Christmas Season

Merry Christmas!!! I love all of you and hope you've had an awesome Christmas season!!!!

This week we were able to have Zone Conference and it was amazing to hear all the testimonies of Jesus Christ, and feel the Spirit of Christmas! Each group of missionaries was assigned a Book of Mormok Prophet, a name of the Savior, and an attribute of the Savior! It's truly amazing the knowledge we have of Jesus Christ and the example He is to all of us!!!!

Other than an amazing zone conference, we had an awesome lesson with Angel, a great visit with our friend Gerardo, a nice lesson with our friend Deanna, met Horacio and gave him to the Hermanas, and met Jesus who is so sweet!!!!! We also got to have a institute Christmas party which was really fun!

"If you have favorite Christmas memories, may you joyfully savor them this season. If you are still creating your Christmas traditions, may they deepen your love for Jesus Christ and bless you each year."

I love this quote and encourage you all to remember Jesus Christ a little more as we finish up the Christmas season and head into the new year!

Love you all, Merry Christmas🎄🎁🌟🌃

Pics:
1. Elder Webb and Elder Norton
2. Elder Brian and Elder Loosle
3. Finding with members!!!!!!
4. Practicing teaching!
5. Ginger bread house
6. Christmas

Love This Work!

Friends and family, I hope you all had an amazing week! I sure did! If you stick around long enough you might find out why :)

Friday was transfer day so I waited all day to get my 2 new companions. I am now with Elder Webb and Elder Norton and we are killing it and having an awesome time!!

Saturday we had a missionary from our ward get home and 30 minutes after being released he wanted to come out with us and it was a little awkward with 4 people standing on someone's doorstep, but it worked out! We were able to teach our new friend Guiermo, share a message with our friend Ann, as well as teach our friend Angel!!!! Then after all that awesomeness, we had a YSA Christmas dinner and had a white elephant gift exchange and had a lot of fun with our friends!!!

Sunday was awesome! There was a farewell talk in our family ward so we were able to talk to a lot of the nonmembers that came and just get to know them! Then we went to the top of our area and decided to knock on a couple doors, one of them was Loraine. We testified of the Book of Mormon, the spirit was so present, she could feel it, and hopefully we'll be able help her strengthen her belief in Jesus Christ!

Monday we planned for our Christmas Zone conference! It's so crazy that is tomorrow and Christmas is in 5 days!!!! Then we were able to have an awesome visit with our friend Elizabeth, we introduced the Book of Mormon, she loved and loved the Book of Mormon video we shared with her!!! The we went to the cross for a study and I don't think I'll ever get sick of the view from up there!!!!

Tuesday was crazy busy. Yesterday we weren't sure if we had time to stop by a less-active member of our YSA ward, but we decided to make the drive anyway. His dad was having some health struggles and asked for a blessing. I am so glad we made the time to go out and see them!!! We had the opportunity to meet with the Allen's, they are so missionary minded and so sweet!!! Then we were supposed to have another lesson with Loraine, but it didn't go through, we had a great visit with a friend Ricardo and his friends, and had a good time!!

I love this quote by Elder Mark Bragg:
"We are children of God. Receiving light, continuing in God, and receiving more light are what we are created to do. From the very beginning, we followed the light; we followed our Heavenly Father and His plan. Seeking the light is in our spiritual DNA"(Brighter and Brighter Until the Perfect Day). I love how as we follow Christ we are able to receive his light and share that light with those around us. Look for ways to share your light before Christmas!!!!!!!

There's my short week, love you all, have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Pics:
1. Elder Webb and Elder Norton
2. The cross
3. Lights
4. The view

Last Week aka Fast Week

What is up friends and family!!! I hope you all had an awesome week, because mine was pretty great!!!

Wednesday: We went to a thrift store, drew names out of a hat, and bought shirts for who we drew. I got a nice pink shirt that doesn't look too bad. After that we got to play some tennis with the other distrcit and I was a little better thatn I thought I would be!! Then we had an awesome institute class that was on President Nelson’s talk "Overcome the World and Find Rest"

Thursday: We had an awesome visit with Bro. Mcquaid who is a great member of the ward. Then we knocked some doors and found Chris, who coincidently enough had just been talking about the Book of  Mormon with one of his friends! Then we met Greg who is super down to earth and is willing to grow closer to God!

