Busy Week--March 16, 2015

Hello Everyone,

Well this week was fun! It was so crazy busy though--One of the busiest I have had in a long time. I had three big meetings that me and my companion Elder Trujillo had to go too this week. We had to teach one of them. But it was fun! We traveled a lot! It’s fun to see more of our mission! 

When we weren't in meetings, we had a lot of good times teaching! 

Just an update, the man named Steve I talked about last week is doing so good! We have the best lessons with him! We were able to teach more this week about having the proper authority to be baptized. He committed to a date; now we pray that he makes it! I really think he will though. He is moving pretty fast. I hope we get him to church this week--that would be nice! It was so cool, he prayed in front of us and asked God if the Book of Mormon was true. . . He then started crying from the spirit hitting him so strongly. Miracles are everywhere! We will see what this week brings with him! 

Let’s see... We worked a lot with a less active kid named John this week. He is in his twenties. Really cool guy, but lately he got in some big trouble with drugs and partying. He was baptized only a few years ago; it’s sad that he fell back into old habits. But that doesn't matter!  Because the Atonement is real! It was cool to see him come to church with us yesterday! The talks were on the Atonement so it was really good for him. I hope he keeps it up! 

We found a really cute family this week!  They have three little girls that are nine, six and four! They were so much fun! The dad of the kids was really into the discussion. The mom wasn't really, but it was great. I'm looking forward to seeing more of them! 

Here is a thought that I had this morning when I was waiting for some people from our Zone to call us. I was reading the very first chapter of the Book of Mormon, I read about Lehi and his great faith in calling upon God with all of his heart! I really thought about how the scripture was worded. I think that sometimes we really do forget to call upon Heavenly Father with all of our heart! It is something I have been working on but something that I have seen that has changed me so much! I'm so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that cares so much about us and is so willing to help us out.  

I love you all and hope everyone has a great week!! 

Keep the Faith!  

Elder Bingham

P.S. I attached some pictures. 1 is me and my companion driving to Charleston WV at like 5 in the morning... the other was before the meeting that we went and taught at. :) 

Finding the Elect -- March 9, 2015

Hello Everyone,

It has been a great last week! I am loving my new area so much! There is so much to do here and so many good opportunities. We had an eventful week and had some really great lessons, some of the best I have ever taught! It also had some downs, but mostly had its ups! :) 

So last Monday night we found this man named Steven. He is a new investigator that we started teaching. He lives close to our apartment. We started teaching and I don't think he realized what church we belonged to because he started talking about how at one point in his life he had some missionaries come talk to him; he said how he was so impressed with how much they knew and taught him. He started talking about a different book they gave him that he liked but he had lost and he said, "Those Mormons really have it all right!" and at that point we were like, “We are the Mormons!” Haha We gave him a Book of Mormon and he was so excited to see one again! It was so cool! We had a great lesson with him. I hope we can commit him to baptism this week. :) It was super cool to see how prepared people are to receive the gospel! It was such a blessing. 

So I was able to go on a few exchanges this week as a Zone Leader. It was really crazy and this week will be even crazier! I went and stayed a couple days in a different area to see how the missionaries there were doing. I went to Peterstown, WV. It’s like an hour away from where I am at. 

It was so much fun. I stayed with Elder Paul Gibson! We didn't know each other, but we went to high school together and graduated in the same grade! It was a fun little reunion~~We had a lot to talk about! I really enjoyed going down there with him, though. He is such a great guy! And such a fantastic missionary! I learned a lot from our exchange. We even taught a family of five, that was sweet! 

When I got back to my area in Princeton, I got really sick! It wasn't fun! I got food poisoning from some greasy West Virginia pizza place. It was horrible! I spent the night pretty much throwing up--So that was the worst part of my week . . . 

But the next day we found a very elect man! His name is Tom. He is a middle aged guy that lives by himself. We started teaching him about the restoration and He said "I don't want to know what religion to join, I want to know how I can gain my eternal salvation." His statement blew us away! What a golden answer!  We kept teaching and he listened so carefully! At the end of the lesson I asked him if he would get baptized when he found out our message is true. His response was. . . "DUH! Why wouldn't I?, If God wanted me to do this, then I would have to do it!" It was amazing! I have never gotten that strong of an answer before. He will be a great one--we are so excited! 

The work just keeps getting better and better! I'm so happy and having so much fun! I love this life and I love who I am becoming. The Gospel really does just transform you when you focus on living it. I love you all so much! Thanks for all the prayers and the support!

