Week 19 - East Lancaster

Hello! This past week has been crazy! Truly. But the Lord has blessed me and my companions. On Tuesday, elder Chamberlain and I prepared for transfers. So, first, you should know that Elder Chamberlain and I had a car accident where the airbags did not go off at all. We were driving, and following the missionaries in front of us, and the people in front of them stopped unexpectedly, and they stopped, and elder Chamberlain didn't have time to stop, so he swerved off the road into a fence, right almost over a deep ditch. The airbags did not go off, and elder Chamberlain hit his head a lot, on the steering wheel and on the side. When the car stopped, Elder Chamberlain was in seizures and wouldn't stop shaking. He had a bloody nose and bruises on the left side of his face. The ambulance came and we talked to the cops. I went straight to transfers, and found out a few days later that Elder Chamberlain just went right back to work a few hours after the accident! I am okay, and somehow received no harm at all. I was terribly shaken up, though.

   My companion is Elder Chavez, and he is pretty cool. We have been blessed by the Lord. On Tuesday, we found three new investigators! We had dinner with a small family, and their home was literally one room, no doors, and no bathroom. We were walking out, and a neighbor's kids stopped us and wanted us to talk to their mom. At first the mom said "not right now", but then when we got to the car, she stopped us and told us she wanted to get closer to God. We've taught the restoration so far. President Layton went to a lesson with us, with a guy on parole who wants to get baptized named Armando. We'll find out what happens to him. On Wednesday, we had morningside, where we watched "It's a Wonderful Life", which I had never seen before. It was really good. We have an investigator who knows already that the church is true and the book of mormon is true during the restoration! It's awesome. The Lord has blessed us. I love you all!

This computer is slow, so I only have time for a few pictures this time, but I have a ton!

Week 18 - Oildale

This week was crazy! First, I am being transferred tomorrow to a place called East Lancaster, about an hour and a half away from where I am now. I've never heard of my companion, Elder Chavez.

The work has grown because Oildale just gained a few extra neighborhoods, and there is someone we found who has been waiting for the old missionaries to return for about a month. They talked to her once, and said they'd come back, but never did, and they had an investigator right next to them who they went to and she saw them drive by like every day as she waited. We talked to her and she explained that she wants to go to church but doesn't know where it is, and that she reads the Book of Mormon they gave her that day with her children!!! I don't want to leave now, but I know without a single doubt that the Lord really needs me in Lancaster! I can promise that.

We were walking down a street in Oildale, and this lady called us over, and explained that she was a victim of abuse, and showed us her scars that looked new, and we explained that the word of two missionaries might not be sufficient, but that God does love her and puts her in trials because He knows she is able to do it. She cried and whispered, "That's why I called you over here." We prayed with her, and referred her to the English elders.

Another time this week a man came to us and said 'Are you guys Mormons?" And we answered yes, and he explained that he wanted to quit drinking and change his life around. After a while of talking, we explained that God loved him, and he said, "Why? Why does He love me?" Elder Chamberlain said, "Because He knows you perfectly, and He knows what you can become". He started crying and said, "I gotta go'. We referred him to the English missionaries. It was an awesome week! 

My companion and I are awesome together. We talked to the Mancera family one last time, and I set him with a new baptismal date! I need to know what happens with them. I said goodbye to a lot of people. The Lord is in this work, and I can promise that. There are miracles in life, and I am a testament to the care God has for us. I love you all, and thanks for everything.

--

Elder Daniel Jacob Sant

"Go and Do"

Week 17 - Oildale

 

I am doing well this week! Christmas decorations are everywhere this week! I love it, and Elder Chamberlain's mom sent us a small Christmas tree, which is awesome! We do have technology to teach with. We get supplies from the Zone Leaders, who get them from the Mission Office, and we will get them this week.

My companion is going home next transfer, so he and I might have one transfer more together.

My favorite Spanish word is probably.

I am sleeping well, and it is getting cold, but inside it is warm. I do snore all the time though, so what my companion does is clap as loud as he can, and it usually gets me up for a second.

The only homesickness I have is that I want to hear from you guys, but I get that once a week!

My Birthday in the field was fantastic, and thanks for everyone who has been helping me grow and learn to be a missionary. Thank you so much for that gift of all the pictures of people I love. It was literally the best gift ever. I also got an awesome tie, my new favorite. The other Spanish elders bought me a cake, and the people who got a video of people singing me happy birthday was my ward mission leader, who is bomb. On my birthday we had a nerf war.

I talk to my mission president maybe once a transfer. We can call him anytime. My president does write back, but it's usually the same message for everyone. I don't blame him for having 200 missionaries.

 I love that quote from Acts 5! hey rejoiced for being worthy to suffer shame! Hebrews 11:37-40 connects well with that. The world is not worthy of them.

I am having an amazing, epic experience, and here as a missionary, and I really am learning about Christmas on a deeper level. I also am learning so much about the Sacrament. I love that we do that personally for ourselves every week. It's the only ordinance we repeat every week.

