Week 22 - Mission Life = Good Life

Me and my awesome companion, Elder SHORT!!
He rocks it.

February 16, 2015

Hello All!!!

My new cousin, Eliza!!
Born on Valentine's Day

First of all, a Shout Out to my Aunt and Uncle - Chase and Abby Cannon and congrats on their new baby Eliza!! That is super exciting. I can’t wait to meet her.

Life here in Sun Valley/Sparks is going great. Elder Short is awesome. He is a great missionary and an awesome companion. We get along really well, and have a lot of fun, too!!

We didn’t have another increase in church attendance this week, but that’s ok because the work is still progressing. Juan and Laura and Adrian were the only ones at church yesterday, but they are doing wonderful! They are basically like members; they participate in all the classes more than most of the members. We had dinner with them on Wednesday night, and they invited the other two Spanish Elders over from the group, and Elder Rivera drove over with his new companion and Hermano Verduzco. It was basically like a party haha, but we kicked the other elders out afterwards and had the most spiritual lesson I’ve ever had with them. Verduzco stayed with us, and we are basically a trio with him because he

Me and Verduzco at Costa Vida for his b-day

comes out with us a lot, and he is so much fun to have. (BTW he said to tell you "muchisimas gracias" for the lunch...we went to Costa Vida (Cafe Rio's twin) and that was fun. He also loved the birthday card you guys sent him.) 

But anyways, so it was Verduzco and Juan and Laura and Short and I. We started with a prayer, like always, and we taught about the Plan of Salvation. (Lesson 2 from Preach my gospel). Sister Noble told us that last Sunday they were super interested and intrigued by the spirit world and how people can be together forever after this life (the lesson in gospel principles was about eternal marriage), so we decided to focus our lesson on that. So when we got to that part, we

My little sister, Grace ("Goose") - 2nd from left.
Going to the Washington DC temple for the first time
with the church youth group. We believe that temples
make it possible for families to be together forever. 

spent a lot of time talking about how everyone who has lived on the earth is up there waiting for us, and many are receiving the gospel through missionaries up there. They were just eating it up, and I felt prompted to bring up temple work and how we can be baptized for the dead, which is usually a topic that goes over most people’s heads, but they loved it all! I got very emotional when I described to them how happy the day will be when we can go up into heaven and embrace those we were baptized for, some of which are waiting hundreds of years! It was the first time that I got really emotional while I was teaching someone. (BTW congrats on going to the temple, Goose!!! That’s awesome!!!)  

We talked about how there is a temple like 15 minutes away, and what we do in the temple, and I pulled out the photo book and showed them the baptismal font and stuff. And then Verduzco pulled up Family Search.org on his iPad and was showing them how he has been working on his genealogy, and how he can be baptized for his ancestors.  (He is a convert to the church.) Juan and Laura just couldn’t get enough, it was great! We finished and talked about the three kingdoms of glory, and they obviously expressed their desire to live in the celestial kingdom.

Verduzco's b-day lunch - with Elder Short

Now up until this point, they had agreed to baptism, but were not exactly sure about the 28th of February. They knew it was what they wanted, but they felt like the 28th was a little too soon. But Elder Short pulled Mosiah 18:10 out of the blue, and shared it with them, and it was exactly what they needed to hear. Especially Laura…it was like a light bulb went off in her head, she just like jumped up and was like (in English translation) "wow, that is exactly what I needed to hear!! I want to get baptized right now! And I want to shout it to the world!" I was so excited when she said that. So was Verduzco. Elder Short didn’t understand it all, but when I explained what she just said, he too was so happy!! Juan was really amazed at how Elder Short just pulled that scripture from his head, and didn’t have to look for it or anything. It had a powerful impact on both of them. We wrapped up the lesson, and they were just happy as can be. I still sensed a little hesitation from Juan, but he was happy, and we invited Laura to end with a prayer. Halfway through the prayer Laura got all choked up, which made all of us get choked up, and at the end of the prayer, there were no dry eyes in the room! It was a powerful lesson. Laura told us that she had never felt the Holy Ghost so strong in her life.

