Bringing The World His Truth: Mission Letter Week 30

HEY GUYS!

SO SORRY I keep emailing late. President should just get us a car so we don't slow the zone leaders down and vise-verse hahaha! It has been a really good week so far. I wish I could reply to everything you have written here but I am very short on time. The River Walk looks AWESOME! And thanks for the pics! :D It’s good to see you guys every once in a while. :)

DAS ES CRAZY that K is home already!!!! WHHHAAA!!! I already feel time slipping through my fingers and I am just trying to VOMIT out as much effort as I possibly can. Every day is high energy and high output and we are just racing back and forth non-stop. The V family is doing amazing and H is still coming leaps and bounds, though still baby steps... if that makes any sense. Anyways, N is still holding back and saying church is boring so this week we might drag him to church... or his mother might. Yeah, she probably will... which is awesome. :D Bro V is still resisting too and apathetic to everything. D:

GET THIS. So I got rid of what I thought was ALL of my "bad music" but these last few days I was feeling just drawn out and spread thin and just out of energy. Then this morning I was going through my CDs to pick something out and I saw Scotty McCreery. Well, my burned CD of Scotty, lol. Anyways, Scotty is not evil. It’s good ol' country. But I knew I couldn't keep it. This morning we went over to Elder A and F’s apartment, our zone leaders, whom we dearly love, really and honestly, and I sat over their trash can for several minutes just trying to snap the CD. There was a literal force trying to stop me. This is a CD. A CD!!!! Nothing evil about it! But there was something evil there. I finally snapped it and I felt all the energy RUSH back into my body. I had done it, I had released the last physical thing holding me down. (Mom's note: "...they forsook all, and followed him." Luke 5:11) Next step, my mind. I'll explain more in my next email home. Suffice it to say for now that lately the four of us Elders have had some painful growing experiences. I'll force my way into getting more time next Monday to elaborate. The topic needs it. I can testify that even a CD with cool music on it can drag us down. I love Scotty, nothing against his music, and I'll listen to him when I get home. But a simple thing can pull anyone down to a place of helplessness and weakness. Why let something that small get in the way? (Mom’s note: Story of Naaman, “…My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?” 2 Kings 5:13… a small simple thing is simple to do.)

Last night we gave Elder F a blessing and ended up getting back to our apartment at about 11:30 at night. It was a strong spiritual experience in which we shared our understanding with one another. Understanding of the simple doctrine of Christ. Again I'll elaborate more next time. After we got back, I prayed. When I was done, it was 2am. I had a new light and understanding as to how we should work with our friends (investigators) and what I can do to get rid of everything that could possibly be in the way of my faith and the power of God that I can receive through that faith. I have a quote that I will share with you guys next week that Elder W (gone home now) shared with me and that I didn't understand until last night and started to apply this morning. I love you guys, no pictures this week, sorry. :'( I'll take some this week, hopefully some with the V family. :D

I don't have any more time so I have to go now. LOVE YOU! I can't even express to you the seriousness of the gospel and how it important it is. The more we know the more we are responsible for...once again, more next week on that. I might even hand write the first part in a letter. I have to get this down into words. Possibly in my journal as well. It is explosive. It is huge. It’s the most glorious thing, but also the scariest thing that has ever happened to me on my mission. And with that cliff hanger, BYEEE!

Elder 9

(Mom's note: Not cool, Elder Nine. Not cool to leave us hanging like this!) ;)

PHOTOS were sent to the Nine Family by a kind Sister L. She lives in one of the LDS Wards in Tehachapi, CA. She had to bring Elder H and Elder A up to P for something. Since Elder H and Elder J used to be companions prior to this last transfer, they thought it would be cool to get together with Elder J and his companion for lunch. Luckily they were open for lunch that day. One big happy family! ;)

From left: Elder J, Elder H, Elder A, Elder Nine

Currently Elders J and Nine are companions, and Elders H and A are companions

Cool fact: Elder A and Elder Nine were born in the very same hospital 3 months apart, lived in the same city, in the same LDS Stake, and knew many of the same people, but never knew each other. It took 20 years, and each of them moving away, Elder A eventually being called to serve in the California Ventura Mission and Elder Nine being called to serve in the California Bakersfield Mission, Elder A being "transferred over" to the Bakersfield Mission when the Mission first opened on 7/1/13, and them both being assigned to the same Zone in P/L before they would meet. Now what are the chances of that? Pretty awesome!

Sister L, Elder Nine, & Elder A

We love Elder Nine's "stupid smile face" he makes! We just wanna grab his face and smack it! ;) lol! With kisses of course! ;)