When we taught the Moncera family, we were discussing the word of wisdom, or more, arguing about it, and the Spirit wasn't there. I prayed to Heavenly Father, and I said, "I've been pretty quiet, but I've been waiting for a moment where the Spirit would be here." I bore testimony of the Sacrament. I need the Spirit or I just cannot speak, much less another language.

We went to the Carrillos, and Wesley, who is the most prepared to go on a mission that I have ever met. I truly love that guy, and he just needs to lose two more pounds before he can go on a mission. Armando Carrillo was saying things such as the following:" To be honest, I do not care about your book. I do not care. Your priesthood is of the devil!" Wesley stood up and said, in essence, "You cannot say that the authority of these men is of the devil! You will not say that! I testify that they are servants of Christ! They have sacrificed so much for this mission, just to come and see you guys. They are representatives of Jesus Christ!" They were silent. We left the home with a prayer.

I love you guys! 

--

Elder Daniel Jacob Sant

"Go and Do"

Week 16 - Oildale

This has been a good week. I am doing pretty good. For thanksgiving we went to the Medina family's home, and they are so awesome! A lot of Hispanic members have been threatened to be deported, especially the Medinas. They are super kind, though. My favorite food was the ham. We had and American dinner there. The weather has been weird recently. It has rained three days in a row. My investigators are a slower process than I expected, but the Lord is providing us with miracles.

   Our ward is doing pretty well. There are some interesting things happening, and they might reorganize stake boundaries soon. 

Something funny that happened this week was when, during exercise, we were doing headstands, and for my first try, I held myself for a few seconds, and I tried again, and...

Something sad that happened this week is with our investigators, the Carrillo family, the father is loco. The mother is the kindest person ever, and he believes that we are government agents planning to kill him. He says "If you guys are from the government, tell your boss this and that and this." His girfriend thinks he is crazy, and he'll talk for a while, and she'd say a line, and he'd tell her to shut up. It's super sad. We offered to give them a blessing, and he denied as we brought out the chair for it. We went to the side of the house as we left and blessed the home. 

Something happy that happened was that we have met our zone baptismal goal of 6 this month! The Lord is in this work. I appreciate all you guys do, and I love you! By the way, in December, our mission is going to watch Mcfarland, USA, because that is our mission.

--

Elder Daniel Jacob Sant

"Go and Do"

Week 15 - Oildale

 So, we have some pretty good investigators. On Monday we went by the Monceras with Bishop, and Eddie and him are best friends. It's awesome. He is reading every day, from what we can tell, and he reads to his wife who can't read too well. We got Chris and Kimberly's brother Erik as an investigator, and we have to go super slow with him. He has a girlfriend who is amazing. They both agree that they don't want to do anything before marriage, and they have faith. We are kind of losing Juan Garcia, so please pray for him. Also pray for the Carrillo family. We had the family come to church, and they didn't like it, saying "Where's the statue of Christ? Why aren't they reading from the bible?" and other things like that. We'll have a lesson to explain why we do or do not do certain things. I learned a lot about listening to the Spirit. We hope to start teaching Juan's mom. 

About my investigators, to be honest, without them, I wouldn't be happy as a missionary without them. The Lord has been trying to teach me to love them, and they really keep me happy. 

Speaking of love, there is a thought that I have been trying to apply to my work. So, God has asked that we love our neighbors and our enemies. I have had a thought about loving your enemies or even people you haven't met yet. It made me think of a few years ago when Elder Bednar came down to Louisiana and had a youth discussion. He said "I love you guys. You can say 'you don't really know me, how can you love me?' But I do, and I can. I love you because I know who you are. You are sons and daughters of God." That quote then made me think of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. When He suffered in Gethsemane, He took upon Himself our pains and infirmities and sicknesses of both body and spirit. In essence, He's lived the stubbed toe and the car accident and everything else. Really, He has lived our whole lives, one after the other. With that in mind, He is really in us. When I eat dinner at a family's home, I can see Christ in each of them, and in me. I can see Him in there. When I talk to people on the streets, I can love them for two reasons that I can see; because they are children of God, my brothers and sisters, and because I can see the One I try to love all my life in their eyes. 

At church we listen to the English translation because there aren't enough headphones even for the ones who need them. 

We do go to ward council, and my mission leaders really are amazing. They really care. There are, in total, two sets of Spanish missionaries, and our zone leaders are the only English missionaries. Our district has two sets of sisters and two sets of elders, and the zone has four sets of elders and three sets of sisters. 

I did get my winter coat, and it is getting a little chilly.

Something sad that happened this week is when the Carrillo family left church early.

Something challenging that happened this week was when all of our appointments fell through, but it taught me to pray in faith, and we knocked on doors in promising places! 

Something happy that happened this week was finding out that the Monceras are reading together! Thanks for praying for me:)  I love you guy, and thanks for praying for me. I do have photos this week! 

