Hello everybody!
It has yet again been another great week. So, to start off, I heard about that 6.0 earthquake in Napa that happened a little while ago. I think there was another one that happened in LA or somewhere around there when I was in Santa Maria too. I never felt anything from either of those earthquakes. I do think it would be cool to experience one a little bit, because I've never been in one my whole life. Oh yeah, I didn't hear that Robin Williams committed suicide until last week. I guess that's what happens when you're a missionary.... ;)
So, just to answer basic questions about my time here, we have 12 missionaries in our district. There are 8 elders serving here in Lompoc, and 4 sisters serving in Solvang. We only all meet together on p-days and district meetings. There are 2 wards in Lompoc. There's a little Spanish group that meets on Sundays at our church building, separate from the english ward. We share the ward with 2 spanish elders that are over that group. The other 4 elders share the other ward.
This last Tuesday, like I mentioned, we had our zone conference in Ventura. It was amazing! It was good to listen to President and Sister Felix speak to us. We had spiritual talks, trainings, and dress code reminders. Speaking of that, we are now allowed to wear khaki pants in the mission! I'm guessing that the khaki pants I had back home are too small for me, so I think I'll just buy some at a thrift store for a few dollars. I can't wait to wear khakis. It's a lot cooler than wearing black slacks all the time...but, I digress. Zone Conference was a good experience and we came out feeling very spiritually uplifted. We were trained about justserve.org, and we will now be doing that. It's still in its beginning stages, but it will pick up soon I hope. Nothing was said about iPads at that time, but President Felix has promised us that we will get them before the year is over.
I haven't heard anything about Lily, but I hope that she's doing well and her mom is warming up to her meeting with the missionaries there. Nancy (17), the investigator that has the same issue here, is doing well also. We had a lesson with her on Friday, and her sister Vanessa (15) joined in on the lesson too. Vanessa was also against Nancy getting baptized because she doesn't think it's right to be baptized into two different churches. We explained to her about authority and how Jesus Christ walked nearly 60 miles to John the Baptist so He could be baptized. After explaining it, I showed her my line of authority and how it traced back to Jesus Christ. She understood things a little better after that, and let's just say we have a NEW INVESTIGATOR! Woohoo! Trav, you will probably get 2-3 every day when you're in Ecuador, but here in California it's a lot more difficult in that way, and we do a victory dance when we get one. :D Nancy, until then, was praying about the Book of Mormon to find out it was true, but still had not received an answer. Nancy was trying to help Vanessa understand things we were teaching, and I don't know exactly what happened, but something clicked in her brain and she said, "I got my answer! I know the Book of Mormon is true!" She was so happy and when she said the closing prayer, she expressed her thanks to Heavenly Father for answering her prayer.
About their parents: Nancy's parents are obviously against her getting baptized before she's 18. Her mom is meeting with the Spanish missionaries, but isn't progressing as much as Nancy is. Wouldn't it be cool for their whole family to get baptized at the same time? We have been suggesting to Nancy to fast and pray for her parents hearts to be softened, and she's been open to the idea.
Nancy is the one that's progressing the most out of our investigators. We have a few potential investigators that we go to here and there, and we are always doing less-active work.
There's a less-active member named Mike LaRieva that we have been working with. On Friday, we went over to his house and brought the Restoration DVD. After clarifying what the Restoration was, we watched the 20 min. DVD about it. During the portion of the movie when Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith, the clouds moved off of the sun and the sun reflected off of the adjacent white apartment building into the room, just as gradually as the light rested upon him.. It was really powerful, and I felt the Spirit really strong at that time and it gave me the goosebumps sensation. At the end of the video, we bore testimony that the Restoration really did happen and then he said the closing prayer. As he finished, we said goodbye and I gave him a hug, and then we immediately LEFT. We left while the Spirit was there so he could see the difference between when the Spirit is there and when it's not. He came to sacrament meeting yesterday too. The Spirit is working on him!
I am thankful to be a missionary. We have good experiences, and we have bad experiences. We have build-ups, and we have let-downs. But no matter what happens, I can feel the presence of the Lord in this work. This work is His work. "When we are on the Lord's errand, we are entitled to His help." I know the Gospel is true, and that this mission that I am serving will positively impact my service as a student, as a future husband, father, and priesthood holder. I love you all so much, and I'll talk to you again next week!
With love,
Elder Harper
P.S. I hope your farewell went great, Trav!
Monday, September 1, 2014
Monday, August 25, 2014
Missionary work is about to change...
Hello everybody!
