August 18, 2008

Dear Mom,

I guess that I am getting used to this darn heat. The dryness...not so much. But I'll have to deal with it for at least ten more months. How strange is that? I will be going home in less than a year! I feel I just started...and time does truly fly after you hit your one year mark. I love being a missionary, and I know this is the best thing for me!

I'm happy to know you made it safe over there in Utah, the so-called Zion of the West. I feel that SoCal is Zion in the midst of Babylon, because there is so much stuff going on here it is truly saddening. The members have been asked to contribute financially and also with time to the new amendment, proposition 8, that is for protecting the sanctity of marriage. A member made a fuss about it in Elder's Quorum class and one of our other members, good Bro. Ballard, shut him up with scriptures and just common sense. It was the best thing ever! I loved it! As you can tell this member is just an attention hog BUT at least he got his voice heard...which annoyed me. But, we're hopefully going to see this through and see the gay community defeated. The members here, if they're active, they're really strong. I feel inadequate among such humble followers of Christ. I love the Filipino people, and I especially am glad for this chance I have to serve them. Talking about Filipinos, we got two referrals in Tagalog so we're going to visit them tomorrow with a member that speaks Tagalog. Two new investigators! We're going to have to rely on the gift of tongues to teach them! Isn't that nuts? Who would have thought? Tagalog? We ordered a book to learn Tagalog through the mission office, hopefully we'll get it soon or we'll be floundering.

We had a miracle! Seven investigators to church yesterday with two potential investigators, so a total of nine non-members. That was such a blessing. Miracles are in the works...I was sent here for a reason. Why does the Lord always bless his most inadequate servants with work? All Woods and I do is put our faith in Him, and he just blesses us immensely. We are very fortunate to be here. Our members are getting excited, the bishopric is glad we're bringing people to church...it's just going up! President Goodrich asked if I wanted to go or to stay, to which I said 'stay'. Too much is happening for me to leave here. But, if President needs me to go Spanish, I'll go. I'll want to finish in Spanish, but right now I need to help the people in Van Nuys 1st ward. Three teenagers came to church- Enrique, Crystal and Franky. They're siblings, and we feel that all will be baptized soon, probably in the next seven weeks. They're awesome! They loved church a lot, and are so excited to learn! Crystal was a bit taken aback when our high councilman was frank, saying a marriage is between a man and a woman. She was accepting of everyone, but I just reiterated that there's no gray area. She took it well I suppose. Mike came, again. Susan Lar finally came to sacrament meeting and sat by one of our Filipino members. Gye Choi, who is our English student, came to church. A potential named Hadi came too. Too bad our less actives didn't come, but there's always next time. So, we had a really busy church! Lots of investigators! The Young Men's and Young Women's people were so excited to see the three...it was really cool! I love the work! It was funny because I forgot to fill up the tank on Saturday so we had enough gas to get to church, get home, then go out to contact just down the road, and back home again. In the meantime we finally got to do our weekly planning...which wasn't done for the past three weeks because we have been very busy! That's awesome. We're so busy we couldn't get our weekly planning done...I never would've thought that in all my life as a missionary, especially in English work! Talking about goals, we decided to set a goal for twelve investigators to church next week, if we just get rides it'll be done! I'm super pumped for this last week of the transfer!

This week was a blur. Highlight reel!

Saturday we had a very spiritual lesson with our less active, Betsy Miller. She really loved our testimonies, and we all shared the Spirit's love in her home. Our Relief Society President Sister Ballard came with us, and we all got along. Betsy said she'll do her best to come to church, but I believe her work called her in (she's an accountant's assistant and they're going through several lawsuits right now- super busy!). But, we testified of how we have been blessed by obeying some of God's commandments that we went over with her...I can say that it was a blessed visit. I was very grateful to hear her tell me, 'I really liked your testimony, because I know it is sincere. I can tell you really mean it'. It's one of those...'Oh yeah...that's why I am here' moments. Truly a blessing. We went to Susan Lar and Woods straight up committed her to baptism. We started, prayed, and then he was talking about big steps and stuff then BAM! "Susan, will you be baptized by God's authority on September 7th?" She was like, huh? It was hilarious! But, she said she'll think about it, which we wanted to tell her to pray about it. She knows it's true, we just gotta ram it down her throat. She's one of those indecisive people...if you're bold she'll do it. So that's our new approach. She'll be baptized soon enough. We came home and I took a brief nap that turned into a longer than expected one. I am so dead tired...I couldn't operate without a nap. I know the Lord understands how stressed I have been and how tired I am. Sweet day!

