P.S. I also found some more space tape at CVS Pharmacy, and I decided to finish taping my bike to make it look cool and one color. Did I mention that all my former companions are home now? Well, they are. Elder Shepherd is all I've got and the friends who are in the mission.
Dear family and everyone else,
What a wonderful, but extremely hot week we had this week. On Saturday, we were able to move Marcia Baker in the Jones' house. Marcia had enough with all the harassment from her renter, her roommate, his homeless friends, and her ex. It felt like an Ammon experience where we got her out of a situation where she can reside in a land that she can be protected, nurtured with the good word of God, and harvest her blessings by accepting the restored gospel. What peace, what serenity our Lord and Savior has for his son's and daughter's. The lord is bound to what we say, but whenever we break our promise with our Father in Heaven, he can't promise any blessings for us. D&C 82. We, just like Ammon, truly love our convert. We prayed as he prayed, praying on their behalf from fear of loosing our fruits, and the lord directed their path. Now she is kept safe from the storm of life, able to grow.
We also had another special Zone Conference where President wanted to council with both parts of the mission discussing how we can best retain what we learned and put it into effect. He also discussed with us the resolve of the mission goal for baptisms per missionary per month for the next 12 months. The mission, and President Palmer, came to the conclusion that 4 was the correct number. He also reconciled that we should sustain his decision and pray for the strength that we can fulfill this goal that we have set. Right now, our mission with the rest of the western area of the United States, are baptizing on average 2 per missionary per month for a year. President feels, along with some others, that this mission can increase dramatically soon. I can feel that, but it's the faith and diligence that counts in completing something such as this.
I was also able to finally meet my 2nd cousin, Elder Brown, at the special meeting. He seemed pretty cool, and also very chill just like Elder Shepherd. It definitely was not a long enough meeting with him. There will be other opportunities as well. I might have also met another distant relative, but I do not know yet. His name is Elder Booth, also serving in the Lodi stake in Galt. It's going to be awhile before I ever figure out if I am related to that Booth on my mom's side of the family. Oh the wonderful blessing that I received that stated that I would be able to give knowledge to the family of Adam. I see that happen all the time, both in missionary work, and finding my own family out here in California.
On Thursday, we went on splits with the Elders Quorum president and his companion so they could go talk to more people. It went well. I went with Brother McGuire, the president. He's cool--has been a member for 3 years now, converted from Catholic. He felt the influence his wife had on him by just living the light of the gospel. We didn't get a whole lot of teaching done, but we did fulfill the tasks that were asked by each of the members we stopped by.
We also went to Stake Conference here in Manteca Stake, both the adult session, and the Sunday morning. It was okay. I got bored half way through the 2nd one. The one thing I did get out of it was to 1. Have the spirit in your life, and 2. Understand how it feels and how it works. There was a funny story that a mother told about her 3 year old daughter. One day, she was very teary eyed and said, "Mommy, you know that warm tingly feeling from the spirit. Well, I feel the spirit." The mom was cool about it. Another night, about midnight, the daughter gets up super excited and wakes up her mom and says, "Mommy, I feel the spirit and it's in my hand." The mom realizes in her half dazed state that her daughter slept on her arm and was saying that she felt that warm tingly feeling that we sometimes say to kids is how the spirit feels. Her arm actually went numb, so the mother clarified and sent her off to bed. The point was, children too can feel the spirit no matter how young they are or how much they really understand about gospel principles. Children want to feel the spirit. Simple as that.
That's about all the fun things this week, have a great week everyone.
Sincerely,
Elder White
Elder Brown and Elder White 2nd cousins both serving in the Modesto,CA Mission
got to meet each other
Dear family and everyone else,
What a wonderful, but extremely hot week we had this week. On Saturday, we were able to move Marcia Baker in the Jones' house. Marcia had enough with all the harassment from her renter, her roommate, his homeless friends, and her ex. It felt like an Ammon experience where we got her out of a situation where she can reside in a land that she can be protected, nurtured with the good word of God, and harvest her blessings by accepting the restored gospel. What peace, what serenity our Lord and Savior has for his son's and daughter's. The lord is bound to what we say, but whenever we break our promise with our Father in Heaven, he can't promise any blessings for us. D&C 82. We, just like Ammon, truly love our convert. We prayed as he prayed, praying on their behalf from fear of loosing our fruits, and the lord directed their path. Now she is kept safe from the storm of life, able to grow.
We also had another special Zone Conference where President wanted to council with both parts of the mission discussing how we can best retain what we learned and put it into effect. He also discussed with us the resolve of the mission goal for baptisms per missionary per month for the next 12 months. The mission, and President Palmer, came to the conclusion that 4 was the correct number. He also reconciled that we should sustain his decision and pray for the strength that we can fulfill this goal that we have set. Right now, our mission with the rest of the western area of the United States, are baptizing on average 2 per missionary per month for a year. President feels, along with some others, that this mission can increase dramatically soon. I can feel that, but it's the faith and diligence that counts in completing something such as this.
I was also able to finally meet my 2nd cousin, Elder Brown, at the special meeting. He seemed pretty cool, and also very chill just like Elder Shepherd. It definitely was not a long enough meeting with him. There will be other opportunities as well. I might have also met another distant relative, but I do not know yet. His name is Elder Booth, also serving in the Lodi stake in Galt. It's going to be awhile before I ever figure out if I am related to that Booth on my mom's side of the family. Oh the wonderful blessing that I received that stated that I would be able to give knowledge to the family of Adam. I see that happen all the time, both in missionary work, and finding my own family out here in California.
On Thursday, we went on splits with the Elders Quorum president and his companion so they could go talk to more people. It went well. I went with Brother McGuire, the president. He's cool--has been a member for 3 years now, converted from Catholic. He felt the influence his wife had on him by just living the light of the gospel. We didn't get a whole lot of teaching done, but we did fulfill the tasks that were asked by each of the members we stopped by.
We also went to Stake Conference here in Manteca Stake, both the adult session, and the Sunday morning. It was okay. I got bored half way through the 2nd one. The one thing I did get out of it was to 1. Have the spirit in your life, and 2. Understand how it feels and how it works. There was a funny story that a mother told about her 3 year old daughter. One day, she was very teary eyed and said, "Mommy, you know that warm tingly feeling from the spirit. Well, I feel the spirit." The mom was cool about it. Another night, about midnight, the daughter gets up super excited and wakes up her mom and says, "Mommy, I feel the spirit and it's in my hand." The mom realizes in her half dazed state that her daughter slept on her arm and was saying that she felt that warm tingly feeling that we sometimes say to kids is how the spirit feels. Her arm actually went numb, so the mother clarified and sent her off to bed. The point was, children too can feel the spirit no matter how young they are or how much they really understand about gospel principles. Children want to feel the spirit. Simple as that.
That's about all the fun things this week, have a great week everyone.
Sincerely,
Elder White
Elder Brown and Elder White 2nd cousins both serving in the Modesto,CA Mission
got to meet each other
Tyler says," I finished decorating my bike!"