The last one

 

I’m home….

I will be speaking on Sunday September 8th at 10:30 am 

Here's the addy:

691 E Cedarview St, Tooele, UT 84074

Here is a journal entry from my first real week in the field:

“8-12-22

 Today- I don't wanna talk about it- but I must cuz this is a journal. We woke up, I did my pull ups and got ready. I read Jacob 4- bomb. Had some pizza and comp inventory and got to know eachother better. Then some “street-contacting” and basically- no. Not good.

We had dinner with a fun family, more pizza. lol. And the mom ate with her mouth open. I gave the thought (1st time) I was stupidly redundant and rambled the whole time! I feel like crap. I said things over and over and caught myself in words but invited them to give away a BOM. So. Ya. I guess I did well. Just redundant. 

Then we met with Sal- the Muslim. He taught us Islam. Then we taught him about us. I used the word ‘priesthood’ and didn't explain it, but Prestwich covered for me. It was weird and super cool and idk. I feel like I did a bad job. I know what I did wrong and I feel lame. I will be better and work on it.” 

Here's one from the last day of my mission:

“8-21-24

We “get up” (I never slept a wink) at 3:00am and shower and get dressed. We drive to the airport, as we drive we sing “called to serve” one last time. We check our bags- 49 lbs and 49.5. Wow. I just about died. . .

Us Utah elders take a seat and soon it's been unbearably long so walk around the terminal and find a goofy bench to sit on. Elder Fanos nudges me and points at some kid signing- ASL in the airport- what? So I'm up and over there. His name is Daniel and he's a straight legend. Brother is off to college, R.I.T. He's curious about baptism and Jesus. We had a great talk and I felt so natural talking and teaching. God really just gave me the perfect Deaf kid- right there in the airport during my last HOURS as a missionary. . . 

The time goes fast. I cry a little bit. The plane lands. . . .

I walk through those doors and instantly I see my mom. She's crying. A ton! My whole family is there + Sione! Hugs all around, long crying hugs. And just like that I'm home. I'm home. I'm home. . .

President Griffith asks me a few questions and I cry as I struggle to answer. It's hard to talk about the last 25 months in a few sentences. So I struggle and everybody cries and then—he releases me. Just like that- tags off and now I can listen to Olivia Rodrigo again. Crazy. . . .

What a crazy crazy experience. I'm home. I'm new. I'm changed. I'm ready to go to work”

I have completely changed. The mission is so precious. Being a missionary is sacred. Being a life-long disciple is sacred. I have learned so many skills that will make every day of my life better. I have learned what repentance actually is- and I have learned there's still a lot I don't know about repentance. 

Looking back at who I was 2 years ago is a TRIP. WOW. My confidence and testimony have soared. I'm a quicker learner, I know 2 more languages, I'm a better driver, my humor is much cleaner and powerful. I’m better at loving people. I’m much more versed in scripture. I feel like I truly have the ability to meditate. I understand my identity as a Son of God much more deeply. I love the temple so much more because I know so much more. I'm more resilient, patient, disciplined, and motivated. 

I have a better relationship with my Shepherd.

If you want to be a better version of yourself- serve God. Nothing will help you to improve and be the best person you can more than living a life of service to God.

Reading the Book of Mormon showed me who Jesus Christ is. Studying the scriptures with the intent of learning has answered my prayers again and again. 

I know it's all true. Like Nephi, I'm ready to head Into the wilderness. I'm ready for trials. My testimony cannot be shaken. I know in whom I've trusted. Every time I've trusted in Him, He's caught me. 

Now that I'm home everything is weird lol. Feels like I've got no friends because they're all in California or still serving somewhere else. Talking to people is weird again lol. I've started on finishing the basement, soon I'll be covered in Drywall powder 24/7. 

I miss the Deaf Branch. I miss the Indians. I miss driving the Lord's cars. I miss comp study. I miss Wendys with the District. I miss member-meals! I really miss my missionary friends.

I miss the twinkling of the chandelier in the Oakland temple. 

It's good to be with my family. It's good to be home. It's good to have some new kinds of stress. It’ll be good to work and date and go to college. 

Thank you all for joining me on this journey. This is the last email lol. I love you all so much, I know love is real and powerful. 

Jesus loves you. 

Retrospection

 Wow, that was fast.

I will be home in 1 week. I've had 19 companions, 4 areas, 2 mission Presidents, trained 4 times, 12 of my friends have been baptized, and I've only actually paid for a haircut 1 time.

