We had our first baptism!!!!

Hello Everyone!!!

To start things off, Elder Demke and I had our first baptism!!! We are so excited for her to continue to grow in the gospel. She is going to amazing things while becoming a disciple of Christ! It was a bit of a waiting game for her to be baptized, but we got her in the water and she did great! I got the chance to sing for the special musical number. I sang "More Holiness Give Me" which I talked about a few weeks ago. I love that song. I was really happy that she asked me to do that. Although, how she found out that I sing is because she was asking what to do for the special musical number and Elder Demke just says, "Elder Cannon, sings!" I was very happy that I got the chance to do that though. Between the the second and third verse, the piano, which was just playing the song for me, glitched and went back to the list of songs. So there was a weird little pause in between the verses, but it all worked out. 

This week was interesting for other reasons other than the baptism. There was a decent amount of opposition that we saw. Even the woman who was baptized saw some opposition before she came to the baptism. She couldn't find her keys for the longest time and she was starting to panic. Luckily her friend was there and she found them in the dog bowl which they have never ended up before. There was some opposition on our side of things as well. A few weeks ago, my bike got stuck in 8th gear and the bike shop in town doesn't open again until tomorrow, so I have been trudging around town in 8th gear and it has been rather difficult, but we have still been getting the work done. On Saturday though, we came to a very slight hill, and I mean very slight hill, but it felt doable on my bike. As I was going up the hill, it was rather difficult and I was trying my best to get up the hill, but my bike chain broke... So the last couple of days, we haven't even had bikes. But the work is still doable. The baptism was the next morning, so we had to walk there and get there at 6 so that we could fill the font. We left about 20 minutes after we wanted to though and didn't get there until about 6:25. But when we got there, a member of the branch presidency was already there filling the font, vacuuming the hallway, and already had the chairs set up! He had been there since 5:30! We got in and asked him if he ever stops, his response was, "Not for very long, if you stop that's when they get you!" That was very much a blessing for our diligence in still working, even though we had lots of things get in our way, we still pressed forward in doing the Lord's work. There is no way that we could have been so fortunate with out that.

Thank you all for everything that you do!

I love you.

Elder Hayden Cannon

Our first baptism!!

HI!!!

I don't really have much to say about this last week. It was a bit of a slow week. But there was something that I wanted to share. Yesterday, the stake president came for Branch Council and he shared a quote that he really likes and so do I. 

"Don't tell God how big your mountains are, tell your mountains how big your God is!"

The stake president said that he heard the quote from his German tailor and she isn't sure where the quote comes from either but I think that it is good. It is a good reminder that we need remember who is on our side and no matter what comes our way God can and will help us when we let him. 

I am so very grateful for all of you!

I love you!

Elder Hayden Cannon  

"More Holiness Give Me" Hymn 131

I love the Hymn "More Holiness Give Me." I love the process it describes. Verse one is about getting over the natural man and receiving forgiveness for our sins. Verse two is about being grateful for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for the things that They have done for us. The third verse is about how we can be pure and be disciples of Jesus Christ. That is the steps that we need to take to be effective instruments in Heavenly Father's hands. We all have moments of each state that this song mentions. The amazing thing is that Heavenly Father will always help us progress to the next phase.  I have grown to really love this song on my mission because of the things that it has to say and how it relates to all of us. 

One day when we had some extra time during dinner we decided that we would got to the Rural King, one, because we wanted to see what was in there and two, we were told that an excommunicated member who really wants to come back to the church works there. We go in and start looking for him and we didn't have to look for him very long before he approached us. We had a really good conversation with him. He has a very sincere desire to join the church again, but he can't because his wife is very anti-mormon. It was very interesting talking to him because he has such a desire to come back to the gospel and even though he can't due to the views of his wife, he is still doing his best to live the gospel and do the things that he should do. We had a very good talk with him. We asked if there was a quiet place that we could go to say a prayer and he took us to the back room. Elder Demke then asked if he wanted a blessing and he said yes. We gave him that blessing and that was probably the most powerful blessing that I have ever been a part of. I know that he is doing all that he can and we really hope and pray that she will let Heavenly Father will soften his wife's heart.

