My companion and I went back to the basketball court this last week.
There were a whole different group of people there. These weren't
kids, these were huge guys. a lot of them were taller than me. They
all had tatoo's, and long dreads. Once again I started talking to
them, and the same thing happened. They didn't listen to us. So I
decided to play again and see what would happen. Those who have seen
me play basketball, know I cannot shoot a 3-pointer to save my life.
Well, that changed. I hit 4 threes in a row, and won the game for our
team. If that wasn't the help of God, I don't know what is. And after,
the same thing happened as last time. They all couldn't believe what
had happened, and were curious as to what we did and taught. Who says
tracting is the way to find people to teach. After those two times of
playing on that court, we had 6 people to teach. These people are
living in an environment that will lead them on a bad path. How
influential this gospel could be in their lives if they accept it!
Transfers are this week, and they are always up in the air, so we'll
see if I stay to teach them or leave to another area.
   We also visited a man who goes by the name "Preacher James". He
has been talking with the missionaries for some time now. He is a paid
preacher at a local Baptists church. He pretty much gave us a sermon
on why we are automatically saved as soon as we take on the name of
Christ. He feels that repentance is a one time thing. After he
finished, a thought came to my head. I told him that if a freshman in
high school makes the varsity football team, and does really well the
first year, but during the off season he lets himself go and doesn't
work out or show signs of getting back into shape, does he still
deserve to be on the team? I believe the same is with Heaven. We must
continually prove that we are worthy to stand in the presence of God.
The scriptures tell us that no unclean thing can enter into the
Kingdom of Heaven. How great of importance repentence is then! After I
had told him this, he looked at me, paused, and then said "you have
given me a lot to think about", and that's all he said. I know I was
an insturment in the hands of the Lord, and it was his words that were
coming out of my mouth. Something I will never forget.
    Till next week!

Elder Michael Litchfield

What a week! Wednesday, my district leader went on an exchange with me
in my area. I had only been in the area 2 weeks, so navigating was a
bit difficult. We walked by this basketball court in the middle of a
park, and saw some people playing. We decided to go over there and
talk to them. I'm not going to sugar coat it, they were guys that grew
up in the hood. They didn't want to hear anything we had to say. My
district leader told me to play with them, and earn their respect,
then they might listen more. I was in my white shirt, dress pants,
dress shoes, and tie. I went up and asked if I could join in. They
laughed and said sure. They asked me if I was going to change into
other clothes, and my district leader told them that I would be fine.
We played a game to 13 points, and I had scored 9 of those points.
They were shocked! I was this skinny white kid in a shirt and tie,
scoring on them. After the game, 3 of the guys let us talk to them and
said we could come by their place and teach them. It was awesome! 3
new investigators right there! They each have their own copy of the
Book of Mormon, and are reading it.
       However, that was not the highlight of my week. Saturday, at
6:00 pm, Carol was baptized!!!!!!!!!! It was an event I will never
forget. I hadn't seen her since being transferred, but when I did, she
ran up to me and thanked me for being there for her and teaching her.
She was confirmed Sunday. I even found out that her husband, who was
not interested at all when we were teaching her, is taking the
lessons! I couldn't believe that! He was very set in his ways when we
asked if he would like to join in on the lesson, but seeing his wife
be baptized must have touched his heart. God works in mysterious ways,
but the final result is always incredible.
       Another funny fact. I was at a church event, and a guy in the
ward from Seirra Leon came up to me and asked me if I was from
Washington. I told him I was, and he asked if I was from Olympia.
Again, I told him yes. He told me that when he served his mission in
Kenya, his mission president was from Olympia, Washington. He asked me
if I knew Larry Brown. I told him that I most definitely knew Larry
Brown, he gave me my patriarticle blessing! It was really cool to talk
to him about that. His name is Freddie Thomas (Dad, tell Patriarch
Brown that I know him)! He served as AP for 13 months of his mission
for Larry Brown! That's so long!... It was a very neat conversation.

   Elder Litchfield

So Elder White had the idea to go tract an area with our roomates. So
we drove to a street and tracted either side of the street. I was with
Elder Barney and Elder White was with Elder Hanna. Out of the 50 doors
that Elder Barney and I knocked, two of them asked us to come back,
and said that they were interested. That was really neat. One of them
was named Eugene. He was in a wheelchair on his front porch, smoking a
cigarrette. He used to play Pro basketball in Germany, and even played
against Allen Iverson (An NBA Star) in High School. He told us that we
could come back anytime and talk to him. We tried getting in contact
with Dominic, but he wouldn't answer his cell phone. So we decided to
stop by his house on Thursday. His sister answered, and told us that
he has been in Maryland working all week. But she told us that he has
been reading the Book of Mormon. She also told us to come back any day
after Sunday and teach her as well. That was really good to hear! We
also had a lesson with Carol of friday at noon. Friday morning she
called us and told us that her daughter was in the hospital, and that
she had to cancel our lesson. That was a real bummer. However, later
that evening, she called us and told us that she was going to a
baptism on Saturday with her neighbors, and she wanted to have us
teach her after! That was really good to hear. She is on track of
being baptized on Feb. 18th. At about 9:00 PM Friday night, I was
blindsided. Our zone-leaders called us and told me that I was being
transferred to another area in the zone, and that I had to be packed
up and ready to go by Saturday morning. Apperently an Elder in a bike
area broke his wrist about 5 weeks ago. The doctor told him last week
that it wasn't healing correctly. So president had him put in a car
area. That mean't me being put in a bike area. That was a real bummer.
I loved my area and my companion and my roomates. Oh well, the work is
the same wherever you go. I'm looking forward to meeting new people
and finding as well. My new companion is Elder Call, and he is only
one transfer older than I am! We are such a young companionship! But
that doesn't matter. As long as we are obedient, and strive to have
the Spirit, we will see success.

