There is some good work to be done in Kentucky!

A pretty good week!

Monday started with teaching a family about church. They are in a bit of a tough spot because the mom keeps being scheduled to work Sunday mornings and the husband doesn't want to go without her. They weren't able to come to church, but she has asked to have all other Sunday mornings off in the future, which is a great start! We then went to go see a former investigator that Elder Woffinden and I had never met with. He was a really cool guy. He is a huge computer nerd and loves video games. He and I were able to talk about that for a little while, some of the stuff he said about computers went a little over my head. We finally got to talking about the gospel and he has come to an interesting conclusion about religion in general. He said that religion just doesn't hold a very high priority in his life. He has tried a bunch of different religions, and nothing has clicked. He thinks that the only thing that will make it click would be to see God himself. It will be interesting seeing if he ends up progressing or not. It was also surprising to find someone who doesn't have a strong Christian belief around here. Most people are Southern Baptist, which that itself is fairly hard to deal with. 

We were able to go to the temple on Tuesday. We went to the Louisville temple. Oh my word, that thing is tiny! I am so used to the much bigger temples in Utah. It was interesting to be in. What was also interesting, is that the exact same spirit is there in the tiny Louisville temple as the larger ones that I have been to. I loved noticing that. It was also an interesting experience because I was fasting that day with the entire mission. President Porter asked us to so that we could have added strength to reach our goals as a mission. I liked that. 

There was a family that moved into the bottom apartment of our building. The father is a member, but he hasn't been to church in about 15 years. He also has a wife and step son. They are all really nice people. We have been teaching them and they really like what we have to say. Our goal is to reactivate him and have him baptize the rest of his family. They have some things to overcome, but I know that they can do it. 

One day this week, we were knocking some doors at night. I really don't like doing that. It is a time that it really feels like we are bothering people. It also seems like the time we are going to get a gun pulled on us. Especially in a trailer park. Boy, does that make me anxious! We finally got to the last house that we were going to knock and a man came to the door. We gave him our spiel and he said that we could come over to see him and his roommate the next night. So we did and we had an awesome lesson with them! The spirit was so strong! We even committed one of them to a baptismal date! He now can't get baptized on that date because he wasn't able to come to church, but I think that he could get there! They both could.

That last experience was really helpful. By doing something that really makes me uncomfortable, we were able to find some fantastic investigators! I am really grateful for this and to continue to find out that it doesn't matter how I feel, what matters is that I am finding the people who need this gospel. I can't wait to have more experiences like this. 

Thank you, I love you, 

Louisville Kentucky Temple

Elder Hayden Cannon 

The famous Cincinnati Chili

Ups and Downs...

This week started off just fine. P-day was pretty good. We went to a church and played a bunch of games with other missionaries. We played this one basketball game that I actually did pretty well at. I think it was because I got most of my points from rebounds. When ever I would play as a deacon or teacher I was told to stand under the hoop and get rebounds because I am big and tall. So that was pretty fun. Tuesday, I went on an exchange with the District Leader, Elder Macfarlane. He is an awesome missionary! He is just able to talk with everyone! It was really cool to be able to teach some lessons with him. For dinner that night, we went to Gold Star Chili, Skyline Chili's competitor. Elder Macfarlane said that they are pretty much the same. So I got to try the famous chili that everyone talks about. It was pretty good, I guess. It definitely wasn't bad. I think I will have to try it again sometime. As we were leaving, Elder Macfarlane asked, "So what did you think of the Chili?" I said, "That I need to try it again." I also need to compare it to Skyline Chili. There was a picture taken, but it was on Elder Macfalane's camera, I will get it to you next week. 

Wednesday, was an interesting one. The first person we saw was Daniel. We had a couple more lessons to teach him and we wanted to see if he could fit into one of the baptismal jumpsuits we had. We got there, he attempted to try on the jumpsuit (he is a very large person), and then we started talking. Daniel said that he had a dream where the Lord showed him all of the churches that his father took him to growing up. He says that the Lord told him that those are the churches that he needs to be at. He said that he no longer wanted to be baptized. Daniel said that he doesn't think that the Mormon church is true any more. We tried to do what we could to know that the spirit wouldn't direct him away from the church, but it was all for none. We left Daniel's house and I had the weirdest feeling, I don't know what it was. All we could really do was go to our next appointment. I am so glad we did. We taught a man named Chet. We had met him and his wife earlier and they had us come back, but only Chet was there. We taught him outside of his apartment because he had some people over who are rather weird. There was a bunch of kids running around as well as some other lady running and asking everyone if they knew where Jennifer was. We were pretty sure she was high. Even though we had all of these distractions, we were still able to have a really good lesson with Chet. He really enjoyed it and said that he couldn't wait for us to teach his wife. We really needed that after we had just been dropped by Daniel. 

