Merry Christmas 2017

Good morning friends and family

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas! I sure did. I am so glad for the opportunity that I have
to be serving here in this area and for the opportunity that I had to call home.  This past week was pretty normal, not too much to report other than the coming of snowstorms and all the fun that that brings.

The Christmas season is a time to remember and reflect on the sacrifice that was made for all of us by our Savior. I love this season and the meaning that it brings and the significance that it has on our faith.  Christ was born in Bethlehem, that He lived, suffered and died for all of us. He did this so that we can be saved from our sins and live together forever.

My missionary experience has helped me to better understand this and to feel the true meaning and influence that it has on my life and the lives of others.  On Friday I will have been a missionary for 1 year. It is overwhelming how fast that time flies and how valuable that that time is. Time is one of the greatest gifts that we are given and how we spend it determines our conversion and our commitment that we have to Christ and to our Heavenly Father.

Thank you all for the Christmas wishes and gifts. I love you lots and hope that you can all stay warm.
Have a wonderful new-year!

Until next week!

Elder Connor Starr

First time for everything

Hello Everyone.

This week was a pretty good. Pretty average really.

Monday we started with our regular p-day stuff. Shopping and emailing and overpriced laundry with some apartment cleaning. Regular stuff.

For LightTheWorld elder Smith and I made a hot meal for some of our investigators that are going through a really rough time. Brendon, the father-figure / boyfriend was diagnosed with lymphoma and is going through the trials of chemo therapy. Jessie, his girlfriend is out of work as is he and they just can't seem to get a break. We made some super cheap and easy soup and rolls and brought it to them. He seemed really appreciative and we were glad that we could help out his family for the day.

On Wednesday we taught this part-member family that we have been working with for a little while. We decided to teach them about the word of wisdom and the importance of living it and the blessings that we are promised as we do so.  One of my favorite parts of the gospel is the small and simple truths that it holds. Simple yet powerful solutions to complex and often overwhelming issues that we could be faced with.  I know of the power and importance of living the commandments and dedicating our effort to following Christ's example. As we do so we can see and know for ourselves of the merits of living them. He descended here to show us and teach us how we should live. How we need to serve one another and overcome our carnal and fallen state through the sacrifice that he volunteered to make for all of us. As we remember him, as we promise to do when we partake of the sacrament, we know of a surety that what he said was true and that through His servants that His church was restored in it's fullness to the earth.

So yesterday I was pulled by an officer of the law for the first time in my life. It was actually pretty funny how it happened.  Elder Smith and I were driving home when it happened, we were driving along on a somewhat busy highway. I saw the bright blue lights and my gut sank for a minute. I quickly pulled over and I felt safe when the officer pulled in behind a Papa Johns delivery man that was in front of us. I started driving away when the officer quickly got out of his car and stopped me, telling me to pull in front of him. My gut sank again. All I could do was remember my years of training from my good father. All I could think in my head was don'tlethimsearchdon'tlethimsearchdon'tlethimsearch. As it turns out I was just driving with the daytime lights on so the taillights were off. He was really nice and after he checked my license to see if I was a criminal he let us go!

That is pretty much all that I have for this week! I love all of you!

Until CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

-Elder Connor Starr

Christmas is Coming

Hello friends and family

This week was really awesome. First off, we had a normal P-day and did normal P-day things. Tuesday we had our special Christmas conference. It was very loose and there wasn't a lot of training going on. President and sister Blair spoke about the importance of believing. Believing that we can reach our goal of 200 baptisms by the end of the year, believing that Christ lives and that we are preparing a covenant people for the blessings of a temple here in ten years. It was a really awesome and powerful experience. for Christmas they gave us these really awesome handmade bells to remind us to believe in the miracles of Christmas and the subsequent miracles of the death and life of the Savior. That remembering these things will help us to understand the meaning of our labor here.

After that we went on exchange in Manchester with the Zone Leaders. We had a really big birthday party because my birthday was on the 6th, Elder Short, one of our zoneleaders, was on the 7th and my companion's Elder Smith was on the 8th. So we had a big birthday party and got some cards and ate snacks and stuff.

We had our first big snowstorm of the season. it wasn't too bad only about 5 inches. I never really minded driving in the snow. I think it is kinda fun!

I want to thank everybody for your birthday wishes and gifts. I am so grateful that I have such supportive friends and family back home. I am no longer a teenager, I feel like an old man. ;)  We have transfers on the 19th which is never my favorite. I am sure that it will work out, change is just difficult.  Well that is about all that I have. I hope that you all have a wonderful rest of your week!  Love you!

-Elder Connor Starr

Also, we talked to this guy that had over 120 inflatables in his yard for Christmas! It was crazy!

Hot Chocolate Wagon and Light the World 2017 - December 4, 2017

Hello Friends and Family.

We had a pretty crazy week this week. On Monday we did our zone P-day, we basically just played chair soccer in the gym and some other stuff. Not super amazing but it was still really fun.

Following that we went on exchange with the Zone Leaders in Manchester. If I am being honest I spent most of the day in the office making a big calendar for Light the World, it turned out pretty well. We also help set up a Creches and Carols exhibit in the gym of the Manchester chapel. It was super cool because there were hundreds of nativity sets (Creche(s)?) and they were all lit up with nice mood lighting and Christmas trees and stuff.

Sister Blair also brought President Hinckley's personal nativity that she had inherited! it was really cool!

Elder Smith and I also went contacting with the sisters on the streets of Concord during the Midnight Merriment event, it was super fun! we pulled a hot Chocolate wagon and talked to people about Jesus! (pictures to follow)

Following exchanges President and Sister Blair gave our zone a training on how we can be successful. One of the things that he emphasised was obedience. President Blair had me stand up in front of everybody with my hands up and he would wrap a piece of twine around my wrists as he had the other missionaries list all the little rules that we are asked to keep.  Of course eventually the cords were so many that they were thick and could not be broken.

President Blair than lead me around the room with the thick rope around my neck and talked about how transgression leads us away from our Heavenly Father. As we let disobedience guide us, We become controlled by our habits and we deny Heavenly Father's promised blessings.I know that we are blessed based on obedience to the commandments and our personal conversion to the Savior Jesus Christ.

I Hope that you all have a great rest of your week and that we can all come to know Christ better during this special season when we remember him.

If you haven't seen it already, the Church is doing their Christmas Initiative with Light the World!  Its a super great way that we can serve one another Just as Christ did.  Be sure to check it out!

I hope that you all have a great week!  Love you!