Keep the Faith, 

Elder Kaleb Bingham 

1st Week in Princeton, WV -- March 2, 2015

Hello Everyone,

It’s been such a good week! I said all my goodbyes in Richlands and packed up and left! It was actually harder than I thought to leave; it didn't feel real. It just went by so fast serving there but this change is good! 

Luckily the transfer was really easy; I only had to go about an hour and a half away so we just drove our car down to Princeton and met up with Elder Powell's new trainer and companion. Elder Trujillo and I have been getting along so well. He is such a great missionary! He has been out about 20 Months and has been a Zone Leader for six weeks. But I love Him~He is a blast!  

I have really loved my new area as well. Princeton is such a cool place!  It’s so great to be back in a big successful city! There are actually people everywhere to talk to--it is great! We live in a house. It is big, three bed rooms and two bathrooms and a giant family room. It is pretty nice! We also have a Subaru Legacy to drive, it’s the good life! :)  

So I guess we have just been working super hard the last few days. We have contacted a lot of people and our area is doing so good! There is a big teaching pool here and a lot of solid investigators; we have a few of them on date, so I'm pumped about that! I will tell you more about them when I learn more. 

So one fun thing we did last week was we had a District leader training meeting. As Zone Leaders, we are over about twenty missionaries. We have Three District Leaders that we work with to work with all the missionaries. So we had a training to help the District Leaders because they are all brand new at it. To be honest, Elder Trujillo and I didn't really know what we were supposed to do because we are both so new! But we pulled it off pretty well; It was such a good meeting though! I'm excited for our Zone and to see how the transfer goes. 

Church yesterday was so good! Being back in a ward is the greatest! It had been a while since I have been in a ward; they asked me to come up and bear my testimony and I was actually nervous because I wasn't used to the congregation! But all was well, it was a good meeting. The ward here has a good mix of people! There are a lot of older people, but there are a few young families that make it fun! And a big Primary!! I was so excited to see Primary kids again!!! 

I guess the highlight of my week was a lesson we had last night with a lady named Tina Morefield. She just retired and has been meeting with the missionaries for a few weeks. She is so funny! We brought a member with us to the lesson. We were talking about the importance of the Book of Mormon. It was a fun lesson--it is one of my favorite lessons to teach! It was powerful~I think we really helped her understand that the Book of Mormon is evidence and the greatest support we have that Jesus Christ’s Church has been restored back to this earth. Tina said something that I loved, We asked her who Jesus Christ is to her and she replied, "He is My personal Savior." It was so simple but powerful and had so much meaning. He truly is our personal Savior. And we should all know Him on a personal level. 

I’m so excited to be in this area and the opportunity I have to help serve so many missionaries! It is such a good time to be a missionary and to serve the Lord! I love this life! And I love you all as well. Hope everyone has a good week. :)    

Keep the Faith! 

Elder Bingham

P.S. This is my new home apartment address.  I would LOVE some letters!!! :) 

240 12th ST, ext. #17 
Princeton , WV 24740  

Interesting tidbit about Princeton!

Elder Powell

Elder Johnson's mom posted this on my Facebook today:

Hi Kristy. The one on the left belongs to you right? :) 

B. (Elder Johnson) sent me this today. This is what he said:

"I love Elder Bingham. He is a really good leader.

You just want him to like you, and you feel like he does."

  

Goodbye Richlands -- February 25, 2015

Hello Everyone,

Well I got some big news this week! I got a call from my Mission President Sunday night and he told me he was going to transfer me. At first I was a little disappointed because I didn't want to leave the people we have been working with. They are doing so well and they are all close to being baptized, but my Mission President is transferring me. . .  I'm going to a town called Princeton! It is in West Virginia! I am super excited! Here is also the other big news. .  I got called to be a Zone Leader! I'm super excited and a little nervous. But it is going to be fun. I have been to Princeton a few times; its big!! I'm so excited to serve in a more city area. It is going to be fun. My new companion is Elder Trujillo. (Good luck trying to pronounce it.) ;) But he is really great~ I know him pretty well!  

I have spent the last week preparing to say good bye to all the friends I have made. I say friends because I don't like calling them investigators--They are way more than that. The sucky part of a mission is leaving an area where you have grown so close to people. They really do become a part of you! They find themselves in a special place in your heart that just keeps getting bigger and bigger. 

