Week 47: Mission Tour!

 

Hey everyone! This has been another fun week here in Youngstown! We've been staying pretty busy with lessons and service. One exciting thing that happened was that Elder Bennett of the 70 did a mission tour with us. It pretty much consisted of having a bunch of zoom meetings with Elder Bennett. 

Here's a quick run through of the week:

Monday was a pretty good p day. We played a lot of basketball and did some service in the morning. Other than that it was a pretty average day.

Tuesday was the start of the daily zoom calls for this week with Elder Bennett. We all joined as a mission and he gave us training and Council on how to be better Missionaries. After that was over we had a ton of lessons with members and applied what we learned and it was awesome! The members here are awesome!

Wednesday we started the day with the zoom call with Elder Bennett and talked about connecting with members. After that we went on training visits with the social media specialists in our district, Elders Davis and Washburn. I was with Elder Washburn for the day and we had a good time. We did a lot of social media work and did some service.

Thursday started off the same with the zoom meeting with Elder Bennet. Afterwards we did a bunch of studies and then contacted like a million people. No one responded really, but it was still good to reach out to a ton of people. 

Friday we started the day off like normal, with a zoom training call with Elder Bennet. It went pretty good and we talked about miracles we've seen this past week. When that was done we went and had a pretty interesting lesson with a referral but other than that, nothing happened.

Saturday we went on training visits with the elders in Warren, Elder Hammond and Chase. We did some weekly planning in the morning and then went and shot a video for the Facebook page with the other Elders. After that we got some BBQ from a place called Cockeyes. It was pretty good and made for a good finish to an awesome day.

Sunday we had in person Church for the 1st time in about 6 months which was an absolute hoot. After that we had a couple sweet lessons and a very spiritual Restoration lesson with some people we've been trying to get in contact with.

Miracle of the week:

We were able to find like 3 or 4 new people that seem super solid for teaching, which is awesome! I'm so excited to see how much they progress!

Funny moment of the week:

One guy that we met on Sunday had just barely woken up from a nap and we asked if we could share a message with him. He responded, of course, and said, "go for it, I j can't remember anything because I'm exhausted". When we got done he said, "Well thanks boys, I gotta finish what I started" and probably went back to sleep when we left. Good times!

Love, 

Elder Bohn

Week 46: Hello Youngstown!

 

Hey everyone! They decided to kick me out of Cleveland and just send me next door to Youngstown. My new companion is Elder Grayson and he is a stud! He was reassigned here from Mexico and is about to finish his mission. We share our apartment with the Spanish Elders, Elder Douglass and Magleby, and it's been an absolute party!

Here's a quick run through of this week:

Wednesday was my last full day in Cleveland and we spent pretty much the entire day cleaning the apartment and packing. It was a pretty depressing day because I'm going to miss it here in Cleveland, but it's all good. 

Thursday was transfer day and we got up bright and early for the 2 1/2 hour drive down to Powell. Before we went down we made a pit stop by an air show place and took a couple pictures and went on our way. We got there and we had transfer fun for a couple hours and a mini MLC to go over what we want to happen for this next transfer and things that will be going down. After that was over we had to run over to Akron to pick up a mattress and then drop it off at Rootstown for the Missionaries there. By the time we got back to the apartment it was 10:00pm and then I had to unpack still. It was all good and everything worked out pretty good. 

Friday we started off the day with service for a local church who gives meals to the people everyday. We helped make salads and prepare meals and it was pretty cool. We had a lesson with a guy we're teaching and we ended up teaching their entire family! After that we did a whole bunch of studying and weekly planning. At the end of the day, Stake President Conner came by and had a coordination meeting with our District and it was pretty awesome.

Saturday we started off the morning with service again. We helped move out a member's sister into a new house. After that we had another lesson that went pretty good. Other than that we just ran all over the place and tried to get in contact with a bunch of referrals we have and it went pretty good.

Sunday we had a whole bunch of lessons and met with a couple members and had a good time. We stopped by a member's house and had a lesson with them and then they showed us their fancy cars and motorcycles. We got to sit in their Nissan GTR and it was sick!

Miracle of the week:

We were able to find 3 new people to teach and we've had a lot of success with referrals responding to us so it's been pretty awesome! 

Funny moment of the week:

We met with a referral named Lebron and he was a pretty interesting guy. He just talked to us for about an hour about how women is the smartest creatures and they be sneaky and just trying to trap you. He then told us all of his experiences with women while he was in the Navy and told us to just avoid women because they are too smart and will wreck us. In every single area I always run into someone who tells me this same thing. It's just nonstop good times in Ohio!

