January 28, 2013

Dear Family,
This week has been great! We got a new investigator in our ysa ward and she accepted to be baptized so tonight we are going to try to set her with a date to be baptized.
I have really strengthened my knowledge of how prayer works, this week. I bought a small note book that I keep in my pocket and I write down things that I need to pray for. It has helped my see the things I need and has helped me see the blessings that come from obeying the commandments. Often the blessings we receive would have happened anyway but the thing about praying for them is that we can recognize that is is a blessing and we can learn a lesson from it. I am so grateful for prayer, not aligning Gods will to us, but aligning our will to Gods.
So we had a funny experience when we were visiting less active members. We have heard that this guy is a cowboy and has a drinking problem and that he is hostile. so we go and drive a couple of neighbors houses away from him. we knock on his door, expecting to get yelled at. he answers the door and says hey come on in! you guys hungry? so ya it was pretty funny. turns out he is going to another ward and some rumors have started, but he is awesome!
oh and another hilarious story! So we went to mission prep class this last Tuesday and the teacher had a student cover their eyes and hold out their hand. the teacher asked, "will you pray everyday?". -yes. so the teacher gave the student a piece of candy. then the teacher continued to ask questions and if the response was yes they got a piece of candy. so this object lesson demonstrated faith and when we get blessings its easier to keep more commandments... ok so the next day we were teaching this lady we have been meeting with for a while. we are talking about faith and I say hold out your hand and cover your eyes... she was reluctant but she proceeded to do so. Then I asked her if she would pray daily, she said she already does... so I gave her a piece of candy. she looked at it and was very confused. then I had her shut her eyes again and asked her if she would read her scriptures.. then she yells at me and says, "No, this is not how God works. he is not in this candy. I'll keep my piece of candy but don't give me anymore. thats not how it works." so i try and say 'no we didn't mean it like that we are just trying to demonstrate how faith works, God isn't really going to give us candy." then she yells at me some more and says that I need to be more patient. but i was just trying to explain that God really didn't work that way... but the good news is she is still meeting with us and things are going well haha its hilarious. I prayed for patience that night :)
sorry not a lot has happened this week but things are going really well and hopefully our investigators will continue to progress!
Love you all!
Love,
Elder John

January 22, 2013

Dear Family,
This week has been Great! We had transfers yesterday and Elder Golden and I are staying for another 6 weeks! The members really trust us and it shows! lol the work is going great! oh and I almost forgot... In the past the San Miguel Ward would do the Triple King Challenge at Fat Burger, every Martin Luther King day. So we told everyone they have to come... the bishop announced it, that the missionaries are resurrecting the triple king challenge. so yesterday we bring our Zone leaders with us to Fat Burger and like half the ward is there! so we do the challenge and this time it wasn't as bad as the first time I did it lol. But it was great to see how many members support us!
On a more spiritual note, last night we taught a girl, Miranda, in the young single adult ward. She is so interested and wants to learn so much! we read the intro to the Book of Mormon with her and she said "man I love reading and now that I know what its all about I will love to read it! She also said that she will be baptized once she knows its true! awesome!
Things in this are are going well and I cant wait to spend another 6 weeks in heaven!
sorry its so short this week!
I love you all!
Love,
Elder John
"our present blessings come from past sacrifices and obedience"

January 14, 2013

This week has been great! we have had some great experiences and have been able to teach SO many people! I am so grateful for the success that we are recieving in this area! We are here to work and we are worthy for the people we are teaching. Our studies have been going great and I am grateful for a companion who is willing to be obedient and who is willing to work hard. This week has been also a struggle. I have had to humble myself and not worry about what others may think of me. We had an experience Saturday night. We go in, a second lesson, and in our previous lesson they just wanted someone to hang out with and just bible study. We told them that we don't do that and we are here to teach what we believe. Well we come in to this next lesson and we figured that we could just answer some of their questions about the church and share some more about the Restoraiton. well one of their questions was about the temple and I told them that we dont talk about those things becuase they are sacred. well after them prying and prying and finally they bought something up and I just stood up and said well thanks for letting us meet with you but if you cant respect our wishes then we will have to leave. 'we asked you multiple times not to talk about it and you kept going'. we we talked for a little longer about what we are here to teach... but I feel bad, not for standing up and saying we arent going to talk about these things anymore but just how I felt inside and how I felt toward them. I understand that they dont have the same connection that I do with sacred things but it was still tough. I'm working on humbling myself. It was a great experience because it will help me be more bold in the future ('The truth of God will go forth Boldly..."). They asked why people talk about sacred things and I said "well some people like to trample under their feet the things of God, and if you do so be it, but God will be the judge of both you and me."
So ya it was pretty great! haha
Well we've tauht the most lessons this week than I have in my mission! 11 lessons with a member present, 3 other lessons, and 11 Less active or recent convert. So we have been pretty busy! I dont know how it is in other missions but here that is pretty good!
I Love you all!
Love,
Elder John

p.s. any mail that you may send please send to Devin T. John. there's another Elder John in the mission. not that I'm asking fo mail but you know what I mean :)

January 7, 2013

Wow! this week has been awesome! Its a new year and everything is going great! so We got a new investigator! I think i may have already talked about this but it won't hurt to hear it agian :) So we were walking around this apartment complex to try to find these less active [people. and we were walking for like 30 minutes cause we couldnt find it. then we see this family and we say hi. then this lady is just standing in a parking space and she says 'hi boys' and I didnt realize she wasnt talking to us until midway through my sentance, as I said ,'Hi, we're the misisonaries! have you ever met with us before?' and she said no but she has been meaning to. so we gave her a copy of The Book of Mormon and she said she would read the introduction. we met with her this last thursday and she said 'amen' to everything we said! even the great apostasy! Elder Golden: "so gospel truths were lost" This lady: "Amen" haha so thats great!
So saturday we have our studies and do the 12 week program with my companion (the training process for new misisonaries and their trainers) and by this time its about 11ish... so I look out our window and I'm like 'where is our car' so we go outside and of course this is the first time I've ever left my backpack in the car (with my camera) and I was flippin out! so we call Elder Danda the Vehicle coordinator and say 'hey our car isnt where we parked it' so we find out after a lot of drama that it was towed... and a few weeks ago we had to change cars with some elders from another zone out in the sticks... and we didnt think to change the sticker... so apparently they thought I should pay for the tow... so mom and dad if you see 300 bucks missing from my bank account, thats why. but after me calling the president I got it worked out and I got the money back (drinks on me! jk). So ya it was a great way to spend our saturday!
Well that was all for this week... pretty eventful! I love you all and things are going great here in the Las Vegas West!!!