Dear Family,
I'm glad to hear that the move went well. What is your new address and phone number? And what's up with the outside buildings that Mom was talking about? Anyways, it sounds like a pretty nice place. I'd enjoy some pictures it you have time. I can't offer any money, but I'm sure if you tell Angela that pictures need to be taken, she wouldn't mind helping out her poor little brother some time. :) Thanks!!!
Dear Benson,
No, I'm pretty sure I'll beat you at basketball too! Missionary work doesn't deprive you of sweet skills, you know. Remember Ammon? He beat those robber guys at their own game! And with one hand behind his back (or at least that's how I like to imagine it)! Now, I don't mean to compare myself to Ammon, but I'm just saying...you just wait! Actually in all seriousness, since we both love basketball, and we just happen to be brothers, we're going to have to get together and practice some sweet moves that we can use to dominate on the court against all the old guys :)
By the way, so far you're passing at the "Write once a month challenge," so good job. Keep it up! I love you Benson! Keep being the kind of person that brings out the best in others.
Love, Elder Craft (the 2nd of 5, that have yet been born)
Dear Mom,
Great job surviving the move! And guess what? A month or two ago I got to hold a 5+ foot boa constricter, and I couldn't help but think of you. I'm sure you'll learn to love the surprises and adventures that country life will bring! I love you tons! Have a fantastic week!
Dear Dad,
Remember the Lord shapes the back to bear the burden placed upon it :) Plus, you gotta stay in shape, so I can have someone to wup on in racquetball when I get home :) JK. I truly hope everything is going well for you in every aspect of your life. I'll keep Grandpa in my prayers. Thanks for the update. I love you, and wish you a happy and successful week!
Love,
Elder Craft
MIRACLE Stories:
Mike LeBosco came to church yesterday! He was a referral from Sis. Guasp (a newly called ward missionary), so we gave him a call on Friday. He was busy at the time, but said he'd come to church, and he did! He hit it off pretty well with our ward mission leader, and we're very excited to begin teaching the restored gospel!
Because of Elder Allen's sickness, we weren't able to get a whole lot of work done on Friday, but we did go out tracting for a little bit, and I was really praying for a miracle to happen that would encourage him. So we planned to go to a certain street, and the very first door we knocked on a young man named Tommy, about 17 years old, let us in and seemed excited to talk to us. He said that he hasn't lived there long and was actually looking for a church, which is always good to hear, but he couldn't meet then, so we got his info and scheduled an appointment. It was a very clear and immediate answer to prayer!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Carpe Diem!!
Dear Family,
I love you all so much! Time really is going by extremely fast. I hope everything is going well. Carpe Diem!! (Seize the Day)
Dear Jacob,
Happy Birthday buddy!!! You're such a big 5 year old boy! I love you soooo much, and sure miss you! You're such a strong, handsome, smart, and awesome little brother. I can't wait to play with you when I get back. Be a good boy. Love, Spencer
Dear Mother,
I'm pretty sure my email is without the period. I'll try to send a letter for Jacob's birthday, but at least you can give him that little note for starters. Thanks! Good luck with the move. It sounds like quite the project :) And I bet it would be emotional moving after living there so long. Remember I was in 2nd grade when we moved there. Isn't that crazy?! We've had a lot of good times in that house, however, future days are going to be even better. I know that for a fact. I love you so much, and will definitely be praying for you this week :)
P.S. Could you send me my perfect pushup thing in the next package? It's no rush, but I think it'd be nice to have. Thanks!
Dear Dad,
Thank you so much for all you're love and support! I always appreciate your counsel and encouragement. A member in one of our wards said about a mission: "You have two years to do it, and the rest of your life to think about it." That's true for a lot of things, but it definitely gives me a sense of urgency for my mission. The time goes by too quickly. Anyways, I love you so much! Have a great week!
Love,
Elder Craft
MIRACLE Stories:
Last Monday we called Neal Kermas, a potential we tracted into, to see if we could teach him that day. He didn't answer the first time, but he called back a few hours later and we were able to teach him 30 minutes later! He had absolutely no concerns and accepted a baptismal date!
We've started teaching Dillon Jack who is trying to get active in the church again. He was interested in doing the stop smoking program, and so last Thursday we gave him a short preview of it, and he decided right there on the spot to start! He was already prepared and willing, and all we had to do was teach the principles.
Yesterday we found out that a Spanish referral we gave a couple of weeks ago was getting baptized. It was so exciting!
Miracles you have seen from planning:Last Tuesday on teamups, we planned to tract a certain street where a less-active member with an unknown address lived, and we were not only able to find the LA, but we also found a new investigator Glen Casner, who we've started teaching. It was a cool miracle :)
We lost contact for a few days with one of our investigators, Chris Brown. However last Friday we planned to just stop by at a time when we thought he'd be available, and we were able to teach him the Plan of Salvation! At the end of the visit when we were scheduling a return appointment, he wanted to do like a week and a half later because school was busy, but Elder Allen promised him that if he'd take out time to meet with us in the midst of his school work, he'd be blessed to do even better at his assignments. Chris accepted the promise, and we have an appointment with him tomorrow!
I love you all so much! Time really is going by extremely fast. I hope everything is going well. Carpe Diem!! (Seize the Day)
Dear Jacob,
Happy Birthday buddy!!! You're such a big 5 year old boy! I love you soooo much, and sure miss you! You're such a strong, handsome, smart, and awesome little brother. I can't wait to play with you when I get back. Be a good boy. Love, Spencer
Dear Mother,
I'm pretty sure my email is without the period. I'll try to send a letter for Jacob's birthday, but at least you can give him that little note for starters. Thanks! Good luck with the move. It sounds like quite the project :) And I bet it would be emotional moving after living there so long. Remember I was in 2nd grade when we moved there. Isn't that crazy?! We've had a lot of good times in that house, however, future days are going to be even better. I know that for a fact. I love you so much, and will definitely be praying for you this week :)
P.S. Could you send me my perfect pushup thing in the next package? It's no rush, but I think it'd be nice to have. Thanks!
