March 26, 2009

On Friday we got a call from our friend Bryce Kruman, who returned from college about two months ago to work and get ready for his mission. On Friday, he got his call to the China Hong Kong mission Cantonese speaking! He is still very very excited. We celebrated by taking him out for a McDonalds Ice Cream cone. He is always great to come teaching with us whenever we need someone. He leaves in July and I’m really going to miss him.

Saturday we had our long awaited Family History Open House. It went better than could have been expected. It was attended by over 100 non-members and then we also had a pretty large group of kids who signed up for Genealogy merit badge. We had three classes that lasted about 30 minutes and started on the half hour. One class was on using the internet to do family history. One was a basic intro on to how to get started doing your family history. The last was what the church has to offer and all about our family history facilities. We had over 400 pass along cards distributed, tear off flyers put up in grocery stores and libraries, and a news paper article as our way of drawing people in. We are now teaching a few people who attended and who were interested in the church as well as why the church has such an emp. on family history. It was great! We had our district come to help out as tour guides and helping teach lessons during break in the gym. I thought 8 missionaries would be a lot but it turned out to be perfect.

Sunday was Stake Conference at the Pennypack Chapel. I have a huge entry in my journal about how much I loved it but the short version is this… Elder Jose Teixeira and Elder Matthew Eyring were the General Authorities and Area Seventy who came to select our new Stake Presidency. It was definately an exciting and power packed meeting.  The new Stake Presidency is President Jordan Petersen (who was the first counselor), Pres. Steve Coltrin (prev. second coun.), and President Leon Schwab (previously our bishop!). They are a wonderful and experienced group of men. They are very young and energetic as well. The talks they presented were about looking forward to a future of change, with the temple coming soon things are going to start picking up and they are expecting a lot of growth. We are now looking forward to having a new Bishop called very soon. Bishop Schwab was a wonderful Bishop and many people are going to miss him very much. He is a great leader and has helped us to change the spirit of missionary work in the ward.

Alright that’s all for now.

I love you.

-Mike

March 19, 2009

On Monday of this week, we had our Zone Training Meeting at the Broad St. Chapel with the rest of the missionaries from the Philadelphia stake. It was a very well presented meeting. The zone leaders we have right now are top notch.

On Tuesday, we had our interviews with President Murray, which was really nice. We used to be rushed through interviews during our Zone Training Meetings but now we have a longer time to talk with each other. President Murray is an incredible Mission President and I always love to hear his guidance and insight.

Our big stake conference is coming up this Sunday. Many people are looking forward to it. They are holding this conference just to call the new stake president instead of waiting until May when our conference is currently scheduled.  We have some great men currently serving in  stake callings from our ward so I wouldn’t be surprised if I know the new president. It will be pretty fun to see. The new stake president will have a lot in store for him though with the temple being built and everything. I’ll also be able to see lots of friends from the old wards and branches I have served in. The Pennypack ward,Frankford branch and Logan wards will be there as well.

Our ward Family History Open House is looking good for this Saturday. Brother Hludzinski has really done everything you could imagine to ensure the most success possible. We are all really excited to see what happens and what comes of it. We could have between 30 to 300 people show up. So we have planned for anything.

Last Sunday was great. We had some awesome investigators at church and Elder Moorhead and I had the opportunity to sing in our exceptionally talented ward choir! We had been practicing an arrangement of “My Shepard Will Supply My Need” by Mack Wilberg. It was incredible!!! I think it blew everyone away. We were accompanied by Sister Rawlins on the flute and Brother Ross on the Brass Oboe. Very fun.

We have so many members that are anxiously engaged in missionary work. They are studying out of Preach My Gospel and inviting their friends to come over to their homes and hear the lessons with their family! I couldn’t ask for a more proactive ward. They are just blowing Elder Moorhead away. If we ever have an appointment that we need a member to come with us they always come through. We don’t hear the lame excuses that you get from most “busy” people. If you want to meet a busy person meet our ward mission leader who does more than we could imagine to magnify his calling! Brother Hludzinski has 8 children, works in New York City, attends and holds all meetings he is supposed to, and still manages to come out teaching with us at least once a month. Incredible.

Quickly- Funeral in the ward last week. I was asked to be a Pall Bearer. I don’t like Funerals but our Bishop did a stellar job.

Next, could you please send or have brother newberry send me the pictures from our priest trips. At least the ones from the temple trip in front of every temple and cliff jumping and mountian biking. Thank You!

