Don't say no to Spanish food

July 24, 2017

Hi everyone this was a really cool week and I have a couple neat miracles to share!

First is Robin. We taught her the first half of the Plan of Salvation and she is super on board. We had a good discussion and she committed to be baptized! When we extended a specific date to be baptized on (we are always making sure we are prepared to do this. Our mission has a goal to increase our vision to baptize, not to set quotas of people getting baptized, but our vision) and she wasn't sure. We asked if she would pray about it and she said yes and she would even fast about it too! How cool is that? She also asked if her friend Ken who sits in on our lessons and we teach at his house if he could baptize her!

We this week got to teach the Relief Society about doing missionary work at their Additional Meeting this week, but something really neat happened while we were there. While we waited to teach, we heard the church phone that hangs on the wall in some random place start to ring. No one ever calls these phones so we were super confused at first. We went and answered and on the other side of the phone was this woman named Liberty. She is super interested in the gospel and needs some help getting to her new place because she was in an accident. She has had help from Mormons a lot over the past number of years and wants to investigate. She is not in our ward but she had been calling and calling and we were the ones to pick up and hear her story!

We had lunch with the Rodriguez couple in the Spanish branch. They live in our area and when we passed their house they began to talk to us and invited to have dinner with them. The night they said we already had a dinner and we tried to tell them that and suggest another day but they didn't understand at first and began to get offended! We dodged it though and set something up but woops! Need to really learn Spanish. Dad help me out after the mission. Legitimately help me out!

We participated in a heritage celebration celebrating 75 years since the first stake was created in Elko. It was fun, had my first Tamale, and sang called to serve.

Love you all!

Keep being awesome, and don't forget to smile! Bye!
Elder Sorochan

 Dinner appointment

 At the Heritage Festival

 At the Heritage Festival

Tamale!

And the Wisdom!

July 17, 2017

Hello everyone! It was a really busy week so lets get into it!

First off we have said bye to Carter as he embarks on his mission to the glorious state of Virginia. That kid was awesome I love him and his family. I am going to get to stay in contact with him and one day come back and watch a hockey game with him and his family. They love watching hockey so they just became that much better!

Ok something really cool also happened this week. A few weeks ago we were walking by a house and I saw a car with an Alberta license plate on it. I saw some people sitting on the porch of the house it was in front of and called that I was from Alberta too! They didn't really respond and did not look like they wanted to talk to us so we just kept walking. Well this week we passed a lady pushing a stroller and we said hi and then she asked us which one of us was from Alberta. Turns out she was there on the porch (didn't see her) and we started talking and found out she is from Spruce Grove. She said she was heading up there later this week and asked if I wanted any treat from back in Canada. I asked for some Old Dutch Salt and Vinegar Chips and she said she would get it for me! Now all that has to happen is when we get the chips we talk to her and her family about the gospel, they get baptized, and I enjoy the chips! Bam!

Ok last weird thing we talked to this drunk guy named Kent this week. We cover part of the trailer park section of Elko and while over there we ran into him and he just started talking and talking and talking. He told us many different things including that he was too old to be saved. The lesson he taught us though was what serenity it. He showed us a quote on his phone that "serenity is contentment with the things you can't change, the courage to change what you can change, and the wisdom to know the difference between the two." His drunk buddy bursted out "and the wisdom" loud when Kent said that part. Elder Freeman and I now say and the wisdom to each other.

This week we found a new investigator Robin. She is a friend of Ken and Mary-Anne! We had lesson with them and Robin wanted to learn more about the church. We taught her the Restoration and are teaching her the Plan of Salvation today. Really exciting.

I gained a deeper testimony that the Lord puts us in the place we need to be when we need to be there. We got a referral on Friday and stopped by at 6 but he wasn't home. We had some back ups planned of just some less actives we didn't know in the area. We had just picked some names from our list, but what happened is when we tried one of the names a family had just moved in temporarily with that less active member and they had just been talking about trying to get in contact with the church in the area. They wanted to know what time church was and where at and we just showed up at the door! Later we contacted the referral and then he was home, but if it wasn't for the referral we wouldn't have been in the area. Really cool miracle.

We had Zone Conference and Interviews. At zone conference we had a great focus on Christ Like Attributes. I learned something really powerful about humility. To truly have humility we really need to have an attitude of gratitude. I listened to that talk from President Uchtdorf a couple weeks ago but zone conference really hit it home. Grateful for those meetings.

We also got to attend 2 baptisms this Saturday. One we got to teach the Restoration at. It was for the sisters and the 5th ward elders. It was 5th wards investigator that moved to the sisters area. The other was of Bobby Joe, an 8 year old that Elder Freeman got special permission to baptize. He taught Bobby Joe's family 2 years ago when he started his mission, and right before he came to Elko he taught them again. President gave him permission to baptize her and it was the first time he had personally baptized someone.

Love you all! love you Mom Dad and Anna!