Elder Litchfield

 So a while ago, Elder White and I were tracting, and got let

into this one house. The family was really nice, and enjoyed talking

to us. However, they did not have interest in the gospel. So as we

were leaving, a friend of the family that was there asked us if we

would stop by his house and talk to his mom in a couple days. We wrote

down his address, then left. So last week we went to his house. The

guy, Matt, answered the door and told us that his mom was gone. He let

us in and asked us to sit down. We taught him about the Restoration of

the Gospel, and he had lots of questions. He is a senior in high

school, and has questions about his religion (He is Catholic). His dad

died when he was 14, and that has been bothering him as well. We gave

him a book of mormon and he said he was excited to read it. We then

set up a return appointment (hopefully his mom will be there) and

left.

     We weren't able to see Carol this week, because she had some

health problems, but she was at church on Sunday! She even brought her

daughter! A sister in the ward, who is neighbors to Carol and doing a

great job of fellowshipping, told us that Carol was explaining things

to her daughter throughout church. That was awesome to hear! She is

taking what she learns from us, and teaching it to her daughter! She

isn't even a member yet, and already doing missionary work!

    We tried setting up an appointment with Domininc (From Ghana),

but he said he had a big project at his work, and would be very busy

all week. He asked us to pray for him, and told us that he has been

reading the book of mormon and likes it a lot!

   So we have two missionaries that are our roomates, and they have

been coming home later and later since the transfer. So Elder White

and I decided to play a little prank on them. We got home at 9, and

knew that they would be home late. We parked the car a little bit down

the road, so they would think that they were the only ones in the

house. We tied fishing line to an open door, and to the power switch

on the breaker board (Which was right above one of their beds). It was

nearly invisible, so they would never see it. I hid under the bed,

while my companion was right outside the back door by their beds, with

a scary clown mask on. At about 9:40 they got home and sat down to

plan for the next day. A few minutes later, I pulled the string that

killed the power, then pulled the string that slammed the door on the

opposite side of the room. That freaked them out. Then my companion

came through the door with his clown mask on. I have never heard two

grown men scream as loud and high pitch as they did... After the

realized what had happened, they thought it was funny as well. I will

never forget those screams.

    On a different note, while I was at a dinner at a ward members

home, they were talking about a dance festival that the stake was

doing. I mentioned that I had participated in one back at home, and

thought it was really fun. Little did I know that word travels fast in

my ward. The next day I get a call from the Stake Young Womens leader

asking me if I would speak at a fireside Sunday night about my dance

festival experience. My companion said as long as I brought it back to

missionary work, it would be fine. So Sunday night I told them that I

was a part of a dance festival, and that I had fun doing it. I also

challenged them to invite at least on of their friends to the

pracitces, and to be bold when asking. Too often I hear about soft

invitations, that are easy for non-members to find a way out. I told

them to let their friends know that they trully want them to come, and

that it is with the best people they could be with. Hopefully we will

be getting referrals soon!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Michael Litchfield

First off, I'd like to give a shout out to my Dad. It is his birthday
tomorrow! Happy Birthday Dad!!!!!!!!!!!!

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to go through the Washington D.C.
temple. It was incredible!!! What an amazing expirience it is to be in
such a magnificant place. On the way to the temple, we got a call from
our Zone Leaders. They told me that I was staying in my area, and my
companion was leaving. He had been in the area for 6 months, so it was
a big shock to him. My new companion is Elder White. He grew up on a
farm in Iowa, so I knew he would be a hard worker. He actually was in
this area a year ago, so he knows his way around (unlike me). Right
when he unloaded all of his bags, we left to go work. We had a lesson
with a man named Domonic. It was incredible! He understood a lot of
the restoration. His sister, who was sitting near by, also joined in
on the conversation. His only concern was the significance of baptism
by water. Friday we had a lesson with Carol. It went great! Her
neighbor was there, who is a member, which made the lesson better. At
the end of the lesson, we set her on date for baptism! She will be
baptized February 18th! At church on sunday, she said that she was
going to have her 2 good friends and her daughter come and listen to
the next lesson. It was awesome! The weather here is finally starting
to look and feel like winter. It started to snow on Friday, but not
that much. Not as much as Washington, thats for sure! During nightly
planning, everytime we have open space in our schedule, I put down
tracting. I love it! I tract in below 30 degree weather. I tract in
rain. I tract in snow. It's fun! Elder White says he has never met a
missionary that likes tracting. I guess there is a first for
everything... Staying busy is key, and I feel that we will be very
busy this transfer. We are going to get a lot of work done in these
next 6 weeks.