Something that was also happening this week was a finding challenge. Would get 1 point for finding a new investigator, 3 points if an investigator was a referral, 5 points if we found a family, and 8 points if we found a family that was a referral. This was a mission wide competition. The zone with the most points would get some of Sister Porter's cinnamon rolls. There was another competition within the zone, the companionship who got the most points gets to go to Olive Garden with the zone leaders. I don't know who won for the overall mission, but Elder Woffiden and I won the zone competition with 27 points! That was another pick-me-up needed after Daniel dropped us. 

This really is hard work, but I love doing it. I have a lot of things to work on while I'm here, but that is half of the fun! I can't wait to see the improvements that are happening within me as I go throughout my mission.

Thank you, I love you

Elder Hayden Cannon 

First Week in the Field!

First week in the field has been a pretty good one! I have really enjoyed it. The flight was good, it wasn't horribly long, but long enough to get a little sleep. I instantly felt the humidity when I got off the plane and it wasn't even that humid! This should be interesting to see how much I agree with the weather. We went to the mission home, had dinner, played some games, had a devotional, and went to bed. Sometime in there, we were taken to this park that has an amazing view of Cincinnati. It was super cool!

The next day we went to the Transfer meeting. This is where I found out who my companion is and where I would be serving. My companion is Elder Woffinden and we are serving in the Crittendon, Kentucky area. (If you say "Crittendon" in a southern accent, without really emphasizing the T's in the middle, you are saying correctly.) I really liked that day because it was raining super hard, even harder than it was when I went into the MTC! Elder Woffinden and I were taken back to Crittendon by a member, Lance, and his friend, Bob, who is an investigator. These guys are most definitely southern. Lance doesn't seem real. He seems like what you would think of if SNL made a character that was southern. The way he talks is so funny! You can hardly understand what he is saying. I can't convey the way he sound through text, I will have to tell you when I get back. As we were headed back to Crittendon, I realized that I didn't get bedding back at the Church where the transfer meeting was. Elder Woffinden said we would work it out when we got to the apartment. But Lance for got to get some things back at the church, so we were able to go get the bedding! That experience, though small, was definitely something that showed my that Heavenly Father is looking out for me. We told this to Lance and he said, "See, I'm not forgetful! I'm just inspired!" 

There was another time in the car that was supper funny! Lance was in the passenger seat with his window rolled down and pouring rain. Somehow, the rain wasn't really getting to him. All of a sudden, this car zooms past us splashing Lance with so much water! Bob, trying to get away from the car that was splashing us, speed up, but all he really did was keep up with the car that was splashing us, therefore, splashing Lance continuously. I was laughing so hard! I really needed that. 

When we finally got to Crittendon, we immediately went to go teach Daniel who is getting baptized this Saturday! He already had a date before I got there, but that just shows me that the work is progressing here in Crittendon. (Also, I have been here less than a week and I have already been asked to sing at Daniel's baptism. Elder Woffinden ratted me out.) We taught him about the word of wisdom, which he had no real problem with. During the lesson, Lance went on a rant about how if you drink whole milk, you wont ever get diabetes. I didn't quite understand him, but Elder Woffinden says he is a scientist. I don't know, I guess you should drink whole milk...

Teaching has been my favorite part. It is just something that I am comfortable with. My theatre background has helped me in my confidence in teaching. Where I am struggling though is just talking to people on the street. I think it is weird. I just seems awkward to me to go up to people and ask them if they want to talk about Jesus. I have somethings to work on. Luckily, I have time to work on them and I am in the right place to do so. 

