One big meeting

This week we had a big meeting where all the missionaries from the north came to one area and met

with the mission president! It was 6 hours long and I had no clue what was in store for this meeting. 

In Armenia one of the problems we have is that it is just hard for the members to show their love for

each other. There are some strong members and some not so strong members. There is not really any 

average members here! I just realized how much I took for granted church back home! There are so 

many strong members that you don't really realize how strong that they really are, until you see the 

other side of the spectrum! So in this meeting we learned how to run an effective ward council. It won't 

fix everything, but it is a start. With an effective ward council you can help so many of your members 

and see what the needs of the ward, well I guess branch here. We had some other things two, but that 

was the main thing that I took out of that meeting. If we have an effective ward council, our ward will 

be that much better because we will have a plan in place to help those members! 

Another thing that happened this week was me and my companion started working together. I remember 

my first week and how hard it was to speak the language! He is doing super well. It just makes everything 

so much easier, when I have someone teaching with me! Show your love for everyone and do a random 

act of kindness! You don't know how much impact it will go in the other person's life!

I love all of you have an amazing week! As always I will keep all of you in my prayers!

Elder Sproul

I'm officially a trainer!

So this week I officially became a trainer and I am with my new companion! His name is Elder Gray and 

is super excited to get to spread the gospel! He says hello to literally everyone and has a great heart. He may 

not be able to speak the language very well, but is always ready to start a conversation with someone and 

bring the spirit that he has to them! He is from American Fork and loves Karate! Maybe I will learn a bit from 

him who knows? Having him here reminded me of my first week in Armenia where I could not really say 

anything and just sat in lessons. It made me feel bad for my previous companion, Elder Johnson, and how 

he had to teach all alone. It is pretty hard to teach alone, but it can only get easier! What I had heard is 

that the first 2 weeks are really difficult and then it will get easier after that and it certainly is true.

This week we had a meeting with one of the area presidencies of all the eastern Europe area! His name is 

Elder Catcher! He told us of the importance of having branch unity and told us some ways that we can grow 

as a branch. He told us this story about how he was going to see this person that was not active in the 

church and when he got there the man just started yelling at him! He went there and was just standing 

asking the Lord why am I here? What do I need to say? He remembered that he had a loaf of bread that 

his wife made, so he said I can leave, but my wife is going to be really angry if I go home with this bread 

that she made for you. So he let him in and started talking to him and he stopped yelling. It is the little 

things that matter. When we go out of our way to help someone in need that is when lasting impact 

happens! That is something I am thinking about doing this coming week and making something for 

someone or getting them something that they are not expecting! So I invite all of you to do something 

nice for a neighbor or a friend in the coming week.

I know that this is the true church and that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon! Without the 

Book of Mormon our religion would be nothing! So if you are reading this and not reading the Book of 

Mormon, give it a try! The Lord will bring many blessing as we read the Book of Mormon everyday! 

He wants to bless us, but we just have to do our part so he can!

I love all of you guys and have an amazing week!

Elder Sproul

Still waiting for transfers

I am sending this picture I forgot to send last week! We climbed the mountain last week and did our 

personal studies up there just like Christ would do. It was on P-day so everything was good on that front!

This week I would not say that too many things has happened. Me and my companion are now the only 

ones in Vanadzor because we are waiting for the new missionaries to get here. They get here on Friday! 

I am super excited and can't wait to be able to teach a new missionary. I will have to wait until next week 

to let you know!

This week we got a new investigator from the missionaries that left. She was a referral from their recent 

converts. She is close to baptism and has a really strong faith! We came to the conclusion that missionary 

work can't be done without the members. I mean think about it, if you went to a party and had no friends 

at the party would it be any fun? Of course not! I believe that it is the same as at church! You need to 

have a friend that can help you along the way and be there for you. I know that it shouldn't be like 

that, but that is just the reality of it. If you do not have a friend or someone you know then you won't 

come to church. I know there are exceptions, but this is how it is most of the time. That is something 

that Elder Johnson and I have figured out and plan to use it help our investigators. So if you know 

someone that could benefit from the gospel refer them to the missionaries! I mean it is only their 

salvation after all and if we truly believe that we should always be helping the missionaries out!

I saw this Bible video of Christ called The Light of the world! Watch it! It just makes Christ seem like 

the Man! It is crazy that he doesn't get mad, but just tells them how it is! Oh and I want to follow 

up you! Try and invite one person to church before next conference! I Invited you all maybe 4 weeks 

ago and just wanted to see how everyone was doing on that? I love you all and have an amazing week!

