Succesful Transfers!!

Hola! Feliz (casi) Navidad!

Peavine Peak, near Reno

Elder Torres and I had a great week this week! We started off strong by finding 6 new investigators and having 5 people at church! The work is already going great and the members love us out here!

Anthony and Ryan are doing well still. They were a little sick this past week, but still came to church! They're the best! We are working with a couple more families as well that have been getting more and more involved in church and activities, so we are excited to see their progression in that.

I got really sick this week. Elder Torres found some old meat in the freezer and made it for me for breakfast. It was a nice gesture, I guess he had no idea how long it had been in there. So after about half a day in the bathroom, I  got over it and have been better since the "purging".

Yesterday we had a Christmas concert for the Reno North Stake, and all the missionaries in our zone sang in it! It was pretty awesome, we all sang "Come all ye faithful." and it was pretty wonderful! Music always brings the spirit a ton!

Sorry for lack of pics this week. I will definitely have more next week, though!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Allen's Baptism!

Amazing week this week!!!

Anthony and Ryan Allen were baptized and confirmed this week!

Anthony and Ryan Allen Baptism.

Myself and Elder Coronado

It was a wonderful service, lot's of ward support, and they shared their testimonies so it was mega powerful. Then yesterday they spoke at a Why I Believe fireside and it was as well very powerful. It is crazy how only a month ago we were talking with them on the street outside their house, and two days ago they were baptized!

We got transfer info yesterday, and Elder Coronado will be going to Fallon, Elder Lister to Sparks, and Elder Torres(my old District Leader) will be coming here to Reno North! Super pumped!

The gang's all here. From our recent hike.

View from the top of the hill.

This is one of 47 of the hillside letters (also known as mountain monograms) in Nevada.
The N represents the University of Nevada.

At the base of the hill prior to our hike.

Not much else to report!

Have a great week!

Winter Wonderland

Hi Everybody! 

Hope your first week of December was more lit than a Christmas tree! We had a pretty great one! 

So first off we found an awesome new investigator named Al. He has had some serious trials in his life, and is working on that foundation of faith. We showed him Light the World and he really enjoyed it! He seems like he could have a lot of potential. As well his son seems super interested so we will see!

Click HERE to view the new #LIGHTtheWORLD video.

#LIGHTtheWORLD

Anthony and Ryan Allen both had their baptismal interview and they did great. If you don't remember who that is, it's a father and son that we found around a month ago. They have been so prepared and are so dedicated to this already. They are super excited to get baptized this next weekend, and we are excited for them too!

Here's a picture of Anthony and his daughter Brooke. Ryan not included.

On Friday we had MLC(Mission Leadership Council). It's basically just a big meeting with President, the assistants, all of the Sister Training Leaders and all of the Zone Leaders. It was my second time going and it was really interesting. There is so much awesome training there and President is super open there. Learned a lot!

We got to watch the First Presidency Christmas devotional yesterday and that was awesome! We watched it at a members house and they fed us some amazing steak and brownie sundaes. #hnngg Also and my investigator was there! Yay!

Today for a zone activity we will be hiking up a mountain so that will be awesome! 

Also, it snowed! Wooo!

New snow! More to come.

Sorry for lack of detail! I am catching up on my journal! 

Have a great week!

HAPPY TURKEY DAY

Hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving!

Our whole week was awesome! We had 4 dinners on thanksgiving!!!
I have given myself like no-time this week, but it was pretty amazing!

Thanksgiving Pie!

Some of the leftovers.

Also our investigator quit smoking last week so he could be baptized! We are so pumped he is set for very soon and we are excited!!!

Love missionary work and being a missionary. I hope everyone got to see their family this week. Give thanks!!!

Fat cat #puppycat

Fallen truck #windy

I am grateful for so many things, especially my family and the Atonement of Jesus Christ! I would not be here without those two things!


Love you all, have a great week!

Singin' in the Rain

Howdy Howdy Howdy!

Hope everyone's week was sweeter than a grape-candy slush slurped through a sugar coated Twizzler!

Mini Missionary, Future Elder Ogles!

We had a pretty rad week! Ryan and his dad Anthony came to church again, and they continue to be fellow-shipped like crazy! They are set for baptism soon, but we are unsure whether we should postpone it to wait for their mother, so that's what we are working on right now; to see if she really has that desire to follow suit. On Wednesday we had some awesome exchanges. I went with Elder Anderson in his area, which is a biking area, during a monsoon (basically)!

