#BecauseHeLives Easter/conference=CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Family and Friends

       If you can not tell I am happy and things have happened. Well this letter I will not tell you about the lessons I had, because I basically had none. I will mention nothing in relation to my numbers as they are only for me to know. I am doing well, unless things happen like this week.

       So Monday we were lazy and goofed around by ourselves, but that was okay. We had some fun. I got a Frisbee at Play It Again Sports. So that will be fun for me to party with, as I can do stuff no matter what area I am in Ha ha ha. This is a five week transfer so warning as I am now in week four changes will happen week 5, or next week.

       I don't know where to start. Well the general gist of this week was we tried to work hard the first little bit, but things just kept falling through. I was like "okay this is simply stinky" Then, BAM, we were informed about having exchanges. I was like "no I don't want that, it kills our area," but I was like "I have no other option" So I went for it, but in district meeting we had the talking to: of we need to all work together. So we decided like it would be novel to have a district that could work together, because we haven't had the opportunity in the past. So on Thursday to build unity, or something like that, we went to UNO (The University of Nebraska Omaha) and joined in on day five of their seven days of service campaign. We went and cleaned trash in this community garden, which is mainly run by some refuges from Myanmar or Burma. It was cool to work with them. I hope they can really get their garden this year since we have cleaned out the trash, because they were just some vacant lots. What made it cooler is we dropped off flyers on the neighboring houses, so they would know who the people are. One man came down and he was like "I used to farm but now I am to old why don't you let your people use my land." So another refuge group will be using his land which is just north of actual Omaha. So that was a cool miracle for the lady in charge.

       Well we got around to exchanges. Elder Wilson had told me to come prepared with something I wanted to learn and or work on. So I did and it turned out to be really cool. I had learned a bit about this thing called                  Plan

                                                                   Goal

                                                            Vision

So I wrote a vision and I don't have time to explain all the details as I am still learning how to, in a sense, perfect it. What you do is you write a vision of who you want to be and what you want to achieve etc.. Then you make goals which are not as broad and encompassing as your vision. For example I want to run in the Olympics

            then Goal run a four minute mile

                      plan run everyday

I took like twenty seconds on that, and I didn't even do a good job with it, but you can see how it works and see where you can go. The thing is the vision is big and broad, the goals are less broad, and the plan is specific. The cool thing is a proper vision, such as a patriarchal blessing, never needs to change. The goals will change over time from a missionary to a dad but the plan can change multiple, and really should change many, times. It is preparing in the Lord's way.

             So Everyone that is the letter for the week. As I wrap some things up, I hope you all know I love and miss you. There are some fun pictures that will filter in in the next while.

Love Logan J. Draper

Lots of Pictures and a Video

Youth at a party with Balloons, and all we could think is "look down"

Here are the trainers with balloons, apparently I think I found a throne

This is the garage of an investigator, there used to be a house but it disappeared

Another view of the disappearing house

Elder Barton decided to interrupt my studying, suddenly Starburst Jelly Beans.

Zone Training, Charity and craziness

Dear Family and friends (I hope you all read my blog ;)

        I am doing well I have had a fantastic week, again I must say I learn so much every week. It is like I am in kindergarten simply trying to get down the basics, and I never, ever get it good enough.

        So to start out the week. We went by the library after p-day to copy some papers for the ward plan of reading The Book of Mormon. We are getting them back into circulation, saying you really need to read The Book of Mormon and make plans to study. We got there at 6:30 and we discovered the other Elders' car, so that was funny. Then we had a great lesson with a family that is going to baptize their child on Saturday, and we got them back into the good ship Zion with their study plans.

        Tuesday was so cool, but also had some down points. We got  a cool lesson with a less active who deleted the contact info on his phone of his bad friends who drank etc... So he is making some good progress. We are going to see him again and get him activated for sure. We also got a cool lesson with the neighbor of Hermano Ortega, the Jehovah Witness student. He really liked our message about how he could know our message was true through God, his own studies, and praying, it was really nice. Wednesday we had zone training, which was super cool because we had trainings on Charity.  I learned a lot and realized I need to improve my Charity. Afterwards we went to eat at a place called Hu Hot, it is a Mongolian grill. I had some good food and we had some good conversation with the other elders. We got a good lesson in with some less actives to teach about their covenants and  help them decide and figure out on their own, that they need to come back to church. It was super cool!

