Bear Your Testimony! - Monday, March 31st, 2014

Hey family!

This week has been pretty hectic, to say the truth. Had to take two missionaries to the airport on Monday, to send them home. That was crazy. So now I am in a trio with Elder Mcmurchry and Elder Jones. Elder McMurchry reminds me of Max Whittle and we get along super-duper well! Elder Jones is really tall.

On Thursday, we got a call from a member in the Tortalita ward (another ward I am covering along with the Tortalita ward), and the member said that these J-Dubs (Jehovah Wittness missionaries) keep coming to her house and she is too nice to say go away, so she was wondering if we could come over. So we did. We went to her house a couple minutes before they were supposed to show up. They rang the door bell, and they seemed really nice, until they walked in the house and saw three boys on the couch waving, and wearing white shirts and ties with name-tags. I know this is bad, but it was really fun "bashing" with them. We had all these scriptures prepared, and we bore our testimonies. However, the most powerful thing was when the member shared her testimony. That was crazy. That's when the spirit really kicked in. It really is the members who can truly invite the spirit in discussions as they share what they know to be true! So that's my challenge to all of you this week, is to look for opportunities to bear your testimony to those around you. You are more powerful than you think!

Well this week we reestablished a lot of baptismal dates. We are baptizing almost weekly now. We got Marlon on April 12, Josh on April 19th,  Nadine on the 26th, and Suzette on May 10th! She is the most stubborn Blanco out of all of them, so I think I got her on a hook when I said that that's my brothers birthday, and I'm gonna miss it....so will you be baptized on my brother's birthday?? She agreed!! AND went to church for the first time last week! So everything's is going great in our area! I Love this area! Hopefully I will stay next transfer, which is comin' up here!

 Love you all and have a great week! 

Rough Week, The Atonement is REAL - Monday, March 24, 2014

Hey family, 

Well this has really been a hard, interesting week. Where do I start...

So do you remember near the beginning of this transfer there was an Emergency Transfer and another Elder came to my are? When I got put with him, President Killpack told me to keep him updated on his obedience level. So no sooner than that, I discovered him sneaking out at night. So, I talked to him about it, and he said he was just going for runs to the church and back. I tried to get him to stay or have me go with him on his runs, but he refused to let me. No sooner than that, had I discovered he has an iPod touch with internet on it. Since he was gone for 4 hours at a time most nights, my assumption was that he was going to the church to do not very good things on his iPod. So, I talked to him about that, and he kinda just blew me off again. So one day, I was trying to get to know him better, and asked if he had a girl waiting for him back home, and he said nope, he dumped her on his mission. So I was like, okay good for you! But...what was weird was that one day one of the other Elders asked him if he had a girlfriend, and he said yep! So I thought that was weird...and on Sunday, he told me that "tomorrow he had a member from his last area coming over. A very "specific" member". So I was like Uuuh...ok. Then on Monday, we were hiking to Romero pools, and Elder Faustini, (my best friend on the mission) was walking with this Elder and he told him he had a girlfriend and is coming over tonight to our apartment. So I was like Oh...Heeck Nooooo! So, I had no choice to to tell prez. So I texted him later that night, and he came over to our apartment and cheeeewed him out, and she came and he cheeeewed her out. Apparently, he had developed a very strong, physical relationship to a girl in his last area. So prez took his iPod, and discovered that at the church every night he was texting her and hooking up with her and all sorts of bad stuff. He bashed on me in the texts and bashed on president. So to make a long story short, I was at the airport this morning walking my companion to airport security. He's going home. I'm gonna be put in a trio again. BUT..... I have a car! I'm staying in my area, but am covering another area as well.

So this week was very, very, very rough. I didn't want to snitch on him, and I wish he would have made better choices, but there are consequences to our actions. So this week was rough. I killed off a missionary, and it wasn't fun. To top that off, another Elder who I became good friends with is going home today and he asked president to have me drop him off at the airport and walk him in. So today I will have gone to drop a missionary off to be sent home twice. Not fun... And the second Elder was my best friend. He made some poor choices too, but for different reasons. He's a great guy, but just wasn't up for serving another year. He was with me in my first area, in Binghampton, and now in North, is still in my district. He has been a huge part of my whole mission, and it's going to be so weird and different when he leaves.

I am so glad for the Atonement that gives us unlimited chances and opportunities to change and to become better and to erase but not forget our mistakes. I love the Atonement. My testimony has grown so strong of it on my mission. I testify that it really does have power to heal, and to change. It is unbelievably incredible. I don't know how it works, but it does.

I love you all, and I hope you have a wonder-filled week! 

From 98% Humidity to None - Monday, March 17th, 2014

Hey family!

How are all of y'all doin? So they sent me to the doctors to figure our why I've been sick for like 7 weeks lol and they said that since I'm from WA, I'm so used to the humidity. Then I came down here, and the dry weather just irritates the schnikees out of my sinuses. So they put me on more antibiotics and gave me a humidifier. I feel much better now, but I still have a dry throat and cough all the time.

But this week we got a lot of referrals. One was a media referral from Salt Lake for this guy named Marlon. He's been taking lessons for a while now with some missionaries in Texas. He just moved here and told us he's ready to get baptized! OK! :) Haha! So that was easy. lol Another one from a YSA (young single adults) ward. A girl invited her friend who has three kids - one baptismal age - to the ward. She apparently loved it and said she couldn't wait to go  to her "real ward" the next week, which is our ward, Countryside! So we just got lined up with some super-duper solid investigators. Haha! Well, I guess, one just a Dry Mormon". lol

Can you guys make sure you thank the Buzans for me? I really really loved their package they sent me - especially the "Camas Stuff" package. That was really cool. Really appreciated it.