Soaked

We had an awesome time biking around and had a few awesome lessons. And then, the hour struck. It was 8:20. We had to get home to do an exchange review and pack, home was 2 miles uphill. So we tried to ease the burden by stopping by the bishop's house to see if he would be able to give us a ride in his truck, but he wasn't there so no dice! So we started our journey toward the apartment, and boy oh boy. It was really coming down. I'll spare the bloody details, but imagine a chubby kid biking uphill, soaked to the bone, water splashing into his shoes, upside-down rain going up his nose, a bloody elbow (due to a slip-n-slide type incident), and a broken bike-light. That was pretty much the situation! You would think that anyone who finds themselves in that kind of predicament would be pretty miserable, right? But no! I don't really understand why, but all I could think as we were biking up that hill was "How great is our calling?" Who else gets to go out and serve the Lord and have amazing experiences like that for 2 years? We felt so amazing biking up that hill, Elder Anderson and I were singing hymns!

Now while that was an awesome experience, I did pay for it a little in the form of a nasty cold that kept me in for the majority of Wednesday. #worth

Service Project

Service Project

We got to take a 16 y/o from the Carson Stake on a "Mini-Mission"! And guess what? It was Clayton Ogles, who is in the Pinion Hills ward, the first ward I served in! Yay! Small world!

Got to watch the Face to Face broadcast by Elder Oaks and Elder Ballard yesterday. It was mostly geared toward YSA's and there wasn't much that was applicable to missionary work tbh, so that page of my study journal is locked away for another year or so lol.

We have like 10 dinners lined up for thanksgiving already so "Gordito Elder Jones" incoming!

#LIGHTTHEWORLD starts the day after Thanksgiving, and we are super excited to get started with it! Make sure that you watch the video on the 24th and get ready to serve!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Week of Miracles!

Hola a todos!

Hope everyone has had a great week! Our's was pretty good!

We had Zone Conference this week, it was so fun! We got to prepare a Zone Training there about Teaching for Conversion and Commitment and that was a little stressful but super rewarding! Elder Coronado and I came up with some awesome stuff and we think it will be super useful. It has definitely changed the way we extend commitments!

Zone Conference

Performing my duties as a new Zone Leader with Elder Coronado

Partaking in a helping of Mormon Punch

But yeah the Zone Conference was awesome overall and they are starting to roll out some cool stuff, like we got the pass-along cards for the new Light The World campaign that's starting on Nov. 24th, so we're extra-excited for that.
Also I got to see Elder Palmer again! He's just as weird as ever!

Got to see my old compadre Elder Palmer!

We have been working with some awesome people, and we have seen so many miracles! We street contacted this mother outside on Wednesday, and she referred us to her 11 year old son who immediately came out and told us he is looking for a church! When we came back on Friday, he had read the 1st pamphlet entirely and from the Intro of the BoM to 1 Nephi 3, WITH HIS FAMILY! He(Ryan) is so incredibly interested, and he and his father and sister(6) came to church! They loved it and the ward fellowshipped them SO well! They all went to their own respective classes and said they loved it, and are going to come again next week. As well, after the sacrament meeting (which was primary program haha) Anthony, the father, asked what they need to do to be baptized!! They are all so ready and he wants it so bad! Now we just need to get the mother to church, she was apparently not feeling well that morning.

Elder Coronado and I welcoming in Elder Lister last week

On Saturday I was able to go on exchanges with Elder Schloemer. It was great because I have been wanting to go on exchanges with him ever since he was my Zone Leader in Sparks! It was an awesome exchange. Not only did we teach a lot that day and get a lot done, but we also talked quite a lot about Christ-like leadership and how to acquire those attributes. He helped me receive some much-needed revelation that took a huge weight off of my shoulders!

Hangin with Elder Schloemer

Also I was able to see my old zone again and it was awesome! Really good to see everyone again!

I am loving it out here! Hope everyone has a great week!

It's Cold in Cold Springs!

Yo! Hope everyone's week was awesome!

We had a swagalicious week this week!

Just transferred to the Cold Springs/Silver Lake area.

So on Tuesday Elder Coronado and I picked up our new babby... Elder Lister!!!
Elder Lister is from Cedar City, Utah, and he is a total stud! He is an awesome missionary and he is already doing awesome! '

When you get too rowdy! Elder Lister on the floor.

