Week 88: Just Kick It!

Hey everyone!

Every week after I write my email we go to ward FHE activities. Every ward will announce them in sacrament meeting or on their FB pages, and then E. Barney and I will just pick the best one to go to. It's pretty epic cuz every week we'll play some pickleball or some spikeball, or get some good food. Tonight we're gonna go to one of our Bishop's houses to kick it with the homies in his ward.

This is how YSA works really. Just spend time with members as much as you can and be as visible as possible. The more people see you and feel like you're a part of the ward, the more comfortable they are about bringing people to you to teach, or at least the more inspired they'll be to do so. What's nice is that even if we don't know anyone at a particular activity, people usually just come up and talk to us which is epic. And sometimes they come up to us and tell us they have people for us to teach!

Take Wednesday night for example. We went to a yard games activity in one of our wards; a ward where the 1 guy we knew was the one that told us about the activity. While we're there enjoying some pizza a guy comes up to us and introduces himself, and says another girl in the ward that he's friends with has been bringing 2 of her coworkers to church and that both were not members. He said he's become friends with them too and said he'd talk to them about meeting with us! Hopefully we'll be able to see them at church soon. But legit we'd never met this guy before all we did was show up to an activity and got like 2 referrals. Played a little spikeball too. Then after that activity we played pickleball with the Samoan ward for a while too.  

Take Sunday for example. A girl in Amadeus' ward came up to us after sacrament meeting and said that she has a nonmember friend that she invited to church. She said he couldn't make it that day, but that he's gonna come next week! We'd never met her either and now we might be teaching her friend too! Hopefully we'll get to see him next week. There's also a family in the Samoan ward that is bringing TWO nonmember families to church with them. They're planning on introducing us to them at church as well. 

Thursday we had interviews with President Evanson, and I was telling him about all of this and he was thrilled. You can find people to teach knocking doors, but a lot of those people end up getting dropped within a few weeks. The people that you find to teach through members (such as in the examples above) have way more potential. Our interviews were at the mission home in Lehi, and were at 9am, so naturally we went to Pancake House after. That night we went to a sports night activity where they were playing Spikeball and Elder Barney and were on the same team the whole time and we never lost. Pretty epic. 

Friday we went on exchanges with the APs. I went with Elder Meredith. He came into the mission 1 transfer after me, and he became a ZL at the same time as me, so we're already pretty good friends. He's been in Spanish his entire mission, so being in an English area and a YSA area was different for him. He also did piano competitions in high school so we mostly talked about that the whole time haha. We wrapped up the night by getting boba at a place by Tucanos, and it was actually my first time ever getting boba. Elder Meredith was surprised that I was from Southern California and had never had boba before. I honestly was not impressed. 

Saturday one of the Elders we live with wasn't feeling well so he got a doctor's appointment but at a place all the way in AF! Rather than drag Elder Barney and the sick Elder's comp along, we decided to just do some exchanges. Elder Barney went with the sick Elder's comp, and I took the sick Elder to the doctor's in AF. I brought my copy of Jesus the Christ to read in the waiting room while he was in his appointment, but he ended up being back there for like forever because he was getting tested for strep. It actually went by really fast for me though because I fell asleep in the waiting room! For like an hour! It was glorious. 

The Polynesian stake is having stake conference next week so they had fast and testimony yesterday. The Polynesian members are so humble and love the gospel so much, and there were some amazing testimonies shared. Pretty much all in English, but some of the old guys would switch back and forth from Tongan. I bore my testimony and started with "Malo'ele" which is hello in Tongan, which they all repeated back, and I shared some of the things I've learned in the brief time I've served among them. They Polynesian members know it's true and and they don't care what anyone else thinks. On my mission in Utah, I've heard all kinds of reasons or stories as to why people leave the Church, or people that just get frustrated or upset or doubtful about one thing or another in the Church. Whatever might make someone might feel any of those things might unfortunately be missing the whole point of the Church. Feeling and sharing the love of Jesus Christ and the blessings of living His gospel are what it's all about. I'm convinced that people that might be considering leaving the Church should start going to a Polynesian ward. Those members will love you, uplift you, FEED you, and show you what the gospel is all about. 

Love you all! If you read all that you a real one.

Elder Snyder  

An Aston Martin

President Interviews

Amadeus' drawing of E. Barney and I. I'm the angel btw

couch

E. Barney arm wrestling Amadeus at FHE

We dog sat for our neighbor

The Y was lit up!

Week 87: Palangi

More Shnow!!

Hey everyone!

This was a great week. Went by slow, but still great! It actually snowed this week for like 2 days which was really weird, but by pday it was back to sunny. Spring in UT is gorgeous. 

