The Rolling Stone

A kidney stone,
A thing so small
Is hardly worth a mention.
Unless your trying to pass the thing
It quickly gets your attention!!
There is a cure
I promise you
That this is not a joke;
Puree a bunch of broccoli
And chase it with a liter of Coke!

If only this little ditty had been true for Elder Colton. The last ten days for him have been filled with pain, a hospital stay and a test of his patience. Here is his account of what happened.

I thought that you would like to know exactly what happened past week. It started on the 4th. I had a little bit of pain in my lower abdomen. I spoke with a sister who is a nurse in the ward and she thought that it might just be a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection). She brought over some Cranberry juice and she said to "drink a lot." Then on Monday I had a big shot of pain. And it was really lingering so that made me worried. I called Dr. Dawson our Mission Doctor. He told me to rush to the ER just in case it was something serious. We went, I was seen and it was determined that I might have a UTI, so they gave me an antibiotic. The next day we went around doing other stuff and I had really no issues. The next day was really our first bike day after P-day and we rode a lot. We rode just about 10 miles. We stopped at a few places and took pictures as well as a little bit of tracting. One of our appointments was at the Stricklands. They are the older couple that we love to visit. Brother Strickland is in his 80s and seems to be doing rather well for his age. He welcomed us in and we sat down and started to talk. Then the pain started to rush in again. A little bit in my left kidney but not so bad to worry me. I hoped it would go away. As I tried to shift my legs back and forth, the pain just kept getting worse and worse. The more I moved, the worse I felt. I tapped Elder Brown on the arm and asked for the phone. I ran into the bathroom and laid on the ground. I put my feet up on the tub to try and have my legs elevated to get more blood flow there because I hoped that would fix it. I called Dr. Dawson and eventually he understood that I was in a lot of pain. He said that he would call the Hospital and get a Urologist to see me once we got there. So I gingerly walked out of the bathroom into the living room. I told the Stricklands that I needed to get to the hospital. They rushed us in the car and we were out on our way to Wake Forrest Baptist. I got to the ER and it was a waiting game. I sat there waiting and thinking I was going to die from the unrelenting pain. They finally called me back and got my information. As I talked with them the pain suddenly disappeared, which made me nervous. I was worried that they would think I was faking it or something. I was there for about an hour until they finally saw me. I was glad the pain had left me. I don't know what I would have done if it was still there. A Nurse Practitioner saw me and she checked everything again (oh what fun it is! NOT!) and she thought that it could possibly be a Kidney Stone. I'm thinking "heck no! You're crazy!" They scheduled a CT scan and I went in and got scanned. The results came back, and as luck would have it I had a stone. 5 mm to be exact. It looked like it was close enough to pass on its own. They told me I had been through the worst part of the pain. They gave me some pain meds and said that I should just drink a lot and it would pass within a few days. So they sent me home. I slept alright that night. The next morning we had Zone Conference and it was a really good meeting. I was still in a little pain but I went and tried to have a good attitude. I met with President Hobbs afterwards, a great visit. As we got into the Zone Leaders car to head home the pain came back. This time with a vengeance! It was a direct line of pain. It felt like something was tightening the grip. I prayed it would quit. But as soon as we got to the apartment, I told them to turn around and get me to the hospital. I got into the ER again and had to wait. That was the longest hour of waiting I think I've ever been through. No matter what I did the pain kept aching and aching. Finally after 3 days of visits to the ER, I got to see the team of Urologists. They examined me, and decided to admit me. They hoped that the stone would pass, if not then they would go in and remove it surgically. As I was waiting to get into my room, the pain shot up again. Luckily I only waited 15 minutes to get a shot of morphine. That got rid of the pain! I got up into my room and basically sat there for 2 days. The next morning they went in and removed it. Thankfully I was put under! I went home Friday afternoon. Elder Brown and our Zone Leaders were so supportive, this was hard for me. I knew I was hindering the work, I really felt awful. I still ache in my kidney but other than that I'm alright. I will have a follow up with the Urologist once the lab finishes analyzing the stone. I'll find out what to do to prevent any future stones. I'm glad that we have the car this week so I can still work on recovering. It means a lot to have all of your prayers and your love and support. I'll keep my fingers crossed that there won't be anymore hospital visits and everything continues to more forward. I love you guys and hope to hear from you soon!
I love you,
Elder Colton

An unusual sound...

