Monday, March 30 2015

this was a crazy week! i literally cannot believe how fast time flies while you are on a mission!! really only one thing happened this week that i actually can remember! we talked to a lot of people about the gospel and it was a lot of fun! we also played a lot of ghetto ball with these kids in our apartment complex! my comp and i met a guy on the street named ray. we were walking down the street and this hardcore killer. i mean hardcore, i would never talk to him by choice. he waves us over and asks us a question. he says. if there is only one God how come there are so many churches? so we go straight into the restoration and we are talking about prayer and we ask him if he prays, then he tells us that he feels so bad for always making promises to God and not being able to keep them. and he asks us if we could help him with stuff like that and we told him this is exactly why we are out here!! we tell him that through baptism all your guilt can be washed away and we can help make and keep those promises and he tells us taht he was already baptized. my comp straight up tells him. if what we are saying is true than your baptism didnt count! he then comited to baptism!! just by talking to him on the street!! its amazing how powerfull the spirit can be! we were feeling it so strongly during our chat with ray! i hope you all have a good week! love you guys! elder horrocks

Monday, March 23 2015

this week went by so fast I cant even remember what happened!! well I got a new comp this week. it was a good time with elder joubert but now we just have new experiences and stories to create! so elder carson and I went out this week and found a total of 7 new investigators!! he has really had the motivation that we needed to go out and just talk to people! this week I got two compliments on my Spanish so I guess im learning pretty well! on Friday we went to buffalo wild wings after district meeting and there is this thing that if your food doesn't come in 15 minutes you get a coupon for a free meal next time you come and we got one! so we have a coupon for a free bww meal! I cant really remember anything and I left my planner at home so I don't have any thing to refer to. but on Saturday morning I woke up to 7 gunshots right outside of my apartment! apparently 2 people were killed in a fight over which city is better, baton rouge or new Orleans! it was a pretty big rush! oh yeah and this morning as we were getting ready to leave we had a knock on our door and we went to open it because we thought it was gong to be our ride. because we are still on bikes... but anyways. it was the jehova witnesses! haha it was pretty awkward. they didn't really know what to say so they just walked away! well I love you guys. thanks for all the support! elder horrocks

Tuesday, March 17 2015

this week was a pretty good week! I mean there was nothing really bad that happened. the good thing about my mission so far is that I really haven't found anything to complain about. I know that leading up to the mission everyone always makes fun of the state side missionaries but im telling you. there is no other place id rather be than here in America! I mean not much really happened this week. basically every door we knocked on was a no answer and the ones that did told us that they didn't have any time. when two missionaries knock on your door and told you that they were messengers sent from god to pray for you and your family would you tell them that you didn't have time!? anyways we did have exchanges this week and I was with elder drollinger not much happened but we did have a fun time just being together. we spent a lot of time helping out the office elders with a movie that they are making for the new missionaries to watch about safety and how to avoid flirting and general mission stuff. well transfers is this week actually. forgot to tell you guys. im still going to be in BR south so nothing to worry about that. but elder joubert is getting transferred so I am going to be getting a new companion this transfer. so hopefully he is a cool guy! we had fun times. im gonna miss him but good thing is that he is only four months out more than me so we will be here for a while still haha. the other elders in our district are having a baptism next week I think so that's going to be fun. two baptisms in one month!! since elder kopischke came the baptisms in our mission has tripled!!! anyways that's basically it. cant think of much else. the weeks just fly by so fast I cant remember everything! I cant believe how fast time flies on the mission. I feel like im not going to be able to get anything done! by the time I start ill be going home! but still have a while to go. love yall. thanks for the help and support. elder horrocks

Monday, March 9 2015

this week was a crazy week! so on pday we were at the stake center playing basketball. what we do every week haha. so we were just playing ball and elder drollinger and elder cunningham got a call from walter and alma saying that they are getting on married on satuday! which really means that we need to plan their wedding for saturday haha. so on monday we spent the rest of the day calling members to see if they can make some refreshments or anything like that. we were just so excited because that means that sooner or later after the wedding walter would get baptized so we couldnt get much happier! then on tuesday we were at district meeting and walter calls elder drollinger and tells him that he wants to get baptized right after the wedding!! so we were just estatic about this whole week! so we were getting everything ready for the baptism and walter asked elder joubert if he can baptize him! so saturday came and we were at the church and walter and alma come and the wedding starts! it was great, we had it in the relif society room, or our chapel, after the wedding we went and did the baptism and elder drollinger, cunningham, and i sang some hyms with a guitar. it was a great day! and then yesterday we confirmed him and ordained him to the office of a priest! throught the whole experience a story kept popping up in my head that i heard at a ztm once so i will send it as well. its called the room. its crazy how strong you can feel the spirit at a baptism. thats it for this week! love you all. have a great week elder horrocks THE ROOM By Joshua Harris In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features save for the one wall covered with small index-card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endlessly in either direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read "Girls I Have Liked." I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one. And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn't match. A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching. A file named "Friends" was next to one marked "Friends I Have Betrayed." The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. "Books I Have Read," "Lies I Have Told," "Comfort I Have Given," "Jokes I Have Laughed At." Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: "Things I've Yelled at My Brothers." Others I couldn't laugh at: "Things I Have Done in My Anger," "Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents." I never ceased to be surprised by the contents. Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my 20 years to write each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature. When I pulled out the file marked "Songs I Have Listened To," I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of music, but more by the vast amount of time I knew that file represented. When I came to a file marked "Lustful Thoughts," I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded. An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: "No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!" In an insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it. Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh. And then I saw it. The title bore "People I Have Shared the Gospel With." The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand. And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that they hurt started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key. But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him. No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read every one? Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn't say a word. He just cried with me. Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card. "No!" I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was "No, no," as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood. He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, "It is finished." I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.

Monday, March 2 2015

this week went by so fast i cant really remember what happened haha. but we did have exchanges this week and i was with elder cunningham. hes from northern utah, not really sure where, but he is a cool guy. hes only been out one transfer before me so we will basically be on the mish the same time. we went and taught english class and it was a neat experience because our spanish isnt the best and the family that comes english isnt the best either so even we have a little language barrier we had the chance to teach eachother. we taught them english and they taught us spanish! basically every apointment we had this week fell through and no one was home or interested if we tried to teach. we went over to debbies house on saturday to scrape off some more paint to get ready to paint. hopefully we get around to painting soon. her house is looking super ghetto haha. i guess the only thing that was a highlight this week was yesterday during church. so since we are still in the same zone we still go to the same branch which means we still see walter and alma each week and during gospel principles alma just broke down and just shared her testimony with us and she has such a strong testimony about this gospel. hopefully they get married soon because walter told elder joubert while we were on exchanges that he wants us to come to his baptism!! so he wants to get baptized, they just need to get married first haha. thats pretty much it. sorry for the short email. i love this work and the friendships that you build out here. love you guys. elder horrocks