I'm doing awesome here in Vegas, I love missionary work so much it's so cool to be apart of something so amazing! This week was truly full of miracles and probably one of the most spiritually uplifting weeks of my life! We had a zone conference this week and Elder Pieper a member of the 70 came to speak to us. It was such an amazing meeting and I learned so much from him! He was so cool and was really interactive with all of us doing role plays and he even went out knocking with the missionaries?! I was sad he didn't come with me because he woulda put me to work! But it was so cool to see a consecrated servant of the Lord who has a lot of other important things to do take time to go out and teach the gospel. That's how important this work is. He told us some stories that were INSANE! Back in the olden days he served in Mexico and he said his mission was the highest baptizing mission in the world. He said they had a goal at one point to hit 1000 baptisms in a month. I straight up thought he was lying but then I'm like oh he's a member of the 70 he can't be lying. It was crazy he said there was 34 baptisms per companionship a month. Which was one a day! I was like what how can you do that? He was like " we would ask them to be baptized on the spot" and they would take them to the Font and recite the discussions on the way and then baptize them that day! I was like flip man I wanna try that but there's rules now where they have to come to church for three weeks first so that can't happen anymore :/ but it got me so hyped to go find some people to get baptized! I had some super cool things happen this week as well. So in my last week's email I said my week was pretty rough. So, I decided to change that! I was like ok I gotta change what were doing because it is NOT working. My area has a lot of gated communities so it's a lot of member work. But none of them want to do missionary work accept our ward mission leader so we made a ward mission plan and presented it and they loved it so that should start helping it a bit. And then And then I was like alright none of the adults want to talk to us so I'm going to do what I know best. Go talk to the high school kids! Hahaha it was the best choice I've made yet! We went street contacting outside the high school parking lot and the places they all hang out at after school. I would walk up and start complementing the guys on their shoes. And they are like what THE, this white boy knows shoes? And I'm like oh boys ya'll don't even know!! And then I made friends with them. Long story short we have 12 new people we're teaching which was SICK!! Ahh it made me so happy because I taught the Restoration in a park where it was super loud but we were just zoned into the spirit and he said he would read the BOM and pray about it so we will meet with him tomorrow to see how it went. Then that night we met up with a new guy that moved into the ward but wasn't coming to our church so we knocked on his door and he said we could meet up Thursday. We met up with him and he said he was really struggling right now! He said he doesn't have citenzship here in the U.S. and his work visa was taken away so he couldn't work at all! So his apartment, car, and phone bill couldn't be payed so he lost it all. He was living at his cousins house and he said that it was a miracle we knocked on his door. He needed someone to talk to because his other bishop wasn't listening and he didn't know anyone in that ward. But what was cool to me is he said this, " Elders my family brought me here when I was about 2. I don't remember a life other than living here in the states. I'm a returned missionary and I love this Gospel. This has been one of the biggest test of my faith in life yet. But I don't plan on losing the only thing I have which is this Gospel. So Instead of staying here and trying to hide from the feds and not work and let my faith dwindle I think I'm just going to move back to Mexico. I have some cousins down there that I could live with but I'm just not sure what to do. I think it would be best for me to go to Mexico and continue my career down there but it's hard dropping everything you own except 10 grand that I've saved up and moving into the unknown. Well actually 9 grand because I have 1000 bucks of tithing. So can you give me the bishops number so I can talk to him? " and we said of course and gave it to him. He then asked for a priesthood blessing. And I still had not given a priesthood blessing yet so I was so excited. But kind of nervous because he has some pretty big questions in life right now. So we got up and me and my comp laid our hands on this struggling mans head. Instantly I felt the overwhelming power of Gods love for this man. And then the spirit started to talk, I don't remember what was exactly said in the blessing because even though it was me speaking they were NOT my thoughts. The only thing I remember was that I said when you go to Mexico you will be a light and help to your family and the people down there. And I was like oh crap I just told this guy he needs to go to Mexico pretty much and I was like shoot was that me or God telling him but it was definitely God because when I finished he stood up and just hugged me. It was just amazing to me that God could use such an imperfect kid like me to be called upon in a moment's notice to give someone such important information in their life. I'm so grateful for Christ's atonement so that I could be worthy to be called upon to perform such a sacred ordinance. Then on Sunday was just the best way to top off the week. We had an amazing sacrament meeting and we set up a lesson with Dennis one of the guys we are teaching. He's such a stud but pretty busy so it's been hard to keep meeting with him but I had a prompting right before church to walk over to his house and invite him to church. He said he was goin somewhere but we could do our " Bible study tonight at 6" haha so we went over there at 6 and then asked him if he would like a tour of our church house. So we did and it was simply amazing. The spirit was so strong and we showed him the"Because of Christ" video. And I just watched this big huge black guy with tattoos everywhere and a box of cigs in his pocket start to tear up. He whiped it off pretty quick when it ended and then I asked him to be baptized and he said yes he wants this in his life! It was just the best to see a man with so many trials and sin weighing him down, to know there is a way to find peace! Oh, I was on cloud nine having the best time! I had set a personal goal before I got here to Vegas that I was going baptize someone. It wasn't because I wanted to have bragging rights. It wasn't because I wanted to rack up numbers. It was a goal that I knew would stretch myself but that I could still accomplish! And even though I might be in Norway by the time he gets baptized I know that I accomplished my goal of helping someone have that fresh start in their life. Sorry this email was so long but it was just an amazing week. And to have the cherry on top of the week as we walked out of the church house I heard the sound of car with a dead battery trying to start. And in Vegas that happens a lot so I have learned to listen for that! So we walked over to this lady and her daughter's car wouldn't start. She had her jumper cables out and a volt meter trying to figure out what was up. She was tired and frustrated on why her daughters car wouldn't start. So I ran to our car drove it over to her and had the prompting just try and jump it. So I got out my cables and she said " I've already tried that 5 times. " and I said let's give it one more try. I hooked it up and bam their car fired right up. Haha I don't know if it was because her jumper cables were bad or if it was a miracle but she just said thank you so much. Then here's the best part, she then looked at my name tag with a puzzled look on her face because it was in Norwegian and said " Eldste, du snakke norsk?" Whigh means " Elder, do you speak Norwegian? " and I lost it I was like no way I've been praying for this for 5 weeks I've finally met someone who speaks Norsk! She then said we lived in Sweden for 12 years so my family speaks Swedish. ( but Swedish and Norwegian are very simalir so you can talk to each other) and I was so stinking happy I couldn't stop smiling. She then asked me to bear my testimony in Norwegian. So I started to speak and she just started crying. It was just absolutely the best thing to top off the week. Man I love this gospel and I KNOW God works miracles in our lives today. God is the same yesterday today and forever. He's the same God that helped Moses split the Red Sea so always know God is a man of mighty miracles. You just have to have faith and expect them and they will come. Love you all keep it real!
Eldste McSpadden 🤘
The bio the other missionaries say about me:
Eldeste McSpadden: He eats healthy and loves to exercise! He's a clean freak and wears Pit Vipers! But he works Hard!!" HaHa! I'll take that!
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