Elder Litchfield

This last week was really good! We got a referral on Tuesday, which is
like gold for missionaries. Someone had went to the DC Temple, during
the festival of lights, and requested to have the missionaries in
their area come teach them. So wednesday, I was like, Elder Paswaters
I want to go see Domonic (The referral) tonight. So we went and
knocked on his door. We stood their for about a minute or two, and no
one answered. So elder paswaters wrote a note and stuck it on the
door, saying that we dropped by. I just stood there. He told me that
no one was home, and that we should leave. I don't know why, but I
didn't move. I didn't say anything either. Another minute goes by, and
I see someone peer through the curtains on the side of the door. They
opened up and we started talking. It turns out that Domonic lives in
Maryland, and this was his Brothers house (Joe). He said that we could
come back tomorrow, because he would be there. So thursday we went
back, and it was pooring down rain. Joe answered the door and said
that Domonic wasn't there. However, he asked us to come in and dry
off. So we sat down and started talking with him. He is in his late
20s, and moved to the United States from Ghana when he was 19. He
works with Computers, and travels a lot. He asked us a lot of
questions about the church. I asked if he wanted to come to church
Sunday. He said he would if he were in town. To our dismay, he flew to
Europe sunday morning and was not able to attend, but said he will
next Sunday! We are still trying to set up an appointment with
Domonic. Friday we had an appointment with Carol. We taught her the
restoration, but she had so many questions! That made it hard to have
an organized lesson. Her neighbor, Sister Hale, was able to sit in on
the lesson. The members seem to learn much more when there is a member
present in the lesson. Carol had a problem understanding the language
of the Book of Mormon. I told her to pray before she reads, and ask
for help. She didn't come to church sunday, which was a huge bummer.
Later that night however, she called me and said she was so sorry for
missing church. Her great grandkids were sick and she didn't want to
get others sick. She didn't want us thinking that she was becoming
uninterested. She told me that she had stayed up till 1:00 am the
night before, reading the book of mormon. She said she did what I said
about praying for help, and it worked! She said she believes in what
she is reading, and is excited for our next lesson (This Friday)!
Sunday I gave a talk on Charity. I had been studying the topic all
week long, so I was very prepared. I found a love for the scripture in
the book of Corinthians chapter 13! That was the basis of my talk...
    So there is a place in our area called BR Frozen Custard. They
have this challenge that you have to eat 6 lbs of custard with 3
bananas and 6 toppings in 30 min. I guess 700+ people have tried, and
only 18 have done it. So yesterday (P day), I decided to give it a
shot. Sadly to say, I failed. I ate 4 lbs, and could not eat anymore.
The lady who owns the store said she has seen most of the 700 who have
tried, and almost no one gets past 2 lbs. So I guess that made me feel
a bit better. I have pictures of it, so I'll try to send those soon.
Transfers are this Thursday, and I find out tonight If I am staying
with my trainer for the full 12 weeks, or if I am getting a new one.
We'll see what happens...

Sincerely,

Elder Michael Litchfield

So I live in a 3 story townhouse with another companionship living in the basement. One of the Elders living below us has been having a really hard time. He goes home this May, but has gotten really depressed. So Wednesday, my companion drove him to see a doctor. That means that I was with his companion for the day. Elder Barney. He is an amazing Elder. This is his third transfer, so he is fairly new as well. His area is a walking/bike area. We walked to see some of his less-active members, knocked on doors, and did service for his investigators. He played basketball for his high school, so we had a lot in common to talk about. The day practically flew by. We biked to one of his investigators later in the day, and taught a lesson about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It flowed perfectly. Afterward, he told me that that lesson worked perfectly. It was a great day. Thursday was Return and Report. We drove to the mission home and discussed about our mission thus far. I was surprised to see that the hot topic of the missionaries was how lazy their trainers were. It made me feel a little better that I wasn't the only one having problems. Friday we were able to take one of our investigators to the temple visitors center. He was baptized in 1972, but took his records off the church in 1976. He struggles with homosexuality. He tells us that he knows the church is true. He doesn't want to give up the lifestyle that he has. After the tour of the visitors center, he came up to me and made a deal with me. He said that after I am done with my mission, he would go through the temple with me. I was completely shocked. That means he has to be baptized at least a year before that, not to mention the process of being baptized again. I see his testimony growing every time I see him.

       Today we went to DC again. We went to the Holocaust museum. That was such an interesting expirience. I can't even describe it. We also went to the Verizon Center (Sports Arena for those who were wondering), and walked around the China town there. It was a lot of fun. It also started snowing today! First time this season, and it is coming down like crazy! The snow flakes are huge!

    Anyway, I'm doing great. I'm absolutely loving Virginia, and the people as well. I can't believe that I have been out almost 2 months. Doesn't seem like it at all!!!!!

 

Sincerely,

 

Elder Michael Litchfield