Love,

Elder Bohn

Week 45: Farewell Cleveland!

 

Hey everyone! It looks like transfers this Thursday are going to put an end to my time in Cleveland. I'm getting transferred to Youngstown for the next foreseeable future and my new companion is going to be Elder Grayson. He seems like an absolute stud and I am excited for this next transfer! Other than that things have been going really good here in Cleveland for Elder Parker and I. We've been working hard and having a good ole time!

Here is a quick run through of this week:

Monday was such an awesome day! We had a pretty good lesson in the morning with a recent convert and did some Facebook finding. After that we got our grocery shopping done and we had our District activities. The Sisters wanted to go on a tour of Cleveland, and so we took them to a couple cool places around Cleveland. The best was the Cleveland Art Museum! After that we went back to our apartment and just relaxed for a little bit and had a good time. Overall, it was a really awesome day for us!

Tuesday was a pretty good day. We had a couple lessons and taught some awesome people. Other than that, nothing really happened.

Wednesday we had District Council in the morning and it went really well. It was sad because it would be the last DC with this district, but it's all good. After that we had a ton of really good lessons that all went super well.

Thursday was a wild day. We woke up and started planning and right in the middle of planning we got a call from the Zone Leaders. They asked us if we were good for our training visit and we of course said yes and they came down with us and we had a good time. I was with Elder Winter and Parker for the day and we had a couple really good lessons. We had some sloppy joes for dinner, I cooked and those two were on the Institute call we have on Thursdays so it's been a good time! 

Friday was a pretty uneventful day for the most part. We had a lot of lessons cancel on us which is a bummer. We did our weekly planning and did a whole bunch of contacting to wrap things up.

Saturday we did some service at the church and did a lot of contacting. At the end of the day we had a lesson with an investigator we have, but they cancelled at the last minute. We made the most of it by going street contacting at Euclid Beach which was pretty fun. We had a pretty fun encounter with some Baptist guy there though, so it was pretty fun!

Sunday we had a slow morning and nothing was really going on until Elder Allen and Black came up asking if one of us could go with them to a couple lessons. I volunteered and we went to 3 lessons. Each one of the people we taught were absolutely incredible and elect. Cleveland truly is a blessed land! At the end of the day I got back with Elder Findling and Elder Parker and we taught some lady who was Buddhist and pretty much worshiped idols without even thinking about it. She thinks that all religions are pretty much the same, so it doesn't matter which one you join or follow. It was one of the more interesting lessons I've been a part of.

Monday we had a lot of our lessons cancel on us which sucked. We just made the most of our time and had a pretty good day. At 7 we headed over to the Branch President's house to watch the YSA face to face devotional with some members so it was pretty awesome. Karen Ferry, the lady who played the violin for the devotiona,l is in our branch, so we got to watch it with her and she gave us behind the scenes info on what was going on.

Tuesday was such a busy day. We were constantly moving nonstop which was awesome. We had service in the morning and back to back lessons in the early afternoon. In the middle of one of our lessons we got a call from President Horgesheimer and we nearly passed out.  When the lesson was over we called him back and he said he has some transfer news for us. He told Elder Parker that he would be training a new missionary and that I was getting the boot. I was sad, but relieved because I thought I was off the hook, but then he said he had a surprise for me as well and said I was going to be a Zone leader. Once Elder Parker and Elder Findling revived me I accepted and we went on our way. Later that night the transfer board came out and it looks like I'm going to be a Zone leader up in Youngstown. I'm excited, but horribly nervous at the same time. I have faith that the Lord can truly make weak things (like me) become strong!

Miracle of the week:

When I went to all of the lessons with Elder Allen and Black we taught a guy named Jeff and he was awesome! He absolutely loves the Book of Mormon and everything we taught him clicked in his mind. He remembers what we teach him and he keeps commitments that we leave him. It was an honor and a privilege to teach that man! 

Funny Moment of the week:

When we went street contacting at Euclid Beach we ran into some old Baptist guy who was also passing out his church stuff. We started teaching him about the restoration and he was like, "Well, where is that in the Bible?" So we started whipping out several scriptures about the Apostasy and restoration, and prophecies concerning the Book of Mormon. It was at this point that he realized that he was doomed. He just said, "Well, I don't even really read the Bible all that much. Everything I know is from my wife". And then he proceeded to make his awkward get away, and we stood victorious.  

Love,

Elder Bohn

                                           

                                                         

Week 44: Trio Time!