Dear Dad,
Thank you so much for all you're love and support! I always appreciate your counsel and encouragement. A member in one of our wards said about a mission: "You have two years to do it, and the rest of your life to think about it." That's true for a lot of things, but it definitely gives me a sense of urgency for my mission. The time goes by too quickly. Anyways, I love you so much! Have a great week!
Love,
Elder Craft
MIRACLE Stories:
Last Monday we called Neal Kermas, a potential we tracted into, to see if we could teach him that day. He didn't answer the first time, but he called back a few hours later and we were able to teach him 30 minutes later! He had absolutely no concerns and accepted a baptismal date!
We've started teaching Dillon Jack who is trying to get active in the church again. He was interested in doing the stop smoking program, and so last Thursday we gave him a short preview of it, and he decided right there on the spot to start! He was already prepared and willing, and all we had to do was teach the principles.
Yesterday we found out that a Spanish referral we gave a couple of weeks ago was getting baptized. It was so exciting!
Miracles you have seen from planning:Last Tuesday on teamups, we planned to tract a certain street where a less-active member with an unknown address lived, and we were not only able to find the LA, but we also found a new investigator Glen Casner, who we've started teaching. It was a cool miracle :)
We lost contact for a few days with one of our investigators, Chris Brown. However last Friday we planned to just stop by at a time when we thought he'd be available, and we were able to teach him the Plan of Salvation! At the end of the visit when we were scheduling a return appointment, he wanted to do like a week and a half later because school was busy, but Elder Allen promised him that if he'd take out time to meet with us in the midst of his school work, he'd be blessed to do even better at his assignments. Chris accepted the promise, and we have an appointment with him tomorrow!
Righteous Leadership D&C 121:34-46
Dear Family,
Thank you so much for your prayers, support, love, example, and faithfulness! I love being a missionary and have been very blessed by the Lord in so many ways.
Joshua,
Thank you for choosing me to take your flat self on some adventures! I'm glad to hear that you still remember me :P I hope I can do a good job at helping out with your school project. Anyways, I love you so much Joshua and hope that you are still smiling and being a great boy! Love, Spencer
Dear Dad,
Thank you for your great example of diligent and meaningful scripture study. I'm am so incredibly blessed to have a righteous father! You've always been an inspiration to me as well, so thank you!
I'm sorry to hear that work is kind of slow :( But I do have faith in King Benjamin's promise (Mosiah 2:41), and I know that as you continue to be righteous the Lord will bless you with anything you may stand in need of. We actually did a "resolving concerns" role-play this morning in companionship study, where we addressed the concern of an investigator who is too busy with work, family, and other stressful things in life. We used the scripture found at the end of 3 Nephi 13, where the Savior says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you....take no thought for tomorrow...for tomorrow shall take thought for things of itself (or something like that)." Anyways, the message from the Prince of Peace is to "be still and know that I am God." Of course it's hard to do in stressful times, but when we diligently seek the Spirit's comfort, our burden's may be eased. I love you more than you know and will be eternally grateful for your great leadership in my life!
Dearest Mother,
Good luck with the move! I'm sorry that I can't be there, but know that in the future whenever possible, I'll be the first to come and help! About that one address, if it's not in my area, did you just want missionaries sent there? And what is their situation? I'll look for their address, but if you still have it, could you re-send it? Sorry for not following up with it sooner.
I was reading the other day about the two prophets of the last days who will be killed in the streets, and I was just wondering: where was it said that their names will both be David? It's not super important, but I was just wondering if you knew or not.
Anyways, I decided to do the "Scripture of the Week" on a personal basis, so I'm starting this week, and I decided to let you know each week what I learned from last week's pondering and application, and what I will be doing for the coming week. This week I chose: Doctrine and Covenants 121:34-46, with the theme of "Righteous Leadership." It's definitely a great passage! Thank you for sending the skin stuff, I definitely try it. And thank you for all that you do! I love you dearly, and wish you a stress-free and sucessful week!
Could you let me know what your new ward, stake, address, phone #, etc... will be? Thanks!
All of your prayers are much appreciated. The Church is true, and I love you!
Sincerely,
Elder Craft
Thank you so much for your prayers, support, love, example, and faithfulness! I love being a missionary and have been very blessed by the Lord in so many ways.
Joshua,
Thank you for choosing me to take your flat self on some adventures! I'm glad to hear that you still remember me :P I hope I can do a good job at helping out with your school project. Anyways, I love you so much Joshua and hope that you are still smiling and being a great boy! Love, Spencer
Dear Dad,
Thank you for your great example of diligent and meaningful scripture study. I'm am so incredibly blessed to have a righteous father! You've always been an inspiration to me as well, so thank you!
I'm sorry to hear that work is kind of slow :( But I do have faith in King Benjamin's promise (Mosiah 2:41), and I know that as you continue to be righteous the Lord will bless you with anything you may stand in need of. We actually did a "resolving concerns" role-play this morning in companionship study, where we addressed the concern of an investigator who is too busy with work, family, and other stressful things in life. We used the scripture found at the end of 3 Nephi 13, where the Savior says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you....take no thought for tomorrow...for tomorrow shall take thought for things of itself (or something like that)." Anyways, the message from the Prince of Peace is to "be still and know that I am God." Of course it's hard to do in stressful times, but when we diligently seek the Spirit's comfort, our burden's may be eased. I love you more than you know and will be eternally grateful for your great leadership in my life!
Dearest Mother,
Good luck with the move! I'm sorry that I can't be there, but know that in the future whenever possible, I'll be the first to come and help! About that one address, if it's not in my area, did you just want missionaries sent there? And what is their situation? I'll look for their address, but if you still have it, could you re-send it? Sorry for not following up with it sooner.
