Fort Lauderdale Letter #1 "Some of the Best Days of My Life"

Hi everyone! I am so happy to be here! I have had so many things happen to me since I have arrived in Fort Lauderdale. I don't even know where to begin. These have been some of the best days of my life. They have been so fun.

The first day, we talked to Moisena Jeudy, who just got baptized yesterday. We met her and taught her and her cousin violet, who lives with her and her nephew Peter. We taught her the ten commandments and about tithing. We also taught her about fasting. I can understand mostly everything that is going on in the appointments that we are setting. Moisna is awesome! She was into Voodoo when she was young, and she promised God that when she moved to America, she would dedicate herself to him and change. The Haitian people are very faithful and have a strong desire to serve God. They are a very spiritual people.

We visited Mona, who is a recent convert and taught her a lesson, and we got a referal to teach her Cousin who is living with her. Then we went across the street to visit a guy named Robinson. He thought it was cool that we spoke Creole. We gave him a restoration pamphlet and we asked him if we when would be a good time to go back. He told us that we could right then. He had a crucifix around his neck. We sat down and taught him the first lesson. He asked us why there were so many different religions. We told him that Joseph Smith had the same question. He read that part in the pamphlet and got so excited. He said, " Se menm kesyon! se menm kesyon!" (It's the same question!) We told him about how Joseph prayed and saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. Then we gave him a book of Mormon and how it can help us receive a testimony of Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith being his prophet. We read the end part of the Book which talks about how we can know the truth through the power of the holy Ghost. He read that part over and over and over again out loud. He said that it was a beautiful verse. We extended a baptismal date and he accepted. Just then, two of his friends showed up. One of them is named Kersonn, who we now will meet with on Wednesday. He told us how he liked the LDS missionaries because we preach about Jesus Christ and don't try to force and nag people into joining our church. We help them to gain a testimony of Jesus Christ firstly.
Since there are four Elders in our area, we split the area in half, so Elder Anderson and Elder Chandler are now teaching Robinson. He is so awesome! He likes them a lot. He will text them randomly and ask them how they are doing. Two nights ago, he told them he needed to get money from them. They told him they could only give him the gospel and he said okay to that. It was very random.


The Baptism went very well. In our area Moisena got baptized. In the other area, Mesidor got baptized. They spirit was very strong at the baptismal service.

I got two contacts completely by myself for the first time on Thursday! We were in Pompano and we were going to Charite's house. He is a recent convert. Charite and Elder Bolz were talking outside the apartment, while I was talking with two people who were outside. One of them is named CC. That what she said I could call her. I don't know her real name. She was very nice. She was telling me about how all of these different people from many religions would come to her and start preaching to her. She told me a lot of things. Her sister is a Jehova's witness. I contacted a friend of her family named Sieria. She is 24 with a baby son and a husband. I just set up and appointment with CC a few minutes ago. She is 16 and she goes to a baptist church and she works at Macey's she is busy with work and school, so we were very fortunate to get this appointment. It is interesting. We have contacted a lot of people, but for some reason, CC, Sieria, and Kersonn are firmly in my mind. I lay awake at night thinking about investigators and what I can do to help them and teach them best. I couldn't get to sleep until 2:00 in the morning because of how fixed my mind was on the thoughts of them. I just felt this excitement and I felt the spirit burning inside of me. I feel a strong pull and a love for those three, who I have only talked to for five minutes each. I feel like I have known them for a lot longer than just a few minutes. I haven't felt that way about every contact we have made either. Like long forgotten friends. It is strange. It is cool though. President Hale told me that I would feel that I have known some people for ever. He also told me that people who I will teach will probably see me in a vision. Elder Bolz has had that happen before. He said that a person he contacted once had dreamed about him and him companion the night before.

We also have an investigator named Mirana who I haven't met yet, but we have an appointment with her tonight. She has a baptismal date for the 26th of September. She wants to be baptized, but she can't yet because she has work on Sunday and she can't get work off. Elder Bolz told me that she had a dream in which she had a vision that told her that the Church was true. Because of that she felt that she needed to be baptized. She just needs the money so bad, just like so many Haitians. Many of them are sending money to their children from Haiti. Moisena is doing the same thing.

We are teaching a ton of people. We see potential for people progressing and getting baptized. I hope they do. It is cool to see how people's lives change from gaining a greater testimony of Jesus Christ. It is awesome.

I only have 16 minutes left, so I must be brief. We have an apartment with 4 elders in there. Elder Bolz and I use the car, and the other elders are in the biking areas. We use are bikes too, since we only are allowed to use 1100 miles per month. I am the designated driver, so I have been driving a ton in the last week. I haven't had any accidents or problems yet, which is good. We have been fed so much by the members. I don't think there is a single day were we haven't. Oswald, a new convert who elder Bolz taught, fed us lunch two days in a row and we got 4 member present lessons with him. He is a very good cook. He is so funny. He is a chef. He is wild though. He is always trying to get us to break the mission rules and get us to eat dinner after 5 and watch movies with him. Elder Bolz told me that last week, he was upset because Elder Anderson was going to be transferred to another area (he was Elder Bolz last companion). However, President changed his mind and kept him in our apartment. Oswald used to be the security guard at the mission office. He got contacted for the first time two or three months ago. He called the mission office and got in a half hour conversation with the Assistants to the President. They didn't listen to him. However, President decided for some other reason that he would stay. Oswald thinks that it was because he called. He hates the mission rules. He wasn’t to hang out with us all of the time. He is always telling us how we are working too hard. We told him that Heavenly Father gave us the mission rules to help us. He said, "So God wants to make you miserable?" We laughed about that for a long time. Oswald is so funny. He is a very good teacher. He relates to so many people so well. People are always asking about him. He is giving Moisena a job at the place where he cooks. He cooks for a private school. Oswald is always cooking us stuff and he bought Elder Bolz and I candy bars and paid for my cough medicine, even though we insisted that it was okay and that he didn't have to do that. Our car battery ran low, and he was going to jump start us, but we got someone else. He came over anyway, and he tried to buy us jumper cables. He says that he doesn't need the money and that God will take care of him. He has a month before his catering job starts up again, and he talks about how he has enough faith that money just comes down from heaven to him. He wasn't kidding either. I think he likes creating drama. He is crazy. He is so funny though.

Patrick, a new convert came and gave us food from his panda express job three times.

We have two dinner appointments on Wed.

Mama Julian (sister Julian) she is famous in the mission. Everyone loves her. She cooks for the missionaries every Sunday.

I need to go! Bye love you

Elder Seamons