Fall? September 7, 2020

 Family and friends,

   Well it's been a while! The last few pdays I've just not had much time! But I'm glad that I can get an email out now haha. 

   And wow, it's already getting into Fall?! I was in Mexico almost six months ago which is approaching the time that I spent there. General Conference is less than a month away! Where does the time go? A lot has happened since I last wrote and I'm not sure if I can fit everything in! We've had some baptisms, two of them being by the branch. We are talking to more people! We have been able to visit other places. The temple is in our area and I still don't have any pictures from there!! Last week the APs (Assistants to the Mission President) took us to a GNC to get an InBody scan which was fun! We have been able to eat some great food like ribs, different kinds of potatoes, steak, different rice, and lots of Latin American dishes! The housing coordinator gave us a surprise inspection last week while we were out and he and his wife ended up buying Cafe Rio for us since they concluded that our house was the cleanest and neatest they've ever seen on the mission! On top of that, I was dubbed with having the best made bed in the mission! It's been great being able to still serve on a Spanish assignment and still get some of that Mexican culture. Yesterday we taught the adults' Come, Follow Me lesson and that was so fun! We used a powerpoint that another sister made. She thought she wasn't going to be able to do the lesson so she asked us to do it. We had a touching experience with one of our investigators the other night. He joined us for a Book of Mormon read with the branch president's family and we read the conversion story of King Lamoni's father. He really enjoyed it and he was able to notice key principles! Afterwards he cried while saying the prayer. Then later he texted us apologizing and said that it was because he felt so good about the sacrifice missionaries make to serve, doing it all for Jesus and the people. That was sweet and very touching especially since it came from an investigator. We took that moment to briefly explain the power of the Spirit of God. I couldn't help tearing up myself. That reminded me of the scripture, Matthew 19:29 which reads, "And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life." I'm receiving part of that hundredfold while I'm out here. I love the mission! Many say that it is the mission that changes the elder or sister. But in reality, it's the Lord's atonement that changes them. The mission happens to be one of His tools that He uses. But I learn things here that I never would have without serving. The opportunity cost of going out is nothing compared to what Heavenly Father has in store. That everlasting life spoken of in the New Testament is something beyond our comprehension. Imagine what makes you the happiest. Most would rightly think of their family. Now the blessings that Heavenly Father will give to those who correctly covenant with Him and keep those covenants, are heirs to all that He has. That is something greater than we could imagine. Because of our mortal and imperfect state, we cannot comprehend all that our Heavenly Father can comprehend. It is as if mortality itself is the veil. We learn, we struggle, we fight, we wait, we cry, we rejoice, and we progress. That is mortality. There are lots of people that have these great spiritual experiences that act as a pivot in their progression, and that is always so wonderful! But the Spirit speaks in a still small voice. So don't ever be too distracted looking for great experiences when the Spirit is trying to speak to you with little ones. We learn precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. In the end, when every experience is collected into one, it is our mortality that is the pivot in our eternal progression. 

  Last week I was asked, with other reassigned missionaries, to send in a letter explaining our story of being reassigned. Our mission president asked us to write the miracles we saw. He wants to put it into the mission history. I thought it appropriate to share it here as well! So this is it...

    My original assignment was to Mexico City, Mexico. I had been serving for just over seven months. I was just about a week into my third area. It was going so well! During the previous week, we had found nine new people to teach! My companion and I were in a cybercafe the following Monday, reporting on the missionary portal. We had a quick question for our district leader who we then called. Almost immediately he asked why we were not at home. Confused, we responded that we had to report for the previous week. Knowing that we were probably unaware, our district leader told us that the mission was being placed under quarantine due to the global pandemic of COVID-19. That stopped our heartbeats for a minute. We finished what we needed to get done and headed for home. Eventually catching our breath from the shock, we spoke with our neighbor who was an older sister from our ward. We told her the news and she did not act surprised. She told us that all missionaries world-wide were being sent to their home countries. I wasn’t quite prepared for that news. However, we tried to stay skeptical of that thought since we had not received word from any mission leader. But our district leader told us on the call that our mission president would be reaching out to us later that day. So I was still on edge. 