I was reading the other day about the two prophets of the last days who will be killed in the streets, and I was just wondering: where was it said that their names will both be David? It's not super important, but I was just wondering if you knew or not.
Anyways, I decided to do the "Scripture of the Week" on a personal basis, so I'm starting this week, and I decided to let you know each week what I learned from last week's pondering and application, and what I will be doing for the coming week. This week I chose: Doctrine and Covenants 121:34-46, with the theme of "Righteous Leadership." It's definitely a great passage! Thank you for sending the skin stuff, I definitely try it. And thank you for all that you do! I love you dearly, and wish you a stress-free and sucessful week!
Could you let me know what your new ward, stake, address, phone #, etc... will be? Thanks!
All of your prayers are much appreciated. The Church is true, and I love you!
Sincerely,
Elder Craft
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Elder L. Tom Perry visited our mission
Elder Craft & Elder Allen (fresh from the MTC) Spencer is his trainer
Christmas P.J.'s we made for Spencer & Elder Greenfield
Dear Mom and Dad,
(Here are a couple pictures. Enjoy!)
Well, Elder Perry did a conference for our mission last Saturday, which was awesome! We all got to shake his hand, and I believe that was the first time I've shaken the hand of an apostle. Elder Hallstrom and Elder Funk were also there. The Spirit was so incredibly strong in that meeting. Elder Perry mainly taught us the doctrine of the apostasy and restoration; he then concluded by telling us to go forward with confidence in our message. Elder Hallstrom talked about the importance of working with the members and about the power of companionship. Elder Funk and President Pfile also spoke and all of them were great talks! I hope to remember that day for years to come. Elder Perry also did a training meeting for the bishops and ward mission leaders in the area. He re-enforced a "ward mission process" that will ensure that we're teaching (if all goes well) 20 lessons a week--if not to non-members, than to PM and LA families. So I'm really excited about the work that is to come. He told the ward leaders that a "re-acitivation" is as significant in the eternal perspective as a convert baptism, and I totally agree! So there's always missionary work to do; even in Utah! :)
Dad, I have been fairly regular with my journal, but I could definitely use improvement, so any ideas would be great. Thanks!
Mom and Dad,
The other day I strongly realized that I have a lot to grateful for, concerning how you raised me throughout my life. Being on a mission and having various companions has helped me recognize some things that I sort have taken for granted. So I decided to make a little list of some of those things:
Thank you teaching me the importance of eating healthy and being active. Thank you for teaching me table manners :) Thank you for pushing me to succeed in school. It's made a world of difference! Thank you for teaching me how to work, how to clean, and how to take care of myself. Thank you for showing me a great example of how to work with people, how to respect and be sensitive to others. Thank you for teaching me to be perfectly honest, to be responsible, dependable, and to not make excuses. Thank you for teaching me to not waste time with worthless pursuits or hobbies. Thank you for encouraging me to date! Yes, it really does help prepare a young man for a mission :) Thank you for setting such a great example of humility, self-respect, and self-confidence. Thank you for teaching me the importance of perfect obedience. Thank you for expecting a high level of maturity from me. And thank you for teaching me to set high standards (in every area of life, but especially spiritually)! Anyways, I could never thank you enough for everything you have done for me! I will be eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father for allowing me to be raised by a couple of my greatest heroes! Thank you so much!
Gotta go, but have an outstanding week!
Love,
Elder Craft
MIRACLE Stories:
We were taught in-person by a living apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ!
This morning we had an appointment to follow-up with a ITL potential, and the lesson went well. His name is Robert Meade, and we taught him the Restoration and set a baptismal goal for March 7th!
We planned to go tract a certain street, but when we got there we realized that we has been there very recently. So we went to a near-by street and near the very end of the street we ran into Chris Brown. Chris has grown up with mormon friends, but didn't know a whole lot about the church. So he let us teach him right there on the porch, and it was great! We have a return appointment with him tomorrow. We talked to one of his neighbor friends, and she said that she didn't expect it from him to listen to us, but he did, and he was really receptive. It just goes to show you that a lot more people are prepared than we realize!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Happy Valentines Day
Dear Dad,
Thank you for sharing your scriptural insights. That's so awesome! I'm so glad to here the miracle of the house being sold. You guys are definitely living worthy of the Lord's blessings. I love you Dad! Good luck with the upcoming move :)
Dear Mom,
Yes, I did get the package! Thank you so much; it was wonderful! I feel so spoiled!
I love you tons! Have a great week.
I don't have much time, but just real quick: things are going very well. We've definitely been blessed with things going on, we just need to work on sealing the deal and getting these precious souls into the waters of baptism. I feel confident that it is coming very soon though. Elder Allen is progressing a ton, and we're becoming great friends.
This Saturday Elder Perry is coming to the area to address the missionaries and train the bishops and ward mission leaders. So we're really excited! I'll let you know how it goes :)
Colorado Springs is definitely an interesting city to be a missionary in! There are so many different views on religion that we get exposed to. It sure keeps us on our toes :) I've never been told that I'm wrong so much in my life; and ironically, it's happens to be when I'm doing more right than ever before! I love you all! Have a Spirit-filled week!
MIRACLE Stories:
We got a car! What a miracle!
While tracting, Elder Allen was thinking: "I know that we're here for a reason." Then right after that, we got into a door! The man said he already has a church, but we said that our message is for everyone, so he let us teach him the Restoration. His name is Dan White, and he agreed to pray and prepare to be baptized on Feb 28!
Last Thursday was a great day. We had two lessons with investigators planned back to back, and because of our new car we were barely able to make them both! The lessons went well, and it felt great to be busy teaching.
Thank you for sharing your scriptural insights. That's so awesome! I'm so glad to here the miracle of the house being sold. You guys are definitely living worthy of the Lord's blessings. I love you Dad! Good luck with the upcoming move :)
Dear Mom,
Yes, I did get the package! Thank you so much; it was wonderful! I feel so spoiled!
