I am back in Greenville!!!

I am back in Greenville!!!

I can't believe I am back in a branch that I have served in before! It is crazy! It has been so fun coming back to this branch. I have gotten to see a bunch of people that I knew before and it is great to see how people have progressed. Recent converts that I knew have received their endowments, other investigators have gotten baptized. It is awesome!!! It was super fun going to church yesterday because the branch didn't know that I was coming back. That was really cool to surprise them. The member that gave us a ride home from transfers told us that in the 15 years that she has lived in Greenville, a missionary coming back has never happened. I am really glad to be here. 

Elder Erickson is my new companion. He is great! He is from Orem. He plays the guitar which can make for some really fun musical times! This is his 3rd transfer and he is just ready to go! I really like that about him. It really will make the work so much more joyful!

We had a really great miracle this week. Elder Erickson found these girls as potential investigators before I got here and we were able to to meet with them this week, pick them up as new investigators as well their Grandfather! Then they came to church! It was great to see this family coming to church together. We are looking forward to working with them. 

I love being a missionary!

Thank you! I love you!

Elder Hayden Cannon

I finally attended Stake Conference!!!

Hello Everyone!!!

This last Sunday, I attended my first stake conference of my mission!!! In all of my areas, I have been transferred into an area right after stake conference or I have been transferred out of an area right before stake conference. I really enjoyed the meeting. It was really good. 

This week was a pretty good week even if it was slow. 

We had a worldwide missionary conference with the missionary executive council. I loved what Elder Bednar said in the broadcast about how Heavenly Father is the one who gives us success, it isn't anything that we do. That I think has helped me to realize that just because we aren't seeing success right now doesn't mean that Heavenly Father doesn't want to grant it to us, it just means that we have to continue in faith and pray for the success because as we do, we see that success. That was something that I already knew but I think it is interesting to see that we really do need reminders from our Heavenly Father. Many times, those reminders come as calls to repentance. I think that recognizing that success does come from Heavenly Father and relying on Him and his son is a great way to repent. 

Another call to repentance that I received from the broadcast was the fact that I do not have to know that something is revelation or inspiration to act on something. I just have to know that it something good and then I must do it. I think that is something that I have been struggling with for a while. I have desired to know that something was revelation before I went and did it when that is not necessary. I look forward to implementing that in this work. 

The last call to repentance that I thought was noteworthy happened when I was writing in my journal one night. I was thinking about what I was going to write about and I remembered a general authority talking about writing about how we see the hand of God in our day. I thought that is what I would right about. I thought that was an interesting connection to how the thought to see the hand of God in my day was a call to repentance. It is a good reminder that a call to repentance can be just as simple as to look for the Hand of God in my day or to go and do good or to ask for and look to God for success. I look forward to making these changes and seeing how I draw closer to my Heavenly Father. 

Thank you!!! I love you!!!

Elder Hayden Cannon

Culture is what makes changes.

Hello!!!

Things have been going well here in Eastgate. It has been really fun here with Elder Burton. We have had some really cool experiences. 

Elder Burton and I went on exchanges with the Assistants this week and it was really fun. I stayed in Eastgate and was with Elder Verdoni. I have to admit that I was a little stressed out by the exchange because I have had some rather stressful exchanges when I have lead the area in the past, but this one was really good. At one point, we were looking through the area book wondering what to next and Elder Verdoni made the suggestion to pray and ask what we should do. I had already made the decision but wanted to make sure that it was the right one by praying about it. So we prayed and we went off. We went to go see this less active member, but outside his apartment was this man on his phone, so we started talking to him. We were able to talk about God's plan for him and even though there were some unfortunate things that happened, they will all be for his good. We are really excited to see how he does. 

We had a meeting with the stake president and President Welch. President Welch made a comment that I really liked. He said that if we really want people to be doing things like missionary work, or temple and family history work we have to develop a culture of doing those things. That made me think about the cultures that I want to have around me. I really want to have a righteous, Godly, culture to be able to maintain the same spirituality that I have been able to experience on my mission. 

