a double rainbow

Dear Home,

I will try and call Christmas day morning but the way my companions are I don't know if he'll let me. Thank you for editing my letters I no speackish elglisth good ;) Some of the paper chain ones are a little extreme, you have to remember that I have a bubble that I can't go outside of. Its so awesome that you still get to see the little ones and have a great time with as well as they do with you. I really miss being able to hold little kids and play with them.

This week has been a really weird week. We had transfers this past Tuesday and I am not supposed to be moved around because I am still being trained so for another 5 weeks I am to stay in this area but we were called to attend the meeting anyways. The reason we were called to come was because the other elder that we live with is without a companion and has been coming out with us for the entire week before. He isn't getting a new companion either and instead is companion-less for the next 6 weeks. We are kind of/not in a tri companionship. Our mission president just told the 3 of us to make it work. Its not so bad covering 4 wards and an area that contains around 100,000 people or more because we have a car now! At least for this transfer. I am now being trained by two missionaries, neither have been out longer than 7 months.

We had an amazing lesson this past Saturday. Actually it was more like the whole day. It started off really bad because our alarm didn't go off at 6 am so we woke up at 640ish, didn't have a lot of time to exercise so just got ready for the day. Feeling disobedient, I exited the shower and my companion Elder Wardle said that another elder is having a baptismal service for Ally Crestler and I needed to do the "Half time show" with him. Just present a spiritual talk in front of people.

Being down I wanted to say no but the situation was forced upon me because I am the trainee. I had to get ready quickly and I was off. While presenting I felt as if my mind was completely blank but for some reason I kept talking. As I prayed for help before this the Lord had answered my prayer and helped me speak. He filled my mouth with spiritual words and guided me through my situation.

The service was great and Ally has a wicked strong testimony. Afterwards my companions had a lesson to go to with a lady named Brittany. I love her kids btw. We sent up the room that we were going to be meeting with her in and waited for her to come. And waited. And waited. The fellow shipping members came and a recent convert came to watch after her kids but she didn't come. We called, no answer. Called again from a different phone and she answered and told us that she went to the wrong building. Finally got to the building with us and we were able to teach her about the Holy Ghost. Her kids were being taken care of and making snow globes, awesome. The fellow members that were with us were converts and one was baptized 6 months ago and they both talked about how they feel God's presence with them and how they have received answers. She explained that the day before the missionaries came to her doorstep she had a total break down and asked God what church to join and what to do with her family. The next day in the morning the missionaries knocked on her door. I have never felt the spirit more strongly than that day in that room. When we walked out after the lesson there was a double Rainbow in the sky, IT NEVER RAINS HERE it was meant to be.

I love you all and wish you a Merry Christmas!!!

Love Elder Leonhardt

Mesa Temple Lights

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Dear Home,

This past week was hard emotionally my companions as well for me. There were many ups and downs. First off the little Tongan man in some of my pictures was done with his mission and had to go home because it was time and his visa was almost done. He was a very nice, humbled man and has had a rough past. He has no family to really go home to, only a 90 yr old grandfather who might not be around for much longer because of health, no job, not sure if he will go to school because there isn't much for schooling there. He raised himself pretty much from age 13 till now. He would like to stay in the U.S. Everyone in our mission wants him to come back to America but he doesn't have the money to and it takes 3-4 days of travel just to get home. I miss him already and worry about what next he will do with his life. The Plan of Salvation however does bring joy into me because I know that I will see him again and next time life will be much better.

I was able to go down to the Mesa Temple lights and music performance. There are literally hundreds of thousands of lights there and the sights are just absolutely amazing! You can feel the Spirit of Christmas there so strongly. Oh and there were missionaries everywhere, which was awesome. My companion and I went down with a church family, the father and one of the sons isn't a member. The fathers name is Daniel Ruiz and is a BOSS! He is a very nice man, not a mean bone in him and already has a strong testimony of the gospel. He has plans of being baptized before the year is over as long as he and his 'wife' get married before then. Sister Toledo, the wife, was thinking about how wonderful all the missionaries looked and after a small video of the birth of Christ she went up to a Sister missionary and told her that she and I look a like and she should be my wife and that her companion looks like my companion and they should get married. Oooooouu yeah that was awkward. I talked to her afterwards that missionaries are held at a higher standard and emotional lust or love to another isn't advised. We laughed about it but it was still weird.

