Big Break Through!

(Picture above is of me and my new companion Sister Johnson with Sister Black from the ward. She came with us when we met with our friend Davina. More on her later in this post.)

I have been transferred again. I am now serving in the Lathrop/ Manteca area. My new companion is Sister Johnson. My first companion from Utah. She is amazing! You would have thought she's been out for months! She's very obedient and diligent! Honestly, she is so emotionally and spiritually mature. I'm surprised she isn't training this transfer because she totally could be! She has such a genuine care for others. She knows how to validate individuals and to turn to the lord. Honestly, I couldn't have wished for a better companion. I'm so grateful I'm with her. We have the same love language, acts of service, which makes it easy to feel loved by one another. She is also a very intelligent and deep thinker! Back home she was a certified medical assistant. She got her certification when she was only 17. She wants to learn and is eager to take corrections. She also gives correction which helps keep me in line. She truly loves our friends and wants to do what is best for them.

(Me filing up the mission car at the alien gas station)

Plan or Salvation and 2 Nephi 9.

I have been doing a deep dive into the plan of salvation as taught by 2 Nephi 9. We use these short powerful statements that are under 15 to 25 minutes to teach many of our lessons. As I read, I find scriptures that support them. I found that Jesus Christ will judge us according to God's laws 2 Nephi 9:15. Similar to judging a case without a jury.... I know there's exceptions, because technically there will be other people that will be in the jury. For now, however, it helped me realize that it's God's laws that we are being judged by.

I've also been studying a lot about the spirit world. Jacob describes it as a place of death (physical death) and Hell (spiritual death). Or a time when people can learn. Additionally, it is a place where individuals will have to suffer, for a time, for their sins. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ do not directly inflict the suffering, rather it is a natural biproduct of receiving a perfect recollection of our thoughts, desire, and actions. 2 Nephi 9:33 “Wo unto the uncircumcised of heart, for a knowledge of their iniquities shall smite them at the last day." This was a !!!!!BIG BREAK THROUGH!!!!

(Sister Johnson and I with Brother Durran from the ward. He is the funniest man alive.)

I was reading in the CalSac binder (Our mission binder in the mission) under the Scripture page. One subject that comes up often with our friends is the need for relief from feelings of guilt. The scripture I often refer to is:

3 Nephi 27:19-20 which reads "And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore, nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end. 20 Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day."

As I read that, I said “Wow that is kind of harsh for somebody that already feels down and has feelings of Shame and guilt.” However, this scripture tells us the result of continuing to not meet our need. And then it gives an invitation to act on how we can fulfill our need. If we are meeting with someone that feels unworthy, we need to invite them to be baptized so they can be cleansed and Sanctified by the power of the Holy Ghost. We need to tell them how to wash away those feelings and become “clean”. We need to tell them boldly so that they can repent and have the Holy Ghost with them to buoy them up. People's needs should not stay the same. There needs need to be met by the restored gospel. This is how we can help them find peace, love, and acceptance. It’s the knowledge that will smite them.

I’ve also studied a lot about repentance. Especially how God wants to forgive us!!! In Ezekial 18: 20-32 it tells us that God will forgive us and welcome us back into his presence every time we choose to repent.

(Playing Banana Grams on P-Day)

As I have been studying, I have also realized that we are spiritually separated from God's presence because of the fall of Adam and Eve and that is why baptism is necessary. Because Covenants connect us to God. As of right now we are not in God's presence we have fallen from it. However, we can become closer to his presence through Covenants.

I changed the way I have been studying. I realized I needed to change and approach scripture study the way I studied in college. So, I'll write out all my notes and then with a little sticky note I'll write a summary of what I learned and the reference I have learned it from. This way it forces me to go back and review everything and then I try to use the knowledge that I learned that day in at least one contact or talking about it with my companion. At the end of the day, I reread over the little sticky notes each to remind me what I have learned. Then I'll make connections with the scriptures that I've studied and preach my gospel so that I have a synoptical connection for remembrance.

(Nerf Gun Wars at the church with the Manteca zone which is the south most zone/stake in the mission! This is where I am now.)

During my last transfer I felt very isolated and didn't feel like I could really communicate with a lot of people and because of this I got very lonely. Because I felt very lonely, I think I idolized relationships back home where I felt united. This caused me to think about past relationships and people at home. I was able to get over this obstacle by being open with Sister Johnson, who is my new companion that I was just assigned this week. We have talked about how we can help each other feel less lonely and more fulfilled. This communication has made a big difference in helping me not feel isolated.

Our area has lots of members that ARE fabulous! We've had lessons with members almost every day and have lots of people we are teaching. The Lord has helped me be bolder this transfer. I'm practicing bringing up covenants (promises) during our first Contact. In doing so this means discussing baptism. That can be a little intimidating. However, the Lord has allowed us to put 3 people on date for baptism on the first 3 day being here!!!!

(This is me and Sister Johnson with one of the ward members, Sister Nickles at our wards day of service)

We are teaching John. His wife is a returning member. The first night I was here in the Lathrop area we taught John and his wife Summer Burt. We were teaching about the sacrament, I had the thought to ask, "so what have been your thoughts and feelings as we've discussed the sacrament so far?" He said, well I wanted to meet today to set a date to be baptized....Whatttttt? After I picked myself up off the floor, the ward Mission leader looked at me and then said, "Welcome to Lathrop!

