Arlington Heights, Healing Bodies and Souls

Hey Everyone! This week was awesome! I got transfered officially to Arlington Heights! So this is gonna be a longer one so prepare yourselves.

So Tuesday was a wild day. The Zone Leaders had picked up my stuff on Monday night so on Tuesday we just rode our bikes up to the Foster Building and the Zone Leaders were supposed to plan everything out and tell us where to go but they didn't haha so we had to figure it out ourselves.  But I got to the Naperville Stake Center and I come out and my boy Elder English come running up and gives me this massive hug because we hadnt seen each other in a month and it was Greta to see him again! We are great buds. But eventually everything got figured out and I met my companion Elder Fry from Alpine Utah. Super great guy. We have been having a blast and it's only been a week

Sobthe area is super different. First off, we are in a car which is wild but it means that I have to now workout super hard to not get fat. Progress. And it's just weird. There's more space and there are so many apartment buildings and that where we actually talk to most people, in their apartment buildings or around them so it's fun! We are still speaking a lot of Spanish and it's really fun! Also I'm the designated driver so that means Elder Tracy drives! It's super fun! I've missed it.

We have seen so many miracles this week. First off, we have been finding so many people prepared tk hear the gospel! We were just talking to this one family and we said missionary and they let us in and they had a lot of questions thier church didn't answer and so we are helping them and they re super awesome! We also had an amazing experience with the Priesthood this week. We were visiting a recent convert and her niece was super sick and so we began to talk and then she had to go help her like 4 year old niece and she eventually brought her out with us. This little girl was just bawling and sick and struggling to breathe normally and calm down. She couldn't sleep because of it. So we offered a blessing and our recent convert said yes. So we gave this little girl a priesthood blessing and she immediately stopped crying when we placed our hands on her head, and then by the time we finished, she was very calm and was asleep within three minutes. It was so amazing to me. It reminded me of Peter and James healing the lame man on the temple steps. It was amazing. Words can't do it justice.

We also were walking back to our car one night at about 9 o clock and these two gangbangers yell to us, "yall the Jehovahs Witness or something?" and so we start to walk over and we say "no, actually, we are the Mormons" and we get talking and they notice or badges are in Spanish and they were blown away that we spoke Spanish and it was really cool because we got to flex our lungustic muscles. But we get talking about Repentance and Forgiveness and they were really interested in that and we testified to them the power of the atonement and they changed after that. We invited them to come to church and they said they would really like to and get some more Jesús in their lives. Goes to show that no person is too far gone to receive forgiveness and a remission of sins. Everyone needs to learn of the Gospel of Christ to be able to live happier. It's how we are saved really.

Sorry this is a long one. But if you've made it this far, congratulations and I hope you enjoined it! I love you all so MUCB and I know the church is true and that the power of God is here on the earth and it is the priesthood authority of God.

As always,

Elder Tracy

PHOTOS
Elder Fry and I
Elder Fry, Me and The cutest old man Pedro

MANIFEST DESTINY!

Hello everyone! This week was awesome but I don't really remember a whole lot of what happened, but we had fun!

Elder Tibbitts and I have just been working super hard and having a blast as always! We are best buds and it's been really fun! I've really been enjoying me time as District Leader! I've really liked giving district meetings and helping and seeing everyone grow as missionaries! It's been great!

We had exchanged this week! It was really fun! Elder Leal, my Zone Leader, came over to my area and we had a Greta time! We went and played soccer in the morning, we actually ended up resting for a little while because I wasn't feeling well, and then we went and hit the streets and had some fun lessons and one of our investigators fed us Cow Stomach. It was very chewy and kinda nasty. and when she wasn't looking I got rid of it all. I'm a genius.

But we also got transfer calls! For those of you who don't know, my mission merged with the one next to it! So the Illinois Chicago Mission is now one mission! We used to cover just the city and the northern and southern suburbs, but now we go really far out! It's really cool! But we had the calls and (drumroll please) and I'm going to the Arlington Heights area to be district leader again! My companion will be Elder Fry who I hear is a great guy and better missionary! I'm really pumped about it! So Elder Tracy is going west!

This morning for Preperarion day we all decided to wake up super duper early and all bike down town at like 4 am so we could go watch the sun rise and it was awesome! I definitely would recommend! It was a great way to spend the last morning with all the friends I've made in the mission here! I'm sad to leave, but I'm more excited to see what I can do out in Arlington Heights!

As always,

Elder Tracy

PHOTOS
Some homie kids in the ward
The Reyes Familia they are the best
Exchanges with Elder Leal!
The Sun Rise!

Hot week, miracle week

Hello everyone!

I hope yall had a great week because I know I did! That's the great thing about missions! Everyweek is awesome!

We started teaching the best friend of one of the daughters of one of the homies in the ward and she really likes it all! She's been coming to chruch and we are really excited for her! We also saw a miracle this week! We've been working with this one less active family for a while now and they are super down to come back to church! They are awesome. And the other day we were knocking doors and this one lady opens the door and she's super excited to see us and let's us in and we get talking and it turns out that her former fellowship es were that less active family! So we killed two bird with one stone and we got them both out to church this week! It was amazing!

We also tried to stop by one of the people we are teaching, and we get to her street and they are having this massive block party! So we stop by and it turns out that some random kid on the block got hurt and she was helping her get better or something so we just saw her for a second but we talked to her 10 yesr old kid for a while and now we are homies.

