Email from Elder Lofthouse 11/3/15

This week was the first of 2 weeks we will have without a senior couple..... Halfway there!  The members up here are taking really good care of us.  So nothing bad is going to happen!  And we won't starve, that's for sure, eh!
 
Tuesday was good. We had p day!  It was fun. In the afternoon we went and had a worship service at Avens. It was a lot of fun. We watched some of Music and the Spoken Word. It was really good. After p-day we went to the Milnes for supper. It was awesome. We had an awesome lesson with them afterwards. Later in the evening, we were able to visit the Clarkes. They are an awesome family up here in YK. We had an awesome lesson with them. We should be meeting with them next week. Overall it was a fantastic day!
 
Wednesday was fun. We went and played balloon badminton in the morning. That's always fun. After that we went and had lunch with Brother Sutherland and Brother Taylor. They're awesome. Every time we visit with them, I learn so much!  It's awesome. After that, we got a call from Stephan asking us if we could help him out!  So of course we went. We went to a snowmobile dealership to pick up a key and a kill switch tether for him..... We ended up only getting the key.  The kill switch tether, which is literally a piece of rubber, cost $55. The key was only $11. Then we drove out to Vee lake to help him. It was fun. There's about 4 inches of ice on Vee already. It's kind of crazy!  So we helped Stephan get some cabinets and then some gas for his generator. It was really fun. After we helped Steph, we went and got wings with him. They were really good, as always. It was really fun. After wings, we went and stopped by Brother Hudson.  He really frustrates me sometimes. We know he's home, we see him in the window, but he won't come answer the door!  I just don't understand. We'll just keep trying. After that we went to the Greenwood's and said family prayer with them!  The members up here are the coolest people ever. I love it up here in the north.

Thursday was excellent. We went and dropped off the food kits after studies, and then we went and did some Facebook. After lunch we went to Avens again to help set up for a birthday party. Then Tasia, one of the staff there, found out I could sing, so we stayed to help sing the songs. It was pretty fun. After that we went and met with Brother Milnes. He's a great guy. It was a really good visit. After that we had supper with the Gray's. We had some excellent salmon. After that we watched a stake broadcast on how to teach like Christ did. It was awesome, and there was a lot of good points that I've never thought about a whole lot. As a missionary, I should be teaching like Christ all the time.  But there's always room for improvement.

Friday was super fun. We skyped with President and Sister Manion in the morning. It was really good. Elder Holden and I got rebuked for not being down to our weight goals yet, though. But it was good. I love the Manions. They're the best. After that we went to avens for the 4th and final time this week. We went and set up, and then played some Halloween bingo with the residents. It was awesome. Elder Holden won a prize for the goofiest costume. Haha. He's such a nut, but he's awesome. After that we went and we are supper, and then we got some sweet haircuts from Steve. It was a really good day.

Saturday was a blast as well. We went to the Purcell's in the morning to help Mike clean up a little bit. It was great to see him again. He's a great guy. After that we went and had lunch with the Milnes. Sister Milnes made some tuna sandwiches with some really good soup. It was delicious. After that we went and helped clean the church. The Hunts used to do it every week, and Sister Milnes asked if anybody had done it yet. We said no and she said she'd do it.  So we went and helped her. Then we went and visited Brother Hudson. We had an awesome lesson on the atonement and how it helps us in our own lives. I think the biggest thing he got from it is that we have to give out burdens to Christ, he won't just take them. Which is totally true. Because it was Halloween, we had to go home early, to avoid all the crazies. It was a good day.

Sunday was great, as usual. We went to church and heard some great testimonies. I've noticed a difference in the branch since I got here. Everybody is more open and the branch is more unified. It's awesome. After church we went and set up an appointment with Rob and Tammy. They're a couple of potential investigators we haven't seen in a while. After that we went to the Self's for supper. It was really good and a lot of fun. I'm so glad Sister Self chose to be baptized. It's great. After supper we went to Everett's for a lesson. We had a great lesson. It was pretty much just a testimony meeting with the missionaries. But it was awesome. He really enjoyed it. It was a great day.

Monday was interesting. Last week we went in for an oil change, but they only rotated the tires. So we had to go back in for an oil change. So that happened.... Again.  Then we got a call from Sister Greenwood asking for our help. So we went and turned out she needed us to go to the store to get her baking soda and zucchinis. She baked a cake I think. She wouldn't tell us. After lunch we went to the friendship centre down town to see if we could do some volunteering there. The lady we talked to sent us down the street to see if they needed any help in their outreach program. So far nothing, but we're working on it. We had supper with the Cooper's. I love them. They're an awesome family. It was a really fun night.
   
This week I learned (more like relearned) about the importance and power of prayer. We had an awesome lesson in Sunday school about prayer, and it was a good reminder to what prayer is and why we pray. Prayer is communication with our Heavenly Father. It's kind of amazing that God, an all powerful, all knowing being, wants us, as insignificant as we are, to talk to him!  He's ready to give us all these amazing gifts and blessings. All we gotta do is ask!  It's quite simple really. We ask, and then do everything in our power to make whatever we asked for a reality. If it's something worthy and righteous then God will do what we can't on accomplishing the task we have undertaken. I love prayer. It's more than just me talking to God, he talks back!  If you sit and listen for a few minutes after you pray, you will receive an answer. It's a 2 way communication. And it is awesome. I hope you all have a fantastic week!  Love ya!

Hugs and Handshakes
Elder Rusty Lofthouse

Heroes get remembered, but legends never die
-The Sandlot (Babe Ruth)