August 2, 2021

Howdy Hoo!

How is everyone?? It feels like yesterday I was in Syracuse, Utah just hanging out! Time flies when you are working hard! This week we have had a bunch of lessons which has been a great blessing for me because it has brought me even closer to Christ! But the best thing about these lessons is when I see people light up with the spirit inside them. It seriously is one of the coolest things I have ever experienced! Being able to experience this has also been a huge blessing because it shows that our hard work is paying off! 

This week we taught this lady named Sandra the message of the restoration. A little background about Sandra is that she used to be a huge alcoholic! So bad that it almost took her life! In fact, my first conversation with her was like this "I haven't drank in 2 months, but I am still smoking weed. I used to smoke like 2 ounces a day but now I only do it like twice a day!" hahaha.  The people out here in the south are funny😂 but something cool about her is that she was so willing to keep the commitments that we are working on for her! I can definitely see the light of Christ in her! 

Anyway, I hope that everyone is doing good and that everyone is okay! I love you guys and can't wait to see ya again!

 July 26, 2021

Week 2 in the books!

Hey ya'll!  I don't actually like to say ya'll, but it is kind of growing on me!  This week has been surprisingly rewarding!  Don't get me wrong, it has definitely been a challenge, but I'm grateful for that.

This week I have noticed that I am a lot more grateful for challenges in our lives. Challenges are what shape us into the people we are now and that is something that is so precious and beautiful.  This week, I have also realized that God is with us no matter where we are.  You know why?  Because of his great love for everyone on this planet!  In the first discussion that missionaries teach, the very first principle  is that God is our loving Heavenly Father.  After realizing that God is always with us, I read some scriptures.  One in particular is D&C 84:88 and it says, "And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face.  I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."  So putting this into missionary terms, as we are teaching the word of God unto the lost sheep, God will be with us and he will testify the truth of our message unto them!

I would like to invite you guys to share the gospel with someone that is lost.  I know that as you do this, you will have the power of God with you!

Love, Elder Sam Adams

Pictures...1. Hannah was baptized 2. Water 3. Water 4. Cute lil selfie of myself :)

July 19, 2021

Wow...and just like that I am back where I was 7 months ago.  It's crazy how time flies when you are having fun.  I mean the time spent at home felt like I was only there for a month or two.  Haha.  In this one week I've been back out here in North Carolina, it feels like I haven't skipped a beat.  It feels like I have been here serving the entire time and that has been a huge blessing.

Many of you may know that the first time I came out here, I experienced a few things...I experienced mild depression, anxiety, and extreme homesickness.  It was very hard for me to be away from the people that I love and the place where I grew up!  The best thing about being here the second time is that I don't think I have experienced one of those things yet.  This has been a huge blessing in my life.  I am serving in Shelby, North Carolina and I love the area so far and the ward especially.  The people here have definitely helped me feel comfortable living here!  Oh and guess what?  I have the exact same companion as before!  He is such an awesome dude and there is never a dull moment between us.  Haha.  One thing that I really admire about my companion is that he is always having us work!  Some of you may say, "Well that sounds awful!"  But it is actually exactly what I need right now because if we weren't always busy, you know what I would be doing?...Thinking about home and how much I miss it.  

I have been studying in Moses chapters 1-7 this week.  In this story, it is about how Heavenly Father is talking to Moses when he was desiring the truth of the gospel and what is real and what is not.  Moses was second in line to become Pharaoh.  Moses begins to talk to God and says that he sees God with his eyes!  He then begins to say that he did not see God with his physical eyes but with his spiritual eyes.  (HE SEES THE PLAN OF SALVATION!)  Just imagine how cool that would have been to see the creation and everything that comes after that!  With only being here a week now, I have seen the plan of salvation.  Now probably not as drastically as Moses, but I know that without a doubt in my mind that the plan of salvation is true.  This has become known to me.  As I am teaching families and individuals about this, seeing their eyes light up with wonder is one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced!  The gospel of Jesus Christ is true!  I know it!  I also know that it plays a huge roll in my life and I know it can in yours.  If you are feeling lonely, depressed, anxious, or anything like that, I challenge you to look to your Savior Jesus Christ and he will help you feel comforted!  This I know because he has helped me! 

 July 14, 2021

Sam left the Salt Lake Airport this morning at 10:00 to go back to serve the people of North Carolina.  

Sam was set apart as a missionary the night before, July 13, 2021 at 9:00 by President Leishman.  We love President Leishman and we were so happy that he was the one who was available to set Sam apart.

