Week 45: Falls Church, VA "It's beginning to look a lot like.... April!

Hello hello, everyone!

Hope you all had a good week and are enjoying the most wonderful time of the year! It's supposedly December, but I think Virginia forgot and skipped right to spring because it has been 40+ and rainy all week! And this next week will be the exact same. But warmer! It's hard to get into the Christmas spirit when it's pouring rain...

But anyway! It was another pretty good week! We had a few lessons with Ken. He's progressing. Slowly, but he's getting there! We're just trucking along with him.

We had a lesson with Ana with Brother Mulladjanov. (He's from Uzbekistan) He's a killer teacher! He went on a mission like 10 years ago, but he's got a crazy greenie fire! Its hard to understand Ana somtimes because she doesnt use pure ASL signs, but Bro M was picking it up super quick and did an awesome job helping her understand!

Our other people kinda dropped off the map this week... But this next week will hopefuly be good! It's gonna be hard cause Christmas, but we got Faith!

Miracle that happened this week! So there's this guy we meet named Jeanpierre (His name sign is JP, so we just call him that). We met him a few weeks ago at our branch Christmas party we invited him to. Well, since then he hasn't been responsive to texts, so we decided to drop by on Friday, but we realized we don't have a complete address. We have a street and apt number, but no building number... So we called the sisters who referred him to us to see if they had met him before, and knew where he lives. They didn't know, and had never met him. They've only had contact through text a few times. Anyway, so after we call the sisters, we text him again, and he responds! He asked us if there were any events happening soon that he could go to. The sisters had mentipned that they had a baptism the next day, so we call them again, about 30 minutes after the fist call, to see when and where to baptism was so we could invite JP. So we call the sisters again, and right as they answer, Sister Clark was like, "Did you know that God is real?!" Right before we called, they ran into JP in front of his apartment complex! They talked to him for a bit and invited his to their baptism and got his full address! So he came to the baptism on Saturday, even though he was super late. But that doesn't matter, we got a good contact with him! And Sister Clark killed it talking with him after the baptism! We gave him a Book of Mormon, and she just bore her testimony and told him that he needed to read it! He was kinda like, "Ya, maybe I'll check it out..." But she wasn't taking anything less than a yes! So she just kept going until he commited to read it! Me and Elder Pauly were just like, "Ya. Ditto!" It was great! And yesterday, JP messaged the sisters and hey chatted for a little. They told him he needed to go to church, ad he said he would come this week. So hopefully we can get meet with him sometime this week, and get him to church on Sunday!

We did have a pretty funny night on Wednesday. So we got locked out of our apartment, for the 3rd time... Normally we just use an old gift card I have in my wallet to get in, but this time we were back for the night and I had already changed and put my stuff away so I didn't have my wallet cause we were just taking out the trash. So we were stuck... and the phone was in the apartment... So we decided the only way in was to climb up to our 3rd floor balcony. So Elder Pauley climbed up the corner of the building near our apartment onto the balcony below ours. Then he got ontop of the railing and grabbed the railing of ours and pulled himself up. It was pretty great! But it was even funnier because we had talked about climbing up it earlier that day.

Twas a good week here in Virginia. Hoping this week next week turns out a little better for our investigators!

Love you and miss you all! Have a wonderful week and enjoy the Christmas season! Keep being the best and loving the Lord!

Love, Elder Duke

Week 44: Falls Church, VA "End of Transfer 7"

Hey hey!

Wow, time is flying! The end of the transfer is here, and I'm starting my last transfer for the first year of the mission! Pretty nuts! It's been quite the adventure here in Northern Virginia! But it's such an amazing place and the people are the best!

Sad things happened this week... We dropped Laura and Faud caue we haven't had contact with them for a while. They're still on the radar, but not being focused on right now. We'll try them again soon!

Shannon, an amazing women that referred herself and requested a Book of Mormon was sick, so we weren't able to meet with her. But hopefully she's doing better and we can meet her this week! She seems super solid!

Ken is doing good, as always! We taught him the 10 commandments, and then he basically forgot them so we had to teach them again. But that time went really well, so hopefully it stuck! ;) He's just such a special spirit! Love him!!

