Nov 9 - 16, 2009

It has been a little slow again this week, but we might be introducing the baptismal commitment to one investigator. If she does get baptized, it will be the first baptism this area has ever seen. My companion was actually here when the area was created five transfers ago. My bike seat has started tilting back and I think the screw is stripped so it just slides back at each bump.

We've started missionary choir practice. We're eventually going to sing/perform some Christmas hymns. It's pretty fun.

And I've now finished Jesus the Christ. As far as a favorite part, it might actually be where the Jews are stubbornly condemning Jesus before Pilate. A heathen, and a sinful one at that, is defending their king, but the Jews are determined to put his blood on their head. His telling of the event, with great pathos, brought water to my eyes.

We got a baptismal date with an investigator! It's set for December 6th, the last day of the current transfer. We had the President of the Relief Society with us when we taught our investigator this last time. That's when we got the baptismal date. The member was a big help seeing as she was a convert herself. Our mission is reading the first four books of the New Testament in honor of the Christmas season.

Side note - the locals keep their Christmas lights up all year. They usually staple them to the house and then add the yard decorations.

And please tell Aunt Barbara "Thanks" for the check she sent.

Until next time, with love, Your son, Adrian

Nov 2, 2009

I had a great opportunity and experience this past week. I was able to attend a sealing session at the temple. It was my first time seeing it for living people. A brother and sister in the ward, married ten years ago when one was not a member, were able to get sealed in the temple along with their four kids. I don't get the opportunity that often in the mission field to go to the temple so this was a real treat.

This week we somehow had five investigators at church for the first time in my mission. We weren't expecting four of them. They are an investigating couple and their two daughters. We had been working with another sister trying to help her get her kids to Church when this family showed up. We've had some cool experiences out here, so in short, however things turn out, my great hope is to be worthy of the trust that Heavenly Father has put in us with the investigators we have.

Keep those letters coming!

October 22, 2009

We had two investigators at Sacrament meeting this week... One of them is actually a brand new investigator. We met her this past week. She's had a little exposure before and she wanted to come to Church but she needed a ride. We agreed to get her one and asked a less-active sister and her husband to giver her a ride. This provided a little more commitment on their part. Since the husband is a non-member that made two investigators. What's more, there just so happened to be a baptism after church that day and our new investigator stayed to watch it. The part-member husband still has to work through a smoking problem.

My bicycle tire exploded the other day. It happened while my companion and I were talking for the first time to a neat family, especially the head of the household. The father said he had a brother whose life he saw change for the better because of the Gospel and so now he is interested in the message as well (wow). We gave him a Libro de Mormon and he kind of started trying to read it right there, before we finished talking to him.

We've been working and meeting with all sorts this week from meeting with less-actives and talking about science and religion, to crazy tracting stories, including kids scared of 2012, people who like us, people who hate us, people of every shape, size , type and sort.

Sept 28 - Oct 1

To answer your questions:

Yep, there's a little more Spanish use here. My district of six is actually entirely Spanish missionaries in this ward. No, I don't usually teach a class, but the first week we were here we taught the teachers. We pretty much have normal church on Sunday. Well, we also have Coordination and PEC in the morning.

I'm learning a few things about bikes. I already one flat tire in the first week, and I bought a replacement tube, and another in the second week, but I didn't need to get a new tube (it was one of those self-healing ones). I also bought a bike pump, since I'm going to need it. I hear being on bike can be expensive. But I should keep the pump for the rest of the mission, of course.

At least I've managed not to have to buy another tube since, though I'm not sure if it's being better at bike or more familiar with the self-healing slime now. I have had to remove a couple other thorns at one point, but I was able to keep the tube.

My companion is from Phoenix, Arizona, but he was born in Mexico. His name is Elder Lopez. He's been out only one transfer longer than me, though he went through the MTC in three weeks, because he already knew Spanish, so he's been out in the field two transfers more than me. It's actually just me and him in this new apartment. And we still have a washer and dryer, so I'm happy about that. I'll get a picture of him and send it home eventually.

At zone conference we talked about using the Book of Mormon as evidence and helping investigators understand their purpose. One analogy I liked was: One man convinces another to run a race, however, he then proceeds to show up at random times of the day and tells him to run laps. As missionaries we need to lay things out as clearly as we can.

'Til next time, Adrian

new location and baptism invitation

Email of 9/20/09

"So... what makes you think that your parents may have a tendency to
over-stress... ;-)" - Oh, I don't know, maybe nineteen years of living with them. ;-)

Thanks for your work on the blog (& facebook) and your relayed comments. It was cool to get and hear about, since I don't do internet other than e-mail anymore.

