So this week Elder Pilling just really enjoys a few things, for starters Elder Goodman and I had an exchange back in Walnut Canyon!! We served 3 months there together so that was pretty neat. Elder Goodman is back serving in that ward so it was actually an approved exchange. I also went on a few other exchanges which is always good you know:)
Also I figured out how to get some energy...it's a drink called Mountain Dew hahahaha. Either Voltage, regular, or I really like the taste of diet Dr. Pepper. oh so good. Anyway I think it's good. And what's the deal with Aspartame? I know it's not good but if someone could fill me in that would be great.
Everyone here is getting ready for July 4th. They've been shooting off fireworks and it's honestly hard to tell if it's gunshots or not. Oxnard is pretty ghetto.
Honest and Sincere are getting baptized next Monday!!! So excited for them all. Once their sports were over and since it',s summer, they felt ready to take the step. So baptism the 8th and Temple the 13th. I love those kids, they are fun to teach. In other great news, Angel and Dominic Zaragoza were baptized as well. They were 2 kids I loved to teach in Santa Barbara. Pretty neat to see them take the step for baptism! They were 20 mins early to church on Sunday!!! Really cool for them to be examples to their parents. Things just keep getting better and better.
Joel freaked out and felt pressured to be baptized so he is re-evaluating his decision to be baptized July 27th....little bit worried for him but I think our plan is a pretty decent plan.
And the last lesson I'd like to share was with our buddy Steve. He's 17 and SOOOOO receptive to the spirit. After we taught the plan of salvation we sat in silence and he started to break down and then exclaimed, "Why did my parents ever stop going to church!" It was pretty sad to hear because we see this often. The parents cave for their children and start doing the kids activities rather than the important activities like church attendance and Come Follow Me. Now that Steve knows his purpose, he wishes his parents showed him the way through his childhood. So keep that in mind.
In other good news Lauren and Vince in T. O. are getting baptized in a few weeks!!! And Phil still wants to take that step. Love that whole family oh my goodness they neeeeeeed this.
Anyway we keep plugging. In June we had the most baptisms this mission has had in 5 years!! And before then, this mission had Bakersfield. It has been extremely exciting to see all the miracles happen. I will share an experience from one of the Hermanas:
Hermana Kennedy relates the following story:
“We brought a young woman to come to a lesson with us at the church on Monday night and right as we pulled up to the church our friend texted us and said that he was asked to stay late at work and wouldn't be able to make the appointment. We sat in the foyer and asked Juliet, the young woman we had brought, to tell us about her friend Gali who we had just heard and couldn’t believe wasn't a member. She had been to sacrament meeting and young women’s consistently for almost a year. We assumed she was a member. She told us that Gali had said she’d been wanting to be baptized! We asked her if she knew where she lived, and we drove to her house together that night. We met her outside her house and got to know this sweet young woman. She expressed to us that the church had helped her make better choices and knew it was the one she wanted to be a part of. We went home that night and planned together of how we could prepare her for baptism in only 5 days. We wrote out the lesson schedule and prayed to know if it was God's will for her. We felt like Peter walking on water, preparing someone we met that day to be baptized in the same week. We made plans with her young women’s friends and then went to sleep. On Tuesday we met Gali's family and got permission to baptize her. Wednesday, we taught her and as she listened light began to fill her eyes. We invited her to be baptized Saturday, June 29th. She was so excited. Her hands were shaking throughout the lesson but confidently answered yes. This should have taken place months ago. Her humble commitment to follow her Lord and Savior brought our mission baptism total back up to 30 when it had fallen to 29 just hours before. It was a complete miracle. She had been prepared for us to find, teach and baptize. I can now relate in some small way to how the apostles must have felt to walk with the Savior and witness His miracles. His love for His children is real. This is His work and if we do it in His name, we will see His miracles. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen” (Hermana Kennedy)
Well there's the wrap people. It's been beautiful here and more sunny than usual.
Love yah
Elder P
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