December 15, 2014 Week 75

Well the trio is dead.  

We are having a mini transfer this week so all of the missionaries that should be going home in 3 weeks are going home early for Christmas.  

Well that leaves a lot of open places in the mission that need to be filled.  

Elder Barrett will be going to Norman, Spanish again with Elder Guzman.  

It was pretty depressing to hear especially since Christmas is in 10 days and we had a whole bunch of plans.  

Oh well life moves on.  

But he is getting transferred on Tuesday sooo ...

Today is our last day to pack say goodbye and also do our usual p-day stuff.

It will be ok Elder Rodriguez and I will still have fun here but it sure won't be the same.

So once again sorry for the rushed email but we really don't have much time. 

One story... you know cattlemen's steak house--the one that was on man versus food. Well we went there this past Thursday (Elder Rodriguez had an appointment in OKC) and we each got the presidential t bone steak... it was amazing.  I am glad we had the chance to do that before the trio dies! I will send some pictures to explain the rest of the week! 

LOVE Y'ALL

OBEY FOR SNOW:)

ELDER FINLINSON

Elder Finlinson also answered two questions:

Do you know what time you get to call on Christmas?

-- probably at night we are going over to a families home to Skype...maybe--

How is your investigator that was referred by the less active? 

-- awesome she went to our ward Christmas party along with 6 other investigators! and 10 less actives!!

December 8, 2014 Week 74

17 Days till...

hello hello 

Sorry in advance this is going to be very short! 

There was a bomb scare at MSU (Midwestern State University) so we have to go to the ghetto library and they have a 1 hour limit! 

I guess someone really didn't want to take their finals! 

Those gingerbread houses are awesome great work! 

We got invited to go make some with early morning seminary. 

So I will send y'all some pictures! 

We had a very good week sharing The Gift with many people. 

We have found it to be very easy to share The Gift with others! I think we still might be sharing The Gift after the 25th, it is just too easy! 

One experience we had this week was with a less active member. 

We shared The Gift with him and right after we watched the movie he had the desire to share it with one of his friend's wives. 

He didn't know why, he just knew that she needed to watch the video. 

So he gave us the address to his friend and we were able to see her that night. 

She was very prepared to receive The Gift.  We were able to teach her The Restoration, and since then teach her 2 other lessons. 

She has already read to chapter 9 in the book of Mormon and has read all of the pamphlets that we have given her! 

At all of her lessons we were able to have member presents and this helped her out a ton. 

Without us even telling our members anything they invited her to the ward Christmas party this week and she should be going!--- 

by small and simple things great things are bought to pass! Alma 37:6

Just imagine if we didn't go see that less active this week we wouldn't of had 3 solid lessons with an investigator!...

It is an eternal principle!!  

So look for those opportunities and share The Gift! 

LOVE Ya'll 

and once again sorry for the short letter!!

ELDER FINLINSON

December 1, 2014 Week 73

"Rabbit!" December

IT was kinda funny you asked if I was the rabbit of the trio because I am! I think that was the first time on my mission I said anything about Rabbit!  Who is the rabbit of Utah? 

(we have a tradition in our home of saying rabbit the first day of the month, the person who says rabbit first is the queen or king rabbit of the month--it was a tradition I picked up from Sister Laura Wilson Doud, companion in Hawaii)

Well this week has been great! The weather is not what I am used to. It is like we should be listening to Christmas music but it is 80 degrees outside! 

Luckily it cooled down today and it feels a little more like December! 

Thanksgiving was great.  We started off with the classic turkey bowl! It has been a year since I have played football like that.  We are all still recovering from it!  

I would say that my team won.  We set up an unstoppable zone defense and started tearing up the other team.  

I have to be honest I can't wait until this football season is over.  It is always hard going to restaurants and seeing football...

I am sure that you have heard of the "HE is the Gift" initiative that the church is putting out!  It is awesome!  

We had a training on it the other day and I thought that it sounded a little weak but boy was I wrong! 

It has been the easiest way to share the gospel on my mission! 

SO DISCOVER THE GIFT--EMBRACE THE GIFT-- SHARE THE GIFT! 

One example.  We had a ton of miles left over for this past month so we decided to go to Iowa Park--a small town north west of Wichita falls.  

Well there is one active family that lives in Iowa Park. We decided to go visit them and we shared The Gift with them by watching the little 2 minute video.  

They expressed how they really wanted to find someone else in Iowa Park.  

Well we told them to pray and we would go out for the last hour of the night and see if we could find someone.  

It ended up we found a less active family that hasn't been to church in a long time.  

We told them about what we were doing with the other family.  They wanted to meet them.  

They committed to go to church.  It was sweet! WE also shared The Gift with them. 

SO SHARE THAT GIFT

In my studies this week something that stood out to me is 2 Nephi 29:8 "Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word?..."

Now this is a classic one that we use a lot in talking about the Book of Mormon, which is good because that is what it is talking about. 

But it made me think "what is 'the word'"?  

As I thought about it.. it made me think of all the truth we have been given, specifically through modern day prophets. 

I am so thankful to have modern day prophets that lead us and guild us. 

If we were to find missing parts of the bible that would be cool...but I wouldn't exchange it for having a modern day prophet. 

A living prophet is greater then a dead prophet!..though it would be cool to chill with Abraham--oh well I guess that is what the spirit world is for.

THANKS FOR EVERYTHING HAVE A GREAT DAY

ELDER FINLINSON

November 23, 2014 Week 72

BUENO BUENO DIA DE PAVO  

That is crazy that neider is home!!! what the heck! Man he will have to go shred some lines for me! 

This week has been crazy!  I don't have a ton of time! I got my thanksgiving packages last night! That was an awesome addition to the sabbath day! thank you very much!   

This week has been crazzzy SERVICE SERVICE AND SOME MORE SERVICE!!! 

But it has been great! Wichita Falls is da best! 

WE have been getting pounded with food.  Everyone is cleaning out their fridges  before going on their vacations.  

Studies have been great  I have been in D&C 122

5-7 are "the if thou's of tribulation"
the last 2 lines of 7 through 9 start "the know thou's of tribulation"

This made me think of everything that we go through and everything our investigators go through.  But through tribulation We gain experience and more knowledge! So don't hate on tribulation!

Once again I am sorry for the shortness of my letter... I do have a lot more gratitude than what this letter shows. 

ELDER FINLINSON