but i sure love you all! and pray for you daily! hope all is well, let me know if there is anything i can do!!! 

con amor,

Elder Lifferth

ps lots of picts coming your way!

1-me bowling

2-me and the castaneda's

3-me and juan and teri Castaneda

 

 

Hola

January 20, 2014

hey family! this week was really good! it was pretty busy!

 

on tuesday i went on an exchange to my old area with elder muellor. he is a really good missionary and has severe allergies to nuts and dairy! he's been out about 7 months now and he has only had one serious problem with his allergies which is good. while we were there i got see a couple of my old investigators who still aren't baptized but one is really close!!! i'm excited for her! then the following morning i saw a coupon on the table in their apartment for a pancake place and that they just now started selling gluten free pankcakes so we went and while we were there we ran into another one of my old investigadors who hasn't been visited by missionaries in awhile and while we were there we set up an appointment for that saturday! haha.

 

on wednesday our ward has started doing this program type thing to get members more excited for missionary work. all of us missionaries and as many members as can we meet at the church at 7 and go visit our investigatros, less-actives or we go tracting, its been really fun. the first wednesday that we did it only about 4 people showed up...haha so its getting a little bit better!

 

then on thursday i went on another exchange to my old ward but to a different area. it was really fun. i went with elder sepulveda, he's colombian. we had a couple good lessons and got to see one of the members who is from brazil and we also clandi came out with us that night to help us. he is a good guy! we got really close while i served there!

 

one thing that is really sad is that adolfo one of my old investigators had a stroke and is really bad...he's in a coma right now. the good thing is that the hospital he's in is close to me. so we are going to visit him tomorrow. then i was thinking about it how it might be a good thing if he was to pass on now becuase right now he can't be baptized because of his situation he is in, but he could go to the spirit world and accept it there! adolfo is the older guy who is just the nicest guy ever! please pray for him :)

 

on saturday we did a lot of tracting and we found a couple new potentials. one of them we had a really good lesson with and invited him to church and he was like yeah i'll come (he's 18) and we really didn't think he'd come but he came! and he said he loved it there! we have another lesson with him tonight! we are hoping for good things for him!

 

then we went to go check up on a potential so he lets us in and we get to talking and then he tells us that he is a member and that he got baptized back in argentina but hasn't been since and how he wants us to teach his kids, one is 5 and the other is 14 and the kids aren't baptized! so the plan is to baptize the 14 year old daughter! 

 

we have been really working hard and trying to have more miracles and have more faith! its been really fun! this friday we have interviews with president, which i'm looking forward to! its always a treat! haha.

 

i had a weird dream the other night that my mission ended and i think dad and michael picked me up and took me home to where mom and amanda was and they started crying haha. it was sad and funny! i've been kinda missing you all lately haha! but don't worry its not distracting from the work! :) i just love you all so much!!!

 

this week is going to be very crazy again. i'll have exchanges tue, thur, and fri, then on sat we have a whole mission conference. its going to be a great week though filled with miracles!!!

 

con amor,

Elder Lifferth

 

ps so i wasn't at home when the package was delivered so i have to wait til it the postoffice opens on tuesay to get it! but it is here safe and sound!

Happy B-day Mom!

January 13, 2013

yay!!! happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear mother, happy birthday to you!!!  love you mom hope you have a great day!!!

this week was really great and very busy! i went on 3 exchanges this week and i was exhuasted! one of them was in my old area so that was really great to see old members and investigators! we had dinner with the castaneda's! which was so good to see them, the mom was just pretty much adoring me and thanking me for everything i did. it was a very humbling and pleasant experience. i really do love that family! 

one of the other exchanges i went on was with elder olvio (my "son") and that was very fun! he is doing good. we had a really good lesson with this guy from honduras who is looking for a church to join! 

the other exchange was with elder macias and his area is all the way up in leesburg! so it was a travel haha. we had 2 really good lessons that the spirit was really strong! 

my comp has been doing some weird stuff lately and i am trying really hard to love him and be patient! haha! its pretty ridiculous though...

today i turn 19 months out here. it feels like each month just goes faster and faster. i have really enjoyed every day. its very hard at times and you always feel like you could have done more but i love it. i love helping people see their potential as children of God, and seeing them change their lives because of it! a lot lately i have been really trying to change my teaching to just teach 'the why' it is so much more powerful and the people really catch on! 

our trip to dc last week was really fun and cold! haha i have pics but my cord is officially lost. so maybe mom you can send me a usb drive thing where i can insert my sd card and send you pics that way!? 

i love you all so much and miss you too! 

