Vermont .... pretty neat

Hello everybody!
This week was pretty exciting. First of all, I want to say that I am sorry for not remembering to tell you all that P-day was moved to Tuesday due to Monday being Labor day. The mission leadership figured that we should be laboring on Labor Day and I think that it was a good idea too.  On Tuesday...I am not sure that I remember much of what happened on Tuesday. Last week I spent most of my time saying goodbye to the wonderful people of Lowell. I know that it was left in the good hands of Elder Harrison and his trainee, Elder Monson. (Not sure of relation).

Thursday we drove up to transfer meeting where I met Elder Hibbert and we loaded all of our stuff into our car. A car that we don't share with anybody else and that is much larger and less disgusting.  So that is pretty nice.

I met one of our progressing people: Austin. He is super cool! He is going to school here in Vermont but he is a YSA that is originally from West-Virginia. His girlfriend introduced him to the church and he wants to be baptised in the near future. He is practically already a member.  Other than that, I also met Kelly who has a baptism date for the 22nd of this month! she is in a part member family and was introduced to the gospel through her husband. She also is really amazing and already has a great testimony of the Book of Mormon and of the Gospel of Christ.

Vermont is gorgeous! there are an innumerable amount of trees and hills and farms it is just amazing to look at. The trees are already beginning to change color.  It is simply a reminder to me how much that our Heavenly Father loves all of us. So much so that he gave us this amazing place to live, and more impressive, that he gave his only son in the flesh that we might live with him forever with our families.

The other night, Elder Hibbert and I were walking down the street when we started talking to this man who was leaning up against his car. He was smoking and hanging out by the park. We talked to him for a little while but he didn't seem to interested so we said goodbye and started walking away.  At this point both of us felt a little dumb at the actions that we were doing, so we,in unison, crossed the street and gave him a plain and clear invitation to learn. To our surprise and gratitude, he happily excepted our invitation to teach him more and we were able to get his contact info. It was just another simple reminder to me that we have to trust in the Lord and not lean on our own understanding.

I know that this gospel changes lives and that through it we can all find true happiness.
Love you, have an amazing week!

until next time!

-Elder Connor Starr

Here are some other photos. Sorry if I have sent them before.
Vermont tank. 
Car share
Lowell missionaries

Transfer Day Awesome Stuff

Hello everybody! This has been a pretty crazy week. The beginning of the week was fairly normal. Not too much happened beyond a couple of appointments.  Tuesday we went on exchange with the Littleton elders. I stayed in Lowell with Elder Frampton and Elder Harrison went to Littleton. Elder Frampton and I had some goals to give out 2 Books of Mormon and find 2 new people to teach. We talked to everybody and we got shot down. Lots of good conversations and invitations but no bites. Although we didn't reach our goals, I was simply happy that we had the opportunity to teach, testify, and invite.

We then had an awesome plan of salvation lesson with Christina that evening with a less active member then we came home and went to bed. The following day we had interviews with President Blair and then we went to a couple of appointments and wrapped up the evening with our long and arduous weekly planning session. Not fun, but necessary. 

The following day we went on exchange with the Zone Leaders in Nashua New Hampshire where I again stayed here and was with Elder Wells. We found some cool people but I think the best was that at about 4:30 we got a call from one of the Cambodian members named Min. She told us that she had a couple of neighbors that were really cool and that they wanted to come to church and be baptised! As you could probably guess we were excited and went with no delay. They are a young couple that moved to the US about 10 years ago. They have a very young son and they told us that Min had told them about church so many times that they just had to see what it was all about! They are coming to church this Sunday and we are seeing and teaching them on Saturday. Min is a fantastic member missionary with no fear. It is amazing! 

 I Don't recall if I have reported this story to you all before or not so I will briefly summarise why Sunday was so awesome. About 6 weeks ago, the Lowell ward Elders Quorum conducted a special fast  that the Lord would provide a way for them to minister effectively to the faithful Cambodian sisters that are still attending the ward after 30 years despite their inability to even speak or understand English or Portuguese.  One night elder Harrison and I were waiting for the sisters at the church and we went around back to turn the car around so we could leave more quickly (hasten the work and whatnot ;) when we pulled around the back of the church we saw a man walking through the parking lot and looking at his phone. We rolled down the window and asked him if he had ever been inside an LDS chapel before to which he told us that he was baptised back in the 90's with most of the other Cambodian membership.  His name is Than, he is Cambodian and a less-active Melchizedek priesthood holder. He came to church this Sunday for the first time in about 15 years and he loved it.

I hardly find it coincidental that we happened to find him when we did and where we did. I think that the Lord has blessed us and allowed us to be tools in his hands to bring about his work. The power of fasting and prayer is real. All we need to do is ask and be ready to act. 

As the subject line and the Tuesday entry indicate, we got our transfer calls last night. At about 7:30 last night President Blair called us and told me that I will be leaving and going to Lyndon VT to be a district leader once again.  Elder Harrison will be training a Spanish speaking visa waiter. 

I truly believe that serving here has been a tender and precious experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I have learned so much and have come to love this place and these people more then I previously thought possible. 

I am excited for the new experience ahead of me and can't wait to tell you all about it. 

I love you all and hope that you know I am not just saying to segue into a smooth exit line.

Until next time! 

P. S. Sorry for the wall of text. 

Elder Connor Starr

A few photos

Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires

Hello everybody!

This week was awesome! 

