Zone Conference

 What is up family and friends!!! I had another amazing week, I hope you did as well!!!! 

Wednesday: Played football again and had a fun time and then I got to play pickleball for the first time in a long time and it was so fun!!! Then we had an amazing visit with the Lundquists! We talked about the power of prayer with them and the blessings that come from praying!!!

Thursday: We had a very nice visit with our friend Monica and shared with her the Book of Mormon and she said she will come to church one of these next weeks, so hopefully she does! Then we were able to have a great phone call visit with our friends Lori, who knows God has been there for her in her life,  and is excited to find the truth! Then we were able to go to sports night and a couple of our friends came and had a good time!! 

Friday: Zone Conference!!!! I loved seeing missionaries that I have served around before and catching up with them!! President Rodriguez talked how we can feel like we are successful, as well as the importance of finding joy in the work! Then the AP's talked about involving the members in the work and helping them see that they are important. So to all those who are reading this, work with the missionaries in your area!!!! Then me E. Cosentino, S. Mansfield, and S. Brown talked about the importance of being accountable to God at the end of each day, each week, and ultimately at the end of our missions and lives! After Zone conference we met with our recent converts Bryton and Brizieda which is always fun!!! 

Saturday: Exchange day!!!! I was with Elder Richardson for the day and we had a blast!! We stopped by a lot of our potentials and had a great lesson with our friend Maggie! She took the restoration so well and is excited to read the Book of Mormon and meet with us again!!  The Spirit was so strong in the lesson and it is amazing to see the spirit touch those that we are teaching and see the change in them!! 

Sunday: We had our friend Fernando come to church and he loved the primary program! He wants to come back this week and enjoy the spirit that is within each meeting!! Unfortunately we are going to have to pass him off to the Elders in Thousand Oaks, but it'll be awesome to hear how he progresses!! 

Monday: We had an amazing district council focused on the importance of asking the right questions, listening to our friends, and allowing the spirit to fill our mouths with what to say!!! It was such a spirit filled discussion! We also talked about the power of the Book of Mormon and relying on it to change our friends lives! 

Tuesday: We had an amazing lesson with our friend Lori, she connected with our members that we brought and it was cool to see the softening of her heart and see her realize that God led her to us, so that she can find true joy in life and have the light that she sees in me, my companion, and our members!!! One of our  members made a Mexican lasagna and it was soooo good!! Then we were able to call the right people and set up a couple of visit for this week!! 

This week I read in Colossians chapter 3 and I love what Paul has to say in verse 4: "And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness." 

As I was reading this I love how as we are charitable, we become perfected. We are becoming more like Christ! So I hope that you all may continue to develop the attribute of charity and become perfected through Christ!!!!! 

Pics: 

Brother Phillips

Elder Novac

Elder Tate

Cool Sky 

Interviews, Exchanges and Enlightenment

What's up everyone! It was another great week I hope yours was just as amazing!!! 

Wednesday: For our distrcit activity we played some football at Moorpark College and then we had a birthday party for a member in our district! To end off our day we went and stopped by a bunch of our friends and weren't able to get in contact with many of them...

Thursday: Did some yard work to start off the day, then had interviews for most of the day! Had a really good time listening to and learning from President Rodriguez about the importance of setting high goals and working to reach them. We had some friends go to sports night so we were able to play some soccer with all the Hispanics and have a good time!! 

Friday: Exchange day!!! I was with Elder Higbee for the day and we had a lot of fun! We were able to have a super cool conversation with our friend Lori. When we first introduced ourselves she said, "If this is about religion, I have my own beliefs, and I'm good". But when we asked a follow up question she really opened up, we were able to connect with some of her beliefs and set up another time to chat with her!!! We also had a lesson with our friend Gary, who will not be baptized this Saturday, but he says the beginning of November. 

Saturday: Exchange day!!! I had Elder Hopper for the day and we had a great time together!!! We were knocking an apartment complex looking for 2 people, and ended up knocking into Myriam, who had been praying to have strength to make it through some of her trials and then we showed up. Her and her 2 daughters will be coming to church this week!! We also had a good lesson with our friend Rafael!!! 

Sunday: Church was awesome, 3 really good talks about the power of the Book of Mormon! We met with President Mackay, and he is so sweet and excited to do missionary work! We had a great lesson with our friend Aussie who had really good questions! And the Zapata family fed us delicious dinner! 

Monday: Exchange day!!! I was with Elder Price! Learned some Spanish, had a good time! We met Shariff. He is from Afghanistan and changed his name becuase people kept saying it wrong so he goes by Shawn. He has a desire to find the truth and wants to read the Book of Mormon in a month... we'll see how that goes. 

Tuesday: We had an awesome lesson with Gary, it seems like he just wants to plan it out more and be confident in all the aspects of it. We had 2 awesome calls, one with our friend Prince and another one with Anthony. Both are around my age and wanting to find some direction in life!!! We also had service as well and passed out a bunch of food! 

I read a great talk by Richard G. Scott the other day and love this quote: 

"When we contemplate the incomparable gift of prayer and the limitless blessings that flow from it, honest appreciation fills our mind and heart to overflowing with thanksgiving" 

Prayer is powerful and we all need to see it as an amazing gift God has given us!!! 

Pics: 

1. Got to see George from Simi 

2. On our way to interviews

3. Elder Higbee 

4. Elder Hopper 

5. Elder Price

6. Companion study

Walk Day, Meetings and District Council

Hello friends and family, I hope you had an amazing week and are enjoying the fall colors!!! 