This week has really whizzed by compared to last week. I am loving the area more and more each day. I love going to Vandenberg Air Force Base to eat with the members from the military. There's a member here named Bro. Miles who is a medic in the Air Force and he's studying to be a PA. He talked with me about his experience in the Air Force and how it's helping him get through school and stuff like that. It was really cool to talk with him about that; once I get home, I'm going to study more into that. I'm really considering going into the Air Force to get through my schooling. Everyone I've talked to has highly recommended it, and they said that you literally get paid to go to school. Anyways, this week has been a great one.
It always amazes me how so many people can be prepared, but we need to exercise our faith to talk to them. We were heading back to our car, and there was a lady approaching us. Elder Kingrey struggles sometimes with talking to people on the street (I'm trying to help him with that) and so I sort of nudged him to talk to the lady. He said no, and so as the lady approached, I extended a warm greeting. She responded, and a conversation developed. Initially, she expressed concerns with our Church, saying that Joseph Smith coveted other men's wives, the Book of Mormon is a depressing story, and things like that. We confidently addressed her concerns and bore testimony of the Book of Mormon. It turns out, she was actually a less-active member of the church, and she said that she felt uncomfortable with coming to church because she smokes and doesn't follow the commandments completely. We explained that God always allows us to repent and come back, and we invited her to come to church the next day. She said she would, gave us her new address, and we went on our way. We got in the car, and I said to Elder Kingrey "Don't ever be afraid to talk with somebody, because if we wouldn't have talked with her, none of that would have happened." It was a great learning experience for him and for me, and a testimony booster as well.
Although the lady didn't come to church the next day, we are glad that we have her new address for the church records, and we will be stopping by her to help in the future. It certainly was no coincidence that we ran into her, and I know that the Lord guided us there so that we would be able to contact her in future visits and eventually help her come back to church. It's little experiences like these that have really made my mission meaningful. I am thankful that the Lord has used me so many times throughout my mission as one of his instruments. I always tell the Lord in my prayers that I want to be an instrument for Him not just on my mission, but throughout my entire life. Anyway, it was a neat experience for us to have.
You may be wondering why the subject line of my email is, "missionary work is about to change" This week, we had a Zone Meeting and they told us that the church came out with a website called justserve.org, and this provides an opportunity for missionaries and members to give service. Our mission is creating a new key indicator (a new thing we measure each week) for service hours. The goal is 10 hours a week! Throughout my mission, I have LOVED giving service. It's always nice to have a change of pace, and oft times you can connect with people a lot better through those service opportunities. The thing is, though, we can only keep track of service hours, and go to the website often if we have IPADS! President Felix has told us that we will certainly have iPads before the end of the year, and maybe even sooner. We have a Zone Conference tomorrow in Ventura, and I'm pretty sure that they are going to be passing out order forms. I'll have to give you more details next week. I'm looking forward to using the iPads and you know what that means, family. Skype! haha I can just see the look on my mom's face right now. :)
Travin, good luck with your Farewell this weekend! You are about to be set apart to the greatest calling in the Church. You were there when I was set apart, and I wish I could be there for yours. I'm excited for you to join me and 85,000+ others in the mission field. I know for me there's never been a time in my life that has felt so purposeful and gratifying. I'm excited for you to experience that. Take pictures!
I'm glad the family had fun in Wayne County, and yes grandma, I WILL share experiences next year!
I love you all so much. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know that the Gospel blesses families, just as it has blessed mine. I am thankful for the opportunity and blessing that I have to be a missionary. It's so great to be able to feel the Spirit's influence guiding me in the work. I'll talk to you all next week!
Love,
Elder Harper
Oh! I forgot to mention! So, these pictures!
There's a guy in my ward named Greg Grant who actually had the idea for Toy Story. He submitted it to Disney, and they declined. A little while later, when Toy Story was coming out, he took Disney to court and he sued them for taking his idea. He was, let's just say, compensated from the lawsuit. So yeah, he's the reason there IS a Buzz and Woody!
He also collects Pez dispensers. Here's a picture of the Two-Face dispenser, and he actually got a signature from the guy who plays Harvey Dent/Two-Face in Batman: Dark Knight! Isn't that awesome?
And, of course, the Star Trek: The Next Generation Pez collection. I just couldn't resist.... :)
This week has really whizzed by compared to last week. I am loving the area more and more each day. I love going to Vandenberg Air Force Base to eat with the members from the military. There's a member here named Bro. Miles who is a medic in the Air Force and he's studying to be a PA. He talked with me about his experience in the Air Force and how it's helping him get through school and stuff like that. It was really cool to talk with him about that; once I get home, I'm going to study more into that. I'm really considering going into the Air Force to get through my schooling. Everyone I've talked to has highly recommended it, and they said that you literally get paid to go to school. Anyways, this week has been a great one.