           Thursday we got a sweet member present lesson with a less active and apparently boyfriend, I thought they were married. All her kids are LDS and she is less active, and he is a pure Catholic. So it was kind of funny because they don't have an eternal perspective. He really is extremely critical and  says so many things which contradict themselves as he tries to show how we are wrong, because it just doesn't work to fight our church. So it is funny, I love the logical fallacies because I can't fight them but I can still see them.

           Friday we had exchanges with the Zone Leaders. It was great fun because I got no lessons. I tried my hardest but nothing. We did however have a miracle bumping into a less active in a random spot, so that was cool.

           Saturday we got some good lessons in and some almost lessons in. I hate people canceling on us, it is so annoying. I wish that I could simply actually get in with them, because their lives would be so much happier if we could get in to visit with them.

            Sunday turned out nicely, we got a lesson with a member and his neighbor. It was sweet, it was good enough to be the district, now it wasn't perfect but it went extremely well. I hope and have faith we will see improvement, and he will keep his commitments. Then we had a cool lesson, with a family we dropped a while back. It was super cool because they are improving and they are going to come to church this next Sunday. The members being their friends and us addressing their needs is really helping. It was so cool the Spirit was so strong. I need to go. I love you all.

Love Logan Joseph Draper The Elder

Sincerely,
Elder Logan Joseph Draper

BOM CRASH BANG I am still Awesome!

Dear Family and Friends who are reading my Blog

         I am happy and excited to be writing you today, and saying I am super duper cool missionary dude, I have nice ties, a short sleeve shirt, a Book of Mormon always at my side and I am ready to baptize. I now just need a hose and an inflatable pool, most people would say yes with our current weather. Ha ha, just kidding. I would not do that, but seriously it is hot.

       We had a fantastic week contacting and finding less active members. We have been giving Book of Mormons out almost daily, if not more than one a day. We often are asked by people, not us asking people. So you can see that this area is ripe with desire to come to God. Now not to let you think we do talk to practically everyone, but the people that accept usually start talking to us first. We sadly did not have as much success as planned. We hope to find some more success this week and really get down to business and get some member present lessons.

      Monday of this last week we had some interestingness, because we got two lessons in on Monday. We tried to help some less actives. We got this last minute impression to call a member to go with us and we did. When we got there they were not home, but then we walked away and were talking to the member on the street. We then taught her a lesson, and then the family showed up. So we went back, the sister talked to the sister and we then taught the Hermano, and it was super cool. We had some fun with the kids and we are turned them over to the sisters because the Hermana doesn't feel comfortable with us due to girly-ness. I guess we aren't feminine or understanding enough. But that is okay, whatever the Lord wants to reactivate her, as long as it works I am all for it.

       Tuesday we had a super cool day though again not according to plan. We were beguiled into an activity at the church, which the other elders were holding, and then we got there. None of our people were there and we basically wasted time, and it wasn't worth it and not even effective, but I got to put some stuff on my USB at the mission office because we were there too. I got the Old and New Testaments audio files and it was amusing because now I need to get it into the right format but it is all fun because at least I have it. We came home to have dinner and we got a super awesome service opportunity with some person moving into our apartment building. We helped move, we dropped off our stuff, and moved stuff like super hyper white dudes and totally confused the people and gave them Books of Mormon and refused money like the servants of God we are, had dinner and simply had fun. We tried to teach the nephew of a member but he ran away and disappeared. I am pretty sure he was home but the kids said he wasn't but I think he told them to say that, but no big deal I can't take his agency. We then went and visited a family, the husband was in the other room with his wife, but the sister let us in and talked to us and we had a interesting conversation because she is technically a member but she doesn't remember or believe anything the church taught, because I don't know. I feel most Hispanics don't understand the relation between The Book of Mormon and The Bible. I have tried to explain it and it doesn't seem to come across, but I guess it is time to start asking inspired questions.

