I Made It!

April 13, 2015

Dear Family,

1) My new companion is Elder McMullin. He is from Boise, Idaho and he has been out for over a year now. He came out on his mission after graduating from high school. Yes, he does have siblings. I think he has four. He is also the district leader of this area. 

2) No, I didn't know that MomMom was baptized here! That's awesome! Maybe I'll get to baptize someone here as well.

3) Yes, we do have some investigators here.

4) Yes, Elder Barney stayed in Martin. His new companion is Elder Larson.

5) Yes, I have taken pictures of the new apartment. I'll send them to you as soon as possible.

6) No, I'm going to keep the SD card. Surprisingly, I still got plenty of picture space on that card. I'll send it you when I'm about to run out of room or if for some reason I decide to send it sooner.

Man, what a week! I got to tell you, my first official transfer out of an area felt a lot like my departure week for the M.T.C.. One moment I was in my familiar area with my friends and doing the usual business. Then before I knew it, I'm shipped out to somewhere else and as soon as I get there I have to get right back to work. Yowza. I'll admit that once I'm done with this mission, I am not going to miss the transfer weeks. Why? I just hate change. Oh well, it is what it is.

Mom and Aubrey, I'm really glad that you had a fun spring break. I'm also glad that you sent me the pictures of Adam. He is adorable in those pics. Next time you two get to hang out with the cousins, uncles, and aunts, be sure to tell them "hi" for me.

I wish I could tell everything that has happened so far, but unfortunately, the computers that I'm now using have a time limit so you may be getting shorter e-mails from me. Sorry about that. I want you to know that I love you all and I miss you all. I'll write again soon.

Love,

Elder Michael Alley 

Big Changes!

Elder Alley's last few days in Martin, Kentucky

He was definitely well fed there.

He's going to miss this area...

and all the great people there!

Proof that Elder Alley is actually taking pictures. (Now we just need him
to send them our way!) Most of the pics on this blog have been from
Sister Bentley. :)

Looks like the Easter Bunny found Elder Alley

FYI: No children were harmed in the taking of these pictures. ;)

Practicing their martial arts skills 

Look at that concentration

Some of the amazing people he had the privilege of getting to know

April 8, 2015

Dear Family,

Well, as the title says, there some big changes coming our way. The news: I am being transferred to Parkersburg, West Virginia! My new companion will be Elder McMullen. Elder Barney has told me some good things about him, so I'm interested in seeing how this companionship will work out. Wish me luck. I have to admit, I already knew that I would be the one transferred even before we got the news. It just just made sense since I've been in Martin, Kentucky for 1/4 of my mission. I'll also admit that I had some mixed feelings about the news. I'm glad to finally go somewhere new (being in the same area for so long has made me ready for a change) but at the same time I'll miss the friends that I've made here in Martin, like the Winns and the Bentleys to name a few. In fact, just a few days ago I was crying in the bathroom at the thought of leaving. I thought to myself, "Why am I sad? Isn't this what I wanted? Don't I want to see other areas of the mission?" Elder Barney came to comfort me and told me that this is what happens when a missionary puts his heart and soul into an area. You always feel sad when you have to leave your friends behind. Even though I didn't get to baptize anyone or get a lot of investigators, I am proud of the work that Elder Barney and I have done here and I'm grateful for the people of Martin in being patient with me as I worked through my growth process as a missionary. Thank you Martin, Kentucky.

I also want to give a shout to our two future missionaries. I want to wish good luck to both Anika for the Washington Kennewick Mission and Kellie for the Massachusetts Boston Mission. Go bring them heaven you two!

Mom and Aubrey, I'm really happy that you two got to go to General Conference. I hope you continue to get more missionary blessings like that. My first General Conference as a missionary was amazing because two of our investigators came to the church building to watch the session with us! We even gave them a tour of the church building before the session! It was amazing! I was so excited to have them hear words of the Lord's modern-day Prophets, Seers, and Revelators. They really enjoyed hearing the General Authorities talk about marriage and families. I really hope they change their minds and join the church soon. When I heard that there will be a temple in Bangkok, Thailand, I thought, "Wow! Ashley is going to be stoked when she get this news!" I'm glad to hear that she did.

Well, that's all folks. I need to wrap up and finish packing. I'll write to you again soon. I love you all and miss you all. Hurrah for Israel!

Love,

Elder Michael Alley

Yowza!

Another great meal with the Bentleys

After doing some service at the Family History Center

Passing out cards and helping at the Shop and Share event

Corralling carts. Elder Alley likes to help in any way he can. :)

March 30,2015

Dear Family,

How's it going y'all? Are you ready for General Conference and Easter? As you probably already heard, the church has come out with a new missionary initiative called #BecauseHeLives. The link is HeLives.mormon.org. Check it out and really come to know that Easter is all about remembering and celebrating the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ.

This week has definitely been a good week for missionary work! Elder Barney and I went to a flea market and gave some of those #BecauseHeLives cards to some people and find some cool stuff there. We also helped our one of our member friends with a charity event called "Shop and Share" and gave some more of those cards to the people that we worked with. 

