P-Day # 72 - Exchanges, A Wild Birthday Party and Prepping for Smartphones...

Elder Perry - "We have 8 Inches of Snow!!!"

This week we have been working really hard on getting our area ready for our smartphones. We have been able to go through our list and they are ready to be put into the phones.

We were able to teach our investigators this week about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They were enthusiastic about it and have been reading the Book of Mormon consistently. We are now working to have them come to church consistently and I think we will be able to set a baptismal date with them pretty soon.

We had a great lesson with one investigator and she had read 5 chapters of the Book of Mormon in two days. We were able to download the Gospel library app on her phone, so she would have all the scriptures on her phone. She said that she felt good about reading it and that it was a good book because she didn't fall asleep reading it.

 

Elder Perry - Selfie!!!

I also had exchanges with our Zone Leaders this week and I really liked it. We were able to have Missionary Coordination meeting with the Kingston Branch Ward Mission Leader. He was really nice and was really involved with the branches missionary efforts.

We were able to also meet with man who wanted to come to church. We answered some of his questions answered about why we go to church and why it was important to go. He made the commitment to come to church on Sunday so I am hoping he will come.

So, My AWESOME companion, Elder DeVries, gave me this Birthday card. You have to click on this and read it! It's Awesome!

What can I say, Elder DeVries is blast to work with!!!!

I have 2 exchanges, a Zone Conference and President Shields has us in a Live Nativity in Kingston, this upcoming week. That will be interesting. It will be busy, again!

BONUS VIDEO - How does Elder Perry feel about those who don't keep their areas records updated??? Click on this...

Elder Perry - Keep Your Records Updated, Please!

Love You and remember, I pray for you every night & day!

Elder Perry

Napanee Branch, Ontario

Kingston District

Canada Toronto Mission

P-Day # 71 - Awesome Nativity Exhibit, Playing the Piano and New T-Shirts...

Elder Perry Playing Piano at The Napanee Nativity Exhibit

Parents Note: Happy 20th Birthday Elder Perry! We Love You! Mom & Dad

This week, The Napanee Branch had our Annual Nativity Exhibit. Here are several Pictures... Click on the picture to make larger...

We have been setting up for this nativity event for over a week. We had a lot of visitors and we were very busy talking to them and answering their questions. I think it gave people a different perspective on who we are and what we believe. I was able to play the piano for a solid three hours while we were waiting for other musical guest to arrive. Some of the other musical numbers were really loud and so when they left, there was no one to play the piano but audio tapes and the tapes didn't do it any justice. I had to refresh myself on how to play from the Hymns Made Easy Book. I did notice the Lord guiding my fingers and it sounded good. I know I was blessed. I made a couple errors now and again, but overall, I know it helped invite the Spirit into the exhibit.  The members were really awesome, too. They were able to teach people about the Gospel as I sat and played. My companion Elder DeVries and I could hear members teaching the Restoration and "Bearing Testimonies" about its truthfulness. It was fantastic to see and really helped build trust between us, the members and the visitors. After getting the entire chapel ready for 3 days putting up all the nativity’s, it took two and a half hours to take them down.

We were able to sit down with our Branch President and move some records out of the branch. We were blessed to be able to bring our branch list from four pages down to two pages. Now we will be able to work with an accurate branch list.

Thanks for the Birthday/Christmas Shirts...They're Awesome!

We weren't able to meet with our main investigators this week because they were sick. A quick drop by we think helped let them know that we care about them. We were able to give one of them a large print Book of Mormon. He could read it much better and was very thankful. We will continue to seek new investigators and strengthen the branch here.

A Very Tired Elder Perry 

We talked with a potential investigator, but we really didn't talk much. He was very talkative. We didn't really have a chance to talk in the lesson, so we just sat and listened. He does video ministries and all we could do was look at each other thinking “where is your authority to do the laying on of hands?” Stay tuned for our next update...

We have been teaching the Addiction Recovery Program. This is a really interesting program. I'm thankful the Lord has this program in place. 

This has been our week doing the Lords work.

Love You Mom and Dad and remember, I pray for you every night & day!

Elder Perry

Napanee Branch, Ontario

Kingston District

Canada Toronto Mission

P-Day #70 - Christmas Party, Nativity Displays and Marching in the Napanee Christmas Parade...

Elder Perry Helping A Member Fall a Tree!!!

This week has been a fantastic week for us.

We were able to do a church service in a retirement home about an hour away from Napanee. Our investigator that lives two hours away from Napanee came to that service. As we greeted all the retired members of the home, their faces brightened as we shook their hands and our investigator seemed to have liked the service, also. We were able to celebrate his birthday! I think that that was the best part of my day.

Elder Perry Playing it Cool!

We were able to have another investigator come to church this week. I was excited to see her there. She came a little early, so we were able to explain a little about what went on during Sacrament Meeting. We talked to her about Prophets and the Organization of the Church. She looked like she enjoyed the service and it made us happy that she was having a good time. We were also able to teach her the Restoration this week and she understood. She is awesome.