One of Elder Lister's first dinners! Everything green, just like him!(Even the tortillas!)

So like I said last week I am now in the Cold Springs/Silver Lake wards! It's a huge area that's basically split into two, kinda like my first area. There's no-one with a baptismal date here right now but we are going to fix that soon! We started off strong by finding 4 new investigators this week! 3 of them are a family and the mom's name is Janna, she is like 30 and super eager to learn and better her life using the gospel! We are so excited to teach her some more!

Got to go downtown to give a hospital blessing at St. Mary's! 

The new squad. Elder Lister myself and Elder Coronado. 

#Clean!

Church was fun this week, there was a special broadcast for the North America, Southwest area, so many of you were probably able to watch it! Isn't Elder Christofferson the best!?

It was great to watch, and we had a few less-actives at church! We are working with a lot of less-actives in this area to follow the counsel of our leaders, to fund prepared investigators through teaching the less-active members of the church! The work here is already picking up a little and I am excited to see how it grows more! We are biking around a ton and talking to TONS of people, so that's great!

Last meal as the Spanish Trio! in'n out! (Elder Sly got a 4x4 :|)

Super excited for this next friday, because it will be Zone Conference, and we will get to train the whole zone on how to extend Commitments for Conversion! I love it!

Til next week

Going to Reno!!!

Buenos Dias a todos!

I hope everyone had a great week last week.

Well, some news! I am going to be transferred to Cold Springs/Silver Lake wards in Reno! I will be serving there as a Zone Leader over the Reno North Zone with Elder Coronado! Also, we will be traning a new missionary together in ANOTHER trio! I am super excited for this opportunity to serve and I look forward to seeing what opportunities lay in store! Fun Fact: The Cold Springs and Silver Lake wards is where my trainer, Elder Guzman, went after he left me in Gardnerville/South Lake Tahoe! Super excited!

Elder Palmer will be leaving as well, going to the Truckee River ward in Reno Zone to finish another Elder's training, and Elder Abbott (from the MTC!) will be coming here to be the district leader and to finish Elder Sly's training! WOW!

Pics from our Temple trip

Out eating with a member

Ok, so now that that's over, we had a pretty good week this week! We had Juan Callero show up to church, which is an investigator that I have been waiting to come to church since me and Elder Gonzalez were together, so definitely an awesome tender mercy! As well we had Noe come, and the Sanchez Family! They are less-actives in another area but I have taught them a few times and they are so ready to start returning to activity! This branch is doing great, and It's sad to have to leave it, but I know these Elders are going to do great things!

Fall view of Reno

Elder Palmer is always hurting himself...

Also another awesome thing that happened, this Sunday I finished the Book of Mormon for the second time and Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage. Sooo, I have written a little testimony. As well I have been studying "The Living Christ" alot, as you will probably be able to tell! Anyways!:

(Taken from my study journal:)

As I conclude the Book of Mormon for the second time and Jesus the Christ for the first, I would like to record my thoughts, impressions, and testimony of Jesus Christ after spending a little more than one year in His service. Before my mission, I had not considered Christ much more than a picture on the wall of our church buildings. It was not until my missionary service that I began to more fully understand the divine purpose and role of the Son of God plays in each of our lives. 

I know that in the pre-mortal counsels of heaven, each of us sustained Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten of the Father, to be our Savior, to be the ultimate and spotless sacrifice for every mistake we, as humans, would make in our mortal advent. I know that he was Jehova, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the God of the Old Testament. I know that that same divine Son of God, who was pre-ordained to be our Savor, was born a humble birth into a mortal body, of a virgin mother, in Bethlehem, as had been prophesied in times of old. I know that he lived a perfect, sinless life, and that he set the example for us in every aspect. Even though He was sinless, He was baptized to show us the way. During his mortal ministry, He established His church and gospel, and called and ordained his apostles to preach it. He loved all and "Went about doing much good." In the Garden of Gethsemane, He alone suffered for ever misdeed, mistake, infirmity, and debility of all mankind. He was thereafter taken prisoner, tried, and condemned unjustly. He was crucified at the hands of wicked men. With His suffering in the garden and on the cross, He atoned for our sins, thereby breaking the bands of spiritual death. Three days later, when he rose from Joseph's tomb and was resurrected, He broke the bands of physical death, giving hope to all mankind that one day we will also be resurrected in perfect form. While His mortal ministry had ended, He still had work to do. He appeared to His disciples in Israel and charged them to preach his gospel to all. He was well appeared to His "Other sheep"(John 10:16) in the Americas, and established His gospel among them just as He has done in the Holy Land. After the long night of apostasy, He and His Father appeared to the boy Joseph Smith, and His gospel and Church were once again restored in fullness to the earth, as had been prophesied. The prophet Joseph testified of Him:  "And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father."