Elder Sproul

Forgot to say that this week we also did service for a member at his dad's grave; just cleaning it was cool 

to be able to help someone out and see how happy he was to have it clean!

Transfer week!

This week ended by us finding out what is going to happen next transfer, even though we wont be 

changing for a week and a half. We found out because all of the missionaries that are here will be 

going home this week for school that is starting up soon for all of them. That is why we found out 

this week, some will be changing and some wont be this week. It just depends on what is going to 

happen next week. I guess we'll wait and see. 

This week again I realized the importance of prayer, but how important is it really? It is everything 

and truly a gift that our Heavenly Father. I feel bad for all of the people that don't know what we 

know. I said in my testimony this week that it is different in the church because we are blessed 

with the holy ghost. You see people on the street with no direction and just going about life. They 

don't know where they are going. In all honesty they don't really have a purpose on this earth 

because they don't truly know what is going to happen and how they can get there. That is why 

we are here as missionaries to teach them that. Sorry I got a little side tracked, back to prayer. 

I had an experience this week with our branch president was coming back from Aliverdi, where our 

group is that is connected with our branch. We were waiting for him to have branch council and he 

said that he was going to be a little bit late. So we just decided that we were going to walk the 

streets and see who we could find. We decided so say a prayer before we left the church that we 

could find someone that wanted to listen. So when we were deciding on which way that we should 

go. We both felt that we should go right out of the church and little do you know we found 4 people 

in a garage just a little above the church. They were nice people and said that they would come to 

church this Sunday, that was yesterday! They didn't end up coming unfortunately, but that doesn't 

mean that the prayer wasn't still answered. Another elder said something this week that I really liked. 

He said when your life is very hard and you are not able to stand, kneel. In other words pray and 

everything will be okay. 

This week has been great and I love being able to serve my Lord each and every day. It is the least 

I can do after all he has done for us. I was reading in 1st Nephi chapter 21 and verse 14 and 15 really 

stuck out to me! We are all children of our Heavenly Father! Just like a mother would never forget 

her child, He doesn't forget us. No matter what we do he always wants the best for us. I love you all so 

much and you guys have an amazing week! 

I know that I kind of built up the anticipation of where I will be going this next transfer! I will be staying 

in Vanadzor as the branch clerk and training a new missionary. Oh and they are closing the other elders 

in my area so it will just be me and the sisters here. Definitely going to be busy everyday and am 

looking forward to it. I just want to say again that I love you all and never forget to pray, read, and go 

to church the three most important things in life!

Elder Sproul

This week was all about finding

So this week we found a ton of people. We have 16 new investigators that we found this week. 

Sometimes it is hard to find time to meet with all of these people and sometimes the people on 

the street that we pick up as investigators just don't pan out or they don't want to meet after we 

talk to them.

There is a cool story that happened this week. We were talking to this guy on the street and talking 

to him about Joseph Smith and how God is still calling prophets today, when this guy who doesn't 

like us at all comes up. He tries to tell this guy that we are telling lies and that he should leave, but 

he told the guy that he wanted to let us finish and hear what we had to say. It is cool that not even 

knowing what we had to say that he stood up for our message. This guy is super cool, but he works 

in Yerevan so the APs are going to teach him until he comes back to Vanazdor for a while in 10 days. 

We still have been having marriage license problems, but they just need to take that leap of faith 

and realize that the lord will bless them if they follow his commandments. It is like in says in 2nd 

Nephi 4:4

4 For the Lord God hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my  commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.

So if we obey the Lord's commandments he will bless us. They just have not realized that yet and it 

is hard for them to realize that. It is not until they take that leap of faith that they will see those 

blessings pour out from God. It is difficult at first, but once you know and have experiences with it, 

that is when is becomes easy. Just like working out or anything. It is hard at first then it becomes easy. 

This week I have been studying in the book of Mark and it is crazy how much the Lord did in the 

short time that he was on this earth. He loved everyone even when they did love him back. 

Definitely a difficult thing to do. I am no where near that, but as we keep working at it I know 

that one day we can get there. 

Elder Sproul

oh yeah so about that coin. One of my investigators had it so I bought it from him for 1000 drum, 

about 2 dollars. I just thought that is was cool and it reminds me of my family heritage. I mean I 

am Indian after all.