The day the music died - 02/25/13

I hardly ever listen to music in the car here on the mission. Some Elders have lots of churchy music of various sorts, but I'm usually talking to my companion or enjoying the silence when we are driving around. But every morning, I wake up with a song in my head. I've noticed very few repeats. It's amazing to me how much stuff is stuck in my head. It seems like it leaks out onto my pillow at night and I spend some of my shower time trying wash it off. Or sometimes, trying to figure out the lyrics. I think most of my music that I listened to will be appropriate for my new spiritual standard when I return from my mission, but a few songs for sure will be deleted. That's part of progression. You've got to give up some of the stuff you enjoy that is bringing you down. 

For those who didn't hear, my mission boundaries will be redrawn in July to accommodate all the new missionaries. Our mission as it exists today will be modified and become a part of three missions: the California Riverside Mission, the California Redlands Mission and the California Carlsbad Mission. The church is opening up 58 additional missions by splitting existing missions, meaning that no new countries will have missionaries in them, but there will be lots more missionaries in the countries that have them. It's a fun time to be in the mission field, for sure! 

My wonderful companion is working his tail off to get more teaching appointments. I don't think I've adequately taught him anything about finding, but he's already pretty good at filling up our evenings with appointments, and he's excited at how much success we're having with that. We had some very informative visits with our ward mission leaders and our Murrieta Hills bishop that gave us lots of ideas of who we should be spending our time on.

 

We had an interesting time on Thursday, baptizing a convert into our ward that we never taught. The Murrieta ward elders had been teaching her, and she was attending the Murrieta ward with her friends, but she had already been blessed in our ward, and that is where she and her Mom are living, so she got baptized as a member of our ward. The Murrieta elders also confirmed her in our ward meeting this Sunday. Time will tell if she attends the ward she lives in, or the one she's been attending, or both. Bishop told her she could basically do whatever she wants. But she is technically our responsibility, and our Young Women's leaders are busily trying to get her involved in our ward. 

Have I mentioned how much I love our Young Women's President? Everybody in our ward council meetings is so great to work with. Even the Sunday School President is pretty involved and has given us two referrals since I've been here. I'm really stoked about our wards. But! My companion and I have made the concrete goal to make ourselves so busy with these two wards that there will be more than enough work for both wards to function on their own. We want them to be autonomous by by May. Granted, Mission President can do whatever he wants, but we want to make sure that there is plenty of work going on in both wards 

One of the coolest things I've heard this week is about the Holy Ghost. Before being baptized, the Holy Ghost is like a lightning flash that brings you out of the dark and illuminates everything in a detail that you've never experienced before. Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost is like walking into the sunlight of a clear, sunny day. Pretty cool analogy. 

Well, we have two youth on date for baptism in March right now, and we hope to have two more on date by the next time I email you. The work continues to amaze me every day that I take a few seconds to think about how blessed I am.