Nevermind - 06/24/13

So, it looks like my companion (Elder "O") and I won't be spending another transfer together. On Saturday, we got a phone call. Emergency transfers! Elder "O" left for Redlands, and they replaced him with two missionaries, Elder "B" (who looks like Daniel Craig) and Elder "M" (yes, his great-uncle's name was Bruce and a former apostle. And guess what Grandma!? His Mom went to East High!). 

 

So I'm still in the same ward, living in the same house, only the room has 3 guys in it instead of 2. It's a little bit cramped, but we compacted everything as much as we could, and we seem to have a system that will work for all three of us. Waking everybody up and getting through the shower and breakfast thing took a little longer, but I'm sure we can work it out. 

I was super scared that the investigator girls would be standoffish after Elder "O" left. They are definitely sad that he's gone. But I think they like me enough, and they accepted Elder "M". We taught a really good lesson there last night. Elder "M" said he felt like a missionary for the first time. 

Oh yeah, Elder "B" wasn't there because he went back to an old area to baptize somebody. That's always exciting! I will be going to Murieta for a baptism on Sunday the 30th, right before the official mission change. And Sister "BC's" baptism will be later due to complications with her back surgery. So I'll be able to go to both! And I won't have to hop mission boundaries to do it! I'm super excited about that. We also don't have to worry about finding a companion/teamup for my companion while I'm gone... there are two of them! So that's convenient. 

The missionary broadcast was really exciting! I don't know what to say or what to think about what they said. I'm just waiting for any changes to come down the pipe from President Smart. We are awaiting further light and knowledge. If you didn't watch it, the big news is that the church still expects the membership to do missionary work and find people for the missionaries to teach. The ward needs to provide us with people to see, whether they are non-members or members who need help. Retention and reactivation will be more prominently figured in our work, real growth does not equal baptisms. Missionaries will be using the internet to find during slow hours of the morning (!!!). Church tours will be a more common thing. Our membership needs to work to fill our planners with meaningful appointments so we won't have time to knock on doors. And man, I can't remember the last time we got this much instruction from the quorum of the 12 in between conference sessions. It was pretty cool to see it all go down! I feel like I'm in the mission field when some really cool things are happening. Remember that the work of salvation excludes no one!

Also, one of my favorite quotes from the broadcast: Patience with children comes easier when they are asleep. :D

As We Wind On Down the Road - 06/17/13

Sorry for being late two weeks in a row. This week had nothing to do with the availability of the library, and everything to do with how completely wiped out I am after hiking Box Springs Mountain again. I'm not going to suggest hiking as a P-day activity anymore, because we had a lot of grumpy feelings at the start of the hike, which resulted in two of our elders and our two sisters giving up on the hike shortly after we started. So only eight of us actually made the hike. I had fun. But I got pretty sore, and a little burnt again. Worth it? Totally. But I'm done with hikes for a while. 

So here's the scoop: My companion and I are staying put, which means we're both staying  in the Riverside mission. Six more weeks in Moreno Valley. Our zone didn't change very much. Sister "M" went home to Hawaii today, and will be replaced by Sister "H", who was just serving in the Jurupa 1st ward. My first area! Elder "A", my companion through my surgery, went home to DC.  Nobody is leaving the zone. The Canyon Springs ward missionaries will no longer be covering the Hidden Springs ward. They put in the rising superstar Sister "B" who will be training not one, but TWO new sister missionaries there. I believe she may have the hardest assignment in the whole mission. God bless her. 

The transfer meeting was full of emotions. I could tell that President Smart and his wife were especially touched by the whole thing. Sister Smart said that he put more thought and prayer into this than anything else she can remember. They almost got into an accident on the way over and President Smart told us that he's sure that God is in control. He also joked about how if he'd gotten in the accident, then he wouldn't have had to do the transfer meeting. But then our driving coordinator would take his car away. I am glad that Pres has a sense of humor. He also fielded a question about our mail by saying that "our office staff will make sure that you get no mail."  I laughed. 

I got to see lots of my old friends at the meeting. My last companion is still not ready to be my friend, it seems, since he tried to avoid me the first few times I saw him. So I respected his wishes and kept my distance. All my other friends got some ridiculous Elder Hansen tackle-hugs and we had a good time. 

I guess I should clarify... all my other MALE missionary friends. I don't go running around hugging sister missionaries. In fact I usually try to avoid them.

Oh yeah, they also split some of the zones into two zones. That threw us for a loop. But our zone stayed pretty much the same. No big deal. 