Friday went well. Problem was at district meeting my district tuned out on my training...but it was my fault because I felt they needed a second training on commitments...so they tuned me out. But, our ward missionary came and she got to learn by teaching. It was good for that. We ended up spending an hour driving on a road to get to a place to switch our car...ours had scratches on it from a few months ago so they're repairing it. Traffic stinks down in the south part of the Valley...wow, never going that route again! But, Mike read his assignment and loved it. We testified that as he prayed he would receive an answer to his prayers, that it is our weapon. Elder Woods is a great teacher. Simple, blunt, to the point. Gye really enjoyed our English lesson. Heck, I learn something new everytime we teach her. She has really good questions. She's super open to us, we just have to find the right time to teach her the Gospel. I'm feeling that it'll come really soon. We had a sweet day though! No better call...no greater time in my life!

Thursday was super busy! Appointments, one after the other. Taught a member's daughter (he's divorced, his wife is less active so we're teaching his daughter so she'll get baptized). Then lunch. Then off to Van Nuys to find Shenice- not home, so we went contacting. Took the local bike elders to get something really quick at the local 99 cents store, then back to work! Dinner with a less active family, the Solis's, whose father is a jerk and just wants to fight the bishop over some hurt pride. Thank goodness he wasn't there...not good for the Spirit. But, as long as the bishop is bishop, they won't go back. Oh well, they're denying salvation and exaltation to themselves. We met with good ole' Bruce, who always is a load of fun and really teaches us something, that we must treasure the words of the Lord. He loves us, and we love him. A great jolly old man. I was surprised to find out he's almost seventy. He looks barely sixty.

Wednesday was my second ZDM meeting! I recommended some changes in my district, which I hope will happen for the sake of Encino ward. But, we had fun, shared jokes, some stories, but we got the job done. It was funy though! We got to stop by June, but he's really struggling to read the scriptures with his two little girls. The youngest is always sick...it's not good at all. But, I believe we'll get to him and teach him with boldness and power...he just needs help realizing how it applies to him. But, he'll get baptized, he just doesn't feel ready. We're going to commit him to baptism in the near future. We stopped by one of Woods' converts and went on our way. We had a bunch of success with our less actives going on splits, I went with the very loud Bro. Ludovico, a Filipino member who has nine kids, half of them are here, the rest are back in the Phillipines. Really cool member. Very outgoing. We got to meet a Filipino member who just had quadruple bypass surgery, and he's doing well it seems. Tagalog is super fast! Didn't understand a thing!

Tuesday was interviews, and Sister Goodrich told me to relax. I feel stressed with all this responsibility, but she reiterated I must relax, and realize it's just another bump in the road. And she mentioned, as did my ZL's Boyce and Wilcox (who is the new AP), that my stake president here, President Jex, really liked what I did when I taught an investigator at his house. So, she said that everyone trusts me, and especially President Goodrich. That was a morale booster! My life is great! I just needed a shot in the arm! Woohoo!!! Tuesday was pretty cool...I can't remember much from it. Except we did teach Enrique, and it went really well. I love being a missionary. We reviewed the Restoration with him, and his family really got interested in it. Especially Crystal. But, he loves to read and he really likes to pray. He's going to do very well in the next few weeks. I love this! I felt the Spirit testify to me, and to all, that there was a Great Apostasy, that Christ did truly die for us, and that His apostles were taken away, yet again. I felt that sorrow...how could God 'abandon' us? But, I felt that joy when we testified of the Restoration. They felt weird, they said. They felt good. They felt at peace. That's the Holy Ghost...what a great lesson indeed. We contacted afterwards, met a really interested man, and got to eat T-bone steak with the Albin's, a great member family. Bro. Albin was funny because he met his wife back home in Sacramento (he's a big Kings fan) and she was ready to go on a mission. He said he offered to help her study for the mission, and quickly mentioned, 'and soon it became make-out sessions' to which she said, 'James, don't say that!!!!' Absolutely hilarious! I loved it! We got along, had a good time, got to know them. They're a great family.

That's the week in a nutshell! Hope you enjoyed it!

I love you all, I'm so happy to know I have my family behind me cheering me on! I'll make you proud, like that song goes, 'do I make you proud?' I love my Lord, and I know without a doubt that He lives again. What joy does that bring to me? So much, I could someday collapse like Ammon meeting Alma by Zarahemla...I love this work!

May you stay safe. I love you all.

Love,
Spencer