St. Paul Temple

St. Paul Temple
Listen to General Conference April 4 & 5

Wednesday 28 September 2016

Tuesday 20 September 2016

Yep. I got sick last week. Probably the second time that has ever happened on my mission. On Tuesday I just had that "I am going to get sick" feeling. Then it finally hit on Friday, Saturday, and yesterday. But Elder Beach and I both got blessings last night and we are both feeling super good! Just in time to because this week we are on bikes 🚲. We both just got hit with the classic change of the season cold. Sinus and sneezing and runny nose and all of that. SO FUN! Not... but we actually did have an awesome week besides the whole getting sick part! We found a new investigator named Jaelen. He is so Cool! He moved here from Chicago about a year ago. He is 16 and is a singer/rapper. And he is a baller to. I was on exchanges when Elder beach found him so I wasn't there but I guess they tried to stop by a less active family and they moved.. But Jaelen and his dad moved in and Jaelen was the one that answered. This is how the conversation went.

"Hey are you guys missionaries?"
-Jaelin

"Yes we are!"
-The Elders

"Great can I have a card so I can come to church this Sunday? I really want to come."
-Jaelen. 

I'll stop there. So as you can see Jaelen is awesome. He wanted to come to church and meet with us. Which rarely happens to us so we are super stoked for him! He couldn't come to church last Sunday because he had an improv practice for school but he said next Sunday for sure. He has two performances this week he invited us To! So obviously we are going. 🎤🎭 

Also I had to give a talk on Sunday. It was kind of a struggle because I had a cold but I got through It! Afterwards a member who just got called into the temple presidency gave me the nicest compliment ever! He is seriously one of the nicest men I have met. He told me, "That was the best doctrinal talk I have heard in a long time." I was like.. wow  😳 thank you so Much! I will send you a copy of it for yourself to see. It was about making and keeping covenants. So I got to spend all week studying about covenants! Which was fun. I like having good topics to study about. And covenants is definitely a good topic! 

I think that is about it. I think I am good on the money department. Also mom please don't make matching t shirts for when I go home.. unless they are all Minnesota wild shirts. And you have one for me to. Haha but for real just as long as you are all there that is all that matters! 

Love you 😘 

Thursday 15 September 2016

Chinese Moon Cake festival party!

Moses's Baptism Day

Happy birthday Mom!!!!

Hope you have an amazing day! I also hope that the kids do something
special for you or at least be nice to you. That would be good. This
past week for me was pretty decent. We found a couple people who might
have some good potential! One is a nephew of a west African member who
will hopefully be getting a date set soon. We are having dinner with
them on Friday so we will see how that goes. This past week has been
pretty difficult though. We don't have a lot of people to teach and
some of the day's seemed pretty long when no one wanted to talk to us!
But you know that is what it is about! It's about working and showing
God that you are obedient and trying to do his will.

Last week on Friday we had a zone conference and it was pretty sweet.
President Beecher of the stake presidency gave a training that was
just amazing. He brings so much energy! It was about how to help
members fulfill their callings to create missionary opportunities. Ya
it was just awesome, you had to be there though. At the end of every
zone conference or zone training every month they always have the
departing missionaries give there "dying" testimony. So it was my
turn. Super weird! You see missionaries do it your whole mission then
when it is your turn it is so crazy!

Hey mom, a couple questions. Where and when did you buy my Fitbit? It
is kind of busted so I am trying to get another one from the warranty.
Thanks!

Well I can't think of anything else to say. I got asked to say a talk
next week. 🙄. I will be sure to send you a copy of it.

Love

Elder Long
Happy birthday Mom!!!!

Hope you have an amazing day! I also hope that the kids do something
special for you or at least be nice to you. That would be good. This
past week for me was pretty decent. We found a couple people who might
have some good potential! One is a nephew of a west African member who
will hopefully be getting a date set soon. We are having dinner with
them on Friday so we will see how that goes. This past week has been
pretty difficult though. We don't have a lot of people to teach and
some of the day's seemed pretty long when no one wanted to talk to us!
But you know that is what it is about! It's about working and showing
God that you are obedient and trying to do his will.