We went on a hike to Romero Pools again today. When we got there, we realized it was spring break for all the college kids. So that wasn't good...especially at the pools... So we quickly turned back. Haha!

Susan got confirmed yesterday, and we met with her husband for the first time a couple days ago. Not too sure how he received it, but at least we met with him! It's been so cool watching an entire family, not only that, a devout CATHOLIC family come into the Gospel. It's been awesome. Now they are super solid members. Love it!

I hope everyone's week goes swell! Love you all! 

Keep Praying, Keep Being Awesome - Monday, March 10th, 2014

Hey Family!

Last night we had the baptism of Susan  It was a huge turn out. It was so special seeing all of her family there. Some have been baptized the last couple of weeks and some we are still working with, but it was awesome to see the whole family there supporting her.

Susan is the Mother and Grandmother of the family and I could tell what an impact she had on her family and on her husband when she got baptized and bore her powerful testimony. I love the Blanco family! They are one of the best parts of my mission. Just seeing all of them get baptized one by one and come to church is so cool, I can't even describe it. 

Yesterday, I taught Gospel Principles for the first time! I taught about prophets. It went ok I thought.

So this week has been CRAAAZYYY with referrals! We got a media referral - meaning that someone puts in a online submission to meet with the missionaries and then Salt Lake sends that info the whatever missionaries that are in his area. So we got one of those this week, and we called him and he seemed really excited to hear from us and wants to take us out to dinner on Thursday. So we'll see how that goes. THEN...one of our AP texted us and said "Hey guys, we met with somebody today who is ready to get baptized into the Countryside ward" haha! So apparently someone's friend just took a friend to church and she thought it was so awesome and so exciting, she wanted to be baptized and meet everyone in her "real" ward - Countryside. So we are gonna meet with her this week aswell. Hopefully it goes well! It's amazing what can happen when we just simply invite someone. If they say no, who cares?? At least you did your part!

So yesterday, I feel like God slapped me upside the face. I haven't really been too good on praying lately and if I do, it's never really sincere. BUT Thursday, a companionship got into a fight, so we had to do exchanges. The missionary I got likes to break the rules a lot and has a really bad problem with disobedience and president warned me of that. Every night he would just dissappear until seriously 1:00am or 200am :in the morning. I would go to the bathroom, and I would come out around 10:30 and he's just gone!! Apparently, he just goes running and goes and works out at the gym for a really long time but I don't care, you're not supposed to leave your companion for any reason. So last night he left again around 10:30pm. So I just decided to say a prayer. I asked heavenly father just to touch this Elder's heart and have him realize the importance of being obedient so we can have the spirit to be with us when we teach tomorrow. I closed my prayer and seriously like no joke it was insane, like 30 seconds later, he walks through the door. it's like 10:40pm. I asked if he was done already? He said - no joke - Well let's just say the spirit spoke to me. (WHAAAAAAAT!?!?) I asked what do you mean? He said "Well I was running around and the spirit stopped me and said to go back. So I decided to be obey and go back." WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAH!!!!!!! That was a crazy experience. I couldn't even go to bed because I was just thinking about what happened! After that he kneeled down to pray seriously for like an hour. I really think he is now trying to make a change for the better. Heavenly Father DOES answer prayers! I was so shocked last night it was insane! It may not be like the timing was last night, cuz it's in his timing, but he DOES answer them! Keep praying! Keep being awesome! I love you all! And have a great week!

Disappearing Package - Tuesday, March 4th, 2014

Hey Family!

So nothing really happened on Transfers this week. So its gonna be the same ol same ol. Susan pushed back her Baptism to this weekend, and then the following week we are baptizing Josh. Pretty soon here we are gonna have to start finding more people to teach, cuz our teaching pool is running dry! I hate tracting. So what we've been doing lately is just working through members, and that is going pretty well. The members in the Countryside ward are super awesome and solid! Most members give us 1 or 2 referals after each lesson we leave with them. 

We called the Mision Office this week to figure out what happened to my package and potentially all my mail that I might have gotten this last transfer, cuz we haven't gotten ANY mail at all in the past 6 weeks. The Office said they received a package for me on the 13 of February and sent it to me the same day, and it still hasn't gotten to me. The mission office has our apartment address right and everything. So we went to talk to the Post Office, and they said they don't know what happened to it and they'll keep their eyes open for it.... So pretty much it's gone forever... The Lord is definitely trying to teach me patience this week. 

On Sunday, I got to see the Gilbert Temple Dedication. That was pretty cool. When the Prophet put in the cement for the corner stone at the beginning, he was just making jokes left and right, it was hilarious! It just made me realize how loving and light-hearted our prophet is, and yet so incredibly spiritual. That was my first dedication I've been to. It's about time they're gonna do the ground breaking for the Tucson Temple here pretty soon. So excited for that!

Well I hope everyone has a great week! Saw some Elders leave home today who I hav been serving with for a long time. It was really weird to see them go. It made me realize how short a mission is. I'm already a 4th done with it. I need to make the most of it and work hard starting now!

I love you all, and have a fantabulous week!