Monday, December 30, 2013

December 23, 2013

The Elder Poe Report

Merry Christmas all of the people of the world from sunny Youngstown Ohio where we really do see the sun almost 3 times a year. This week was amazing. Also quick update, Elder Tollefsen and myself will be moving either Thursday or Friday so if you have any packages you are sending in the next day or two send them to 2070 W 117th St. Cleveland OH 44111 and they will get it directed to me until I get my new address. 

The first news of the week is that my wonderful companion Elder Tollefsen of Mesa Arizona will be spending the final 7 weeks of his missions with me as his trusty sidekick. I am glad about it, Elder Tollefsen is awesome. 

This week we had several amazing experiences, most of the week day was a little bit slow, with many of our appointments canceling and not having a lot of success in finding new persons, in addition we realized that because of an unplanned trip to Kirtland this month and an extra trip we had to take to the church, which is an hour away, this month we were down to about 17 miles a day. To put this in perspective we use about 10 miles getting in and out of our area each day. As a consequence we spent two wonderful Friday and Saturdays biking in the Ohio rain. This is when the miracles started unfolding, Saturday evening we finally got in contact with a media referral we had spent a week trying to get in touch with, Neze, she had requested a bible, and so we delivered the bible and started following the guidelines in Preach My Gospel about referrals and how to begin teaching, and BAM! just like that the Spirit started coming into the room while we listened to Neze talk about her religious past, and how she came to know Jesus Christ then we started bearing testimony of the restoration of the Gospel of Eternal Families, and she wants to learn more.
The next day was Sunday and an investigator/ part member that we had been working with came to church which is awesome since in the 7 months my companion has been here that has only happened twice. He seemed to enjoy church. In addition his 15 year old son has been coming back into activity and on Sunday was ordained to the office of a teacher, and he asked me to stand in, it was quite amazing to be part of a such a sacred experience and the blessing pronounced on him was quite powerful. 
So in conclusion I just wanted to end with an invitation to every person who gets this to accept the challenge put forth by Elder Ballard this most recent general conference to 

"reach out to just 'one' between now and Christmas" 

or new years and help someone else feel of the joy of the Gospel. Truly the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only thing that will save the world from its own self destruction, the only thing that will lift up the souls that are drooping down, the only thing that will give direction to those lost souls wandering in the wilderness of life, the only way we will rescue those trapped on the plains of mortality without any prospect of making headway against the mountains that are in their way. 
A great way to do that is to get a copy of The Book of Mormon, wrap it up put a bow on it and wham you got yourself a relatively inexpensive gift for every person you still need to get a gift for but aren't sure what to get them. 

I know Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the World and the Great Redeemer of all men, and although he came to the earth 2000 years ago as a baby his life did not begin there in Bethlehem and it did not end 33 years later upon the cross of Calvary but he is the Great I AM, the Eternal Jehovah, the Creator of the Earth and all things thereon, and I know without a doubt he lives still he was seen by Joseph Smith, and that he stands now at the head of this great latter day work and directs this Church. I know that he will soon return in honor and glory and when that day comes all those who have worked out their salvation with fear and trembling will be prepared, and those that have chosen to sin a little, lie a little, cheat, and take advantage of another will find that day will be terrible. So come unto Christ be perfected in him, for his yoke is easy and his burden truly is light. 

The Report of Elder Hunter D. Poe 

December 17, 2013

This week was a week of miracles, and excitement.

So first I wanted to start off the week by thanking my companion's mother and my own mother and any other prayers offer in our behalf for our safety they work. Sunday night and Saturday morning we had a snow storm blow through the area and as Elder Tollefsen and I were driving down the road all happy and content when a big ole Ford SUV attempts to shoot across the road. The problem is when the ground is covered in snow and ice no body goes anywhere fast, or stops fast. So I slam on the brakes to try and get us to stop before mr SUV gets us but we keep sliding forward and he sees us tries to stop but can't. So there we are hurtling towards an imminent death on the clod poorly maintained roads of Youngstown when at the last second I turn the wheel which moves the front part of Solina (our car that is her name and no not after Gomez) just barley out of the way where the radiator of the Ford was. Miraculously Elder Tollefsen, Solina and myself all escaped without a scratch. Thank you for the prayers they are working.

Also this week we had one of most marvelous lessons I have had on my mission. We have an investigator that missionaries have been working with since the beginning of my mission that has gradually been growing to understand the Gospel and all of the things that it entails, she has at this point gained a strong testimony but she has a smoking habit and some serious health problems that is preventing her from coming to church. We haven't been able to meet with her for a while because she lives all alone and we have had difficulty getting priesthood holders out with us so we could see her, this most recent week though we found out that her insurance had kicked her off and they were denying her a surgery she desperately needed and to top it all of her car had gotten hit by some bozo going the wrong way on a one way street. So we decided we had to get someone with us to go see her come the browns winning the super bowl or high water. So I prayed earnestly that the Lord would provide a way for someone to come with us, and we managed to get the wonderful Brother Melville who is a basically superman, he has a bachelors degree in Computer Science and works as a child abuse specialist doctor at Akron's Children hospital. He went with us to the appointment and was able to connect with her in a very deep and personal way and the Spirit was super strong as we tried to comfort Mercedes and explain how the Atonement will allow us to overcome all challenges in our way. It is difficult to describe it in words what happened there but it was truly something I will always remember. 

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is God's church on the earth and has the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that the greatest joy we will have in this world will be found in the service of others and their is no greater gift that you can offer someone than the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

The Report of Elder Hunter Poe 

December 9, 2013

At the end of Joseph Smith history it records the account of Oliver Cowdrey on what it was like to translate the Book of Mormon. It open with "These were days never to be forgotten.." I had an amazing privilege to have a day like that this week.

 This week we had what in our mission is called Christmas conference, it is kind of like a big zone conference with half the mission, or it was. This year we had to get Christmas conference approved through the area 70, fortunately we got to do it this year, with a caveat, the area 70 asked that rather than doing half the mission on one day and half the mission the other day we do Christmas conference for the entire mission on one day. This is what happened that most remarkable of days.....

We began the long hour and a half drive early at 7:05 in the morning in order to get to Kirtland on time. An hour, several legally gray driving maneuvers, and a scream or two from the other missionaries in the car that weren't so used to a creative Utah way of driving, we arrived in the parking lot of the Community of Christ visitors center across the road from the Kirtland Temple. According to the instructions we had received from our zone leaders we all gathered in front of the Kirtland temple and waited for everyone to arrive. At approximately 9:30 the Assistants to the President opened up the door to the Kirtland temple and asked as everyone proceeded in that they would please maintain silence and study D&C 110, 109, and 137 as we waited for everyone to come in. 