Mortality is a place to learn and grow amongst opposition. But as long as we plant ourselves with a strong foundation in Christ, we cannot be tossed to and fro. Having grown up with the gospel and given a strong foundation in Christ, I never had any such doubt that the Lord knew where I was nor did I ever doubt that He directs His work. All the preparedness that I learned from my parents, other family members, and church leaders allowed me to stay under control without fear of what might happen next. That was the first blessing among many that would follow. One of the thoughts that quickly came to mind was Elder Bednar’s talk, Called to the Work. My companion and I sat down at our study table as I opened to the Ensign that contained Elder Bednar’s incredible sermon. I read the talk allowed without lifting my eyes off the page. As I read some of his last words, “To be engaged in their service (Heavenly Father’s and Jesus Christ’s)  is one of the greatest blessings we can ever receive.” I looked up to see my companion’s eyes filled with tears. He then nodded in confirmation that everything will be alright. Some long hours followed as we waited patiently for our mission president’s call. The telephone then rang and we answered in the best attitudes we could mustar. It was then confirmed that we would be sent home sometime soon. Our mission president and his wife expressed their love for us which was comforting. I was never worried about what would happen next. I was only concerned with what I was leaving behind. The five days that followed were full of joy and tender mercies from the Lord such as the sweet Spirit we felt each night while singing hymns. After those five days passed, I found out that I would be flying out the following morning. I packed up and said goodbye to anyone I could at the time. I went home relatively early compared to the rest of the missionaries in the mission. Another nice blessing was being able to return home with my companion from the Mexico City MTC. He was also from Oregon and lived less than an hour from me so I had that sweet blessing of having him as a traveling companion. We arrived at the Portland Airport later that evening. My parents were there to greet me, and what a grand experience that was which I get to have another time! The airports were empty and that made it easy to retrieve luggage. The roads were also quite clear so it was a faster drive home. We ate burgers along the way back which was satisfying since I felt like it had been forever since I had one! We arrived at home where I was able to see most of my family! After conversation exchanges were settled for the time being, I took luggage upstairs to get unpacked. It was then that the true reality of what was going on really started to set in. After seven months of serving, I was home. My luggage was sitting on the bed that I thought I wouldn’t see again until after two years. I had no idea what was next. I knew, however, that I was going to be able to go back out. I didn’t know when, but I knew I was going to be able to. I was just doing what I was told. I had no problem with that. In fact, I had no problem with anything that was happening. I was blessed with enough experiences to allow me not to get worried when things were out of my control. I was told in a blessing that my mission president gave to me the hours prior to departing for home that my labors had been sufficient in the eyes of the Lord. That was comforting enough. I knew that I had to take everything one at a time in order to process what the Lord had for me next. All of these thoughts ran around in my head in this moment I was taking in the reality of what was going on. Yet, I was at peace. A few days later, I was with my family on a walk down our road. My dad caught up after finishing some work and he then told me the new situation for reassigned missionaries about waiting or going right back out. I made my decision and asked Heavenly Father if it was the right one. I had to consider many different things such as my deferment for BYU where I planned on attending after the mission, the people back in Mexico City, and possibly working instead of going back out right away. These were just a few thoughts that I was considering. But the thought that was most important and which occupied my mind more often was about the people the Lord was preparing for me to come in contact with. After contemplating these things for just a short time, I felt the need to be decisive and quick so I wouldn’t delay any further organization that would be needed. After thinking this over, I knelt in prayer and felt the confirmation that going back out as soon as possible would be best. I felt the peace that I had recognized before. It was from the Holy Ghost. With that confidence, I was soon reassigned to the Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission. During that time at home, I was able to receive such a warm welcome back from my ward and other friends. My mom set up an event where all the people stayed in their cars as I walked through the church parking lot waving. I did not know about it before it happened which made that extra special. And what a wonderful blessing it was to be with my family for three months. I was able to watch General Conference with them, we celebrated my mom’s birthday, and all of my siblings who lived elsewhere were able to visit home and we were together again in full. Although I had many more blessings in that duration of time, I believe that probably the greatest blessing that I received, as well as my family, due to serving was the final adoption of my two youngest brothers. For over 16 years (about half of my parents’ married life), my mom and dad had battled a long and stressful course as they did their best to complete the adoption of four children. The first two were cleared to be adopted about ten years ago and they were later sealed to us by our Grandfather who has that authority to seal families together. Now, my family will soon be able to participate in the sealing of my two youngest brothers, hopefully again by our Grandpa. 

I do not think that I can say that I have ever had a very difficult trial. Perhaps that is because I enjoy counting my blessings more than counting difficulties. I realize that recent events have struck people in very different ways. I am thankful to be able to serve during this time to help those who are struggling more than I am. I do not think life is easy, but I do believe Jesus Christ when He said that He would ease our burdens and make them light. I can testify that He does do that. I am aware that I have been given much. And I feel it in my heart that because I have been given much, I too must give. I made it to the Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission safely and quickly without problem. In fact, one of the last blessings I received while traveling was that my bag was well overweight but they still allowed it to be transported. So here I am on the mission enjoying every moment! I love it! After everything that has happened or will happen, I see reason to stand before the Lord and sincerely say, “I am happy.”

-Elder Markham

I will get some pictures sent out a bit later! I know I haven't done that in a while haha. I love you all! Have a wonderful week!

Purpose! August 3, 2020

Family and friends,

   To start off, it was an exciting week! Things aren't ever too eventful but this last week was a little out of the ordinary. We have been involved with creating new videos and coming up with new ideas and that's been lots of fun! One thing we did was an idea from the Come, Follow Me. We used an egg, potato, and pot of boiling water. The boiling water represents our trials in life and the egg and potato represent our hearts. We then set the egg and potato in the pot and later demonstrate how the egg becomes hard and the potato becomes soft. So the question is, do we soften or harden our hearts because of our trials? We think it went well! We are doing some video editing and we will hopefully get the post out soon. 

   The craziest event we had was a hurricane warning! Evidently it never showed up. It was going up and down between a tropical storm and a category one hurricane. So it was never too serious. The track was supposed to come up through the coast of Florida but we prayed and it took a different course straight north. The Lord hears prayers! 

