Blessings on the HILL OF DEATH

Okay. Yalll need to listen up. Fasting works. It’s really powerful. Especially when you have a large group of people fast. It’s crazy! I never expected or could imagine so many miracles happening here in The Fort but due to this fast things are really picking up. Just a heads up this will probably be my last transfer in Fort Ord. I am up for a transfer in about two weeks. Its normally four transfers an area. Things could change, but that is the most likely route. Things are going really well here and I am excited that the work is picking up. It’s really cool. We are having another beach bonfire this Saturday and this time we are inviting everyone we know. We have 35 families on our list of people to contact and invite. It should be huge!

Spiritual: One of the biggest miracles we saw this week while we were fasting was a man named Joseph. We had met him before and actually street contacted him. He lived in Marina so we gave him to them as a referral. We met him again this week on the street. He was pretty down about life. His really nice bike had just been stolen and he was pretty mad. We talked a little then asked if we could pray with him about it. We did and then had to leave. We were able to meet up with him this Thursday and while talking to him he told us about how after we had prayed a little later he had gotten a call from the Santa Cruz police informing him that a backpack that he had lost a little while ago had turned up. He was in tune enough to see that the Lord had given him a small little blessing letting him know that He was there. It was incredible. Joseph ended up coming to church and tonight we are going to have FHE with him and challenge him to baptism. Joseph is interesting. He is 23 and has been in all sorts of yucky situations. He is a military brat and has moved around a ton. He had been all over the country and had done a lot of drugs and had a lot of bad experiences. He told us that he was really seeking for the Spirit in his life. At church he made the comment that the things that we talked about (FHE, families, and service) were all things that made him happy just in a way that his natural self didn’t like. What an amazing man to recognize this. I honestly don’t think we know quite what we have. We can’t understand how powerful this gospel is to change us or how powerful the spirit is that permeates our meetings. I am seeing that more and more and my gratitude is growing for this chance to see how meaningful this is to us. I believe that the trick is to let this spirit permeate us and change us. It’s really hard to do, but the spirit is there and no matter who we are Heavenly Father wants us to change. 

Funny: This last Thursday we were doing a lot of service. Helping someone move, then building some planter boxes for an investigator. We went to dinner and changed into our proselyting clothes. We put our service clothes in our bags and headed off to our next appointment. This appointment was scheduled to begin at 8:00. There is the HILL OF DEATH that goes up to this appointment and we had already ridden it once that day. I thought it would be really smart to not go up the mongo hill and go through the golf course that had a much more gentle climb. We had never been through the golf course before and the only light we had was my dinky little light that you couldn’t see 5 feet in front of you. So we went for it. It was a good ride with lots of turns and fun stretches. we only went through a couple of sprinklers, and at the end of the ride we had a crazy part down this big sand hill and through the woods but finally when we came out we were at our investigators house on time and all was well. Until I looked in my bag and realized that I had two shoes when we started this ride and now I had but one little sad shoe. That was not good. We borrowed a flashlight from our investigators and took off again. I was riding a fair distance behind my companion looking for the shoe when up ahead I heard him scream stop short and then laugh. I thought it was strange but at that time I found my shoe and picked it up. Yay! I rode over to my companion and he had a strange look of disappointment and relief on his face. Yes. He had seen a skunk when he rode by with its tail up in the sky. He was not sprayed and neither was I so all was well. We decided to forgo another skunk run in and go up the hill this time. As we were rounding the corner by their house the skunk popped out of the bushes again and proceeded to prance across the road with its tail waving high. Again the protection of the Lord was upon us and we were saved. Yay! The Lord has a way of protecting his missionaries. From skunks and blessing them with lost shoes.  

Where I am at: I keep saying that miracles are happening! I am so happy to be here when the work is going forward. I think it’s so amazing! It’s so interesting to be here at this time in our countries history. I love this work. I thank God every day for this chance to be here doing this work. I am so eternally happy to see people come closer to Christ. It’s great. Thanks for all of your support and love. I love you all!