Week 64

Preparation day got switched to today instead of Monday as you probably know by now. I've been doing pretty good the past couple weeks, the work is doing very well and we have more investigators than we ever have before but my companion is a struggle every day. I am trying to be positive and upbeat but it's tough to do that every day, I'm drained from the past couple months and am very tired and exhausted. I am trying to see the good in him and not focus on the negative and that is helping but this is a seriously troubled missionary, I feel bad for him as I don't know that he will last his whole mission but he defiantly doesn't make it easy on me. We have a couple of people that are progressing right now and the lady who has breast cancer is starting chemo this week so hopefully we will still be able to teach her as she is going to be very busy from now on. They are such an awesome family and it's rare that we teach someone that makes good money but this trial has brought them to take the lessons so I guess it could be considered a good thing. I can't really remember what has happened the past week or so but tomorrow the other elders are moving in for the last two weeks of the transfer until their apartment is ready so that will help me a lot as I get along with them really well and one is from Mesa and are very good friends. This transfer has easily been the hardest transfer on me but it has taught me to look at myself before I look at others faults and weaknesses. Transfer boards are this week and I'm hoping that I can go back to a Spanish area, I would be fine staying here but I only have six months left and I would like to improve my Spanish. I heard the Orioles lost which is too bad but they did a lot better than every other year. My studies have been so good, I am trying to memorize every chapter in the four gospels so it is time consuming but has been very rewarding. Well I better get going but I will talk to you in a few days on Monday. Love ya, bii!!

Week 63

It was good to get everyones emails, a lot of exciting things happening right now. I just got back from Olive Garden and I tried to break my breadstick record of 12 but I only got 9 down and I had to tap out. So I am really tired now and I wish that I didn't do that many. This past week has been really good. We've found three really good new investigators and they seem to have promise. They are all member referrals so it's good to see the ward doing missionary work. One of the referrals is a lady who just got diagnosed with breast cancer stage 4 and she really thinks that she is going to die, she's still pretty young and has a three year old boy so she is super scared and fearful. She was a nanny a long time ago for a lds family and was really impressed with them and she knew a lady in our ward and now were meeting with her. She wants to know her purpose in life, crazy how this lady is like 35 and doesn't know what her purpose is and how scared of dying she is, sometimes we don't realize how we take our knowledge for granted. We did our service at United Samaritan again and we also had two people while we were working there want the missionaries over so we sent those referrals to other elders where they live. Sharing the gospel is so easy to do, it's just talking to people wherever you are about the church in some way. I think half of the investigators I've found on my mission has come from doing "non missionary stuff" such as going out to eat and doing service, it's all about inviting them. Talking about the gospel is easy, but the inviting part is what most of us aren't good at. Conference was awesome, I was really touched by President Uchtdorf when he said that we need to find joy in the now and not look at the finish line, I find myself saying, "next transfer will be easier" and I don't enjoy that transfer as much as I could have but I need to find joy no matter what the circumstances are. I'm doing pretty well with my companion for the past week and were doing better, it's still very hard but its fun. I've been having great studies the past couple weeks, I keep finding ways to better study the scriptures and am finding things that aren't at the surface level. I've been really trying to internalize the scriptures and its time consuming but I've been learning so much and am a better teacher because of it. The weather is cooling down and it's so nice, its 80 and 70's every day so it's so enjoyable.

It's so crazy that the age to serve a mission has gone down, I'm jealous, I would of loved to go when I was 18. That's good news for girls that they can go at 19, thats the big change. This week I'm going on exchanges so that will be nice to be with Elder Fisihoi. Well, I gotta go but I love you all and will respond to your emails next week, don't think I'm ignoring you. love y

Week 62

Thanks for all the emails! So was a busy week last week with everything that happened. My companion has a hurt hand so he's been going to Fresno to get his hand checked out so I've just been doing splits with the members and teaching. We went and did service at a community place on Thursday called United Samaritans and we just helped out for four hours with preparing the food that goes out to the homeless and less fortunate. They were really grateful for our help so it's worked out so far and we will be doing that every Thursday from now on. Josie is doing well, she came to church again but doesn't feel ready for the 5th of October and I don't think she's ready either so were going to push her date back a little more. We've found a couple new investigators this week, English areas are not as good number wise. In past areas getting 8-10 new investigators a week was good, but here it's like 1 or 2 so I just need to remind myself not to compare and know that I'm doing the best I can. I've added unnecessary stress from trying to get numbers that I can't get in this area yet. I've had some tough companions recently, all three have expressed that they were thinking about going home so it's been tough in different ways but I'm really starting to learn how to have success and have fun despite not being that similar to my companion. I'm really trying to be more patient with my companions and understanding I'm not their first choice of companion either. Some of the greatest accomplishments on my mission have been when I want to say something negative to my companion but instead keeping it in and saying something positive to them. So yea we go running every morning, we have a nice apartment complex so we have treadmills and I do that for 20 minutes and then I started doing abs and lifting weights so I'm in a lot better shape than I have been in. I cut out soda from my diet so nothing but water from now on. I'm looking forward to General Conference this weekend, can't believe that was already 6 months ago. Dad, do you have any good training things that you could send me? Theres something about how its not the words you say but how you say it and your body language. Could you send me some of that stuff? Well, thats pretty much it for this week. Love you and miss you.

