November 10, 2008

Dear Mom,

I'm going to send Grandma's card today, I was thinking of sending it this week because I didn't want to send it too early. By the way, transfers are coming this way this coming weekend so I'll know either Friday night for leadership calls or Saturday morning as usual. So I'm still in Northridge.

Right now I'm having mixed emotions. This past week we had some issues meeting with investigators, and as a result I felt a bit stressed. How can I be an example to the district, show Pres. Goodrich I'm doing my best, show the Lord I want to work here, and double convert baptisms? The first half of the week went great and then slowed down, then picked up again. Just up and down like a roller coaster.

Monday we ended up ending out p-day early to visit a media referral that needs help with overcoming alcohol. She has tried before and nothing has worked. She goes sober for a week at a time then she goes back to drinking. So Woods went over the whole addiction recovery program with her, and then we talked about faith and the Atonement of Christ. It led to the Spirit being able to enter her apartment...and then we put Finding Faith in Christ in...wow. I think, every time I watch it, of how much I don't understand about the Atonement. Wow, I really don't get it at all. I take it for granted. It was a great experience, then we went to play basketball with the Blacks, a member family. We played the game 'around the world', Woods was first, AC got second, I got third, and Bro. Black got last. We ate some sweet hamburgers at their house then went home to shower and change (yet again). We went out to contact people, and ended up teaching our less active Betsy Miller at home. She called us to cancel, but we didn't get the message until we were at her door. She really likes us coming over, and she's willing to stick to her guns and continue to go to church. Too bad her ride was out of town and didn't tell us, she didn't make it to church. A sweet start to the week!

Tuesday was alright. We dropped our baptismal date because he was smoking weed, oh well he didn't want to change after all. Our member then ripped into us on how we need to be bolder, which offended me a little because he was never a missionary and he came down on me pretty hard. I know I need to be humble, but he didn't understand that even if we were bold to Tim, Tim wouldn't have listened. A bit frustrating to me, but oh well! It was a good day though. Got rid of a flake.

Wednesday was alright...we had our pre-training meeting as usual and it went very well. I had never thought of asking several kinds of questions that provoke thoughts and good answers. I learned a lot. We met a Baptist referral and we're probably going to drop him. He didn't accept our point of view on the Trinity. We used scripture after scripture, but he rebuffed us with random scriptures without explaining the background or context. Typical Baptist. Wasn't a bash, but was very close. We testified, closed with a prayer, and left. His friend, Howard, got it though. I explained it this way. So if we say we're on our Father's errand, are we actually the Father or one of his sons? Howard's like yeah I get it. George...darn Baptist. Bill Cox, a long time investigator, finally realized his baptism meant nothing. Finally! It took him this long to realize what we preach! Old man...but he's still open to us coming back! Sweet apostasy lesson! Woods did mention to me he was amazed at how many scriptures I shared on the gift of the Holy Ghost. I learned a lot, because I had to deal with 7th Day Adventists...they can't argue against that! Book of Acts! Prove me wrong!

Thursday was long. Weekly planning, then we had some Preach My Gospel presentations and...can't remember much more. It was good day though!

Friday went pretty well. I loved the training for district meeting. Thought provoking questions. Our role plays went so well. I learned a lot from them. How to begin a lesson better, what kinds of questions to ask...I loved it! I felt uplifted, as our zone goal is to be spiritually uplifted at district meeting. If one doesn't walk out of there uplifted, one isn't prepared to learn. I was so pumped to go preach the word! We got to meet with Bonney, an on-and-off investigator, and she really wants to learn more about the Gospel to help her family. Single mom, working, going to school, and her daughter (who is the voice of a Backyardigan) is being a rebel. She really wants to learn more, and that really touched me. After dealing with so many flakes, this was a welcome relief. She said she'll come to church, and I believe her (she did too!). Mike was doing pretty well too, he's so pumped to spread the Gospel at work and he's loving the scriptures. He even showed us a Doctrine and Covenants scripture talking about overcoming the world. I was stunned in amazement. He's moving along at his pace, he's waiting for more money to come in so he could move out, be baptized, and support this less active girlfriend of his from far away. Good intentions, good man. We had a great coordination meeting and got a lot done there. Voila! Our day!

