Week 86 The impression of the spirit

Monday 6/19/2017

Elder Martin finished up his My plan for his return home. We picked up the Birch Hills Elders and did a few things we needed to get done. At PDay activity we got a couple activities going and that was fun. Dinner was with the Patinos, we had to hurry to an appointment after. Our appointment was with Maricela, she isn't interested in changing from where she is a now. We encouraged her to continue to seek, and bore testimony to her. 

Tuesday 

The day was a very hot one. After studies we went and had lunch with the Miller family. We shared a message with them about fathers. They had quite a few stories to share with us so we were there for a while. We did a little finding in the heat not to much success meeting people. Our dinner was with the Nebakers. We shared the restoration with them and invited them to make a family invitation plan. The night ended at the Olsen family we talked with them about serving their neighbors and others around them. They had some good referrals for us before we left. 

Wednesday 

At District meeting we discussed baptism and working with our investigators towards that. We went over making baptismal calendars. The usual Zone pictures followed then off to lunch. We met up at the Chipotle. Elder Dodd lost his I pad which we weren't able to find sadly. The Thorums took us to I hop for dinner. After we did finding to finish the night. The Andersons were home and we talked to them about their neighbors. 

Thursday 

In the morning we headed to the mission office. Elder Martin had his departing missionary temple trip. I ended up with Elder Wright a previous companion of mine for half of the day. We met back up at Alohas for lunch and we parted with our companions. After some studies we went out finding for the rest of the day. While talking to people I was able to meet someone from the Dayton Ohio area too, which was cool. Brother Sutherland was home so we stopped by and shared the Plan of Salvation with him. There was not to many other people willing to talk for the rest of the night. 

Friday 

After studies we went to an appointment, but it fell through. We walked around the neighborhood and met Angel. She was curious about the church that was across the street. So we talked to her for a little while and she was very open to talking anything about it. I'm looking forward to working with her in the future, since she is solid. Weekly planning took up the rest of the day till dinner. I ate a quick meal before we headed to the mission home for Elder Martin's departure dinner. I went in a trio with Elder Dales and Cook. We did some finding for the rest of the night till we picked up our companions at the end of the night. 

Saturday 

Our morning started with Elder Martin going to his departure interview with President. We finished up studies and the rest of weekly planning before dinner. We had dinner with the Campbell's. After dinner we had finding for the rest of the night. As the night came to an end we met Charles. He has investigated before and has felt the spirit when he investigated. So we helped him recognize that and got all of his information so we can meet with him. The night ended with transfer calls. My new companion will be Elder Sparto my mission Brother for his last transfer. 

Sunday 

It was a good sacrament meeting. The high councilor gave a good talk that related our lives to canoeing down the river of life. There is many obstacles and things that can bump us up. Elders quorum was also great we talked about struggles with faith. After church we went back and Elder Martin got his stuff ready to go home. At the end of the night we went out and did some finding to finish off. 

The impression of the spirit

 It was great when we met Charles on Saturday. He having been taught before was great. The best part was he had felt the spirit during his previous investigation. The impressions of the spirit leave great mark on the soul. When he read from the Book of Mormon he felt great peace and a feeling of knowing it is true. We asked if he had ever been to church, he said yes it was kind of weird everyone was happy and it felt really great. He knew it was the spirit, it left a mark that we helped him recognize again. 

Also we were at a members home this week. They told us of a neighbor they had really liked them, but eventually they moved. One day some missionaries knocked on the door. He remembered the neighbors and how great they were then noticed the feeling that was missing. The missionaries had that it eventually led to them being converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

We often don't realize the effect and spirit that we bring. It truly does have a great impact on

the others around us. 

Week 85 Death

Monday 6/12/2017 

In the morning we did laundry and Elder Martin did my plan. We did some shopping before PDay activity. After we had a lesson with the Colons, we were able to teach them the restoration and invited them to member missionary work. We did a little finding before the night ended with an exchange. Elder McMurray came to the area. 

Tuesday 

We had a lesson in the morning with Randell. Brother Clark came with us to the lesson. We shared the Plan of Salvation with Randell and it went really great. Brother Clark was great for Randall, he had a lot of things to share with him. There was time for us to finish studies and lunch before we went back out. We did finding for most of the day which went fairly well. The lessons that we had fell through, some rescheduled so the was great. Our dinner was at the Soup plantation with the Hendrix family. While street contacting we talked with a few people that were interested in us stopping by to see them. We exchanged back at the end of our night. 

Wednesday 

We got a call before studies were over to fill a Zone assignment for Rise Against Hunger. We were a couple hours late due to the late notice. We staged pallets for events going out, stacking the rice bags also the soy bags. I did the math I moved a little over 5000 lbs of rice and soy myself, I'm not sure how much Elder Martin moved. We were a little worn after that it didn't seem like much until after we finished. There was a lesson soon after we finished so we hurried back and changed. Just as we pulled up they canceled again the second day in a row. We tried some people in the area till dinner time. After we had a lesson with the Neinhies. They liked the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Their invitation was to find better ways to feast upon the words of Christ. As we were finishing up our night we saw Yadi, she is doing well. We shared a message with her and tried to setup a time to come back by. 

