November 21, 2011 Thanksgiving

"Dear Family,

I have so much support from all of you, you have built me up so much this Monday with your Emails, pictures, smiles and experiences. I am in absolute joy right now reflecting on how much I love each one of you I really am so happy to hear from you this week. I love this work and hope it never stops. I really almost don't believe I have been out this long. Alex wow you are a strong man I am so amazed and have really been uplifted by your emails. You have become  an effective advocate and messenger of truth. I love your emails because I feel the spirit as I read them. I also can't wait to here about all of your experiences in detail. Your areas the people.... I love missionary everything.

This family is amazing. This thanksgiving season I would like to take the time to express how grateful I am for that great man we all know and love and his wife, they are Grandma and Grandpa Hamilton. There legacy is one of the most amazing stories I have every heard. I am eternally grateful for there faith, sacrifice and love. I thank my heavenly father that I am part of the Hamilton family. We are so blessed to be able to gather together each holiday and enjoy each others company!  Much like the thanksgiving table we all have our unique flavors, and added together we make the best meal! I would like to say thank you for your kind and loving support throughout all of my life. You have always been there form me. YOU are my Family

Alex,

I have always looked up to you. You really are a great example to me. I am so proud of you, and everytime I hear someone say Florida I instantly say, oh my cousin in serving there. I really want you to know that I am grateful for you.

Love,

Elder Conder

P.S. Remember that awesome tree house, and playing with Lego's, we are going to have some great times when I get home."

November 14, 2011 MAMMA MIA

"Dear MOMMA DON"T YOU KNOW I LOVE YA,          

Here on the mission there is tons of beauty and sweet serenity. I find it in the most simple things. I have come to this place surrounded by the bluest of the blue waters greenest of the green trees and freshest of the fresh air, yet I rarely find the overwhelming  feelings of peace and love on the beach, or driving or the  migrating song birds singing there tunes. It is true that I love these moments, but the best part of it all and the most enjoyable time is often in the quiet of a home. Teaching a lesson to a family, a young man, or anyone for that matter that is were the spirit is. When my heart is filled with charity life seems to be complete. I love being here on this mission and my heart has been filled this week. I love my brothers and sisters more and more each step I take.

The lords work is his work. Walking home from a lesson I was thinking, why would we have been brought to teach this one guy, a pastor of another church. No we didn't end up teaching his congregation, but the lord used that to put us in the right place at the right time. On our walk home a Blue car stopped in front of us. YES, I ride we said. Then I realized that it was Troy's car. Troy, wow that is awesome. We walked up to the car, and peered in. Edison! What ??? This was amazing, the two people we had tried to see that night. As we drove home I realized wait a second, we have an hour of walking time we just cut out so we drove with Troy and Edison. We then had time to  teach them about the importance of reading the scriptures daily. Troy was having some serious doubts about the church, but after reading the seed of faith in Alma 32 they both committed to give it there all. To read everyday, pray and attend church. I was really a great blessing.

There have been so many great events this week I scarce can take it in. I love you all have a great week. Hard work always brings Blessings. You will never regret doing the right thing!

Love,

Elder Conder

November 7, 2011 I am Thankful for all of You Letters & Packages, Welcome Home Ben!

"Thank you everyone for your emails this week. I have been so uplifted by them. I really appreciated you taking your time out to write those. Life really gets better with a little love from your loved ones. I am looking at a picture from one of the emails I got this week and well it seem surreal, Ben is home. My companion just asked me who is this, pointing to the picture of Ben. I told him that is one of the best men I have ever known. I often think of how much worse life would be without him. Ben I love you and I can't wait to see you again.

This week has been filled with good positive and uplifting experiences. From Billies BBQ on Monday, to the Sunday Honor roll parade. So many fun things have been happening. We also received some great spiritual experiences. Sacrament meeting was filled with the spirit as member after member went and boar testimony of the gospel.

On Monday we were invited by a very nice and also giant man to come to a BBQ, it was some of the best food I have had on the Island. Lobster soup, Chicken, Corn on the Cob, pork Dish after Dish it just kept coming. I love meeting people like this. They are so nice. I am so excited to share the gospel with them. I also got an awesome Halloween package from Elora. On Tuesday you will never guess who showed up at mommies house. Yup our new friend the pidgeon. He flew into the back room and then mommy caught him. That was so fun! Then on Wednesday Elder Roberts killed a bee, and put it on his tongue. Thursday after coming out of a great lesson with Troy our investigator with a baptismal date we saw, the stunt man. All and all it was a great week. I love being on a mission and having so many things happening all around everywhere we go, experience after experience.

This week I have also felt a deep love growing more and more for my brothers and sisters all around me. I have had the opportunity to call almost everyone in the branch and talk to them. I has been great. I hope that Heavenly Father can continue to help me move this work forward. I love you all so much.

Love,

Elder Conder"

October 31, 2011- One Year & One Week Later, GREAT WEEK!