Friday: We went to a park and met a group of friends that plays soccer together, read a scripture with them, and we're meeting up wtih them this week to play with them and talk more about the Book of Mormon!! Then I had an awesome phone call visit with a person I found on Facebook that lives in Michigan!!

Saturday: We had an awesome lesson with Amanda who had a lot of questions about the Book of Mormon and what makes us different from other religions! Then we met with Angel and he is still doing good and loves learning more about our church and growing closer to God!! AWESOME THING: Our friend Anthony lives in Oxnard and woke up at 3am to walk to Camarillo to meet up with the ward and go to the temple with them. He loved the temple grounds and said he felt a lot of peace there!!!

Sunday: Both sacraments we went to were amazing!! We had someone that we found on Facebook come to chuch and she loved it!! We had a really good visit with our recent convert Miguel who is really cool!!! Then we heard the testimonies of the departing missionaries!

Monday: District Council was awesome! It was focused on having faith, gaining a testimony, and becoming converted to Jesus Christ! As well as how the covenants that we make with God help us to be better disciples of Jesus Christ! Then we had a mini exchange with Elder Lauaki and Loosle. Me and Elder Lauaki killed it and had a fun time!!

Tuesday: We had an awesome church tour with our friend Tiffany from Facebook that came to church! She loved it and enjoyed learning! We had an awesome visit with the Belisle famliy and stopped by a bunch of our friends!!

Wednesday: We ran a lot of errands to prepare for transfers. But in between all of the errands we were able to meet with Angel and stop by some more of our friends!!

TRANSFER NEWS: I am getting Elder Webb staying here in Ventura and we get to train a new missionary!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love this quote from Elder Gong’s Christmas Devotional talk:

"May we grant each other our new possibilities instead of fixating on our past limitations. Let’s give the new Scrooge in each of us a chance to change."

I love that at this Christmas time we get to focus on Jesus Christ and become changed through him!! Go read the rest of the talk and the scrooge thing makes sense 🙂

Love you all have a great week!!

Pics:

1. Elder Lauaki

2. Proud picture

3. Elder Brian

4. Other proud picture

 

Shortest Long Week/Mission Tour

 Hello friends and family! This week absolutely flew by! It was one of the most spiritually uplifting weeks of my mission, the only thing that would've made it better was if we got to go to the temple! But Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday we had 2 general authority seventies in our mission and got to hear from them all 3 days!!!

Wednesday Elder Dushku focused on knowing Jesus Christ and knowing who we are as disciples of Jesus Christ. Elder McKay focused on trusting God, and trusting that God called president Rodriguez to lead our mission. Both of their wives spoke about loving Christ and how that can take us from where we are to our highest potential!

Then me and Elder Brian got to have Elder Dushku sit in on a visit with us and he is awsome!!!! He taught so simply and powerfully, it was an incredible experience!

Thursday: Elder Dushku talked a lot about the power of unity. Unity in a companionship, unity as a district, a zone, and a mission. It was awsome to hear him say, "When we are united in fasting and prayer, Jesus shows up" and we were able to truly see Christ's hand in the work this week! Elder McKay talked about "teaching the gospel in such a way that it moves you" which was an awesome concept I'm still working on! Sister Dushku talked about being a good representative of Christ to all we meet. And Sister McKay talked about helping our friends find answer to questions and not just giving it to them!

Friday: Elder Dushku talked about the power of prayer and the blessings that come as we are obedient. Elder McKay talked about the importance of continual repentance and not just daily! And as we do that Christ walks with us and we are able to feel of his power! Sister Dushku talked about seeing the potential in those we are teaching. Sister McKay talked about the importance of love being the motivator for everything!

We had some awsome lessons with our friends Angel, Elizabeth, Chris, Anthony, and a few friends we started teaching!!

Other than that I went on an exchange with Elder Williams on Saturday! And on Tuesday with Elder Belinski. And on Saturday with Elder Crockett. And on Tuesday(yesterday) with Elder Edwards! All are amazing missionaries and I learned a lot from them!!!

This is from the topical guide on prayer, "Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings."

I love how God is waiting to bless us, strengthen us, and direct us. It is just up to us to ask in faith and he will bless us in his time!!!

Love you all have an awesome week, here are some pictures:

1. Elder Belinski

2. Elder Dushku

3. Love this place

4. Christmas party and Elder Crockett

5. Sunset

6. Elder Williams

7. Elder Edwards