We started off strong on Monday by setting a baptismal date with Mwandja and his family. Right now the goal is to have the 4 that are old enough be baptised on the 29th of September. We assured them that they would be prepared by that day if they would read from the Book of Mormon everyday and come to church as often as they could. They are awesome and amazing people.

The rest of the week was fairly normal. It has been raining quite a bit lately.

On Friday I was on exchange with Elder Randall in Lowell and on our way to an appointment in Chelmsford we ran into literally the heaviest rain and lightning storm that I have ever been in. It was raining so hard that we could barely see with the wipers on their highest setting. Pretty cool stuff.

Saturday morning we walked down to the Eastern Asian water festival that the city of Lowell puts on every year. From across the country people flock to this event and there were over 60,000 people there! Hardly any of them even spoke English and it was super loud and crowded so we figured that we move on to go finding elsewhere.

Just when so thought that In was in an urbanized area, Elder Harrison and I caught a glimpse of a bear in westford in a members back yard. The funny part was when he ran outside armed with a pitch fork to warn the neighbors.

I love you and hope that you all have a fantastic week. Good luck to those starting school!

Until next time.

Elder Connor Starr

Waiting for the sisters to pick you up at the bus stop

The bear, *better photos to follow if we get them.

8/13/2018

Hello Again,

This week was pretty awesome. We had zone conference up in Nashua NH. We were trained and talked about a lot of things, mostly about how important it is to set meaningful and powerful goals that will help us stretch and hasten the work of the Lord. How personal inspiration and revelation help us and are a very necessary part of that process. 

We met with some of our investigators this week as we do. Their progress in the gospel is slow but steady and sure. I am so grateful that we have the opportunity to help people. To give them the opportunity to exercise their agency to choose God.

This Sunday, Mwandja came to church, so did a couple of less actives. We are meeting with Mwandja again tonight, it is always an awesome experience. 

That's about all that I have for this week.

I hope that you all have a great week. I know that Heavenly Father helps us in our trials and in our times of prosperity. I know that God lives and so does his Son and our Savior Jesus Christ.  I love you and hope that you have a great week! 

Elder Connor Starr

Exeter Zone Conference in Nashua, August 8, 2018

We are worried he might have cut his own hair - <sigh>

In the Cold January Rain

We had a pretty awesome week this week. On Monday we were able to teach Mwandja and his wife Hause. They want to be baptised and they really enjoy coming to church. They have somewhat of a date that they know they want to be baptised on, but it is a little distant. They want to be baptised on January 1st. of 2019. If I stay in Lowell for a few more transfers I can see that not being too much of a problem but we were think they should do a bit sooner than that.

Hopefully we can help them to understand what it means for them and help them be more excited about it. Then they will see that, although it is not convenient, they will want to make that covenant sooner.

The rest of the week we spent chasing down many referrals that we have received over the past few days. We got a lot from other missionaries, but also from internet self referrals and from members. It has been awesome but also a little hectic and stressful making sure that we contact these people as fast as possible. It is a real blessing to see that people in this area are willing to share the gospel with their friends and family.

I often find that when I feel stressed out I need to remember that amazing things have happened to me and those that I have served here in New England. For some reason those spiritual experiences can be very easy to forget or to take for granted.

Being joyful is about having that perspective and a "perfect brightness of hope" that we are taught in the scriptures. It means that we do everything we can with the best attitude that we can and with exact obedience to the commandments. That is when we are given power to accomplish the will of god.

I hope that you all have a fantastic week!

love you!

Until next time!

Elder Connor Starr

Here is a picture of a large bug

Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah that I recreated using Lego mini figures

7/30/2018

Hello everybody!

This week was pretty cool and some awesome things happened.

The Congolese family that we have been teaching is doing really well! We gave their children a Book of Mormon stories book and hey have been loving it!  We weren't able to meet with them last week unfortunately but we are seeing them again tonight. There is little doubt in my mind that they will be baptised.

This week was the annual Lowell Folk Festival! It was alot of fun and there were tons of people everywhere. It was really difficult trying to talk to people but we did meet some really amazing and awesome individuals.  The following night we were talking to a bunch of people on the river walk by our apartment and right as we were about to pack up for the night we were stopped by this young Chinese guy.  He told us that he was having a hard time because he had just broken up with his girlfriend. He saw us and knew who we were because he attended the church in Hong Kong. It was a really cool miracle. I am surprised, and humbled, that somebody who was distressed and seeking peace would know that he could find it through the church and the missionaries. This truly is an amazing mantle!

Sunday was really awesome because there was a member from Provo that visited our ward. His name was Brother Pike. It turned out that he had served here over 10 years ago Cambodian speaking in the Boston Mission.

Basically our whole afternoon was spent driving around with brother Pike telling us about less-active or former investigators that he had taught previously.

To give a little background to why this is so cool; about 2 weeks ago, the Elders quorum had a fast that somebody would be put within reach that could minister to the Cambodian sisters that are still active in the ward.

The vast majority of the southeast Asian membership in this area is completely less-active. Leaving no priesthood holders to minister to the active Cambodians in the ward in their language, as basically none of them speak English.

We think after Brother Pike' s visit that we have some awesome leads on people that we can reach out to once again to strengthen the members of God's kingdom, here in this area.

I know that miracles happen according to our faith, I also know that Heavenly Father knows all of his children. They are all numbered and His work is hastening.

I love you all and hope you have a great week!

-Elder Connor Starr