 

Hey everyone! This past week has definitely been quite an exciting one. We had a mid transfer and the Cleveland 3rd B Elders got split up for a couple weeks. One went to Kirtland and now Elder Findling is with me and Elder Parker in a Trio. It is just nonstop good times in Cleveland!

Here's a quick run through of the week:

Monday we had our P day and had a good ole time. The ZLs were with us and we had District activities and played a bunch of sports together. Afterwards we chilled in our apartment and had a good time.

Tuesday I went on a training visit with Elder Findling and we found out some fun news. We found out that his companion Elder Pratt is moving to Kirtland for the rest of the transfer and Elder Findling would stay in a trio with us. We had to scrap some of our plans and get Elder Pratt packed and then he left that night. It was pretty sad, but we are excited to be with Elder Findling. 

Wednesday we had District Council in the morning and it went really well. Afterwards we had a couple really good lessons and it was just overall a really good day.

Thursday went by pretty fast. We had tons of lessons and did a lot of contacting. Nothing too crazy happened, but it was a pretty good day!

Friday I went on a training visit with Elder Allen which is always a good time. We had a couple lessons and we did companion study in the Cleveland Art Museum. It was a pretty place to be in! After that we did some service for a member and it was there that we met Chonkers... After the service we had a couple more lessons and wrapped up the day.

Saturday was a pretty boring day. Nothing too crazy happened for us. It's all good though!

Sunday went pretty well. We had our Branch Devotional and we did a bunch of contacting afterwards. Other than that it was a pretty average Sunday for us!

Miracle of the week:

On Wednesday one of our investigators that we had on date and then started ghosting us before her baptism finally got back into contact with us. She finally texted us back and set up a time to meet. When we met with her she told us she decided to take a break from us and to pray about the things we taught her. She told us how when she was praying, God told her to keep meeting with us and she set up a lesson with us! We are so excited for her and we plan on getting her back on date in the near future. Prayer works!

Funny moment of the week:

So, let me tell you about Chonkers. While we were doing service at the member's house, this absolutely massive cat comes out of nowhere and starts meowing at us and rubbing against our legs. The member told us that she was just the neighborhood cat and all the missionaries were intrigued. This cat is now known as Chonkers and is highly respected here in Cleveland. A picture of Chonkers will be provided below!

Love, 

Elder Bohn

Week 43: President Horgesheimer in Cleveland!

 

Hey everyone! This past week has definitely been one that will go down in history! We had interviews and a whole bunch of training visits which are always a hoot. 

Here's a quick run through of this week:

Monday was a pretty average p day. We played quite a bit of basketball and had a good ole time with all the Elders.

Tuesday I went on a training visit with Elder Black which was a pretty good time. We taught a couple lessons, and had a pretty busy day. 

Wednesday was pretty tragic because the lady, Audrey, who we got on date ghosted us for our lesson. She isn't responding to any of our calls and we aren't sure what to do.

Thursday was an absolute blast! We had interviews and District Council that morning at the stake center. In my interview with President, he told us that he has big plans for Cleveland, so I am both scared and excited for what may happen. Afterwards we had a couple lessons that went pretty good.

Friday was a pretty average day. We had a couple lessons and just contacted a whole bunch of people.

Saturday was a really good day! We did quite a bit of service in the morning that led to a miracle! After that we recorded a couple videos for our Zone Facebook page. When that was done I went on a surprise training visit with Elder Findling and had a lesson with one of their investigators. 

Sunday we had training visits with the ZLs which is always a blast! We did a whole bunch of contacting did some Facebook work. They also sent a PBZ for transfers that are happening this Wednesday. I'm going to be staying in Cleveland YSA with Elder Parker for another couple weeks!

Miracle of the week:

When we were doing our service project it was for a shelter home for women and it was Christian centered and when we got done doing yard work outside we asked if we could have a spiritual message. We then read a couple stories out of the New Testament and it went really good. The best part was that she invited us back and says she wants us to teach as often as we can there! We are super excited for the potential this has!

Funny moment of the week:

When we were at interviews, I was talking about how awesome Cleveland is and President said, "I need to check it out some time. Are you Elders available for me to come by at 5?" and my jaw dropped! Of course I said yes and he said that he'd stop by and check out Cleveland with us! When 5pm rolled around, he showed up to our apartment and we took him on a tour and we just talked for about an hour before he had to leave. It was super awesome getting to hang out with President Horgesheimer in Cleveland, he has quite the obsession with this place. I can't hardly blame him! I also got my fifth Cleveland Script sign. Only one more to go!

Love, 

Elder Bohn