Elder Lifferth

New Years

January 6, 2014

Hey family!

 

Mom, my synthroids are running low and I will need some new ones in the next couple weeks! same with the inhaler!

 

This week was really good. we have been working really hard trying to find new investigators here. we don't have too many right now but are working really hard to find some! we have a lot of potentials that we feel have great potential! one is this single mom with 3 kids and she is very interested!

 

I went on another exchange this past week back to bella vista and that was really fun. then we went to cafe rio there and picked up a new potential there as well in my current area. she is a worker there and her best friends live in utah and they are members and she is very interested!!! it should be great!

 

The other day I got a card from charley and his fam of a gift card....(too much money...) just showing again how generous he is! he is a great example of giving!

 

That's crazy that stephen is now an official college student! thats pretty weird haha! everyone is getting old!!! 

 

For new years we visited some members and investigators. we were suppose to have dinner with this one member so we go and she just answers the door and she tells us her husband is home so we go in and are waiting and we ask her and she says oh he'll be here in a couple minutes! I was like .....oh man! members lying to us now...whats the big idea haha! so we did the best we could to get out of there as quickly and nicely as possible.

 

yesterday at church somehow we had 5 investigators at church! it was awesome! we were so excited! 

 

I still can't find my cord to my camara....

 

Today we are going to dc even though its pretty cold! haha should be really fun.

 

I love you! 

ELder Lifferth 

Yeah!

December 30, 2013
December 30, 2013

hey family!!!!

 

First off I really enjoyed skyping with you!!!! it was sooo nice! it brought me so much peace and comfort and love! haha :)

 

This week was pretty good. we have been working hard but not having any success. we decided to really put an emphasis on working with the members and the bishop. so we've been really working on that and trying to build their faith and trust in us and hopefully in return great miracles and a lot of baptisms happen!

 

One of our investigators who is a youth was going to get baptized this coming sunday but now wants to wait til after her birthday which is in about 2 weeks! but we were thinking how that would be better because the hour we have church gets changed to 1 and now her whole family can come and hopefully all get baptized together that day!

 

Yesterday at church elder ritchie came to give a lesson on how to manage money and elder olivo translated for us. a lot of the things he talked about were really good and i feel like thats what I've been doing. then that opened some ideas about different job possibilities in the future!

 

I don't feel like there is a whole lot to talk about because I told you everything on skype! I am very grateful for all of you and love you! really words can't explain how I feel for all of you!

 

I brought my camara today but not the cord...I hope it's not lost...oh well!!!

 

love you!

 

Elder Lifferth

Transferred

December 23, 2013

Hey family! love you all!

 

As you saw I got transfered! I am now living in annandale in the little river ward. its a nice ward, relatively small and young (a lot of converts of less than 5 years or so) but it has a good missionary mentality. It's exciting.

 

Before I forget mom one on my last purple inhaler and I'm on about 45 left so still have some time :)

 

My new companion is elder alfaro. his dad his from el salvador and his mom is a gringa. he is a really nice guy! So far hasn't been too hard to work with. But I love him a lot and I feel pretty protective of him ha. he really loves classic rock and is always singing pink floyd and other artists of that time haha and he loves classic movies star wars and stuff like that. so its pretty entertaining. I think  this will be a good growing experience for me!

 

Yesterday night we went to the temple visitor center with a member and some less actives (well inactives, they haven't been to church in 20 years haha) and it was really good! the performance was by the temple orchestra there and it was really nice, the funny thing is that while we were there I saw a family from my last area the escobars! and the mom (who reminds me a lot of grandma shirley) ran up to me and gave me a big hug in front of everyone haha I was like....uhhhh... haha it was funny because I've only been away for since thursday so only a couple days and she was like ahhhh we miss you so much! haha

 

Its really cool here, our ward missionary leader use to play professional soccer back in bolivia! I really want to play with him so we will see!

