Fasts answered!

Wonderful week here in Reno!

Exchanges with Elder Gailey!

We found a new family to teach this week! A transfer ago we were on exchanges and we tried knocking on a less-active lady's door, but she wasn't home. As we were leaving, a young man named Chaison pulled up and we started talking! The lady had moved out, but Chaison was super interested! We gave him a pamphlet and a Book of Mormon and headed off. Well we weren't able to come back for our return appointment and we eventually lost contact, so we were bummed. But Elder Torres and I were in the area and we felt prompted to just swing by like on Tuesday. Well he was there and he had been reading the Book of Mormon! We came back the next day and had an amazing lesson with him and his girlfriend Laura! They are so prepared. Chaison is loving it and said he was so glad he let us come over! His name is pronounced like "Jason" but its spelled with a "CH" because he's "Chaison" the truth!!!

View from a bike-ride

Anyway, another amazing thing! ALL of the Razo family came to church this week! So awesome! They are still on track for baptism and we are super pumped! Best family ever. I will try to take a pic this week and send it next week!

Anyway, not much else went on! Have a great week, yall!

Smartphones, Sugar, Sickness and Snow

Wow! It has been a hectic last few days! So to start off, last Wednesday we had an amazing lesson with our investigators, Jennifer and Bailey, the one we gave the blessing to that doesn't have cancer now! Jennifer, the mom, has been really stressed out with trying to find a house in Cold Springs, but she said that after our lesson she was on like a spiritual high. We talked about the Restoration and specifically baptism by water and by fire (Holy Ghost) and she was soooo down. So she and her daughter Bailey (her other daughter Bodi soon, too!) have been set for baptism in April. We are going to keep working with them and see how things progress, they are so ready though! She said she is ready to grab on and never let go of the truth, and she's found it!

Selfie w/ Elder Torres and Eliason

Selfie w/ Elder Whetten and President Chesnut

Another flipping crazy thing that happened is that on Friday, at MLC we were shown like 4 hours of video and training about how to use our new smartphones, after having no technology for a year and a half. We thought we were just gearing up for this next round of Zone Conference in which we would get them, but the office missionaries then came in with boxes of phones! So right now, I have a fully functioning Samsung Galaxy J7 in my pocket! This is insane. It's like a loaded gun with no safety! There is so much potential in store for these things, but I just wish they came with like training wheels or something. Its been so long without a phone. We have even been tasked with getting a Facebook account. That was gross. It is to be used to help with proselyting by networking with ward leaders, members, less-actives, investigators, etc. So don't friend request me unless you are planning on moving to northern Reno and investigating the Restored Gospel!

But it has been a lot of fun, and a big adventure. I am loving my mission and all of the amazing skills I am learning. Our President as well was resistant to this technology at first, but he came to the conclusion that if a missionary cannot learn how to use a smartphone with purpose and discipline in the mission, when will they? So I am glad for this opportunity to learn and grow.

Selfie w/ Elizabeth Razo

Since I got a smartphone, most all of my pictures are selfies. Naturally. Man I make like the same face in all of these.

It has been a pretty swell week this week! Honestly I cannot remember what happened like the first half other than District Meeting which went well, and thats kind of it. We had dinner with a member at IHOP, and when it came my time to order, I panicked and ordered a stack of 4 chocolate chip pancakes... So that was a fun sugar high. The member was just laughing. Speaking of sugar-highs we made fudge this week! Not really sure why lol. But we did it, and we gave some to our neighbors downstairs because they let us mooch off their wifi! Never thought I would be saying that on my mission, but it makes it so we don't have to go to the church every time we want to do something on our phones lol.

Cruising with Elder Torres and Elder Sorenson!

We had a pretty fun SPC (Stake Presidency Committee) meeting on Wednesday. the High Councilor, the guy in charge, just got that calling, so he had no idea what was going on. It was super funny, though, and we were still able to get some good out of it. We created our report on our phones and beamed it to the phones of the people in attendance, so that was beast. There is so much crazy potential with these things, its unreal! And only one person asked if I was already on Facebook this week! :(

Elder Doig got pretty sick this week. So we were inside for 2 days straight. That has never happened on my mission before and it was kind of terrible. We were able to get a lot done in terms of digitizing records and doing some good work online, but I longed for the open sky. I felt like an albino or something! But the oasis came and we were able to go to church and work all day yesterday.

Our apartment complex after the snow.

Also it snowed like crazy. Lit.

Anyway, not much else to report! Have a great week and don't forget to serve someone!

Texas Toast and Healing Blessings

We had a wonderful week this week!

First off, I will not be getting transferred! I will remain up here in Cold Springs/Silver Lake at least another transfer with Elder Doig an Elder Torres. This was actually unexpected, because rarely in this mission do companions stay together for more than 2 transfers, and this will be my 3rd with Elder Torres. It's ok, I am his best friend so I'm sure he will enjoy it!

