Don't be casting stones

Hello everyone! 

 

Another week has come and gone! I hope you all had an amazing week! We had in-person 24-hour exchanges with our amazing zone leaders! We also started teaching Dan! At our first lesson, I invited him to be baptized, and he said yes! He's not on date quite yet.  Hopefully in October! I'm so excited for him!  Also, Mike he is still learning slowly but surely.  

 

My Aunt Dee sent me these water beads, and I didn't read the instructions so now I made like a billion of them lol. So our kitchen is full of them. Elder Christiansen, my companion, is a good sport lol. Also, I’m excited for Halloween. I swear I buy something new every time we go to Walmart! I got Halloween masks, and I'm so excited to wear!  

 

Spiritual thought time! The world today has this mob mentality for sure. We see something or hear something, and we automatically believe it to be true and jump to conclusions. It makes me think of Jesus teaching about compassion when confronting a woman accused of adultery (John 8:2-11). Because this woman made a mistake, everyone wanted to stone to death! Then Jesus says, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." One by one they all drop their rocks and walk away realizing they have no right to judge her for sinning differently than they do. I ask everyone during these times to be as the Savior and be merciful. Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. Don’t jump to conclusions - be patient and loving, it’s something I have been trying to do.  

 

Love you all,  

 

Elder Hedrick 

I LOVE TO SEE THE TEMPLE!!

 

Hello everyone!  

 

I got to go to the temple this week and see my parents!!! So much fun! It was hard to say goodbye again.  I cried a bit, but during the car ride home my mind was preoccupied with what just happened at the temple. SPIRITUAL HIGH! I honestly loved going with my parents and my mission president and his wife. The Oklahoma City temple is small, but it was amazing. 

 

This week I gave a blessing to a man dying of cancer. In the blessing I felt bad as I told him that he was going to die in a very nice way. I felt bad too that I was basically telling his wife that she'd be a soon widow. I cried so much.  The Spirit definitely directed the blessing - the veil was so thin. I wanted to say he would recover, but that's not what I was prompted to say.  

 

Also our lesson with Mike, our potential member, went well. He is now willing to pray and ask if Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. A HUGE step for him. We read the King Follett sermon with him because he is very intellectual. I just love Mike! We also are doing a ton of Facebook finding, and we've had some little success with it so that's good.  

 

Time for Elder Hedrick’s spiritual thought - in the most recent conference President Nelson asked us to strengthen our ability to receive personal revelation. He states, "I renew my plea for you to do whatever it takes to increase your spiritual capacity to receive personal revelation." Then he later states we cannot survive spiritually without personal revelation! Please open your hearts and minds and prepare for the General Conference!  

 

I love you all!  

 

Elder Hedrick 

The Car door vs My name badge

 

Becky sent these to Zac because he misses our 2 dogs - Oliver and Pearl

Hello everyone!  

 

Another good week in Manhattan, Kansas. We should all have smiles on our faces - Conference is 4 week or so away!  Also, the smile on my face is a little bigger because I get to go to the temple on the 9th and see my parents. I am going to the Oklahoma City temple, and I can't wait!  

 

A couple weeks ago I forgot to tell everyone a funny story.  So I'm getting into the car for church, and I notice my magnetic badge fell off.  We couldn't see it anywhere on the ground or in the car. So we leave for church and close the door. CRACK!  The badge was caught in the plastic lining of the door. Lol RIP, I'm getting a new one soon.  

 

My challenge to you all this week is to read the General Conference talk "How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life" by Elder Richard G Scott. Read it, and then pray and think of ways to invite the Spirit to speak to you during the conference. General conference is a great time to receive answers to our questions!  

 

Love you all,  

 

Elder Hedrick  

Staying in the Little Apple

August 24-31, 2020

 Hello everyone,  

 

This week was a week - all good things mostly! We are still teaching Mike; he is an amazing human being!  We are currently putting a lot of effort into Facebook finding.  Transfers are coming, and I found out today that I'm staying right here, same with my companion and the two wonderful sisters we share a ward with.  My entire mission has a mystery meeting tonight!  

 

The work is moving, but being a pioneer missionary isn't always easy.  We are really trying to learn how to spread the gospel through technology.  The Lord will provide a way; I need to remember there is opposition in all things.  

 

We do district volleyball on P-days so that is fun, but about half the district is being transferred so it will be a new volleyball group now!  

 

Spiritual thought time! In the April 2007 General Conference talk "The Tongue of Angels" Jeffrey R. Holland encourages us to speak kindly to one another and be careful about the words we choose.  He states, “The stroke of the whip maketh marks in the flesh: but the stroke of the tongue breaketh the bones.” Then he later states the following, "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ." Friends, we must speak kindly and minister unto another. When we are loving and angelic, we become more like Christ. And becoming like Christ is the goal. As we strive for purity and perfection, we will become more like Christ. It all starts with what we choose to say and what we choose not to say.  

 

Love you all!  

 

Elder Hedrick 

The Great Key Caper

August 17-24 

Hello hello!  

 

It's Elder Hedrick coming to you live from Manhattan, Kansas! Temperatures here are currently humid and hot! I hope you all had an amazing week. Praying for all my friends and family in California because of the fires!  

 

This week I have a funny story - so I jokingly hid the sister missionaries’ keys when we were all at the church. I forgot that I had hidden them, and then we left before them. Long story short - they were stuck at the church. All the other missionaries, including myself, were playing volleyball, and we were all curious why they were late. I heard one of the other sisters who was already at volleyball on the phone with the sisters still at the church.  She asked, "Does anyone know about the first sisters keys?" I had a gut-dropping feeling right then and there. I apologized and told the sisters over the phone where their keys were. Long story short again - I had 4 sister jokingly yell at me. They shared Proverbs 21:19 - "It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman." But all is well; they all laugh at the story now, and we’re all great friends. I did bake brownies for them.  

 

As General Conference is 50 days away, I will invite all of you to reread talks from the last conference and focus some study time on the restoration of the gospel. Try to remember ways we can hear Him!  

 

Love you all,  

 

Elder Hedrick 

The Atonement & Service

August 10-17, 2020 

Hello everyone, 

 

This was a busy and fun week. I'm not gonna lie; there were hard points in it, but there were also great parts that made me come a lot closer to Jesus Christ. One of those moments was a Mission devotional where the speaker talked about how Christ’s suffering on the cross and in the garden were equally important. He invited us to study Christ's crucifixion. So I read the talk The Lamb of God by Jeffery R Holland. It brought the Atonement into a new light for me, especially to think of when the Father left his son alone for a short while on the cross. When studying these things, I know you will feel the spirit and come closer to Christ. 

 

This week was good, and we did a lot of outside service for members. We taught our potential member Mike. This week my district had a baptism. A 12 year-old boy was baptized.  He is the only member of his family, and he wants to serve a mission someday. I watched him be baptized over Zoom; it was amazing, and his faith is so inspirational to me. 

 

Well, I love you all and Jesus loves you as well, 

 

Elder Hedrick

Cows!!! - and my first Zone Conference - masks on, off course

August 3-10, 2020

This week was good. We had a zone conference and I got to work with cows! lol 

Last week I went to the Oz Museum after I wrote on P-Day. That was a lot of fun. Today we'll play volleyball with other missionaries. 

God is good and the work is moving along great in Kansas! I love seeing the kind-hearted people of Manhattan everyday!

Love,

 Elder Hedrick