 

Yesterday we had a baptism (not mine because I just got here) but the man who got baptized is soo great! he's an older gentleman and so loving and just so prepared! I also found out that one of the people I was working with back in springlake got baptized this past week! so that was great to hear! haha.

 

So for Christmas we are planning on hopefully skyping around 1 o clock here so 11 ish your time. I have mom's account to use and I will skype to dad's account. we only have 45 mins to skype so lets try to not go over too much! :) haha.

 

I've been getting to know a couple members over here so far and they are really nice. I know a couple members who go here from different exchanges I've been on and they were really happy to see I am here now! so so far its been a nice comfortable transition.

 

I did get that package, I am saving to open it on wednesday! thank you!

 

That's exciting that aaron is going on a mission! I see that michael still hasn't dumped his girlfreind....

 

Well I love you all so much and we will talk more this wednesday!!! Merry Christmas!

 

con amor,

Elder Lifferth

 

ps i have pictures but forgot my camara....sorry...

 

 

WOOOO

December 9, 2013

WOOOO!!! Big news of the week i actually just got an email from Emili A. (the venezualen family that I taught that moved away to florida) emailed me to tell me that her dad E. got baptized yesterday!!!! I'm freaking out over here with so much happiness!!! that is sooo great!!!! wow I'm speechless! haha :D

 

that's too bad for rsl...oh well better luck next year!

 

this week was good! we had lots of mtgs and this week I will have lots of mtgs too! oh man...takes up a lot of time... but thats ok!

 

so dad mentioned how he saw the blizzard from the redskins game...yesterday it snowed here (not too much) and they cancelled church...we were going to have for sure 2 investigators come but we had to let them know it was cancelled...me and elder ruiz-leon were so confused because it wasn't bad at all really...haha. then the mission sent us a text to stay in. once again a little confused because it wasn't terrible and I feel like we could have worked in it...oh well safety first I guess. so we played some board games yesterday with the other elders. it was fun. it was sad because the hermanas were going to have a baptism but they had to cancel it too...they were really  sad.

 

everything else is going really good out here! I am told to tell the family and friends to send all christmas packages to my apartment now before the 19 otherwise we won't be able to get it before christmas because the the 19th is transfers already, so if you want to give me anything for christmas you might want to get on that :) haha.

 

I am really happy with everything right now, especially my mission. I absolutely love it. I was thinking this week how much Stephen will miss out on if he doesn't go, it literally brings tears to my eyes as I type this..I really hope he considers going. it will be the BEST THING HE CAN EVER DO. its worth the sacrifice of everything to go on one.

 

well I sure love you all so much and am so grateful for all of you! please keep sending me pictures of the family and weather :)

 

con amor,

ELder Lifferth

 

 

Thanksgiving

December 2, 2013

Hey family!

 

This week was really great! Lots of good stuff happened!

 

We had some really great lessons with our investigators this week! the spirit truly guided us this week! one thing I've been trying to focus on is the number or quality lessons and daily contact instead of quantity...there are a lot missionaries who focus too much on the numbers and looking good with how many they teach lessons that they forget the why we teach. so that has been going good for us!

 

for thanksgiving 2 members invited us over and one of our investigators did as well! it was all really good! and in the mean time when we weren't eating we went through different ward members and investigators to pass out thank you cards! that was really fun to do! I felt really good doing that.

 

then on Saturday the ward had a thanksgiving dinner and we had a lot of our investigators come!!!! it was great!!! and a member who I had just gotten to know this past week who they are a great family!!! she brought me chicken and gluten free spaghetti to eat since there was turkey! it was so nice!!!! honestly having celiac out here has been a huge blessing being able to connect with people! same with my other infirmities! so I see them as blessings!

 

at church we had 2 investigators come! we were so excited!!!! one was her first time since we've been teaching her! she has progressed soo much! the only down side it that she is going back to el Salvador for the holiday season and we are going to see if we baptize her before she goes or pray nothing bad happens while she is gone!!