The Burt’s will continue to be taught. However, they asked to be taught by senior missionaries. John said that he would feel more comfortable talking about his feelings and things of that nature with more mature people. Which I totally understand. Sometimes we need people who we can relate to and who can relate to our life experiences. Elder Rasband talked about the need for Senior missionaries in conference, and he couldn't have been more inspired and correct about this need. After being out here on a mission I believe that If there's anything you could do that would TRULY bless and help your family it would be.

1.Increase temple attendance

2. Serve a mission.

The Lord will provide blessing beyond anything you could have ever offered your children in any other way. I know that is easy for me to say as a “youngin”. I invite all of you to pray and see when and how the Lord would like you to serve a mission. I often think of my own mom and how good she would be if she was the mission office assistant. If anybody could organize 190 plus missionaries and all the senior missionaries and make it all go smoothly, it would be Jill Frasier. Like I say if I'm going to do something that needs organization, I want my mom on my side.

(My mom is THE BEST!!! She sent me a Halloween care package!!! And these super cute eccentric earrings! You better bet you'll be seeing me sport them! That and my pumpkin shirt of course. Sister Johnson wears the fuzzy socks everyday)

Davina is one of our friends. She is so darling! She's been taught two lessons. As we were trying to think about what to teach her, we felt very strongly about the sacrament. In my personal studies that day, I couldn't seem to shake the feeling of asking her to be baptized. The sacrament is a perfect way to transition into teaching about the need for baptism. We decided to do just that. I asked her what her thoughts were on baptism. She said she told her mom the other day she wanted to be baptized. Our Jaws dropped. Sister Johnson and I planned it out on a calendar to see when she could be baptized, I looked her in the eyes, and I swear the Holy Spirit just spoke. And we said, “will you prepare yourself to be baptized on November 4th, so you can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost?” And she said yes! She was so excited she asked for a Book of Mormon for her friend and then told us she would see us at church. That Sunday she came and even brought her friends to church. Because she is single and would be better served by the YSA missionaries, we are going to refer her off to the YSA sisters. But I know she'll be in good hands.

(See below for the story of Randall, his wife and daughter)

When I got to Lathrop, my new area, my companion told me that we had a friend that would be getting baptized next week. I learned that this man had a near death experience recently which is what led him to finding the church. When this happened, his daughter flew out to take care of him. He really wanted to be baptized before going to Louisiana with his daughter. However, mission rules state that our friends need to attend 3 sacrament meetings before they are baptized. After going back and forth with the standards and policies we decided that it was best to discuss the reason that this standard is in place with our friend and his daughter, and we will be referring him to the missionaries in Louisiana to have them finish up his baptism and teaching there. Sometimes it's hard to have emotions and feelings in the way but that's the beautiful thing about having rules. Similar to life, once you've made decisions about what you do and what not to do other things become a lot easier. As Sister Wendy Nelson said if you ask yourself this one question. “What would a righteous young adult do”, and then do accordingly so many issues will become non-issues.

We are teachings lots of returning members and they bring me so much Joy! Having their life be filled with the gospel again is so inspiring.

One of them is Brother Gino. Brother Gino loves the scriptures. Everything that comes out of our mouths better be correct doctrine because he writes it down so he can refer to it later. He normally answers his own questions as he talks. Maybe we should get him a rubber ducky that he can talk to so he can figure it out. My favorite thing is teaching people how to find answers to their own questions, so they aren't reliant on us anymore. This brings me a lot of joy.

People here in Manteca are BIG on decorations (size and number.) every single house has something like this up. You would have thought I was in Texas. Massive skeletons bigger and taller than the house itself.... it must have been a special at Costco or something. "Bones in Bulk" it would probably read....

I LOVE LATHROP!!!! The members have such big hearts and are very humble. They really help support the missionaries and we are trying to support them. I felt a connection the minute I drove into the town limits. The second day I was here, my companion and I did service for an individual. Her name was Sister Nickel. She has a huge heart. We did some replanting for her. Then we met a man he who has dementia. Although he can't read or see, as we read the scriptures to him, we asked him what he felt? He said I know it's true. I asked him how he knew it was true and he said because you wouldn't lie. Representatives of Jesus Christ wouldn't lie. I thought about this in relation to faith. If we know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that President Russell Nelson is the prophet today. Then what they say is truth. And what they say is going to bring us closer to God and Jesus Christ.

(This picture above is taken at a YW activity. We made lanterns out of water bottles and wax paper)

We are teaching a couple that both struggle with anxiety and depression. Because of some of my own mental health struggles I've been able to relate to them. I have seen how the Lord has put me in the right place to help many individuals that have similar experiences as me. We started teaching Sandra and we brought up baptism and she said she wanted to be baptized into Jesus’s true church. She said if this is the one true church then she wants to learn more. As we were talking at her door we got bashed by her husband. It was interesting because as he sat there and tried to tell us that we were hypocrites, Sister Johnson had a huge smile on her face. I really do look up to her and she teaches me so much every day. She didn’t react, she just smiled.

I love having busy areas!!!! Especially people who are humble and meek. The people here teach me a lot about hard work and putting material possessions aside. We drove out to some almond farms and were able to snag a few almonds off the ground and crack them open. I love being out here in Manteca among the almond fields and distant Rolling Hills.