Thank you for everything! I love you!!!

Elder Hayden Cannon 

We have a baptism this weekend!!!

Hello Everyone!!!

Things have been going well! Elder Manning and I have a baptism this weekend. Unfortunately, Elder Manning is getting transferred though. That is a big bummer. We have been able to do some really good work together and we got along really well. It will be fun with my new companion Elder Burton. I don't really know him but it should be fun. 

I had this thought during the week. We all know the scripture "Wickedness never was happiness," but sometimes, neither is righteousness in the eyes of some people. Why do these people fail to see the blessings and joy that come from righteousness? The only thing that is keeping them from seeing the happiness is their own attitude. If we are able to look at the big picture of what we need to do as something that is going to make us closer to our Heavenly Father and not as a restrictive list of dos and don'ts then we are able to see the light of the gospel illuminate our lives in a greater fashion. 

Thank you! I love you!

Elder Hayden Cannon 

Merry Christmas!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

I hope all of you enjoyed your Holiday! The Holidays are an interesting time for missionaries. Everyone we call just says to get a hold of them after the first of the year. That makes thing hard up until then because missionary work doesn't stop! We don't take a vacation until the January! We are figuring out what we can do until then. 

Christmas Eve was really good. We had a Christmas conference with the Cincinnati stakes. I got roped into doing 3 things for the talent show and 2 other musical numbers. It was a good day, but I was a little anxious because of all the stuff I needed to do. Elder Manning and I did a 12 days of Christmas skit and it was so fun! Elder Manning has never done anything like that. That's what you get when you have a theater kid as you companion. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it. It was a fun day. 

Christmas was fun too! Christmas on Sunday is awesome for a missionary! We went to both sacrament meetings that happen in our building because one of the Elders from the other ward and I did a musical number. I sang in the ward choir and that was really fun. I miss singing in choirs. We then went to Skype home which was fun! Great to talk with my family! And that was about all that happened this week. 

Thank you, 
I love you!!!
Elder Hayden Cannon

Skype on Christmas Day

Elder Cannon and Elder Manning

Referrals!

Hello!!!

This week was a good week. This week felt really long though. It wasn't bad as in it was dragging on, but it did feel long. It was rather interesting. 

On Thursday, we had Mission Leadership Council. I really enjoy those meetings. This meeting was really interesting because there used to be twice as many zone leaders and there were more sister training leaders but because of the zones changing, there were far fewer missionaries there. We had a special guest come, Brother Hemingway, the director of proselyting for the missionary department of the church. It was a really good meeting. Something that was really interesting is that other missionaries and I have noticed is that we will have a meeting like that where there is an emphasis on something and we will treat it as if we have never had access to those principles, even though they have been in Preach My Gospel since 2006. I have found that funny. It was a really good meeting. 

One of the things that Brother Hemingway talked about is asking for referrals. He promised us that if we are to truly ask for referrals from everyone, we would be able to change our finding to baptizing ratio from 33 to 1, to 11 to 1. That is a huge difference! So Elder Manning and I have really been trying to ask for referrals from everyone. The actual asking for referrals hasn't been to fruitful but we still continued to ask. Saturday, we had our ward Christmas Party and while we were there, a member came up to us with his friend as said, "This is Jim, he came to church last week and is interested in learning more." He also came to church yesterday. Heavenly Father has laid out in Preach my Gospel that if we will ask for referrals to teach, we will have many people to teach and Elder Manning and I are just at the beginning a we can't wait to see what else comes. 

Thank you, I love you!!!
Elder Hayden Cannon

One of our new referrals!!

Doubled-in to EastsGate

Hi!!!

Things are going well here in Eastgate! Elder Manning and I were doubled-in here as the zone leaders. That is kinda rare. Usually zone leaders don't get doubled-in. This wasn't even where zone leaders were in the past. It has been interesting. Elder Manning has said that he hasn't prayed so much in his entire mission. 

Elder Manning and I are still trying to get our bearings so we don't quite have much to report. Things have been good and we look forward to the work here. 

Love you!!!
Elder Hayden Cannon