It always amazes me how so many people can be prepared, but we need to exercise our faith to talk to them. We were heading back to our car, and there was a lady approaching us. Elder Kingrey struggles sometimes with talking to people on the street (I'm trying to help him with that) and so I sort of nudged him to talk to the lady. He said no, and so as the lady approached, I extended a warm greeting. She responded, and a conversation developed. Initially, she expressed concerns with our Church, saying that Joseph Smith coveted other men's wives, the Book of Mormon is a depressing story, and things like that. We confidently addressed her concerns and bore testimony of the Book of Mormon. It turns out, she was actually a less-active member of the church, and she said that she felt uncomfortable with coming to church because she smokes and doesn't follow the commandments completely. We explained that God always allows us to repent and come back, and we invited her to come to church the next day. She said she would, gave us her new address, and we went on our way. We got in the car, and I said to Elder Kingrey "Don't ever be afraid to talk with somebody, because if we wouldn't have talked with her, none of that would have happened." It was a great learning experience for him and for me, and a testimony booster as well.
Although the lady didn't come to church the next day, we are glad that we have her new address for the church records, and we will be stopping by her to help in the future. It certainly was no coincidence that we ran into her, and I know that the Lord guided us there so that we would be able to contact her in future visits and eventually help her come back to church. It's little experiences like these that have really made my mission meaningful. I am thankful that the Lord has used me so many times throughout my mission as one of his instruments. I always tell the Lord in my prayers that I want to be an instrument for Him not just on my mission, but throughout my entire life. Anyway, it was a neat experience for us to have.
You may be wondering why the subject line of my email is, "missionary work is about to change" This week, we had a Zone Meeting and they told us that the church came out with a website called justserve.org, and this provides an opportunity for missionaries and members to give service. Our mission is creating a new key indicator (a new thing we measure each week) for service hours. The goal is 10 hours a week! Throughout my mission, I have LOVED giving service. It's always nice to have a change of pace, and oft times you can connect with people a lot better through those service opportunities. The thing is, though, we can only keep track of service hours, and go to the website often if we have IPADS! President Felix has told us that we will certainly have iPads before the end of the year, and maybe even sooner. We have a Zone Conference tomorrow in Ventura, and I'm pretty sure that they are going to be passing out order forms. I'll have to give you more details next week. I'm looking forward to using the iPads and you know what that means, family. Skype! haha I can just see the look on my mom's face right now. :)
Travin, good luck with your Farewell this weekend! You are about to be set apart to the greatest calling in the Church. You were there when I was set apart, and I wish I could be there for yours. I'm excited for you to join me and 85,000+ others in the mission field. I know for me there's never been a time in my life that has felt so purposeful and gratifying. I'm excited for you to experience that. Take pictures!
I'm glad the family had fun in Wayne County, and yes grandma, I WILL share experiences next year!
I love you all so much. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know that the Gospel blesses families, just as it has blessed mine. I am thankful for the opportunity and blessing that I have to be a missionary. It's so great to be able to feel the Spirit's influence guiding me in the work. I'll talk to you all next week!
Love,
Elder Harper
Oh! I forgot to mention! So, these pictures!
There's a guy in my ward named Greg Grant who actually had the idea for Toy Story. He submitted it to Disney, and they declined. A little while later, when Toy Story was coming out, he took Disney to court and he sued them for taking his idea. He was, let's just say, compensated from the lawsuit. So yeah, he's the reason there IS a Buzz and Woody!
He also collects Pez dispensers. Here's a picture of the Two-Face dispenser, and he actually got a signature from the guy who plays Harvey Dent/Two-Face in Batman: Dark Knight! Isn't that awesome?
And, of course, the Star Trek: The Next Generation Pez collection. I just couldn't resist.... :)
Monday, August 18, 2014
A Fresh Week in Lompoc
Hello everybody!
This week has been quite a good one. I think Lompoc is really cool! There's some mountains in between us and the ocean, but we still feel the western breeze. It's not even close to the humidity of Ventura. I've really noticed that Lompoc is a gold mine as far as missionary work goes. We have been walking down the street, and Elder Kingrey has said, "There's an investigator that lives here, a potential investigator that lives there, a less-active that we see that lives here..." and it goes on and on. The field definitely is ripe and ready to harvest here. I just need to sharpen my sickle and reap.
One of the cool things about the Lompoc Ward is that the Vandenburg Air Force Base is in the boundaries. There are a lot of military officers that live there that go to the church. Pretty much this entire last week we've had our dinner appointments at the base. We park our car in the parking lot, and the person we're having dinner with picks us up, drives to the gate and gives the officer his pass. We've had dinner with a Tech officer, a Chief, and a Captain this week! Let me tell you, I was pretty nervous to have dinner with a captain, but it was fun. He didn't inspect my dinner plate haha. :D It's been good to hear their stories of how they joined the Air Force and what they do. I've recently been thinking about becoming a Physician's Assistant for my career (don't really know why), and all of them suggested that I go through the military to do that so I could have schooling paid for. My options are open...I'll look more into that when I come home.
