Updates :)

1) what has been the hardest thing you have done so far

2) what strengthens your faith when you feel down?

3) tell me something funny 

4) what brought a smile to your face this week?

5) tell me about your district? Ever have zone meetings? Meetings with the mission president?

6) current favorite scripture? Why?

1)  Dealing with the fact that bad stuff keeps happening to my family. First my dog dies, now my Uncle has cancer. This will be the hardest part, not being available to support my family when they are having trials.

2)That family can be eternal. I know that my family now is broken and no where close to being perfected, but knowing one day that my family will be together for all of time brings me joy.

3) Been playing Uno often at the house and one of the Elders is color blind. So whenever it is his turn, there is a chance for him to put down the wrong color card. It is just a fun to tease him, and he teases back when we do the same.

4) Our investigator, Dom, has been studying about what we have teach him and  you can tell that he is improving. Hopefully on Nov 7 he gets baptized and he becomes a member to the church. He has improved a lot since the first time I  meet him.

5) It is me and Leuga, he is the district leader. Then there is Stevens and Castillo, there are the two missionaries we hang out with the most on p-days. There is Baby Neff and Smikin, the two who are still together after the transfer. There is also Harrison and Campbell, the two new ones who are in the district. The ZLs, Elder Cain and Elder Anderson. And finally we have two sisters, Sister Rabello and Palmer.

6) Alma 60:6. I am sharing this one today because it is fun to send people who haven't email you in a while

Missionary Q&A

4) tell me about a testimony moment

5) chances for service

6) lesson learned

8) tell me three people who have influenced your life for the better

    

4) We have been taking one of our investigators to church, and he went on fast Sunday. My companion & I both shared our testimonies, and the investigator wanted to go up and share his. As he went up, he was nervous but able to share his sweet testimony.

5) We have been helping  another investigator with yard work, and will be going over this week to help. She usually feeds us Denny's before we go, and this time we are leaving a spiritual moment with her.

6) To simplify the lesson. We need to be teaching as if we are talking to a little child. It is hard, but it is becoming easilier.  Also I have been putting my faith in the Lord, handing over my ever care & trusting he will help me. 

8) Rocky, he has been a father figure to me and is a great mission leader. Whenever we need help or advice we turn to him and he helps us with whatever is the problem. Strange how I feel like I have family here. He taught us how to take our time to people, and we can't jump the gun on people. It also feels like we are his children.  Ingrid, she feels like my mission mom. She isn't a member yet, but we are working on that. She is always they for us, and if we need something she will help to try to provide it with us. She always tells us to keep on trying, and how to improve my weaknesses.  Bro. Helgensen, he is a ward missionary, and somehow he has been able to get into the doors we can't get open. He is always willing to help, and people just seems to open up to him. I wouldn't mind being like him later on in life. 

This is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween.....

2 Months, 22 to go.

1) We wake up and exercise in the morning. Than we eat breakfast, get ready for the day, and do some studying. We don't get out the door until 1 because of the distance between us and our area, we would be killing miles by doing that. We go around talking to less active families during the day, or our investigators, and then we eat dinner, and depending on the day, we go out on splits with members of the ward from 7-9. Then we go back to the apartments and mess around until we go to bed.

2) Depends on the day, if we need to be leaving earlier, then suit. If not, pjs.

3) Things are going great. So far he is the best companion that I have. We have been able to get along really well with each other, and been learning from each other as well. He is from California, the city where Disney Land is at was where he lived. He is 21 years old, and has been out for almost a month.

4) We helped a lady moved from her apartment. It was us, two ladies from the ward, her and two of her family members. We got way more than half done in two hours and later that night Elders showed up and finished the work, but we had already left. It was difficult cause we always had to walk up three set of stairs before we made it to her apartment.

5) Last night we pranked the sisters that live near our apartment and we thought it would be funny if we put a doll monkey outside the door. So when the sisters saw the monkey, it seems like they were somewhat panicked. A couple minutes later, cops showed up at our apartments, near our door. So we were kind of worried that it was for us, but it was really for someone else.

7) We were talking to one of our investigators, Ingrid, and she was telling us what our ancestors came from. It was pretty cool how she could tell by looking at certain body parts. Eventually, she told us what see could see from our auras, and how we both face certain trails. It was a cool experience. She has became our mission mom, and we love her dearly.