So I wanted to share something that I have been thinking about a lot. So in the book of Revelation it states that their is not to be anymore added to this book. When the Bible was formed they placed the book of Revelations at the back but in reality that wouldn't be in chronological order so it throws you off a little bit. The Bible was formed by man, such as the King James Version, therefore books were left out. Where are those other books and do we know everything about Jesus Christ and his teachings? Will we ever get those books back. God loves everyone and Jesus met with more than just the people in Israel so where are the writings of those who met him then? Helaman 3:35 and others. The gospel we have here is all we need at this time but when will we be ready for the rest?

I love you all and have a Merry Christmas

the bike.

Talk to a missionary.

Thank you for the sweaters, they fit and thank Collette for sending one as well and thank you both for the stamps they came just in time. I am going to try and make a video for you and save it on my gmail account and then you can go on and take it off of there, probably next Tuesday or so. I can't think of anything that I really need other than regular t shirts/long sleeves or shorts that I could wear, I don't really need them but I only have two sets.

Dear Home,

This week was a good one. In one of the wards that I serve in they had a Christmas party with tons of food, literally they backed up a dump truck full of food and just dumped it on the floor. Food fight and food slip 'n slide all day, just kidding I wish. There was a lot of good food though and the little kids ages 2-12 or so did a reenactment of the nativity and it was very cute. I miss playing with little kids and holding them, that's probably the hardest part of this job. I miss playing with my nieces and nephew. Anyways on with how my life is soon going to be over soon since the Mayan Calendar is done on Dec 21. I was able to teach the lesson of the Plan of Salvation to a family of 4 kids, parents Brittany and Mario around 30 and kids all under 8. Everyone has questions about where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going. This knowledge gives me a lot of comfort and is one of the things about the Gospel that I hold dearest. It has effected my life seeing friends and family members pass away and I have helped that same comfort come into others life as well. Brittany and Mario have a large desire to be good parents and give their kids that guidance that they will need, this helped them have some of that comfort as a parent to think of God not only as a God but as our Loving Heavenly Father who only wants us to grow and progress in life. I was also able to teach this same message to a 60 yr old lady named Gladys. She lost 11 family members with in the past 3 years, not just distant relatives but kids, husband, brothers and sisters, parents and such. She wants to know the purpose of her life and why she is still here. Our goal as missionaries is not to convert everyone but to share the messages of Jesus Christ and bring that joy into peoples lives. One of the members from the church came with us and and the two of them hit it off, my companion and I didn't talk for the first 15 mins we were there, we knew we made a good choice in inviting her to come. Gladys is doing better and is going to see a lot more members of her family this month. I was also able to have a meal with a ward family named the Potters and they invited their nephew over named Josh who is 30 and with in the past 10 years lost both of his parents and now lives on his own. We talked a little about this and he wanted to learn more. He had a native American background, Cherokee I believe, and how the believes of them and the "Mormon" faith believe. Also a cool thing to look up if you have the time. I was informed that they had found Israelite blood in the Indians that live in Ohio, some of them that is, and some of them their names translate in to plate keepers, was not found by anyone of the church. My companion and I ran into a man that had read some work about the Mormon Church that was not published by the church, anti, and explained some weird conceptions about the church and our believes. If you want to know about a church read something that is the foundation of the church, The Book of Mormon and the Bible. Talk to a missionary. Talk to someone who is active in the church because some that are kicked out are soar and don't understand the purpose of why, those still active know their wrong and fix it, that's why they are still active. Its just like if you wanted to know something about the Catholic faith you would go the the Pope or a Priest not someone that was once baptized as a baby and never went to the church. I love you all and hope that the Holiday session goes well.

Love Elder Leonhardt