However, my highlight from this week was when I was helping this one cashier with bagging groceries for the customers. What happened was that the cashier asked me what the charity event was for and if she could contribute. I told her that the "Shop and Share" event is helping these Abuse Centers receive money and food so that they can take care of those people who suffered from domestic abuse and that she can contribute if she wants to. After she donated a few dollars, she opened up to me and told me how she left her home to get away from her abusive father. As we kept talking, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. I then gave her a #BecauseHeLives card with our phone number on it and told her that that if we can help her out with anything to give us a call. I really hope she views that video and that she will contact us soon. Please, pray for her and that we will be able to teach her the Gospel of Jesus Christ soon.

I'm super excited to hear about where Anika is going! Be sure to let me know in the next e-mail.

Well, I think that's everything. I'll let y'all know about the results from transfers next Wednesday. I love you all and miss you all. 

Hurrah for Israel!

Love,

Elder Michael Alley  

What a Week!

Doing one of the things Elder Alley likes best: service!

All loaded up

Taking a break after more service

Elder Barney

Work gloves on and ready to roll

Jenny Wiley State Park May Lodge

Good grub at the lodge!

Yum!

Picture from the conference with Elder D. Todd Christofferson
(This is the "old gang" back together again.)

March 23, 2015

Dear Family,

How's it going y'all? Man, this week was amazing! Allow me to list them off:

1) On Saturday morning, we had a mission conference where we got to meet and listen to an Apostle of the Lord: Elder D. Todd Christofferson! How awesome is that? My highlight from that meeting was when he asked all the missionaries to line up, shake his hand, introduce ourselves, and tell him where we were from. I felt so special when my turn came to shake his hand and say, "Elder Alley. From Spokane, Washington." It was amazing to just be in his presence. I wasn't able to take pictures of the event, but I saw President Salisbury's wife taking pics. I promise that you will get proof of this event.

2) I got to speak in sacrament meeting, sharing with the ward about what we learned from the conference. My talk was on Elder Christofferson's answer to the question "How do we humble ourselves and get rid of pride?" His answer was that it takes practice to force ourselves to think of others and that it won't come naturally. I also used Mosiah 3:19 and a personal story from the time when Max and I were wrestling to share some insights on humility. To make the long story short, I told the ward how I thought that my taekwondo skills could beat Max's wrestling but what happened next could be best described in this manner: "I was brought down to both the depths of humility and the floor." The ward got a good laugh from that comment. Still, a lot of the members congratulated me for the talk. I love giving talks.

3) We taught our new investigator Braxton (the cashier from our Dairy Queen Miracle) about the restoration at the church building! It was amazing and I thought that the lesson went very well as we taught him about the restoration and allowed him to express his beliefs and opinions. The only problem we're having right now is getting back in contact with him. Would you all be willing to pray for Braxton in your prayers so that we can teach him again soon? I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

4) We gave a lot of service this week. We helped box some food at a food pantry, hammer some floor boards at someone's house, and clean up a park. Man, what a week!

I'm also excited for April 8th because that's when I'll have completed a quarter of my mission! I'm almost a quarter of the way done! However, it will be on a transfer week and if I'm the one getting transferred, then I'll spending most of that Wednesday P-Day packing to leave and saying goodbye instead of celebrating. Oh well, it is what it is. Still, I'm looking forward to that milestone.

Well, I think that's it for my report. Take care y'all. Until next time. I love you all and miss you all. Hurrah for Israel!

Love,

Elder Michael Alley

P.S. I am driving a lot. Elder Barney and I just switch off every week. It's going good so far, but I will admit that a lot of these hollows are making me nervous. Just keep me in your prayers. Thank you.  

Almost 1/4 Complete!

March 16, 2015

Dear Family,

How's it going y'all? Man, it sounds you guys had a fun week. Especially the lip sync event. That looked like a lot of fun. I give a 10 to Aubrey and the gang. Way to go girls!

I also enjoyed the pictures of Austin pouting on his birthday. I thought they were hilarious. When I get back, I want a Power Ranger for my birthday. :) Lol.

Anyway, I'm glad you all had fun this week. I will admit that this was probably one of the slowest weeks for me as a missionary. Elder Barney and I have been struggling with finding new investigators and meeting with our current investigators. We also tried to go see other less-active members that we were assigned to go see but to no avail. Lately, it seems like people either aren't home or they're too "busy" to talk to us. However, this was also a week of spiritual growth for me. During the week, we had exchanges and Elder Thackeray (our new District Leader) told me that even though tracting is the least-effective finding tool there is, sometimes we have to do it if we want to show our Heavenly Father that we are committed to His work.