8) So on Sunday, we read a scripture to a less active elderly lady who is on her last days. I shared her a verse from Mosiah about how no matter what burdens may be upon us, if we turn to the Lord, he will deliver us from those burdens. She started crying after that, it was very touching.

Missionary Thoughts

Why is it important you have one heart & mind with your companion?

It is because we need to be able to teach the lesson successfully. Not being as one will cause disruption and not being focus on the person. We will be too busy arguing against one with another that we will forget what we were sent here to do.

I have been thinking about this for a while, and just decide it was a bad idea to say anything, I worry that Celeste will be more home sick than I was, and I want to make sure she is thought of too. I know it's harder to send care packages to her but you need to help them send care packages to  Hermana Escandon. I know that she will be needing it more, and I will be fine with getting letters. 

P-Days, Temples, and Pizzaaaaa

Revelations 3:20

Revelation 3:20King James Version (KJV)

20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

I love the photo even more now with the Savior standing with the Elders. Just like the Savior is always there missionary moments are always there. We just have to be ready for them when they come. Every member a missionary, I had a chance to share my testimony at work this week. I know that the Holy Ghost was with me as I shared the things that came from my heart. I had prayed that morning for guidance in helping anyone that shared their trouble heart with me at work that day. I know she opened up to me because I was meant to help her. I told her of general conference & how it strengthened me & asked if I could give her a copy when it came out. We have been blessed with the gospel, now with an Elder in the family I have been blessed with a deeper desire to share my testimony. Are we doing all we can to help the elders? To be an example so that when they knock on the doors of others they will want to hear more. I know this Church is true, that our Savior lives & we have a living prophet in the earth today. I am so thankful for my kids who have allowed me to teach them to walk in his ways. This weeks challenge is to pray for Elder Hernandez to have good missionary opportunities, & to also pray for your own missionary moments. Please share when you do have one 

Conference Weekend

We needed to learn, well at least for me, that when the world bites at you, you need to bite back. I can't live my life the way I want it to be if someone is trying to keep me down. I need to overcome them, mostly through the strength of the Lord,and be able to overcome my fears. One thing that I learn is that I need to put my fears away and turned to the Lord in faith. Faith and fear cannot coexist at the same time, and if you are strong enough the faith will overcome fear. Faith in the Lord is the one thing that I learned about this General Conference, also marriage was another important key. If we put faith into Him, we wouldn't lead us astray. After all He is our loving Heavenly Father. You might be my mother, but I was His child first, (but I love you more.;) )(I don't think that will sound right) You thaught us many things, and I have been able to conquer over my old self, because of your love & support & faith in Heavenly Father.

My only worry for my mission now is, getting one of those phone calls.... I don't know what I'll do if I got one of those calls  with the news you don't want to hear. We talked about it. If it happens while I am on my mission, I would have such a hard time. ( The one where you family has died) but that's my only worry now, not like when I first left & was scared of leaving & not knowing what it would be like. Having faith & being obedient have showed me I can succeed in this mission

MTC

Spiritual Thoughts and Memories.

Talking about stuff like that, my ward mission leader has a step-son who has some sort of special needs, I think it was autism, but every now and again he come running to us and dances with us. I think it is cute and brings me happiness. One of their neighbors has 4 kids between the ages of 3-14 and we love going over and visit. I promise their son that when I get off my mission, I will go take him fishing. He was excited when I was telling him how much I knew about fishing, and he can't wait. So, I am finding those families in which I will come back and visit. Today we are planning to go to Idaho City and hike with a member family. Can't wait to do it. 


George Bernard Shaw said, “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” Don’t worry about searching for who you are; focus your energies on creating the kind of person you want to be! You will discover that as you pursue that journey you will not only find yourself, but chances are you will be pleasantly surprised and proud of the person you find along the way. 


I love this quote and I have been learning that while I have been out here.

“Nearly 40 years ago as I contemplated the challenge of a mission, I felt very inadequate and unprepared. I remember praying, ‘Heavenly Father, how can I serve a mission when I know so little?’ I believed in the Church, but I felt my spiritual knowledge was very limited. As I prayed, the feeling came: ‘You don’t know everything, but you know enough!’ That reassurance gave me the courage to take the next step into the mission field.” I wouldn't like to know everything though. I love to learn something new.  