It was truly an awe inspiring experience to sit in the Kirtland temple and read what occurred there as I was able to stare at the exact spot where Jesus Christ appeared and accepted the Kirtland temple as his house.

As the conference began we were notified that the area 70 of our area was present and presiding additionally that 3 of the stake presidents in our mission were present as well and would be addressing us. The opening hymn that we sang to begin the Christmas conference was The Spirit of God. Everything that occurred following could not be adequately be described by the written word nor the tongue convey the spirit that was in that sacred shrine wherein the priesthood keys of this last great dispensation were restored. 
 
We had the opportunity to hear the various stake presidents testify of the Saviour and Joseph Smith, we were instructed by our mission president, and we had the wonderful opportunity to here from a member of the 70 Elder Seltin bear his testimony that he knows with 100% certainty that the members of the Quorum of the Twelve are guided and directed by Jesus Christ and that this church is driven and captained by the Lord. Truly one of the greatest difficulties presented by the Gospel is the challenge of trying to express even a particle of what happens when one has a spiritual experience. 

The Kirtland Temple session of Christmas conference was closed as over 200 full time missionaries sang the Ohio Cleveland Mission song, and proclaimed loudly that we have been called to serve in the place where Christ our Saviour has shown his face. 

I know with absolute certainty that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Saviour of the World, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and he is directing this great latter day work of bringing all nations kindreds, tongues and people to a knowledge of their Redeemer and preparing this earth for his second coming which will not be as a humble babe in a manager, but rather with the armies and hosts of heaven as the Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end and he shall reign forever and ever in glory and splendor with all those who will turn to him and allow him to make our burdens lights. I bear testimony that lasting peace and joy can only be found as we turn our hearts and wills over to the Saviour of all mankind, trust in his redeeming love, and try his works to do.

The Report of Elder Poe

December 2, 2013

This week was Thanksgiving, which means around here in Ohio it turns into annual, be too busy season. 

 This week was a little bit sparse in setting up appointments, because apparently if you have family coming into town Thursday for Thanksgiving, or you are leaving the day after thanksgiving that suddenly means you can't meet with missionaries for the entire week. It is actually quite puzzling that people can't find an hour in an entire week to discuss the Being who gave us everything we have, and continues to grant us the breath of life from day to day.

 In fact with the onrushing tidal wave of holiday business moving towards us like a screaming mountain of crazy it has caused me to seriously reflect on the purpose of this life and why we are, and more importantly what we are doing to fulfill this purpose.

 A purpose gives something meaning a purpose is the reason something exists, for example the purpose of a knife is to cut, the purpose of a missionary is to "invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored Gospel through faith in the Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end". the purpose of a salad shooter is too dice salads. If something is no longer fulfilling it's purpose than it doesn't have a reason for existing, if a knife doesn't cut we throw it away, if a missionary doesn't fulfill his purpose he should get sent home, if a salad shooter doesn't slice salad we spend 30 years trying to fight with customer support services to get a new one since it is still under warranty.

 In the same way, we that have accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ into our hearts understand that we too have a purpose in the this life which is to become closer and closer to our Saviour and Our Loving Father in Heaven through changing ourselves to become like them by drawing on the power of the Atonement. Do we ever stop to think if what we are doing is helping us carry out our purpose in life. There are two people we are working with that really illustrate what happens when we don't seek to carry out our purpose. One Brother is currently living alone, he has recently overcome a second bout of cancer, and is divorced with one daughter and grandson who he hardly ever sees, despite working with this brother for three months he still has had difficulty giving up things in his life that are preventing him from coming back to Christ and coming to church, this brother continues to drift from day to day without doing much in his life, and just existing really. Then there is another sister we are working with who has a beautiful family and two wonderful little girls that is always on the go. Her daughters are well on their way to becoming olympic swimmers, she volunteers at the YMCA and works as a part time teacher, and a million other things. This sister is constantly on the go and constantly moving, but she too has trouble making it to church because of all she is involved in. She is constantly moving but often laterally. Both of these individuals are wonderful beloved children of God that have incredible potential but neither of them are moving forward in life because they aren't helping fulfill their purpose. At the last day when all things that we have done are brought forth and we give a final accounting of what we did with this life what will be able to say we did? Will we be able to say we have carried out our purpose? 

Luckily a knife that doesn't cut can be sharpened, and missionary that doesn't work can repent, and a salad shooter that doesn't slice can be replaced under warranty that will break down in the exact same amount of time as that last one.

That is the good news of this holiday season, is that because 2000 years ago a young babe was born in a stable, we can put behind us our past mistakes and our missed opportunities and become a sharpened knife, a repentant missionary, even the miracle of a fixed salad shooter. That is the miracle of the Atonement and the meaning of this holiday season that is the purpose of Christmas to turn us to Christ and help us understand again what our purpose is.

I know that Jesus Christ was born 2000 years ago in a lowly stable, that he descended from celestial worlds on high to ransom mankind, but of even greater worth I know that his life did not end 33 years after his birth but that he still lives today that he broke the bands of death and hell and through him and only on his name can we find our purpose, salvation, and happiness every other avenue will falter in the end will not make up the difference at the final accounting, but he already paid the price if we will just accept his offer. 



Introducing Preparing for a mission:
We are adding a new section to the Elder Poe report for those who will soon be embarking on a full time mission called Preparing for a mission. Today we would like to focus on the first question in preparing to serve a mission, which is. Should I serve a mission. If you can respond yes to the following two questions then you should definitely serve a mission.
1. Are you a young man between the ages of 18-27, who holds the priesthood?
2. Are you currently worthy, or willing to repent and become worthy to serve a mission? 
If you can answer yes to both those questions then you should serve a mission. The prophet has commanded you to, and when you entered the waters of baptism you covenanted to follow the commandments of God, that is one of them. 

The Report of Elder Hunter Poe

November 25, 2013

This week was a great week in the New Castle West area, of this little corner of the Ohio Cleaveland Mission.
 