I loved Conference! There were so many amazing talks! The one that really stuck out to me was Elder Durrant's about "Ponderizing" scripture. I thought that this was a great idea. I loved what he said about it giving our mind a place to go when it is wondering. I am one whose mind wonders and giving it a place to go, like the scriptures, is exactly what I need in order to help me stay focused on the work that needs to be done. 

I really like being out here. It is most definitely a different place than anywhere I have lived. Everything is weirdly spread out making it hard to decide if it is better to drive or walk. The people are different. Oh my word, the people are different. Good people, but different. Delightful, but different. Welcome to Kentucky! I am excited to continue working here and can't wait to help bring people to the gospel. 

Thank you, I love you, 

Elder Hayden Cannon        

OFF TO CINCINNATI

Today is the day! MTC to the airport via Trax bright and early at 6:00 AM. It was great to talk to Elder Cannon before he left for Cincinnati, Ohio!! He sounds AMAZING!!!!! He and 20 other missionaries were traveling to Cincinnati today. 

I'm sure most of you know that you can follow a flight while it is en route. Well, when you have a missionary this is the greatest tool known to man.  Thank you technology for this gift!

Then great news - Dear Missionary Parents, Your missionary has arrived in the great Ohio Cincinnati Mission. We feel so blessed to have heard from his mission president. He is in great hands! 

We will continue to update his blog with letters and pictures. Thank you for the love and support you give to Hayden. 

We are so excited for the experience he is having. Hard to believe it has only been 12 days.

We love you Elder Cannon and pray for you.

Mom and Dad

Elder Cannon with President and Sister Porter at the mission home

Week 1.5

Because we leave on Monday, we get time to do laundry and to check email now, Yay! Classes here are now much easier to sit through, learn from, and feel the spirit in. It is nice to be able to role play some of the situations that we could/will encounter out in the field. Those are also really nice because I am able to see that I will be at least somewhat good at this. This week my companion and I actually started fulfilling responsibilities as the zone leaders. We greeted the new missionaries and told them what they could expect while they are at the MTC. I loved doing this. That is a situation that I feel really comfortable, being in front of a group of people and talking. There aren't many better feelings than making an entire room of people laugh! Some of the Elders that got here the same week I did, dressed up like nephites, using bed sheets, and as we all came in for zone prayer, they said "Welcome to the army of Helaman." It was cool and funny. The new missionaries are going to do some great things. 

On Thursday, we went to this "In-field Orientation" that was not the funnest of things that I have done at the MTC. I took about 10 hours to do... When my companion summed it up to an elder that was sick and unable to go in about a minute. There were some great things that were learned, but it was way too long. 

Friday night, two of the new elders asked me to give them a blessing. Giving blessings is a very interesting experience. You go into it with your mind completely blank, a perfect canvas for the spirit to tell and/or show you what it is you are supposed to bless this person with. I blessed these elders with things that I have no idea if they are really struggling with them, or if that is what they wanted to hear, but that is what the spirit told me to say, so I did. 

Today, I went to the first block of class, but I didn't go to the second so that another elder could go because he had missed a few due to his own sickness and now his companions sickness. I stayed in the residence with his companion, packed what I could, wrote in my journal, and attempted to study the scriptures. Reading the scriptures is still not a strength of mine. Bummer, it didn't come to me without any work... Haha! I know that this is something that I need to work on and I look forward to becoming better acquainted with the scriptures and I know that Christ will help me do that, but just for good measure, wish me luck. 

I love this gospel and I can't wait to share it with the people of Cincinnati. I know that the spirit will be my greatest supporter and that this would be impossible without him.

Thank you, I love you,

Week One @ MTC

Week One @ MTC

Hello!!!! The MTC has been a good, bad, interesting, boring, busy, and spiritual experience. When I first got here I was taken around the campus and picked up the things that I needed. I was then thrown into a class room for to long... There I met my companion Elder Miller. He is a good kid from Cache Valley Utah. He really likes sports, but still manages to be a good person, thankfully. We have not had any problems as a companionship, especially compared to the other Elders in our district. I really like my district, we have gotten really close really fast. They are all really cool. The rest of the first day was fairly generic get to know you and here is where stuff is. We met with the zone leaders as well as the rest of the zone (it was apparently supposed to be just the new districts). I was not a fan of the rest of the zone because they tended to be rather obnoxious. I was grinding my teeth throughout the entire meeting. This is people found out I beatbox and they had me demonstrate, like usual when I introduce myself. That night we also did this activity called "People and your purpose." This was really cool because we had "investigators" (people acting as investigators) in different rooms and then we went to talk with them. This is where I realized that this is going to be HARD! I tried to talk to one of them and she had questions that I could answer, but not in a language that someone who isn't mormon would know, and the people before me didn't give me the best hand off. It was still really fun though. Everyone got better by the third and last room. 