We also had another neat experience. On Wednesday, we had service with one of our investigators, named Yvette, and we helped her pick some fresh strawberries from her garden. I ate some of those and they were super good. I LOVE strawberries. (Another thing the mission has done for me...I hated them before). I also ate a chili pepper too. Let's just say that I needed some sour cream fast. Anyways, all three of us rode our bikes down to the beautiful flower fields by the mountains (see picture) and talked about the scriptures. The reason we rode there was because they were going to launch a rocket from Vandenburg at precisely 11:29 AM. I got a picture and a video of the rocket being launched! It broke the sound barrier and it rumbled the windows in the nearby houses. The sister missionaries in Solvang even said they felt it!
On Thursday, the church's carpets were being cleaned, so we had District Meeting in Solvang! It was cool to drive through that cool little Danish town and see the windmills. I thought of Grandma and Grandpa DeLeeuw, looking at all the windmills.
Well, my computer was really slow this morning, and so I didn't have as much time. Elder Kingrey's awesome, it's been cool to see how we've both changed since the MTC. We had another investigator with a baptismal date this Saturday, but her dad won't let her. (Deja Vu...) Oh well. I love you all and thanks for everything you do for me! Thanks for the love and prayers!
Elder Harper
This week has been quite a good one. I think Lompoc is really cool! There's some mountains in between us and the ocean, but we still feel the western breeze. It's not even close to the humidity of Ventura. I've really noticed that Lompoc is a gold mine as far as missionary work goes. We have been walking down the street, and Elder Kingrey has said, "There's an investigator that lives here, a potential investigator that lives there, a less-active that we see that lives here..." and it goes on and on. The field definitely is ripe and ready to harvest here. I just need to sharpen my sickle and reap.
One of the cool things about the Lompoc Ward is that the Vandenburg Air Force Base is in the boundaries. There are a lot of military officers that live there that go to the church. Pretty much this entire last week we've had our dinner appointments at the base. We park our car in the parking lot, and the person we're having dinner with picks us up, drives to the gate and gives the officer his pass. We've had dinner with a Tech officer, a Chief, and a Captain this week! Let me tell you, I was pretty nervous to have dinner with a captain, but it was fun. He didn't inspect my dinner plate haha. :D It's been good to hear their stories of how they joined the Air Force and what they do. I've recently been thinking about becoming a Physician's Assistant for my career (don't really know why), and all of them suggested that I go through the military to do that so I could have schooling paid for. My options are open...I'll look more into that when I come home.
We also had another neat experience. On Wednesday, we had service with one of our investigators, named Yvette, and we helped her pick some fresh strawberries from her garden. I ate some of those and they were super good. I LOVE strawberries. (Another thing the mission has done for me...I hated them before). I also ate a chili pepper too. Let's just say that I needed some sour cream fast. Anyways, all three of us rode our bikes down to the beautiful flower fields by the mountains (see picture) and talked about the scriptures. The reason we rode there was because they were going to launch a rocket from Vandenburg at precisely 11:29 AM. I got a picture and a video of the rocket being launched! It broke the sound barrier and it rumbled the windows in the nearby houses. The sister missionaries in Solvang even said they felt it!
On Thursday, the church's carpets were being cleaned, so we had District Meeting in Solvang! It was cool to drive through that cool little Danish town and see the windmills. I thought of Grandma and Grandpa DeLeeuw, looking at all the windmills.
Well, my computer was really slow this morning, and so I didn't have as much time. Elder Kingrey's awesome, it's been cool to see how we've both changed since the MTC. We had another investigator with a baptismal date this Saturday, but her dad won't let her. (Deja Vu...) Oh well. I love you all and thanks for everything you do for me! Thanks for the love and prayers!
Elder Harper
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
A Rougher Week...
Hello everyone!
Well, I can't believe that this transfer has already come and gone. It's been a quick 7 weeks, but now things must change an move on. We got our transfer calls this morning, and I will be leaving to Lompoc, CA (pronounced Lomm-Poke) in the Mesa Oaks ward. I will be companions with, none other than, Elder Kingrey, my MTC companion! It will definitely be cool to see how things play out. We are in the same district as the sister missionaries serving in Solvang, so we will be allowed to go there on P-days! Hopefully we'll get to go! Just so you know, transfers end September 21st. We have also been informed that iPads will be implemented in the mission very soon.