 Monday we had an awesome suprise, of having a wonderful sister in the ward to feed us, and she invited her non member daughter and son in law to the dinner as well and so we had a powerful opportunity to bear testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and what it can do in our lives, I wish I could say that following that they both wanted to investigate but alas twas not to be so at this time; however God's plan is to work as it will.
 On Wendesday morning we had a second lesson with one of our investigators, Phil, who is the husband and father of a returning member family. Before the lesson I was quite nervous for no apparent reason about the lesson, at first the lesson started kinda rough and didn't feel like it was flowing real well. I would llike to say that about half way in everything just started flowing real smooth and nice but to be honest the entire lesson was kind of rough, however the Spirit was definintly there, and that is all us missionaries are suppossed to do is create an enviroment wherein the Spirit can testify of the truth of what we teach. 
 Fiday Elder Tollefsen and I got a wonderful lesson in sacraficing for the Gospel. As it is getting close to the end of the month Elder Tollefsen and myself have been running quite short on miles to drive around with, and so we choose to bike everywhere on Friday, unfortunatly the weather thought it would be funny to rain, all day long, and drop down to the lovely low 30's for most of the day, as I was biking the only thought that kept popping into my head though was "my pioneer anscestors don't feel sorry for me at all" so it was an excellent learning opportunity to experience what it means to sacrafice for the sake of the Gospel.
 I am very grateful to have the opportunity to serve in the Ohio Cleaveland Mission, a mission is definitley one of the greatest expereince of my life, I know with absolute certainty that God is our loving Heavenly Father that He knows each one of us perfectly and completly and loves us. I know that Jesus Christ is the Saviour and Redeemer of the world and that as we seek to draw closer to Him we will find the happiness that is not dependent upon external factors or circumstance but we will be able to find a lasting joy that comes from knowing we our children of loving heavenly parents with a divine potential and an eternal destiny. I know that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is  the only church on the earth that has the fulness of the Gospel and has the priesthood authority nessecary to perform the ordinaces that are required for the Atonement to take full effect in our lives and allow us to return to our heavenly home.

Monday, November 18, 2013

November 18, 2013

This week was a week wherein I found myself looking much back to review and pondering my mission. 

 On April 3rd 2013 I stepped out of our big white Mormon Assault Vehicle onto the pavement of the MTC, pulled out my bags gave my mother a hug and walked into a whole new world. As I was led down the big MTC hall to where I would get my name tag I could've never imagined what was waiting for me. Now a little over 6 months later it has been amazing to see how quickly it is passing by. 
 So far I have been stationed in two different areas, in every sense of the word. From rich, white, Catholic, Strongsville, down to poor, rundown, black Youngstown it has been to me quite a strong lesson in how no matter who we are, are where we find ourselves we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father, and His Gospel will help us no matter what circumstance or background we are from.
 I have also learned much more to trust in the Lord and patiently wait for His timing and His way. The Lord has put each one of us in the exact circumstances we need to be in order for us to grow learn and come closer to Him. He will also help us to navigate right through the trials of life if we will put our trust in Him and hearken unto His counsels; if however we choose to not heed his instruction we will quickly find ourselves making much less headway in the treacherous waters of life than we would like or we should be. 
 This most recent week I have also had the opportunity to realize the difference between being baptized into the church and becoming converted. Conversion requires first having a testimony that can only be gained through the witness of the Holy Ghost after applying the principles of the Gospel, which must then be followed by consistently living that which you have gained a testimony of. Unfortunately if someone does not gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon or Joseph Smith, or a living prophet they are simply baptized into the church and the often times in the long run persons simply baptized into the church become less active once the allure or storms of the world dampen the original reason for baptism. Even if the person baptized does remain active they will not be able to enjoy the full blessings of the Gospel until they do start the process of conversion. 
 I really cannot believe how fast my mission is progressing I want it to slow down it has definitely been one of the greatest experiences of my life and i never want it to end. 

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

11-12-13

The Elder Poe Report

This week was a bundle of hectic all rolled into one week. The first warning sign was when we realized that we would be having three exchanges in one week, which made things super interesting to begin with. For those who haven't served a mission an exchange is where two missionary companionships trade companions for the day and spend time working in a different area, it is always a bundle of fun and excitement, but can take a lot out of ya. So three in one week was way difficult. 

Although this week we saw an amazing miracle happen. This previous week was the last full week of the transfer and so I collected the final key indicators for the transfer and we had a miracle of 3 confirmations all taking place on the same last day of the transfer. It was truly amazing to see, especially in the area we are in where it hasn't been considered a place of "bountiful" soul harvesting, but within 6 weeks 3 people were baptized within one district it was amazing to see. The Lord truly will work miracles when we try our hardest. 

I am looking forward to a truly great transfer for this upcoming 5 weeks and I can't wait to see what miracles that God has in store. I know that Jesus Christ is the Saviour and Redeemer of the world and Joseph Smith is a prophet of God that was called to restore the fullness of the Gospel in these last days. I know that if we will turn to God and consecrate all that we are too him we will find that he will do much more with our life than we would ever be able to do. 

The Report of Elder Hunter D. Poe 

Monday, November 4, 2013

November 4, 2013

The Elder Poe Report
 
 This week was an exciting week and a very powerful lesson in the fact that God always answers prayers and always makes up the difference even when we fall short.
This week most of our appointments canceled on us which was depressing but we still had the opportunity to be instruments in the Lord's hands.
 
We have a less active member that we have been working with since my 2nd week into the area, and to understand when we first met Robert he admitted to having several different fairly serious challenges as far as going to church was concerned, and he didn't have a really strong desire to go to church, but figured someday he would get into it. Since then he has changed so much, the lessons with him have often been incredibly powerful and the Spirit has been so strong when we have met with him. Since we first met with him almost everything about him has changed he has overcome a lot of the challenges he was having with worthiness and he is moving forward so rapidly. I know the power of the Atonement in not only helping us find forgiveness but also in helping strength us and giving us the power to change who we are is real.
 
We also had a wonderful opportunity to see the missionary finding effort work in the ideal way, namely through members. There is a wonderful family in the ward, and recently they told us they had a friend that could really use the gospel in his life, and was kind of interested in the church. We set up a time to meet with him, in the member's house and we had an amazing first lesson with him. He is a really great guy, by the name of Kevin, and he seems willing and committed to finding out if the church is true, we also had the members there to teach us with him and they were able to offer amazing testimony of the principles we shared about, and helped him really feel comfortable.
 
We had one day this week that didn't go so well, most of our appointments canceled on us or flamed us, and we spent a lot of the day in not so productive tracting. As I came home I was pretty discouraged and not feeling so great. We finished planning and everything then I went to our room and started praying and talked with Heavenly Father, and told Him how I am willing to accept His timing and His will for me, even if that means being an Abinadi missionary while in the New Castle West Area, and here is the amazing thing about that night.... nothing happened, Heavenly Father let me continue to be bummed out, but the next morning I got the feeling to look at a talk by Elder Maxwell called "But for a Small Moment" that I had a copy of, as I read it, it really helped me refocus and help me understand my current situation more; however I took a lot bigger lesson from that, even though we offer up prayers and we have been promised that whatsoever thing we ask it will be given to us, it doesn't always mean that it will come in the exact way or time that we expected it to. Sometimes Heavenly Father will let our faith be tried a little bit and let us learn patience before He will give bless us with what we need, but we can always be rest assured that He always will do what is best for us eternally even if we may not be able to see it from our limited perspective of mortality. 

