Lots of work!

This week feels like a very long week.

Transfer calls came two days ago and Elder Perry will be with another Missionary this next transfer and I will be training again. We all have talents and even in the mission we are expected to use them. I suppose the Lord sees that I am a decent trainer. Must be my mission niche! I am not the most eloquent teacher or the best leader but I am fairly easy to get along with so I guess training is something that I will be asked to do a lot! I am still the district leader and this next transfer my district is supposed to be larger. But you know it is so much easier now that I have been doing it for six weeks so that's a little bit less stress on me.

There is this ten-year old girl that we are teaching who wants to be baptized! We set a date with her for this next Saturday so hopefully it will work out. Everything has been working against us. It seems that almost everything that could go wrong has. Her Father left and moved to Texas, leaving behind her and her many siblings. She is the third oldest and is pretty responsible. She came to church on her own with one dollar for tithing. It was a miracle that she was willing to express her faith by bringing her tithing with her without being asked to. Especially since her and her siblings go to bed hungry most nights. It's hard to get them help because her parents aren't doing what they are supposed to which can cause problems. She is just very prepared and has shown us that she wants to do the right thing even if nobody else in her family is. How a gem like her came from the situation that she is in baffles me. Where did the good come from amidst all of the wrong? That in itself is a miracle and there is no denying it. I know that God wants to help us and that no matter what we are experiencing, we can be a light and we can be blessed with faith beyond measure. This little girl knows who she is and she knows what is right. Her understanding may not be perfect but her faith is very close.

I love you all and I want you to know that I have seen God's hand daily. If you have seen God's hand, you may as well have seen Him with your very own eyes. Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.

Love,
Elder Joshua Norrell

New Stuff!

So we got a third companion, Elder Edwards, and a jeep! Both additions were needed and with Elder Edwards we took in his area with ours! Also, I'm assigned to drive the jeep and I hate driving sooo yeah that happened. I will attach a picture.

We found two new investigators this week through inspired tracting! "What is inspired tracting?" you may ask. Well allow me to explain. We look at a map of our area and choose ten streets. Then We individually look at the list and select three streets. All three times we did it, Elder Edwards and I either got the exact same street names or were one off from having all three the same! It was cool and all and when we went there were people whose doors we knocked on that were super prepared for our message! It was surely a blessing!

Also this week when we had to go back home early because it was Halloween, we played chess and watched Ephraim's rescue. It's a movie about the Mormon pioneers in the Martin Handcart company and all of the miracles that they experienced even though there were plenty of hardships to go along with it. Parts of the movie were hard to watch, especially when it depicted other people in pain. Interesting how sensitive you become to those things when you don't see it for a while.

Anywho this week has been great and I appreciate all of the emails! Now enjoy a photo of me looking dumb with the keys to a nice Jeep!

Love,
Elder Norrell

New mailing address and new insights

First order of business,our new mission address is:
1370 Caldwell Blvd.  Ste.  300
Nampa, ID  83651

And now on to the email!

So this week has been pretty good! I decided I would email my trainer, who is home now, and beg for his forgiveness because I now understand all the things I did that were annoying!

So this week we have been mainly focusing on the young people in our wards that we felt needed help. When it comes to calling in all that we did for the week, there isn't a number that goes along with that but we know that if we can help the young people in the church continue to build their faith in God then the week wasn't wasted. We love helping people because we love them! Haha! What better thing is there?

So a spiritual thought for the week. The other day I was pondering the question "Who crucified Christ?" Well of course the Bible tells us that the Jews accused him and the Romans carried out the deed so that should be the end of the question right? No! It's deeper than that. Maybe the better question is "What kinds of people crucified Christ?"

When we look into the Saviors Earthly ministry, the answer runs through the whole course of His life. The Savior was born in humble circumstances and the news of His birth was heralded by angels to mere shepherds. The humble were the ones who would truly appreciate Christ. Do you think Herod, even if he hadn't been seeking to destroy the Messiah, would have come to see him in person? Probably not.

To emphasize the point I'm getting to, note that Jesus sat at meat with Publicans and Sinners rather than with the Scribes and Pharisees. He very much enjoyed the presence of the humble crowd rather than those who were puffed up in pride because they were teachable. Those who recognize their NEED for a savior are the ones that would recognize their Savior.

So what is Elder Norrell getting at? What does the question that he asked have anything to do with what he is saying? Well I'll tell you. Jesus Christ wants to be with those that accept him and those that Accept Him want to be with Him. When we accept Christ we are saved, not because we vocally said "I accept Christ as my Savior" but because when we make that commitment to humble ourselves and let Him help, He will show us how to become like Him and He will complete us and make up for what we cannot do on our own. That is the meaning of the word Atonement, to make up for something.