Well, it's sad to say, but just like the title suggests, this week has been one of the rougher weeks in my mission. We texted Lily on Wednesday to see if we could meet up with her, and she told us that she and her mom got into an argument, and her mom said that she didn't have permission to get baptized. Lily lived with her aunt and uncle for a few days in Oxnard, and she's now living at home again with her mom. It was pretty disappointing at first to know that she wouldn't be baptized August 10th, but we know that all things happen for a reason. Since I am leaving tomorrow, I am going to see if we can talk to Lily tonight, and if not, call her. She will be baptized, even if it takes until she's 18. She'll get baptized.
This week we were able to do some service for people in the neighborhood. We pruned some Birds of Paradise trees and cut down some hedges. We did service for 6 hours on Tuesday...it was pretty intense.
This transfer I have learned a lot. I have learned to stand up for my beliefs. I have faced a lot of opposition, both from those who I've talked with on the streets, and from missionaries that were being disobedient. I am thankful for the quiet peaceful feelings that come when we know that what we did was right. When we shape our lives on constant principles, we will be happy. When we make exceptions, we become conflicted and are not as happy.
On Saturday and Sunday we had stake conference, and it was great! President and Sister Felix both spoke to us about the Holy Ghost and how we need to listen to the promptings we receive. It was their first time ever speaking at a stake conference, and they did great.
Well, that's about it for this week. I'll talk to you next week, in Lompoc!
Elder Harper
Well, I can't believe that this transfer has already come and gone. It's been a quick 7 weeks, but now things must change an move on. We got our transfer calls this morning, and I will be leaving to Lompoc, CA (pronounced Lomm-Poke) in the Mesa Oaks ward. I will be companions with, none other than, Elder Kingrey, my MTC companion! It will definitely be cool to see how things play out. We are in the same district as the sister missionaries serving in Solvang, so we will be allowed to go there on P-days! Hopefully we'll get to go! Just so you know, transfers end September 21st. We have also been informed that iPads will be implemented in the mission very soon.
Well, it's sad to say, but just like the title suggests, this week has been one of the rougher weeks in my mission. We texted Lily on Wednesday to see if we could meet up with her, and she told us that she and her mom got into an argument, and her mom said that she didn't have permission to get baptized. Lily lived with her aunt and uncle for a few days in Oxnard, and she's now living at home again with her mom. It was pretty disappointing at first to know that she wouldn't be baptized August 10th, but we know that all things happen for a reason. Since I am leaving tomorrow, I am going to see if we can talk to Lily tonight, and if not, call her. She will be baptized, even if it takes until she's 18. She'll get baptized.
This week we were able to do some service for people in the neighborhood. We pruned some Birds of Paradise trees and cut down some hedges. We did service for 6 hours on Tuesday...it was pretty intense.
This transfer I have learned a lot. I have learned to stand up for my beliefs. I have faced a lot of opposition, both from those who I've talked with on the streets, and from missionaries that were being disobedient. I am thankful for the quiet peaceful feelings that come when we know that what we did was right. When we shape our lives on constant principles, we will be happy. When we make exceptions, we become conflicted and are not as happy.
On Saturday and Sunday we had stake conference, and it was great! President and Sister Felix both spoke to us about the Holy Ghost and how we need to listen to the promptings we receive. It was their first time ever speaking at a stake conference, and they did great.
Well, that's about it for this week. I'll talk to you next week, in Lompoc!
Elder Harper
Monday, August 4, 2014
Baptism here we come!
Hello, Hello, Hello!
First of all, let me just say, that being a missionary is AWESOME! There are so many blessings that the Lord bestows upon us, and we are not even always fully aware of what He does. This week, however, we are fully aware of what he's done. He has helped Lily progress through the midst of trials and hardships.
Lily has an aunt that is not exactly fond of our Church. We presume that she has been asking Lily a lot of controversial questions about our beliefs (Mary-Virgin birth, Jesus suffered in Garden or on Cross, etc.) because Lily, out-of-the-blue asked us those things. In our last lesson with her, we talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and afterwards Lily told us about how her mom is OK with her being baptized because she knows that Lily has the right to be a member of any church that she wants, however she is a little disappointed about how soon Lily has decided to join. Lily is determined to press forward regardless of what her family thinks, and be baptized on August 10th. Her biggest concern is whether or not her family will join the church.
We had an Investigator Fireside provided by the Ventura Stake Presidency last night, and both Lily and Fernando attended. Lily brought up her desire for her family to get baptized, and the ward and those that were there explained that she will be an example of righteousness in her family. A member told her that when she joined the church, her father was very against it. But after 30 years of her being in the church, he now respects the church. Lily was comforted by their stories and she knows what she needs to do. Fernando has been doing well too. He has changed so much from when we first met him. He doesn't feel ready to receive the Priesthood, but he's going to Young Men's and I bet he'll get it soon. Oh, Lily and Fernando are both 16 by the way. Lily's baptism will be a perfect way to end the transfer.