 

also yesterday we helped out with 3 different blessings! we've been giving a lot of blessings lately! which is so great that we get to use the priesthood to bless the lives of others!!!

 

so now we won't be getting the ipads until January because the missionary department has had some delays... but I'm ok with that! haha!

 

in those pictures I don't know if it was an optical illusion or what but Michael looks huge haha! especially in the one when ya'll are in front of the fence haha!

 

we are working really hard, and I feel like we are so close to getting some more baptisms! just if we keep pushing I know that our work will get paid off!

 

I sure love you all!!!! hope everything goes great for you!!!

Con amor,

Elder Lifferth

Heeya

November 25, 2013

hey family! this week was really good! it was busy and good stuff happened.

 

this past Friday we had a mission conference with Elder Teh from the 70, its really cool that he is young than president riggs, and president riggs is younger than dad! so he's pretty young to be in there! it was really great. he taught a lot of great stuff! it was very spiritual. he talked a lot of "getting out of the 'current' in the mission field" and compared it to the current in finding nemo and how its easier to be there, a lot of friends are there but you don't go too far. that's one thing I've thought a lot about. I see that all the time. just how that's the easy path to take and it will always be the easy path to take, but we need to walk the path Jesucristo set for us. its not always easy, but it is the most rewarding and as we walk the path He walked we can grow and become the person we need to be!

 

I went on 2 exchanges this week. I felt a little bad for Elder ruiz-leon who had to go, I was always way nervous to go on them when I was new! but he did well! I really enjoy them now!

 

we have this investigator from argentina who is so great! we've been seeing him for the past 3 weeks now and this past Wednesday we go over there and he had bought me gluten free chips and gluten free cookies. I was blown away that he would do that for me!

 

we have been working really hard with this less-active who reminds me a lot of charley! and the other day we had such a powerful lesson with him and his mom! and on sunday he came to church! I was honestly so happy! and also we had 2 other investigators come to church!! so we were pumped! haha! we  were jumping around reverently haha! church was really exciting because we got a new bishopric! I think it will be really good and very focused on mission work! so we are excited about that!

 

I did get that package! I was really happy!!! I thought it was funny how you gave me lots of sweets and a toothbrush! I don't know if that was intentional haha!! I love you all so much! i'm excited for Amanda!!! the baby laira (I don't know how to pronounce that how its spelled? haha) is it like "l + air + a"? or "la + ee + a"? i can't read English super well now ... ha.

 

it has been getting pretty cold here! yesterday was really cold plus wind chill! elder ruiz-leon thought he was going to die! haha. but no snow! i really hope it doesn't snow this winter!

 

love you all!!!!

Elder Lifferth

 

the last one his my companion

 

 

New Comp

November 18. 2013

 

Hey family!!! sure love you all!

 

this week was pretty good. I have a new companion named elder ruiz-leon and despite his Hispanic last name doesn't speak Spanish haha! but he's doing good!

 

a lot of  our investigators are doing really good, but super busy! we've had a really hard time contacting them and getting lessons with them! elder ruiz-leon has been pretty frustrated haha but that's just how the mission life is, sometimes we just don't have lessons...the important thing is to keep working hard and being obedient and things will work out and be ok!

 

this Friday we are having a special mission conference, Elder Teh of the seventy is coming to visit us and train us! President told us that Elder Teh is younger than him! and from the Philippines. I am looking forward to it.

 

I'm not sure if its just because I've been out here for a year and a half but I am exhausted...I wake up, exhausted...work out, exhausted....eat food, exhausted...study, exhausted... teach, exhausted... hahah! I guess there is no rest for the weary.. :) but some how God keeps blessing me with strength to keep on keepin on.

 

this upcoming transfer is going to be a 5 week transfer plus a ton of meetings so it should go by really fast! its 5 weeks so all the departing missionaries cam make it home the week before Christmas! which I bet the families will be super grateful!

 

yesterday at church , Raymond V. and his mom maria came to visit me!!! (I worked with them a lot in springlake) it was so good to see them! i'm not sure if it was against any rules but I didn't invite them so my hands are clean! haha. maria on her way out shook my hand and left a piece of paper in my hand and smiled! late I looked at  what it was and it was a lot of money! too much money! haha.