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A tidbit from the field June 30 2008

Here is a snippet from Elder Colton's last letter:
I really can feel all the prayers offered in my behalf. There have been a few times when I could have been in danger and been protected. I want to share was something that happened on Saturday. We went back to see a guy who had asked to see us 2 Monday's ago. He is a minister of sorts. He went to school to study the Bible. We had seen him Thursday of this past week. Our visit ended quickly because we had another appointment to get to. We felt bad that we had left him before we had answered his questions. So we called him back the next day and set up an appointment to see him on Saturday.When we got to the appointment he had a bunch of notes with scriptures laid out to use to try and convince us that we were wrong. He told us that we don't understand at all the Gift that Christ gave us by offering his life. He said that he never felt pressure or felt that he had to try and be better because he was already saved by Christ. He asked me "Don't you want that? It makes it so easy." I bore my testimony to him of the Savior and of the truthfulness of the Gospel. He had already made up his mind that our message wasn't for him. As I was getting my things together in preparation to leave, the Spirit whispered to me "Jordan, you're doing the right thing". That was all I needed. It was such a strength to reassure me that the Lord is with me. Elder Brown said afterwards he could tell that he had spent a lot of time at Anti-Mormon websites. We don't think we will be seeing him again. He just wants to bash with us.
I don't know the scriptures as well as I think I should, but I have the spirit with me and a testimony. I am thankful for the experiences I have had in my life that have confirmed to me that Jesus Christ is my Savior. He provided a way for me to return to him. He wants me to be like him, and I am working towards that goal. He will make up the difference in any area that I lack.
We are having a special fast in our ward this Sunday for the missionary effort. It would be great if you could also remember this in your fast too.

News from the Field-June 23 2008

Hey Family!!

This week was about the same as all of my other weeks. It felt like it did when I was in the MTC: Weeks are like days and days are like weeks.

Today Elder Brown and I came up with a system to help us study better. There are 3 people that we have made friends with or talk to that are very deep in their understanding of the scriptures. Elder Brown talks with them fine, but I still struggle to understand exactly what they are talking about. Or why they are turning to such and such scripture as they discuss things. I'm going to be spending some time studying the New Testament. I want read through the gospels so I can know more of what exactly each Apostle is talking about and then go back and dig deeper into what they are saying. I read Matthew 1-6 this morning. After I finished each chapter I wrote down a synopsis of what was going on, so I review them when I start up again the next day. For companionship study we are reading through 3rd Nephi together and writing a synopsis when we finish a chapter. We got through chapter 9 today, which is when Christ is speaking to the Nephites who survived the destruction. It really is helping me out and I hope that we will continue to do this. I want to get a better understanding of the scriptures and feel like I have that spiritual backing to my testimony.

We are meeting with our investigator tomorrow. We saw her on Tuesday last week. She is finally opening up to us more. We are still trying to get that connection for her with the couple from the ward. We let them talk and help us teach a lot. I think is great for her because she needs to hear it from someone else besides us. She is still praying to know if she needs to be baptized. We continue to pray for her daily that she will find the answer. She had her granddaughters at her house the last time we were there. We got to meet them, but they stayed in another room and watched TV as we talked about the Gospel. Before we left to go meet with them Elder Brown couldn't think of something to talk about. I thought about it for a second and said that it probably was a "Stupor of Thought." I felt we should just go and the Spirit would direct us to what we needed to say. I sure hoped that I was being inspired. Elder Brown accepted that and we left to go see her. It worked out well. We got to focus on her concerns. The couple gave a very strong testimony how we need to be baptized into the proper church in order for us to gain all of the blessings that Heavenly Father has for us. And we also clarified a few words that she may have not understood like when we say them. For example: Saint. We believe that it means a follower of Christ; its not a title saying we are holier than anyone else.