Saturday was the best day ever! Well, it was a little slow, but we got a lot of work done. Half of our appointments fell through, but we persevered and we had a spiritual lesson with Raul Espinoza, with his active member parents, and Raul's girlfriend Lesley. They're so awesome! We love them, and they love us! We go over the Plan of Salvation, and we planned to commit Lesley to baptism. I was a bit uneasy about it, but I knew God willed it so we went ahead with it. Woods said, 'what do you know about baptism?' She admitted she knew it was necessary, but a bit fuzzy on the details. He explained it a little, then boldly said, 'Lesley, will you be baptized?' She quickly said 'Yes', with a big smile on her face. I knew the Spirit was invited as she said yes. We all promised blessings of baptism, and delved into the Atonement, which makes it all possible to return to God. I shared Luke 22:42-44, and every time I nearly (or do) shed a tear, knowing Christ paid for my many sins. One by one, we bore testimony of the Atonement. Heartfelt, honest, and sincere witnesses of Christ's supreme sacrifice. I felt the Spirit so strong I felt tears (man, I'm a crier), and had to suppress them a little. It filled the room...just one of those really great spiritual moments you know? I'm filled with awe knowing God blessed us with the Spirit to encourage Lesley to go forth with this. We walked out of there, and Woods turns to me and says, 'I wouldn't want to change a single thing from that lesson!' I completely agreed...we were truly blessed that cold, Saturday evening. One more baptismal date!

Sunday was icing on the cake! So I fasted so I could be more spiritually in tune to do the work and to find new investigators, and we got so many blessings. Our other less actives, the Togiola family, all came to church! They realized they needed to come to church and they called us to get them all a ride. Woods did a great job with that. Lesley and Raul came to church, and wow! It was so awesome! The talks were spiritually uplifting, one by the great Sis. Teresa Pickett about the importance of raising children to the Lord, and BJ Strand, an RM who spoke about Jesus's parables. I learned a lot, and I loved being edified by His word. I really took sacrament meeting for granted back home. Bro. Strand made it very personal. How many of us would go and help the Samaritan? It was a very dangerous road. It's unsafe. Martin Luther King, Jr., who Bro. Strand quoted, said he could understand why the Levite and the priest passed by the injured man. But, he said, we must change from a 'what'll happen to me?' attitude, to a 'how can I help others?' attitude. It just hit me. I have to stop having self-pity and just step it up this last week of the transfer! Yes sir! The funny thing about it was that the two youngest Luna girls, Rachel and Stephanie, came and sat with us during sacrament. Woods was, needless to say, a little distracted by their constant petitions for attention. We went home to take a break, and I got to talk to my recent convert Alberto Cardenas. All is well up there, except it rained recently. Apparently this Californian weather is like Mexico, no wonder Mexicans come over here in droves! We had nice chat. He's awesome! I'll have to push the bishopric or elders up there to give him a calling. We went out to contact people, and it was hard because it was A) dark at about 5 o'clock p.m. and B) it was windy and my eyes were drying up, thus it was hard to wear contacts. But, we talked and were rejected by everyone. Such is the work. We had a great dinner with the Playsteads, and we had a great time with the Lunas. We can't stop joking around with members...they're so funny in their own ways. I love both of their families! With the Lunas we talked about temples, reviewed just a little bit in preparation for the temple prep classes they're going to take soon. I'm so excited for them! Then, we spoke of patience. It was a great evening discussion on patience. Their example, Bro. Luna's dad, patriarch Luna. I've met him before, and he's very patient and Christ-like. Their goal is to make their home almost as welcome as Bro. Luna's childhood home. Full of love and care. It was great to feel that soft, sweet Spirit as we spoke of patience. As usual, they fed us some dessert, a delicious pumpkin pie/pecan pie. Just a great end to an up and down week!

It was a great week! A good start, a medium middle, and a great finish! We got to find some less actives, contact them, get more information for the ward, as well as our investigators. Just a great week. We reached our goal of twenty lessons in a week...the Lord is preparing this area for something, I just don't know what.

More and more I am grateful for you all and what you have done for me. Rooting and cheering me on while I'm out here, updating the important family issues, and most of all, showing your love. Electronically. Haha. But, I know this Church is true. There is no doubt in my frame that the Church has been restored (double negatives, confusing!). Families are forever together. We have that power to seal for the eternities. I wish more people would understand that.

As I studied yesterday morning, I looked over the temple prep pamphlet that I was supposed to read over before I entered the temple (I barely glanced at it- oops!). I felt the Spirit touch my heart and tell me all that is in there is true. I admit I cried reading D&C 110, when Christ accepted the Kirtland temple as His Holy House. Why is God so merciful to grant us so many temples? As the pamphlet said, each cornerstone that is laid for a temple weakens Satan's power on earth. I am truly grateful for temples and their purpose to bring us all back to Him. Without the temple, no priesthood holder can achieve the fulness of the priesthood. That hit me hard. Wow, I took it for granted.

All is well! All is well! Though hard to you, this journey may appear, great shall be, as your day!

May God keep you all safe!

Love,
Spencer