Elder Jared Schoeny: Mission Tour

Mauri kain Amerika!

It's been a great week as always. It was especially great having a mission tour this past Thursday. All the missionaries from Christmas and Outer Islands came out for it. Elder Ardern of the Area Seventy and his wife came for the mission tour. We all came together for a conference where they taught us. They did an excellent job and gave some very insightful advice for working as a missionary.

At one point, while teaching about the importance of the Book of Mormon as a conversion tool, he asked the Assistants to pick to 'seasoned' missionaries to come up. Of course Elder Miller and Elder Barker picked Elder Rowsell and I (we all live in the same house, along with the West Zone Leaders; it's a lot of fun). We ended up having to teach about the Book of Mormon to Elder Ardern in front of all the other missionaries. It was a little rough having to do it in English, since I of course have never taught in that language before. It went pretty well though, and it was kind of fun getting put on the spot like that.

Something really sad happened a week or so ago. One of our investigators, Taani, passed away after overexerting himself at a ward exercise activity. He had been taking lessons with the missionaries for a while. He had just had a big change of heart, too, a week before passing away. No doubt he is being taught on the other side. We were able to help decorate his grave with flowers for a service.

We also had another baptism this past week. He's a 13-year old boy named Kansam. He and his brother (who is a fully active return missionary) live with their aunt and uncle's family. It was great to be able to see him make his baptismal covenant with his Heavenly Father.

Not much else to report on. Hope everything is going well out there in America. Don't forget your daily scripture study in the Book of Mormon! It really makes a difference.

Thank you all for everything! I tatangiringkami!

Elder Schoeny

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