 

also yesterday at church juan C. and his wife came (he is about 22 and less-active, he's the one who reminds me a lot of charley and cassie) but it was so good to see them come with there little baby!

 

has Michael dumped his girlfriend yet? I keep on writing rough drafts but I don't want to sound to mean haha!

 

time sure is going fast! too fast, especially with the holiday season! please let me know of Amanda's baby goes! i'm excited for her!

 

con amor,

Elder Lifferth

Hey

November 13, 1013

Hey family!

 

Sorry for not being able to email Monday (veteran day) or yesterday (mtgs..) but here I am!

 

this will be brief! so this week is transfers and I will be staying and elder peacock will be leaving! its been fun being with him!

 

Tomorrow I will get my new comp! i'm excited, it will be fun.

 

I enjoyed all the pics you all sent and as well super pumped for rsl! haha

 

this past week we had a lot of really good stuff happening! and also last minute we ended up not going to dc sorry for the disappointment! 

 

being on facebook is still pretty weird but it has been such a huge tool! having lessons and working with investigators, recent converts and less actives! its useful! the real life work is also going really good! this past sunday we went to one of our investigators to make pancakes and then we all went to church together afterwards! that was fun and effective to get them there haha :) the hermanas tell us how great it works so we tried it and bam the whole family came!

 

is it just me or is it pretty crazy its almost Christmas!? next time we Skype i'm pretty sure it'll be from my ipad! we get them dec11!

 

i'm pretty tired right now and can't really think of what else happened and with transfers and mtgs I didn't make the normal list to remind me! sorry!

 

sure love you all! and I will write more on Monday!!!

 

con amor,

elder lifferth

Holaa

November 4, 2013

Hey family!

 

THis week was pretty good. lots of good stuff happened.

 

I started using facebook! I have no idea how to use it still!! its pretty scary! haha I feel like an old person trying to use it haha! but its getting a little bit better! I will say though that it is really weird being on it! I almost feel like I am being disobedient! I think if I had the choice I wouldn't use it during my mission, but God knows what He's doing!

 

Halloween was pretty fun. we as a zone all got together to have a dinner then we watch monsters inc university and rise of the gaurdians I thought both were pretty good, m.u. was really funny ha.

 

this past week I went on 2 exchanges. one was to my last area and in the night we went to check up on one of their investigators and as we were walking we ran into my old investigator Brenda! and she is doing soo good! she is still getting taught and going to church weekly! it was so great to see her!!! the other one was with elder boucher who came to my area so we could plan some stuff! both went really good.

 

then yesterday was the first time on my mission I was able to do a full fast!!!! I was so pumped! haha, I've been slowly building up my mind and body to do it! and it happened and I still don't have a migraine so that wa a huge miracle for me!!!

 

so yesterday night we got a call that sara (Julie and chris' neighbor) was back in town for something and wanted to meet with us again! so we went over and had a really good visit with her and that family. we went over pretty much everything we teach as missionaries briefly! I felt like it went really well. she's a really nice lady.

 

one of our investigators named vilma is really nice to us! she is doing really good still, but she didn't come to church yesterday! but now every time we go over she always feeds us a lot haha! she is so nice to us! all of our other investigators are doing really well too! we honestly have so many solid investigators that it is really hard to see them all consistently!!!haha! its crazy! and all have the potential to baptized before the end of the year!  we are blessed that we have a car every day now!! we don't share anymore, so that helps us a ton!!!!

 

but yes I got the package and thanks so much!!! it was so great! those cookies were those same cookies I ate in the mtc! they are soo good haha.

 

today we are planning on going up to DC, it should be fun!

 

not this Thursday but the 14 is transfers. i'll let you know when I know where I will be!!

 

sure love ya'll!!! let me know if there is anything I can do for you!

 

con amor,

Elder Lifferth

 

ps picture of us and sara and the price family! (it is weird teaching lessons in English now haha)

 

pss...oh man! the computer isn't letting me upload the pic...til next week! :)