   That's about all the update for now! Lately, we've been encouraged to share more testimonies and share about why we are serving a mission. So I would like to share some of those things! First, I really do love being out here! It's been a great experience. I've spent time in two different missions with three different mission presidents. I've met so many wonderful people from all over the world- missionaries and nonmembers alike. I've heard stories and other experiences that are touching, challenging, and exciting! One missionary I met has managed to serve with six different mission presidents!! Other missionaries I've met have many other skills and abilities. A couple other elders in my zone speak about five different languages. It is amazing to see the lengths these people have gone to in order to fulfill the missionary purpose which is to invite others to come unto Christ! Wherever we are, or however we do it, that is the reason we serve. And along the way, we get many opportunities to learn of and from others. The Lord places us perfectly so that we gain experiences necessary for our mortal and, ultimately, our eternal progression. And what a blessing it has been for me to realize the great worth of God's children as I meet and talk with them along the course of not just a mission but life as well. Each member, missionary, or other person I talk to seems to have one trial or another that has helped them carry on. Those trials seem to also help them recognize their own worth in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. Among the variety of different experiences, each person seems to have a common theme regarding what they come to know best. And that is that they know Heavenly Father loves them and that they are His son or daughter. Imagine that, being the spiritual offspring of God Himself. The point to that is, we each have a purpose. Everything that our Father in Heaven and Savior do is full of purpose. Our Heavenly Father sees us individually. He knows us by name. And because our God is a God of purpose, He created you and I with a purpose. He knows the individual long before He creates them. We don't simply just fill in a role but we possess the God-given potential to become like our Heavenly Father! And so, why only 18 months to three years? What is the point of that? Especially if it seems like nothing is going anywhere? Why do people leave things behind that seem like it would benefit them more than a mission? The answer is in the call. I have heard that the call letter has been slightly modified, but here is part of what it says from what I have, "The Lord will reward you for the goodness of your life. Greater blessings and more happiness than you have yet experienced await you as you humbly and prayerfully serve the Lord in this labor of love among His children." Is that not something that would benefit any missionary, even more than anything else they can do at that moment of their life? Prophets tell us that the most important work of anything is missionary work and genealogy work. Therefore, serving the mission is what is most important regardless of limitations. This is not the first time that life has seemingly come to a halt. It is a commandment that the gospel is to be preached throughout the world to all that would hear it. But sometimes we are limited because of things outside of our control. Nevertheless, Nephi says, "...for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." (1 Nephi 3:7) We have a way that the Lord has provided. And that is technology! Often, others use their agency to stop progression as well. Through the Church's history, it has been ridiculed, criticized, cast out, persecuted, and beaten. Why would the Lord allow the delay of His work if He commands it? He first revealed the answer to Alma the younger. Alma tells Amulek by saying, "...for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just." (Alma 14:11) Many generations later, Joseph Smith received a similar answer. The Lord told him, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might and with all they have to perform that work, and cease not their diligence, and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work, behold, it behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings." (D&C 124:49) And yet, the situation is a bit different right now with what is going on. So as missionaries, we are asked to give all we can with what we have. Even if no one is baptized, there are still many who are hearing the gospel. Elder Klebingat gave a wonderful missionary devotional some weeks ago and he gets into a lot about why we do missionary work. He mentions how missionaries are called of God and that His prophets and apostles exercise the proper keys of the priesthood to call men and women to serve missions. And because they have the proper keys to call missionaries by inspiration, they also have the proper keys to release missionaries. That authority/duty is delegated to the stake presidents of the missionaries who then release the missionaries. With that being said, the missionaries do not have the authority to release themselves. Which means they do not receive revelation to go home. We as missionaries do not possess the authority to determine if the mission is pointless. If we are called by God to serve then it is a call of purpose and authority, regardless of the circumstance. Again, Heavenly Father is a God of purpose. Nothing is done on a whim. I just love that idea because with that confidence, any missionary can complete anything the Lord needs them to do! It is also important to remember that little progress is still progress. Little by little, we become closer to Heavenly Father. I also admire that analogy of just a drop in the ocean. Our labors often seem to be only a drop in the ocean in comparison. But without those labors, the ocean would be without one more drop. It is very sad if you think about it. But to help just one more person come unto Christ means that Heavenly Father has one more of His numberless children back with him.

   I want to leave this testimony here, that there is a purpose to be a missionary at this time! We are called for a reason. Jesus Christ is the Chief cornerstone of His church. He leads it as the head. And He will continue to lead it now just as in times of old! I love serving and being out here even on days that are more difficult than others. No matter what happens, the Lord's church will always be the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Take Care!

-Elder Markham 

What a Blessing! July, 20th, 2020

Family and friends,

   I see that my Mom sent me photos of my family getting into my slides AFTER I put them away. What's up with that?

   This last week was very interesting. Starting back at last pday- as soon as we got back home around 2 o'clock, we were notified to get on an emergency video call with our zone. We did and elder Cannon (our mission doctor) advised us to stay in our houses for a week. We were told not to go outside, with no exceptions besides going to the chapel and sitting out in our cars to get wifi. It turns out, the previous week before we got the call, there were some missionaries in our zone that went to a member's house. About a week later, they found out that he had the virus. So those missionaries we exposed to the virus. My companion and I did not go to that but we live with two other elders who did. So we also had to stay locked up as well. Also, there is this thing going around about how we are encouraged to share any miracles, big or small, in our group texts with our zones during this lock-in. And I almost lost it after elder Merrill (one of the elders in our house) made the comment of how we should share the miracle of the Lord finding a way to humble us yet again. Elder Merrill is one of the most innocent/reserved people I know. The really sad thing is, that member who had the virus ended up passing away because of it. We've been hearing a lot about that lately. There have been a few members in our branch who have caught the virus without serious harm. Regardless, we continue to pray! 

   I'm still feeling great! I have not been sick yet and neither of the other elders in the house got sick this last week. There have been a couple missionaries in our mission who have gotten the virus. We also found out last night that one of the APs (Assistant to the President....a missionary in charge of all the other missionaries who assists day to day assignments for the Mission President) got the virus, but the other tested negative which was odd. 