This morning, the district went to the top of some hills by the ocean here in Ventura, and we all saw the famous San Buenaventura Cross. Today we decided to have a little more "relaxed" p-day and so we are doing some tourist activities, going to the mall, playing a light game of dodgeball, fun stuff.
There's been some BEAUTIFUL sunsets here, so I've got a few pictures of that...we were also riding our bikes and came across a squashed opossum in the road...haha, just random things.
One of our investigators, Bud, is a 74 year-old man and he's a Seventh-Day Adventist. He invited us into his home Friday night and he has an AWESOME game room. He had so many arcade games, pool table, mini bowling alley, just some cool stuff. He also had a jukebox and some speakers from the 50's in his house. It was pretty cool.
I can't believe that this week is the last week of the transfer, and that it's been 14 months since I've left! Wow...I'll talk to you all next week!
Elder Harper
First of all, let me just say, that being a missionary is AWESOME! There are so many blessings that the Lord bestows upon us, and we are not even always fully aware of what He does. This week, however, we are fully aware of what he's done. He has helped Lily progress through the midst of trials and hardships.
Lily has an aunt that is not exactly fond of our Church. We presume that she has been asking Lily a lot of controversial questions about our beliefs (Mary-Virgin birth, Jesus suffered in Garden or on Cross, etc.) because Lily, out-of-the-blue asked us those things. In our last lesson with her, we talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and afterwards Lily told us about how her mom is OK with her being baptized because she knows that Lily has the right to be a member of any church that she wants, however she is a little disappointed about how soon Lily has decided to join. Lily is determined to press forward regardless of what her family thinks, and be baptized on August 10th. Her biggest concern is whether or not her family will join the church.
We had an Investigator Fireside provided by the Ventura Stake Presidency last night, and both Lily and Fernando attended. Lily brought up her desire for her family to get baptized, and the ward and those that were there explained that she will be an example of righteousness in her family. A member told her that when she joined the church, her father was very against it. But after 30 years of her being in the church, he now respects the church. Lily was comforted by their stories and she knows what she needs to do. Fernando has been doing well too. He has changed so much from when we first met him. He doesn't feel ready to receive the Priesthood, but he's going to Young Men's and I bet he'll get it soon. Oh, Lily and Fernando are both 16 by the way. Lily's baptism will be a perfect way to end the transfer.
This morning, the district went to the top of some hills by the ocean here in Ventura, and we all saw the famous San Buenaventura Cross. Today we decided to have a little more "relaxed" p-day and so we are doing some tourist activities, going to the mall, playing a light game of dodgeball, fun stuff.
There's been some BEAUTIFUL sunsets here, so I've got a few pictures of that...we were also riding our bikes and came across a squashed opossum in the road...haha, just random things.
One of our investigators, Bud, is a 74 year-old man and he's a Seventh-Day Adventist. He invited us into his home Friday night and he has an AWESOME game room. He had so many arcade games, pool table, mini bowling alley, just some cool stuff. He also had a jukebox and some speakers from the 50's in his house. It was pretty cool.
I can't believe that this week is the last week of the transfer, and that it's been 14 months since I've left! Wow...I'll talk to you all next week!
Elder Harper
Monday, July 28, 2014
Chuggin' along
Hello everybody!
It's crazy to think that this transfer is almost through...why do missions go by so quickly? This past week my friend Carolyn went into the MTC to go to Taiwan, and it was weird to know that because I knew before I left that she couldn't go until I was over a year. And then it came! Whoa...it's crazy.
It's also funny how all the days just seem to blend together being a missionary, because I do the same thing practically every day, we just talk with different people throughout the day. I think that's why the day-to-day activities seem to go by really slowly, but the weeks and months go by quickly. It's pretty weird how it all works out.