I know Jesus Christ is the Saviour and Redeemer of the world, He is the Lamb of God, and when we do turn to Him we can feel peace and healing. As we trust in our Heavenly Father we will find the strength to endure through all the storms of life, and we ill have the perspective to enjoy them cheerfully. I know that our choice ultimately comes down to choosing liberty and eternal life through the Great Mediator of all men or to choose captivity and death through the power of the devil. 

10/28/2013


The Elder Poe Report

These past two weeks have been a phenomenal experience in growth and in trusting the Saviour.
 
Last Monday I saw the Spirit of the Lord in action at work so strongly. First we went in with a recent convert sister, who when we met with her we had planned to go one direction with the lesson but we instead felt an impression to talk more about temples and baptisms for the dead as we did so she really opened up and started talking about how her sister never had the chance to get baptized and how she really had been feeling strongly that she has been feeling like she needed to go to the temple it was an amazing opportunity the Spirit was really strong and we could feel the love Heavenly Father has for each of His children. 

Following that appointment we had an opportunity to meet with another less active sister that we were meeting for the first time, as we met with her we started talking a little bit and then we gave the lesson we had prepared to give and everything seemed to go well the Sister seemed pretty open and receptive but not overly engaged. Then I thought I just might share one of my favorite miracles of Christ which is when he walks on water, as I shared that story and related it to everyday life the Sister got tears in her eyes and started saying this was exactly the lesson she needed to hear right now, it was an amazing experience and it was then that I realized that my idea was not mine at all but  a prompting from the Lord. It really taught me that these are the Lord's children we are working among and it has given me a strong testimony of "they were the Lord's sheep long before they were ours." Christ does know each of us personally and very perfectly and loves us more than we can ever understand.

Last Sunday we stopped by a different less active sister that had told us she really couldn't set anything up because she was too busy, and her schedule was too hectic but she relented to let us stop by in a week or so just to see how she was doing. When we got there she was just finishing cutting the grass and at first she seemed like she was ready to shoo us off because she was so "busy" but we offered our meager services to help in anyway we can and she started talking about some of the things she had to do and then she started going into how overwhelmed she had been feeling lately and started pouring out her concerns and fears and we started sharing some scriptures from the Book of Mormon with her and we could see the Spirit of the Lord touching her it was an amazing experience and wonderful opportunity to be able to act as the hands of Christ in reaching out and lifting up one of His children it is a privilege I cherish deeply and am very grateful that the Lord has provided those of us in His church for ways to be able to help others through Home and visiting teaching and missionary work. 

I know that Jesus Christ is the Saviour and Redeemer of the world, He is our advocate with the Father and He is the Lamb of God slain to take away the sins of the world, and that because of that He knows us each perfectly and loves us and will be there every step of the way to guide direct and uplift us. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only church on earth with the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the only Church that has the necessary authority to bring the full power of the Atonement into play in the lives of the children of God, and I know that if any person feels like they need the Spirit more fully in their life, feels like their is more they want to do to come closer to the Lord, the work of salvation is the way to do so, spreading the Gospel will bring greater satisfaction into the lives of those who engage on it, than almost any other endeavor. 

The Report of Elder Poe

Monday, October 14, 2013

October 14, 2013

The Elder Poe Report

This week was my first full week in New Castle and it has been an ever so interesting experience. 

 Monday we had the opportunity to eat with the Bishop and his family, it was a wonderful way to be initiated into a new area. As we were discussing the Work of Salvation in the New Castle Ward, and he shared how he feels that the New Castle Ward is ready to experience a large amount of real growth. 

As we progressed through the week we had many of our appointments either cancel on us or flame us which was rather disheartening. But that freed up quite a bit of time for finding activities, and we saw several miracles on that front this week. We had three different people who we knocked on their door and they answered the door and as they answered you could tell they were quite ready to shut the door and had no desire to talk, however as my wonderful companion Elder Tollefsen and I began to talk to them and listen to the whisperings of the Spirit their hearts were softened, and although they still weren't particularly interested in learning about the Gospel but they did accept a copy of the Book of Mormon and said we could stop back by in a week or two to see what they thought of it and what they had read. If they really do read it prayerfully seeking to honsetly know if it is true I know that they will have a desire to learn more and to become baptized because as Preach My Gospel says "The Book of Mormon along with the Spirit is your most powerful tool in conversion". So I am really banking on that promise. 

We had an opportunity to meet with the first investigator I have met with so far her name is Mercedes a middle aged black lady with a very sweet heart and a great desire to come closer to Christ. She reads the Book of Mormon and the Bible everyday and she really wants to get baptized and is very accepting of everything we have been teaching her. She just has a problem coming to Church and is trying to quit smoking. To me it is a powerful lesson about how the Gospel of Jesus Christ can help us but only insofar as we are willing to act upon it. We must be willing to not only believe and accept the Gospel but also be willing to live it if we want the blessings to happen in our life. 

One last event I wanted to mention this week is we had an opportunity to have dinner this week with Brother Gould a member of the ward, who is really a remarkable guy. Brother Gould was the first priesthood holder I met in this ward actually, and I told him my goal was to fill the New Castle chapel before the end of the year, and he said that he believed it could be done and that he was anxiously looking forward to when they get a bigger building. As we had dinner with Brother Gould on Friday evening he told us a little bit about how the ward had grown from a tiny branch that met in someones basement to having their own building, and that he was confident it would continue to grow to become a stake. It is really inspiring to see that it isn't just me being a crazy missionary thinking that we could grow this small ward into two large wards but that with faith, works, and miracles, we will see this ward grow.

I know that Jesus Christ is the Saviour and Redeemer of the World and that President Thomas S. Monson is the head of this church, and that in this most recent general conference he called and commissioned each of us to go forth and spread this Gospel for it truly is "The gospel of salvation to everyone that believeth", I know there are millions of people in this world that are spiritually starving and need the nourishing words of the Lord that we have in our lives and as we seek to spread the Gospel others we will see miracles occcur daily.