   Nothing too exciting happened this last week but we are brainstorming new ideas for videos to make on Facebook! So stay tuned! Anna is progressing well and we are still holding off on putting a baptism date down for her. We don't feel it's time yet. But she picks up on all the lessons well and she has been able to attend some video meetings with the branch! Elder Enz and I have also begun doing Tuesday night calls with the branch to do a bit out of the Come, Follow Me. We also do that separately each day with the families that feed us. It has been very wonderful! The Silver Lakes branch is incredible! Another thing we have been doing to contact is singing! We go through the area book and make calls accordingly, but instead of introducing ourselves we just start singing a hymn. It has been going well and one of the potential investigators actually attended the branch call yesterday! We had two other investigators attend too which was awesome! We're making great progress!!! 

   I haven't spoken much about food... I'm sorry for that! To make it up, I'll talk a bit about what we've been cooking lately! One of my favorites was the bass we made! First, it took like six hours to thaw, then I soaked it in milk to get that swampy taste out, then I rubbed butter on it, then I fried it in garlic and creole seasoning, then I topped it off with pure sea salt, basil, and Carolina BBQ sauce. It was absolutely terrific!! I did that same process with chicken breast, minus soaking it in milk. My Dad would be so proud of me. I've also cooked some great spaghetti! Apparently lemon pepper goes well with it! I've even been able to turn ramen into something more exciting! Along with its flavor, I throw in some butter, basil, and creole! My companion really likes to make veggie stir fry which is also incredible! So that's some of the things we've been able to do with food.

   Last night we had a devotional as a mission and it was very impactful. President and sister Pingree shared a recording of some of the training they received from president Nelson a couple weeks ago. He shared the importance of the restoration and the position that Joseph Smith held, beginning as a young boy! President Nelson spoke for over 20 min about different experiences that Joseph had to help him become the prophet of the restoration. He talked about how Joseph was tutored by about 60 different angles over the course of his life. All being Adam down to our own time. President Nelson wanted to emphasize the importance of this year and the first vision. The adversary is doing a lot to distract others from the significance of this year. But as we search for ways to make it more meaningful, I know that we will receive blessing upon blessing from the Lord and our testimonies can be strengthened! There is always a strong spirit felt when listening to a prophet testify of another prophet. You can feel the connection that runs from Joseph Smith to president Nelson. This is my testimony, that we have prophets today that lead and guide us in the direction that the Lord would have us follow. I love being a missionary! It is an experience that I will forever look back on. Every minute of every day will be a moment I appreciate as I move on throughout my life. I love our Father in Heaven, and I love our Savior. That would be the most prominent thing I would want others to understand about me, that I love and appreciate them more than anything. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Take care!

-Elder Markham        

Monday Already?!?! July 13, 2020

Family and friends,

Time goes by too fast!

   Another great week came and went! There was one very sad thing that happened though. Shortly after we moved into our new house, we met our neighbors. They are so wonderful! We talked to Amos, Kevin, and Rosanne. Each of them are at least 55 years old. They have all been good neighbor friends for many years. We talked with them for about a half hour after our first day. They've had other missionaries come and go over the years and they enjoy their company. So it's easy to sense a special bond with them. They had so many good things to say about all the previous missionaries. We learned a lot about them and their families. And they shared lots of very personal things. That's just because they feel close to the missionaries and they know that we are here to listen and encourage them. But one night after coming back from being at the chapel all day, we found out that Rosanne passed away that previous night. She had many health issues but it was devastating and shocking to find that out. Amos was getting worried that she hadn't responded to any of his messages and he hadn't seen her in a while. So he checked on her and he was the one who found out. It's been very sad for a while. Kevin cried a lot when he found out. Amos enjoys talking it out with us. They are getting by. We made dinner for them the other night and they were very happy to get that.

   On a happier note, we did get two new investigators this last week! Elias (shout out to Garrett because that's his middle name) and Anna are very excited to learn more about the gospel! We've had some appointments with them and they are progressing very well. Elias had previously read the Book of Mormon quite a bit so he is already off to a great start! We had Anna commit to reading over Joseph Smith history and have her teach us for that following lesson. It worked out great and she explained it so well!! She also joined in on our branch zoom call yesterday and she received a very warm welcome to all the members! Anna couldn't stop smiling and that was very heartwarming! Both Elias and Anna were referrals we received. Anna was a referral from Colombia! Her daughter who is living there was actually the one who sent in her information. And Elias had requested a copy of the Book of Mormon online so that went to us since he is in our area! He has an interesting background. He claimed to have fought battles on hills for his religion back in the middle east as a kid. I mean actual battles, full on armor and swords. He is from the middle east and he speaks Arabic, French, and Spanish! It's crazy because Spanish is actually his third language and he speaks it like a native! He wants to learn English too. We are hoping to put a date down with Anna soon, which actually might be harder than we think for reasons that don't have to do with Anna. That leads me into talking about our mission situation. Baptisms are now done on request first. The virus is absolutely chaotic here. We first need special permission from president Pingree to have a baptism. He would usually okay it but it varies with the situation and how old the investigator is. There are many different reasons why a baptism cannot yet be approved. I'm assuming that they need to do a medical history check on the investigator to know that they wouldn't be at any high risk of serious harm if they get the virus. I'm not too worried about anything though since both our mission president and another senior elder are doctors with over like 30 years of experience. They know what they're doing so all is well!! Also our mission only has about four baptisms a week so it's not like these requests are piling in.