I love you tons! Have a great week.
I don't have much time, but just real quick: things are going very well. We've definitely been blessed with things going on, we just need to work on sealing the deal and getting these precious souls into the waters of baptism. I feel confident that it is coming very soon though. Elder Allen is progressing a ton, and we're becoming great friends.
This Saturday Elder Perry is coming to the area to address the missionaries and train the bishops and ward mission leaders. So we're really excited! I'll let you know how it goes :)
Colorado Springs is definitely an interesting city to be a missionary in! There are so many different views on religion that we get exposed to. It sure keeps us on our toes :) I've never been told that I'm wrong so much in my life; and ironically, it's happens to be when I'm doing more right than ever before! I love you all! Have a Spirit-filled week!
MIRACLE Stories:
We got a car! What a miracle!
While tracting, Elder Allen was thinking: "I know that we're here for a reason." Then right after that, we got into a door! The man said he already has a church, but we said that our message is for everyone, so he let us teach him the Restoration. His name is Dan White, and he agreed to pray and prepare to be baptized on Feb 28!
Last Thursday was a great day. We had two lessons with investigators planned back to back, and because of our new car we were barely able to make them both! The lessons went well, and it felt great to be busy teaching.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Transfers! but not transferred
Spencer has a new email address. Check it out on the right hand side of his blog.
Hi Family,
Yeah tomorrow is transfers, but Elder Allen and I are actually both staying here. But....we're getting a CAR!! I'm so excited!! It'll really help speed up the work. I haven't driven in a few months, so I guess I'll need to learn again :P I'll make sure to watch out for those medians though! :)
Dear Dad,
Well your story about Benson's driving didn't really make me laugh (it actually concerned me a little), until the part where Mom and Joshua both suggested a different driver :) That's totally crazy that he's driving all ready! Time sure flies! (The other day I had a kind of out-of-body experience. It totally seemed crazy that I was on my mission. After so many years of looking forward to it, it's finally here and passing quickly!) I guess we can never let days go by without making the most of them.
Thank you for your words of wisdom and encouragement. I REALLY appreciate it. I'll be praying for you and the family, especially hoping that everything goes well with the move.
Could you include in your next email the addresses for Papa Craft/Edie and Grandma/Grandpa Wilding? I seem to have misplaced them.
I love you Dad! Have an awesome week.
Dear Mom,
I love you so much and am grateful to have such an awesome mother who is "anxiously engaged in a good cause." I totally understand when you can't write.
I really liked that quote that you shared. It's a great way to live your life.
President Pfile does approve certain books, so you can send it and I'll ask him at interviews. (I'm guessing he'll say it's okay as long as I read it during free time).
By the way, send some pictures of you in the overalls and braids. I'd love to see that! Maybe Angela could take some really nice ones of you with some hay in your mouth and everything! (I love your sense of humor by the way. It made me laugh). Keep being the amazing person you are! Talk to you next week.
At the request of Angela, I'll try to start including funny stories. We get them a lot, but I need to do better at keeping track of them.
As missionaries, we do a lot of "role-playing" lessons and scenarios. One night we were "teaching" a big teddy bear (which we don't do very often, but we wanted to mix it up). At one point in the lesson I had a funny little experience, so I'll share it with you. Elder Allen is a great missionary, and a very sincere and spiritual teacher. So it is not uncommon for him to shed tears as he is speaking. While I was teaching I was mostly just going over the ideas, practicing how I would explain it, and not really getting into it. But at one point as Elder Allen was talking, I realized that he had started to cry. So I was looking at him as he was crying and pouring out his heart to this teddy bear, and I almost laughed. It was really funny! I hid my amusement pretty well, but I just thought it was a cute little moment for my new companion.
Anyways, I love you all and wish you the best!!
Love,
Elder Craft
Hi Family,
Yeah tomorrow is transfers, but Elder Allen and I are actually both staying here. But....we're getting a CAR!! I'm so excited!! It'll really help speed up the work. I haven't driven in a few months, so I guess I'll need to learn again :P I'll make sure to watch out for those medians though! :)
Dear Dad,
Well your story about Benson's driving didn't really make me laugh (it actually concerned me a little), until the part where Mom and Joshua both suggested a different driver :) That's totally crazy that he's driving all ready! Time sure flies! (The other day I had a kind of out-of-body experience. It totally seemed crazy that I was on my mission. After so many years of looking forward to it, it's finally here and passing quickly!) I guess we can never let days go by without making the most of them.
Thank you for your words of wisdom and encouragement. I REALLY appreciate it. I'll be praying for you and the family, especially hoping that everything goes well with the move.
Could you include in your next email the addresses for Papa Craft/Edie and Grandma/Grandpa Wilding? I seem to have misplaced them.
I love you Dad! Have an awesome week.
Dear Mom,
I love you so much and am grateful to have such an awesome mother who is "anxiously engaged in a good cause." I totally understand when you can't write.
I really liked that quote that you shared. It's a great way to live your life.
President Pfile does approve certain books, so you can send it and I'll ask him at interviews. (I'm guessing he'll say it's okay as long as I read it during free time).
By the way, send some pictures of you in the overalls and braids. I'd love to see that! Maybe Angela could take some really nice ones of you with some hay in your mouth and everything! (I love your sense of humor by the way. It made me laugh). Keep being the amazing person you are! Talk to you next week.
At the request of Angela, I'll try to start including funny stories. We get them a lot, but I need to do better at keeping track of them.