Wednesday: Preparation day was awesome! I played some 2 hand touch rugby as well as some football which was really fun! Then I also got to play sand volleyball which was a blast!! In the evening, we just stopped by a bunch of people that had been contacted in the past. 

Thursday: Our mission had a great zoom about supporting each other as companions and after that we went and stopped by our friend Gary and he is still doing well and preparing for baptism on the 21st, lets hope that the date stays!!!! We helped a lady move some things around her house with the other Elders. Then we met Anthony who is really cool and has a Book of Mormon and we'll be stopping by him tonight to see what he thinks! 

Friday: We had a service in the morning sorting food and that felt a little tedious , but it was nice to help out!! In the evening we went to have a pass off lesson with the Hermana's and we were walking around before and talked to a hispanic man named Eutolio, and they showed up just in time to start teaching him and he is interested!! While they were teaching him we went and talked to a man named Jimmy who has a  young family and wants to learn about the Plan of Salvation!

Saturday: Walk day!!! We have one day a transfer when we park the cars and just strickly walk to save some mileage on the cars. It was also an exchange day and I was with Elder Merrill! We walked a lot and talked to a lot of people on the street, but none were very interested. Until we got into an apartment complex. We met Chris, who wants to find a new Christian church and Adriana who spoke Spanish, but I was able to kind of explain the Plan of Salvation and get her number so the Spanish Elders can teach her! 

Sunday: This Sunday was full of meetings. We had a correlation meeting with our ward before Sacrament, then our Sacrament meeting was great, lots of amazing testimonies! Then we had a stake correlation meeting, and that was the end of the meetings! We were also able to meet with the Warnes and had an awesome time with them!!! Then we got to hear the new missionaries bear their testimonies and that made me think of when I came in, which feels like just yesterday! 

Monday: District Council was really good. We focused on helping our friends make and keep committments that prepare them for baptism. We also talked about the importance of The Spirit in deciding what the committment should be. Then we had a great lesson with our friend Karen who now has a Book of Mormon and said she will be reading it!! 

Tuesday: We stopped by a bunch of our friends in the morning, but not a lot of them were home.... So we decided to go throughout parking lots and talked to some peeps who were too busy to talk.... Then we had service passing out food, which is always nice to see the smiles on peoples faces! We messaged a lot of people on Facebook! 

I studied  President Dallin H Oaks' talk from this last conference and I love this quote: 

"It is not even enough to be convinced of the gospel; we must act so that we are converted by it. In contrast to other preaching, which teaches us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something"

Everything we do in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to help us become who Christ wants us to become!!

Hope you all have the best week!!! 

Pics: 

1. Elder Merrill 

2-3. Pretty sunsets 

4. Halloween costume

Conference, Councils and Companions

Hello friends and family I hope your week was amazing, let's jump into mine!!!

Wednesday: We played 4 on the couch as a district and it was really fun and we got to know the new missionaries more! Then our lesson with Angel and Junior fell through so we stopped by some other friends and got a "It's the Mormons" then a porch light turning off... 

Thursday: We helped out a less-active member move and he had a lot of stories from his mission that were crazy. Then we had a great lesson with Gary who is still progressing well towards his date of Oct. 21!!! 

Friday: Exchange day!! I was with Elder Mansfield for the day here in Moorpark and we had a lot of fun and found a lot of success. We knocked around 10am and I wasn't super optimistic about it, but we had a good conversations with Alex and Oscar at their house, and Alex has since dropped us, but Oscar still seems pretty interested. Then I had a total mission moment where I just had a feeling to knock on a door as we passed it. We met Monica who took a Restoration Pamphlet and said she couldn't wait to learn more!!! Then we had a great visit with our Friend Arnold who said we could come over and watch Conference, then canceled. We also met Corina who took a book of Mormon and is super awesome!! 

Saturday: General Conference!!! I loved it so much and enjoyed all of the uplifting messages! After each sessison of conerence we just went out and invited as many people as possible to watch it!! My favorite session on Saturday was probably the morning session, there were some powerful talks in that session!! 

Sunday: More Conference!!! It was such a great day and it was awesome going out and testifying to people about modern day Prophets and Apostles right after hearing from them!!! Then we had a great dinner with the Hosking family, dessert with the Satterwhite family and then an amazing visit with the Zierenberg family!! 

Monday: Exchange day!!!! But first we had a great district council! Me and Elder Cosentino gave a discusison on gifts and talents that we all have that God has given us to touch the lives of those in our areas! Then I was with Elder Sturgeon in my area and had another really fun day! We talked to a girl name Kylie who was reallly cool, took a Book of Mormon and watched the 3 Nephi 11 video! We talked to a lot of awesome people and I learned a lot from Elder Sturgeon! 

Tuesday: MLC a missionary meeting with President Rodriguez took up most of our day, but at the meeting President Rodriguez talked a lot about haviing an eternal perspective and seeing things in the bigger picture!! Then we went to stop by our friend Arnold, he was on the phone and told us to take a lap around the loop, so we did. We met Kamal who is a super sweet lady who wants a youth group for her son and he will be attending youg mens next week! 

That is my week, the highlight was definitely General Conference, and President Nelson's talk on thinking Celestial!! 

While reading an old Conference talk by Marvin J. Ashton I came across this quote: 

"Contention stops progress. Love brings eternal progression." I love the thought that love brings eternal progression. Love to our family, love to our friends, love to the random person that cuts us off(happens all the time in California), but it all helps us progress and learn for eternity!!! 

Pics: 

1. District Council

2. Fantastic missionaries

3. Elder Mansfield

4. Goodbye to Elder Anderson

5. Elder Sturgeon

6. Love Jack and the Book of Mormon