The Report of Elder Hunter D. Poe

Monday, October 7, 2013

October 7, 2013

The Elder Poe Report
Good morning my wonderful Brothers and Sisters, Elder Poe is now emailing you from the New Castle West Area, in the Youngstown zone, of the Ohio Cleveland Mission. I am serving with the wonderful Elder Conner Tollefsen from the good town of Mesa Arizonia as well as living with my amazing zone leaders Elder Curtis of Idaho and Elder Barnes of St. George Utah.
I am laboring alongside the Lord in the New Castle ward of His vineyard and I will definitly tell you it is much diffrenet than Strongsville. In Strongsville much of the population is rich, cahtolic and white, out here in New Castle much of the population is poor, non practicing, and black. Much of the area we cover is in a city called Youngstown which is appearantly the 3rdhighest city in the United States for murders. I am definintly not in Kansas anymore.
The ward here in New Castle is deinfintly differnet, whereas in Strongsville the ward was run a lot more like a business, here in New Castle the much smaller ward is more like one extended family. Both have advantages and disadvantages, and both require a unique style to bringing to pass the work of salvation.
                Also this week I finally got the chance to feel like is was really in the Ohio CLEVELAND Mission.  We stopped by a less active member on Thursday and as we approached her porch we realized that there were about half a dozen rather not so nice looking people on her porch several of which were wielding brown paper bags. We approached the door and asked for Natasha, which in response to our query one of the men on the porch said she had just left for the store and asked us what we were doing. Elder Tolleffsen and I explained we were missionaries and a little bit about the purpose we shared, as we continued to discuss the Gospel we gained courage and confidence in the Lord and were more able to address the individuals on the porch we had a wonderful conversation with them and tuaght almost the entire first lesson. We did however decide to get out of dodge when one of the more inedbriated individuals started screaming at us about how he was pentecostal and several other things that I wouldn’t feel comfortable repeating as a missionary. On the plus side several of them requested new bibles so we will be visiting them again to deliever some Bibles and some Book of Mormons. Maybe one of them will end up getting baptized it will be wonderful.
                I am very glad to be a missionary in Ohio and I know this is the Lord’s work and He is hastening but it requires the work and effort of all of the Lords people. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God the Saviour and Redeemer of the world and through His Atonement all man kind can become free from sin death and hell. I know that Joseph Smith is God’s prophet chosen to restore Christ’s church on the earth.  I also know that if we will take the intiative to share the things we learned in Conference with those not of our faith we will find remarkable results and we will be able to bring to pass much good in our world.

The Report of Elder Hunter D. Poe

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Oct 1, 2013 - The Newest District Leader

The Elder Poe Bi Annual Report

               So on Wednesday the full 6 month mark will hit, I also found out that I will be being transferred out of the Cleveland zone, and have been called to be a District Leader that is the big transfer news. As I look back I am pretty sure God is playing some sort of joke on missionaries in relation to the time space continuum, it has not been 6 months yet, it 100% doesn’t feel like it has been more than two or three weeks tops.
               I can remember it seems like just yesterday that they marched all of us new missionaries into the transfer room and had us find our companions, I remember my first lesson I had here in Strongsville and how it went. I can’t believe that it has already been 6 months, it has been the six greatest months of my life, being able to invite others to come unto Christ and seeing the miracles the that can be brought to pass, and seeing how well the Lord can work with people to change who they are into who He intends them to become.  If the rest of my mission goes by this fast I will be sorely upset, I am praying it drastically slows down from here on out, but I have heard that it just continues to pick up speed, which if true means that I as a missionary need to make sure I am laboring even more diligently and working even harder and relying on the Spirit more fully to make sure that I don’t leave anything unfinished.
I can’t find an adequate way to summarize these past six weeks but some of the important things I have learned include.
1)      God knows best: The Lord will always make more out of your life than you ever could, as long as you surrender your will to His and do His work.
2)      They were His sheep long before they were ours: The Lord loves all of His children more than any mortal can comprehend or imagine, He also knows His children more perfectly than any other person including ourselves, and because of that He knows exactly what they need and exactly when they need it.
3)      Ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you: Prayer works and they are always answered. Every pray we offer up to God having faith in Him and His power, as long as it is done righteously will be granted. There is almost nothing on this earth more powerful than a mother on her knees pleading for her children. Prayer allows miracles to happen
4)      My ways [and time] are not your ways [and time]: God works on His own timetable and in His own way for the benefit of mankind. We can be rest assured that everything the Lord gives us and when He gives it to us was a specially designed and crafted to best help us return to live with him
5)      My purpose: My purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored Gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. That is why I am here in Ohio, that is why I labor each day, that is why there are over 75,000 missionaries out in the world right now leaving their families, friends, jobs, schooling, scholarships, it is so that other can come unto Christ and find the healing power of His Gospel and His Atonement. The world is starving to death spiritually, what we have will feed the hungering souls.
6)      After all of the testimonies that have been given of Him this is the testimony last of all that we give of Him that He lives: Christ lives, He lives, He lives, disappointment may occur but He lives, sadness may strike, but He lives, trial, tragedy, disaster, heartache, sorrow, grief, suffering, and hell itself may all combine against us, but Christ lives, and because He lives we will live to if we turn to Him. No matter how bleak things seem right now you are not alone, Christ is with you in all things and is there to nurture us through all things for He has felt all of it so He knows what you are going through and will help.
I wish I had time and resources to write everything I have learned record all of the miracles I have seen but time marches on against all things.
               I look forward to the future with hope and confidence knowing that I labor on the Lord’s errand and His help will be there. I would still appreciate any advice anyone has for leadership, I am feeling pretty unqualified to be a district leader at this point.
Also in commemoration of the sixth month mark we bring you
THE BEST OF TRACTING IN STRONGSVILLE
Let’s face it tracting is important and powerful and it is a wonderful opportunity to bear testimony and show diligence but sometimes it is just flat out funny. Thus we share some of the more memorable tracting experiences
A guy pulls up in a truck right next to the house we are about to knock on we send a cheerful greeting to him and he responds by just staring at us and then walking inside. We next knock on his door and he yells go around back. As he comes out the door we introduce ourselves and give him a little bit of what we share with people, after staring at us awkwardly for a minute or two he points his finger at my large Tongan companion and drawls out “I’m part of the klannnn”, we tried giving him a card with Christ but he said he didn’t want it and to get out.

My energetic self knocks on a door and a man comes to the window next to the door and demands “What do you want?” I explain that we are missionaries then he yells “I’M WATCHING TV” I replied with “We are telling people about a book” holding up a Book of Mormon, he looks at us funny and then waddles back to watch TV

Me: Knock knock
Old man answers the door: Hello?
Me: How are you doing today sir?
Old man: Horrible, wadda you want?
Suffice it to say he wasn’t particularly interested in learning about Jesus Christ

We knock on the door of young mother who answers the door, we explain that we are sharing with people how their families can be blessed through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and give her a Family Proclamation, and start discussing it with her. She seems interested and we ask if we can come back and discuss more about the Gospel with her to which she assents. I then tell her that if she wants to learn a little bit more she can visit the mormon.org website listed on the back. She looks at us and says “Mormons, no thank you” she then shoves the pamphlet into my hand and slams the door.