So what kind of person was it that crucified Christ? It was those who felt no need for saving. They had been lead under the false impression that they didn't need to accept help of any kind because they were already perfect. They were the ones who were so caught up in what was said or what had already been said, that they missed the bigger picture. They let worldly things get in the way of what, or who, would truly save them: Jesus Christ.

The message here is that we need to always watch ourselves to be sure we aren't getting so caught up in saving ourselves that we don't let Jesus save us. I can guarantee you that His way is so much easier. So don't be like the hypocrites and only worship in word alone or deed alone. Turning our lives over to Christ mean turning over our thoughts, our words, and our actions. Easier said than done, huh?

That's what I learned! And it's not so much that I didn't know it before but it was a new perspective on an old topic.

I hope you all are doing well and I pray that God's love finds you!

Love,
Elder Norrell  

Three updates in one!

I've posted Josh's last three emails here in one post from oldest to newest. He didn't send a group email on Sept 14th, so that week is missing.  Enjoy!

September 7, 2015

"Baptism"

This week a young lady named Sierra was baptized! It was good to see her come out of the water. I was very nervous though because I was the one that she wanted to do the confirmation on Sunday. I spent all Saturday and part of Sunday worrying about it. I really am not a fan of speaking in front of a lot of people. But it was a good experience because when I got up to do it, I closed my eyes and imagined that it was just Sierra, Christ, and me. The words just seemed to flow and I tried not to think or second guess myself. If anyone in that room truly knew me, they would know that I could never have offered a more eloquent, specific, and well thought out blessing unless I had spent hours thinking about it and writing it down. I know now that I shouldn't have worried about it. Maybe the promptings of the spirit were so clear because it was fast Sunday, maybe it was because I had just finished two sacrament meetings, maybe it was because I had been trying extra hard to be obedient because I knew I was needed for the blessing. Regardless, I know that the spirit was there and that Heavenly Father cares about all of us despite our current circumstances. I love you all and hope you are doing well!

September 21, 2015

"Peace and Blessings"

This week was a pretty good week. I had so many opportunities to recognize the Lord's hand in my life and not only was it there but it was also a testimony to me that He knows exactly what we are going to do and ask for before we even do.

The first example of this was on Friday. Thursday night I set some goals for myself, which is something that I try to do daily. The goals that I set were to:

1. Find at least 1 new person to teach
2. Talk with everyone
3. Be ready for those that God has prepared

As we went about our day trying to contact old former investigators in one of the apartment complexes by the Birch, it seemed as though there was nobody to talk to. Then someone pulled up in their car and began to walk to their apartment. So we talked to them even though it didn't seem it would go anywhere and, in fact, I was right. They said they weren't interested. But this is where it gets exciting. Because I personally made a point to attain that goal that I set for myself, we were blessed. About as soon as the one lady we had just talked to went inside, someone else came out of the apartment right next to us and we talked to them! Suddenly it seemed as though the dead complex that we were in was alive. Everywhere we went there was someone coming outside or coming home. There were no people anywhere except for where we went. I saw God's hand in the work that day and we found one new person to teach out of all those people and along with that, two former investigators were willing to meet with us again!

Another miracle that occurred was with our investigator Lorenzo attending church. Lorenzo has been wanting to attend church for the past two weeks and because of circumstances, he wasn't able to come until this last week. Even though he was about forty minutes late, he made it to sacrament meeting with his three small girls (he's a single father). The last talk of the meeting seemed to be geared towards him and his girls were all very well behaved.

In Gospel Principles we taught about prayer and in this class we all introduced ourselves. When Lorenzo introduced himself Brother L. realized that they were first cousins and instantly made a connection! Brother L. who has been kind of a Debbie Downer in our class was now excited and making friends with our investigator! So much so that for the rest of the class and Priesthood meeting we didn't even interact with him much because Brother L. was taking such good care of him. Lorenzo was so impressed that he told us that he would be back next week and for an hour there I almost forgot that Lorenzo wasn't a member yet because he fit in so well. It was surely a miracle that the connection would be made and not only did it bless Lorenzo but it also blessed Brother L. I truly gained a testimony of member missionary work that day.

You all are so great and you make my day when you write! 

Love, Elder Norrell

September 28, 2015

"Interesting week"

Hey! So all is well in Nampa! I hit my six month mark in three days and transfers are today and Elder Goodsell is leaving :( He's going to Caldwell. Not sure who the poor unfortunate soul is that will be my next companion but he should be getting off the airplane tomorrow morning. It'll probably make him feel better about being new when he finds out that his trainer has no idea what he's doing as a District leader! Hey it's okay to not be perfect because God multiplies our efforts when we rely on him. In other words we will both be learning by the spirit of God and it is only by the grace of God that we will be able to succeed.