We came back two days later for another lesson, and we talked about prophets and the law of tithing and the Ten Commandments. They accepted all of it, and were all gung-ho, but Juan expressed to us that he still doesn’t feel quite ready, and that he feels like he still has a lot to learn. I have been thinking a lot about this, and I think it is because every time we have gone over there for the past 2 weeks we have taught them new stuff, and so I think he feels overwhelmed and that every time we come we give him some new commandment like the Word of Wisdom or the law of chastity. But thankfully we have taught them everything there is to teach them before baptism, so hopefully the next few lessons we can just review and help him feel ready. We have been fasting and praying on their behalf specifically.

We also took them to a baptism on Saturday, which they loved and was good for them to see what exactly the baptismal services entail and stuff.  It was cool because I got to interview the guy who was baptized last Monday, so I was excited to go and support him. Baptismal interviews are a really cool and spiritual experience, and I hope that I will be able to do more of them in the future! (DLs interview the people that the missionaries are teaching in their district, and the ZLs interview the DL's investigators.)  The guy was actually being taught by the assistants, but we lived close to them, so they chose me to interview. It was a lot of fun!

Well this week in my studies I have been reading in the Book of Mormon - the end of Alma, with the stripling warriors and all that good stuff. And obviously, as you guys know, obedience has been a big focus for me. Wednesday we had zone conference and President Hermansen gave a training about obedience, and he had a quote that I really liked, it was "As soon as obedience becomes a goal, it no longer is a burden."  Because many missionaries look for all the loopholes to listen to certain songs, or to do certain little things, but really that’s not the goal. We have two years to serve the Lord, and what he really wants is to give up ALL of our desires, and just turn our will completely over to him. That means not trying to be right on the edge of the obedience, but just striving for complete, exact obedience. So anyways, I was reading in Alma chapter 57, and I came across verse 21 and I just loved it!  Especially cuz Mom always taught me and always was such a great example to me of being exactly obedient to ALL of Heavenly Father's commandments. As missionaries, we have even more standards to obey, but really they only help us have more success, instead of restricting us. I am SO grateful for the example that both my parents, as well as all of my extended family have set for me by following ALL of Heavenly Father's commandments, especially you Mom! I KNOW that the Lord blesses those who follow his commandments with exactness. I also know that he has given us his commandments to help us grow and be happier.

Well that’s really all I have for today! Thank you guys for all of your love and support, I love you guys!!

Love,

Elder Todd

Ridin' bikes around Sun Valley....

My new favorite breakfast - sausage and eggs

One more pic of Baby Eliza

Week 21 - Howdy!!

Hey Hokie friends!!! I found someone in
SPARKS, NEVADA who has siblings at Virginia Tech!

February 9, 2015

Hello everyone!!!

I have so much to talk about. Elder Short and I had a GREAT week. Last week we quadrupled our record for attendance at church, and this week we tripled the last record...we had 13 people (not including the kids under 8 yrs old) at church!!! It was amazing. Miracles are a real thing. Saturday night, we went by the Flores' house, and invited them to church.  They said no, but the two oldest boys said yes, so we offered to arrange a ride to pick them up. The parents agreed, and so we scheduled a ride and told them we would be back at 9:30 the next morning. We showed up the next morning, and walked in their house to find not just the two oldest boys dressed and ready, but the WHOLE family. They were like we decided that we should all just go and check it out! And we were like heck yeah you should! So they all came to English Sacrament, and then half of the family left after sacrament while some of the kids stayed for all three hours. It was a miracle.

Short and I with Walfer and Rosa

We also had Juan and Laura and Adrian - faithful as always, Walfer and Rosa, and Veronica and Oscar, and their three kids, who I haven’t told you about. They are another great little family with three kids - ages 13, 11, and 9 – and the kids are truly the ones pulling the parents into this. They are scheduled to be baptized on March 14th. When church started, Short and I were running all over the chapel taking everyone to their primary and Sunday school classes and such...thank heavens for the help of the members!!! We have great members in our group. Every time we bring someone new, they all go up and not only introduce themselves, but befriend them and invite them into their home for Family Home Evening and stuff. It is great. I have come to love the members of our little group (which hopefully won’t be little for long...!!!)

