(January 1, 2015)
Hey family!
Well it was a great Christmas and New Years last night. The
big news?? I am in Stockton! And I am with Elder Sanhueza again! Haha it's time
for round 2 being companions! It's hilarious. I love the guy so it's fun. New
Years Eve in Stockton is crazy though. They say the police go under the
overpasses at midnight because everyone is just firing their guns everywhere.
We weren't up around midnight but we started hearing all kinds of stuff around 10:45.
So that was fun. An Elder woke up and got a recording of it so I will
find a way to send a little to yall!
Sounds like you guys had a fun couple weeks :) It is good to
hear that Christmas went well and that everyone is safe and sound! It has been
chilly here with a terrible breeze of death. So that has been fun!
Being transferred was part bummer because we found a sweet
family of 4 that accepted baptism before I left, but that is usually how it
goes ;) The area here should be fun. I am excited to see what it offers.
Not too much other news other than that! We went laser
tagging with the zone last night which was super fun. Haven't done that in a
while!
Well there is not much time but I love you all and I hope
that you have a good week. Stay safe and get those Resolutions going!!! Love
and miss you all!
Elder
Stone
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(Dec.
15, 2014)
Hey
fam!!!
So
it is good to hear from you all. I don't have much time so this will be quick!
But it is cool to see the pics of everyone! Yall look great and I miss
you!
So
this week was pretty good. It went super well till Sunday when no one came to
church! Super frustrating. We had a member go to pick up Rosa and everything.
But the transfer goes on! We were able to get a few people on date that really
needed it this week, which is good.
We
have been teaching a semi-older couple Gildardo and Juana, who are really cool.
They have been taught a lot in the past, and she seems more ready than him. He
is super hesitant to change and has had bad experiences with the Catholic
church which make him believe that all churches are just businesses, which is
really true for the most part here it seems. But we are working through that
and he loves the doctrine of the church. Change is really hard, who can blame
him? But they are fantastic people! It has been fun working with them :)
Narciso
was being a little lame when we saw him the other day. He got caught up on time
and you just believe what you want and it will all be ok. But he said he would
definitely read and so we will be by there soon again. It could really bless
his family.
I
was a genius once again and planned exchanges with bike Elders on Thursday, the
new stormiest day of my mission ;) It was pretty miserable but the Lord blessed
us to still get in many homes. It was fun. Plus being Elder Thomas' companion
for a day again was an adventure ;) Love that Elder.
So
the big news this week. Our mission and the Fresno mission are being split to
create the new Modesto California mission. It will go on church news tomorrow.
It breaks my heart because All stakes Lodi down will be part of the new Modesto
mission. This won't affect my mission because I will be gone by the time it
goes into effect (estimated July), but it is pretty shocking news! But it is
directly from the first presidency, and the 12 will be in charge of all
reassignments. The Lord knows what he is doing!! I will let you know updates
when I hear them!
Things
are going well here! It is good to hear that the weather is getting more
Christmas-y! I hope the week goes well and you guys have fun and stay safe
:)
We
had temple conference as well this week. Multiple zones get to go through the
temple with the mission president and his wife. It was amazing and the spirit
was great. Then they do a Christmas musical program! It was great.
Well
I love you all and miss you all. Be safe and know you are always in my prayers.
Elder
Stone
(December 1, 2014)
Hola familia!
This week was interesting! These past 4 days I guess. They have
been looooong! We weren’t able to get much done this week unfortunately. We
were bummed that nobody came to church, even though a member went to pick up
Rosa. But things go on. Sometimes Satan makes you want to force people to do
things but oh well! We will get them next week. We have plans, especially for
Rosa and Julia. We need to really step up our finding game this week. There are
too many people that are not progressing. We haven’t had much time to dedicate
to finding, but the situations that we have seen have been guided by the
Spirit, which is always very cool. There are tons more apartment complexes that
we need to check out and find those Hispanos! We have found a lot of people
from Afghanistan, which is cool but not so productive. Muslims are amazing
people though. We had a full lesson with one really nice man that spoke pretty
good english, and it helped me remember that there are sincere believers and
amazing people no matter where you go, trying to make a difference.
The members have been awesome here. I feel like all of our
missionaries in the district (which happen to all in the ward) are pretty
discouraged, which is hard. But there is a lot that can be improved with better
member relations. Member missionary work is going to explode and we are already
seeing awesome things happen. This past week we received about 8 potential
member referrals that we will be following up on this week. It is going to be
awesome.
We have been getting a little bit more rain which is nice. The
weather is staying cool. The area is great one of the most enjoyable things
being driving past a 2015 Camaro, a Maserati and Range Rover dealership, and
tons of other beautiful cars and dealerships every day.
Yeah eating three dinners was horrific. ;) But the food was
fantastic of course. It was a good Thanksgiving but it went by quickly.
It is awesome to see all the Christmas decorations up now. The
best time of year for sure. It is good to hear that Thanksgiving and all went
well :)
I am sure that Layton is different. I wonder how he is now! It
will be crazy to see how everyone has changed.
We are in a car area! But it is pretty small and we need more
people to teach and they feed us so much here that we will probably find out a
way to bike a bunch!
Thanks for the pics and all! You guys are the best. I love and
miss you all, and I hope you are all safe and sound :) Love you!
Elder Stone
PS A scripture that
has impacted me a lot this week is D&C 11:12-13. I have wondered many times
how to know if the Spirit is with me. Read it, it is awesome :)
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(Nov.
27, 2014)
Hey
guys!!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
Holidays
don't even feel like holidays here ;) We have three meals planned today...one
at 1, another at 5, and another at 7. Then pie at another members home. We are
done for. But it will be fun :)
East
Sac is great! It is a really small zone. The area struggles with member work
and there are a few issues with the ward. Mainly, there just aren't enough
people strong enough to sustain all the callings. So it is kind of rough but
there is progress to be made!! It is great and we have had a good week. We need
to keep finding and firming up the people we have. Elder Jensen is fantastic,
and we are having a great time. It will be a good transfer!
We
have had some great lessons this week with a couple newer investigators. Rosa
is one, and she is so sincere but very very timid. She finally prayed in front
of us after a little convincing and it was great. It is so cool to see people
taking steps of faith. As long as they truly desire and are willing to
sacrifice, all will be well.
We
live in a house, with 2 other missionaries. I am actually living with Elder
Thomas, my old MTC Comp! It is fun but there is a lot of silliness that goes
on. But it a good set up.
It
was raining for a good part of the last week, which was super nice! The weather
has been great.
It
is good to hear that all is well there. Like Ashley said, the holidays are a
hard time to stay focused! But they are a very rewarding time as a missionary.
As
far as Christmas, I am really fine! Maybe just a little money for some clothes
here and there or other needs, or a new soccer ball. I really don't need much!
Don't worry about it :) Maybe another long sleeved shirt and short sleeved one
like those that you guys sent last year! They are real nice. But yeah I don't
need much :) I am definitely not starving and have all kinds of snacks!
I am
so thankful for you guys. Thanks for all the support, love, and for believing
in me! I love you all so much! I miss you and I hope you stay safe! Have a good
thanksgiving and tell everyone I love them. I will have pictures on Monday
:P
Love
and miss you all! Happy Thanksgiving :)
Elder
Stone