Our investigators are awesome! Lorenzo is doing well and it's like he's just super ready for the Gospel. Ashley went to church even when she was out of town (which is kind of super amazing) and we taught Oscar another lesson! Oscar definitely notices such a change in his home when we come because we strive to bring the Spirit of the Lord with us!

I know that this Gospel is true and the Jesus Christ lives. There is truly nothing that can stop the work from progressing! I know that when we choose to turn our lives over to God, He will guide us and protect us from more trials than we can handle. Come unto Christ all ye that labor and are heavy laden and He will give you rest. Take His yoke upon you for His yoke is easy and His burden is light. In other words, allow Christ to shoulder your burdens and as long as you stay neck and neck with Him, going the same direction, our burdens will be made easier. It doesn't mean they will go away but they will be made lighter. 

Do all that you can to be the best you can be. "Try a little harder to be a little better." - Gordon B. Hinckley

May the light of His love continually be a lantern unto your feet!

You are all super amazing. 

Love,

Elder Joshua Norrell

Faith

I've learned quite a lot about faith this transfer. When this past five weeks began, my faith was strong and I knew that God would take care of me. Yet over the course of those same five weeks my faith has grown tremendously. Every experience where I was unsure and asked for help, not knowing if it would come, my faith grew. Because every time I asked, I received. My prayers are answered 100% of the time because I asked, waited patiently, and watched for God's hand. I am now at the point where I know that I can call for the help of our Father in Heaven and never allow a single doubt to enter my mind because I know that what I am doing is right and that I am being the best that I can be, always improving.

Lately I read a book in someone's home. It was a short narrative on the parable of the ten virgins with the lamps and the oil. In the narrative, the author speculated on what the ten virgins were like before we even hear the part about the bridegroom coming. Each virgin who lives in this certain town is given a handcrafted lamp that is made by the man who sells the oil. Each individual lamp is different and was made with each woman in mind. Some used their lamps often, others were afraid to use it. Of those that used their lamps, they brought light to others and were given items that allowed them to improve the use of their lamps; of those that did not use their lamps, nothing was gained. One of the women didn't feel that her lamp was very special and thus did not use it, little did she know that the maker had made a unique design that would show with use. Another who did not use her lamp one day found that it was broken and was devastated. Although some used the gift that they had less or more than others, regardless of circumstance, the lamp maker was always glad to hear from the women and he would always provide oil, improve, or repair their lamps.

In the story, the one who made each lamp is Christ. He cares for each of us and He has given us all special gifts that we can use to help others. If we use our lamps or gifts to provide light and return to Him regularly to refill our lamps, He will provide even more than we expected. As we use our own special gifts, we can recognize how special each of us truly is. It is never too late to use our lamps or to ask Him to fix it because he cares for each of us unconditionally. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God, there is no thing or person that can keep us from receiving blessings but ourselves, and there is no other way to be truly happy than through Him. He is the light that guides us and helps us to see clearly. Any other way to happiness can only bring temporary happiness and never true joy. The path that Christ takes us down is the best one.

I love you all and I want you to know that God loves you. You can be sure of that because I love you. And how much greater is God than I?

With love,
Elder Norrell

Thai Food!

Super good thai food! Funny story they were like "On a scale of one to ten how hot do you want it?" and I was like "Seven". So that was awesome! Then later the restaurant manager (this sixty something year-old white man) came to our table and was like "Who ordered a seven?!" When I told him it was me he was like "Are you sure? This is a REALThai restaurant!"
I didn't know it was a crime to enjoy spicy food. (Also let's be honest it wasn't super spicy. Spicy, but not very bad.)

HAHAHAHA!! Now that I have your attention you MUST read my email! Muwahahaha! Evil evil evil evil!
I guess that's what people think of the missionaries. We just dedicate two years of our lives to being pure evil. I mean I'm so evil. I just want to love everyone to death and make them so unhappy that it just looks like they're happy but they are actually super oppressed and wanting to do good continually. That's the real scheme here. I'm not actually doing this out of love. But OF COURSE I"M BEING SARCASTIC! I actually do mean it all very sincerely and I'm trying very hard.

So this week there were some cool experiences. Twice in one day we prayed for a ride to come get us and sure enough one came each time! That usually doesn't happen in Nampa. When I say usually I mean it has only happened about three times since I've been here. So for it to happen twice in one day was awesome!

In that experience there are some pretty great principles that were emphasized. The rides did not show up until after we had walked for a bit. We had to exercise faith that our prayers would be answered and we couldn't doubt and say "If" we only would say "When".
The second principle taught was that we were only blessed after we had done what we were supposed to. The first time we needed the ride to get to an appointment but as we walked the second time without an appointment we saw so many people. There was a guy named Michael with a flat tire, some kids at the park (who weren't very nice but hopefully we set a good example), a woman named Michelle, and a man named Lake. Heavenly Father knows exactly what he is doing!