Transfer calls are on Sunday the 29th. We are a little scared that they might separate us. But I don’t really think they would. We are seeing so much improvement personally and in the area! I love it. President said, “Well Elder Oakford, I hope you are enjoying Oakford, PA. Maybe we’ll have to find somewhere named Michaelsville or something like that to send you to next.” ha ha

One of area absolute favorite members Bryce Kruman submitted his papers for his mission just two weeks ago so we are really excited for him to get his call. He comes out teaching with us about 2-4 times a week. I told him he is going to wish he had a Bryce Kruman to call when he goes on his mission. He had a bunch of friends that submitted theirs the same week and already received there calls to the California Ventura Mission!!! 3 different people – all friends! So I’m hoping Bryce gets lucky as well.

Alright I’ve got to run. I love you!!!!

Elder Michael Oakford

March 12, 2009

Today is my 547th day on my mission! Isn’t that crazy! Elder Moorhead keeps reminding me that I’ve now been out 18 months, which is really not very exciting. All of the missionaries who were in the field when I got here are now going home. Three of my companions (Elder Olsen, Elder Wolsey and Elder Atkinson) are leaving at the end of this transfer as well as Sister McFarland, who I was in the MTC with! It’s crazy! This week really has been exciting! Elder Moorhead and I have been working so hard on getting people to church and having those people all ready for baptismal dates. This last Sunday was slightly disappointing, but we still had three great investigators show up to church. And now the past couple days have been miracle filled! I wish I could communicate all the excitement that we feel in words so you could feel the energy of missionary work that we are now. It really is contagious though. Members in the ward are being so proactive. I can’t believe it! We have three or four different families that have invited their friends over to be taught in their homes. We also have been going to Seminary at 6:00am on Fridays to help get the youth excited about missionary work and that really has worked. A couple of them have been inviting their friends to seminary and mutual and church, they’re great. We have received a few referrals of friends of the youth, which is good but one of the sisters invited one of her friends and her whole family to come to her house for a family night with the missionaries! I don’ t know how it happened but this ward is on fire! It really helps to have such amazing leadership in the ward. Brother Hludzinski our fiery ward mission leader is so proactive and is the catalyst of everything that is happening now in the ward. Bishop Schwab amazes us the more we work with him. We now talk to him on a regular basis and he is very involved with everything that is happening with missionary work. We can all feel the spirit of missionary work and it is visable how it is binding the ward together. This past week was ward conference. The departing stake presidency did a fantastic job! Everyone could really feel the love that they have for those that they serve. President Olson has been called to the Ogden, Utah Mission as the Mission President. SOoo on the 22nd of this month we are having a special stake conference where a new stake presidency will be called. Elder Jose A. Teixera of the First Quorum of the Seventy and Elder Eyring (President Eyrings son) are coming to do the interviews. I wish I had more time to tell you about ward conference, I think I took more notes in the meetings there then I have at any other meeting except General Conferences. Elder Moorhead has been just a blast to work with. He reminds me so much of Michael Hammon and the kind of friend that he is. We are getting along very well and because of that unity we are seeing so much success. He really is the kind of person you want as a life long friend. Alright. I hope all is well at home. I love you all! Love, Elder Michael Oakford

March 5, 2009

New photos from Mike:

Mike and the Andersons

Mike and Sister Murray

Happy Cinco de Marzo!!

Just another amazing week in the books. Yesterday, we had Zone Conference at the Broad St. chapel. It was another incredible and spirit-filled meeting. I loved it. One of the big focuses was on maintaining a positive attitude wherever you are. Lots of missionaries are coming into the mission and their first stop might be in the city so their perspective of the suburbs is completely misconstrued. The work is different in the city and in the suburbs or rural areas, but it is still very possible! We should all be going into areas with a positive mindset. We talked about the parable of the sower and how we need to change the areas that are rocky or have thorns into fields that are ready to harvest.

And we HAVE been doing that. Our retention rate has shot through the roof. When I came into the mission we were looking at a high high week having 15% retention. Mission-wide we are now looking at over 70% retention of converts baptized in the last 6 months. One amazing fact shows the inner city ward of Logan with 100% retention for the past two weeks! To people who never thought it could be done, it has.

The solution to the problem was the members. The active members of the church are now playing a critical and very involved role in missionary work. I love it! Working with active members is KEY! If we don’t have member and leader support you will never have converts retained so what’s the point of baptizing? Our ward in particular is doing incredible. Last week we had over 15 members come teaching with us. And a couple families invite us to there homes, not just to have dinner. But for a lesson and to discuss how they can be more involved doing missionary work. We go into their homes and set up Family Mission Plans and help them set goals with dates so they can see the miracles and feel the missionary spirit in their homes!  I LOVE IT!

OK, well that’s all for today. I hope you got my pictures. They are taking forever to load.

Love you.