The first few days of class went by so slow... We are in class for 6 hours everyday. It is like high school again, without subject changes or walking between classes (you think that doesn't make that big of a difference, but oh my word, it does.) The classes just felt like they were dragging on and on. Everyone kept looking forward to gym time, I wasn't really. I got dragged into a game of basketball. I'm not good at basketball. I didn't do well at basketball. People kept trying to compliment me, but basketball (as well as most sports) I have just accepted that I am not very good at them, which I am completely ok with.  There is a reason I sing, act, and beatbox. I don't like sports. That night we met the branch presidency. President Menlove was the president (he was just released on Sunday). His wife's brother is actually Paul Monson, Jared's Dad! She actually saw me in Les Mis when Jared was in it. Small world! My companion and I were called as Zone leaders there. I am really glad for the opportunity to serve the zone, and to keep things at a less obnoxious level. Something that was really interesting was that night I stood in the circle for blessings for members of the zone. I was asked by the Elder that particularly bugged me and I found rather obnoxious to give him a blessing. That was weird to give this Elder, that I almost instantly had contention for, a blessing. While I was giving him the blessing I felt at least some of the immense love that our Heavenly Father loves him. Very much an eye opening experience. 

Another Elder said something that I really like: "Don't study deep doctrine, study basic doctrine, deeply." That was something I really needed to hear because I have really enjoyed learning about the deeper doctrine because they are interesting to me. But those things are just going to confuse investigators not help them come closer to Christ.

Sunday was really nice because we weren't classrooms all day. Sacrament meeting was really nice. I didn't have enough breakfast that morning though. During priesthood meeting I started to feel like my blood sugar was low and had major cold sweats. That was really hard to focus on the spirit. It was interesting though because when I started to share something, my gross feeling went away, but once I stopped I continued to feel gross. Once I got to lunch I downed a glass of chocolate milk and felt a lot better and was able to get through the day. I went to choir for the devotional that night. That was phenomenal to sing with I believe about a thousand Missionaries. (Mom I think the director was the same person who directed the seminary teacher choir you and Dad were in.) The speaker was Lloyd Newell, the guy who does the announcements for music and the spoken word and conference. I really enjoyed what he had to say, but I did have anything to write down what I wanted to remember and I am kicking myself for that. After I went to a recorded devotional from Elder Bednar called the Character of Christ. That was really good. There was one statement that stood out to me the most. "Working harder and harder doesn't make you a Saint, it makes you CRAZY!!! A saint is someone who is trying to be like Christ." I really like that statement. That will be a huge help to me so that I don't work to the point of complete exhaustion. Also when he said that, I had an overwhelming feeling come over me and I wrote in my study journal, "I AM A MISSIONARY! I AM A MISSIONARY!" That is when I knew that I am now a missionary of God, and I am very grateful for that realization. 

The last realization that I think that I need to mention is how my theater background is going to help me. Because I am good at theater and thing associated with that, I will have the confidence to speak to and in front of people, but I will not be the person to convert people. That is the spirits job, not mine. There is a quote in Preach my Gospel by Brigham Young on page 199, that made me realize this. I encourage everyone to go read it. 

I am grateful for this opportunity to serve. I do enjoy and love being on a mission. I can't wait to get out to the mission field. Thank you for the letters a packages. 

I love you all,

Elder Hayden McKay Cannon

All of the Elders in my district from left to right: Elder Miller, Me, Elder Headrick,
Elder Van Slyke, Elder Taylor, Elder Sutton.

The Big Day - Provo MTC - September 16, 2015

The Big Day - Provo MTC

The ceremonial lunch at the Brick Oven. 

Goodbye on the curb at the MTC.
Thank you to his host!! 

As Hayden is walking away. What we didn't realize was that he was signing "I LOVE YOU". We love you too!! GO and DO!!