Sept 16, 2013 - Indianola, IA

Dear Family:

Well it was a great week in Indianola. We did a lot of knocking on doors but the weather improved a lot by the end of the week.  The past two days it has been just perfect.  It even rained a little bit.  It has been very dry lately so I am sure the crops loved it.  It is very cloudy right now so we may be getting some more soon.  So the weather is doing great!

We had the opportunity to go and hear Elder Gay from the seventy and he gave us some great advice for working with the members and asking inspired questions to people.  He also helped us by talking about how hard missionary work really is and gave us a lot of comfort.  We truly do have the greatest leaders in the church and they are all here to help us in all ways.

Well our investigators are doing alright.  Almost lost one this last week.  But we talked to her and it is all good now.  We are meeting with one investigator tonight and that will be a great lesson.  Keep our investigators in your prayers.  Love you all!

Sincerely;

Elder Spencer Ariotti

Sept 9, 2013 - Indianola, IA

Dear Family:

Well it has been a long and tiring week in Indianola.  We did a lot of knocking on doors and talking with people so it was fun.  But it was very exhausting.  We did meet with a lot of people and planted many seeds.  It was great meeting all of those people.  For this week we will continue doing it and following up with all of those people that we talked with.

We have a great meeting to look forward to with a member of the seventy.  It will be a very spiritual meeting and one that I will look forward to.  I enjoy the spiritual recharge that I get from meetings that are like this.  They help me press forward and get past the hardships of the mission.

My companion is called to one of the San Paulo missions and he is really ready to go.  Hopefully he gets his visa here soon.  That would just make his day.  Well I love you all and the Gospel is true!

Sincerely;
Elder Spencer Ariotti

Sept 3, 2013 - Indianola, IA

Dear Family:

Well it has been another transfer meeting.  My new companion is Elder Huxford.  He is from Boulder city Nevada.  He is a visa waiter of 6 months going to Brazil and he is ready to go.  We have been working hard these past few days knocking on doors and spreading the good word of God.  It was hot last week but then since Sunday it has been cooler and that is a great blessing.  Hopefully the Lord keeps on blessing us with new people to teach.

Well next week we will be having a visit with Elder Gay of the seventy for our mission tour.  So that should be exciting.  Other then that we will just be working hard and doing the best that we can.  The Gospel is true!

Sincerely;
Elder Spencer Ariotti

August 26, 2013 - Indianola, IA

Dear Family:

Well it has been another week in Indianola.  We got our transfer calls this week and I will be staying and my companion will be going somewhere else.  It has been a fast transfer and who knows what the future holds for me and my new companion.

Well this past weekend we had a great lesson with a part member family that Elder Ashworth has been working with.  They were able to ask a lot of questions and we were able to respond to them with the spirit.  This family had not been contacted by the missionaries a lot and it was a great miracle to see them progress like they have in the gospel.

Well I will let you all know who my new companion is.  Love you all!

Sincerely;

Elder Spencer Ariotti

August 19, 2013 - Indianola, IA

Dear Family:

Well it has been a great week in Indianola.  Not a lot happened with investigators but we did meet with a lot of people.  We got a phone call from some members and they had a friend that needed some help moving out of her house because she got evicted.  We got there and had a lot of work to do.  But we did on the plus side get two members to show up with there big trucks that really saved the day.  Its moments like that that really show you Gods love for all of us.

I also noticed that this week marked the six months I have left of a mission.  That really freaked me out.  It has all gone by so fast and I dont want it to go like that.  And this transfer is coming to an end as well next week.  We will find out on Saturday what will be happening.  My companion is sure that he will be leaving the area since he has been here for a long six months.  Everything is really starting to speed up.  It is a little scary.

Well that is all that I have to report on.  Love you all so much!

Sincerely;
Elder Spencer Ariotti

August 12, 2013 - Indianola, IA

Dear Family:

Well it has been another week in Indianola.  It has been a very great week.  We found two new investigators this week and that is what has made it so special.  Both are having a hard time with life and could really benefit from the Gospel in there lives.  It was really nice to have that happen for us.  It was just another sign saying that the Lord is preparing people for us.  It was just awesome.

Other then that we had a Zone meeting and we heard of some big changes for us missionaries.  We are now switching to shoulder bags only.  We are also allowed to wear brighter colored suits.  And a few meeting have been shortened.  So I am going to need to find me a shoulder bag by the end of this month.  Big changes coming for us missionaries.

Well that is about it.  I wounder what is in store for us this week.  Love you all!  Gospel is true!

Sincerely;
Elder Spencer Ariotti

August 5, 2013 - Indianola, IA

Well it has been another week in Indianola.  It has been a good week.  We meet with a lot of people and got to know the members a little bit more and set up a lot of appointments with people.  We had a little tragedy that happened to a member family on Monday.  They had several parts of there house burn from a fire and have been told that the need to find a new place to live.  Sadly this has happened to them a few times.  But because of this the members were able to share there love and go to help this family.  It was very good to see that most of the members that bore testimony yesterday talked about there love for the family.