I think that our talks went very well. I had written down what I wanted to say, but ended up saying only half of that. The rest just flowed out of my mouth and I feel that I said what Heavenly Father wanted me to. We were supposed to share any experiences that were like those good missionary stories, but I couldn't think of any. So I shared a little bit about my story of getting out here on a mission. We got a lot of compliments on our talks afterwards. I'm hoping we motivated them to try and find people for us to teach.

It is stinking hot out here! We had the car this week so it was nice!!! It rained last night with a really cool thunder storm. I hope we are going to have a milder week while we are biking around. I got my Camelback, thanks so much for sending it. Speaking of service we went to one of the members houses this weekend and helped with yard work. I found a copperhead snake in their front yard. Brother T showed it to his kids, and then he killed it since they are pretty dangerous around here. I was glad I those gloves that I bought. I was protected in case it tried to bite me.

I really do love you guys and thanks so much for your continued support and your prayers. I feel blessed to have the love of home while I am out here. If there is anything else I can think of I'll drop a letter in the mailbox to ya later today. Love ya! Elder Colton

News From the Field-June 16, 2008

Hey Family!
Well its good to know that my Camelback wasn't stolen or lost in the mail. I was wondering when it would come this week. I got a little worried that it didn't show up at all. It will be way nice to have next week when we are on bikes again.
So this week was pretty interesting. If you remember one of the Sister missionaries was having some health problems. She was sent home this week because she had a seizure. She should have gone home when she had one the first month or so that she was on her mission, but she felt blessed that she was able to stay out longer. I don't think we will be having a full car. That would be such a big wish to come true for me! However things continue to get better with my bike riding. My thighs are killing me right now, but I have a week for them to recover. They should be a lot stronger than they were before.
On Tuesday we went and visited with a lady who is interested in the Church. She had told us then that she knew that the church was true. That really did get me excited, but I don't know if she fully understands that yet or not. When we asked her if she wanted to be baptized, she said that she didn't think she needed to. We had the some members from the ward(a husband and wife) with us. They are an African American couple in our ward that have been members for over 30 years. And it was so nice to have them there because they were able to connect with our investigator. She is an older African American too. They could teach her about the differences of our church to the church she goes to. I felt that it was a very good lesson. They are going to come with us again tomorrow to visit with her and we hope that she will come to understand her need to be baptized into the true church here on the Earth. We just have to give her time.
On Thursday we went and helped a new family move into their home. They are up in Yadkinville and it was nice we didn't have to bike all of the way up there. They drove all the way from Snowflake AZ to here. It was fun to help them out and work hard to unload all of their stuff. Everyone complimented me on sticking it out in the truck and climbing around and handing boxes to people. That made me feel really good that I had accomplished something. I guess they thought id be a lazy missionary and just help out here or there.
On Saturday we went with a family from our ward to Little Richards BBQ, and must say that was awesome! It was so good!! I had my official first basket of hushpuppies here in the South. I got a picture of my meal, but not a picture of me eating it. The place was swamped with people and I didn't want the owners thinking I was doing something weird. Elder Brown and I plan to go back sometime.
We found out Sunday that we are going to be speaking in church next week. That will be fun. I have my talk already planned out for the most part. I don't have to speak as long as I did for my farewell which will be nice. We are going to be speaking on missionary work and will be trying to motivate the members to find people for us to teach and fulfill our ward mission goal. It is to have 6 baptisms by the end of the year. We are already halfway through the year and only have had 1. Its' going to take a little bit of work to reach that goal. I think that this ward can do it though. They are so helpful and it just amazes me how willing they are to help us in the work. It really motivates me to work harder so that their efforts don't go in vain.
I haven't had to teach any formal discussions yet. Most of the time we are just dropping by people and trying to see if they would be interested in meeting with us or less actives who would be interested in us or home teachers. So that is kind of different. But as I was biking here to write your email, I got a call from a guy who somehow got our number and wants to meet with us tomorrow night. We don't know what about, but we hope that there is a possibility that he would want us to come and teach him. So that is kind of exciting!
This next week will be the end of my first transfer. I won't be getting transfered because I'm still in training. It gets me thinking of my next companion will be.
So now onto some worldly things. I bought a GPS system that really has been handy to help us find out how to get to places and things. Its a TOMTOM and we named him Andy, after this British dude from London who keeps calling us and trying to convince us that we are part of a Cult that leads people away from Christ. He is a cool guy and we usually talk about something else with him and he will only sometimes mention things that are wrong about our Church. I'm still trying to use my camera to take pictures. I want to fill my card up a little bit more before I send it home. Well I love you guys and hope all is well for you back at home. Thanks for all that you do and I miss you. I realize that I'll be coming home sooner than I felt I was when I first set foot in the MTC. I hope to hear from ya'll again soon. And if you ever feel so inclined to also write me letters during the week that'd be nice too :) Its always nice to get letters.