Looking back I can confidently say that I have been successful. Could I have done more? Yes. Was my heart always in the right place? No. Yet, I am an absolutely changed person. I have learned who Jesus Christ is. I know I am a son of God. I know priesthood power is real. I have experienced life-changing repentance. I've given up my will to do what God wants Instead. I have truly desired to help others come unto Christ.

My entire life changed sometime way back in my 2nd transfer when I woke up from a silly dream. I dreamt my companion and I were running around a neighborhood goofing off and ended up knocking on a door. A kind old man answered and let us in. We sat down with him and soon realized he was Deaf. In the dream I knew ASL and so I started signing with him.

Then I woke up.

I don't really share my dreams much but I felt like I should tell one of the other elders, Elder Eli Hendricks, about this one. He shocked me by telling me it meant I was to become an ASL missionary. I had no idea we even had ASL in our mission.

After that my entire life was changed. Pretty soon I found myself in Fremont, struggling to learn ASL. And then in Fremont for 18 months straight.

If I never shared that dream I never would have become an ASL Elder. I would have stayed english and travel the course of a normal mission. Instead I was tied to Fremont.

Fremont is full of Indians. This prompted me to learn Hindi. 

Later I was on exchange with Elder Holladay. We had just picked up some groceries and were sitting in the car when we both got a notification to hop on duolingo so we didn't lose our streaks. We opened it up and were surprised to see not only were we both learning Hindi, but we were on the exact same lesson! 

That was the beginning of Hindi work. 

Then we started going on exchange every week to try and teach Indians. There was a direct and plain to see correlation between the amount of study and prayer we did for Hindi and the amount of miracles and doors opened. So many Indians have now had a chance to hear the truth. Not many seriously accepted it. But many of those curry covered hearts now have a seed planted inside.

It never would have happened if I didn't talk about a silly dream. 

Now I know ASL. I will be serving Deaf people in the church the rest of my life. 

Now I know a ton of Hindi. I will be doing all I can to invite Indians to come to Jesus Christ for the rest of my life.

I know this is God's work. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are trying to save all of their children. That's the plan- we do all we can to save everybody by helping them come unto Christ and learn who he really is. Sometimes that means you have to serve in Fremont for a total of 20 months and play around with 2 languages. Sometimes it means you need to leap out of your comfort zone with no parachute and accept that the landings gonna hurt the first few times. Sometimes you cry because of the thought that some soul should perish. Sometimes you get to stand in the water and baptize one of God's precious children in the name of the Father and of the Son and of The Holy Ghost. It all works out when we try our best. God is in charge. Curveballs aren't actually Curveballs, it's just God's plan.

New

 

Had Cincinnati Chili with our Branch President. Then I had leftover Cincinnati chili for both breakfast and lunch the next day.

Elder Johnson made 40 waffles.

Had a Deaf event at a mall. Somehow there were like 10 hearing people there and 3 Deaf people. 2 of the Deaf people were pretty clear about how they didn't want to talk with us because they were Christian. I was like hey we worship and love Jesus too. They actually told me we worship a different Jesus. In ASL. I've never had that happen in ASL before. Plenty of times in english. 

The other Deaf person was Aaron, a great fun member of our branch who knows every single thing about every single bus ever.

Went to a legendary Zone Conference. President taught us a lot about prayer. One thing I've been trying to do is start prayers and then not close them. Now I always remember I'm still “in a prayer” so I can just talk with God throughout the day and be more mindful of what i'm doing and thinking.

We started helping out at the Deaf School. They're getting new furniture so all the old stuff is being thrown away. How do they get all of it out of the student housing? Us. We spent nearly 20 hours(so far) moving desks, couches, dressers, chairs, and everything else in there. Pretty crazy. 

Elder Ardinger is Gone. My 4 weeks with him were beyond precious. He was transferred to Washington. (ASL transfers happen between missions now) We are receiving an Elder Reeve and Elder Rowley. I will be in a trio with both of them for these last 2 weeks of my mission. Then come home(!) Kinda tough to have a big change this close to the end. But it will still be very fun.

If you are struggling with anything this next part is for you lol. And if you're not struggling with anything then you probably will be soon.

Jeremiah 3:23

“They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

Every morning is a restart. Every day is a fresh opportunity. Every time we wake up we can be better. We can move on from yesterday's mistakes and actually improve. Why? How?