My comp is awesome.

 

 

 I leaned back too far and while I was studying.

 What I eat.

 What I carry.

The view from my livingroom window.

Elder Homegren was AP legend.  He just went home.

Week 14 - Oildale

The weather has been looking less polluted, but about once a week our neighbor smokes weed and it gets all over our apartment. The first night Elder Chamberlain and I both woke up with headaches and burned eyes because it was just so thick.

Our town has the Highest pollution in the US.

We tract in a town called Oildale, a town literally in the top 10 most dangerous and ghetto cities in the US. It also has the Highest teen pregnancy rate and a high murder and drugs rate. I think going to Woodlawn has prepared me for that kind of stuff, though. It is very interesting to see the kind of stuff that goes on in Oildale, and it is very ghetto. 

When we knock on a door, this is what happens:

*Knock knock knock knock knock knock knock

*Door opens

"Hello?"

"Hello, how are you doing?"

"Fine"

"That's awesome. Well, we're missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and we're in the area to share a message about Jesus Christ to people who might need more peace in their lives, want stronger families, or just want to know more about God. Do you know anyone who might need this message?"

"Well, everyone needs that message". 

"Do you think you could benefit from this message?"

"Yeah, what's it about?"

"Well, first, God is our loving Heavenly Father...."

My favorite food is tamales! Have you ever had them? They are really good.

I love talking to people about Jesus Christ.

If I look out my window, I see a big tree, and a street called Real Road. Speaking of that, there is a street called Easy Street in Oildale, but as you might imagine, it probably isn't the one from Annie.

On clearer days, you can see the mountains. There is a ski resort in our mission, a place where it actually snows.

Our investigators are pretty cool. Our big investigator is Eddie and his family, and we have really high hopes for him. He has finally started reading the Book of Mormon, and is taking notes and questions that we'll hopefully answer tonight.

We picked up a family, and the father is just messed up a little. He smoke weed for many years, and just has no idea about who Christ really is and is proud about what he does know to where he won't take any other knowledge, and we're trying to help him with that. His wife is the sweetest lady though. If not married to him, she would be baptized, I think. We're working on them though.

Juan says he feels uncomfortable about leaving his Catholic religion and doesn't want to join the Church, but he hasn't kept any of our commitments either, and that's what he needs to do. 

I got sheets and a blanket when I first came in. 

What I eat every day is, after showering, honey bunches of oats with fairlife chocolate milk, and for lunch I have eggo waffles with nature valley bars with chocolate milk, and dinner often depends on if we have members feed us. But I also drink chocolate milk.

Something happy this week is that Elder Vellvehr and Elder Jacobson set up a lesson plan for devout Christians that will definitely help.

Something sad from this week is that Kim, one of our recent converts, had her appendix taken out, and we're not sure where she's living, possibly with her boyfriend.

Something funny was that as we were walking to an investigator, we saw a home with a home-made sign that said, spelled exactly like the following "BEWEAR OF DOGS!"... I love Oildale.

Something challenging is that Jose has a super strong belief in the Trinity and says "Are there three Gods? No, just the one." We're working on that, though. 

I love bearing my testimony of Jesus Christ the most.

It can be hard to plan things out for the day.

There are many Hispanic families in the ward who feel super terrified about Donald Trump, and some couldn't go to church.

It was a great week this week!!! I left my camera at the apartment a half hour away, but I have this week's and next week's pictures next week.

I bear my testimony that fasting changes lives and brings miracles!! 

I love you all,

Love,

Elder Daniel Jacob Sant

"Go and Do"

Week 13 - Oildale

This was a great week. On Monday we went by referalls and taught the Moncera family. We found an 81 year-old man named Jose Ocampos who is still working in the Grape fields! It's crazy. He is super cool, though and really kind. He can't read, so he says he'll ask his wife to read for him. On Tuesday we went by more referrals, because it turns out that Elder Jacobson has had tons of old teaching records from our area, so we are going by them. We went by Juan and Jorge, and it turns out he opened to a random verse and read it. Our investigators are not progressing, so that little choice he made was big. We went by Jose Ocampos on Thursday and gave him a large Libro de Mormon. On Friday we stopped by Kim and their crew. They are super cool converts, and living with non-members. On Saturday we went to a baptism, and we sang in it. The woman baptized cried. We had Stake Conference that night, which was good. Elder Acosta came from the 70. On Sunday he held a special Spanish session for Hispanics only where he just answered questions. We went by more referrals, and found an amazing person who prefers Spanish to English, so we have to give it to the sisters. We went by Eddie, where the above testimony by Berinese was given. We also went to Kim and their family, and they are doing okay. Monica, the oldest, quit her job, though. We invited her to come to a special session from Elder Bednar where he wants to talk to 18-30 year olds. She might come. Today has been a good day.

Here are some pictures:

Also, thanks for the emails you sent. I love you, and I hope you are all doing well.