Elder Harrison Adams 4/25/16 Morehead City, NC

Dear Family and Friends,

To start off. Last P-day we were able to go to Beaufort and see the Mariner Museum there. I also went to the fudge shop where we would go to on family vacation before my mission.

We also, sadly, said goodbye to Elders Nutter, De Spain, and Godfrey from our district. But we also welcomed in Elders De Mie, Ashcroft, and Sister Bettington. Elder Ashcroft is a little bit shorter than me but has longer arms, so our reach is just about the same. We get some good basketball going in the mornings!

Also this week we had lots of success with lessons. This past Sunday we had a combined family home evening with the English and Spanish members. Everyone brought a little bit of food and we all had fun. We also had some papers with translations on them. We had English, Spanish, and Harkanese (Harkers Island dialect).

After our family home evening we were able to have a lesson with two investigators at once. Alex, and Chris. It was really cool because Alex ended up testifying to Chris about the Book of Mormon. Other than that not much is new. We kind of have basic routines that we follow every week so sometimes not a whole lot changes!

I just want to share with y’all that I know Christ Lives. He reigns in the heavens and He is our Lord and Savior. If we just call out for help, He will protect us just like a hen gathering her chicks. His reach is never too far for us. I love you all so much.

Love,

Elder Adams 

Funny no soliciting sign.

Missionary sophistication.

The Fudge Factory—where Harrison has eaten his

share of yummy fudge over the years.

Finz Grill, one of the family's favorite restaurants
in Beaufort, North Carolina

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort.


Whale skeleton at the Maritime Museum.


Great White Shark at the Maritime Museum.


Nautical flags along the wharf in Beaufort.

Elder Harrison Adams 4/18/16 Morehead City, NC

Family and Friends,

We had transfer calls this week! Elder Gibb and I will be staying here in Morehead City for at least one more transfer. Elder Godfrey will be leaving Morehead, and this last District Meeting was my good friend Elder Nutter's last one. It'll be weird because he's been around me my whole mission. He was there in Newport News and came down with me to Morehead.

Last week for P-day we were able to go to a pump track with the English Elders and bike there. It was a lot of fun and I could see myself getting back into that kind of stuff when I get back from my mission! We were there with their investigator John and his dog. John owns a bike shop, and let us borrow the bikes in order to do the pump track and different jumps! We had a lot of fun at the pump track.

This week he had a few really cool miracles. One was teaching Eric Alaniz. He is one of our investigators and we had a really good lesson with him on the Spirit World. We also taught Alex several times and he came with us this past Sunday to Stake Conference in New Bern. 

Holly Brough (lacrosse teammate’s mom) also asked me about some weird foods I've eaten here. The weird foods I've had are grits, collards, cow tongue, frog legs, chicken gizzard, chicken liver, basically every other part of a chicken as well, chicken feet...everything but the beak! 

Well before I go I'd just like to share about what I've been studying this week. I've been reading in Alma 40 about the resurrection of the dead and the Spirit World. There is a lot of very interesting and exciting verses in that chapter! I hope you all have a good week, much love.

-Elder Adams 

At the pump track.

Catching some air on the pump track.

Manning the cannon at Fort Macon.

Beneath the pier.

Elder Harrison Adams 4/11/16 Morehead City, NC

Family and friends,

This week has flown by! Some really great things happened this week! The first thing is that I was able to eat frog legs for the first time. The Fletcher family feeds us every Thursday and this meal we had frog legs! They had gone gigging the night before and had quite a few, large frogs. It's actually not too hard to cook frog legs. They showed us how to do it so we helped them after. You just take the frog, cut off the top half (you can eat that part but the legs are supposedly the best part), then you cut off the feet and simply peel the skin off the leg. We threw them in a deep fryer, tossed on some seasoning, and then they were ready to go! They tasted...well just like chicken. The only different thing is they had the texture of fish but tasted like chicken so that was a little different. But I really enjoyed them! 

