Elder Connor Runyan from the 15th Ward is Serving Faithfully in the New Jersey Mission says his Father, Carl Runyan

One of the joys of having my son on a mission in New Jersey, is hearing about his weekly experiences sharing the gospel.  I continue to be amazed and blessed to see the Lord's hand at work.  It is truly a marvelous work and wonder to see the how the Elders are guided to many people who are ready to hear the gospel and to see the change taking place not only in those investigating the church but also my son.  I am grateful to Connor for sharing his experiences and testimony weekly.

Many of his experiences leave little room for doubt that the Lord is guiding the work.  

For example, 

The Math Teacher.....

Connor shared one experience where he and his companion were out teaching with a member who is a math teacher.  As they arrived at their appointment, they found that the people were not home.   A little disappointed, they decided to go visit a less active member who might have moved.   As they drove away, their first appointment drove up the street and sent them a text that they had just arrived.   However, the text was not received until much later.  Upon arriving at the next home, they found nobody home so decided to go next door and ask if they Lady still lived there.   A women answered and told them that she didn't have much time to talk since her son was struggling to prepare for a math test.  Well it just so happened that they had a math teacher along, who taught the son while Connor and his companion taught the mother.   Just as they were finishing, they received the text from the first appointment.

This was just one of many examples of  having the right people in the right place at the right time so those ready could hear the gospel!

Another blessing is to see the joy that comes as people are brought unto Christ.

The Phone Call.....

A few months ago while working in my office, I received a phone call from a number that I didn't recognize.   Normally, I would just ignore a call like that especially since I had someone stop by with a question.  However, I noticed that it was from New Jersey.   At that point I stopped everything and figured that I needed to answer the call.   I answered hoping that everything was ok with Connor.

Well, it turned out that it was a call from Mark and Staci.  Yes the Mark and Staci from Connor's weekly updates.   He had been teaching them the gospel for the past 2-3 months.   They wanted to call and let us know just how much they appreciate Elder Runyan.   They are both so impressed with him, his knowledge of the gospel and the type of young man that he is.  They were both so complementary of him.  Mark only hoped that his children would be like him. 

Carl Runyan

(Elder Connor Runyan's Father)

Inspiring Personal Story by Michael Boring

Brother Michael Boring is a member of the 5th ward currently serving on the Stake High Council. He posted this message recently on Facebook and has given permission for it to be posted here.

"Whenever anyone asks me, "How are you" or "how is it going" or anything similar, my answer is almost always, "I woke up. It's a good day." Let me explain why.
Nine years ago in August of 2006, I ended up in Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, with a fairly aggressive infection in the soft tissues of my neck. Antibiotics weren't working, the infection kept spreading and began encroaching on my esophagus, so into surgery I went.
I awoke the next morning in intensive care with a tracheostomy and breathing through a ventilator which really surprised me. I expected to wake up and pretty much go home. I didn't get all the details until a few days later, but apparently while trying to establish an airway for surgery, my throat swelled shut. The oral surgeon operating on me was the only doctor available who was trained to perform an emergency tracheostomy.
Four days after surgery, one of my nurses came into my room at 3:00 in the morning, turned on the light and said, "Let me get this straight. You came into the hospital with a toothache and almost died?" I told him no, I didn't almost die, they just couldn't establish an airway. He said, "I just read your chart. You stopped breathing on that table. That trache you have in your throat is an emergency trache. Your doctor saved your life."
My life changed at that moment. I changed, too. Life is a gift. A precious, precious gift, and I didn't want to ever waste a minute of it on things that did not matter or add value to my life or the people I cared about. I learned that day that we don't know how long we have on this earth, so we need to ensure that we spend our time as wisely as possible and with the people we care the most about, and to make sure that our time spent with them is positive, happy and productive.
I still bear the scars in my neck from that experience. My surgeons said they could fix them, but I declined. I never want to forget how precious life is. So every day, when I wake up and look in the mirror and see those scars, I remember, and I try to have a good day.
Nine years ago, I almost didn't wake up. So when I open my eyes in the morning, it's already a good day. A wonderful day. A day to be with those that I love and care for the most in this world. Each day is a gift, and I'm grateful for every minute I get to spend with my wife, children and grand-children. I love them more than I am able to express. I have been given a second chance at life, and I don't plan to waste a bit of it.
I am about to go to bed. But if I am blessed to wake up in the morning, it will be the start of a good day."

-Michael Boring

Returned Missionary Interview: Justin Murdock from the Smithfield Utah South Stake 10th Ward returned from the Kennewick Washington mission in April 2015 and kindly provided an inspiring interview describing his mission experience and testimony.

The following video has been created by the Smithfield Utah South Stake in conjunction with the full time missionaries to teach high school seniors preparing to serve missions how to do splits with the missionaries.

Returned Missionary Interview: Jaycob Rich from the Smithfield Utah South Stake 5th Ward returned from the Berlin Germany mission in April 2015 and kindly provided the following inspiring interview describing his mission experience and testimony.