We had a Branch fast for missionary work 2 weeks ago and we're still seeing the blessings! Last night, Elder Pauley and I decided to stop by a less active member who lives in Woodbridge (south part of the mission). So we drive down there and he isn't home, but we meet his awesome wife, who isn't a member. So we sat down and chatted with her. She had some questions and confusion about why there were so many churches and why we have the Book of Mormon. We explained a little to her, but told her we'd love to come back and sit down with both he and her husband and teach them together! Hopefully that works out! Her husband is a great guy and loves the church, just doesn't have a lot of knowledge.

Another blessing from the fast, which doesn't really involve us, but it's from the DC North Sisters in the branch. One of their investigators, José, has been meeting with the sisters for a while, like almost a year, and comes to church often! He loves the church, and has a testimony, but his Mom has said that he can't be baptized till she feels he's ready. Well last week the sisters went over to their house and talked with him and his mom, and his mom said she felt like he is ready! So he's gonna be baptized here in a few weeks! José is a great guy, and is actually the one that gave me my name sign! So we're basically best pals! I'm way excited for him!

We also have dinner with a member couple, and their friends tonight so hopefully that goes well!

I love you all and hope you continue to have a great holiday season! Keep giving like the Savior does! Keep loving like he does! 3 Nephi 12:16 

Love, Elder Duke

Week 43: Falls Church, VA "First Week of December"

Hey everyone!

I hope you are all doing well and had a good week!

This week was pretty awesome and we had some great things happen!

This week we had a district fast. Each companionship fasted for another in the district. And then we had a branch fast on Sunday for missionary work. Lots of good things happened because of it!

First, we got a referral for an awesome lady named Shannon. We have met her before at dinner with a member family. That was about a month ago, and just recently on Friday, we got a referral for Shannon! Apparently she contacted the missionary call center, and requested a Book of Mormon and to meet with missionaries to take the discussions! So were going by tomorrow to bring her a copy of the Book of Mormon and start traching her! Super excited for her! Her husband isn't too interested, but I think he'll be open to sitting in on the lessons. They also have 2 awesome kids! Pray for their family that they'll be receptive and have open hearts!

Another person we got referred to this week was someone some sisters in our district met while tracting. He believes in Christ, and likes church, but doesn't have a church to go to that has an interpreter. He was pretty excited when he heard we have an ASL Branch. He's been hard to contact, but we'll get him soon!

There's another guy we met on Saturday at the branch Christmas party. His name is Jeanpierre. We invited him to the party, cause we had his number, and he showed up! He came pretty late, but he met like half the branch, including the branch President and elders quorum president. He's a super chill guy and has strong faith. We gave him a Book of Mormon and he said he'd be down to have us come over and discuss with him! Pray that he has an open heart! Such a great guy!

We also had a younger member couple (both RM's. Met on the mission. Super cute, I know! ) invite some friends over for a Christmas get together next week, and invited us to share a Christmas lesson with them. Should be good!

Ken is doing good, as always! Just trucking along with him, helping him understand more and more.

Laura has been MIA the past week... We had an appointment with her, but she wasn't home and we haven't been able to call her and talk to her.

We had an awesome opportunity to do some service the first of December with the youth in the branch! It was at a small horse ranch owned by member couple of one of the wards here. It was pretty sweet! They had about 15 horses. We just helped clean up the leaves and hay and such before the snow comes. One of the horses tried to get me as I was standing there in front of it's corral. I turned my back to talk to someone, and it bit my shirt!  So I guess you could say me and that horse are pretty close now.

Things are going really well here!! We saw a lot of miracles this week, and hope they keep coming!

Love you all and hope you have a great week! Keep reading the scriptures! Keep loving the Lord!

1. Interviews. The other elders in the district.

2. Service on Dec 1st with the youth at a horse ranch!

3. Sister Caplin at interviews

4. Los of leaves we cleaned up at the ranch

5. Wrong Utah school... 

6-8. The Potomac river, Alexandria area

Love, Elder Duke