Love Elder Colton

News from the field -June 9, 2008

This last week its been pretty good. We had the car, and oh what a blessing its been. It has been in the upper 90's and over 50% humidity on some days. We get out of the car and say "Hey it isn't so bad" and within 5 minutes we can feel the drops of sweat going down our backs as we walk around in the neighborhoods.
We visited with a woman who has been investigating the church for a long time now, almost 2 years. We spent an hour at her house and talked with her and also fixed a few things for her.
Today has been a very interesting day. We had our Zone Conference and also it was a Mission Tour. The General Authority that is here is Gary Coleman (no not the "What you talkin' 'bout Willis). We had training with him this morning. We share the car with a set of sister missionaries, and this is their week to have the car. One of them is having some health concerns. During the mission tour this morning they took her to the hospital and I think she might be sent home. So it may look like we have the car again this week. Her companion might be sent to be in a 3-some and who knows, maybe we will get a full car in this area. The Lord works in mysterious ways. I have been worried about biking in this heat. It just gets so hot and you sweat so much and it can get hard to tell if you need water or not.
This last Saturday we went to the Torgersons (Brother T is the guy who makes custom guitars) and we did yard work for him. We mowed his lawn and then raked up all of these leaves that have built up under his trees. He wants to have removed so he can put moss in. I was in the shade raking up leaves for most of the time that I was there. I still was drenched in sweat. I was very glad that I got to spend most of the day there at his house. I thanked Brother T for letting us come over when we were at church yesterday and he said we were welcome to come over anytime. Oh and by the way (I may have told you this already) Brother T served his mission here, So he has a lot of stories about the area and the mission that he loves to share with us. He is also a comedian of sorts and always says something to make you laugh, so he reminds me of Christian. The Members are just so awesome here! The teaching pool is still very low, but we still try to work hard. I just kind of feel that really all we can do is try to gain trust with the members and get referrals from them. This last quarter the Zone leaders were told that the majority of baptisms were because of member referrals, if I remember it was over 70% of all of them. I still have been kind of stressed out about all of this. Things I'm sure will get better with time.
It seems like everything is going a million miles a minute, especially when I look back at how far I've come. I've almost been out for 2 months and that is just crazy!! It doesn't feel like its been that long and I do hope it continues to be like that. Since the teaching pool is low right now, we have spent a lot of time doing drop-by's and seeing if there are less actives that want to be taught or if there is former investigators that are interested. Most aren't, and so that can be discouraging. I know we shouldn't give up and we haven't. President Hobbs has told me a few times that He knows that this is where I need to be. Right now at the time in my life this is where I need to be and where else would I be? There isn't anything else that is more important than being here now.
This area is really great. I just love the members! And it is just so green. We could get rid of the Humidity if I had the choice. But Elder Brown says that that is the thing we have to deal with for living in the "Garden of Eden" :)
Well that is all for this week. I'll keep you posted on all that is going on. I can't wait to read your letters next Monday. I love you all
Love
Elder Colton

The first letter for June 2008

Hey Family...