Selfies with Isaac, Walfer, and Rosa

I have a strong testimony of prayer.  On Saturday, we had dinner at the Noble’s house.  He is our group leader and she is the best ward missionary on the face of the earth. She is Mexican and he is American, and they have a great little family. But anyways we pulled up at 4:55 to their house, but Elder Short and I have really been trying to use our time effectively, so we decided that we were going to go try and find ONE person to talk to and have a "meaningful conversation" with, not just like a quick hello or anything. So we said a prayer and then got out of the car, walked around a corner, and there was a mom getting her baby out of her car, so we went up to her and struck up a conversation in English (she looked white.)  We were talking, and then her husband came out, and he looked white too, so we were talking, and then I asked them what their name was and his last name was "Barajas" and immediately when I heard that, I said "Oh hablan espanol?" and their faces lit up and they were like "Si!!!" and so we finished our conversation in Spanish, and said a prayer with them and left them with a plan of salvation pamphlet. They weren’t too interested, but it was so cool to see how that was an answer to me and Short’s prayers. And then we went back and had a delicious dinner with the Nobles.

Me and Elder Short

Elder Short is doing awesome. He really doesn’t need to be trained, He is a great teacher and has a powerful testimony. He reminds me so much of my friend, Anders - it is hilarious. He has a lot of the same sayings and mannerisms, sometimes it is crazy. Just skinnier and not quite as tall. We are working on our Spanish together, and tomorrow I challenged him to speak only Spanish.  If he speaks only Spanish for the whole day then I will buy him lunch, if he speaks any English then he has to buy me lunch. He was excited to do that, so we will see how it goes!

Hermano Verduzco is awesome. He is really like one of our best friends. We take him to teach with us two or three times a week, and there is no other way to describe him other than he is just freakin awesome! He gives us feedback about how we teach, and what the investigators need, and will take us out to dinner anytime we want. This Saturday, the 14th is his birthday, so I think we will try and take him to lunch or something

Rainbow = Rain = Answers to lots of prayers.
We've needed the rain...even though as missionaries
 we always pray for NO rain - haha!

Last Sunday the Sparks Stake fasted that they could receive some rain...and boy did we get some rain!  Us missionaries are severely outnumbered because we always pray for good missionary weather, like sun and warmth...and meanwhile, our own stake is trying to do us dirty. Haha no - its been a big joke, but it truly has been a big testimony builder for the whole stake, including our investigators that were there last week and heard about it, they all told us, wow that really worked!! And it is a testimony builder for me, I guess we need to be more specific in our fast next time...moisture in the mountains ONLY... haha!

We have been told by the first presidency that we should strive to talk to at least 10 people per day, and not just like "hey hello" but really make it a meaningful conversation. The ZLs started having each companionship in the zone report how many "MCs" (meaningful conversations) we have each day, and so we have been counting, and

Elder Short and I have been making that a focus for us.  Last I checked from the ZLs, Elder Short and I are leading the zone in MCs this past week! The ZLs gave a training about it a little while back, and they told a story about how one member was telling them how he loves when he sees missionaries talking to people on the streets and stuff, and the Elders asked him why that is, and he said "Because in my patriarchal blessing it told me that I would've converted to the gospel years earlier if the one missionary had stopped and talked to you." (He was a convert.) That story was so powerful to me, and really has motivated us to just talk to every single person we run into, because I don’t EVER want to be "that one elder" who didn’t stop and talk to someone.

Well that is about all for this week. I'm sorry there aren't more pictures, I lost my camera for a few days, but no worries, I found it.

I love you guys!!! You guys are the best and give me so much motivation to tear it up in the field. The Church is true!

Love,

Elder Todd

It was pouring rain last night, and we had a leak right above our furnace.
The water kept dripping down and sizzling...so we built our own water collector.
(Ahh....missionary life!!)

Our Valentines gift to ourselves

Livin the dream!

Week 20 - HOLA FAMILIA!!

The Leadership of our Zone

February 2, 2015

Pics of my family skiing in Utah -
just over the mountains from Reno!

Hola familia!! Como estan? I love you guys!! Sounds like you had a fun trip to SLC!! I sure was jealous when I got the picture last week of all you guys skiing....!! But it’s ok, because we had a great week here. It was a weird week, because I had two straight days of meetings, and then we did exchanges with another missionary - Elder Katoa. So we didn’t have a ton of great lessons, but we set a record for our area and had 4 investigators at church!!! (Which isn’t saying much cuz the old record was 1...) 