          Well that leads into Wednesday. We had a super awesome zone conference and we had some really good trainings on not leaving crap in your apartments, taking care of your cars, staying positive and asking inspired questions. So we got some really good insights from the trainings. I know I need to do better. We are working on asking better, more inspired questions in our role plays. I got in some extra study time while the Zone Olympic finals were going on. Some of the events were fun to watch but I more enjoyed my studies, and since Sister Weston told us to be ourselves I figure if I want to study and write my girlfriend on P-Day then that is what I will do because they are both perfectly obedient. But zone conference was made even better by Brother Dallon, a member who is in our ward, and it was fun because he basically told us over dinner "Look Elders, it isn't that hard. Inspired questions is all about timing and simply frequency. If you suck ,and judging by the fact of we are Americans we all simply like to talk so we suck, so practice frequency until you get that down and also simple, there are three types of questions facts, reflection and exploration. Those are it and what you have to do is simply: be smart, listen and ask good timely questions." So I think he could give some really good additional insights to the zone training and I liked it. I will really work on frequency so I can get better.

            Thursday was really cool, we met with  an investigator and several less actives. It was fantastic and I was super happy. I got to teach and run around crazy. Sadly some of our set appointments fell, but the man said "Please stop by whenever you can, because I like how you teach and everything, I just feel bad because I have been meeting with the JW for so long." So we will get him around and it was fun. We are going to get him baptized, at least Barton will if I don't. We had a little lesson with a drunk till his brother got him to bed, then we taught his brother about The Book of Mormon with a member. Sadly the brother was a less active, and it was sad because it should have been a member present. We then got a good lesson with another less active and they are good. We got out his interests and we have figured out a way, through some really random promptings, of how to help him.

           Friday we got some awesome weekly planning and then some super fast service, and a member present lesson that rocked. We are going to hopefully get another one with him this week, so it will be fun. We just need to corner them on the street or in a restaurant, because they are underage and it is hard to contact them. We had a less active take us to dinner, then we wasted time at a ward activity because there was none of our people there. We did decide to follow Nephi and his brothers example and cast lots about teaching an investigator who is just in the sisters area and their fellow-shipper is in ours. We have been teaching them far more than the sisters, so it was good because we are joint teaching, and I think that will help more.

          Saturday we taught one lesson, but did lots of good contacting. We hope to find more people and get things going, but we don't know. It was sad today because we had a stake conference and lost two hours of teaching, almost three, and it was sad but worth it.

           Sunday we had a fantastic stake conference, though the adult session was better. We had some good trying to teach and finding because we found a less active lady and she was like "Elders!!!!! I missed you and how are you? I am so sorry, I was going to come to church but I slept in." We were like "It is okay. It is actually at 11:00." She was like "Really? Awesome!" We were like, "Can we come back next Saturday?" She was like, "Of course, then I will see you on Sunday." We were like, "Awesome, see you then!!! So it was successful.

           Have a fantastic week all of YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love Logan Joseph Draper the AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

NO MORE SUIT COATS!!!

Dear Family

        I am happy to inform you that I am awesome! I have had a fantastic week because I am fantastic, and not because other people were lame and not at home or cancelling appointments. So I am working on being happy again, because it is hard to be down. So I will try to be more optimistic but it is good. I have learned some good lessons from being a little downtrodden these past weeks.

        So last Monday we ran off to California Street from the email, so I didn't quite finish that but sorry. So I talked with some elders and worked on a letter and stuff. We then went ice skating in Fremont with Elder Maradiaga and Elder Anderson. We played tag, because it was just us six and it was amusing. I got pretty good and I can turn like a boss, but I am not quite Olympic but I am getting there. I was the second best skater, but I was the one who was better at getting back up and being a man with my falls. Well one of the times, sadly the sort of last, Elder Anderson grabbed me by my hips so he didn't knock me over, but I slipped and fell and he ran over part of one of my fingers. Well, thankfully, it was not extremely bad. It is hardly noticeable now, and it is all good. It was just annoying that the place had no Neosporin because it was technically medicine, and they can't give that. I was like, "I got my finger half run over by an ice skate. I am bleeding, I know my body. Just give it to me." They were like, "Sorry don't have it." Then I was like, "Now you tell me. Just give me a Band-Aid." We then went had dinner and Family Home Evening with the Spangler's. So that was fun because the other Elders drove, and it was way out there. We had breakfast for dinner, so we ate tons of pancakes and eggs and simply had fun.

