Jenny Gunderson, Flo Martinez, Elder Moore, Stulen, Wardle, Ogden, Smith

                        Jenny Gunderson and her mom Flo Martinez and me just before Jenny's baptism.

                                        Elder Moore, Flo, Jenny, Elder Leonhardt, Elder Stulen

                                                                        Elder Wardle

                                                   Elder Wardle and Elder Leonhardt

                                                                      Elder Ogden

                                                                       Elder Smith

                                                 Elder Wardle and Elder Stulen (in blue)

                                                   Morning hike while it was still dark.

 

                                                  Sunrise over Phoenix, Arizona

                                                          Phoenix Arizona Temple

November 25, 2013 'Teaching a Dog verses Teaching a Child"

We taught John this week, the Christian college professor and had a fantastic lesson. We talked about marriage in Matt 22 and what Christ is saying in that scripture. It is so weird being the teacher sometimes because often times I come away from those situations learning more than I thought I would. The big reason why that is, is because the Spirit of the Lord was in the room. The Spirit testifies of truth and is the true teacher, not me or man. So because the Spirit was there, we all learned and it was a very edifying experience. He is very smart and a fantastic man but his family is a little behind him. We asked him if we could meet with his family and talk about the gospel with them all because this gospel is meant for families, to strengthen and protect them. He is going to try but is hesitant about it because his wife had a bad experience with a few churches in the past and growing up. From what I have heard about his situation is that they need it though right now.

Also taught another lady named Lindsay who is a mother of 2 with a 3rd on the way. Her husband is a member but stopped coming but she is interested in it. Met with her at her running buddies house who are members in our ward as well. First of all they made this apple pie that was so amazing, and she said she had never tried before. It looked better than the pictures! SO good. Anyways found out that Lindsay is having some troubles in her family as well and he want us to teach her 15 yr old son. She seems so ready for the gospel and really wants it to be a part of her life.

Went on an exchange with a missionary that I have had the opportunity to work around for awhile named Elder Mark Knobbe, yes like Ben on Starwars. He is a convert and has a really good story too. Used to not believe in God at all and was anti mormon growing up in Idaho but was invited to church after awhile to listen to his friends talk he gave and at the end of church he was crying because he felt the Spirit so strongly telling him this is where he belongs. Well anyways we got talking about how to teach people and he taught me something about the effective way of teaching as missionaries. He related it to how we teach a dog verses how we teach a child. A dog you teach to not bite. A child you don't teach him to not push people but to be a good person. The difference is you are not trying to change the action but you are trying to change the desire of the individual. When trying to teach someone to be more obedient, stop telling them what they are constantly doing wrong but rather love the things they are doing good and help them be a better person. Sometimes they will ask for suggestions on how they can improve and you give them ideas that they can come up with on their own how they can be better. Hard but the thing is as humans, we are smart enough to figure out when we are doing something wrong. We often times ignore the small prompting but we know. People simply need love and to know about the things they do well. When you are happy you are more susceptible to change.

We were making visits to the investigators that missionaries have visited in the past and talked with this large Samoan man named Beau. He is just huge and ripped! His calf is bigger than my head and his biceps bigger than my torso. BIG and so nice. We are going to go over and read through the Book of Mormon with him and help him understand what he reads. We are very excited as well to go with him and the family to the Mesa Temple lights and see the sights down there. With Christmas coming up and Thanksgiving I am excited for the mission conference and other events to come and the Spirit of Joy all around. Happy Holidays Everyone!!
Love Elder Caleb Leonhardt

November 18, 2013 Crazy How Time Flies!

This week flew by! I feel like Elder Wardle and I just got back together as companions but we have been together for about 2 almost 3 weeks now, crazy how time flies by. I recently hit my 13 month mark and am nearing the next and I feel so weird because time continues to go by faster and faster.

 

Seriously I am understanding how important it is to enjoy the time you have when you are younger and to make the right choices. I was helping my companion in the store while he was suit shopping and I took a step back from the situation and looked at my life, where I am now, the choices I have made and what my life would look like if I chose differently. It kind of set me back on my heels. The thought came to me about how important every choice you make is and how it can have a building effect on someone over time. Then I thought about how those choices are what's being put on your "job history" if you will. What kind of a history do you want and would like for people to see. Would they be impressed or a little set back. Your past is what made you but your choice now is what makes you. So I thought back to what choices I would have done differently and found that what I would have done differently was pretty consistent with what I was taught by my parents...blew that one. Sorry mom and dad :) What would you do differently and why would you change that? Now that you have the experience share the why with others.

We don't have anyone to teach right now which is kind of sad but there are other responsibilities that we have to do. We have a few leads but it is moving a little slow. We are however excited to see the work move forward with the holidays coming up. We were shopping and some Christmas music came on and started playing. Oh how I miss the holiday's with family and friends. It brought back some amazing memories. Going to Owen to get together with family during Christmas and Thanksgiving with the feasts, oh the feasts!, and playing football out in the cold! Sledding off the roof and making snow figures with the nieces and nephews. Night skies during a snow fall. More and more the list is endless. The best part of the holidays is the Spirit though. Everyone is so kind and giving, willing to smile and lend a hand. You can almost cut the love in the air with a knife! Its my favorite time of the year. Especially because its 70 down here... :) i do miss the snow though. Make this the best Holiday season you can. Thanks to some of the ideas I have gotten from my Dad I plan on making this an extra special one. I love you all and always have you in my prayers. Always.