SO, this week, we were able to meet with Lily twice. The first time, we finished teaching her the Restoration, as well as a few Commandments, such as the Word of Wisdom, the Law of Chastity, and keeping the Sabbath day holy. She told us that she doesn't smoke, use drugs, drink alcohol or coffee, but she does drink tea. We talked about how certain teas were fine, such as herbal tea, and she told us that that was mostly what she had, but she drank other teas too. We committed her to live the Word of Wisdom and she said she would. Lily also has a copy of Preach My Gospel that she has been reading, and we assigned her to read the lesson about the Plan of Salvation. The second time we met with her, we asked about how the Word of Wisdom was going, and she said that she hasn't drunk a tea ever since, and she doesn't even have a desire to. We were super happy for her, and she said she was much happier too. That's what happens when we follow the Lord's commandments! She read the Plan of Salvation lesson, and she explained the whole Plan of Salvation to us! We saw little need to actually teach the lesson, but we did, however, because it's a requirement. :) She had a few "what if" questions about her family and what would happen if they don't accept the Gospel in their lifetimes. We answered those questions for her, and she felt comforted. Her mom is completely OK with her meeting with us, but Lily apparently told her about her desire to serve a mission, and her mom isn't very happy with that. She doesn't want Lily to go, and we kinda laughed on the inside, because we just need to focus on baptism first! Her mom took her somewhere else yesterday, so she wasn't able to go to church, so we are trying to get in contact with her...everything should be fine. She is super happy for August 10th.
As for finding, nothing too solid has happened. Finding is one of my least favorite things to do as a missionary. I'm a much more solid and comfortable teacher. However, nothing happens in missionary work until we find somebody to teach. That's the hard part, at least in California. We continue to have little "one and only" finding miracles, but when we offer to come back, they say no. We were walking down the street a few weeks ago and we met a man named Joshua. He talked to us about how the world is so crazy and he feels overwhelmed with everything. We talked about how God was in control of everything and that there was no need to fear. I bore solemn testimony to him about how God has helped me in my life through the scriptures, and he started to cry! When we asked if we could come back, he said no, and that everybody needs to have their own path to God. We explained that we are just guides along that path, but he said that we was still OK.
This past Tuesday, we were riding our bikes back to our apartment because it was late, and we ran into a lady named Fanolupe, and she told us that she was a member, but wasn't active in the church anymore. She talked about how her sister just went through chemotherapy and that she only has 2 more months to live. We bore testimony about how families can be together forever, and that trials in our lives bring families closer together, and closer to God. We said a prayer for her, her sister, and the rest of her family, and she started to cry too! Again, when we asked if we could see her sometime, she said she would be fine.
All we can do as missionaries is to invite. Seed planting is a lot of what we do on a regular basis. The Lord is preparing people's hearts to receive the Gospel, but they need to act on those feelings and accept the invitation. I still feel good at the end of the day knowing that I made somebody's day better. My favorite thing about being a missionary is to see someone express a need or a concern that they are having in their lives, such as these, and then to be able to bear my testimony from the heart, and to see the Spirit influence them. No matter the outcome, the Spirit was present, and that's all that matters.
I love you all! Thanks for the love and kindness. I love being a missionary! As hard as it is, it's the best calling in the church. Well, maybe besides an Apostle...but still! Love you all!
Elder Harper
It's crazy to think that this transfer is almost through...why do missions go by so quickly? This past week my friend Carolyn went into the MTC to go to Taiwan, and it was weird to know that because I knew before I left that she couldn't go until I was over a year. And then it came! Whoa...it's crazy.
It's also funny how all the days just seem to blend together being a missionary, because I do the same thing practically every day, we just talk with different people throughout the day. I think that's why the day-to-day activities seem to go by really slowly, but the weeks and months go by quickly. It's pretty weird how it all works out.
SO, this week, we were able to meet with Lily twice. The first time, we finished teaching her the Restoration, as well as a few Commandments, such as the Word of Wisdom, the Law of Chastity, and keeping the Sabbath day holy. She told us that she doesn't smoke, use drugs, drink alcohol or coffee, but she does drink tea. We talked about how certain teas were fine, such as herbal tea, and she told us that that was mostly what she had, but she drank other teas too. We committed her to live the Word of Wisdom and she said she would. Lily also has a copy of Preach My Gospel that she has been reading, and we assigned her to read the lesson about the Plan of Salvation. The second time we met with her, we asked about how the Word of Wisdom was going, and she said that she hasn't drunk a tea ever since, and she doesn't even have a desire to. We were super happy for her, and she said she was much happier too. That's what happens when we follow the Lord's commandments! She read the Plan of Salvation lesson, and she explained the whole Plan of Salvation to us! We saw little need to actually teach the lesson, but we did, however, because it's a requirement. :) She had a few "what if" questions about her family and what would happen if they don't accept the Gospel in their lifetimes. We answered those questions for her, and she felt comforted. Her mom is completely OK with her meeting with us, but Lily apparently told her about her desire to serve a mission, and her mom isn't very happy with that. She doesn't want Lily to go, and we kinda laughed on the inside, because we just need to focus on baptism first! Her mom took her somewhere else yesterday, so she wasn't able to go to church, so we are trying to get in contact with her...everything should be fine. She is super happy for August 10th.
