Email #41 - A Week of Travels

June 19, 2017

Huntsville, Alabama

Family! How are you all doing? It sounds like it was quite the week. I love hearing about all the endeavors and all the fun you are all having. This week in the Mission was pretty good. This week we had to go down to Birmingham for an appointment and I was able to see Irma! It was super super great! She was happy as ever and she was super happy to see us. She is on a Baptismal Date to be baptized next Saturday. I am super super excited for her and her kids! The Lorna Branch has treated them like family and they are really part of the branch now. I love it!

In Huntsville, we have been doing well. We have an investigator named Daniel who has been super interested in learning more about the gospel and last night we were able to read the Introduction of the Book of Mormon with him. It was great and you could really see it click in his head. It was amazing. He was open and willing to learn. It was as if he was missing something and he was really getting everything we said. Pretty Amazing!

This week was another slow one, but I hope you are all doing well. I'm praying for you all! Have a great week! Love you all! ​

Strength and Honor

Elder Noah Featherstone

Elder Messick and Elder Featherstone

Email #40 - Mosquito Bites and Baptismal Invites

June 12, 2017

Huntsville, Alabama

Happy P-Day Family! These weeks are just flying by. It's pretty insane how fast they go. I feel like I have P-Day and then 2 minutes later we are emailing home again. So it's pretty crazy! But I love it!

This week was a solid one. We have been doing a lot of finding and we found an investigator named Patricia. She is super awesome! We tracted into her and we talked to her about Faith. She was interested and so we came back a few days later with a member. We weren't originally planning on seeing her but our scheduled appointment didn't answer the door. So we decided, "Well we have this member here with us and we have this lady down the street that we could follow up with so might as well..." So we walked down the street and Patricia opened up. She said she was too busy.... So we decided to move on and as we were walking back to the car we realized that another car had pulled up to the house that we were supposed to have an appointment in. So we knocked again, and nothing. As we finally started walking off this porch, Patricia was walking by with her kids on the way to the park. She said, "Hey! Do you guys want to come to the park with us and we could talk?" Elder Damaso and I both just got so excited! So we went down to the park with her and we taught the Restoration and about the Book of Mormon. It was super great! We had the member invite her to read the Book of Mormon and she committed to read it! So that was super cool. A few days later we had this same member come stop by her house, and nothing... I felt like I should knock a 3rd time. But usually we only knock twice so I decided, "Oh what the heck. Might as well." So I knocked and she opened up and we taught her about Baptism and she had a few questions and it was super great! We invited her to be baptized and she said yes! It was a super cool experience! I loved it! The only bad thing was that Satan was trying to bother us with tons of mosquitos around us for an hour during the lesson... So I have a lot of mosquito bites all over me now... But IT WAS SO WORTH IT!!!!

We had an investigator named Martin come to church as well and it was super great! He loved it and he has been reading his Book of Mormon a lot. The work is definitely progressing here in Huntsville! I love it!

Well that's about it for the week! I love you all! and I hope you have a great week! You all are in my prayers!​

Strength and Honor

Elder Noah Featherstone

When the Shoe Goo Explodes all over.....

Email #39 - Answer to Prayer

#39 Noah's Email - June 5, 2017

Huntsville, Alabama

Family! How are you all? I've heard some good things have happened lately and it makes me super happy! This week has been a good one here in Huntsville! It was a little bit of a slow week again but we had quite a few people open up and we had a few really good lessons.

This week after we got home, I was so worn out and I felt like we weren't having anything happen. That night, before I went to bed, I went to the Lord and asked him to help me feel of His love, and that I would know what I can do to be comforted through a hard day where nobody answered and we got yelled at. It was a hard day where nothing happened.  I was frustrated.  My companion was frustrated and we just wanted something to happen. But that night I felt comforted, I felt at peace. It was such an amazing experience where we had a rough day but we definitely went to bed feeling at peace as if we had done our part that day. It was a great reminder to me that He is always watching over us and he is always looking out for us.

This week we found a family that lives in a trailer park in South Huntsville. Their family is so big they take up 3 different trailers with 3 different generations. Pretty Crazy! But we have been talking to them a lot and they commited to read the Book of Mormon and we are working with them a lot! So we are slowly getting some progress here!

Also! This week I got an email from my past companion saying that our Investigator Irma in Birmingham is on a Baptismal Date! So that made me super happy to see this week!

I think that's about it for this week! But Love you all! I hope you have a great week! You are in my prayers!

Strength and Honor

Elder Noah Featherstone

Elder Messick and I

Elder Damaso and I tracting at 8:30 pm 

                You ever see the movie "Jumanji?"

Email #38 - "Service Softens Stoney Souls"

May 30, 2017
Huntsville, AL

HAPPY P-DAY! Sorry. Should have told you that today is our P-Day and not yesterday because of Memorial Day. But this week was great! It consisted of a lot of knocking doors, and a lot of service! I have come to believe that Huntsville is the place where more missionary work comes from doing service than any other thing that we can give. This week we have seen many hearts open to the message because of simple acts of service and showing the people our heartfelt love. It has been amazing.  We helped a few people move, did some yard work, and cleaned people's porches. (Yes, we did fill another Uhaul this week. #UhaulMovers) But other than a bunch of service not much super eventful happened here in Ol' Huntsville. It's been a little slow but it's been good.