Also this week we had a few really spiritual lessons. The first one was with our investigator Eric Alaniz. Eric is from Tabasco Mexico, and has lived in the States for a few years. Well we've taught him a few times, and this time we taught him the plan of salvation. After the lesson finished he was super interested about where we go after this life, and wanted us to explain it even more. Sadly, we had another appointment so we had to go, but we told him that we would come by again and share more. He immediately asked when we could come back, and he set himself with a return appointment.

Also we had a great lesson with Alex yesterday. He came to church again, which makes about 15 times that he's been to church. Lots of people already think that he's baptized …it's kind of funny. But there is no way Alex isn't going to be baptized. He loves the church too much. But he just needs a little bit of time to think it all through. He thinks over things more than anyone I've ever known. Before every prayer he says he takes at least thirty seconds to gather all his thoughts and think of what he's going to say. Anyhow, after church the Rowland family (Brother Rowland is the ward mission leader) invited us and Alex over to dinner. Well we had already planned to stop by Alex's house that day with Brother Kent, so they also invited Brother Kent to eat with us. After dinner we had a lesson about temples and had a really good discussion about the role and purpose of temples. 

Well those are the exciting things that happened this week! Recently I've been studying in the scriptures Alma 42, with a special focus on how justice and punishment work together. And how punishment is a necessary part in this plan. If it weren't so, God would cease to be God. The Spanish is going good, and I'm learning more each and every day! I hope y’all have a blessed week.

Love,

Elder Adams 

Frog legs.

Fort Macon (Civil War fort on Emerald Isle).

Zone P-Day activity.

Elder Harrison Adams 4/4/16 Morehead City, NC

Dear family and friends,

This week has been a really good week! We were able to find four new investigators, all who seem to have lots of potential. We also were able to make lots of progress with our investigator Alex. He was able to watch General Conference from his home, and really liked the talk by President Eyring. He also is reading lots in the Book of Mormon now. It's just a matter of time with him!

General Conference really impressed me this week. I especially loved Elder Duncan and Elder Arnold as they gave their talks. Last week for the last of our p-day we went to Fort Macon. A family there stopped us and asked to take a picture with us, as their son was serving in Paraguay. I'm sorry I don't have photos this week, I left my camera at home. I'll be sure to show the photos of the Fort next week!

8 months tomorrow. Weird. I feel two ways. In one aspect I feel that I have been gone for a week or two. And at the same time, I feel like it's been years since I've seen everyone back home.

I'm so grateful that we have Latter Day prophets to lead and guide us. Truly they are called of God and I sustain them with all energy of my heart and soul. They lead and guide the Church, through direct revelation from Jesus Christ because He is the head of this church. I love our church leaders and love the council we have received from them this special Conference Weekend. 

Elder Adams

District after service on Harkers Island.

District on the beach.

Elder Harrison Adams 3/28/16 Morehead City, NC

Family and Friends,

This week has been pretty good. We kept busy. It was a hard week, just like these past few weeks here.

Luckily all of my bug bites are now gone, aside from the mosquito bites that I'm starting to get.

We had quite a bit of success with our lessons. We were able to start teaching an investigator this week that seems really promising. The first time we ever met him we left him with a Book of Mormon. We came back and taught him the restoration. At the end he asked "Is all of this true?" So there is quite a bit of sincere desire in him. This week our investigator Alex also came to church again. He's come the past seven weeks without fail! It's exciting to watch him grow and progress.

This Easter week was really good. I'm also really excited for general conference coming up. It's like Christmas for missionaries but better!

Well, that's all for this week. I hope y’all enjoyed your Easter and enjoy this upcoming conference Sunday!

Elder Harrison Adams 3/21/16 Morehead City, NC

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello! This week has been a hard week for sure. We've been struggling to find new people to teach, as well lots of lessons cancelled on us. We don't have many people to teach right now, so we are spending lots of time knocking on doors. I like knocking on doors because I get to meet lots of different people, and get to testify often of Christ. But the hours have been long and the lessons few. 