Yes, I'll probably get to travel back to see Raul's baptism. You do get to do that. I have a pretty cool story/mission experience, though, that I'll be sending in this week's letter. (see below)

I was right about going to the valley. I'm actually in San Bernardino itself, now, and yes, I'm on bike. The good news is that I'm six months into the mission and it hasn't been stolen yet! I have learned a little bit more about bikes, though. And the U-lock is pretty neat. I carry it everywhere now.

Letter of 9/14/09 -

Hey, I'm in my new area! I'm now actually in San Bernardino! I'm also on bike and I've already had a flat and had to buy a replacement tube.

Apparently, this area hasn't had any baptisms for a while, but my first week here we got to set a baptismal date! I was meeting a part-member family, the father's an investigator and the mother is a less-active member. It is the second time he has investigated and the topic of baptism came up. We were both busy resolving concerns as they were mentioned. He had worthiness concerns because he didn't feel as patient as the brothers he saw in the church.

The concern was real to him and I thought about the invitation by Alma senior at the waters of Mormon. I brought out and read that scripture. It was one of my neatest experiences so far. I looked up in the middle of reading the scripture to see his face staring intently at me. We were able to set a baptismal date for October 11th. It was a spiritual moment and though the investigator is a good and jovial guy, I could tell that he felt the Spirit.

I keep remembering looking up and seeing him looking at me. My own recognition of the Spirit there jumped up a notch. I'm glad I could be here at this time.

email and letter excerpts 9/20/09

As you may have guessed, we did not receive an email on Labor Day and his letter was delayed as well by the holiday. So today's blog entry will have excerpts from Adrian's letter on Sept 8th, and email and letter on Sept 15th. We also received some pictures and a couple have been posted here on the blog. More are posted on Facebook for Kristi Pepperdine.

We are exactly two weeks from Adrian's Birthday. So if you see this blog, send Adrian a birthday card!!!

Now to his letters. From Adrian...

Guess we're seeing the need for a righteous people. A people with weak moral character is going to have a hard time surviving. It's pretty much a law of nature.

I sure do enjoy zone conference. I was quite sad when I had to miss the last one in order to go sing at a funeral. But the next one should be coming up later this week. I'm leaving the desert, by the way! The weather's just started to cool down for fall, anyways. I don't know yet where I'm going but it's practically assured that I'm going into the valley area. I'll write about the area and my new companion next week.

One of our investigators, Raul, has a baptismal date now! It's set for Oct. 24th. We'd taught him about fasting in our previous two lessons but had left him with other commitments (like coming to church). He didn't make it to church, however, when we visited him on Wednesday, he said he'd fasted and read in the Book of Mormon and really enjoyed it. It made him feel clean inside and freer from sin and guilt. So, we were able to get a baptismal date! We'll still have to work with him to get him to church, but it's pretty good way to leave an area.

We got the chance to attend an "international festival" Saturday night put on by several wards. It was quite the event and well done. They had several Hispanic booths and performances and also a Polynesian booth, and an American one. They even did some cool American old-time rock and roll. And two little girls did some Irish dances. We ate there with the Marin family who are some recent converts who were baptized before I came.

I have one insight I'd like to share now that I've been out on my mission, and that is the importance of home teaching and visiting teaching. I've been raised in the friendly, strong, and healthy Carrollton 1st Ward. Now I've worked in another ward and heard stories of others and worked with less actives and attempted to have people fellowshipped in a ward that has a hard time being warm and friendly. I realize how much the Church needs its members. Hmm.. who would have guessed. :-) But it is true.

Here is a quote from "True to the Faith". "How you react to challenges is a major part of determining happiness in this life and in the world to come." I have now read all the way through "Our Search for Happiness" and "Our Heritage" and am currently reading "True to the Faith". After which, I will read "Jesus the Christ".

And a special Thank you to Aunt Cindy for her package. Hope you enjoy the pictures I sent home.

Email and letter excerpts 9/1/09

In answer to your question, OYM stands for Open Your Mouth, in which case you just sort of walk around and talk to people in the streets. So up here, you don't get to talk to nearly as many people as in the valley, I hear, because the valley's more populated and dense city-like. I hear they have more investigators down in the valley also, so that might be something to look forward to if I get transferred in two weeks.

One random note, I am currently the youngest missionary in the apartment. The other junior companion came out 3 months before me.

I got the Ward missionary newsletter this past week ... that was pretty cool.

We were able to get back in contact with an investigator named Raul, and we thought he wanted to come to church this week, but he didn't show up. On a positive note, there's a little bit more news with Jesus (the former atheist investigator). Due to the missionary area changes, he's not in our area any more but I still keep up with the news as he was once our investigator. Jesus and Jenny came to church this week. It's clear when talking with Jesus that he actually understands the significance of what we're saying and takes it seriously.

'Til next time,

Adrian