Sam was given a beautiful blessing, promising him many things such as eyes to see and a heart to feel.  He was told to go boldly and confidently, where angels would surround him and strengthen him.  He was told that he would love the people of North Carolina and would see them as our Savior sees them.

So Sam...

Study, Pray, Serve, and Love!

Enjoy the ride.  Find joy in every day!

Make every moment count!

Once again, a big chunk of my heart is back in North Carolina.

Sam arrived in North Carolina around 4:00, where he met his new President, 

President Brown.

This is the text we received from President Brown later that evening:

"Had an enjoyable evening with Elder Adams.  He's excited to be back in the mission field.  I asked him about the origin of his testimony and was amazed at the depth of his conversation.  He sure loves you all (Parents and three sisters).  Buckle in and prepare for the miracles because Elder Adams is ready to be a consecrated missionary.  Thanks for trusting us with your son.

All my love, Prs Brown."

 Week #13

November 16, 2020

Sam is home for a little bit because of a knee injury.  He is going in to get an MRI tomorrow and then meeting with the Orthopedic Surgeon on Wednesday.  We will keep you posted!

Week #12

November 10, 2020 

Hello Hello

This week was way crazy. To start the week off, we had elections on Tuesday.  So naturally everything was crazy, but we found a couple people in the phone book so that was good. (I hate calling in the phone book)  We also went out street contacting and found this guy named Ravon. He is a really cool dude with a huge smile on his face all the time.

Wednesday, we had exchanges with the district leader so I was like "oh crap, this is not going to be fun at all!" But it was actually really fun! I learned that our district leader is a really cool kid and we got along pretty well. We did a lot of phone book calling and he showed us how to do it more effectively. Then the day got over and we played a game called "Cover Your Assets."  I won!

Thursday was just the average day. Not a lot of things went on but it was still good. It was good to have a day that wasn't so hectic.

Friday was really good. We were able to find even more people. We found them in the phone book because of the advice that our district leader gave us. So we were pretty happy about that!

Saturday was the best day of the week. On Saturday we did a lot of street contacting. We found this guy named Marc. He was a pretty interesting guy haha. He had a lot of common beliefs as us. He had a lot of thoughts that just didn't make sense though. He said that he got high the night before so we were like oh geez. He also said that the government was tracking him, which I don't think that was the truth, haha. Anyways, it was his birthday and he was outside at the park all alone which was really sad. So we gave him some company and I think he really liked that. We got his number and we will be calling him sometime soon.

Sunday is always my favorite day out of the week because I get to focus more on our Savior and his love for us. What great blessing. He knows everything that we are going through, good or bad. He knows exactly how to help each one of us. In Alma 7:11-12, it talks about how He atoned for our sins and everything hard that we have had to go through. He did this so that he might be able to help us and know exactly how to help us.

Love, Elder Adams

Pictures:

1. My potential profile pic

2. Us and Marc 

3. I guess someone videoed us doing martial art kicks so now we are famous 😂

 Week #11

November 2, 2020

Hey everyone! 

This week has been like a roller coaster ride, hahaha! It has been a good though!! On Tuesday we did service, so that kind of set the tone for the week. 

Last Thursday, we had a zone conference where all of missionaries was introduced to a new way of finding people on Facebook! I have enjoyed getting on Facebook and being able to do things a little different because I have really  been struggling with doing the exact same thing everyday.

I have been learning a lot of stuff lately! My studies have  been focused on Christ and the people that we are trying to teach! This has been awesome for me because Christ is the biggest example for anyone! While studying about him, I have been able to focus more on trying to be more like him! While studying more about him, I have realized how much He loves us! Christ loved us so much that he atoned for all of our sins so that we are able to repent and become completely clean again! Without Christ in our life, we would never ever be able to be in the presence of God! Now because of his atonement, we can become clean again to be in the presence of God! I read a quote by Dallin H. Oaks that said "The atonement is not a backup plan. It is the main plan because God knows we are going to fall." This has helped me! I know it can help you too! If you are struggling now or later in life with things that you want to change or repent of, I challenge you to do just that! Because I KNOW it will allow you to become happy again! I mean truly happy! I read a quote from President Nelson that said "The prize is worth the price!" What a beautiful message! I promise you that by doing this you will bring yourself blessings in the future! 

Peace out! 

-Elder Adams

  

1. Picture of Christ 

2. I got a bloody nose😂

3. Me being stupid 

4. Us being stupid😂