Thursday 

There was Zone conference for most of our day. It was the best Zone conference of my mission. There was a lot of great questions asked. A great focus of the conference was the eternal identity of those that we teach and how repentance is important to that. It was the Taggarts last one and they had a lot of great things to share. We dropped off the Birch Hills Elders before dinner. After we got a call to help move 300 cinder blocks. There were about five that came to help it only took us an hour. While trying to contact a new move in we met Elizabeth. We talked with her for a while, she showed some interest so we will try to meet with her again. The night ended by us stopping by the McFerson's for some cake and ice cream. 

Friday 

In the morning we had a quick follow up lesson with the Neinhies. They found some great ideas to feast upon the words of Christ. Our day consisted of weekly planning mostly. The zone leaders came by to inspect the apartment. We have a really good week planned. We went out with Brother Money to visit some people, but they weren't home. There were a couple people we were able to talk too. Our night ended at the Morris family. They shared some of their stories and we shared the restoration with them. 

Saturday 

In the morning between studies we were able to have a lesson. We met with a Muslim man and shared the restoration with him. He liked our message and was open to us coming back another time. We finished up our studies before heading back out. The Flores family was home, so I got to meet them and we shared the Plan of Salvation with them. They said they would come to church the next two Sundays. There were a few more contacts before the end of the night which went real well. 

Sunday 

They had a lot of great fathers day talks in sacrament meeting. We had a really great discussion on baptism in gospel principles. After church we finished studies and did a little finding before dinner with the Jaciers. The finding continued until we finished the night giving some blessings to sisters. 

Death 

It is one of the things all of us mortals may eventually have to come to. It would be quite depressing if we didn't have Jesus Christ. The Plan of Salvation brings us some great knowledge though. So death is when our spirit separates from our bodies. This is one of the results of the fall of Adam. The great blessing is that we have the Atonement and resurrection. Death is only a temporary state. We will be reunited with our bodies in their perfect form. 

Week 84 Forgiveness

Monday 6/5/2017

In the morning we picked up the Birch Hills Elders then dropped off Elder Martin with the zone leaders to go on a hike. We picked up the Bolsa Elders and got somethings we needed to get done. When we were done we all met back up at PDay activity. We had dinner with the Hansbrough family. Our night ended abruptly when a sickness hit us both more me. 

Tuesday 

Most of our day was in the apartment, I being struck with sickness. We were able to go to dinner with the Martin family.  After we had a lesson with the Nighighs, we taught them the restoration. They have really enjoyed hearing the lessons and are getting excited about it. That pretty much ended our night other than giving Birch Hills a ride. 

Wednesday 

We started our day with Rise Against Hunger. We helped out in the warehouse spray painting some soy bins. We grabbed lunch at Peters burger they have some good eating there. Then we went back and finished up. We had our studies before our dinner with the Armburst family which was great. We did a little finding before we went to the hospital ICU to give a man a blessing. It had been a while since I had to get suited up in medical shields to give a blessing. It was interesting to communicate with him since he couldn't speak due to a tube in his throat. We ended our night meeting up at the mission office. We currently have a Assistant trio for the transition of the Presidents. They have been going on as many exchanges as they can. They are split three ways. We ended up taking Elder Perez to the area with us. 

Thursday 

At some morning studies we picked up Birch Hills, then headed to district meeting. We discussed setting meaningful goals for our daily efforts. That has been an important part of my mission, helping the days be effective. After we head back had a quick lunch and companionship study. The park had a good amount of people out and about, so we did some finding. We had the chance to talk to a lot of people, we kept going from someone to the next. Risa was one of the greatest we taught her the restoration and she accepted it very well. After dinner we continued on for the rest of the day finding. There was a few opportunities to talk to people. At the end of the night we exchanged back. 

Friday 

After our studies and lunch we did some weekly planning. We had a break in the middle to stop by Mechelle's. She was home, but leaving as we walked up so we talked to her dad instead. He is really great so we did some reading with him. Our weekly planning continued till dinner, with the Taylor's at the Blaze pizza. We were able to do some finding for the rest of the night. There was some people home to talk to which was great. One of the greatest was a older member of the ward. As we started to teach him he forgot what we were doing then abruptly ending the visit showing us all of the pictures on the walls of his home which ended the visit. 

Saturday 

We started our day with a move for the Nebakers. They moved just a round the block from their current home. We went back and finished up our studies before lunch. The Vanovers were home so we talked with them about reading and praying to find peace with their troubled lives. Sister Monroe had a bunch of extra subway sandwiches she wanted to get rid of so we helped her out with some other missionaries. We did some finding in the highly Spanish populated area. Our finding continued for the rest of the night, but not too many people wanted to talk. 