Love Elder Leonhardt

 

11/12/13 Back With My First Companion Elder Wardle

So this will be a short email because something got moved around and I am very limited on writing time.

We had transfers and Elder Wardle, my 1st companion and I are back together working as Zone Leaders. Its exciting and fun being with someone that I get along with so well and know already. We can skip the getting to know you stuff and go straight to work. We have a new area as well that we are serving in and we are excited to see how we can get things rolling. The members of the church up here are so nice to us and welcoming, we love it!

So you know how these past couple weeks have been a little stressful for me and I have felt like I just couldn't stand up among all of the confusion...well I now understand why. I am really happy that I got to go through this trial because it has taught me a lot about me and how much stress I was able to overcome/handle. I now know that I have a larger capacity to to handle stress and difficult situations and know that God was there the whole time to show me how much he has trusted me with. I have learned a lot about how much God really helps you in times of need. God is teaching me a lot about myself that I never thought that I had trouble with as well as strengths that I never even knew I had. God is awesome! Anyways its fantastic being with a former companion and working with him. Everything is going well and peachy, specially since the weather down here is amazing!. I love you all and will write more next week!

Love Elder Leonhardt

Elder Wardle and Elder Leonhardt

November 5 2013 Pictures....with our new mini iPads!

                                                       Just received our mini iPads

                                        Another Caleb in our apartment; Elder Caleb Brown

5 November 2013 "Everything In Life Has A Purpose"

Even more has happened this week for me. I feel like I just went through a tornado and am now able to stand. So lets start with the beginning. As I wrote last week one of my companions went home for some transgressions not taken care of before the mission, Austin Wade, who still wont respond to me and seems like he has forgotten the mission. In the mean time I received another companion Elder Swift who I wasn't sure why he was here with me but for other reasons in his last area he was paired with me.

So some more things came up and soon I found myself headed down to the airport with Elder Swift and my Mission President and another office worker and a few hours later without a companion. Yeah I sent home another companion. Seriously I can't keep a companion for longer than 5 days!

So I am now with 2 other elders that I live with and working with them covering 3 wards and about 10 square miles with 3 of them about 2 miles away. A lot of biking and a lot of confusion. Oh and in the Stake I am serving in they realigned the wards and made 2 new wards which we were surprised about and found out some interesting things. I lost some parts of the wards I am serving in which made me sad because some really cool members and people we were teaching were in those areas. But anyways that brings me to now when I am writing you. Oh and we were given iPad's to help with teaching people, they are the new mini's and are quite nice.

When I went to send a missionary home I got the opportunity to have a one-on-one talk with my Mission President R. Scott Taylor. We talked about the situation and he thanked me for putting up with some of the hectic things that have happened and helping with the few missionaries I worked with.

He then told me something that comforted me about missionaries that go home. Previously when Elder Wade, now Austin Wade, told me he was going home I took it sort of hard and was sad. When I prayed that night Elder Moore came in and said a prayer with me offering comfort. To this day Austin still doesn't know how much that really did effect me.

Back to my interaction with my Mission President. He said that it is remarkable how the things that happen on your mission prepare you for things that will happen later in your life. When he served a mission his 1st companion was suffering from depression and had suicidal thoughts. His mission president pulled him aside and told him I need you to take care of this missionary and if he doesn't want to go out, don't go out and just try to be a friend to him. He did his best but got frustrated a lot because he is a new missionary and wants to got back out and work. R. Scott Taylor was later send to the mission he was waiting to go to, Argentina, waiting for a visa. And his companion ended up being sent home.

Later in his mission a new missionary came to his mission and asked him if he knew, John (his former companion that struggled with suicidal thoughts) and he said yes he remembers him and thought of whats up with him, not the most positive. The new missionary said that he is now the state treasury and in the stake presidency and a very successful person. He was taken back that such a person on a mission could turn out to that successful of a person, he wasn't expecting that. (In my mind I thought he was going to say he died, I was wrong). So the point that he was teaching me was that he would not know what to do with the missionaries that are going home now in this mission unless he experienced that back in his mission. Many of the things we experience on our missions prepares us for later events so I have been thinking about what this experience is going to prepare me for. Either way I am excited because the Lord has now prepared me for it.

President Taylor and I also talked about may other things one being about the people that are called to do certain things. I thought of him as a very smart person and one who had answers and direction for many things. Someone being prepared for some great calling in life, such as Apostle. But talking with him he is a normal person no different than one man his age from the other but he was asked by God to do a work and that's what he is doing. Assignments are just assignments and the people are still just people. So be yourself.

I have learned a lot in the past couple days and I am actually grateful for the trial I went through. It was difficult but now looking back at where I was 10 days ago to know I know so much more about me and the capability that the Lord has given me. I love Trials!! And I love you too!

Love Elder LEonhardt