Elder Perry Gettin' Er' Done!

We were able to help set up a Nativity Float and march in the parade handing out flyers as we went by, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. The little kids would be happy when we would wave to them and they would wave back. At the last minute, the lights stopped working on our float.  We had no lights on our float but, it was good because one of our investigators husband could get really bad medical problems with all the lights. Apparently lots of lights and blinking lights causes seizures. He would have had to turn his head way from the floats, but when ours came by, he was able to see a blown up nativity on the back of a truck and look at our float so it all worked out. One of those Christmas Miracles!

Advertising the Nativity Display on Our Branch Float!

We had a Christmas Party and helped the branch set up for it. We were able to have our investigator, the one who came to church, come to the party. Her and her family had a great time. We think they had fun. During the Christmas party, they played a game where we all got little gifts. As the narrator said left or right, we had to pass the gifts to one another. We didn't expect to do anything with the gifts. We were just happy that our investigator came to the party and they were having a good time. But the branch wanted us to come anyway with something and my gift was a missionary approved movie night! YEA!

My Goodies from our Branch Christmas Party!

We have been setting up a Nativity Exhibit for the Town of Napanee. We have around 150 nativities that are on display. We converted our chapel into a display room. I will send pictures when it is all set up with the displays.

Setting-Up For The Nativity Displays...

We helped a member cut down a tree this week (see above pictures). The tree came up by the roots in a wind storm and blew over in an odd layout. He had a smaller chainsaw, but rented a bigger one because the tree was pretty big. Apparently, I was the “resident expert” to run “the big chainsaw” since I had so much experience doing all the wood cuts with our branch scouts (Thanks Bro. Jordan and The Vernonia Branch). I not only fell the tree, but cut the tree into big rounds. I thought it was pretty fun. I was a little scared because the tree got hung on another tree when I cut the bottom off. The tree was literally hanging in the air. We had to tie off a ladder and tie myself to the ladder to cut it down. It is a little nerve racking when the tree you cut the limb off of, shakes a little and you have a chain saw in your hand. But, all ended safely and well. We will be helping them load the wood sometime in the future.

My Wonderful Companion Elder DeVries, He's So Much Fun!

Love You Mom & Dad and remember, I pray for you every night & day!

Elder Perry

Napanee, Ontario

Kingston District

Canada Toronto Mission  

P-Day # 69 - Teaching Investigators, Being a "District Leader"" and a Perpetually Dirty Car...

Elder Perry and the Nissan Rogue
after driving the back roads in Napanee,ON

Hi Mom & Dad, 

This week has been a busy one. We have been working with our investigators to help them progress. We taught one investigator who lives in the middle of the woods. As we taught, we were able to teach about the Plan of Salvation and he understood it all. He tried to keep the commitment we gave him to read the Book of Mormon, but he only read about half because he has a hard time reading the smaller print. We got him a bigger print so he can read it better. We are hoping that he will come to a sacrament service we are having that is a little closer to his home.

Our Area got authorization from President Hinkley when he was here to have Sacrament Meeting at an Elderly Nursing Home. They have been doing it once a month ever since. It brings some good comfort and the people love that we come in professional dress and act like “Real Preachers”. The other “Preachers” come in jean or shorts and a tee shirt.  We do have speakers, but we just help with the sacrament.

We were able to teach a family the Restoration this week and The Spirit was in the room. They understood and asked some really good questions about the church's stance on the family and current topics. They mentioned that they believe what we believe in so I think it was a really good meeting and we will be teaching them again this week.

We have been working through former records and have been able to update some and have been able to put some together with our current investigators. We thought that they were brand new investigators, so our records are hopefully fully complete by the time we get the smartphones.

I have been trying to learn this whole District Leader thing and I think I am doing pretty good at it. My first District Meeting went pretty good. I do get to talk to other missionaries more, so that is pretty fun. I get to hear all the crazy stories that happen to other missionaries, that’s pretty cool. I think I am a fun leader. I am doing what I’m supposed to do in the meetings and I laugh with the members of my district. We are having a good time.

We have a training call on Saturday and I think it will be fun. All the other District Leaders that I have served around or have served with will be on the call. I think it's pretty cool I only communicate with the Zone Leaders…except for the training call. That one was led by President Shields

We had a funny experience this week. We were teaching some people that just got out of jail and when the cops came into the drive through, the woman started telling the man to go to the bathroom because they aren't supposed to be seen together due to restraining orders against each other. It was pretty funny, but the police didn’t even see them.

We have been driving back roads this week trying to save some “Kilometers” and have been going through plain mud roads. It reminds me of a lot of Vernonia. No matter how many times you wash it, it gets dirty the first 10 feet out of the car wash. 

Congratulations to my cousin Toby. He is a Deacon! That seems Impossible!

Love You Mom & Dad and Remember I Pray for you every Night & Day!

Elder Perry

Napanee, Ontario

Kingston District

Canada Toronto Mission