Well this week we will be meeting up with our zone for a meeting.  Other then that we just have appointments to look forward to and meeting with some members.  The weather has been great here for the past week.  Not hot at all for the most part.  Today it will be raining so we will probably be getting some humidity for this next week.  Should be fun.....

Well I love you all and I know this Gospel is true!

Sincerely;

Elder Spencer Ariotti

July 29, 2013 - Indianola, IA

Dear Family:

Well it has been a great week in Indianola.  We had a very productive week and visited a lot of members.  It has also been very cool as far as the weather goes for the past few days.  It has just been heaven with this weather.  Not too hot and not to cool.  We were able to go to the town fair this week with an investigator of ours and had a interesting time there.  Got to watch my very first truck pull which was very interesting.

We were also able to have our first interviews with our mission president on Wednesday which was good to do.  He is a very interesting man and has many good ideas that will help the mission.  This week we were also able to see a lot of hot air balloons fly by.  Apparently it is a big thing to do in Indianola.

Well that is about it.  I love you guys and I know that the Gospel is true and does bless peoples lives so much.

Sincerely;

Elder Spencer Ariotti

July 22 mission photo

Good luck trying to find me!  I am in the back row.  You can only see above the nose of my face.  To my left is a tall blond Elder.  Hope you guys can find me!

July 22, 2013 - Indianola, IA

Dear Family:

Well greeting from Indianola Iowa!  Indianola is south of Des Moines about twenty or thirty miles.  My new companion is Elder Ashworth who has been out for 20 months now.  We are both serving as senior companion in our companionship which is very confusing.  But oh well.

The work is going good here in Indianola.  We have two people that show promise in getting baptized.  We just need to meet with them and give them a specific date that we feel they could be baptized on.  We also have a lot of potential investigators to contact here so we have a lot of potential.  The members here are awesome as well.  Oh and one of the Zone Leaders in our area is one of the Elders that I came out with so that is exciting. 

Well that is all that I have to share.  I will find out a little bit more about the area for next week.  Love you all!

Sincerely;
Elder Spencer Ariotti

July 15, 2013 - Fairfield, IA

Dear Family:

Well it has been another great week in Fairfield.  Unfortunately I have heard some interesting news concerning my stay in Fairfield.  I will be transferred this week from Fairfield.  Yep I have only spent six weeks here and the Lord has called me to somewhere else.  Fairfield will actually be changing to a Zone Leader area and Elder Beck will be staying to assist with that.  It was sad yesterday at church when everyone heard I was going away.  This is not something that usually happens to missionaries.  But I am sure there is something I am suppose to do in some other place.

Well this past week, besides getting that phone call, was good.  Nothing very special but it was just a good week.  We meet with a bunch of people and had good times with them.  On Saturday morning we got to help the branch members with a service project.  We painted the side of a less active members home and that was good to do something different.  Well as many of you may have noticed today marks the 7 months until I come home.  It has all really gone by fast.  It is kind of sad but time does that sometimes.

Well I have got a lot of packing to do for this Thursday and a lot of people to say goodbye to.  Hopefully I will only have to do this a few more times.  It is always really hard to do this to people that I have grown close to.  Love you all and this Gospel is true!

Sincerely;

Elder Spencer Ariotti

July 8, 2013 - Fairfield, IA

Dear Family:

Well it has been a great fourth of July week in Fairfield.  The fourth of July was a great day.  We had a branch breakfast that morning so we spent time helping and talking with everyone during that.  Then later in the day we were invited by the branch president son to have dinner with them and some other members of the branch.  It was a very fun day.  Then the other days of the week were kinda hard.  A lot of people were gone because of the holiday and that was hard but we tried to make them as productive as possible.

We had a great time meeting with our new mission president and wife on Wednesday.  They will be great as the leaders of the mission.  I hope everyone had a great week themselves.  It has not been as hot as you guys may have had.  It started to warm up a little bit near the end but it didnt get above 90 very much.  It was a little humid but not to bad so it was very mild.  I remember that last year at this time it was very hot.  It has certainly been a very different summer for me being a missionary.

Well I am glad all is well.  I love you all and I know this Gospel is true!

Sincerely;

Elder Spencer Ariotti

July 1, 2013 - Fairfield

Dear Family:

Well it has been another week in Fairfield.  It has not been as hot as you guys have been getting.  It has been staying around 80 degrees and it is not very humid so it is not as bad as you guys have it. Well this weekend we had the official switch over for the mission president.  We will be meeting President and Sister Jensen on Wednesday for a zone conference so that is exciting.  We will also be having a breakfast with branch members and also other people on the fourth so that will also be very fun for us.  We have been passing out invites like crazy to people so we are hoping that we will get a lot of missionary opportunities with this.

This past week has been a very interesting one.  We had to drive a lot and we also have been giving a lot of blessings to people.  I think I have just doubled the amount of blessing I have been a part of in my entire life with this past week.  But I was able to feel Gods love for people and be able to help them.

Well other then that not much else to say.  We are working our hardest and hoping that we will get some new investigators this week.  Love you all and I know that this Gospel is true!

Sincerely;

Elder Spencer Ariotti