As missionaries, we do a lot of "role-playing" lessons and scenarios. One night we were "teaching" a big teddy bear (which we don't do very often, but we wanted to mix it up). At one point in the lesson I had a funny little experience, so I'll share it with you. Elder Allen is a great missionary, and a very sincere and spiritual teacher. So it is not uncommon for him to shed tears as he is speaking. While I was teaching I was mostly just going over the ideas, practicing how I would explain it, and not really getting into it. But at one point as Elder Allen was talking, I realized that he had started to cry. So I was looking at him as he was crying and pouring out his heart to this teddy bear, and I almost laughed. It was really funny! I hid my amusement pretty well, but I just thought it was a cute little moment for my new companion.
Anyways, I love you all and wish you the best!!
Love,
Elder Craft
Monday, January 25, 2010
Howdy!
Dear Family,
I love you all and hope everything is going well! I don't know if you realized, but I hit my 8 month mark a few weeks ago, which means I am 1/3 of the way done with my mission. Isn't that crazy?!
Dear Wonderful Mother,
I love you tons! Good luck with the many busy things you are engaged in at this time. By the way, I am supposed to inform the mission office when my home ward or stake changes, just to give you a heads up. Also, the next chance you get, could you by chance send me the talk "Profile of a Prophet," by Hugh B. Brown? I hear it's really good. Thank you so much!I loved the little stories you sent me about the boys! :) That is hilarious! Or, as you would say it, "the most funniest thing." :) Those are great rules for a big brother to have. I sure have a lot of things to learn from Joshua about "winning friends and influencing people." I don't remember having much success with getting Benson to do my work for me :) Anyways, I love you dearly and very much look forward to sharing those precious moments with you in the future. Keep being awesome!
Dear Dad,
I read Elder Ballard's talk about father-son relationships this morning. Of course, it made me think of you. I was reminded of how much I truly treasure our relationship. Thank you for always being such an amazing example, teacher, and friend. I sincerely hope you are doing well. Question: Could you sometime send me our priesthood line of authority? It's no rush, but I thought it'd be neat to have. Myldsmail.net is making some change so I'll probably be getting a new email address shortly. I'm not sure exactly when, but it'll be: spencercraft@myldsmail.net (pretty easy to remember :) )I received an impression this morning that I want to use with my future family. I know we've done similar things, but here's the idea: Have a family "Scripture of the Week". Something that the parents prayerfully decide on. Each day recite it in family scripture study. Then by the end of the week, maybe have a prize for those who have memorized it. Also, on a daily basis talk about ideas and experiences you've each had applying the scripture. I love you tons! Good luck with the moving process :)
Dear Benson,
Hey man, you still alive? Sometimes I'm not quite sure :P I know you're busy, but I hereby assign you another class. It's called: "Writing Spencer 101" Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write me a letter or email at least once a month for the rest of my mission. It's pretty much a pass/fail system--not too complicated :) If you pass, the rewards will be good. If you fail....well, you don't want to know, just make sure you pass! It officially begins in February, 2010. Also, since you're growing up to be such a big boy, I'm sure you're in that puberty stage. I'm not sure if you're struggling with acne or not, but as you probably know, I have for a while. But recently I've found a product that seems to be helping quite a bit. I've tried lots of stuff before, but nothing really worked for me, except this recent stuff. And you're skin is probably similar to mine. It's "Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub". It's blue with little microbeads. If you need it, hopefully you can find it. It feels very refreshing and doesn't cost much! Just use a little bit once a day in the shower, and you should be good. If you do have acne, STRICTLY AVOID touching or picking your face. Some zits need to be relieved, but if it hurts at all or bleeds, STOP! Maybe you don't need all this, but I thought I'd offer it just in case, so you can learn it early from someone else's experience. I love you Benson! Keep being the great young man that you are.
Love,Elder Craft
MIRACLE Stories:
Saturday was a pretty miraculous day. After not seeing much success all week, we were able to get 1 new investigator (from tracting), 3 return appointments (2 from tracting and 1 from an ITL), and 1 referral for another area (from an ITL)! We planned to tract a certain street on the outskirts of our area. When we got there, it was chained off apartment area. We felt that we should change our plans, so we went over to another near-by street (which isn't even on our map!) and were able to find a new investigator! When we plan by the Spirit, even if it doesn't turn out the way we expect, we'll be led to the elect.
I love you all and hope everything is going well! I don't know if you realized, but I hit my 8 month mark a few weeks ago, which means I am 1/3 of the way done with my mission. Isn't that crazy?!
Dear Wonderful Mother,
I love you tons! Good luck with the many busy things you are engaged in at this time. By the way, I am supposed to inform the mission office when my home ward or stake changes, just to give you a heads up. Also, the next chance you get, could you by chance send me the talk "Profile of a Prophet," by Hugh B. Brown? I hear it's really good. Thank you so much!I loved the little stories you sent me about the boys! :) That is hilarious! Or, as you would say it, "the most funniest thing." :) Those are great rules for a big brother to have. I sure have a lot of things to learn from Joshua about "winning friends and influencing people." I don't remember having much success with getting Benson to do my work for me :) Anyways, I love you dearly and very much look forward to sharing those precious moments with you in the future. Keep being awesome!
