Week 2!!

December 9, 2013

HEY GUYS!!! Well this week has been so much better than last week! Getting used to the routine, building faith, good stuff. We extended 2 more baptismal invitations this week, and one was really close to saying yes, but she said she'll pray about it, you could tell she was feeling the spirit after we bore our testimonies. It seems like we've got quite a bit of potential, so hopefully things will go well with everyone. As you forget about yourself and go to work, things get better.

           We got to witness a baptism on Saturday, which was pretty cool. It was the YSA sisters in our district, so they're in the same branch as us. Church was cancelled yesterday because of the ice on the road, but we got some good proselyting hours in. 

           Oh yeah, we had this insane ice storm of Friday, and since no one would talk to us on the streets, we went and pushed cars up this hill for 2 1/2 hours, it was pretty insane. Amazingly, there were no accidents on our hill except this guy that hit a pole, which was a miracle considering how much ice was on the road, and how many cars were trying to go up it. This one bus got stuck for a long time, so it was a one lane road with all these cars. kinda crazy. We were talking after about how we felt a little like the 18 year olds that helped the handcarts over the Sweetwater River, but luckily for us it wasn't nearly as bad, and we didn't die doing it. Haha so that was a plus.

            I hope everything is going well with all of you! My address is 2928 Burnet Avenue Apt #10, Cincinnati, Ohio 45211, and I'll be here till after New Years, maybe longer. I love all of you and wish you the best with everything in your lives! Thanks for all the support!! Love you!!
Elder Ellis

Week 1!

December 2, 2013
Well its been a pretty rough first week, to say the least. We're like 5 minutes out of hardcore downtown Cincinnati, and it's a super City area around here and stuff. The area we live in is pretty ghetto, it kills me inside to see how terrible and miserable people's lives are. I really wish I had a less rough area as my first, but I know its cause the Lord is making more out of me then it could be otherwise. My address is 2928 Burnet Avenue, apartment #10, Cincinnati, Ohio. If you guys want to send me letters or anything, that would help out a lot. 
      My first area is the Cincinnati YSA branch, and we proselyte on the University of Cincinnati campus. President Porter said only the most energetic, outgoing, friendly people get assigned to campus, so the fact that I'm being trained here is pretty cool. He says I have lots of potential, which has helped me out to hear that.  I've only been here a few days, I really need to be more patient with myself. There's so many people out there that have never heard of our church, but its really cool teaching lessons and stuff. We have an investigator with a baptismal date for the 28th of December, and I really hope that holds through. My trainer is also the district leader, Elder Davis, and he's from St. George, and he's one of the coolest persons I've ever met. He's just real with everyone, he loves everyone, and he has a really strong testimony of the gospel and this work. He's helped me out quite a bit.
         I know the gospel is true, I know Christ lives and that he died so that every single one of us can repent of our sins and come to live with God again. I want you all to know that I love every single one of you, and that you all are luckiest people on earth to have what you have in life, and to be raised where you've been raised. Be grateful for all that, cause you could have ended up in a place like this. Thanks to everyone for all the support you guys have given me, and bear your testimony a lot, it really helps. Again, I love you all, I hope you all have a fantastic week, and God bless!!
Elder Ellis

                                   President & Sister Porter with Elder Ellis

First Week at the MTC!

November 21, 2013

Hey everyone, how's it going!! My first week here at the MTC has been absolutely amazing!! The spirit here is so strong and the feeling is just so amazing. There is no other place in the world I'd rather be. Classes have been good, and learning to let the spirit teach through you has been the most amazing experience, there is nothing like it. There's so much you learn, the fire-hose analogy they use describes it perfectly. We went through the temple this morning at 6:30, and it was by far the best time I've gone through, amazing spiritual experiences. Having the Spirit in your life to guide you, to teach you is probably the greatest blessing ever.

            My companion is Elder Kason McFarland, and he was from West Haven, Utah, just west of Ogden, as well as another Elder in our district. I got called as District Leader and its been a good leadership experience. I have an absolutely fantastic district, they're all super spiritual people and I love them all. My zone is way cool too, we are having so much fun together. Elder Thorton is one of our zone leaders, and he's this huge football player, and a really humble guy too, and we get along so great, just partying and having the best of times. He's from Mesa, Arizona, and is hoping to play professional football when he gets back. Our other Zone leader is Elder JT Ekberg, and we're good friends from middle school, and he went to Hillcrest, as did the other district leader. 

            We've had a few eating challenges here and there, but that's not the most spiritual topic, so I'll let that subject slide... but this girl threw up all over her tray and it was hilarious. Don't eat 9 bowls of cereal if your stomach can't handle it haha.

            SO here's my first real life investigator story: Yesterday afternoon, there was an investigator just walking around our building, and she asked me and my companion a simple question and we just started talking to her out of the blue. She's been having a pretty rough time in life, and her doctor told her to find someplace peaceful, so the MTC lets her walk around here. At the beginning she said that she didn't believe in God, but by the end of our discussion, she was asking a bunch of questions about him, and you could see the spirit working in her. We went to class, then i just had the feeling that we had to go find a Book of Mormon and give it to her, cause he couldn't find one before for her. So we left class and found one and miraculously found her again and gave it to her. She'd never heard of the book before, but we promised it would bring her peace and joy in her life if she read it. Right as we left she just started reading it, and i have the best hopes for her. We haven't heard anything from her since, but she knows where our class is so i hope we'll get to talk to her again. If not, hopefully some other missionaries. But we placed our first Book of Mormon one week into the MTC!! woot!!! I hope she finds the peace she needs in life.

            Well I'm only here till Monday morning, and we meet at the buses at 5:30 in the morning to get to the airport, so that'll be fun. And then I'll be in Cincinnati!!!! So excited to get out there and do some teaching!!! There's still a lot i need to learn, but I have the strength of Lord behind me, so I'll be alright. I would LOVE to hear from all of you, e-mails and letters can really make a difference, even after just one week.  One week in the MTC is like a month in real time, so it feels like we've been here for quite a while. The Lord really does love all of us, and he knows exactly what we need and when you need it, as was proven to me this week. Best of luck to all of you in your personal endeavors, and don't forget to ask Him for help! cause he'll give it to you. I appreciate every single one of you, and all the friendship you've given me, and you all ROCK!!!! If you want pictures, Let me know!!

                                              -Elder Ellis