As for finding, nothing too solid has happened. Finding is one of my least favorite things to do as a missionary. I'm a much more solid and comfortable teacher. However, nothing happens in missionary work until we find somebody to teach. That's the hard part, at least in California. We continue to have little "one and only" finding miracles, but when we offer to come back, they say no. We were walking down the street a few weeks ago and we met a man named Joshua. He talked to us about how the world is so crazy and he feels overwhelmed with everything. We talked about how God was in control of everything and that there was no need to fear. I bore solemn testimony to him about how God has helped me in my life through the scriptures, and he started to cry! When we asked if we could come back, he said no, and that everybody needs to have their own path to God. We explained that we are just guides along that path, but he said that we was still OK.
This past Tuesday, we were riding our bikes back to our apartment because it was late, and we ran into a lady named Fanolupe, and she told us that she was a member, but wasn't active in the church anymore. She talked about how her sister just went through chemotherapy and that she only has 2 more months to live. We bore testimony about how families can be together forever, and that trials in our lives bring families closer together, and closer to God. We said a prayer for her, her sister, and the rest of her family, and she started to cry too! Again, when we asked if we could see her sometime, she said she would be fine.
All we can do as missionaries is to invite. Seed planting is a lot of what we do on a regular basis. The Lord is preparing people's hearts to receive the Gospel, but they need to act on those feelings and accept the invitation. I still feel good at the end of the day knowing that I made somebody's day better. My favorite thing about being a missionary is to see someone express a need or a concern that they are having in their lives, such as these, and then to be able to bear my testimony from the heart, and to see the Spirit influence them. No matter the outcome, the Spirit was present, and that's all that matters.
I love you all! Thanks for the love and kindness. I love being a missionary! As hard as it is, it's the best calling in the church. Well, maybe besides an Apostle...but still! Love you all!
Elder Harper
Monday, July 21, 2014
Lily has a date!
Hello everybody!
Wow, this week has been a pretty good week! As the heading suggests, we were able to meet with Lily and Fernando this week. They REALLY enjoyed Youth Conference. There was a speaker there that told all about his conversion story, and it really struck Fernando and Lily. Fernando told Lily that he knows the church is true. He told us that he prayed a few times during and after youth conference, and that he kept crying. This was a complete SHOCK to us, because Fernando puts on the "tough guy" persona when he's at church. He really only opens up to Lily and us. Lily also said that the speaker inspired her to be more active in the church and to "eventually get baptized". We immediately told her that we will be holding a baptismal service on August 10th for anyone that would be ready, and she said yes! Fernando and Lily are both considering going on missions too! They are super cool.
After that experience, I gained a stronger testimony that the Gospel really is universal. It doesn't matter who you are or what your circumstance is, the Gospel always improves lives.
Right now, Elder Tufts and I are mostly doing less-active work. Most of them are really nice to us, and they say that we are welcome to visit anytime. Much better than my last area in that regard. There is one lady that we have been seeing named Norma Rutledge. Her life is pretty crazy right now. Her boyfriend of 11 years just broke up with her, and we've been trying to help her out. Her 23 year old daughter is not a member and we've been going over there.
Wow...we are in the Family History Center right now, and there's 11 computers, and everyone is emailing. It's sooooo distracting, sorry about the short emails. I love you all so much, and I am grateful for your love and prayers. Talk to you next week!
Elder Harper
Wow, this week has been a pretty good week! As the heading suggests, we were able to meet with Lily and Fernando this week. They REALLY enjoyed Youth Conference. There was a speaker there that told all about his conversion story, and it really struck Fernando and Lily. Fernando told Lily that he knows the church is true. He told us that he prayed a few times during and after youth conference, and that he kept crying. This was a complete SHOCK to us, because Fernando puts on the "tough guy" persona when he's at church. He really only opens up to Lily and us. Lily also said that the speaker inspired her to be more active in the church and to "eventually get baptized". We immediately told her that we will be holding a baptismal service on August 10th for anyone that would be ready, and she said yes! Fernando and Lily are both considering going on missions too! They are super cool.
After that experience, I gained a stronger testimony that the Gospel really is universal. It doesn't matter who you are or what your circumstance is, the Gospel always improves lives.
Right now, Elder Tufts and I are mostly doing less-active work. Most of them are really nice to us, and they say that we are welcome to visit anytime. Much better than my last area in that regard. There is one lady that we have been seeing named Norma Rutledge. Her life is pretty crazy right now. Her boyfriend of 11 years just broke up with her, and we've been trying to help her out. Her 23 year old daughter is not a member and we've been going over there.
Wow...we are in the Family History Center right now, and there's 11 computers, and everyone is emailing. It's sooooo distracting, sorry about the short emails. I love you all so much, and I am grateful for your love and prayers. Talk to you next week!
Elder Harper
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