In other news, we bucked hay the other morning! I felt like a real cowboy!

So far we have two people with baptism dates but there are still a lot of obstacles so keep them in your prayers!

Love,
Elder Norrell

July 20. 2015

So this week has been VERY memorable. Nampa is treating me well and Sonic is making me go broke.

I'll start with Tuesday's Bible study. Over all it was pretty uncomfortable. The Bible study starts at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday night at the church building and is open to visitors. There is even a big banner outside that lets everyone and their dog know about it.

Well Elder Goodsell and I went to see how it was going and lo and behold there were about five non-Mormons there! We went to go put up our coats and saw we had a voicemail from the Bishop. It said something along the lines of "Elders, it has been rumored that there are going to be anti-Mormons (Mormon haters) at the Bible study. I want you to go and make sure it doesn't get out of hand." Of course as soon as we get to the classroom there is this fifty year old man waving his Bible around in the air arguing about the Trinity and whatnot. They were in the first few chapters of Matthew and of course he was under the impression that the Jesus Christ that we believe in isn't the same one in the Bible. Wrong.

We sat down and the poor lady that was teaching the class was doing her best to keep this guy calm and to continue the study. Of course every other nonmember (with the exception of one) in the room was a part of his posse. There was an older woman that all she said was "I agree with him!" and "But what about the Temple?", and older man who sat quietly with his iPad out, another older woman who said nothing, and a bald guy that was asking actual questions that weren't directed at being contentious.

I quietly raised my hand and, when called on, said "You came to an LDS Bible study. We study the Bible the way that we understand it. If you have any questions feel free to give us your information and we will answer all of your questions in a different setting." Oh but the man arguing about the trinity wouldn't have it. He continued on and on without ceasing and the woman in charge ended a little bit early after finishing Matthew.

Afterwards I approached the man and asked him if he wouldn't mind giving us his phone number so that we could answer his questions. "Oh no no I can't. I'm a.. traveling business man from Florida and all I have are business numbers," he said. Then I asked his name. He told me it was Michael. Then he began to argue. He asked me question after question and tried to catch me up in words. I didn't bother arguing with him all too much although I did for a few minutes until it was clear to me that he wasn't really looking for answers. After a while I just stood there with my arms crossed while he spoke, waiting for him to get tired of talking and to leave which he eventually did.

Michael and his posse congregated in the foyer of the church and exited the building. Elder Goodsell and I tried to make an exit to get to an appointment but they stopped us in the parking lot to argue.
Long story short. I had a theologian talk to me and present me with all of these "evidences" as to why I was wrong. "In Greek [blah blah] means [whatever]," and he just kept going. He told me I was going to Hell and that I was wrong about everything and that Jesus had literally possessed him which caused him pain (pretty scary experience if you ask me) and it was horrible. I did not feel the spirit at all as he spoke. And what can you do? I told him that I didn't agree and that I knew what I had felt before to be true. It was like talking to a brick wall of "But!" and "If!"

I wasn't going to share this experience because I didn't feel it was worth sharing (I'm sure you can imagine how I felt about it) but the other night I had an interesting experience.
As I lay in bed Saturday night I began to replay the experience in my head. It was a slew of "What if"'s. "What if I had said [this]" or "What if I had said [that]," but then a thought, "What if they would listen to our message with an open heart?" I began to expand that thought. "What if they came to understand the Gospel the way I do?" I saw their lives change, their hearts soften, and I eventually saw them as Heavenly people with smiling faces. When I had their end-goal in mind in which they could achieve their full potential, it hit me. That's how God sees all of His children. He doesn't look at us as who were are right now. Instead he see's the big picture. He sees where we've been, who we are, and who we can become. His love is perfect and it isn't limited to us. There is nothing that we can do to keep Him from loving us because we can all change. We can all succeed despite who we are or what we have done. He wants us to be successful.

So what is holding us back from being the best that we can be? Each of us has the most powerful being in existence rooting for our success, ready to help us learn, grow, and overcome. What is it that holds us back. I venture to say that nothing stands in our way but us. If we remain humble, as the dust of the Earth is humble and susceptible to the wind, and can do no more than hope for His help, it will come. Will it come if we are not ready to act? Probably not. What good is a light switch in a dark room if you won't bother to feel around for it?

I've probably already shared this scripture but in Romans 8 it says:
35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things to come,
39. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I love you all and I want you to know that I am doing very well. Keep doing your best and hold fast to your faith and everything will be okay. It does not matter what happens, you are always looked after by God and His arms are always outstretched towards you.

With deepest love,
Elder Norrell