   The mission is now at about 250 missionaries with more coming in soon! It sounds like the mission will eventually have just less than 300. That's intense! 

   I'll explain what is generally going on here... Right now south Florida is about the worst spot in the world regarding the virus. The report we received last night was that our area jumped by about 15,000 new cases. So we are still locked up unless we have reason to be out such as shopping, visiting places on pdays, being at the chapel, or really anything that doesn't have to do with being out just to be out.  Side note- our mission is one of the missions that allows fishing so our zone leaders invited us to go with them early this morning at 5:20. We went before anyone else so that was great. It was the first time I got to see a sunrise on the east coast ocean!!!  So things like that are alright to do, SO FAR. Hopefully it doesn't go any further than the restrictions we already have. For me, a normal day looks like any other day that we would have without the virus. It's just that all the proselyting and meetings are done online with Facebook or receiving referrals. We have our normal morning routine with planning, studying, finding, and doing any lessons we might have scheduled that day. Plus extra studying or reading if we would like. We have lots of stuff like the entire missionary library, Gospel Principles, Saints V2, Teachings of Prophets, Blueprints of Christ's Church, Knowing the Why of The Book of Mormon, and a few other things. They are all incredible and very insightful! Then there might be some other things we do like zoom calls for meetings or devotionals as a mission. None of them are done in person anymore. Each district/zone meetings are done over zoom. Even our interviews with president Pingree are done by zoom calls haha. And now it looks like official sacrament meetings on Sunday will be done by zoom call. It will no longer just be a simple get-together. We will still do the sacrament separate though. 

   I love being out here! Some missionaries might feel quite limited but it's really just as limited as you make it for yourself. There are numberless people to find online and in the area book! It's funny because this work is a little tougher than how it was back in Mexico. Not the physical labor, just the finding and getting people to talk to you. It's easier for the people to reject you when it's over a screen and not in person. I really enjoy the challenge though and staying busy is never a problem. It's going to be like this for a while but we continue to pray that the better will come sooner than later! It's just so awesome to be around during this time, I have no other way of putting it.

Take care!

-Elder Markham   

It's been a blast! July 6, 2020

Family and friends, 

   This week was quick despite still being locked up! I hope you all had a great fourth of July! We couldn't really do anything different. We did hear fireworks going off during the day! 

  This last week was a bit more eventful so I'll begin with talking about our zone conference. It was in person but we all had to sit six feet apart and wear masks. And as you know, we received our NEW MISSION PRESIDENT AND HIS WIFE!!! They are both so great! I love them so much already! President Pingree is a nose, ear, and throat doctor. Him and sister Pingree were previously living in Colorado for about 28 years. For a while they were actually serving there in the mission presidency! All of their children are married and have kids. It was so wonderful to learn about their children from a video where they introduced themselves. They also shared some things about president and sister Pingree. Later, the two of them spoke to us and talked more about their background like how they met, what med. school was like, things they like to do and just lots of great details! They are both pretty similar. President Pingree is a lot more vocal though. And he is very active and loves to teach by using interactive activities or something that excites the audience. For example, he put together a little skit with the assistants where he had them wear a jersey having the names 'Garns' and 'Pingree' on the back representing president Garns and president Pingree. President Pingree acted as a news reporter who was interviewing these two teammates for a big race. And he had one of the runners hand off the baton to the next which represented the handing off of priesthood keys and other duties that come with being a mission president. It was a lot of fun to watch! He is much more of an extrovert than sister Pingree and it seems like she really holds him down haha. Sister Pingree has that same loving care that any wife of a mission president has which is very distinct from any other of loving-type characteristic. She is very kind and thoughtful. One of her attributes that stands out the most is her perseverance. That was something that most of her kids shared about her. She is also very in tune with the Spirit and president Pingree actually joked about how he sometimes has to pull her down by her feet when she starts floating to heaven. They both have a wonderful and refreshing sense of humor. There were a couple things that president Pingree shared in the zone conference that stood out most. One of them was about how the gospel is about second chances. He says how he has been called out here to serve with us and he explained that he didn't know any of us before. President Garns didn't even share anything about what the missionaries were like, and he did that for a specific reason which was so we can give our first impression on our own. President Pingree says that as far as he knows, we were perfect to him because of the lack of knowledge he had about us. Because of that, it was like a second chance to show what we are capable of without having any sort of set expectations. Of course they looked over lists and things to know our names, see our pictures, and find out where we came from. But he was referring to what we are like. It is a very positive and hopeful perspective to have. So the zone conference was lots of fun! I think the most eventful day was when we had to move. We are no longer in the hotel! We had an emergency swap with the sisters in the Silver Lakes house. Story time!! So there I was, it was Saturday night and elder Enz and I had already settled in bed. We received a call at about 11:00pm and we were told to be prepared to swap living spaces with the sisters the next Monday (today). We went back to bed thinking about what we will need to do with the area if we even do need to change things. We didn't know if it would be permanent. We woke up the next morning and I told elder Enz that we should start packing immediately because I thought that we might get another call telling us that we needed to move as soon as possible and sure enough we did. But we had a few more calls to make and we had to coordinate with the sisters what was going on. They ended up not being able to get out until later in the afternoon. So we met up with the other elders in the hotel to help them out because they were going with us since there were four sisters, so each companionship gets a room. By the time everything was done it was getting to be in the evening. And during hurricane season we get tropical storms most evenings but this one we had was especially brutal. It's odd because the rain comes down in sideways-waterfall-form but it is still hot and humid outside. Plus there is lightning flashing and it is very loud. It is one of those that is just a crack then boom rather than rolling thunder in the distance. Wind is at a very high speed so it's just chaos. The moment you step outside you're already soaking wet! So we had that going on while we were moving. The sisters have TONS of things so we made a couple trips to get their stuff to the hotel. We eventually finished everything close to 8:00pm so we finally had our dinner and a zone call. It was nice to get dry and go to bed after a long day. The house is really nice! We are the first elders to stay in it so it's in good shape and it smells nice haha. It has a very tall ceiling and lots of open space. The hotel was nice but this is even better!! 

