A new transfer in Santa Maria!

Hello dear Family and Friends!

So! Another transfer here in Santa Maria has begun.  Three new elders came up, and we are now back to 2 companionships in the ward.  Brother Cadena, a convert baptized last August, was kind enough to drive us all down to Ventura and back.  Everyone is getting along well, and it's nice to have some new, fresh elders in the district.  It's funny...I am the oldest one in the district "mission-wise".  It's really weird to think that because I still consider myself fairly new.  Wow, how time flies.

Like I said last week, Elder Agle is my new companion, and he is pretty cool. I forgot my camera cable, so I'll have to send a picture of us next week.  But I did get a picture of the district.  Elder Agle grew up in Glendale, CA but moved to Mapleton when he was 10 or so.  He's pretty funny.  On Saturday and Sunday nights, there was a Christian community choir, with members from our church and others that were singing a requiem.  We've been singing "REQUIEM!" back and forth and it's been pretty funny.  

Unfortunately, this week was a bit of a drag.  There were 5 lessons that cancelled on us, and a potential investigator dropped us, but it didn't get us down.  We just had the fabulous opportunity to knock on doors and do what we call "miracle walks", which is basically just street contacting.  There was a "femi" guy that answered the door and he kind of bashed with us for a little bit.  It kind of caught me off guard, but we always just brought it back to prayer, and we invited him to just pray to know if the things we were saying are true.  

As missionaries, all we are supposed to do is "invite others to come unto Christ, by helping them to receive the restored Gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end."  Sometimes I think missionaries in general get discouraged if someone doesn't want to learn, but we shouldn't.  We simply invite them, and it's all on them and their agency to decide if they want to learn more.  Our job is just to teach and testify clearly to help them make the right decision.

We are SUPER excited to be able to see Elder Russel M. Nelson twice this week!  We are having a mission conference in Ventura on Saturday, and then the special stake conference on Sunday.  We are preparing ourselves to receive some GREAT revelation.

I can never bear my testimony enough.  I know with all my heart and soul that this church is the only true church upon this earth.  I know that God and Jesus Christ restored the Gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith, and that that same Gospel is on the earth today.  Thomas S. Monson is a prophet who receives direct revelation from God.  The powers, keys, and authority that bind husbands, wives and families together for the eternities has been restored, and those ordinances are performed in the 142 holy temples.  The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, and it reveals the correct interpretation of the Bible.

I love you all so much.  Thank you everyone for all you do.  I'll catch you next week!

Elder Corey Harper