Ah finally I have a chance to write you an email. We had a crazy day today. When we tried to get to the computers in Clemmons they were being worked on. We had to wait until now here in Lewisville and email you.

Thanks a million for all of your letters and the forwards that you sent me. To answer dad's question: My bike is great! The seat that they gave me has a hole in the front. It's kind of like a split seat and its really helped with the biking.

I love President Hobbs. He is such a kind and generous man. He is very sincere. When I had an interview with him earlier last week, he was very helpful and supportive. He also called me on Sunday to say that he got a copy of the story written about me. He said that he assumed that you would be sending me a copy, but if I didn't then he would gladly get one for me. He also said that he is going to be talking to the public relations group that they have out here to get my story to more people (I'm assuming even people who aren't members of the Church) because he said that it's a story that needs to be told.

A member of the ward printed out a copy of my story for me to read. He said that he really liked it as well. I shared it with some ward members, but I don't know how many other people here have seen it. IT does make me feel good. This is an answer to my prayers; that I would be able to hopefully reach someone with my testimony. It's now a lot more than I had first thought!!

Hmmm...I had my first exchange last week. I went with Elder Hyde. It was way cool to go to a new area and to teach other people. I was very nervous, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. We spent most of the day with Brother Farthing. His little girl can't say her th's, so she says her last name is "Farting". She made me laugh a lot. I'm not totally sure why, but they enjoyed me coming over and talking to them. I think maybe it was because I noticed that they have Munchkin and a lot of the games that we like to play. Christian and Ryan will like this, I got to ride in a Jaguar Convertable that day. Also this past Sunday the Ward Mission leader took us in his Audi A4, a really nice car. We haven't had a lot of people to teach in our area. It's a lot of drop by's and just seeing who would like us to come back. We have a lot of "don't". "Dont' want to listen to your message" and those who don't answer their door. Or they get really mad at you. One guy we were just going to say hi to said "Don't even THINK of coming to my house". So we said "have a great day" and rode on.

It was bike week this past week. The hottest day was Saturday. We were on bikes most of the day and I'm sure I lost a pound from all the sweating. I was thinking it might be a good idea if you'd sent me my Camelback. I could just use that backpack on weeks I'm biking around and then use Papa's on weeks I have the car. From what Elder Brown tells me there aren't a ton of biking areas. This is the first area he has gone to where he has biked a lot and in such a big area.

On Saturday we went back to the one of our investigators. He is a very nice guy and he had a lot of deep questions that I was surprised that I could answer. I didn't really have a lot of scripture to back it up, good thing Elder Brown was there. I shared with him how I knew the Church was true because of blessings I've had and that they are one of the reasons that I am alive. He is a very physical evidence based person and he has said that is why he is a Christian. However he can't believe in the Book of Mormon if there is no physical evidence to prove it. He says that the spiritual feelings could not be coming from God and would be deceiving us. I said that might be a possibilility. I told him that is why I am always testing God's promises to see if they are true or not. Time and time again it has been confirmed to me that this is the true church. I honestly hope that he would consider what I said. In spite of our religious differences, he is still very friendly to us. He took us to a Christian Bookstore and bought both of us a New King James Version of the bible. That was way cool. Elder Brown has been collecting different versions of the Bible to take home and that was one he was looking for. Then we went back and had dinner with him. Afterwards he took us home. I was thankful we didn't have to bike home. I was worn out and the ride was another tender mercy from the Lord.

I can tell how things are slowly connecting and coming together for me. I'm realizing that I don't have to know all the answers on the spot and that they will come over time. I'm getting better and faster on my bike. The hills we climb aren't as bad as they were my first day here. I am super happy we have the car this week and we don't have to bike around. We will probably be spending a lot of time in the outer towns of our area this week.

Well I'm going to read the other emails you sent me. I love you all and thanks so much for your love and support. It helps me so much. I love the work here. Thanks for praying for me, I feel your strength.

Love Elder Colton