   That's enough excitement to last a while! Now I just want to share a message about the Atonement and what it means to me. 

   There is always so much to learn about the Savior's sacrifice He made for us. One of the things regarding it that I think about often has to do with why it is necessary and just how it helps individuals in their lives as well as mine. It is incredible to understand just how necessary the Atonement is. We know that we need it in order to improve our lives, and yet, it always goes much deeper and it has a more profound impact the more we think about it. I have heard countless individuals ask, especially in the mission, "If Heavenly Father loves His children so much then why does he allow so much suffering?" Or maybe the question is along the lines of, "If there is a God then why would He allow these bad things to happen?" I know we've all heard it at some point. I think it is a very reasonable question but it makes me sad each time I hear it. I know it also makes our Heavenly Father sad because He wishes those who ask such questions could understand. There is a God and He does love each of us very dearly. He knows us by name and He knows what we suffer and He knows how to help. He knows what we need and desire most. He never abandons us. There are different reasons why suffering and opposition in this life are necessary to our salvation. And there are different kinds of suffering in this life. That being by inconvenience and by sin. Inconvenience meaning sickness, actions of others, death of a loved one, physical/mental/emotional pain, and so on. Some of these things are just consequences of living in mortality. It is a consequence of the fall of Adam and Eve that we live in this mortal state. We are subject to such things like sickness and pain. It is what we enter into when we are born into the world. Because of our mortal bodies, we can get sick and feel physical pain or be very sad from a loved one passing away. That is just what we are bound by in these imperfect bodies. It is not our Heavenly Father doing this to us. It is the pattern of life that often takes a toll on the souls living in it. Amongst the intense pain, we can find pure joy and happiness in the restored gospel and learning about the Plan of Salvation. We can learn how to access the Atonement to use in our lives. That is what frees us from these pains. As we enter in the fold of God, we open ourselves up to receiving the Spirit which is our Heavenly Father's comforter that He sends. Jesus Christ suffered for the sins of the world as well as the pains of inconvenience. Because of that, we can find comfort. But when we reject our Father in Heaven by blaming Him or denying His existence, we close ourselves off to receiving the help and mercy that He offers. Healing is often a complicated and lengthy process. I think that it needs to be slow in order for us to grow more. If it were too fast, we would miss so many learning opportunities. We would not become stronger. We wouldn't be stronger for the next obstacles we face in life. It is true that when we fall, we come back stronger. But that is only if we do come back. Becoming stronger is what the Lord meant when He said in 1 Nephi 20:10, "For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." Metal cannot be molded and refined instantly. It takes time just as we sometimes sit in the furnace of affliction to be refined and made stronger. The Lord's timing is perfect and it is important to rely on His wisdom by staying on the covenant path and enduring to the end. Sometimes people do not find the comfort until they are brought out of this life to meet their maker. Many live their lives in war and sickness. But they stay good people and are given mercy and are rewarded accordingly as they pass onto the other side. We must remember what the prophets have said about everything being made right at the last day. We do not need to worry because we can find comfort in the Lord's mercy by His Atonement. Getting over sin is explained differently. We find comfort by seeking forgiveness through the Savior's Atonement. He suffered so that we don't have to. But when we do not allow the Atonement to work in our lives, we bring consequences and punishment upon ourselves. One of my favorite quotes by Richard G. Scott is from when he gave his talk, Personal Strength through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. In it he said, "The joyful news for anyone who desires to be rid of the consequences of past poor choices is that the Lord sees weaknesses differently than He does rebellion. Whereas the Lord warns that unrepented rebellion will bring punishment, when the Lord speaks of weaknesses, it is always with mercy." I love that and it shows hope for those desiring forgiveness. It is the struggle through hard challenges that shows the Lord you still care. Nothing ever justifies evil actions, the Lord says that He cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. Therefore we must repent and turn away from sin. If necessary, we seek help from the Lord's divinely appointed leaders. If there were no suffering then there would be no learning. We must know the difficult to know the easy. We must understand what is wrong to choose the right. It is different when talking about sin. We do not need to sin to know that it is wrong. We do not need to steal to know that it is wrong.  After everything is said and explained, it is important to understand that Heavenly Father's plan would be frustrated if suffering were taken out of life. That is why the adversary and his followers were cast to the earth and are allowed in our presence so that they tempt us. That allows us to use our agency for good. They are part of the reason bad things happen and why we sin. But we are still held responsible for our actions according to our accountability which is determined by the Lord. The reason why Heavenly Father's plan would be frustrated is because suffering is the reason He created the plan. He wants more than anything for us to return to Him and become like Him. From the very beginning, He knew the timeline and each detail, big or small, of what would happen in all our lives. That is a lot especially considering the amount of those who have lived, is living, and has yet to live. After knowing what would happen with each one of His children, He made and presented the perfect plan that allows us to choose for ourselves. Before Lucifer rebelled, Heavenly Father knew He would and so, in His infinite wisdom and knowledge, He planned accordingly. He knew that because of that first rebellion, there would later be suffering. So Heavenly Father created this plan as a means of getting through the suffering that is inevitable. We then shouted for joy and agreed to be placed here. We do not remember this because of the veil and because of our mortal state, not being able to understand such heavenly things. We are bound by time. It is as if each of us place glasses in front of our eyes that makes everything fuzzy and makes it so that we can only see a little bit in front of us. The glasses are our mortal state. I hope now that those who did not understand the reason behind suffering can see that progression would stop if opposition was simply taken away. This is what Lehi meant in 2 Nephi 2:11-12 when he said, "11) For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility. 12)Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God."  And D&C 130:20-21 explains receiving blessings by obedience. It says,, "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—