But Juan and Laura both came again...and took notes during the whole thing. Laura was practically copying the Gospel Principles book, until I told her she could have one to take home!! Of course for Priesthood yesterday we were combined with the English group, and Juan speaks almost no English, so I had my first experience translating and lets just say if I want a career as a translator then I have lots of work to do! 

But their 7-year old son, Adrian, went up and bore his testimony to the congregation in Spanish, it was the craziest thing!!! The amazing thing is that we didn’t see them at all this week until Sunday! They didn’t have any time for us to come over, but that really shows that they are just progressing a ton!! I am so excited for them. They even signed up on the dinner calendar that was passed around for all the members. We have an appointment on Wednesday with them, and we are looking forward to that.

Elder Johnson and me...matching

So I was lucky enough to be invited to a two-day training session for all the leaders in the mission. It was kinda like general conference, with lots of long meetings, but I loved it! I loved hearing from the other leaders and what they had to say. I was very nervous to give my training, but I think it went well! I was the only district leader to give a training, and the only person to train solo as well!! So it was really weird, but I managed to get through it. The rest of the trainings were given by the assistants, a few of the ZLs and a few of the STLs. (Sister Training Leaders). It really inspired me to consecrate myself more – and work so that Short and I can be exactly obedient…and I truly think that is why we are already being blessed by having people come to church and really progress. I am trying to consecrate myself by giving up everything.

If you guys have some time, I would encourage you to read the "the fourth missionary talk" because its something President gave us to read and apply. It talks about truly giving every single thing we have for these next two years. I love it and have read it like three times and am now translating into Spanish for my language study. When we were in a class back at the MTC in Mexico City, one thing that another missionary said really struck me…said we can know how consecrated we are by what we think about as we fall asleep. Like am I thinking about boats and trailers? Or am I thinking about the people I am serving and how I can help them come closer to Christ. That has really been going through my head lately, and so I am truly trying to consecrate myself more.

Our crazy awesome day we had planned last Saturday...
first time in my whole mission that we had a lesson
planned in every hour of the day.

I am really glad that I am serving here in Sun Valley. I was originally bummed after Rivera and I got transferred out of the Rama Vista into the small group, but the Rama Vista is actually headed backwards...they got turned into a group last month. While on the flip side our group is just about ready to become a branch. I know that the Lord has called me and Elder Short to Sun Valley to help the people here.

So you asked to know the details of a lesson we had this week…two weeks ago we got a referral from the stake president to go see this person. So we went and saw her, and she was really weirded out by us and how we came to her house. But we were persistent nonetheless, and eventually ended up having a lesson. It was our first sit-down lesson with them, so we did what is called "How to begin teaching" which you can read more about in Chapter 10 of Preach My Gospel. But basically, we just talk about our purpose and find out what they expect from us, and what we expect from them – and set the stage for what we will be doing.

So we did that, and we had planned the night before to focus on families with them, because they have a nice, young family. So we did that, and then I felt prompted to introduce her to the Book of Mormon. So I pulled it out and we read through the introduction together. We discussed it and talked a little bit about where it came from, and then committed her to read 2 Nephi 31 by herself and pray about it. We then knelt in prayer, and I challenged her to pray right then and there in front of us. She wasn’t quite ready for that – so we taught her the basic steps of prayer, but she was still hesitant. Then I offered to have Elder Short say a prayer, so that she would be able to follow his example and know what to do.  She agreed to that, so that’s what we ended up doing.

Elder Short is awesome!  I am happy to report that "Like-father-like-son"…he drove an F-250 diesel truck and has a ski boat, and loves all things having to do with boats and trucks. More importantly, however is that he has a powerful testimony that is just incredible. You wouldn’t even know he was a greenie if we only taught in English. His Spanish is coming along slowly but surely….just trying to speak Spanish as much as possible!!

Missionary football game created by my
awesome little bro, James!

Well I hope I answered some questions and that all is well back at home. Please keep all of my people in your prayers.

I love you guys! I was excited I got to change my family calendar to February so now I have new pictures to look at haha. But you guys are the best. I know that this is the Lord's kingdom on the earth, and we are so blessed to be a part of it. Have a great week!!!!

Love,

Elder Todd

Our new set-up

Our fancy lunch we made the other day...frozen pizza,
vegetables, and delicious honey chicken

with Elder Tiaou