“Great is thy Faithfulness” God is 100% faithful to all his promises. He promises to forgive us when we repent. Because he is faithful to his promises- we can be “New” every morning.

So quit feeling down about today's mistakes and shortcomings. Feel down long enough to help you feel guilt and motivation to change then get up and act. When you wake up the next morning you will have the opportunity to be NEW. 

It's just a bit.

 

Had a big cool Deaf event! My favorite one so far- a big BBQ where everything was 1 dollar! I was planning on getting like 10 hot dogs (for 10 dollars) but there were a lot of people there and I needed to prioritize talking to everybody. So I only got one. 

But it's OK! Because this Deaf event actually did wonders for me! I found out I actually know ASL! I understood everybody I spoke with, was able to make jokes, and everybody understood me! I felt very successful lol.

Somehow we helped at 3 moves this week and at all of them Elder Johnson and I played a game where every time you move something you have to make a pun. Needless to say, some of the other people helping out hurt their backs- not from lifting- but from laughing so hard.

Elder Johnson has a Laugh Track on his phone with a few seconds of silence in the end. So while we drive we put in on repeat and one of us has to give a one-liner before the laughing starts again. 

Elder Ardinger was upset and was signing at me aggressively and somehow injured his finger. Within minutes it was like 3× the size of his other finger. So I called the mission nurse and sent her the pictures and tried to explain how it happened and she got really quiet and was like “Elder Owens….stop interpreting….don't tell Elder Aringer this….ok?”

“...ok….(?)”

“I think….I think he needs surgery…please take him to urgent care right now. I'll call President Larson and let him know. Please please don't tell him…”

So im like “actually? For real?” 

And she explains something about tendons. 

So we go to urgent care and sit for 4 hours. Then got a xray and a doctor came and sat with us and said that ....everything was fine. He said to take some ibuprofen and everything will be fine in 1-2 weeks. 

Elder Ardinger and I had a fun lesson up at the Oakland temple with a Deaf Woman from Santa Rosa. She HEARD me pop my back (it was an insane back pop) so then for the whole lesson she kept telling me all about these different stretches you can do for your back while driving. Then when the lesson was over she literally got in our car, in my seat. Like she was gonna drive and showed me all the stretches to do while driving. 

Elder Ardinger could not keep it together and was laughing a ton. 

Here's a really bad thing that happened:

On pday we played pickleball. We took the paddles from our church building intending to return them that evening,

However,

We forgot.

Fast forward Thursday evening. We are headed to a giant cool Deaf event 45 minutes south! This is one we've been looking foreward to for a while. We get a call from the English ward mission leader about 15 minutes into the drive. He's mad. Really mad. And he wants his pickleball paddles. And he wants them now. They were having a pickleball night at the church. . . So, we're like “oh crap.”

We turn around and head back. And me, being my father's son, I grab the pickleball bags and walk into the church building where everybody is waiting for us and I shout “pizzas here!” Then run out of there.

Here's the phrase from psalms this week that I've been pondering “so will I sing praise to thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows” (psalm 61:8)

I think my vows are the covenants I have made with God. What does it mean to “daily perform” our vows/covenants? 

I think it means a lot more than remembering them or thinking about them. I think it's more than reading the scriptures and praying. I think those are important and maybe they're part of it. The word “perform” adds a feeling of work- like a hard task to do.

Instantly Moroni 9:6 comes to mind “. . .if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a LABOR TO PERFORM whilst in this tabernacle of clay”

My mind also, of course, thinks of a musical “performance”. Back when I was in middle school I was part of the orchestra. We had a few “performances” every year where we would “perform” some incredible music pieces. Now, if you were watching you'd be like “Wow! That was incredible!” 

But for us in the orchestra we had been practicing for at least a few months. We knew these songs like crazy. My dad already knew them just from how often I'd be humming them. So….are you ready for this? Stay with me…in order to “perform our vows/covenants” we must practice…a lot! 

If you haven't been endowed yet…practice living like you've already made those covenants. Study them often! Prepare every day.

If you have made temple covenants, practice living them. Practice creates habits. If you practice poorly you will perform poorly. 

If you practice perfectly you will perform perfectly. 

If you are preparing to receive the melchizedek priesthood, give diligent heed to the words of eternal life and magnify your calling now. Begin practicing being a valiant covenant keeper now so you can “daily perform your vows” later.

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