I said goodbye to Dennis yesterday.  It was hard--I have worked so hard and for so long and it’s been so rewarding to see his knowledge grow in the restored gospel. I know he is going to always remember the feelings He has received from the Holy Ghost from the message we were blessed enough to deliver. My prayer is that I hope he can continue to learn and be baptized. It will happen one day, I know it. I just wish I could see it! But the Lord has a plan. 

I feel like Rich-lands has been my own "Refiners Fire."  I don't think I have ever been pushed so much in my life as I have been here. I have had my testimony challenged, There has not been a day we didn't get rejected by someone, and I have never seen this side of discipleship. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. I really wouldn't because this place has helped me become something better then who I was. I feel good about what I have done here and I can say again as I did my last area, I am leaving it better then I found it! 

I will also remember all the faithful members of the church that don't have it easy like we do back home. They have shown me how to really "walk in faith." What a blessing they have been for me!  

A quote I came across this week by President Monson is, "The greatest decision I have ever made is giving up something I loved, For the God that I loved even more; He has never forgotten me for that."  

What a great statement. I am finding this to be so true. I am learning more and more about who I really am and who I really want to become. I feel like my perspective is changing along with my testimony. It feels amazing! The sacrifices we make for the gospel and living it come back to bless us in so many ways! It’s all up to us if we are going to let it change us or not.  

I'm so excited to see what The Lord has in store for me in my next area! It will be an adventure. I love you all and thanks for all the great support and prayers!

Keep the Faith! 

Elder Kaleb Bingham  

Some pictures I got with Dennis  yesterday: 

Chad and I

Sam and I

I found my buddy Sage Kotsenburg on some cereal--

nobody would believe me when I told them that I competed with him in Park City.

Elder Powell and I

Snowed In -- February 18, 2015

Hello Everyone,

Well it has been an eventful last couple of days! 

We got hit with a giant snow storm! Well, really not that giant. . . but everyone else made it a big deal! We had a snow storm that put down about a foot of snow on Monday and on Tuesday it snowed about six inches or so. Out here people are not prepared for big storms so they just shut everything down. So we have been stuck in the neighborhood where we live for the last few days! 

It has been fun though. We have tried to be as productive as we can! We got a hold of some snow shovels and spent two days going around digging people out. It was actually some of the best service we have done in a while! We were able to meet a lot of people and get a good work out! We helped out one older lady and she was so thankful she invited us in to have a discussion and we ended up teaching her and her son about the restoration! It was amazing! It was really rewarding to also help so many people~~It felt good! 

Last P-day we went hiking in West Virginia somewhere! It was a blast! Our Zone went up and we hiked down to a cool looking waterfall. It was one of the funnest P-days I have had! It was one I will remember for a while. 

So Dennis came home from the hospital! He is so great! We have had some of the best lessons with him! We actually committed him to be baptized in April! We were so excited! You can see a big difference in him since we have started working with him. It’s so cool to see how the gospel transforms people! He has been praying to know what God wants him to do and he said that he has received his answers through us~I will share a few of them. :) 

1. He said one day we came over and he had a bad headache and he answered the door and as soon as he saw us his headache went away. We had a great lesson and right when we left and walked out the door his headache came back!  

2. He said from what he has seen from the Bible that Christ’s church has always been heavily persecuted. He noticed how much we go through as missionaries and realized we must be doing something right. 

3. He came to church and felt the spirit. He saw a member bare her testimony and he felt something different and it felt good and true. 

4. At the time of his life when he felt like he had no purpose, the missionaries showed up at his door and he tried to prove us wrong but soon found out that we were sent by God.  

Wow! When he told us all this, I was blown away. There were other things he told us, but I'm keeping those a little more sacred. They were too special to share. After the lesson, I told him now that he has received an answer, he needs to act on it and exercise faith and be baptized. He was hesitant at first, but he committed and now he is happy! It’s such a blessing to bring others to Christ! Please pray for him to keep going and progressing so he can be baptized. :) 

This has been our excitement lately. I'm so thankful to become a missionary! I have never been happier! I never would have thought that you could see these kind of miracles. They strengthen your testimony so much.  This work is amazing! 

So Church got called off because of the snow this week. :( But I hope it will be back this coming Sunday because we have so many people that are excited to come!  Being a missionary is the best! 

I love you all; thanks for the prayers and the support! :) 

Keep the Faith! 

 -Elder Kaleb Bingham