Dear Dad,
I read Elder Ballard's talk about father-son relationships this morning. Of course, it made me think of you. I was reminded of how much I truly treasure our relationship. Thank you for always being such an amazing example, teacher, and friend. I sincerely hope you are doing well. Question: Could you sometime send me our priesthood line of authority? It's no rush, but I thought it'd be neat to have. Myldsmail.net is making some change so I'll probably be getting a new email address shortly. I'm not sure exactly when, but it'll be: spencercraft@myldsmail.net (pretty easy to remember :) )I received an impression this morning that I want to use with my future family. I know we've done similar things, but here's the idea: Have a family "Scripture of the Week". Something that the parents prayerfully decide on. Each day recite it in family scripture study. Then by the end of the week, maybe have a prize for those who have memorized it. Also, on a daily basis talk about ideas and experiences you've each had applying the scripture. I love you tons! Good luck with the moving process :)
Dear Benson,
Hey man, you still alive? Sometimes I'm not quite sure :P I know you're busy, but I hereby assign you another class. It's called: "Writing Spencer 101" Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write me a letter or email at least once a month for the rest of my mission. It's pretty much a pass/fail system--not too complicated :) If you pass, the rewards will be good. If you fail....well, you don't want to know, just make sure you pass! It officially begins in February, 2010. Also, since you're growing up to be such a big boy, I'm sure you're in that puberty stage. I'm not sure if you're struggling with acne or not, but as you probably know, I have for a while. But recently I've found a product that seems to be helping quite a bit. I've tried lots of stuff before, but nothing really worked for me, except this recent stuff. And you're skin is probably similar to mine. It's "Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub". It's blue with little microbeads. If you need it, hopefully you can find it. It feels very refreshing and doesn't cost much! Just use a little bit once a day in the shower, and you should be good. If you do have acne, STRICTLY AVOID touching or picking your face. Some zits need to be relieved, but if it hurts at all or bleeds, STOP! Maybe you don't need all this, but I thought I'd offer it just in case, so you can learn it early from someone else's experience. I love you Benson! Keep being the great young man that you are.
Love,Elder Craft
MIRACLE Stories:
Saturday was a pretty miraculous day. After not seeing much success all week, we were able to get 1 new investigator (from tracting), 3 return appointments (2 from tracting and 1 from an ITL), and 1 referral for another area (from an ITL)! We planned to tract a certain street on the outskirts of our area. When we got there, it was chained off apartment area. We felt that we should change our plans, so we went over to another near-by street (which isn't even on our map!) and were able to find a new investigator! When we plan by the Spirit, even if it doesn't turn out the way we expect, we'll be led to the elect.
Monday, January 11, 2010
ITL -Invite to Learn
Dear Family,
The weather is gorgeous today, which is making me very happy! The work is also going well. Thank you so much for all of your love, support, and encouragement.I want to testify to all of you today of the truthfulness and importance of our modern-day prophets. The General Conference addresses are the most up-to-date scriptures we have! I challenge all of you to make the study of them a DAILY practice. It only takes a few minutes to read a talk, and it'll probably be some of the most effective time you spend all day. At a minimum, make sure you study ALL the recent talks at least once before the next general conference. The General Authorities are inspired by the Lord! Having their leadership and guidance so easily accessible is an enormous blessing that hasn't always been on the earth. In fact, this time we are blessed more than ever before, and we should be the most gospel-learned people of all of God's children. I testify that if we follow the counsel of our modern-day prophets, we will be led on the straight and narrow path to our glorious reward of exaltation!
Dear Mom,
So Elder Greenfield sent you a note? That's pretty thoughtful of him. Tell Joshua "thank you" for his short letter :) I look forward to receiving your's. I've got something kind of cool to send you today, but you'll have to wait to see what it is :)We had interviews with Pres. and Sis. Pfile this past week. I humbly need to do as I'm told and again tell you that you both did a good job as parents :) I love you Mom so very much! Keep being amazing. Have a magnificent week!
Dear Dad,
My respect and admiration for Bishops has grown tremendously lately. We get to go to the weekly PEC and ward council meetings. Bishops sure do a whole lot more than just sit on the stand!Also, thank you for your great example of pondering and applying the scriptures. I'll try to study Helaman 5:12 out and report on it in my next letter. I love you and hope everything is going well!
Dear Benson,
What's up little growin' brother?! I miss you man. Sometimes the devil tempts me to get too excited about going home and playing basketball with you, Randy, and Dad. Do you think we could wup 'em? You better be working hard and doing your best in everything you do, especially in prayer, scripture study, family, and school work. Continue to honor, respect, and cherish our parents. I would be willing to bet that 99.9% of the young men in the world do not have as good of parents as we do. Be extremely grateful for that and take advantage of it! Learn all you can from them. I love you Benson! See you in 16 months (it goes fast; don't let a minute be wasted!).
Love, Elder Craft
MIRACLE Stories:On Sunday an investigator that we've been trying to contact for a while came to church! It was awesome. We actually didn't get to see her because we left quickly to another meeting, but she introduced herself to our ward mission leader and others, and just made herself at home :) We're excited to follow up with her about her experience.Yesterday we saw a wonderful miracle because of planning and ITLing. We had a couple of potentials that we planned to see for a couple of hours. The first fell through, but on our way to the others we passed by this lady sitting out on a driveway. We ITLed her, and she agreed to here the message right there on the spot! It turns out that she has a close friend who is investigating the Church and working towards baptism. We taught her the Restoration and set a date for exactly two weeks out! She was very receptive and commented that her friend will probably be excited to hear that she's investigating also :) It just goes to show us the importance of asking for referrals from everyone, even our investigators!
The weather is gorgeous today, which is making me very happy! The work is also going well. Thank you so much for all of your love, support, and encouragement.I want to testify to all of you today of the truthfulness and importance of our modern-day prophets. The General Conference addresses are the most up-to-date scriptures we have! I challenge all of you to make the study of them a DAILY practice. It only takes a few minutes to read a talk, and it'll probably be some of the most effective time you spend all day. At a minimum, make sure you study ALL the recent talks at least once before the next general conference. The General Authorities are inspired by the Lord! Having their leadership and guidance so easily accessible is an enormous blessing that hasn't always been on the earth. In fact, this time we are blessed more than ever before, and we should be the most gospel-learned people of all of God's children. I testify that if we follow the counsel of our modern-day prophets, we will be led on the straight and narrow path to our glorious reward of exaltation!
Dear Mom,
So Elder Greenfield sent you a note? That's pretty thoughtful of him. Tell Joshua "thank you" for his short letter :) I look forward to receiving your's. I've got something kind of cool to send you today, but you'll have to wait to see what it is :)We had interviews with Pres. and Sis. Pfile this past week. I humbly need to do as I'm told and again tell you that you both did a good job as parents :) I love you Mom so very much! Keep being amazing. Have a magnificent week!