Tuesday we found a new person to teach! A few weeks ago we were knocking doors in one of our wards with the ward mission leader just trying to meet people, and we met a guy named Logan who said he had a coworker/friend that he thought would probably be down to meet with missionaries. He legit was like, "Oh let me text him about it right now before I forget." A couple weeks later, we finally met with him over dinner at Logan's place. His name is Conner, and he actually lives at Raintree in Provo haha. He said he moved here to Utah from Florida for a job and really only thought "Mormons were a myth." We actually met with him twice this week, and Logan like "conducted" both meetings which was really cool. He's not terribly interested in joining the Church or changing his life very much, but he's still down to meet with us and learn more. And we'll take it! 

We've got a couple more leads like that where people wanna set up a dinner appointment with us and some of their friends. In our YSA stake and our Polynesian wards! I also got called "palangi" a few times this week too. I'm not sure if that's how you spell it, but it's what all the Polynesian people call white people. We had dinner with a Tongan family on Sunday, and we had some AMAZING ribs, and I was using a lot of napkins which is apparently a very palangi thing to do. The dad said he uses lots of napkins too and his wife will say to him, "Are you Tongan or palangi?" There was also some amazing chicken with rice, and some authentic Tongan yams.The dad also said his wife was planning on making horse for us, but when he found out we were both palangi he told her not to make it haha. She said she'll make it next time though.  

I also went on my first 24-hour exchange on my mission this week. Those used to be standard protocol before COVID, but throughout my mission the rules for exchanges have changed a lot. There was a time when we couldn't do exchanges at all, then we could do them again but not for 24 hours, then 24-hour ones were allowed but optional. Now they're required. I went to the Orem Park stake with Elder Trosper. He is the purest missionary I've ever met and he is just so funny without trying. Everyone in the mission loves him. I met a lot of awesome people in that area, and it was fun to be back on a bike for a bit. It was after the snow and it was a stunningly beautiful day. The gym at the apartment complex they live at is waayyy nicer than the one at the complex we live at too. One of the other Elders they live with had a kendama out too, so I was able to dust off some of my old tricks and blow some minds. 

On Saturday we went to an activity for the seniors in the Samoan ward. The Bishop of that ward actually brought a nonmember friend that is Samoan too! It was really cool meeting a lot of the old folks that remember living back on the island. They were all hilarious too. I love old people. A lot of it was in Samoan though so I couldn't understand most of it haha. They had an authentic Samoan meal and I had to have the old guy next to me tell me pretty much everything that was on my plate. I tried everything, but I didn't finish everything haha. They had this cup of this like white pudding kinda thing, and all the old people started going to town on it and eating that before eating anything else, so Elder Barney and I were like "oh this must be good!" Turns out it was a combination of crawfish, cucumbers, and tomotoes in coconut milk. That was one of the things I didn't finish haha, but the chop sui and the corned beef were AMAZING. 

We also met a family in the Samoan ward that's bringing TWO nonmember families to church on Sundays! Sounds like each family has some pretty good potential, and the family was all excited to introduce us to them at church on Easter Sunday. Neither of them came haha. One family was planning on coming but they all got the flu, and the other family went to another ward! We usually go to like 3 or 4 sacrament meetings every Sunday, so it was cool to see a bunch of different Easter programs. There was one musical number in the Samoan ward where these 3 guys sang a song and it straight up sounded like Boyz II Men. I was shook. 

Anyways, there was actually quite a build-up to Easter this year because the Area Presidency has been wanting everyone to invite people to come to church this Easter Sunday, so us missionaries have been inviting people to invite people to come to church since long before General Conference. It really was a very special Sunday because we really got to remember what Easter is all about. My mom would always say, "If Easter hadn't happened, we wouldn't celebrate Christmas." 

Through Jesus Christ, all that is unfair in life can be made right; all that is difficult can be made easier; all that is despairing can be made hopeful. I recently recorded and posted a video of myself playing an original arrangement of the hymn, "You Can Make the Pathway Bright." The 4th verse has a line that goes, "You can live a happy life, in this world of toil and strife, if there's sunshine in your heart!" Let Jesus be the sunshine in your heart. He can make everything right.

Love you all!

Elder Snyder

Me with Elder Trosper

Candids of me eating at the Samoan Senior Activity

Me at Lomito's (Go There!!)

Week 86: "Make a Plate!" = Member Work

Pretty Utah!

Hey everyone!

This week went by super fast. It's nice being busy and having lots to do, and it certainly makes the time go fast. 

The funny thing (or the unfortunate thing) is that we really aren't teaching a ton and still staying busy. Most of the people we were teaching have either ghosted us, moved, or completely vanished, so we're back in the finding phase. Some of them have actually told us they are no longer interested in meeting with us, which is uncommon but is so much more helpful than just disappearing. How we're staying busy is through a very special thing called "member work." How it works is you spend time with the members as much as you can, getting to know people and making connections, and then asking these people about people they know that we can pull up on. And in YSA and Polynesian wards, you can't really tract. Pretty much the only way to find people to teach is through "member work." That's basically how missionary work in Utah works. 