21) And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." Mercy and comfort are blessings. That is why we must forsake sin and obey to receive those blessings.

 

   The Atonement is the greatest act of mercy and love. I assume that the question may come up about how comfort and mercy could be available to those who lived during times of apostasy when the fullness of the gospel was not on the earth. I don't think I have a reasonable answer for that but I would say that it might have to do with the fact that anyone searching for truth or comfort could have prayed just as Joseph Smith did. It's just that no one did it until Joseph Smith did. Anyone who had a heavy soul, just as Joseph Smith, could have cried out. But there have been many that were never aware that they could do so. That is why Joseph received the revelation that "all who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God."(D&C 137:7) That is a godly balance brought forth by our Heavenly Father offering mercy.

   This is quite a long email and I wanted to get more into some things about forgiveness but that will need to wait for next week. I'm so very thankful for each of you and the support you give! 

Take Care!

-Elder Markham 

Finally in Florida! June 29th, 2020

Family and friends,

   I arrived in Florida last Wednesday so today is day six for me counting the day of arrival. And OH MY GOODNESS the climate here is intense! No one was kidding when they said it was humid here. I nearly suffocated as I stepped off the plane. And not only is it humid, but south Florida is scorching hot! It's been around 95 and it does not drop, even at night. It still is very warm and humid. Obviously the night time is much more tolerable than during the day but we don't work at night...  It's not even the hottest time of the year and I am getting a little scared about that. It's already very hot and the humidity combination makes it at least 100% worse. You are actually able to feel it on your skin. It feels like being surrounded by a warm cloud. Almost as if you were sitting in a sauna but much worse because you don't actually want to feel like that. It is as if a very hot cloud is giving you an uncomfortable hug. I do not know how else to describe it. This is not the first time you will hear about the weather during my time here so keep that in mind.

   Okay, so that's out of the way and now onto the more interesting stuff! My mission president, President Garns, was there with his wife and assistants to greet us at the airport. I arrived with about 10 other missionaries, we were the last group of the day. About 40 new missionaries in total arrived in the mission. There are around 230 missionaries here. The mission boundaries take up all of south Florida, including the keys. It is quite large especially compared to my last mission. My group and I arrived at around 8:30pm so we were taken to the chapel in Plantation. There I received everything I need such as my mission guide, bed sheets, other information, and my hurricane supplies backpack. Hurricanes are rare here but they of course happen often enough where we need something just in case. The last big one they had was back in 2017. Protocol for that is pretty simple. All missionaries just go to a chapel. At the Plantation stake center, I met my new companion, Elder Enz! He is from Indiana and is awesome! Elder Enz has been out for just under a year. He is also the district leader so that makes things a bit easier for me regarding reports and accounting. Him and I are opening up a new area in the Silver Lakes branch. They need to compensate for all the missionaries coming in so many areas are being split. Silver Lakes is a very small branch but each member is pretty active. Also the average age of the branch is around 70 years old. This is also a Spanish branch!! The Florida Fort Lauderdale mission is one of those missions where there are many language assignments. The languages here are English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Portuguese. Each call extended assigns a missionary one of those languages. I am on Spanish assignment. So I am very blessed to be able to continue to learn Spanish!!! The culture here is very diverse. There are many people from Cuba, Mexico, Central America, and other Atlantic Islands! It's a shame that we are not able to talk to many of these people though. We are still in quarantine because Florida has a lot of cases. And pretty much all of the hot spots are in our mission. It is also getting worse. On the bright side, Elder Enz and I are locked up in a hotel! We also drive a 2019 Dodge Caravan. It's a rental car and it is very slick. South Florida is pretty dang awesome! It honestly looks like paradise. There are palm trees everywhere, it's hot, the food is great, and there are very expensive buildings and other things everywhere! There are very nice cars all over the place. We've seen lamborghinis a couple of times. People that live around here are either on vacation, retired, or here working. The percentage of people who actually live here is very low. Plus, my area is one of the nicest in the mission. We live in Plantation. It is a bit further into the mainland. Most of where the missionaries work is along the east coast. And a larger portion of the mission is the Everglades. That is a pretty crazy spot. It is a protected area with lots of Alligators, Monitors, and other crazy animals. We went there today and I will try to send some pictures of it! We do see Iguanas very often. They sit along the sides of the canals. They swim pretty fast too! And there are canals everywhere! South Florida has this nickname, Venice, because of how many canals there are. It's a lot like Italy. But there is water everywhere! There are ponds and lakes too! Most of the church buildings have ponds out in front. Our stake center also has a canal running on the other side of the street. 