This week I read an article from the Ensign called, The War Goes On. It was a super good talk. It talks a lot about how we can overcome Satan in our lives, and how we can stand up for what we believe in. We can have "unshaken" testimonies of the Lord just like Jacob, and Enos. We will stand strong if we have our Faith in Christ. One thing that I have noticed with our Investigators is that if they really do have a spiritual experience every day reading the Book of Mormon they will come to know the truth without a doubt. Every single one of us needs to have a spiritual experience everyday with The Book of Mormon. If we do, and we follow the teachings of The Book of Mormon we will be strong in our foundation in Christ.

I hope you all have a great week! Love you all! You're in my prayers!

Strength and Honor

Elder Noah Featherstone

Email #37 - The Move

May 22, 2017

Huntsville, Alabama

Happy Monday! I hope you are all doing super fantastic. I heard that this week was a big one at home. I love it. Can't wait to say “Hi” to my nephew Rudy! Too bad he will be walking by the time I get back... Whoops. Ha I love hearing about all that is going on! I love that this week was a really good one.

Saying goodbye to all the members and everyone in the Lorna Branch was super hard but it was a great experience serving there and I loved it. They are all so great.  I was a little nervous to get back to Huntsville but it's been good so far. The Branch was super happy to see me so that made it a lot easier coming back. I'm super excited for everything here. We have been basically starting over since I got here. We have been doing a lot of tracting and it's been good.  We have found a few people that are pretty interested in the message so that makes it super exciting.  

We had a really cool experience this week. We had some extra time to do some tracting a few days ago and so we knocked about 30 doors and nobody answered. Elder Damaso asked if we should just go, I responded, "Dude... I just want to talk to a Hispanic..." The next door! BAM! Hispanic! BOOM! Return Appointment! SNAP! New Investigator! You gotta love it when you really see the Lord's hand in you life. It's amazing that he is consistantly looking out for us. I am always amazed at the love that He shows each one of us.

Well I apologize that this is going to have to be a short one, but we are running a little low on time. A member from Lorna came up and visited me today. It was super awesome of him to do that but because we spent a little too much time with him we are crammed on emailing. I love you all! Have the most amazing week ever and send everyone my love!

Strength and Honor

-Elder Noah Featherstone

 Presidente Pardo, Elder Krupa, and I doing some shopping for the Pasteleria.

The members that work in the Pasteleria

Our investigator in Lorna, Irma, and her kids.

ELDER DEVEREAUX IS BACK

Elders Featherstone, Devereaux, and Fotu

Email #36 - The Return to Huntsville

May 15, 2017

Birmingham, AL - Headed to Huntsville

Family! This one is going to have to be a little short but this week has been an eventful one. This week we have been continuing working with an investigator of ours named Irma. She as well as her whole family came to church on Sunday and they just loved it!  It was super super good. They have come to know a few of the members pretty well and it was just great. I loved seeing their family there.  

It was a sad goodbye as well.  As I told you yesterday, I am heading back to Huntsville to serve in the Spanish Branch there.  A little bit of a interesting switch but it should be good! I'm excited to see all the members up there again, and on the bright side I already know my way around town ha! So it'll be super good. I'm excited!  You're all in my prayers! Love you all!

Strength and Honor,

Elder Noah Featherstone

Email #35 - Emmaus Experiences

May 8, 2017

Birmingham, Alabama

WASSSUPPP FAMILY?! How are y'all? I've been fixin' on my southern slang! hahaha!!! Not really. I don't talk like them yet but soon enough I'm hoping... ha! So this week was super super super super GOOD!!!! Filled with "Emmaus Experiences!" That is the term we use for Miracles here in the ABM. ha!

So this week we had just finished service at "La Pasteleria," (The Bakery that the Branch President owns) and we went to a nearby trailer park where we have a few investigators. So we have an investigator named Irma who we hadn't seen in a few weeks, and it seemed like she wasn't super interested. So we decided "Oh what the heck, lets give it one last shot." So we walked over to her front door where the sun is beating down on us, and realized the door was open.... so awkward.... ha! So we knocked and then the door swung shut, and then back open as someone passed by. We were just like, uhhhhhh???? "What do we do? Just let them be?" So we decided to wait a few seconds and then Irma came to the door! She just lit up the second she saw our faces! She said that she had been super super busy, but that she had been waiting for us to come back while she was home. She then invited us in, and we shared a little short message with her and her 4 kids. They loved it! After the message Irma said, "Hey I want to find out more about your church, and I'm really interested in it. When are your church services so we can come?" Elder Krupa and I just freaked out! It was so exciting! Then they invited us to come to their son's Flag Football game on Saturday morning. We went and had a blast. It was super fun and we had some good discussions with them! (Shootout to Mom and Dad for going to all these little league/Jr. Jazz/Flag Football games with all of us Hooligans!) They weren't able to come to church yesterday but they said that they would be there next week to check it out. They have one of the greatest families I've ever met!

This week also... Our Branch President took us to the Legendary Restaurant "Mugshots!" Dad... You're gonna die at this... ha! He took us there to try the Legendary Mugshots Challenge. It includes a 3.5 lb. Burger with Onion Rings and fried pickles on top, with a added 1 lb. of fries... You have to eat it all in 12 minutes and the meal is free. So... All 4 Elders in the Lorna Branch took this challenge. But we do have sad news... We all lost.... THE THING IS MASSIVE! I'll send pictures. The pictures still don't do it justice.... But Wow. I have a new respect for the guy on "Man Vs. Food."

Well that's about it for the week. It was super super super good! Love you All! I hope you are all doing well! You're all in my prayers!

Strength and Honor Elder Noah Featherstone

 Elder Krupa and I with the Gafas de Sol

Heel click picture

Some random chicken we found today

LOOK AT THAT THING