I may have to figure out how to be in two places at the same time, because I found out that two of my investigators are on date for the same day: Sister "BC" the sweetest lady in the world from Jurupa, and "DP" the 13-year-old dude from Murrieta. And both of them asked for me to come back and baptize them. I'm not sure what to do, but from the phone call I had with my Ward Mission Leader in Jurupa 1st, he thinks "BC" might need more time. She just had back surgery, and is still down and out. But, if she does get baptized, I am going to be the happiest Elder ever. I spent about a whole 24 hour period thinking about her and how much I miss her between the time that I talked to the Jurupa 1st ward sisters and the time that my old mission leader called me and gave me the full picture. I just could not get her off my mind. I really hope that she makes the commitment and that she finds the faith that she's been looking for. 

The work here in Lasselle is slow but still good. I think there is lots that can be improved upon, and we've already started. The families that we're working with are looking up, and I'm excited to have a great transfer with my current companion. 

Well I love you guys tons. I hope you had a great Father's Day, and that you took the time to thank the father figures in your life! I'm so grateful to have a goofy dude to look up to and keep me in line when I'm being especially dumb. You're the best, Dad. And you thought I wasn't paying attention... :D

I don't want to come down - 06/11/13

So, sorry for being a day late. The library's computers weren't working. So, here I am a day late. 

Things have been pretty good here with Elder "O". Our one alcoholic investigator dropped us via text message, which was sad. And my favorite 13-year-old girl will be spending most of the month with her real dad, so we won't be able to teach her at all. Which is also sad. But there are cool things happening and I'm excited to see how they turn out! One investigator seems to be searching for the truth of what we say, but he's stuck in his Christian paradigm. I think he will progress. We are really enjoying teaching him with a recent RM. We also had another member bring a friend to church, who will probably be taking the lessons soon. 

The two girls from the part-member family that we love are a bit more finicky than I thought. I previously thought one of the girls was a slam-dunk but it doesn't seem that way anymore. I just really hope that my companion stays here for another transfer or else I will struggle to hold the family's attention and trust. 

That's another thing. On Saturday, we will have a live transfer meeting. Every missionary in the zone will be meeting in one spot and President Smart will tell us who's getting transferred where. Then we can say our goodbyes to everybody going to the new missions and have a big going-away party. The central location is actually going to be our stake center, so that'll be convenient. I'm looking forward to seeing some of my old friends. 

Elder "O" and I are still marvelously good friends. The work is relatively slow, but enjoyable. I got in a little bit of a funk when we were stuck inside being sick for so long. But God always knows how to pick me back up when I am low. 

We hiked a pretty strenuous hike on Pday. There's a giant M up on the mountain nearby for Moreno Valley, and we hiked to it. Well, six of us did. The other six were sick or made some excuse not to come. The six of us that were really manly all went up an enjoyed a really great hike. Pictures are on somebody else's camera, but I'm told they're pretty great. I was carrying the water and Gatorade, not my camera. 

My old companion Elder "A" goes home after this week. I've seen some growth and improvement in him.  I hope he adjusts well to the real world. 

Well, I'm not sure what else to say. I'm expecting to stay here another transfer, and I hope my companion stays with me, but anything can happen. Wherever we end up this transfer is where we will be when the mission boundaries get split into the three new missions. 

Biking isn't too bad, in fact I kind of like it, but it sucks how sore I am after that hike. I need to get back in shape! Actually I think it was just a really hard hike. 

Life is a lot like a hike. Sometimes it's tough. Sometimes the path splits, and you have to make a choice. If you don't know where you're going, it's easy to get lost. If you're not prepared, you could get hurt. Personally, I got pretty sunburnt on our little excursion. The toughest parts always have the best payoff when you get to the top. If you need help, there's always somebody who's been there before. And if the footing is unsure, you should stand on the rocks. Like the rock of our redeemer, who if men build on, they cannot fall. 

I love you all tons, and I hope that you have a wonderful week!

I Get Knocked Down, But I Get Up Again - 06/02/13

Most of this week was spent in bed sick. First my companion got sick, then I did. It was like a Pepto-bismol commercial. Gas, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea! Also headaches. It wasn't very fun. We would go out in the evenings even when we felt terrible because we were so stir-crazy and tired of being stuck in the house all day. I feel bad that we didn't get to teach our newly found investigators as much as I would have liked. I hope we don't lose them.

 

I had an odd thought occur to me recently. I was particularly struck by the lyrics to the song "Don't Worry, Be Happy" when I heard the song being played at our little get-together with the Samoan ward on Memorial Day. I think I've heard that song a grand total of three times over the course of my life. But I really like it now. And sometime in the week, I remembered the talk I heard at the MTC where a general authority talked to us about that song. And then a day or two later, I remembered one of my friends from college (Elyse Coolidge) learning that song on the guitar and singing it to me when I went down to Columbia to visit. Good memories. Good song. I should probably pay attention and learn not to worry. I seem to have inherited that trait from my mother, but I'm trying to be more of a warrior instead of a worrier. So far, so good!

