January 14, 2008

Dear my wonderful Irvine family:

This has been one of the worst weeks in my mission, numbers-wise, but it's not all about numbers. It's just been frustrating too. Monday, a few lessons. Tuesday, we went all across the valley to say good-bye to everyone for Neira, and we drove down to find the apartment and got lost in Studio City and North Hollywood for an hour. So we unpacked and then loaded my new comp's stuff on, and got back home wayyyy late at 11:20 pm. I was so tired! I really like my new comp, Elder Hansen. I'm going to 'kill' him because he has a transfer left, so basically 8 weeks. He's not trunky at all, and I'll push him hard if he goes trunky on me. Everyone is human. So we got to know all the investigators and members all over again, and it's really frustrating. It's like we're starting from ground zero and working our way back up, and the ET really made me feel a bit strange. Starting brand new in the middle of a transfer really can mess with a missionary's state of mind. I felt a bit trunky, like why am I here, why does this stuff always happen, why am I going to have to show my comp the area, etc. I was really stressed. I couldn't sleep well Sunday night, or Monday night, or Tuesday night, so I'm still recovering a bit from that. Now I have to drive in crazy California, and I feel like I'm learning to drive again because there are so many crazy people and it scares the heck out of me. But, the work is slowly progressing again but it was really a waste of the Lord's time to readjust to everything.

Elder Hansen is from Corpus Christi, Texas, but his family moved to Utah when he went into the field, and now his family is thinking of going back to Texas. He's a really funny kid, but frustrates me at times because he is easily distracted and goes off tangents a lot. As you know me, I am direct and I can't stand distractions. So it's an adjustment. I felt like the DL for a bit because he's never been DL and I've been stuck with two of them, so I was showing him some of the stuff (he's seen all the paperwork before so he's good with that). It's weird for him because he served here in English work in my area, in Valencia. This past Sunday he shook so many hands welcoming him back to Santa Clarita. It's going to be really good here. We actually might eat dinners now, because Neira would always not plan to eat dinner.

The Jaimes are progressing very well, and they are golden! They're going to be baptized this coming Sunday, and I just have to organize the program as well as arrange the interviews with the ZL's. Not too much. They have a great fellowshipping couple, the Ceja's, and everything is going well. They miss Neira, so he's going to come back to baptize them. We gave Hno. Jaimes a blessing before Neira got ET'd, so he'd get better becase he had a bad cough that hurt his back and chest, and our next visit he said that nothing hurt, that he slept like a baby. He realized the power of faith, and of the priesthood. I'm so excited, my first actual baptism of someone that I've taught and have come to love. I can't wait to see their expressions of joy when they come out of that baptismal font...I'm so blessed right now! They're so great, and we get along really well. They always make fun of the fact that I'm Asian, they understand me pretty well and...pretty much make fun of me because I'm Asian. It's so great! I love them so much, and I'm happy they're taking this step. When they get baptized, I'd love to see Hno. Jaimes receive the priesthood to baptize his son, Jose, when he gets back from Mexico in six months. That'd be sweet!

Another investigator, Lesley, is going to be baptized (but we'll push the date back again because she couldn't make it to church this Sunday). She's really smart! Basically we review what we've taught and she spits it back at us, but simpler, better, and with a touch of a 10 year old girl. Makes it interesting at times. "Joseph Smith made his church and Christ made his"...what a funny girl. We're planning to extend the baptismal commitment to her non-member father, who is just a fantastic person, really soon. I could possibly see three temple sealings by the end of my mission...how exciting!

Our other golden ones, the Cardenas-Gil, are pretty much the most amazing people I've ever met in my short time here. Hansen loves them already, and recognized how golden they really are. We're fixing out the kinks about getting them married, finding a marriage license for undocumented immigrants, but it should be easy enough. I'm actually going to look it up after I send this e-mail. Then, fix a date, schedule it with the building coordinator, and get the Relief Society involved. Probably next transfer in February, in time for my birthday! They're ready to be baptized, they just have to get married first. And I love their little twins, who are five years old, Jeffrey and Adelay, they're so cool! They could (and will) be my third temple sealing if it all goes well...I am very blessed to be here right now!

Elder Hansen has pushed me to do language study, because Sandoval didn't really care and didn't push me and Neira just didn't do it. So I'm recognizing my faults even more, when before I was like 'well, I'll fix it later' but later never came. So it's really good that I'm now pushing myself. It's kind of a problem because Spanish comes easily to me, so it's hard finding the motivation, but Hansen has really made it clear to me by his example, that language study blesses the missionaries so much. I am blessed to be his last companion.

Neira told me before we had to split, that he is pushing me to be the next DL and possibly a trainer after Hansen goes, but I don't want to! Yeah, it'd be sweet to go to a lot of meetings and talk about stuff, but I'd rather just do my own thing. Oh well, I'll do whatever the Lord wants, as Mom said on the phone.

There have been some really spiritual moments in this 'new' transfer. The value of planning a lesson before has really helped us teach with the Spirit. Hansen knows a lot of Spanish, and I was surprised, but I was even more surprised when he went off the beaten path to talk about repentance. When he was done, I knew what to do, just continue with the lesson plan. And the Spirit was guiding us, for sure. Too bad these investigators, the Murcia's, won't get married or come to church. We're going to drop them soon if they don't go to church, even though they want to learn more. Oh well. We taught the Jaimes with the Ceja's, and it was great! We finished the Commandments lesson, so all we have to do is plan the program and get them ready for the interview questions, and Hno. Ceja even showed them (by using me) how we baptize so the Jaimes wouldn't be afraid of it. It was just great! The Ceja's bore their testimony about the importance of fasting, of following the laws of the land, and it was just amazing! I loved it! The Jaimes gave us hot chocolate (nearly burned my tongue) and some pan dulce...they have changed so much! They can't deny the Spirit now! They can't deny the Gospel from blessing their lives! The only barrier right now is Father Hans, a Catholic priest who is a dry Mormon. He wants to interfere, yet again, but we're not going to let him. He stopped a baptism from happening a while back, so the elders don't trust him at all. So, we're not going to talk to Father Hans for the rest of this transfer and probably the next one too. He'll learn from this. The Cardenas-Gil are excited about getting married, and they're reading the Book of Mormon on their own. When Hno. Cardenas bore his testimony about the Book of Mormon two weeks ago, in priesthood testimony meeting, I nearly cried (I don't remember if I said that before). He said he feels it is right, and feels that this is the right church. Sometimes I just want to die of happiness. As Elder Holland said, "Lord, it is enough." Obedience leads to great blessings, to greater things. There is nothing better than missionary work.

I love this work! I love how the Lord is preparing people for us to teach, how he is so merciful to bless us at this time. I am very nervous about the baptisms, but I know that the Lord will give me strength. This is my first baptism after all. I know this church is true, and I know Christ lives and is with us.

May you all be safe and protected.

Love,
Elder Irvine