When Elder Barney came back, I took a moment to think about his advice. I then prayed to Heavenly Father asking Him to help me know what to do keep ourselves busy. In my prayer I told Him, "I promise that I will act on the prompting that thou givest me." When I ended the prayer, I told Elder Barney that we would go tracting. Even though most of Martin, Kentucky isn't "tracting friendly", there are a few areas that were walkable. We tracted to the homes of our neighbors and none of them were interested. One even told us right away, "I would appreciate it if you guys would just go your own way." Now, you're probably wondering how this is a spiritual moment for me. Well, even though we didn't find new investigators, I felt inner peace by the end of the day. I know that it was Heavenly Father telling me through the Holy Ghost that He was pleased that I did what He wanted me to do, no matter what the result was. It was a small victory for me, but I will always remember that moment. I'm glad that Bro. Peckham mentioned, "Despair and adversity are only temporary."

Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I apologize that there's not much to report on. But I'm really excited for April 8th. Why? Because that's my quarter mark! Yeah, baby! I'm almost 1/4 of the way done. 

Anyway, take care everyone. I love you all and miss you all.

Love,

Elder Michael Alley

I'm Still Here and Still Dry!

March 9, 2015

Dear Family,

How's it going y'all? How are things going in good ole Spokane, Washington? I'm really glad that Mom had a fun birthday. I just wish I could've been there. Don't worry, I promise that I'll make up for it somehow. I'm also glad that Aubrey's ankle is healing up. Thank goodness, I was a little worried when I first got the news. But hey, this shows that you can't keep a good Alley down.

As you all probably already heard, Martin did get flooded. However, I'm happy to report that Elder Barney, our Martin friends, and I were kept safe from the flood. The creek behind our trailer did get high but it would've taken a lot more snow and rain to make it reach us. Still, when we saw that and the other parts of town underwater, I told Elder Barney, "I think we're going to need to rent a couple boats and do our proselyting from there." Lol :) Who knows? Maybe one of these days we could proselyte on canoes. I'll call this new missionary finding tool: Row-by Preaching. :) Anyway, we were kept safe and the roads are now safe to drive on. Most of the town has dried up by now.

I admit that this week was a slow week. With the flood blocking a lot of roads and a couple of teaching appointments falling through on us (even though they were on days that there was no flood), I admit that it's during those moments where I say to myself, "I can't wait for this week to be over." However, there was one cool event that happened. My favorite senior missionary couple, the Winns, (I'm not just saying that because they're the only senior missionary couple in our area, lol) invited us to have dinner at their apartment along with a couple people that they've been working with, I'll refer to them as R and D. R is a less-active member and D is his investigating girlfriend. The Winns wanted us to teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ. We had a great dinner, fun conversation, and an amazing lesson. The spirit was just so strong there and I felt like Elder Barney and I were a well-oiled machine teaching them.

But my highlight of that night was when I extended the baptismal invitation to D! I was so happy about that accomplishment because I'm always so nervous about extending this invitation. It's a long story but I always get nervous about extending this invitation because I don't know what kind of response I will get. However, I've been praying to Heavenly Father to give me the faith and courage to extend this invitation at the next chance I get. One of the things that helped me overcome this fear was remembering a counsel from the Zone Leaders when they said, "It's important to find out what concerns our investigators have. Baptism invitations can help us find out." I won't go into detail about the concerns we found out from R and D, but I just want to say that I'm proud of the progress that I've been making and that the Lord helped me to overcome one of my fears!

Well, I think that should do it. I hope you guys have a great week. I love you all and miss you all.

Hurrah for Israel!

Love,

Elder Michael Alley   

All the Way from Martin, Kentucky!

March 2, 2015

Dear Family,

How's it going y'all? Man, this transfer week has been the weirdest week for me. As you have already heard, the Prestonsburg area got shut down, which means that Elder Barney and I are now in charge of both Martin and Prestonsburg. This week was mainly spent trying to find the investigators that the P-burg Elders were working with, finding our way around the area, and raiding the food supply that the elders left behind. Now, we don't have to worry about shopping for a while :).

However, as weird as this week was, it's actually a blessing in many ways. Now we have more investigators to teach and we can travel to more places. Finding our way around town will be a challenge and so is continuing the lessons with these investigators, but I'm sure Elder Barney and I will pull through.

Fast Sunday was awesome! We found a couple of new investigators after tracting in this town called Allen, Kentucky and contacting a Church Media Referral. They were very open-minded and very receptive to us. However, my favorite part of that day was having dinner with our Baptist neighbors from across the street. Their names are the Campbells and they are an older and very nice couple. During that snow week, we helped them shovel snow off their driveway and they thanked us by inviting us to dinner that weekend. They've actually met some missionaries before and they all left great impressions on the Campbells. 

Anyway, what we we've been doing with them is that we would have dinner with them and then have a "religious" discussion with them. Basically, we share with each other what we believe and know. I have been really enjoying those discussions because they're super nice and very open-minded. Even though they told us right away that they don't want to change religions, they still want to hear what we have to say. I've come to really appreciate people who are willing to talk to us, even if they have different beliefs.

Anyway, that's my highlight for the week. I hope things are going well in Spokane, Washington. I'm glad everyone got a good laugh about the "Car vs Canoe" incident. Lol. I also hope Aubrey's ankle heals up soon. I'll keep her in my prayers. Until next time, take care everyone. I love you all and miss you all.

Love,

Elder Michael Alley