Sunday 

It was a great Sunday, the Juarez family came to church. They had some really good talks on repentance and uplifting music. After church we finished up our studies. We went finding and met Jose, he is really interested in meeting with us. He wants to change from his past and grow closer to his father in heaven. Our night ended when we stopped by the Clark's. Brother Clark is quiet the talker he told us about his mission about 60 years ago, family and retirement. He has some great stories, but it took a long time. 

Forgiveness 

One of the important elements of repentance is seeking forgiveness from the Lord. Our sins are a heavy burden on our daily lives. We know that we did something wrong that was against our Father in Heaven. When we receive forgiveness from the Lord brings great relief. That is why repentance is such a great thing, it lifts that burden. When we repent of our sins the Lord will remember them no more. “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more” (D&C 58:42). We often have trouble succumbing to our pride to realize the relief the repentance will bring. 

Week 83 Abraham's Faith & Obedience

Monday 5/292017 Memorial Day 

We headed down to Garden Grove to pick up Elder Hugie/Durchie. We went to the suit store to check out the sale that all of the missionaries have been taking advantage of. When getting in the car we realized we had a battery that needed a jump. We were not successful in finding someone to jump us in the parking lot. So we started calling missionaries, we were able to get one of the sets of the ASL missionaries to help us out. A quick burger at In N Out before Walmart then PDay activity. After we dropped some people off then did some finding to finish off our night. A lot of people were home for memorial day. 

Tuesday 

In the morning our car needed a jump after we stopped by the zone leaders. We had to try to find some missionaries with cables, but we eventually got someone with cables. We hurried back and had a lesson with Randy. Brother Oakerlund came and he was awesome in the lesson. We were able to clarify a lot about the Holy Ghost with him. He has been reading and keeps his commitments well. There was a stop to get our battery changed. Some Elders in Yorba Linda needed somebody with a bike rack to help them out. They needed a ride from the Ohio building to their apartment. We finished up our studies then had dinner before we went out to find. While finding we met Bill. Bill was friendly and willing to listen. 

Wednesday 

After studies we met up at the Baskin Robin's for a district ice cream stop. We got back did some more planning before we went out. Our dinner was with the McPhersons, they are a great family. We filled the rest of the night trying to see as many people as we could. 

Thursday 

In the morning we started our day with district meeting. We focused on studying effectively for our investigators. We had a good role play of applying the suggested study tools from Preach My Gospel. We went out to Red Robin with most of the Elders from the zone. We got back and finished up our studies had dinner then went out. We saw Brother Cope he was funny, he being older in age was very out spoken. We had a lesson with Brother Southern at the end of the night we had the opportunity to bring our new ward missionary Benjie. We talked about the words of Christ and prayer bringing joy as the tree of life. 

Friday 

Our day after studies consisted of our weekly planning session, we made each lot of goals and plans. We planned a really great week. We were able to meet with the Nienhue family. We talked about serving and preparing to go on missions since there is two young men in the house. We are going to teach them the lessons also. At the end of the night we exchanged with the zone leaders. Elder Sparacino my old companion from a year and a month came to the area. 

His old comp from a 13 months ago. Elder Sparacino

Saturday 

We started our day with studies. We went out and tried to visit the people that live in our complex. We weren't able to see a lot of people. After lunch we went out to do some finding. We met Andres and he was interested in learning more about the plan of salvation. Dinner was with the Rodney's, they are awesome with sharing the gospel with others. After we met Sister Avelas husband we talked with him, he said he would definitely sit in on a lesson, which was cool. Our night ended really well when we met Maricela and taught her the restoration. She has great faith in Jesus Christ. She believes that God will answer her prayer of faith asking if the things that we shared with her are true. Then we exchanged back at the end of the night. 

Sunday   

Our day started with PEC, talking about the missionary work in the ward. Testimony meeting was really good. There was a lot of Greta testimonies shared. We went with the young men and they had a lesson on the importance of missions. A great insight shared was you don't go on a mission looking to get something, it is what you can give on your mission. After church Brother Patino brought a visitor that wanted a blessing, so we had the opportunity to do that. She lives in San Francisco so we are going to get missionaries to meet up with her there. The Larsen family had us to their house for their fast Sunday breakfast for dinner meal. We did some finding to finish off our night. Brother Marlin talked to us a while asking us about the beliefs of the church. He was nice, but he wants to stay atheist right now. Not too many people wanted to talk for the rest of the night. 

Abraham's Faith & Obedience 

In the recent week I studied a little concerning faith. One of the first examples of great is shown in the Old testament by Abraham and he is blessed greatly. He is told to take his only beloved son born by Sarah and to sacrifice him in the land of Moriah. In his devotion to follow every command he leaves the next morning, not sparing and time to obey. As he gets to the mountain just as be is about to slay his son he is stopped by the Lord. He in turned for his fully turning himself to the Lord was blessed greatly. 

Genesis 22

16 for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

We often don't have to go through such great lengths to receive great blessings from the Lord. Sometimes we think we can just ask, being able to receive with little or no action required. If often takes a trail of faith. 

Ether 12 

6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.