These Won't Stop for a While

Dear Friends and Family
I had a really awesome week this week.

First off, spring has finally come. I no longer have to wear a jacket or coat unless it is dark outside and the days have been sunny and warm. It's been really great and lots of people have been out enjoying the great weather. With, unsurprisingly, 3 days of exceptionally cold and heavy rain. It is improving slowly but surely and that is all that matters.

I want to thank everyone that sent me awesome stuff in the mail!  I loved your letters, junk food, and of course the other gifts.  I really had a great Easter and you all made it even better.

Yesterday, that being Sunday, President and Sister Blair came to our chapel for
sacrament and Sunday school services. It was a really awesome experience for them to
finally meet the investigators that we report on every week and for them to see how far that
they have come. President Blair gave a talk on doing missionary work, as was expected, and Sister Blair taught our second hour Sunday school classes regarding President Hinckley.
Sister Blair is actually President Hinckley's granddaughter, and she and President Blair lived in his home for many years.

They both had some fantastic stories and awesome insights as to how the Lord influences and teaches his servants. It was a really powerful and insightful meeting and I am grateful for both of them for sharing their knowledge and their family with us.  I am grateful in general that I am so blessed to have such an awesome mission presidency and for all their hard work for us.

These past two weeks have been really outstanding.
One day, me and Elder Hansen were walking around Berlin NH, not exactly a paradise utopia.
Anyways so we were walking around checking some less actives and former investigators that we
could maybe reactivate or pick up again. It wasn't going that great and we were about ready to leave
when Elder Hansen asks me if we should knock the doors on nearby apartment complex. I didn't really care either way so we said "why not?" so we start up the staircase when we see an older lady taking a cart down the stairs, we ask her "you need any help" she says "I'm all set" (we get that a lot). So we awkwardly walk around the building waiting for her to move out of the way of the stairs and we go up and start knocking.

At first, it was going about as well as expected, The first door opened before we could knock and he said he wasn't interested and slammed it, the second door had a notice on it that anyone caught inside the apartment could be charged with criminal activity so we skipped that one, the next one we went to the guy told us he wasn't interested, slammed the door, opened the door again and said "and if you come back there will be trouble." and then slammed it again, then we knocked on the last door, the guy was pretty nice but said that he wasn't interested. So we asked him if he knew anybody that might be and he said that we should try his downstairs neighbor, whom we had missed. So we try his downstairs neighbor and she was interested to learn more, so we taught her about the restoration, but get this, while we were teaching her the lesson, her neighbor from upstairs knocked on her door and asked us if when we were done teaching her we could come back upstairs and share with him and his family. Elder Hansen and I looked at each other confused and said, "yeah, that should be fine." So, once we were done, we went right back upstairs and taught another Lesson! and we picked both of them up as new investigators!

It was a really fantastic experience and it just goes to show that the Lord knows where you are and that if you listen to the promptings of the spirit that you will be blessed.

I hope you all know that I love you and I can't wait to tell you about next week!

until then!

-Elder Starr

Elder Hansen from Rexburg, Idaho

Hello friends and family!

I have had a really great week. I got a new companion, Elder Hansen. 

He is from Rexburg Idaho and has been serving his mission for about 18 months now. His previous area was Rockland Maine and now he gets to serve in the promised land of Randolph NH!

The week went really well, I have been leading the area and it has been going surprisingly well contrary to my nervousness. As for how the work is going, this week alone we were able to find as many new investigators

as Elder Palmer and I did in an entire transfer! It was a really awesome experience.To top it all off the weather here has been fantastic! it hasn't dropped below 50 degrees once and while at transfer meeting in Manchester it got up to about 80. It is certainly a welcome change.

With the recent loss of Elder Palmer I am officially through my training. It seems to have gone by so quickly its really strange, it seems that Christmas was only a few weeks ago although my training is over I know that

as I continue to work hard and to have faith that I will continue to learn new things and become better at everything that I do.

We can always improve and it is through the blessing of the Savior that enables us to do so. 

Easter Sunday was really awesome and I am grateful that I was able to feel the spirit of why we celebrate Easter and what it means for all of us. I know that as we strive to come closer to Christ that our lives and the lives of those around us will be blessed.

I would be lying if I said that it has been easy, it certainly hasn't some of the most frustration that I have felt is from the investigators that refuse to make the changes in their lives that they know will bless them. I think that the Lord feels a similar feeling when dealing with our stubbornness. I can't make anyone do anything they won't do themselves and neither can the Lord. If we know what we need to do then don't delay to repent and to bring blessings upon yourself and your family.

I am sorry that I don't have more to talk about, It was sort of a slow week, but definitely a good one. I hope that you all are doing fantastic and that you all know that I love you!

Have a great week and always be striving to be better!

Until Next time

-Elder Starr

Uncle Paul's Tie

This is a tie from Uncle Paul.  When attending BYU he had the opportunity to be in the Men's Choir.  This is the tie that they performed in.