This week was also ZONE CONFERENCE! I always love zone conference. It's awesome. We talked a lot about how tk receive personal revelation from God about what we could do and how that revelation is avaliable to everyone, all we have to do is ask, and we will receive. We also had some fun object lessons with the Zone Leaders about unity and fixing bikes. It's hard to explain, but it really made an impact because of what is happening in the mission with the mission merge and the big shuffle thats going to happen here in a week or so. Essentially, everyone is going to be changed. Half the mission is going west, and half of the former west mission is coming in to replace them. We don't know what's going to happen really. Should be good.

We also one day were walking and there are these guys that walk around the streets of Chicago and they are called Paleta men and they are like a walking ice cream truck. Anyway, we got talking and we were able to get some Popsicles for cheap because he was a homie. And they were good Popsicles. It was nice on a hot summer Chicago day. (which are very hot in case you can't tell)

But yeah, we had an awesome week! Elder Tibbitts is awesome and we are having a blast teaching, preaching and working as missionaries do! If you have any questions or anything, let me know at seth.tracy@myldsmail.net God is real and the church is true!

As always

Elder Tracy

PHOTOS
The homies at the beginning and a year in
Yall want a little pot?
Me and Elder Morse at out last zone conference together
7/11 on 7/11
We also found some police cars out side our house!

America Day

Hey Everyone

This week was awesome! We got a lot of good stuff done this week! To start we have been going finding a lot more and having some good times doing so! I have been having a blast taking to people and sharing this Restored Gospel and the good news that it brings!

With the 4th of July, you would all think that we would have had an amazing time with members and things. However, everything we had planned kinda fell apart and we ended up just going finding and talking to a bunch of people and having a really good time doing that. We also witnessed some crazy fireworks this week because something I've learned with Hispanics is that they live to love fireworks. It was a war zone outside our home and it was awesome there was so much pops and explosions and lights and it was amazing. 10/10 would recommend.

We also went on exchanges this week with Elder Sharples and Elder Fitzgerald in Chicago 3rd it was super fun! I went Street Contacting and we had a nuch of success and it was awesome. We also found this little ice cream shop and they sold amazing little Paletas and it was amazing. We also found some cool graffiti and also some cool rooftop pictures on the sky and the sun set so worth!

We also met some homie little kids this week and they are amazing and hilarious and so we naturally had to take some pictures with them.

So but things are going well. We are having success and we are seeing miracles. I've been really diving into my studies and I've been learning a lot about the the life of Jesus Christ and all that he has done for us! I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me.

Well I hope everything is going well for yall! Hit me up at seth.tracy@myldsmail.net if you have any questions!

As always,

Elder Tracy

PHOTOS

Elder Tibbitts and I
Jesus N Elder Tracy
The homies
Rooftop

The Miracles Just Keep on Coming

Hey Everyone! I hope you had a fantastic week because I know I did!

So we saw some miracles and we also had some deeply humbling moments this week. So to start, we went downtown to Pday and it was awesome. We went to Fogo de Chão because Elder Morse is finishing his mission and Elder English went into the West Mission. So there was about ten of us that were there and we had a super good time consuming out body weight in meat. We then went and went biking everywhere downtown. We biked along the lake shore trail and got some really cool videos and pictures which I'll try to send. It was a super fun time.

We had a Family Home Evening with some less actives this week. We went over and we were talking and they had brought two friends who were interested in the gospel! We were really suprised and excited to see some new people to teach! It was awesome. Miracle Count: 1 We also had some good PNI appointments that came to fruition and we found some more new investigators out of that! We even found a family, but we were only able tk tech the oldest son. But still, awesome time! Miracle Count: 2 and we also did a random Stop by to this one super less active family in our ward boundaries and we knocked and randomly they let us in! When I was with Elder Wright, we had knocked that door like 5 or 6 times but no one answered. We had a really discussion with them about the importance of Coming to church and they said they needed tk and it was an amazing experience. Miracle Count: 3 right after that, we stopped by this one investigator we have and we said hi and then her mom sat down and started asking us things and questions, and it was really awesome because she was so interested all the sudden! Miracle Count :4

On Wednesday, we were out knocking doors and a few houses down we saw this one man who was just sitting on his porch. I felt the strongest urge that we needed to go talk to him. I pushed it aside for a second, but it came back again: Speak to this man. So I told Elder Tibbitts and we went over and talked to him. It turns out this man was about 95% Deaf and literally could not hear us. So we "talked" and then we just said bye and left. I was wondering about it for the next day or so. Why did I have such a strong impression to talk tk him if he couldn't hear or accept our message. But then, the next day, Elder Tibbitts said that he was thinking about it and he said that it wasn't so much the fact that he was dead, it was the fact that I was so willing to listen to the Spirit and that it was probably a test to see how willing I was to listen, to see if God would and could trust me. It changed my whole out look on life honestly. It made me seem far more aware of what God says to me and how I need to listen harder and then act as well.

Sorry this is a little more lengthy, but it was an important week. I hope you all enjoy you week and that you find a way to brighten someone else's day! Go do that for me! The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the church of God here upon the earth. Anyone interested in learning why, should look at mormon.org or just email me back at seth.tracy@myldsmail.net

As always,

Elder Tracy

PHOTOS
Here is the lake shore trail view of Chicago
I'm riding a bike
Here is the view of chicago as we left it
Fogo de Chão with my man Elder English