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ is God’s Kingdom established prepatory to the second coming of the Messiah, I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world, and I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father.

“We have been called to serve in the place
Where Christ our Saviour has shown His face
We’ve heard the words the Lord has declared
“Kirtland will be built up again”
We are in the Ohio Cleveland
We have prepared since our youth
And we are in the Ohio Cleveland
To bring Ohio His truth
To bring Ohio His truth”  - Ohio Cleveland Mission Song 3rd verse (sung to the tune of Army of Helamen)

The Report of Elder Hunter D. Poe

Monday, September 16, 2013

Sept 16, 2013

The Elder Poe Report              
               This week was a challenging and unique week as far as missionary work goes, and it was painful as far as biking goes. On Tuesday of this week Elder Hyde, one of my roommates, and me were on splits into Elder Hyde’s biking area. As I was cruising along the cracked sidewalks of Middleburg Heights Ohio out of nowhere a rather sizeable rock jumps out in front of me, determined to show the rock what was what I proceed to assault said rock with my bicycle, unfortunately the rock proved the victor as upon impact I pulled off an impressive half front flip with my bike. As I was in the air my bicycle went one direction and myself went another, covering about 5 feet of ground before I met an unmerciful ground, on the positive side no bones were broken and no serious injury has been sustained except for a rather large bruise on my left upper arm, that was the low point of the week, as of right now though I have almost fully recovered and should be fine.
               This Friday, the 13, was the ward BBQ. As is befitting of such an unlucky day as the dawn broke we saw a rather large wall of solid gray clouds moving our direction and bringing with them a very cold breeze. As the day progressed the clouds marched unhindered across the sky dropping the temperature down into the low 60s. Undaunted however we showed up at 4:30 at the site of the BBQ and began to prepare what needed to be made ready for the guests. As the minutes went by we were anxiously awaiting for people to start showing up. As it got closer to the appointed starting time, I began to be nervous, as nobody was there that hadn’t been involved in the preparation. In my heart I said a little prayer to the Lord asking for assurance, and as I finished I got a very calming sensation enter into my heart and I knew that it was going to be alright. Finally people started coming in droves and the activity was a success, there were many less active members, and part member families that came to the BBQ the weather held off on a down pour until the conclusion of the BBQ and it was a wonderful time to be had by all. To me it was a powerful reminder that this is the Lord’s work and He is hastening it.
               The other exciting event that happened this week was we had another wonderful appointment with David. David was a potential investigator found by the Elders in the area before us, we had stopped by once on a whim and he had been home, he was interested, we taught him the entire first lesson and he committed to being baptized. After that we weren’t able to meet with him for over 2 weeks and spent much of the time playing phone tag, however after much persistence we were able to get in contact with David and have another appointment with him on Saturday. We actually had the appointment in a rather crowded restaurant as David’s mother is not a huge fan of the church. As we met with David we got to know him a little better and realized how truly prepared he is for the Gospel, he had lived in Texas for a while and met many LDS people down there and he had always felt there was something different about them, he always expressed how he didn’t think divorce was the answer and that he thinks God put us in families for a reason, and so many other ideas that seem to be so in line with what the true Gospel of Christ is. It was amazing, even though we were in a busy restaurant with lots of noisy people and many distractions, the Spirit was still there to testify of the truth of our message and it was able to help us all come closer to Christ.
               The experience with David also taught me another very important lesson, of never giving up on those that we have been called to help and work with. We spent weeks trying to get something lined up with David and each time it fell through, we began to get a little discouraged and wonder how sincere he was, however a thought came into my head at one point, how the Saviour never gives up on us, no matter how many times we stumble, fall, or move backwards, every time the Saviour is there trying to help us as best He can to turn back to Him, and every time we turn to Him he loving has His arms open to welcome us back and find healing and hope.
               I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, I know that He is the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. I know this with a conviction that no force on earth will separate from this knowledge. I have an equally firm knowledge that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, He was called and commissioned by Jesus Christ to restore Christ’s church on the Earth again in the last days, and I know all other people can come to know this as well if they will read the Book of Mormon, ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then ask God the Eternal Father in the name of Christ if it is true. I testify of these things as one called to represent Jesus Christ and His Church, in His blessed name. Amen.
The Report of Elder Hunter Poe

Monday, September 9, 2013

Sept 9, 2013



The Elder Poe Report      

               This week was an exciting one in the mission field. This week Elder Fiefia and I discovered a part of the Word of Wisdom that is currently missing in most copies of the Doctrine and Covenants it reads thusly “thou shalt not partake of sushi at a five dollar all you can eat Chinese buffet, and those who do so will be afflicted with grievous pains of the stomach and posterior.” We had Zone Training Meeting on Saturday, following which the zone went out to lunch, at an all you can eat Chinese buffet wherein Elder Fiefia in attempting to sample everything they had to offer inadvertently knocked himself out of commission for the rest of Saturday due to what we believe is sushi at a cheap Asian buffet. So that is a warning to all out there.
               In addition this week was not the most productive in terms of numbers; we labored long and hard in an attempt to secure appointments but to no avail unfortunately. It has been a powerful lesson in trusting in the Lord’s timing. For those not aware Joseph Smith prophesied that the land of the Kirtland Ohio would be built up again prior to the second advent of the Saviour, the night before this prophet of God was martyred he asserted that the prophecy had yet to be fulfilled. This means that I know that one day soon Ohio will be built up as a powerful stronghold of God’s kingdom in the Latter Days, unfortunately it does not appear that this week the Strongsville area of the Ohio Cleveland was quite ready to start construction, insofar as adding new people to the kingdom.
               This Sunday though was a wonderful day in bringing back one of the lost sheep of the Lord. There is a wonderful less active member we have been working with, Sister Marge, for the past two or three weeks, our initial visit was not incredibly productive as Sister Marge didn’t quite seem to feel the Spirit as strongly as we hoped, and she is quite the talker, I mean to the point where you sometimes have to just interrupt her mid sentence if you want to keep the discussion focused on the Gospel. Despite that we had another lesson with her this week wherein she revealed that she had stopped attending church at approximately the same time her father passed away. As we found out this information we got the prompting to start discussing family history work and temples as well, although it was a little difficult to keep the discussion focused, we did help invite the Spirit in to the room very strongly and were able to bear powerful testimony of the Plan of Salvation, following the closing prayer, my companion, myself, and the young man that was accompanying us all sang Families Can Be Together Forever, for Sister Marge before departing. The Spirit was incredibly strong as we ended and I was feeling a little bit teary eyed. This Sunday Sister Marge came to church it filled me with such happiness to see her back at church,  she was very welcomed back into the ward, and she seemed to have really enjoyed it as she stayed for the entire three hour block. Personally when we had left the lesson that Wednesday evening I didn’t think it had gone that well, but the Lord will touch the hearts of those who are ready even if we don’t always think He has.
               One other piece item of mention for this upcoming week is the Strongsville Ward Food Drive and BBQ. Several weeks ago I reported that as a Strongsville District that we had come up with the idea of a ward talent show to allow an opportunity for people to invite their friends to see more of the church, and through the process of bureaucracy and councils the idea eventually got morphed into the Strongsville Ward Food Drive and BBQ, which I am totally okay with as it is still moving the ward for missionary work. I will let everyone know how that goes next week.
               In conclusion I know that Jesus Christ is the Saviour and Redeemer of the world, that he walked the streets of ancient Israel, healing the sick, granting sight to the blind, cleansing the lepers, and even raising the dead. I know that although he lived a perfect and sinless life he took upon himself all of our sins and infirmities so that we might have an opportunity to live with Him again. After suffering beyond mortal comprehension He was arrested on false charges, convicted by a power hungry court, and then crucified to satisfy an angry mob. I know also though that death was not the end of His life, but rather the beginning of His glory, for He arose from the grave on the third day, claiming a total victory over the powers of death and hell, allowing each of us to be ransomed from sin and Satan if we will turn to Him. I know also that in His resurrected, immortal, and glorified state, Jesus Christ then appeared to Joseph Smith and called Him to be the prophet of God to usher in the dispensation of the fullness of time. I know also that I have been called by divine authority, through revelation, to serve in the mission where my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ personally appeared, and I know that any person can come to this same knowledge if they will read the Book of Mormon, and then ask God the Eternal Father in the name of Christ if it is true.