Our Zone Meeting on Friday was a success. I think the zone plan is far superior to last month's, mostly because it is measurable and achievable and sensible. My companion was feeling particularly grumpy that day, but I think most of the zone took it well and is excited about working hard this month. We have the potential to baptize a lot this month, and we are driving towards it, full speed ahead.

 

One of the things that was implemented in our zone plan was to report a series of fractions every night, relating to how many of our lessons  to investigators had a member present or fit a couple other criteria. Well, one of my elders that reports to me said "I can't report our numbers tonight because it's mathematically impossible." Having served with this elder and kind of understanding his odd attempts at humor, I replied, "With God all things are possible. Divide by zero." So he did. God's missionaries can divide by zero, it seems!

 

I am starting to grow very attached to a couple families in our ward. One in particular had me in stitches on Saturday night when we came over for dinner. They have a daughter that is home for the summer from BYU-Idaho and between her and her parents, we were cracking jokes all night. I really needed that mood changer after being stuck inside all week.

 

Well keep calm and do your home teaching. I love you guys!

Getting Away with Murder - 05/28/13

This was a day late because of Memorial Day:

I'm hanging in there, and God has decided to dump some pretty fantastic blessings on our heads. I'm very grateful for the stuff that happened this week.

I heard from the Sisters that are serving in Jurupa 1st ward about a couple of my old investigators. One of them is having back surgery soon. She felt like the sisters showing up to her house was an answer to prayer. I texted them and sent them to her house for Mother's Day, telling them to be sensitive because her son died around this time last year, so I was an indirect answer to her prayers! She committed to come to church every week after the surgery, and committed to baptism. I had her so stinking close to baptism when I was in Jurupa, and then she went cold and dropped us.  I sent her a letter in the mail, we'll see if she responds.

 

Another investigator that I had high hopes for has been flaking out on the sisters.  A former companion of mine in Jurupa is now in my district in MoVal, asked Pres to call her and ask why she hasn't been working towards baptism. Both of us talked to her, and managed to get her to want to come back to church and get baptized. She was so grateful that we somehow have a way of getting her back on track. Hopefully the Sisters can finish the job. One of the sister missionaries who took over the area directly after we left, was strong enough to push her through all the lessons and got her and her inactive boyfriend married, now we just have to get them through baptism and into long-term church activity.

Interviews with President were this week. I brought up to him that "L.A,", who I baptized in Jurupa in October and recently took me out to dinner, is getting married in the Newport Temple in October. I lamented that I probably won't be able to go. He said that Elders have gone to San Diego before, and Newport is roughly the same distance, and me attending her temple sealing would be a definite possibility. He instructed me to pray about it and ask him again in September. Last time I was told to ask him again about something, it ended up being a "no", but I really, really hope I get to go! "L.A." was a tough nut to crack, and she loved us so very much, and she's so strong in the church now. It would make me so happy to see her sealed for time and all eternity.

 

Saturday evening we met an inactive member of the Samoan ward that had some pretty deep questions. We answered them and got her in a pretty good mindset over our first and third dinners of the night - not even joking, my companion literally ate three dinners, I only could stomach two. We may also teach a non-member friend of this Samoan family, we'll see. 

Sunday, somebody brought a friend to church that pulled aside and wanted to learn more! We taught a pretty great lesson and will be seeing this guy again today at a member's house. We would have told the zone leaders about how thrilled we were to have a new investigator, but our phone started acting funny. In technical terms, it was power cycling. In practical terms, it was useless. We borrowed a phone from our dinner appointment to text in our numbers. Then we headed to our last appointment of the night. 

At this appointment, I was amazed again at how prepared these people were that God had put in our path. This was a part-member family that has been eluding us for the past three weeks. But the two daughters agreed to take the lessons, and one of them asked if Elder Owens could baptize her. Now we have five investigators, instead of two. We exceeded my goal and more than doubled our teaching pool! I couldn't be more pleased. 

Our original investigator is doing fine. The 8-year-old little sister is getting baptized on Saturday by my companion. The alcoholic was out of town this weekend, but we haven't given up on him yet.

 

Our memorial day was pretty great, too. The Samoan ward invited us to a party that lasted most of the day, and then we went to a barbecue at our bishops house for dinner and the rest of the evening. A couple of the recent converts and less active families that we work with were there, so I didn't feel completely useless. Some of the little kids tried to climb on my lap and chased me around with Nerf swords, so that was an adventure, as well. My companion and I had a blast! Pdays are pretty cool to begin with, but this was even cooler. Next week we are going on a hike.

 

This has been a massive email, so I'll close with a line from a conference talk that struck me this morning, maybe because it echoed the sentiments on prayer that I shared with the inactive Samoan and because I've had so much to thank God for this weekend. "Sharing our thoughts, feelings, and desires with God through sincere and heartfelt prayer should become to each of us as important and natural as breathing and eating."