       Tuesday we got down to business and tried to work, even though people were not there. We did get a lesson with our people of the dress shop. It was amusing because they were like, "It is impossible to got to church, we have to work." One lady was adamant that God understood and forgave her, and said God knows I can't go to church. She was just hysterical, to put it simply. We asked her if she has faith and she said "If God gives me money I will go to church" (Family only So I am half tempted to ask God to put money on her doorstep with a note If you Love me Keep my commandments but I don't think he would give it to me and I know it isn't his style). The owner of the store then said to the other woman, "do you have faith, because I know if I closed the store that God would bless us both, but I just really don't want to. I don't have a desire and or see the point." WOW! So we moved on and taught a less active. He really wants to come back, he is just a lazy 21 year old. His heart is in the right place, he just turned off his brain and is cruising along making money.

         Wednesday we had district meeting super duper far away. Luckily we had saved up some miles for that excursion, though that wasn't the plan of where to use them it is just how it turned out. We learned about our spiritual gifts, so it was nice. We talked about Beware of Pride. So ya it was really good and really insightful. I felt like the instructor was a bit of a hypocrite, but he did say I am prideful too, and I looked at my companion and was like with my eyes you think but he did a really good job on teaching us and saying what keeps us from using our talents is our pride. So that was a cool insight I liked and then we went and had lunch at Chipotle. I am in love because you can get so much food for pretty cheep, so delicious. Then we went and picked up dinner from a member and stopped by the mission office to drop off some receipts. Then we finally got back to our area. Things didn't got so well on Wednesday, but we did teach a man English and he accepted the invitation to hear the discussions, or las charlas. So it was awesome!!!

          Thursday we had a lesson with the nephew of a member, and it so totally rocked! We could still do better, but we had a lesson. He got it, so now we will teach him again. He will get baptized, be saved in the kingdom of God, and ya it will be awesome, because everything is awesome when you're a part of a team. Our next appointment canceled at the door, so we were going to go to another house and as we called them the wife, who is less active along with the rest of the family, she was like "I am not sure if this LDS thing is good for us. Things don't add up in the BoM and it isn't right."  I started asking some questions and, guess what, her real problem had nothing to do with the doctrines of the church. They were simply social pressures and what must be wrong, my religion because it is what everyone tells me I am doing wrong so it must be wrong. I am working on mentally a talk or discourse and I invite you all to ponder this one idea: until people stop their sins no man can say the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not true because it is!

          Friday we had a fantastic morning brunching with the district, then weekly planning and going to lessons, and a member dinner. I didn't do as much as I wanted to, but it was all totally worth it.

         Saturday was about the same. We had a good member dinner and the sister missionaries are back in the Spanish ward, so it will be fun. We tried to get some good lessons in and we did, but we still didn't quite the best numbers but it was all good.

         Sunday we had a cool experience with the changing of the bishopric. Now it is Obispo (Bishop) Diaz, and it is going to be awesome for this next one or two transfers. 

Love the AWESOME Elder Logan J. Draper

Nothing nothing nothing Something!

Dear Family

      I had a good week this week. Now, to be honest, it wasn't necessarily good as in the fact it was still just about as terrible as last week, but it was better because I was better. 

      Monday we had one member present lesson which the members basically taught which worked for us we were there basically as observers. well we then went and picked up the elders coming in for the trainer trainee meeting on Tuesday. We got Elder Garf and Elder Lopez. It was nice. We were all pretty quiet and not very talkative, but that worked okay with me. Well we also bought a little bit extra in groceries, just in case they were big eaters but they weren't. 