Sincerely,
Elder Hunter D. Poe

Monday, August 26, 2013

August 26, 2013

  This week was a wonderful week in the Ohio Cleveland Mission. On Tuesday we had a wonderful opportunity to meet with a new family in the ward, the Storm family. It was a wonderful experience to see the joy that families can find through the Gospel, the Storm family have been members their entire life, but they are fairly young with two young children and when we went over and taught them the lesson it was incredibly touching to see how the parents were encouraging them with answers and asking them questions about things they were learning in their own family scripture study. I just wish every family I talked to could see how the Gospel could bless their family so much.
               Wednesday was a wonderful day in missionary work as well, we had an opportunity on Wednesday to give a blessing to Rick, a less active member of the ward, as he was leaving town for several days, and in addition before we left I got the prompting to give him a Book of Mormon and ask him to give it to someone while he was out on his trip. I don’t know what will come of it, but I know that anything that inspires us to do good and act more like Christ would is of God.
               So Saturday is one of those day that is less exciting in missionary work. When we got down to plan Friday evening we realized that we had no appointments, except for correlation early in the morning, so we planned a day full of stopping by and tracting, and that is how the day fell out we spent hour after hour tracting, and this was one of the warmer days to boot. I loved every minute of it though, I know that it isn’t an incredibly effective way of finding new persons that would like to hear the news of the Gospel but I love the opportunity to get to a door and bear testimony to someone of the fact that Christ loves us, that He has a plan for each of us, that He has called another prophet in these latter days, and that He gave us the Book of Mormon to bless us.
               Saturday was definitely a wonderful day though, not because of the many hours of tracting, but the day prior I had asked my Fearless District Leader and Companion Elder Fiefia, for a blessing because I felt like I should get one. That Saturday evening convinced me of the true power of the Priesthood and of Priesthood blessings, the things Elder Fiefia told me answered questions that there was no way for him to know I had, I know that God has restored the priesthood authority on the Earth and that it truly is the power given to man to act in the name of God, I would encourage every worthy priesthood holder that reads this to offer their family member a blessing this week, it will be a powerful experience for all involved, I would also encourage any Priesthood holder that at this time is not currently worthy to get worthy to give blessings, this world needs every single priesthood holder it can get right now and we can’t afford to have them being out wandering in forbidden paths when right now we are fighting an all out war with Satan, and outnumbered over 100 to 1 I might add.
               Sunday evening was the capstone of the week, but unfortunately didn’t end well. We had an appointment with a wonderful less active, part member family, it was the first time we had actually been able to get in with them to have a lesson. As we sat down with the mother and father, the children were absent, we started talking with them and got to know them a little bit, then we shared with them the blessings the Gospel brings to each one of us, how it can help them, we got to testify of the fact that there is a prophet on the Earth again today and that Christ has restored His Church and that they will find greater happiness through it than anything else, that it would bless their family, and their home, we laid everything the Gospel would bring them out for them; at this time the Sprit was so strong you could almost feel the Saviour in the room. Then we asked them the question, if they would want to continue to learn about the Gospel and avail themselves of the blessings that are just within their reach, they considered it for a minute, then two. Apart from when you issue someone the baptismal invitation, this is pretty much the most suspenseful moment in missionary work,  it is like when you are just about to find out if your team is going to win the super bowl, this is everything you work for and study for and prepare for is to help people to come closer to Christ. Then she answered and said she felt that her Cahtolic upbringing had sufficiently helped her come close to Christ. If anyone within a 20 mile radius had the power to read minds they would’ve heard a very loud NNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO coming from my brain. I wish that they would’ve taken advantage of the opportunity that was presented them, but they have their agency, I know though that a seed was planted, let us hope the soil is ready to receive it.
               In conclusion this week went well, I know that God lives, that he loves and knows each one of us. I know that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world, and has healing for every person that will come unto him, for his yoke truly is easy and is burden is light. I know that Christ has again restored His church on the earth again and that it does have the divine priesthood authority that can only be given from God. I also know that any person can come to know these same things if they will read the Book of Mormon, ponder in their minds the message it contains, and then asks God the Eternal Father in the name of Christ if it is true.