Dear Dad,
My respect and admiration for Bishops has grown tremendously lately. We get to go to the weekly PEC and ward council meetings. Bishops sure do a whole lot more than just sit on the stand!Also, thank you for your great example of pondering and applying the scriptures. I'll try to study Helaman 5:12 out and report on it in my next letter. I love you and hope everything is going well!
Dear Benson,
What's up little growin' brother?! I miss you man. Sometimes the devil tempts me to get too excited about going home and playing basketball with you, Randy, and Dad. Do you think we could wup 'em? You better be working hard and doing your best in everything you do, especially in prayer, scripture study, family, and school work. Continue to honor, respect, and cherish our parents. I would be willing to bet that 99.9% of the young men in the world do not have as good of parents as we do. Be extremely grateful for that and take advantage of it! Learn all you can from them. I love you Benson! See you in 16 months (it goes fast; don't let a minute be wasted!).
Love, Elder Craft
MIRACLE Stories:On Sunday an investigator that we've been trying to contact for a while came to church! It was awesome. We actually didn't get to see her because we left quickly to another meeting, but she introduced herself to our ward mission leader and others, and just made herself at home :) We're excited to follow up with her about her experience.Yesterday we saw a wonderful miracle because of planning and ITLing. We had a couple of potentials that we planned to see for a couple of hours. The first fell through, but on our way to the others we passed by this lady sitting out on a driveway. We ITLed her, and she agreed to here the message right there on the spot! It turns out that she has a close friend who is investigating the Church and working towards baptism. We taught her the Restoration and set a date for exactly two weeks out! She was very receptive and commented that her friend will probably be excited to hear that she's investigating also :) It just goes to show us the importance of asking for referrals from everyone, even our investigators!
Monday, January 4, 2010
It's 2010
Dear Family,
I love you all so incredibly much! Things are going pretty well on the mission, and I hope and pray that things continue to go well for you at home.
Mom,
Of course you can change your gift!! I would much rather spend a day with you than sleep in the mountains with 3 noisy, stinky boys (no offense guys). I was just trying to make the different gifts unique, but I will gladly comply with your request :)In the next package, could you send my hair-cutting kit? Along with all my remaining ties? You might be surprised at what's appropriate. President gives us all ties at Christmas, and I got a bright pink pasely! Then I wore it at transfers and he complimented it :) Even if it is crazy, I can always trade it for something different :PAnyways, I sure love you! Good luck with the many pressing responsibilities you have.
Dad,
Thank you for your testimony and words of encouragement. Do you have any advice for a trainer? Thank you so much for your enduring and loving support! Have a great week!So I've got a joke for all of you. This was shared by Elder Greenfield while we were tracting:So there is this (insert "favorite" denomination) preacher/minister who decides to skip church one Sunday and go out fishing. "I've lived a good life; one week won't hurt," he says. So he goes out fishing and as he's hiking along out in the middle of nowhere, he comes across this huge grizzly bear. He tries to escape, but the thing starts charging him. So he desperately prays, "Oh God, make this bear Christian, and I promise I'll never miss church again." So right before the bear gets to him, it stops, looks up, and says, "Dear Lord, I thank thee for this food which I am about to eat." :)I love you all. Have a FANTASTIC new year!!!
Love,Elder Craft
Weekly Report:We are diligently trying to contact our investigators, but only a couple have been working with us. I think I need to make it a matter of prayer as to which ones we should keep focusing on and which ones would be ineffective at this time.
MIRACLE Stories:We tracted into a young lady who used to go to church with a mormon friend, until her friend moved to college. She was very receptive to learning more. She said that she had heard a little about the church from her friends, but they seemed to shy away from it thinking that she didn't want to here about it, when in reality, she did! It's crazy to think about how many elect are right around us, and we just don't recognize them! Miracles you have seen from planning.:The last night before Elder Greenfield left we had planned to see Rich and Susie Kosut. We called ahead of time to make sure they were home. Elder Greenfield still had packing to do, so I left it up to him as to whether we ride down to see if they're home or not. He decided we should at least try. It turns out that they were home, but were just busy cooking so they didn't answer the phone. However, they let us come in and teach them. We had a great Restoration lesson with them, and they seemed very receptive to everything, including coming to church. They even agreed to continue taking the lessons and pray about being baptized on January 16th! After the lesson, Elder Greenfield told me he had a dream a while back about being a missionary and riding down a hill at night. On our way to the lesson, he recognized that the scene matched up with his dream. "Don't drop them," he kept telling me :) It was pretty cool!
I love you all so incredibly much! Things are going pretty well on the mission, and I hope and pray that things continue to go well for you at home.
Mom,
Of course you can change your gift!! I would much rather spend a day with you than sleep in the mountains with 3 noisy, stinky boys (no offense guys). I was just trying to make the different gifts unique, but I will gladly comply with your request :)In the next package, could you send my hair-cutting kit? Along with all my remaining ties? You might be surprised at what's appropriate. President gives us all ties at Christmas, and I got a bright pink pasely! Then I wore it at transfers and he complimented it :) Even if it is crazy, I can always trade it for something different :PAnyways, I sure love you! Good luck with the many pressing responsibilities you have.
Dad,
Thank you for your testimony and words of encouragement. Do you have any advice for a trainer? Thank you so much for your enduring and loving support! Have a great week!So I've got a joke for all of you. This was shared by Elder Greenfield while we were tracting:So there is this (insert "favorite" denomination) preacher/minister who decides to skip church one Sunday and go out fishing. "I've lived a good life; one week won't hurt," he says. So he goes out fishing and as he's hiking along out in the middle of nowhere, he comes across this huge grizzly bear. He tries to escape, but the thing starts charging him. So he desperately prays, "Oh God, make this bear Christian, and I promise I'll never miss church again." So right before the bear gets to him, it stops, looks up, and says, "Dear Lord, I thank thee for this food which I am about to eat." :)I love you all. Have a FANTASTIC new year!!!