   We do all our work through technology right now. We have smartphones which is very different from what I was used to and there is this church owned app just for missionaries that is the area book and it is awesome! I will have to go more in depth with that next week. We have to find new people through Facebook. I am not very savvy with that so I have a lot to learn. But the tech sister missionaries are in our district and they are the only ones in the mission so we get that huge advantage! And we are also able to contact lots of former friends (here they call them friends instead of investigators). It took a while to get everything in order for our area, Elder Enz is also new to this area. We had been assigned to draw out boundaries for our area so we talked that over with the sisters in our branch. We share the branch with sister missionaries! After we did the boundaries they sent us all the info we needed. They have been here a while longer. But this is the first time that this branch has ever had elders! So that is very exciting! In our district there are eight of us. There are four sister missionaries and four of us elders. We have been in contact with two new friends, Cheska and Arnaldo, so we are hoping to get lessons going with them soon. Other than that things are moving quite slow but that is pretty expected with our situation at the moment. We have faith that the Lord will guide us accordingly! 

   The food has been great so far!!! I ate Alligator today but sadly the picture of it was deleted due to my lack of attention as I was going through extra photos I took on my camera, sorry! But I will send the rest of the pictures from the little exhibit we were able to visit! A member also fed us mission BBQ which was so great! It was only a bit cold since we had to bring the sisters their portion. But it was still incredible! 

I think that is it for now. A lot is happening despite not being able to go out much so I hope that I didn't miss anything.

Take care, I miss you all!

-Elder Markham

Here are some pictures I took today. You can see in one of them just how flat Florida is!

Some more pics of the exhibit we visited! There is a Monitor, a massive Alligator, and some tortoises!

Baby Alligators with turtles!! Also a bird we found with one foot. The birds always follow people around with their mouths open asking for food haha

New Assignment! May 13, 2020

Family and friends,

   I finally received my new assignment to serve! I have been called to go to the Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission!!! 

   That's pretty much all that I know as of right now other than my estimated leave date, which is the 24th of June. I am supposed to receive official details at any time. I am very excited to get back out and continue! This mission takes up the entire southern tip of Florida as well as the key which stretches into its islands. I am pretty sure that the mission is English-speaking but I have been told that I will have many opportunities to use Spanish. It will be interesting to adapt to a new mission-like environment. I expect it to be quite different from Mexico City. I will send one last email before I go back out and after that I will be a missionary again!!! 

   This quick message that I will share with all of you regards the love of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I know that they do love us! Our Father in Heaven loves us so much that He gave us the opportunity to have the Holy Ghost as a constant companion. Our Heavenly Father has also given us the ability to choose for ourselves. He gives us direction through His faithful prophets and apostles. He has blessed us with the scriptures, specifically the Book of Mormon. That and the Bible are very useful tools on our path back to the Father! We can learn more of the scattering and gathering of Israel as we read the Book of Mormon and Bible in harmony. The Bible shares the wonderful information about the House of Israel and the different tribes. We can find our purpose in the scriptures by reading about our responsibilities as members of the tribes of Israel. Many of us share the responsibilities of the gathering of Israel! And what a responsibility that is!!! Our Heavenly Father has given to us our bodies, that we may come here to gain experience and progress to become like our Heavenly Father and our Savior. There are countless examples of our Heavenly Father's love manifested towards us. The greatest example of love is our Heavenly Father's and our Savior's sacrifice. We have been given the Atonement. We may use that gift to better our lives and look for comfort. Heavenly Father gave His only begotten Son to atone for all of our sins. That is how we can know that we are loved by our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They work in perfect harmony for the welfare of us! They are selfless and full of charity. They are the examples that we should strive to follow. Always remember to look for advice and counsel from prophets and from the Lord! Please stay away from things of the world that can lead you away from the truth. Stay away and aware of the things that will create negative feelings such as sadness, drama, anger, jealousy, lust, vengeful thinking, or anything of that sort. Do not value the world's advice over the advice of our own prophets and apostles. Turn to them and the scriptures and prayer when you find yourself full of doubt, fear, and anguish. Find support from your family and friends! We have people in our lives for specific reasons. Our Father in Heaven made us so that we interact. And by His perfect design, He has placed loved ones into our lives for situations that He knew we would have to face. And when you think no one understands you, just remember that the Savior always will because of what He did for us. There are too many negative assumptions about people or situations. Please stay away from those and do not be involved with gossip or evil behavior that is not in harmony with the standards of the Lord's church. Always look for the good and be hopeful of the future! People are good. The light of Christ dwells in any individual who is alive, because that is what actually gives life! It is in all things and round about all things. So if someone is still living here on the earth, then there is still hope for them! It is often obvious that the light of Christ may be buried further in some individuals, but as the light of Christ remains in them, that is Heavenly Father giving them opportunity after opportunity to change and become better. Love and the Atonement are the cure for all things! As we access and seek the special Spirit on our own time, we can better feel the Savior's comfort and His love. Above all, remember to love others as the Savior would. Often, words and the special bonds you create go farther than actions. Have that pure love of Christ which is charity. Bless them that curse you and do good to them that hate you. There is never a reason to be unforgiving, vengeful, bitter, full of lust for others' possessions, prideful, or jealous of others. I know that becoming like our Savior is not easy. It's not supposed to be easy. But it is possible! Otherwise we wouldn't be here. We are here for a purpose and that is to become like our Heavenly Father and His Son. We can do so as we love as they would. So always remember where we should put our trust! Always remember how much our Father in Heaven and His Son love us. Take care and never forget who you are!! I love hearing about how each of you are doing! We will talk soon!

-Blake Markham