O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous … will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted that I may heal you?
3 Nephi 9:13
The Report of Elder Hunter Poe

Sunday, August 18, 2013

August 12, 2013

The Elder Poe Report
              
               This week was an exciting and interesting. This week I saw the Lord’s church in action and some powerful lessons on the importance of trust in the Lord.
               We will start with the bad news of this week. David unfortunately was not there yesterday for the appointment we are not sure why, but we will try getting back in contact with him soon. In addition we had two less active members this week tell us they would prefer not to have any contact with us or the church anymore. So that really stunk in the extreme, but people were given their agency and they are free to use it, that is what we fought a war in heaven over was whether or not we would have that agency. That makes it all the worst that people seem to be so willing to give up their agency to a substance or behavior because it is making them slightly happy for the time. I really just wish I could help people see that the Gospel of Christ can free them from worry, sin, and remorse. That is what the Gospel of Christ is here for, to make us free and happy.
               Yesterday I saw what was nothing short of the Lord working a miracle for the benefit of his children. There is a man, we will call him Les, in our ward who is a little bit elderly and several months ago had a serious stroke that brought about a speech and memory impairment, as well as some degree of physical disability. During church you could tell that he was not doing very well, another member of the ward Robert saw that, and he could relate as he had a similar experience occur to him several years ago. After church we got a call from Robert asking us if we would be able to come with him to go talk to Les and see how he is doing, we immediately accepted and later that evening went to see Les, who we talked with for a while and who was doing better after we left. The thing that really struck me though is that one brother of the church saw another one of his brothers struggling and acted as Christ would’ve to comfort him, because he cared and loved him. Isn’t that what we covenanted at baptism, to mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort? Additionally this showed me why we really have the home teaching program, home and visiting teaching is more than just visiting once a month and sharing a lesson, it is loving another family and caring and looking out for them and helping them come closer to Christ. It is really about loving another family as the Saviour would, how blessed are the members of this Church that we have the opportunity to serve each other selflessly and exercise the saintly virtue of Charity.
               The final experience was more of a weeklong learning experience. At a certain point this week I was feeling a little down on myself, due to a previous day spent mostly in tracting without fruit being brought forth and several other items this week that were aforementioned. I expressed my sentiment to my companions and they helped me to see that this work is not necessarily about convincing others of the truthfulness of what we have but rather finding those who will receive us as it says in D&C 42:8. As  it says in 2 Nephi 12:3  “many people shall go and say, Come ye and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob” it doesn’t say let’s go convince other people to come up to the house of the Lord  because of how good it will be for them but rather that they will have a desire to. God is preparing people to receive the message but not all of the people are being prepared all the time to accept the Gospel, like a good friend said to me shortly before I departed and reminded me in an email. We aren’t teaching people anything new everyone we teach already knows everything we are telling them they were taught it in the Pre-Earth Life (not the Pre-Existence, that is for you Parke family) they just forgot it for a while. Our duty as missionaries is to create an environment in which the Spirit can be present to bring these things to their remembrance.
               I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father, I know that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to work an infinite and all powerful atonement, and that through it all mankind can saved through Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. I know also that all these truths were restored through Joseph Smith, who was called of God to be the prophet, seer, and revelator that opened the dispensation of the fullness of times. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is God’s church once again restored on the earth again in these last days and it is lead and guided by Thomas S. Monson under the direction and guidance of Jesus Christ.



The Report of Elder Hunter Poe

August 5, 2013

The Elder Poe Report

               This week has been an interesting week full of many exciting challenges and opportunities. In short prayer and fasting works, the scriptures are the word of God written specifically for you.
               So the first big incident that caused a problem this week was that on Wednesday we went in to visit a less active member and although I had my planner when I got out of the car when we returned to the car after the brief appointment my planner was nowhere to be found, even after a diligent search. This was incredibly unfortunate as I have the memory of a goldfish if something isn’t written down, and so we had to rely for most of the week on Elder Fiefia’s planner all week, but it was a valuable lesson to me about the importance of having a remote backup.
               The big awesome news this week is that we found a wonderful new investigator from Texas named David. It all started Saturday evening, our mission president decided that this fast Sunday that as a mission we were going to fast that those persons who have a baptismal date in August will be able to keep those dates, and that those of us who don’t have investigators will be able to find new investigators. So on Saturday evening we opened our fast with a prayer crying mightily upon the Lord that we would be able to find persons that are open and receptive to the Gospel and that those persons who had a baptismal date for August would be able to keep it. The following day (Sunday) we had an appointment at 1:30 with a wonderful young Indian lady named Guyetreah scheduled. I was really excited for this appointment because I figured this would be when the Lord answered our prayers and we would be able to teach her entire family and commit all of them to baptism. But then to my utter disappointment when we went there, no one was home. It was incredibly sad and depressing. However as we were about to drive home, a random person popped into my head. You see several months ago I went on exchanges with my district leader into the Strongsville  West Area that I am now in, and while there we had done a little bit of tracting and found this guy who was really nice and had even given us some bottles of water while we were out, he had lived in Texas for a while and gotten in an accident and was in the hospital for a while and the missionaries had been some of the only people to visit him while he was in the hospital. At the time me and my district leader had talked to him he hadn’t really seemed interested but we left a restoration pamphlet with him and told him he could visit mormon.org  if he wanted to learn more, and left it at that. Yesterday though he popped into my head, and I could see in my mind the exact street he lived on, and I got the prompting we should go visit that house. So acting in faith and trusting in the promptings of the Spirit we went and visited that house. That same young man, David was his name, answered the door and said that he had read through the Restoration pamphlet and thought that it all made sense and sounded true. We then taught him a wonderful first lesson, which was not at all because of us, but rather the Spirit guided and led that lesson to address it to exactly what David needed to hear. The Spirit was super strong as we taught a simple first lesson on the doorstep but the faith that was exercised by all involved parties allowed miracles to be wrought, David committed to pray to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet and when we extended the baptismal invitation he accepted it, and we now have a return appointment with him for this next Sunday it was wonderful to gain a surer knowledge that the Lord will answer any prayer we offer up to him in righteousness, not necessarily in our time or our way but He will make sure that the answer is for our good and benefit. I would encourage everyone that reads this to as it says in Malachi “prove [the Lord] now herewith if, [the Lord] will not open the windows of heaven, and pour out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” God has promised that anything we ask in the name of Christ will be answered unto us. As it says in Alma 17, the sons of Mosiah had “given themselves to much prayer and fasting;” and through this they were given the power to bring forth the works of the Almighty God. 
               I know fasting and prayer works, I know that there is a hoard of blessings the Lord wants to pour down upon our heads but can’t until we ask, to preserve our agency, I know that he loves us and I know that He cannot lie, Christ has promised us that whatsoever we ask the Father in His name will be given unto us. When we exert the faith to trust in the promises of God there will be no thing on this earth that we will not be able to do, there will be no knowledge that God will keep hidden from us and we will be confident knowing that we will stand on the right hand of God at the great and terrible day of the coming of the Lord and what else matters except that.
               God loves all of us His Son Jesus Christ loves us just as much and He wrought an infinite and eternal atonement so that all of us can be free from fear, worry and guilt if we will trust in Him and strive to do his works. This knowledge was restored through Joseph Smith who was called as a prophet of God to bring forth the fullness of the Gospel in these last days, and President Thomas Monson is the continuation of that line, and Christ is as the helm of His Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

The Report of Elder Hunter D. Poe