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Dear Family,

 

I have been well, and am currently on the way to be a better missionary.

 

2-8-16

We cleaned the apartment today, more for the deep cleaning of the carpet and for the counter tops and the dreaded stove, (you apparently aren't supposed to burn everything out of the oven then clean it because it could light the oven on fire) so we had to scrub it for forever but thanks to hot water and scrub brushes we finished cleaning it.  We then left to the zone activity which was Volleyball, which looked suspiciously like soccer and football.  We left the activity a little later then we planned so we had to have a 10 minute COLD shower, because the hot water has to travel so far (not even 20 feet), but the pipes go up out of the top and make a u-turn and go under the house and provide water for us and our neighbors, but when we were leaving for our appointment they called us and cancelled.  We then went tracting and had dinner at the James’ and we were served Philippian monkey rolls (which is pork because you can't  buy monkey meat in California (the one none too crazy law they have here)). Later we saw a truck that said "JUST DIVORCED"; oh how the world has warped it's perceptions of what is right and wrong, they purposefully mistake Good for evil and evil for good.

 

2-9-16

Zone meeting was today, the main portion of the meeting was on preparing for your investigators and not "winging it", and it lasted from 10 am to 5 pm (I was in a meeting for 7 hours and wasn't bored out of my mind.)  After we talked about everything in the first hour of the meeting we actually went into the doctrine, we asked questions and bounced them off of each other. It was a very insightful meeting, they even had an activity for those that were visual learners, they drew pictures, and I got to read more. We were late to our dinner, they drove FAST, not like 5 mph but like 15 mph, (assuming he means over the speed limit LCVE) we got there safely and told ourselves never to be late again.

 

2-10-16

We did Mormon.org training today, we later taught Richard to use the footnotes in the Book of Mormon to gain a further understanding. We then went and tracted Chestnut and found 3 potential FAMILIES that we could come back and teach (Thank you for your prayers and fasting), although one the members of a family got arrested for Drug use and not reporting in to his parole officer in 3 months (yes, people in California are arrested for drugs.)  We tracted some more but my companion, Elder Chamberlain was grumpy for the rest of the night because we got no one else. We then had dinner with the Pluffe family, we had a sandwich and taught a short lesson on Honesty, then tracted the rest of the night with a grumpy companion (yeaaaaaaaaaaa, NOT) we then went to Bro Rowland to boost ourselves up some (my companion more than me, I was still on a spiritual high from meeting 3 potential families).

 

2-11-16

We met with Malveua Thomas and taught him the restoration, he accepted it and our challenge to read and pray about the scriptures and tracted the rest of the day.

 

2-12-16

We ripped out carpet for some members that were using it as a dog room and the carpet was still wet in some places, all of our appointments cancelled but Malvuea called us and wanted to be taught the next lesson. And we tracted the rest of the day.

 

2-13-16

We did service with the Elder's Quorum and cut wood for the widows and the widowers.  We cut about 1 and a half to 2 cords of wood.  We then weekly planned for the day because guess what... our appointments dropped us for dinner.  We went to the Orozco's and they told us not to preach to their family.  We then went back and finished weekly planning.

 

2-14-16

Malvuea Thomas came to regional conference, and he liked it so much that he requested a copy of the broadcast, we then visited members and tracted till dinner, which by the way we were put in between a rock and a hard place, they said "come out to eat with us or we will have a pizza dropped off at your place" it's a Sunday, I believe that there is something called keep the Sabbath day holy and we weren't able to convince them that they didn't have to give us a pizza but they gave us one anyway.

 

Sincerely yours in the service of the lord,

Elder Van Engelenhoven