Goodbye President & Sister Ames, Hello President & Sister Sommerfeldt

Hello Everyone,

P-day was moved to today because our district has a temple appointment this evening, so Monday was a regular work day.

Today is President & Sister Sommerfelt's first official day in the mission. The next three weeks I will report to a new President before returning home. President and Sister Ames have completed their 3 year service in the MIM.

I had the unusual opportunity to meet with President Ames one-on-one earlier this week because I needed an updated Temple Recommend. He was slammed with meetings but found a small opening one evening and we met at the Stake Center and I was able to sit with him one last time. To be transparent, it was good for me to sit with him and talk with him and listen as he shared his love and appreciation for me as a person and as a missionary these last two years. I won't share everything he told me but it was very sincere and heartfelt.  

Since I last sent out an email we had Zone Conference and President Ames gave his departing advice and counsel to all of us. What he said really spoke to me and I felt the message was very powerful since I will depart from the mission on the heels of President and Sister Ames. The Ames also each gave an uplifting training and then shared how they met, dated and were married--it was a great story. At the end of the conference we all stood and sang "God Be With You 'till We Meet Again". It was very emotional and the spirit was profoundly present. 

I was also asked to give my departing testimony at zone conference. Several days before I knew I would stand to speak, I prayerfully asked Heavenly Father what things I should share. So much of my mission has shaped my life, and my experiences out in the mission field are so numerous I wanted to share what the Lord would have me talk about. I was grateful for the opportunity to stand at the (almost) end of my mission, and at my last zone conference and not only testify that this is Jesus Christ's church, but to also share some growing and learning experiences. I had many missionaries come up to me and tell me what I said helped them and it was what they needed to hear. I am grateful for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help lead my words and thoughts that day. 

On July 18th, just a few days before I leave the mission field, our mission will sing the National Anthem and attend the Kansas City Royals baseball game. If you can watch the game, check us out...last year we all had white shirts and Royal Blue ties. I'm assuming we might be decked out again this year. 

We had lunch with the Andradre family this week. It was great to see Ramone and his family. They have loved and supported me from my first week out in the mission field. This family has already traveled to Utah to meet my family and I am sure we will see them in Utah again, and also when my family travels to my mission we will also spend time with this great family. 

The Hasting's also took us out for lunch yesterday. They are the best family and I have grown to love and appreciate them very much. They support the missionaries in the field and are some of the best people I know. They will be traveling out west to visit their son's mission in Idaho and have a stop planned in Utah to meet my parents and spend a day with us. The Hasting's are on the top of the list to see when my family visits my mission in the future. 

Also, great news for Jordyn from my last area...she is set to be baptized July 8th! It was amazing to teach her the gospel of Jesus Christ and I am so happy she has made the decision to be baptized. Elder Fleming and I will be asking for special permission from President Sommerfeldt to attend her baptism. 

The work this week consisted of visiting several yellow and green dots in our area book. Please keep Matt, Curtis, Jasmine, Jay, Cyrstal, Landon, Leon, Leslie, Calvin, Dakota, Larenzo, Dani, Daniel, Debra and Tyler (golden contact)  in your prayers. That's a lot of teaching and lessons. We will continue to reach out and teach these good people. The work continues to move forward. 

We had to drop our investigator Leo this week. He texted and asked me to buy his groceries, and that he would send me a list of things to buy and that I was to take the items to his house. He also gave me the option of buying a high dollar walmart gift card and giving it to him and he would order online and I could pick up the items and take them to him. I kindly explained that we are unpaid missionaries and mission rules don't allow us to buy things for investigators. I apologized and asked if we could help in any other way. He texted back and told me that because he had opened his door to us and accepted a Book of Mormon that we could at least serve him in buying his groceries. I again kindly explained mission rules and expressed that I wish it could be different. I told him I had a list of community help centers for people in need and we could drop off the list to him at his convenience. He texted me back and told us never to come back to his home again. We expressed our appreciation to him and told him if he changed his mind we would be happy to continue teaching him. 

Our ward continues to support and feed us. We are grateful for the families who open their homes to us and allow us to share a message with them. 

Elder Fleming and I spent several hours serving at Hillcrest again by unloading bags and boxes from vehicles and sorting the donations.

We had a blitz with the ZL's a few days ago. I went with Elder Wilson and we worked the area pretty hard. 

We accomplished the usual Pday chores and errands today and played frisbee golf with the district. We will be leaving for the temple in a while. I am excited to see the new presentation. 

This week as I re-read Elder Dale G. Renlund's April 2023 conference talk "Accessing God's Power Through Covenants" I was reminded that "with heavenly help we can do unnatural things" and that "we can choose whether we yield to heavenly powers or go with the flow". Elder Renlund taught: "Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples--and keeps them--has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ...[to lift] us above the pull of this fallen world." My takeaway is to be consistent, be patient, and expect miracles in our lives. And, we shouldn't make a covenant with God if we don't have the desire to represent Christ, because we bind ourselves with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ when we make and keep covenants.   

Elder Mortensen

PIctures this week:

Elder Fleming and I at SmokeHouse BBQ

Elder Fleming and at Minsky's Pizza

Video at the park yesterday

With Ramone at lunch

Hastings family at lunch yesterday

North Zone Rosa Mall - giant chair (met Tyler an investigator because of this chair)

My second and final MIM sweatshirt

Me with President and Sister Ames after zone conference they asked to take a picture with me

The apartment I'm currently in, if you end your mission here, you make a paper origami tie and sign your name. I've included mine in the group of former missionaries who departed from this apartment.

President and Sister Sommerfleldt

Good Things Happen Here sign