Email & Photos from Brad Dillard 10-29-12

                                         Brad with his Halloween candy and pumpkin carving tools

                                          Brad and missionary companion

                                          Perfect Halloween party costumes

                                          Before snow.....

                                          After snow.........

Hello! This has been another great week. This has been a week of goal setting. I have thought and prayed much about what I want to accomplish out here on my mission. One of those goals includes getting in the habit of making my bed every morning. How do you like the sound of that mom? haha. I have never in my life been good at that. But I have made my bed every day for the last week. Man its awesome. A clean apartment and a made bed really does make a difference, it makes the apartment a brighter and happier place. Another one of those goals includes memorizing at least 5 scriptures a week. Last week I memorized 10! I mostly memorized another one this morning. Being able to quote scriptures, not just know where they are, is a lot of fun!  I got a lot more I am working on.

We had an awesome ward Halloween party/chili cook off on Saturday. That was a lot of fun. This tiny ward really gets good turn outs to ward functions, I have been impressed. There was a good number of non members there and a good number of less-active members there as well which was so awesome. I love that ward members aren't afraid to invite their non member friends to come to the church. We went around and got to meet them and we hope that some good will come of it.

Well there is so much else that happened but I am out of time! I love you all!

Have a good week!

Love,

Elder Dillard #2

10-22-12 Email from Elder Brad Dillard

This week was awesome. My companion and  I had a lot of fun, and we were able to talk to a lot of people and teach a lot of lessons, and make some good progress with some of the families in the area. As we have continued to keep our sites on the less-active part member families, we have been going in with the words of Elder Bednar in our minds. He gave a talk titled, "And nothing shall offend them" or something like that, and he tells of his experiences with trying to reactivate less-active members before he became an apostle, and what approach he would take. I love how straight forward and bold he was, and we have been trying to follow his example as we do our work, and it has been working. 

I have pondered a lot this week on Elder Hollands talk this from this last conference. I have been trying to put my self in Peters shoes when standing face to face with the savior and asked by him the question, "Do you love me?" If any of you were put in that situation today... what would you be able to say? I am confident that each of us would be able to answer sincerely as Peter did, "Yea Lord, thou knowest that I love thee." But what has been getting me is: what would be the saviors response to that? Would he ask for a 2nd and 3rd time if we love him as he did to Peter? Or would he say that he knows that we do love him by what we do to serve him? I have been reflecting on my life, and have been really trying to figure out what his response would be, and to be quite honest, his response right now wouldn't be what I would want it to be. I think he would look at me and say, "Oh you love me do you? Then why are you doing this and this and this!?". 

I am overjoyed at the beauty and perfection of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is so perfect! As I have continued to study more about the life of the savior, and who he really is and what he has done.

I really am loving it out here. I'm sad that the days are passing so fast though. These really are the best 2 years.

I love you all! Bye for now!

Love, Elder Bradley Dillard

10-22-12 Email from Elder Devin Dillard

We had the best week, as far as finding and teaching goes, that we have ever had in our area so far! Sacrifice brings for the Blessings of Heaven!

What a true statement. We have out of nowhere gained a lot of people to teach. Its very very busy! Its amazing, the busier I get, the easier it is to get up in the mornings! Its as though the Lord gives us more strength because we are dealing with His favorite things, "His Children." I know that the Lord loves us. Too many coincidences so far in my short life that prove God wants all of His children to return home to Him.

I received a Karen name this week! My new name is " Tha Boe!"  It means, Sweetheart or darling, haha. That's what I get for having an elderly woman name me! I couldn't understand a word she said, ahaha. Karen people are from Myanmar or Burma. Many are refugees here in Minnesota. What an amazing thing it is to see them come all the way across the world to find missionaries. Missionaries who have had to learn the language out here because it is not taught in the MTC. Such a  blessing to witness someone truly speaking in tongues!   I love Dinky Town. It has a great potential to be my most favorite area of the mission. Full of amazing people from all different backgrounds. I am growing so much. 
It sounds like it's Colder in California where Elder Brad Dillard is than it is here! I'm sorry Brother! Hahaha...it's beautiful here!
Have an amazing week everyone!
Love,
Elder Devin Dillard

10-15-12 Elder Brad Dillard

This was a really great week. The whole ward was on a spiritual high because of conference, which was awesome. Its always good when the ward is fired up. We focused on fulfilling our Mission Presidents challenge that we were given a few months ago to "Bring it" when we go into members homes. Bring it means to bring the Spirit. So we talked a lot about lessons and spiritual thoughts we could leave with the members in order to give them a greater desire to be like Christ, and to build the kingdom. Its only through members that we have any hope for success. But something I have come to know, is when the members think they are helping the missionaries, they are really only helping themselves and their families. When someone in the ward helps one of their close friends or neighbors come into the church, that will mean so much more to them than it will ever mean to any missionary. That's the point that we were trying to drive home this week. Its not about helping us, and supplying us with people to teach, its about allowing the blessings of the restored gospel to penetrate their homes and families by bringing those around them that they love into it. I remember the Spirit that was constantly in our home as Korbin and his family were being taught the lessons in our living room. Nothing is better. Us missionaries are here to teach, testify, and do paper work, the blessings are for the members. That's not true, we as missionaries receive so many blessings, but you guys get what I mean. So make sure you all are actively participating in missionary work!! Don't deny the blessings!  

