Temple Trip!

We had an awesome week! We were suuuper busy this week. Like every day we have hit the pillow exhausted. And astonished that these days, even weeks, are flying by! One awesome highlight is that we got to go to the temple this week! That is just like the best thing for a missionary. I felt rejuvenated and re-energized!

Reno, Nevada Temple

We received transfer information this week. Elder Torres and I will be staying together, but we will be receiving a another missionary, Elder Doig! We are excited to see how we can help him out!

We had a Why I Believe fireside this week that was pretty awesome. Tons of great testimonies, including one by a returning less active that we've been teaching, Brother Brown. We have been teaching a lot of less actives and one family, the Moores, have been coming to church since we started teaching them. They love the ward and the ward loves them!

Temple pic with some of the California Elders.

Seeing people change and let the Gospel work in their life brings us so much happiness!

Nothing much else to report. Continuing to learn that love is the most important attribute a leader can have.

Have a great week!

A Week of Learning

We have had a very busy week this week.

Wednesday we had interviews with the entire zone. Something our mission does is the Zone Leaders interview every companionship of the zone for 30 minutes, so we're basically there as long as President is haha. It was a lot of fun, and I learned so much being able to minister to so many people. A few of the interviews were very powerful as well, as we had to help a companionship or two overcome some issues. The Spirit was definitely felt! One thing I learned from serving in this capacity these last few transfers is that as we minister (or attend to the needs of another) to those around us, we need to do it 1 by 1, and do it with love. We must show them we love them before we offer any suggestions for improvement. Noticing good qualities and skills is far more important and valuable that noticing flaws. When corrections need occur, however, they should be done gently and with love, and by the Spirit! I am so grateful I can be here in the Nevada, Reno Mission and learn so much from this sacred calling as a missionary!

Elder Torres and myself out and about.

On a less "sacred" note, we almost were destroyed by an attack rooster this week.
On Friday, we were biking around Cold Springs when we came across this one Less-Actives house.

We go to turn in the driveway, and we see a very stoic, very ominous rooster standing in the middle of the driveway like a statue. So we get off our bikes and go up towards the door, but the rooster starts to get a little defensive and coming towards us slowly, so we keep our distance and make a plan. We have heard from some members how deadly these things can be(razor-sharp talons and what-not), so I didn't want to take any chances. I started getting it's attention and kiting it over to me a little, and then Elder Torres snuck behind and went to knock on the door. He didn't get more than a few bangs in before that satan-bird turns around and starts slowly joggin towards him. As the avian-from-heck starts to get closer, he puffs up his feathers all big like (his jimmies had been thoroughly rustled) and starts making weird attack-rooster noises. It jumps up on the porch right next to Elder Torres, so he get spooked and starts kinda running around it toward me, and the little feller knows its on, so he starts picking up the pace to chase of my companion lol. So we high-tail it to our bikes and get outta there before that Chicken-Devil got out it's twelve-gauge.

So that's pretty much been our week! Keeping real busy and seeing miracles! Hope everyone has a good one! Love you all!

(sorry, I forgot my camera, more pics next week!)

Week of Refinement

Well this week has been interesting!

I'll just keep it short and say that things have been up and down, as it goes with missionary work!

One of the "downs" was obviously the passing of President Monson. He was an amazing prophet and did so many amazing things in his lifetime service to the Lord.
You know, that was also an "up", too. Because we know that that was not the end of his progression, nor will it be for us! Life moves on, another prophet is called, and the Lord's work will go forward.

View in Susanville

Another "up" I had was that I got to go spend a day and a half with Elder Bell in Susanville, California. That was fun! Lot's of cool miracles up there and tons of opportunity to minister to that district. It kinda stinks because they are pretty isolated up there (3 companionships), so when they get to see someone else once a transfer they lose it lol.

Overall there were a lot of positive things. Trials are definitely here to help us grow, though. That is one thing I know for sure! I am actually very grateful for the times when we are tried and refined. We would never be better people if we didn't learn to grow and repent.

Another view from Susanville

I am working on memorizing "The Living Christ" right now so that is fun! It's actually a blast and comes easier than you would think!

We are working with a lot of less-actives in Cold Springs, and it brings me so much joy to see them progress. A LA family just came to church yesterday and it is always so special to see the ward wrap their arms around them.

Not much else to report. Hope everyone has a great week!

God bless our prophet dear!

One of my favorite Thomas S. Monson quotes that I use a lot in missionary work:
"Never let a problem to be solved be more important that a person to be loved"

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Hope everyone had some awesome holidays! Ours were pretty rad.

First off, Christmas was amazing! I received a metric-crap-ton of candy, and some nice pants, which are in facts mutually exclusive, so I gave most of the candy away to other missionaries, members' kids, the homeless, etc. Now I can actually fit into the pants.

Elder Torres and I celebrating Christmas at a member's house.

On Christmas night we got together and watched MOANA as a zone! Dang I wanna be poly now! No but it was awesome, and then we got to do a white-elephant gift exchange. That was a ton of fun as well.

Also, as a Christmas present, we received an amazing referral from family up in Cold Springs!

All the West-Side Spanish missionaries.

A classic member-missionary situation where a young woman from the Cold Springs ward invited her friend Khami (sounds like Cami) to take the lessons! We taught her in the home of the members and every member of the family, even the 10 year old, was contributing and testifying to her! She has really just planted that seed of faith but we are so excited to see it grow.

Three wise men!

For New Years we went to bed early like a bunch of old timers! It was the best!
Not much went on! Loving it out here in Reno. Hope everyone has an awesome 2018.

Bye!!