Love,Elder Craft
Weekly Report:We are diligently trying to contact our investigators, but only a couple have been working with us. I think I need to make it a matter of prayer as to which ones we should keep focusing on and which ones would be ineffective at this time.
MIRACLE Stories:We tracted into a young lady who used to go to church with a mormon friend, until her friend moved to college. She was very receptive to learning more. She said that she had heard a little about the church from her friends, but they seemed to shy away from it thinking that she didn't want to here about it, when in reality, she did! It's crazy to think about how many elect are right around us, and we just don't recognize them! Miracles you have seen from planning.:The last night before Elder Greenfield left we had planned to see Rich and Susie Kosut. We called ahead of time to make sure they were home. Elder Greenfield still had packing to do, so I left it up to him as to whether we ride down to see if they're home or not. He decided we should at least try. It turns out that they were home, but were just busy cooking so they didn't answer the phone. However, they let us come in and teach them. We had a great Restoration lesson with them, and they seemed very receptive to everything, including coming to church. They even agreed to continue taking the lessons and pray about being baptized on January 16th! After the lesson, Elder Greenfield told me he had a dream a while back about being a missionary and riding down a hill at night. On our way to the lesson, he recognized that the scene matched up with his dream. "Don't drop them," he kept telling me :) It was pretty cool!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Merry Christmas!
Dearest Family,
I love you all so much and hope you're having a wonderful Christmas season so far! I'm so sorry to hear about Shawna's father. That is very tragic. I'll be praying for Shawna and her family.
Mom,
Oops! I forgot to get our measurements, so I'll send a letter today. I don't mean to be naggy, but in case you did send a package, I haven't gotten it yet. Hey, Elder Langston told me something that I thought was a great idea. He said growing up, every week before FHE, his mom would get out everyone's journals and have them write in it for about 20 minutes. That way even if it wasn't everyday, at least throughout his whole childhood, he has a weekly entry. FHE seems to be a great time to do that too. Anyways, I love you so much! Thanks for everything you ever have done and things that you continue to do for me. You've taught me so much. In stake conference yesterday, Elder Brimhall (of the Seventy) said "If God wants a prophet, He starts with the mother." That's so true! It reminded me of the quote by Pres. Lincoln "Everything I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my mother." I echo those same words. Thanks for everything!
Dad,
I'm glad to hear you're busy at work. Whenever I'll tell people what you do, they always guess that it's slowed down a ton. But I'm very grateful for the blessings of the Lord upon you and our family. Thanks for all that you do!This transfer has been kind of tough. Elder Langston has been sick and isn't supposed to ride a bike, so we walk everywhere. Also, it's been getting dark and cold very early, so it's hard to find effective things to do, since we're not really teaching anyone right now. Of course, I still have a lot to learn and practice, so we haven't quite seen the results we're used to. If you could pray for my companion's health, so we can work more, and for me to know what to do, that'd be great! I am really excited to talk to all of you on Christmas! Have a great week!
Love, Elder Craft
MIRACLE Stories:We saw a lot of miracles on teamups the other day. We were able to schedule an appointment while tracting, and we also got a call from a lady who wants her son to be taught. He's a member, but since we were going over there, a friend of their's who isn't a member, said she'll listen in on the lessons. Also, that night we got a headquarters referral for Danielle Brown, who supposedly has taken all the lessons, read 26 pgs of the Book of Mormon, has a testimony and wants to be baptized! We got a hold of her, but she was busy so couldn't meet us yet, but she said this week will work, so we're really excited!
I love you all so much and hope you're having a wonderful Christmas season so far! I'm so sorry to hear about Shawna's father. That is very tragic. I'll be praying for Shawna and her family.
Mom,
Oops! I forgot to get our measurements, so I'll send a letter today. I don't mean to be naggy, but in case you did send a package, I haven't gotten it yet. Hey, Elder Langston told me something that I thought was a great idea. He said growing up, every week before FHE, his mom would get out everyone's journals and have them write in it for about 20 minutes. That way even if it wasn't everyday, at least throughout his whole childhood, he has a weekly entry. FHE seems to be a great time to do that too. Anyways, I love you so much! Thanks for everything you ever have done and things that you continue to do for me. You've taught me so much. In stake conference yesterday, Elder Brimhall (of the Seventy) said "If God wants a prophet, He starts with the mother." That's so true! It reminded me of the quote by Pres. Lincoln "Everything I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my mother." I echo those same words. Thanks for everything!
Dad,
I'm glad to hear you're busy at work. Whenever I'll tell people what you do, they always guess that it's slowed down a ton. But I'm very grateful for the blessings of the Lord upon you and our family. Thanks for all that you do!This transfer has been kind of tough. Elder Langston has been sick and isn't supposed to ride a bike, so we walk everywhere. Also, it's been getting dark and cold very early, so it's hard to find effective things to do, since we're not really teaching anyone right now. Of course, I still have a lot to learn and practice, so we haven't quite seen the results we're used to. If you could pray for my companion's health, so we can work more, and for me to know what to do, that'd be great! I am really excited to talk to all of you on Christmas! Have a great week!
Love, Elder Craft
MIRACLE Stories:We saw a lot of miracles on teamups the other day. We were able to schedule an appointment while tracting, and we also got a call from a lady who wants her son to be taught. He's a member, but since we were going over there, a friend of their's who isn't a member, said she'll listen in on the lessons. Also, that night we got a headquarters referral for Danielle Brown, who supposedly has taken all the lessons, read 26 pgs of the Book of Mormon, has a testimony and wants to be baptized! We got a hold of her, but she was busy so couldn't meet us yet, but she said this week will work, so we're really excited!
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