Also this week we had the chance to do service. On Harkers Island there was a big community get together of all the churches to clean the graveyard. Sadly, only people from our church showed up, but we got a lot of work done. Although, with this warm weather we've been getting here, it also means that we got a lot of bugs. Sadly, I wore shorts, thinking about how it was going to get hot that afternoon. Well, right around this time there are bugs that look like gnats. The locals call them gnodes. They were all over the place! I have never seen so many bugs in my life! We had bug spray but that made little to no difference as I got eaten alive over the five hours we worked there. The difference between gnats and gnodes is that gnodes bite you. And when they bite you it is almost identical to a mosquito bite. They swell up, itch like crazy, and make little circular bumps underneath your skin.

After service we went and ate at a member’s house, and it was fun hearing them talk in Harkanese (the dialect of the people that live on the island). We went home, and that night I decided to total up the number of bites that I got. 138 on both of my legs, and 244 total on my whole body...Basically my whole body has swollen up and I itch like crazy. Debatable this is one of the worst experiences of my life.  Scratch that. This is the worst experience I have had my entire life. I itch from head to toe, and I feel like I'm going to go crazy before all of these bites go away. I've put on lots of itch relieving cream but so far it hasn't helped much.

Final note of the week. We had zone conference not too long ago and something really stood out to me that our mission president said. We were talking about judgement day, and our mission president related how we are probably all going to feel naked before God in that time (as did Adam and Eve in the garden). He then expressed how during that time, when we are aware of all our guilt and sin, and we will have a perfect knowledge of everything we did wrong...Jesus will come and wrap us in His robe of righteousness. Then He will say to the Father, "This one is mine." And lead you, clothed in his robe and cleansed through his blood, past the judgement of God. I've been thinking about that a lot recently coupled with the message of the resurrection around this Easter season. As Job testified, "And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." (Job 19:26) Paul taught " Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?" (Acts 26:8) And finally, Jacob affirmed that "the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and spirits of men will be restored to one another, and it is by the power of the resurrection  of the Holy One of Israel." ( 2 Nephi 9:12) I am grateful for Jesus Christ, His ministry, His sacrifice, and His resurrection. I leave you with my testimony this Easter of His divinity and glory. 

Love,

Elder Adams

Elder Harrison Adams 3-14-16 Morehead City, NC

Family and Friends,

This week has been a really good week! So Alex with his baptism date...we still are running into legal issues but it should all be resolved fast! I'm here with Elder Gibb and we both like to work hard so we leave in the morning energized and come in at night worn out! So with Alex it is all going well, and we met someone new this week called Eric Alaniz. He's from Tabasco Mexico and is a singer. We've only taught him the Restoration and the Book of Mormon but he received it all very well. The Book of Mormon lesson we taught was the best lesson I have taught on my mission so far, and Elder Gibb said it was the best he had ever taught the Book of Mormon on his mission. Elder Gibb has been out for 14 months. He's from American Fork, and played basketball in high school.

It's starting to get really hot around here. Normal days it's around 70-80 degrees. The bugs are coming out, that's for sure. Right now I already have about ten mosquito bites. And sadly it's just going to get worse. But that's okay. And the humidity is starting to come back which is lovely..... Inside our car this week we got in and it was reading 100 degrees.

For P-day today we went to Cape Lookout. On the ferry ride over we saw wild horses on the islands and got to walk along the seashore where we saw dolphins. Then we went to the lighthouse and enjoyed the day on cape lookout.

Other than that not much has happened this week. Lots of hard work and lots of sharing the gospel!

With much love, Elder Adams

Elder Adams and Elder Gibb on ferry to Cape Lookout.

Horses on Shackleford Banks on the way to Cape Lookout.

Elder Adams on Cape Lookout.

Cape Lookout Lighthouse.