I had an interesting thought this last Saturday. It was February 13th, a year after I broke my leg in Fiddler on the Roof rehearsal. That was an interesting day to think about. Prior to me breaking my leg that day, the productions that Southern Utah University were going to perform were announced and one of my favorite musicals was one of them. That was hard. I have wanted to be in that musical for quite a while, but I planned on going on a mission that summer. That night I was debating about staying one semester longer so that I could be in the musical. I figured I could wait just long enough to be in the musical, finish the semester, and then head out on my mission. I was thinking about it for quite a while. That night I went to rehearsal, two weeks before the show opened. During one of the dances I broke my leg. Even after that experience, I still fought going on a mission like I originally planned. I still really wanted to be in that musical. I am not sure exactly what changed, but I decided that going on a mission was what I needed to do. I am so very glad that I chose to go on a mission instead of wait. Who knows what would have gotten in the way a second time! After that, the decision to go on a mission would get harder and harder. I know that this is where I need to be. I have needed to be here helping the people that I have helped, learning the things that I have learned, and changing in ways that Heavenly Father wants me to much more than I needed to be in that musical. I love being here on my mission, because I am closer to my Savior, Jesus Christ, than I would be at school right now. I look forward to the many things that I have to learn and experience while I am here.

Thank you all for your support. 

I love you!

Elder Hayden Cannon          

Another week in Greenville!!!

Hello!!!

Now I have a new companion, but I am still in Greenville! My new companion is Elder Demke and he is awesome! I am really excited to work with him because he is a very diligent missionary and that is exactly what is needed in Greenville. I know that the Lord is going to bless us with miracles as we continue to work diligently and by the spirit. 

It has been a little rough running the area, like I expected it would be. Luckily, Elder Demke is very patient and willing to help me where he can. It is a little rough for him as well since he doesn't know the area. We have been doing well though. We have looked through the area book and found former investigators and went to go see them and we have seen a decent amount of success from it. 

We had one of the most powerful lessons this past week. We had dinner with a less active member and our branch mission leader. We asked him about how he came to the church and how it blessed his life. We then asked him how he began to fall away. He said that it really started as he didn't read his scriptures as much and stopped putting the gospel as a high priority. He said that he definitely does feel a difference now that he doesn't have the gospel in his life. He expressed to us that he wants to get the Melchizedek priesthood. We told him that there are some steps that need to be taken to get there, but it is possible, especially with the help of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We are very excited to help get him down the path of repentance and to the path of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Looking back at the lesson now, it makes a bit of a funny picture because here are 4 grown men sitting at a booth in a Mexican restaurant, crying... But it was such a powerful lesson, I don't care. It also goes to show you that the spirit can reach anyone, anywhere. 

I am so grateful to be a missionary. It has provided me with such great experiences and chances to learn. 

I love you all, Thank you for everything!

Elder Hayden Cannon   

Transfer #3 is now over!

This transfer blew right by! It was also a 7 week transfer instead of 6! It has been weird. Anyway, I am staying in Greenville, but Elder Spagnolo will not be. I am bummed about that because we got along really well. I am also nervous to lead the area. I guess Heavenly Father is providing for me the ways to get out of my comfort/mediocre zone and grow. It will take some humility and diligence to get through this, but I know that I can do it. 

The missionaries in the Greenville branch have been asked to attend mutual every Wednesday. This past week was a rather fun activity. We did Fear Factor. Looking at it now, there wasn't really anything to be afraid of, but when I first heard about it my first thought was, "Great, what am I going to have to ingest..." It turned out that I had to eat bubble gum, oreos, and gummie worms. Nothing awful whatsoever. We got there late but as soon as we got there we won the next 3 events. I won the bubble blowing contest then finding and eating gummie worms in a pie tin full of oreos and whipped cream. Then Elder Spagnolo won the challenge of getting the quarter out from under a pile of flour onto the table with his nose. It was fun, I liked it.

It has been a good week. I am excited to get a new companion and have this opportunity to grow. It is going to take a lot of faith, but it will happen. 

Thank you, I love you.

Elder Hayden Cannon 

Fear Factor with the YM/YW. Elder Cannon was the winner!