September 9, 2013

September 9

Dearest family and friends, 

I hope that you have had a wonderful week. That is crazy of all the rain that you got this past week. I am so jealous. We have been baking in this heat!!! It has been super humid and HOT HOT HOT. It was been over a 100 degrees for the past couple of weeks. I don't remember it being this hot last summer. We haven't lost our cars yet, but transfers are next Monday and we will find out on Saturday what is happening. I hope that it starts to cool down though because it is just so hot to be riding in the heat, but I guess I have no room to complain. Their are missionaries in other places that are living in worse conditions than me. I am grateful to be where I am in California. We are however moving this week to another members home. We have been living with a member that is from a different ward and since we will be loosing our cars we will need to be in our own area. 

Alex got baptized Yesterday!!! Alex was my investigator in Rowland Heights. I am was so happy when I heard this great news and he had asked me to talk about baptism. I was so honored that he would ask me. He is so amazing and looked like a new person last night. He was full of light and just could not stop smiling the whole time. The spirit was so strong and I know that He could feel it. He got up to bear his testimony and it was so special to hear it and to see his testimony grow from day one! I give all the credit to God for this change that Alex made. He was changed because the Holy Ghost testifying to him. I was just the spokes person. I am so proud of Alex and this great change that he has made! :) Here are pictures of him, Sister Lee, President, and the Elders!

I was able to teach Zone Meeting this past Thursday. When I went to the Leadership Council, President didn't give us a topic to share with our zones. He wanted us to get on our knees and pray for what our zones need. We then talked about the mission loosing the cars and trying to figure out how we are going to make it work. After the meeting I was talking with my Zone Leaders and I felt that we needed to talk about attitude and humility. They also thought that this is what was needed. We just felt that a lot of people are going to have a sour attitude about this big change. I was able to talk about having a good attitude. One of my first questions that I had asked the zone was "Who is excited about this great change?"  I of course said it in the happiest and with a big smile on my face. Everyone just laughed at me. I said that I was being serious and I wanted to know how everyone was feeling. I then expressed that we should be really excited about this because the Lord is hasting His work and we are so lucky to be a part of it. We need to remember whose work this is. This isn't our work. God knows what is best for His children. We need to humble ourselves. I was reading a talk from Marlin K. Jensen "To Walk Humbly with Thy God" He talks about humbling ourselves and becoming as a little child. How we can do this is by a gradual process of our spiritual development which comes by the Holy Ghost  and relying on the Atonement . When we do this we have submitted ourselves to the "will of the Father" I really liked hearing about this because like I mentioned before, this is God's work, not ours. As I was reading this I thought to myself and asking myself a question, "What does the Lord want me to do?" There is no reason why any of us should be having a bad attitude about this change. We aren't here for ourselves. We are here on the Lord's time and He is the one that can see the big picture. Teaching this and hearing everyone's comments helped me to have an even better attitude and more excited for this change. President Becerra shared this with us, "No more cars today means more faith to overcome obstacles in life." I really liked this statement and it is so true. I am going to have to have more faith and really trust that the Lord is preparing those people for Sister Mattingley and me. I love this work. I am so glad that I am able to see the great work progress and to see the wonderful changes that are happening within the church. There is no other place that I would rather be then right now in the California Arcadia Mission. This gospel is true!!