      Tuesday, got up early and got ready and got to our meeting. As trainers we discussed stuff. The trainees got trainings from President and Sister Weston, so that was good for them. We then ate food and enjoyed ourselves being healthy young missionaries or eating lot, I didn't eat that much but in those days because of how far the stake center is I would say we used about 80 miles or so in total so we shot our miles for a while. So we got back out of our meeting and we decided to park our car and walk all day because it was sunny, and the tank was clean, The Tank was clean! Well we had some miracles because we got a ride up, to the area we were planning to knock, from a member from the English ward who I know. He also wants us to help him reactivate his Spanish friends, which we have been trying to work with. So it was awesome! We got to talk to some people, not as many as we had hoped, but because of that it all worked out because Hermana Mejia had changed the day of when we were eating with her family to that day, last minute, and our food was to go and the other Elders had picked it up. So we actually tracked right onto their street. We walked down the street and had some dinner then walked over to the projects and had a lesson with some of our recent converts. It was good, and because it was a little cold out no one was outside. 

       Wednesday we had a good lesson with a less active. Her problem is that Mormons don't like her product Herbalife, or something like that. So we are having the ward mission leader look into it for us so we can teach her the Word of Wisdom and not get caught fighting over things we actually agree on. Then we taught our recent converts again, helping them with their scripture study so that they will build the habit and learn how to read, and gain understanding. 

       Thursday we got, again, only one lesson in and it was good. We found some potentials, but just one less active lesson. It was good, we watched The Restoration video with them and talked about faith. We are getting the sister that has changed churches actually sitting down to watch the movies. We aren't even directly inviting her, so it is cool. We made her a deal (approved by  the mission president) if she comes to our church the next Sunday we will go to hers. So it will be interesting to see if she will really take us up on it, because she hasn't come yet. Also for dinner the family fell through because of parent teacher conferences but the day quickly left to meet us at the K-mart Little Caesars and buy us a pizza, so that was nice of him. Then after that we were calling to confirm with the English member, who has a sweet name Israel, and he is also Hispanic but he speaks awesome English and Spanish. Well they invited us over with their elders for food too. So that was a miracle, because we planned out our lesson

       Friday we did weekly planning and got one lesson. So that was good. We had a good little lesson with another less active and had a good dinner appointment, and then went with the English member Israel to go to their friend's house. They weren't there and the daughter said come back in an hour. So we did and nothing. It was sad, but we did our best. 

     Saturday was awesome we taught three super solid lessons and wow, investigators really can just open up to you sometimes without you even asking. We read with this one guy named Pedro. He is super sincere and wants to learn. He is just hesitant because he doesn't know very much about the gospel or scriptures in general, but he is eager to learn. The other investigators we taught were the neighbors of a member. It was super cool because they are JW, and it was fun because we stuck to The Restoration and blew them out of the water. They were like that makes sense, that is all true information and a super cool conclusion. They asked some really sincere questions and I think they will be baptized soon!  Then the last lesson, wow it was weird. The wife is a less active, the husband is catholic, and all the children are members who are married in the temple. So we came in, he has been very quite with us the past couple times, and he was like, "Okay are we going to pray? Do you have a scripture for me what is the plan?" So he then went off on everything he didn't like about the church, and basically it centered on false information and temples and conspiracy theories. I was like "Really? Let's look at the facts, false information gone. Temples lets look at the bible, wrong! and lastly conspiracy theory bible and personal testimony your ideas are wrong. And guess what we can debate for hours on end but it all comes back to The Book of Mormon. Read it and pray about it and then we can talk more about things and expound the doctrines, but this conversation will go nowhere if we don't even open The Book of Mormon." So he is going to read!!!!!! I rebuked him saying, "Listen either you are going to heaven or your children and grandchildren are, but not both of you in either of our doctrines. So you need to decide what you are doing and whose side is righ,t then get to that side and bring your family."

       Sunday we got two decent lesson in and we had a good day at church. The sacrament meeting was weird, it turned into a thanks for your service... I need to go bye. I love you!!