 Love ya and see ya real soon.

General Updates

1) Yes I have, but since we have a schedule to follow, it is hard to get them everyday. I am actually wearing them right now. And nice, single color sweaters. I would like that as a care package. I need to wear them from General Conference to General Conference. Every now and again we get some free time, so I decide if you could send me some stuff to draw. This week I found a packet of coloring pencils, how I need stuff to draw. Next week i will tell you want to send me to learn how to draw.

2) I don't care how much emails you send me, as long as there is one big one I could read. It is usually on Mondays for two hours. Next week it has to be Thursday cause we are going to the temple on Monday.

3) Yes we are staying in an apartment for a transfer and a half, maybe. There is also Elder Brunette and Elder Lawernce. I will have to send you a picture next week of us.

4) We went to go do family history. I had to learn how to do it, but I was able to add you, dad, some of my aunts and uncles, and my cousins. I forgot to bring that pamphlet, but I will bring it next time. I need some help with it, so can you work on the dates and fix the spelling on some of the names. I think you will have fun doing it.

5) We had a harvest festival on Saturday and it was fun going. We played two hand football and you wouldn't believe how hard it was breathing in a shirt with a tie on and the top button on. Never do that.

6) We were helping my ward mission leader, Rocky, son to bear his testimony. He didn't want to say it because he was embarrass to share it. We were telling him why we tell it to others, and I was the first to share it with him.

7) We were trying to get two investigators a baptismal date, but when we were doing the questions, they didn't understand it all. So now we got to work on them knowing all the knowledge. One seems to be more ready then the other, so we should been getting a baptism next month.

8) So for every 6 months, the missionaries burn something. 6 months a tie, 1 year a shirt, 1 and a half years slacks, and for two years a full suit. So when Monroe went to go burn his shirt, the gasoline expanded and when he lite it, a giant ball of fire appeared and he was barely able to escape it. So he burned his shirt and his leg hairs.

9) There are cats near our apartments, and one seems to be abused. So the last few weeks, I would give it a little bit of milk. Today I was able to pet it, and feel like I was starting to bond with it. We call it Terntiz cat, because of the way it hind legs walk. It kind of wants me to own a cat now. By the way, how is Princess doing? Guess what, I had one gallon of milk for two weeks before I was done with it.

What it Means to be a Missionary.

We are looking forward to going to the Boise Temple today, I love the peace & comfort I feel while I'm there. There is a new temple being built in Meridian, we are trying to get a less active & her son to go with us to those temple grounds so we can see the progress & share with them our testimonies of family & the importance of temple work. 
   We are in the Fairview ward, the members are great, love them so much already.

  

Last night we gave a blessing to Elder Lawerence
for his leg.
Yesterday he was told by the doctors that if he goes with the
surgery
he will have to be sent home and it will take 6 months to recover.
We
gave a blessing of strength and to help him know what to do. The power of the priesthood I felt the spirit comfort us as we blessed him, I know the Lord is watching  over him.

We have been doing all kinds of service, my

Favorite has been
going to an elderly home and played games with them, and we
also went and helped
work with a family doing yard work. It gave  me great satisfaction helping them make their yard clean. 

   Thanks for the care package really made my day.

Learning and Fasting

       The last couple of days have been great. I'm learning to keep at it & the work will continue to grow. We have been getting answers at doors more often, & getting to talk to people. Haven't taught many lessons but yet we see improvement in the last few days. We are tracking more, kinda feel like a door to  door  salesman but it's paying off. 

     After 18yrs I have finally been able to accomplish a full fast without feeling like I couldn't do it. It was still difficult, but I feel so good about it! I feel like fasting has opened us up to many new opportunities, and I have a new testimony of the importance of fasting. I challenge you all to work on a better fast. 

    We have spent time in the family history center, it is pretty exciting to work on genealogy, I might need some help from you, but I like doing it. 

 I have decided to reach out to some friends who are less active members or non membets share my testimony & incite them back to church. It's their choice but I shoukd encourage them. 

      I have likened the scriptures to myself, and feel like in ways that at times me & my church friends were a little like Alma the  younger & the sons of Mosiah, we messed around a little too much in our youth, but we all are responding to His call to serve & we will willingly go. We will give it our all & turn our hearts toward our Savior. I miss them, but oh the joy of our mission we will be able to share with each other one day.