Week 61

Well it was good to get your letters and to hear how your doing. So this past week was the best number week I've had since I got here and we got a lot done but my new companion is making it hard on me. Every transfer, I think it will be easier and not as challenging but it just keeps getting harder on me with the companions I'm getting. I had the thought that's it me but all the other elders feel bad for me because I tell them my last couple companions and they just tell me how sorry they feel for me. My new companion is Elder White and he's from Colorado and he's just been out like 4 months now. He has ADHD and OCD and is a very interesting person, I'll leave it at that. I'm really happy that I stayed though because we are getting member referrals every week and the ward takes care of us. My companion is over bearing and has already offended a couple people so I need to do some damage control. Josie came to church again this week and she has a baptismal date for Oct. 5 so were getting her ready for that date., I just can't let my companions prevent me from being happy like I have with some of my other companions and it's going well so far. I'm trying to be patient with him. I think that in a couple weeks we will have got used to how we work and hopefully things will be better. This week we are going to do service in the community at a place that gives out food and clothing to the less well off and I've been organizing it the past couple weeks because I wanted to do some service once every week and get known in the community so this was something that worked out. I got some other elders in on it too so they are super happy to have us because they don't have many volunteers so it worked out perfect. We also are doing Mormon helping hands this Saturday in our ward so plenty of service to do this week. This ward is on top of their dinner calendar as we have October and November already filled so we eat good here. I was thinking about it the other day and there hasn't been one day on my mission where I haven't had dinner and I've yet to cook on my mission so I have been blessed in all my areas because a lot of areas don't get fed that much. That's about it for this upcoming week, just pray that I can be patient with my companion because that is going to be a big struggle for me this transfer.  Thanks for everything. Love you and miss you!

Week 60

It was transfers and I'm staying here in Turlock again but I'm getting a new companion, his name is Elder White but I know nothing about him so will update you next week on him. I'm glad to be staying because all the elders in the district are awesome and were all best friends so its exciting. The only downfall is that I'm not in a Spanish area but I'm happy here. The work is picking up, the ward is beginning to wake up and do missionary work. The biggest change I've made the last couple months is how I work with the ward and I will send some things to you dad so you can look over them and see if you want to use it. We are teaching a girl named Josie and she's progressing so fast, she will be baptized in the next couple weeks, we only found her a week ago but shes ready. It's been a tough transfer with my companion but I'm proud of myself for not getting in any fights with him or even raising my voice with him even though I had valid reasons to. I think that this is going to be a really good transfer and we will see success. We had Elder Golden visit us and it was amazing, no joke, he was better than the three apostles. He gave us some really good advice and things that we can actually apply to our areas and see results and measure them. I don't know if I told you that I signed up for a Costco membership so that's where I do all my shopping now. Well, I love you guys and look forward to getting your emails and see how your doing.

Week 59

 This past week has been great, we're found new investigators and we got eight referrals so things are looking up.  Were getting more busy which helps the days more enjoyable.  I've been feeling real good this past week, I've had real good personal studies and having fun while working hard.  The ward is starting to wake up, they weren't doing anything and now they are actively looking for people for us to teach.  I love this area so much, the ward has so much potential, the city has everything, even a Panera Bread so life is good!  We went to Costco today and I bought a membership, all the elders pitched in so it only cost me $15 and now I can save a bunch of money, by shopping there.  The only bad thing is that they don't have the cookie dough I like, I was so disappointed.

We have Elder Golden tomorrow at zone conference so will let you know how that goes.  Also transfer calls are this Saturday so will find out what happens.  Hoping that I stay.  Words can't describe how much I'm enjoying mission life, if only it could always be like this.

Look forward to reading your letters. 

Week 58

Not sure if I mentioned it in previous letter but went to the temple on Tuesday and saw a lot of people from Reedley ward because they all work a the temple so it was nice to see them.  On Saturday we had president interviews and had about 20 minutes to talk so that was nice. I feel like he just keeps making it harder on me with all these companions I keep getting, its exhausting.  So the work is very slow right now, for the first time on my mission, I've had zero people at church two weeks in a row so it's been tough to stay busy and staying positive.  I'm having good experiences though.  We're going to have a trizone acidity today and it’s a talent show so should be funny.  Hopefully we have a better week this week. 

Well I don’t have much time left to respond to your letter, but I love reading them and would respond if I had more time today.  Well, time keeps flying by and despite the bad, everything is good overall, I just need to take the long view when I have a tough companion, I feel like I'm going to be with him forever but when I look at the big picture, a couple weeks is nothing and I might as well make the most of it.  Thanks for the letters and all the support that I get.  I love you.