Last week on Friday we had a zone conference and it was pretty sweet.
President Beecher of the stake presidency gave a training that was
just amazing. He brings so much energy! It was about how to help
members fulfill their callings to create missionary opportunities. Ya
it was just awesome, you had to be there though. At the end of every
zone conference or zone training every month they always have the
departing missionaries give there "dying" testimony. So it was my
turn. Super weird! You see missionaries do it your whole mission then
when it is your turn it is so crazy!

Hey mom, a couple questions. Where and when did you buy my Fitbit? It
is kind of busted so I am trying to get another one from the warranty.
Thanks!

Well I can't think of anything else to say. I got asked to say a talk
next week. 🙄. I will be sure to send you a copy of it.

Love

Elder Long

Wednesday 7 September 2016

Nutha week

You might as well just keep those garments till I get home mom. It's
fine. Also with the airplane stuff whatever works best for everyone is
fine with me! And I know you are trying hard to not talk about home
stuff but it's ok really! It's good to talk about it. Even though it's
weird haha I can handle it!

So this week was interesting. Got some sad news unfortunately. Elder
Clawson had to go home ☹️. He was have some depression/anxiety
problems that were getting pretty bad. So I will be staying in contact
with him. I hope he will be ok!! My new companion is elder beach. He
is from Logan Utah. He is cool. He is going to a D2 school in Colorado
to play quarter back. He is kind of that super star quarter back kind
a guy haha, but he is alright. We are going to work pretty hard this
week to find some new people. Right now we are partying at the hickens
ballin up and shooting pool. Pretty fun. Last week I had dinner with
the CEO of United health care. He is our young men's president haha.
He literally has a mansion and guess what? The sisters live in their
basement. They are in paradise I swear. Pretty much the whole basement
is designed for them. It's pretty wild. But ya we have had some cool
miracles with finding this week! We found this Japanese guy named K.
He told us to just call him k haha yes I got your money transfer by
the way. But I can think of anything else to say right now. So see ya
later!

Tuesday 30 August 2016

Here we go

Alright family what is Up! Opening Minnetonka has been super wild.
Going into an area not knowing anyone or anything about anything is
crazy. The Ward is nice though! And the bishop here is super
missionary minded. But this is also one one the most wealthy areas in
the mission. Actually it might be the most wealthy of them all! Some
houses here are like mansions. We have a dinner tonight with a family
who supposedly have a legit mansion. Maybe I will snag a few pics and
show Ya! But we have met some new people. Taught some lessons so it
has been ok. My comp isn't doing to hot though... I would really
appreciate it if you would pray for him and and pray for me on how to
help him out. Opening this area has been super difficult on both of us
but even more on him. So I'm really hoping he will get straightened
out soon. But ya... Pray pray pray! 🙏🏼

I'm basically losing my mind knowing that this is my last transfer.
It's so Weird! I have pretty much given up on lying to people about
when ingo home. I figured if I'm honest then members might give me
free stuff haha today we're going to play ball at the Hickens. There
this rich family that opens up there house to missionaries all day on
Monday to play basketball in here gym and eat all there food. Yes they
are awesome. Next week were probably going to go to the state fair
though! It will be packed because it is the last day of the fair.

I got to see Moses get baptized on Saturday! We got permission to go
back to Med lake and see it. It was so cool to see all the members
again and especially Moses. I am going to miss him so much. I'm hoping
to find at least one more person on my mission that will get baptized!
After talking with the bishop and other members there is some good
potential with some kids that are over 9 years old and haven't been
baptized yet.  So it should be good! Thanks for Everything! Also have
you payed the mobile device fee yet? And if it is possible I could use
like another 100.... But if it is not that it's ok!

Love

Elder Long

P.s
HAPPY BDAY IZAAK!!!

Tuesday 23 August 2016

Zone service project at Second Harvest Heartland. Then we went to Smash burger for lunch.

The coolest family I know! The Jones! Love them so much I will miss them a lot!

I just love this #Preesethood

Brother Quaye! Honestly one of my favorite members ever.His testimony of the restored gospel is inspiring.

Thunder Bay reunion!

Last pic with Elder Roberts

One of my all time favorite for sure! The Thompson's

Brother Stanich from Farmington! and the Watkin boys. Somehow he found us and took us out for lunch.

2 of my favorite Elders right here!

Awkward sisters....

This was my first district leader Preston Larson! Came back to visit the Weaver Lake Ward.

At the Wendy's after another Zone service project! This time we volunteered at Feed My Starving Children.