Keep being awesome!
Elder Sorochan

 Bobby Joe's baptism

 At Zone Conference

 At Zone Conference

At Zone Conference

4th of July

July 10, 2017

Hi everyone hows it going? It has been a great week. We had a super fun 4th of July this past week. We started the morning by going to President Lloyd's house (he is the Second Councillor in the Mission Presidency) and having breakfast. That was over in Spring Creek which was cool. We had district meeting out there than had an impromptu lunch at a family Elder Freeman is super close to back out there from his time before here in Elko. We then went and switched our slide phone over to our new fancy flip phone which took way longer than it needed to but we got it done. After we went to over by the convention center and spent the rest of the day with Bishop Howard and all the people over at his bbq. We had brisket, steaks, turkey, it was so good! The fire works were fantastic too! Waaaaaaay better than Carson's last year. Good day.

We found a new gator this week that has some really high potential! His name is Tacio and he is from Brazil. We were stopping by a member just to say hi and try and share a short message but he wasn't home. It was in an apartment complex and so when we walked away from the members door on the adjacent building there was 2 guys out on the patio. We got called over by one of them and started talking to him. Brian is his name and he comes from Utah 3-4 days a week to work and then goes back for the weekend to be with his family. He is a member and we talked with him a little bit. Tacio is his room mate and we started by inviting him to a stake event we are having in a couple weeks. When we went up to the apartment room it turned into us talking about the gospel and we ended up giving Tacio a Book of Mormon. Brian had served a mission and taught Tacio about the Book of Mormon right then and there like a champ! We set up an appointment for Saturday and we went over there and it went super well! Tacio said he believed the things we were saying and was very interested in learning more. He even asked a question about where we go after this life. When we shared with him Moroni 10:3-5 he noticed himself the part about pondering and he said he already believes in what that scripture teaches. That principle he said is how he justify's not going to church very much. Hey whatever helps you sleep at night right? He said though he will probably join us at church soon though. We set up another appointment for the coming Saturday. He doesn't have miner shift work so we can meet with him weekly. HURRAY!!!!!!!!!!

Well everyone I had a neat experience this last week where I learned how to better give up our desires and turn them over to the Lord. I had something happen where some selfish desires of mine were tested. It got to the point where I was willing to do anything to get rid of them. I had already known they weren't right, but I found out I wasn't doing all I could to get rid of them. I cried out in prayer to my Heavenly Father that I wanted them gone, I just didn't know how to get rid of them. I found out the answer is to pray for them to be replaced with Christlike desires and to go forward each day trying to do better. It works. They have not been 100% changed yet, but they are better than before and I feel even happier now. As I keep trying and having faith things keep getting better. I know this will work for you too.

Love you all! Love you Anna, Mom and Dad!

Elder Sorochan

 Grass fire

 Hockey with Elder Freeman

Zone picture

Fear Not Little Flock

July 3, 2017

Hello everyone! First off we must pay tribute to the great man named Elder Clark! What a great companion is he. He has taught me so much about being someone who loves everyone! He is diligent, fun, loving, caring, and just a downright awesome person. It has been some of the best 3 months just getting to be with him. We did some really great work together. We built a friendship that will last forever.

Now the time is with Elder Freeman. He has 5 weeks left in his mission. Let's hope he doesn't get too trunky eh? He he no he is good. He wants to finish his mission strong. The walking around all the time is making him pretty tired. He sleeps real well at night.

This was a super awesome week! On my last day with Elder Clark we had 3 appointments go through! One active member lesson, a lesson with Ciara, Zeke, Daija and Eric, Ruben and Amanda's kids, and one with Clint. The lesson with the Ruiz kids was fire! They joked around with us a lot before the lesson but once the prayer was said they were all business. They did not joke around at all. They really wanted to learn. Eric especially was firing off questions left and right. Since they are teenagers they are having difficulty committing to set times to meet, but Amanda is starting to help us a bit with that which is awesome!

We also had another lesson with Thomas. It was really cool because we had a lesson plan and then when we sat down I felt like we needed to do something different. We were going to teach about following the prophet and keeping the 10 commandments, but instead I felt like we needed to read 3 Nephi 11. We were going to commit him to read that, but we ended up testifying of him truly getting an answer. He said he really wants an answer and he knows in order to do so he has to open his heart. Super awesome!

My thought today comes from our mission's monthly recitation. This was June's:

33 Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward.

34 Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.

35 Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and sin no more; perform with soberness the work which I have commanded you.

36 Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.

37 Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. Amen.

I love it for a few reasons. One I love the phrase "fear not little flock" and secondly it just tells us to put complete trust and faith in Jesus Christ. He is our source of hope. As I try to do this work and overcome my inadequacies, this helps me know it isn't about me. I can be humble and know I am just a tool in the Lords hands. I need not fear, for I am with Him. I am built upon His rock. Things may not work out how I wish them to, but they will be how he wants them. Keep being great y'all! I love you! I love you Mom, Dad, and Anna!

Elder Kynan Sorochan

 Goodbye Elder Clark :(

 Happy Canada Day

 Canada Day wings

 Cool shades and Elder Freeman

 Hi Elder Hadley

YSA sisters parked in our spot and left their door unlocked so... :D

 Transfers!