"I started this mission for Lord one year and 4 days ago today, it has been the best time of my life I love being a missionary. I have so many fond memories from the MTC with Elder TouTai to My first area and Meeting Maria Drydent for the first time on my first night, who later became the first baptism. What an incredible time in my life this is. I am so Excited to here about all of the adventures of Sister Toni Carter as she embarks on her mission soon. Their is nothing else like being a missionary on the Lords errand.

This week there were memorable moments right and left. I hope these pictures can offer a deeper description of these moments. (Elora has posted the pictures on Jamaicanjames.blogspot.com) The most highlightable moments this week have been........

• Stick bug, we were walking  into district meeting and Elder Roberts pointed at my pants and there he was, our new friend!

• Rickys Birthday party. The pictures that go with this are the man in the birthday hat and the toast over the table. Ricky, or Bro Dickensen is an awesome man he teaches with us almost everyday and we were trying to throw him a party and well we ran out of money so that wasn't really working out so well. So we called Mommy/ Sister Pierr and within 4 Hrs. she made Lobster and Conch and rice and peas had everyone together and made brownies. I am pretty sure she is wonder women.


• Branch choir is really becoming a hit. We started this two weeks ago and our numbers have now doubled. It is so fun just being with the members. I love them so much.

• Year one Picture. The next is my one Year mark. That one was more of personal feelings and happiness I felt.

• Saturday Holloween Party, that was a blast we had tons of people there! It was so fun to see everyone dressed up and having a good time. I was really surprised to see how many people actually dressed up and everyone was having a good time.


Well I wish I had more time to talk, but that's it for this week. I love you all so much. I want to send out again if you are considering a mission, Just DO it  !!!!!. It will never be easy, but it will be worth it!

Love,

Elder Conder"

33 C Gold Coin Lane Apt# 5

Freeport Bahamas

October 24, 2011

"The time comes when the bud blossoms and becomes the rose its sent to be. 

Sounds poetic ooo nice. 

Well the old saying goes, "We Didn't start the fire it was always burning since the worlds been turning."

 

Yup Great 

A wise man once said, Where every man stands there was once a boy.

Sounds wise eh? 

Ya those have nothing to do with this. I hope you liked it though. Ha ha, maybe I will  try to tie them into my week.  This week was really, and I know I have probably said this so much, one of the best weeks of the mission. Everything about this week went really well. Elder Roberts and I are pretty much best friends, We completely revamped our teaching by the spirit (by teaching people at the church and a few other things), We have some new amazing people that we are working with. We have had so many things happen this week that I don't think there are enough keys on this board to display them properly.

Guess how this week started out. ........  Op you guessed it , with Monday. Yup is started out just like any other week and in  a lot of other ways it was like most every other week, but there were many tender mercies from the lord throughout the week. On Monday we had the opportunity to have 4 people put in our path. Each one lined up by heavenly father. They all add a spark and a fan to my kindling fire! When Tuesday came the fire was beginning to swell. More and more people where placed into our path and each brought there own light to my life and as our investigator accepted his date to be baptized the sparks cut and the fire roared in my heart filling my soul. I blazed with every lesson that proceeded. Within every eye that  I gazed, a child of god is what I saw. I was filled with the gift of charity and my life seemed complete!  I love my brothers and sisters here in this land and I will do whatever I can. If you are every thinking about a mission, Yes this is you to mom and dad, Do it!!!!  These feelings, and this way of life, did not come all at once, but I could have never experienced this without being on the Lords errand. Once Again I would like to thank you for helping me get here. I love you all so much. Please have a good week. 

Love, 

Elder Conder"

October 17, 2011- Baptism This Week!!

"Dear Friends And Family,

Thank you for all of your prayers, I have definitely have felt them this week. This was a great week. I was touched by the spirit as I sat in Zone Conference. We were uplifted as we listened to words specifically calibrated to help more fully devote ourselves to the service of the lord. It was truly taught by the spirit because the message went straight into my heart. Charity is a necessity in this life "though you have the gift of prophecy .... if ye have not charity your nothing".

This Sunday was great, with the baptism of our Sister Bula Baseden and I had the opportunity to speak in sacrament. I loved it. Bulas Baptism, was so great I love her so much. She has been taught for over 6 months, and the first missionary that taught her was my old companion in Ocho Rios, Elder Tracy. Bula is great she reads the Book of Mormon almost everyday, and she has only missed church once in the three months that I have been here. This Sunday we also had the baptism of Brother Clarence Cash a child of record. Clarence's Brother now wants to be baptized. He is 11 so he will be a convert baptism. I love serving in the lords work!!!

Love,

Elder Conder"

October 10, 2011- Read The Book of Mormon!

"This week was great. Our Branch Pres. has issued out a Book of Mormon reading challenge to all the members. Read it by the end of the year. It has Caught on like a wildfire. I hope that you would take the challenge as well to read it by the end of the year. It has put such a refreshing tone on everything here, it has helped us so much. I know that it will help you a ton as well. I would love to hear your progress in your reading. Shoot me an email, a letter would be GREAT!

Love,

Elder Conder

P.s. I hope the pictures can speak for themselves.

I love you all!"

Elder Conder                                (98 cent us stamp)

33 C Gold Coin Ln Apt # 5

Freeport Bahamas