May 21, 2018

Birthday Boy!

My new comp Elder Vainuku

MOMMA!!

I'm doing really well here in my New area! The apartment is the greatest it's been so far which is pretty nice! Elder Vainuku is a super chill guy we are having fun. We actually didn't have really any investigators when I came here and we're are still looking. We are in a car which is really nice since it's starting to warm up. The branch is pretty cool so far, they seem to like missionaries a ton! And yes I am in a pretty safe area compared to my other areas I've served in, haha. And so not many crazy things have happened, we actually had a good amount of appointments but they almost all fell through sadly. Ya, I've actually been super bad at writing in my journal, but I'll try and be better, at least include some of the good experiences. Well I didn't leave myself anytime to email today but I'll do better next week. I'll send some pics in a sec! Love You!!!

Blurry pic of FHE with the ward!

May 14, 2018

Mother's Day 2018!!

We had the best visit on May 13, 2018, Mother's Day!!

We are so PROUD of this boy!!!!

MOMMA!!!!

Happy Mothers Day to YOU!!!

So just a quick email, I'm going to be transfered from Oakland to Pittsburg after having spent 3 transfferrs here as a zone leader. Now I am back to being a normal missionary which is pretty great haha. My new comps name is Elder Vainuku and I've never met him but I hear he is a pretty cool guy. Perks about the new apartment, 2 bathrooms and a washer and dryer in the apartment!!! so great! My time has been good here in Oakland, I wouldn't say we were recieved so warmly by all of the members here but there were a choice few families that I grew to love. With a lack of support from the ward in the missionary work Elder Ballard and I worked really hard to find teach and baptize. I got to meet and teach many really wonderful people here that I won't ever forget. I am so grateful for the oportunity that I have to share my testimony with others on the restored gospel. I have seen the difference it makes in the lives of others and I know the power this new knowledge has. If anyone reading this has any doubts about the church I invite you to look at the results that comes from someone or some family that is actively practicing the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, it doesn't mean they are perfect but it will mean they are happy. And that's what our Heavenly Father wants for us, to be happy here in this life and prepared for a life with him. I love you all and I still have a while in the mission but I'll see you soonish!

Elder Dayton

Here is the Ward linger longer thing we are at when I called you

This is Carlos and Luzni, Carlos will be baptized in like a month, we found him a couple weeks ago.

We went to the visitors center after a meeting on Sunday night to snap some pics

Basic white girl, good morning... Still enjoying the gift card!

We did service this week at this Greek Orthodox place that is next door neighbors with the temple, we helped move a bunch of desks and stuff from the kindergarten classes upstairs because they are having a festival.   ...Brig made the same face in every pic 😮

May 7, 2018

One Week to FaceTime!

Using the gift cards one of the members gave us!

MOMMA!!!

Hurray!! We don't have too many details on facetiming yet but i think I'll be able to FaceTime with my phone and so then I'll be able to do it whenever as long as I'm not at church ha. So our church services go from 10:50 to 1:50, then we eat with the members at the church so maybe I'll do a little call so you can meet some of them and then I'll re-call you when we are back at our apartment or maybe I'll just be in a different room in the chapel or something. So I don't know how you would have heard of this guy, but yes we do have a  great new investigator. His name is Carlos and we met him on Monday night, then we taught him on Tuesday night and set him on date for June 3rd, he came to a Vocal Point concert with us on Friday night which was AWESOME!! and then we ate dinner with him and his soon to be wife on Saturday. SO ya he is super cool but he didn't come to church and so we are pretty sad, his wife is a member but like crazy less active, and they reached out to the church because they want to come back and he really wants to be baptized!! 

I'm glad to hear the boys don't have to make up those days of school, that would be terrible haha, lucky them. 

But that was pretty much all the crazyness that went on, we also had a zone conference and Magnolia was confirmed yesterday. I hope the boys do well at the end of school, it always just seems like a time you don't want to be at school haha! Yes i have been able to study my patriarchal blessing every now and then and it is pretty awesome. Ammon should get his at the beginning of high school so he can refer to it throughout. I mean if he's ready and all that. I'll send some pics in a bit! LOVE YOU!!!

This Sister says she knows dad from high school...
Brig found Brigitta Hair one of Jared's HS girlfriends

Some classic frowning face pics.. I know you love them mom ;)

Celebrating our District leaders birthday, Elder Livingston

Me and Elder Carns are sitting out while our comps practice a musical number, we practiced wheel chairing hard core!

April 30, 2018

Baptism Day!

Magnolia's Baptism!

MOMMA!!!

Oakland is doing so well, the people here are sometimes slightly on the crazy side, but they are often very nice to missionaries and I really enjoy talking to strangers here. Elder Ballard is doing pretty good as well, we've never argued or had any problems in the companionship or anything so that's been nice. I'm doing pretty well too, a little area trunky, meaning I'd like to be transferred next time around, but we will see what happens in 2 weeks! It's so crazy that you've been having allergies because I also had allergies!! The weather here is super nice, the temperature went up a little bit about a week ago and that's about when I started sneezing and it's gone down since but I keep sneezing! I just checked and the high today is 64 so that's nice. 

I won't be transferred by Mothers Day, but I do not think I'll stay in Oakland for the rest of my mission. And when we FaceTime I'll be able to tell you if I'm being transferred or not :)

I'm not sure when we would face time but I don't think there will be any problem with the time, we have phone and so we will probably just face time on those.

Mr. Jones was actually just telling me about the AZ teacher's strike and how he and a bunch of other people are going to be marching around all angrily haha.

So this week and every week just seems so busy! But this one was really great because Magnolia got baptized and we were so happy and excited for her because she is SO awesome! We found her tracting and had been visiting her ever since before her 2nd child was born haha and we just get along so well! After her baptism we were all just eating and talking with some members and someone asked her why she let us continue talking to her and she said she felt like she had a connection with us very quickly and that she had known us for a long time! It might just be a missionary thing but that's so cool to hear! She had told us a while back she didn't want to commit to the date we wanted because of her recovery from child birth, but we told her God would make it all possible for her to keep his commandments, so she started coming to church and keeping the commandments, and we asked her if she was still feeling pain the other day from the C section, and she said no. Which is kind of crazy because originally she wanted to move the baptism to a couple of months later and so it was just really awesome to see it all come together.

So that was a little bit more about her story, I'll send the pics through messenger. LOVE YOU!!!

First time I've performed the actual ordinance since my first area!

On Tuesday the Torres family always feed us, and I had mentioned to one of them I hadn't had Starbucks in so long! And so Cindy, the girl holding the Starbucks gift cards, purchased like a lot of them for the missionaries that go over for dinner! How nice is that!!!

We also did some service on Thursday and I was on exchanges with a Tongan elder, Elder Uasila'a. He's super funny and we had a good time!

We also had another concert in the visitors center so I got to see Elder Kaitoku which is always a treat. And a bunch of other missionaries so that was pretty cool!

Pday Selfie