Grandpa Van's Tie

Connor has put out a request for ties.  I wanted to have a record of the story that goes along with the tie.

Jana,

The tie was given me by President Boone of the Provo MTC. It was an unexpected gift for being the main speaker at an MTC Sunday night fireside in March, 2008. I had been serving for two years as president of Branch 20 (Spanish speaking) at the MTC. Mom and I had just received our call for me to serve as Executive Secretary to the Brazil Area Presidency. Speakers at this fireside are cleared by the general authorities in the missionary department. It was a privilege.

This fireside was a farewell for us, of sorts. There were about 2,600 missionaries in attendance. Mom & I spoke about finding people to teach. We told stories from our mission in Interlagos. We made it fun and had the missionaries laughing.

The tie is a nice remembrance. I'd be honored to give it to Connor. Remind him to just do your best, and have fun. He will receive unexpected gifts from people he touches, people who will become very dear to him. That's the reward.

I'm so proud of him and his positive attitude. Tell him to wear the red tie proud. When the Savior returns he will be wearing red robes!

Dad -Grandpa Van

Hello Again!

Dear Friends and Family:

It is a beautiful spring day on this wonderful Monday afternoon in the 

great state of New Hampshire.  Lets hope it actually stays that way.

The most notable thing that happened this week was that Saturday we 

received our transfer calls!

The results are: Elder Palmer will be leaving tomorrow back to his old area

in Waterville Maine. After 9 months here in the Randolph area he is finally getting

transferred back to his first area. He seems really excited but also sad that he has to leave

all the people that he has come to know so well.

I, Elder Starr, will remain here in the Randolph area for the foreseeable future and I will be

receiving Elder D. Hansen, whom I have never met before.  No mom my address didn't change. 

Don't worry.

This has been a fairly interesting last few days. It is interesting and uplifting to see the 

workings and designs of the Lord within the lives of those that serve him. I hope that I 

will continue to have an uplifting and powerful experience here in the Randolph area 

and I know that the decisions that are made are done with the influence of the spirit

for the uplifting of the people that we work with and for ourselves.

On Thursday evening we have an appointment with a less active member who is a former 

Marine. The reason I bring this up is because as many of you know I need haircuts fairly 

frequently and he offered to cut my hair. I anticipate that I will end up looking like a jarhead 

but I figure that if it gets us in the house on good terms I can make the sacrifice.

One thing that I love about the people here is that they are always willing to help, even

if you are complete strangers and you are dressed funny. People will most often be happy 

to help you with almost anything! If only they were so enthusiastic about conversion the gospel!

I hope that all of you are doing well and that you have a great rest of your week.

know that I love you and I can't wait to tell you all about next week.

Until then, 

Elder Starr.

Here is the photo of Elder Palmer that he obliged to give me for all of you.

Attachments area

Spring 2017 General Conference

Hello friends and family:

It appears that is yet again a great Monday out here in the best mission in the world!  The last week has been fairly boring. Just up to business as usual. Seeing less-actives and trying very hard to get new people to teach. It is very rare to find people that are interested at all, let alone
willing to have you come back and continue teaching.
We got hit by yet another snowstorm on this weekend, it was about 7 inches here at the chapel which isn't too shabby, the nice thing is that since it is warming up it melts off the pavement and sidewalk fairly quickly, I am told that the snow will probably be here until about mid May, kinda disappointing.

Of course everyone is talking about our wonderful conference weekend!
Here at the branch Elder Palmer and I were able to watch the satellite broadcast at the church for all the sessions. it was just me and him all alone at the church for all of conference, with the exception of the priesthood session where a bunch of people came, that was nice.
I really loved the Saturday afternoon talk by Elder Hales. I can't really explain why, but developing trust in the Lord and His commandments is something that as a missionary I have been nurturing alot.
I also really like Elder Clayton's talk about doing small and simple acts of faith everyday to overcome the challenges that we face in our life. I don't recall if he made reference to this scripture in his talk but it reminded me of Alma's council to his son Helaman in Alma 37:6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say into you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and smalls means in many instances doth confound the wise."
I know that it is by doing the small and simple will of the Lord that great blessings come that we may not even recognize.

I just remembered a humbling experience that I had earlier this week. Elder Palmer and I were invited by one of our investigators to attend a discussion and gathering at his church. That would be all good and fine, but his church is actually a large house in Lancaster that has about 3 different families living there, needless to say it was a bit daunting to attend, but we did anyway, it ended up being a really cool experience and we were able to share a lot of our beliefs. The spirit was definitely there.
After this experience I apologized to the Lord for being too swift to judge his children. That is another thing that I felt a lot of people talked about in conference this weekend. Seeing people through the Savior's eyes and acting toward them in charity and brotherly kindness. I think that it is definitely something that I struggle with and I know that this was an excellent and humbling experience for me.

That is about all I have for this week, I hope that all of you are doing well
and that you know that I love you.
have a great rest of your week!

until next time!