As well, this is Elder Torres' last transfer in the MISSION, so that will be kind of scary. I have never "killed off" a missionary before, but I'm sure he will sprint to the finish, so to speak.

The Cconas family

In other news, lot's of lessons and lot's of progression in our area. The Razo family came to church this week and that was an amazing miracle. I am so glad I get to stay another 6 weeks because I think we will likely have a few baptisms soon. Alex and Jennifer will be getting baptized/re-baptized within the next month most likely, and we will be setting the Razos with a date tonight! So pumped!

I know a lot more happened but to be honest I cannot really remember! One amazing miracle did happen last night, though. So we had been fasting yesterday, and I started feeling really sick, which usually doesn't happen, but we were like whatever. So we get to the long awaited dinner and it's some amazing lasagna with Texas  toast prepared by my Guyanese mother, Sister Davis, and so obviously I scarf it up. Well apparently fasting and then binge eating don't go well together, so my previous light nausea and headache turn into like, "Holy Cow my insides are exploding let me die now pls" sickness. As well, side note, pretty much every last Sunday of the transfer, as part of our assignment we host a "Why I Believe" fireside where recent converts/returning less-actives share their testimony and conversion story. So dinner ends about an 30 minutes before we need to be at the stake center in Reno to set up for this fireside, and I am like rolling around on the ground dying. I lay down and take some pepto and pain killers but it really didn't seem to do much. Well some other missionaries came over to our apartment, as we were going to give them a ride to the fireside. Well I got the idea to do a priesthood blessing, so I ask the other two missionaries to administer to me. After they pronounced the healing blessing on my head, I stood up and was ready to go. The symptoms weren't entirely gone, but has almost totally and immediately subsided. For the remainder of the night I was able to function without concern, and again my testimony of the priesthood is re-confirmed. Miracles happen and the priesthood of God is alive and well on the earth today.

 Our zone from Zone Conference

One last thing, another testament was given to me that we don't know always know what seeds we plant in the work of God! Two investigators Elder Jarnagin and I found by essentially knocking on a random door my last week in Gardnerville -- my first area -- were baptized this last week! I know that the Lord prepares people, and sometimes it is through us. That is why we cannot think that we aren't successful just because we don't see the outward results. No effort is wasted!

Anyway, not much else to cover! I am continuing to love this mission and the progression I am experiencing.

Have a great week!

Another Great Week in the Snow!

We had a wonderful week this week. Sorry for no e-mail last week! It was President's Day so that complicates the email situation, as libraries are usually closed! But anyway, lot's of wonderful things happened the last 2 weeks. We had a Zone Conference, and so Elder Torres and I got to present our training for our zone! It was lots of fun! We learned a lot from it, and I can't wait for next time!

Elder Torres and myself presenting training at the Reno North Zone Conference

Selfie with Elder Cardoza and Elder Torres!

We went on exchanges with Elder Schloemer this last week, so that was fun as always! As well, last p-day we had a huge nerf war as a zone activity. It sounds lame, but it's actually a lot of fun and a crazy good workout. I don't have pictures unfortunatley, but I will take some next time we have one. Basically we flipped over a bunch of tables and made a big battleground in the chapel gym. It was a blast! I don't have a nerf gun, but I just use a slingshot to shoot these little nerf balls. That is like the most fun thing ever, and it's surprisingly accurate. The hard part is just making sure you don't hit any Sisters in the face, 'cause those suckers sting.

Exchanges

It snowed like crazy up here! We had interviews on Thursday and we weren't sure if we were going to make it into town haha. Especially with Elder Torres driving! No but it wasn't that bad, probably about a foot we got. But it made things exciting and it makes for great impromptu snowball fights while proselyting.

The Cold Spring Valley mountains

Snow Angel Shenanagins

We as well were able to go on exchanges with Elder Cardoza, and new missionary. So that was fun to get to help him out for the day.

One last thing. We had an amazing lesson with the Razo family this week. It was a super spiritual lesson. Lot's of crying haha. I guess that's what happens with 3 hispanic daughters and a stressed out mom. But the oldest daughter, Mayra, was reading Moroni 10:3-5 in the Book of Mormon and goes, "OH!" and we were like, what does "oh" mean? And she's like, "the holy ghost is manifesting itself to me right now! like so I know that the book is true!" We had like a total internal freak out because that's awesome! Her sisters are working on getting their answers too! But we are planning setting them up for baptism really soon! Miracles are everywhere in the work of the Lord.

Tortas y Pupusas! Thanks local panaderia!

Not much more went on these last few weeks.

Hope everyone has an amazing 7 days!

Adios!