For example, Monday nights we always go to Family Home Evening activities, and with 11 YSA wards that all have FHE activities, we just pick the best one to go to.  Tuesday night we always go to this really cool class about the temple one of our YSA wards does. Wednesday nights we knock doors with a ward mission leader, and knocking with a member is way more effective and way less intimidating than just us missionaries. Thursday night we also go to an Institute class our YSA stake puts on. Friday we knock with another ward mission leader, and Saturday we'll do that too. Saturday there's usually activities (especially now that we have Polynesian wards), and Sundays there's always Come Follow Me groups we go to. We also do like 3-4 member visits a day where we just share brief messages with members. 

The Polynesian wards are legendary though. We cover a Samoan ward and a Tongan ward, and there's so much work to do too, and not just member work haha. There's lots of part-member families in those wards. We've been visiting the ward leaders, and when we visited the Bishop of the Samoan ward, his wife (in her amazing New Zealand accent) said, "Oh we've all got less-active family, and we all know nonmembers too!" Missionaries in Utah hardly ever hear that, so that was pretty awesome! We told that Bishop that our meal calendar is pretty much empty because we cover a YSA stake, and he said, "Oh, well, we'll take care of that hehe." Then he told us about like 5 different activities they have coming up, and he said, "You guys are always welcome to activities, and there will always be a feed." 

Like on Saturday, we went to a BBQ a family in the Samoan ward was putting on because their daughter had just gotten back from her mission. There was so much food. It was basically all the food you'd have at Mo Bettah's (or Aloha Plate for the real ones) but like 79587238 times better. After we finished eating, the girl's mom was like, "Elders, make a plate! There's so much food! I even brought tinfoil so please take some home!" We each made another plate and she said, "Make another plate!" Literally everyone that came up to her to congratulate her on her daughter coming home from her mission, she would just say, "Make a plate!" Elder Barney and I rolled out of there with 2 plates each, and the stake high councilor over missionary work said, "Elders, it's 2 plates minimum." He was joking, I think. 

The Polynesian wards still meet in English, but the hymns are in Samoan or Tongan which is cool. Thankfully everyone there sings really loud so I can hear all the pronunciation really well haha. Sunday we went to both of those wards, and then 2 YSA sacrament meetings too. We usually go to like 4 sacrament meetings on Sundays. After Amadeus' ward we got to be there when the Bishop gave him the priesthood! But that's not the only thing Amadeus got this week..... He also got a job and a fiance!! He said right after he proposed to the girl that he moved up to Utah for, he had a really good job interview and he got the job! Ever since his baptism, his life is just coming together!

So yeah, we're having a good time. I don't know how we swung this, but Elder Barney and I are just taking it all in and living it up. Not everyone gets to serve in YSA, and even less people serve in Polynesian wards, and somehow Elder Barney and I now cover both. AND in Utah. It's a dream.  

Love you all!

Elder Snyder

Transfers!

Deer in Vineyard

Week 85: GENCON and Transfers!

Okay so some of you might remember a few months ago when I mentioned I typed out my entire email and then the entire thing got deleted before I sent it. Well, that happened again today, so it's not gonna be as good as it was because I don't have as much time. I at least figured out how it happened this time. I'm still triggered though. 

Anyways, we got to go on exchanges twice this week. The 1st time I got to go with my mission grandson, Elder Trowbridge, which was cool. Elder Phelps did a good job with him. The 2nd time I went to the part of Orem that's as close as you can get to Provo. We could even see BYU campus without leaving the mission. We walked around some really nice neighborhoods which was cool. 

President Treadway, my old mission president, got made an Area Seventy this week too. We also got to see Hank Smith speak at the UVU Institute building which was awesome. 

General Conference was so awesome. Saturday we got to watched every session with our wards or some members, but Saturday night we watched with another district and Elder Barney and I made breakfast for dinner. I've got a crepe maker and Elder Barney has a Texas-shaped waffle maker, so it was epic. 

Sunday after the morning session we blasted off to Lehi. We all met at a church building and then President Evanson drove all the Elders up in a van. It was Elder Barney's first time seeing Temple Square. I got to hear some of my favorite speakers, like P. Oaks and E. Uchtdorf, and the choir was amazing too. P. Nelson also announed 17 temples too which was awesome! My parents also happened to get GenCon tickets for the same session as me, so I got to see them for like 2 minutes too which was awesome too. 

I'm so grateful for a modern day prophet. There legit is so much confusion about what's right and what's wrong with reading the scriptures, but the prophet is there to clarify, teach, and invite us to do exactly what God needs us to do. It's pretty amazing. 

Elder Barney and I are staying comps, but we just got 2 Polynesian wards in addition to our YSA stake. We're pretty excited. I'm not learning Tongan or Samoan though. 

Sorry for the short and boring email. Turns out if I try to add too many pictures then sometimes it will delete everything from the email draft for no reason at all. On the bright side, I get to add more pics now. 

Love you all!

Elder Snyder