Yesterday was our Fast Sunday. So I was finally able to get up and bear my testimony to the Mt. Shasta ward, which I love doing. I have made it a point to bear my testimony the first fast Sunday in each of my areas. I was able to fast yesterday as well. Some really neat things happened yesterday evening after I ended my fast, which I have no doubt happened because of fasting and sincere prayer. I fasted specifically for a few less-active/part member families, and we went to visit one of them yesterday after dinner. We were able to talk to one of the older siblings, and we started talking about church and then he was like, "Oh! My parents have been wanting to talk to you guys, because we have been wanting to get back to church more, and my youngest brother isn't baptized yet so we need your guys help with that." WELL ALRIGHT! So we plan to start teaching the family and younger brother this week or the next. What a miracle huh? Heavenly Father is preparing hearts!

After that we were able to pick up a new investigator up in the town of Weed that was a referral from our Elders Quorum President and we will be going back this Thursday. And lots and lots of other things that I don't have time to talk about.

I am so happy to be serving our Heavenly Father on a mission. It is such a great priviledge for me to be given the opportunity to serve every single day. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now.

I love you all so much. Talk to you next week.

Love,

Elder Dillard 

10-15-12 Elder Devin Dillard

This past week was incredible. It was full of the typical missionary activities along with meeting Gladys Knight and the SUV choir.

As I was helping set up chairs and getting pamphlets/programs ready for the guests, I said Hi to a woman passing by. She said Hi! And I looked up and realized it was Gladys Knight, haha. That was about all the interaction her and I had. I stood around and listened to her a few feet away, practice with some of the band members. THEY ARE SO TALENTED!  It was an exceptionally spiritual fireside! 

Listening and enjoying the music was a big highlight! The best thing that happened to me that night was this:  I was helping people check their tickets, making sure they were the right showing, talking and laughing with non-members when I stumbled across one of the women I was teaching back in St. Cloud! I told you all the story of how we found her not long ago. She is now a baptized member! It was so good to see her, two of her daughters, and her nephew.  After the show it was so awesome to see her walking out of the show crying! What an awesome experience. Such a blessing for me to see her progression.

The rest of the week was great and I really love being here on my mission.  I hope you all have a wonderful week!

God Bless you,

Love,

Elder Devin Dillard

10/8/12 Elder Devin Dillard

What a spiritual feast this past week! Conference was so awesome! I catch myself wondering if it is so awesome because I'm a missionary. As I look around and see the spirit sinking his way into the hearts of the members and non-members I realize that it isn't just because I am a missionary!

The announcement of the minimum age requirement for new missionaries is really quite amazing! I felt the spirit confirm to my heart that this is an inspired change. I know President Monson is a Prophet of God. I'm really wondering what was going through Michael Dillard's mind as this was announced. He turns 18 this month! That's really the only thing I could think about the next two hours. At least I'll get home soon enough to see him before he could technically be gone.

Have had an awesome week with Teaching a new investigator named Yihong. He is 23 and from Nanjing China. Before he met with us he said that he had no religious belief. Since meeting with us 2 Saturdays ago, he has prayed everyday and has felt a peace come into his heart he says he has never felt. He says, "I now know there is a God." I can't put into words the joy I feel within my soul. We have spent our last 2 lessons discussing his questions about the Plan of Salvation. He has the greatest questions and it is amazing to see him teach himself. I love being a missionary.

Last monday Elder Checketts and I had the opportunity to teach a religious discussion group on Hamline University. There were 25 students and we had the best lesson/discussion where we answered almost every question in the book of questions on Mormons. It was very spiritual and I am amazed at the hospitality of these people. Not one negative thing was said by any of them. They wanted to know all about the 1st vision and the Book of Mormon and Prophets. We had a projector and a laptop provided so we were able to take them around Mormon.org and show videos of the Prophet. They invited us back! Super cool. Hopefully one of them will desire to follow the Savior.

2 more days til Gladys Knight! I can't wait to listen to her Testimony and especially for the non-members to hear her testimony.

Have an amazing week!

I love you all!

Elder Devin Dillard

10/8/12 Elder Brad Dillard

My goodness goodness goodness it has been a bizarre week. How was it for everyone else? Conference was great huh!? I couldn't believe the new change in the missionary ages!! That's so nuts, but so awesome. I know that the number of missionaries will really start to grow because of this new change, immensely! I don't know if any of you were able to watch the question and answer conference with Elder Holland and Elder Nelson in between the sessions on Saturday, but Elder Holland said that they see a major growth in the number of missionaries, but they can't even predict how much. It will be a glorious day when the number of full time missionaries out in the field at one time exceeds a 100,000. I do not think that day is far off with this new inspired change. Along with Devin, I couldn't help but think immediately of Michael! Whats he going to do? This new option will really make a lot of families stop and think, especially with the women. Elder Swapp and I couldn't quit talking abou this all day on Saturday. Its mind blowing!

 

Anyways, I loved conference. I couldn't help but think about how blessed and fortunate I, along with the rest of us are, to be able to hear a prophet of God speak to us, councel us, and make known Gods will for us. Thomas S. Monson is a Prophet of God. There is no doubt in my mind, and I am so happy to be able to say that I know it.

 

It is starting to get cold here! The days are still pretty good, in the 70s. But it has been getting down into the 30s at night. Bring on the cold!! We split a ton more wood this week with a few of the members. This time we had a splitter. My back really appreciated that haha. It is so fun for me to help all the people here get prepared for winter. There is so much wood to split and so many people we could help, we could do it full time. But there is more important work to be done.

 

This week we came in contact with a number of part member families that are just golden!! I knew that this area was ripe with work and people ready to accept the Gospel. Finding these people is such an exciting thing.

 

Well you all have a great next 7 days. Be good, be safe, and know that I love you!

Love,

Elder Bradley Dillard