I add my testimony to that of this latter-day prophet, I know that Jesus is the Christ, and the He dies live, and that we will all live again. I know that He will come again in "power and great glory" to the earth, and that one day we will all stand before Him to be judged of our actions. If they be good, and I ever pray that they may be, we will live in our Father's presence with our families for time and all eternity. The way to eternal happiness is through, and only through, Christ.

"And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved." Omni 1:26

I humbly testify that Christ is our person Savior, Redeemer, and Enabler. He has taken my meek missionary efforts and turned them into a tool for the salvation of others. He will lift us up, just as he was lifted up on the cross. I know the Lord lives and loved each one of you personally, and of Him I so testify, in His Holy Name, even Jesus Christ, Amen."

Branch prez at Trunk-or-Treat 

Monster trucks in Sparks

Sorry that was so long! Have a great week!

Also! Temple trip, it was the best!

Obedience = Prosperity

We had an amazing week this week!

We had 2 investigators at church as well as a few less-actives, and we found one new investigator named Noe that already has a baptismal date soon! He is so prepared and has already come to church with him great friend Hermano Calderon 3 times! The only problem is that he might be on probation so we need to figure all that stuff out before we go planning the baptism and what not.

Last week President Chesnut shared with us a scripture, Alma 36:1. I know this scripture is true through experience. The missionaries in this area before I arrived here were not exactly the most obedient nor hard-working. But with the help of a cooperative companion and a great district leader (Elder Torres), we changed the culture and the members noticed. However for a long period of time you could say we weren't seeing that much "traditional" success as in we did not see many baptisms. But in the scripture it says we will "prosper." The thing is that prosperity rarely comes in the way/form we think it will, but it always comes, and exactly how it needs to. I have learned so much these past 6 months in Sparks, and I have had so many amazing experiences in this branch. There have been many seeds planted and the reaping is about to begin, with or without me! But that's not the important thing, the important thing is that the reaping will be done by obedient missionaries!

Not much more to report but I just want to leave my testimony that I know all of these things are true. I know that by being obedient to each and every one of the Lord's commandments, we qualify for countless blessings and prosperity. So keep your eye out for it!

Sorry, I ran out of time, no pics, shortened p-day today! But we will be going to the TEMPLEEE!!! on Wednesday so It's worth it!!! 

Hope everyone has a great week!

Loving Life in Sparks

Hope everyone had an awesome week!

Zone Conference

I don't have a lot of time, but the week was great!

We had a little bit of disappointment in terms of appointments falling through and a lack of church attendance, but we are still doing well! If everything goes well, we will be having two baptisms this weekend! Arturo and Teresa are awesome and are super ready!

Sparkling cider at Elder Palmer's Birthday present party

Gansta Life

I just wanna add my testimony to all the modern-day Prophets and Apostles by saying that I do in reality know that the Book of Mormon is true, and that it has changed the course of my life in a drastic and amazing way!

Virgin Mary tree shrine

Have a great week yall!

Elder Palmer got hurt again...

We had a pretty sweet week this week! Our investigators are progessing nicely and if everything goes through, we should be having a baptism next-next weekend! 

Eating some mexican food at Costa Vida!

Sun Valley Sunset

Sunset hitting the Sierra Nevadas

This is my puppy-garden, where I grow my puppies.

Also, conference was #lit. Like seriously we received so much spiritual light and knowledge! 

A common Missionary exercise. Changing a flat.

When you use someone else's bike for exchanges. (those are all goat-heads and can pop tires)

Elder Palmer tweaked his neck in morning program and looked super funny the whole weekend. Also it was his birthday so we did some special stuff for that.

Elder Palmer nursing a wrenched neck.

Elder Palmer celebrating a birthday!

I left my self no time to write this week. So sorry! But I hope you liked all of the pictures this week!

BYE!