Week 91 - Palmdale

 

This week we knew that one of our biggest concerns was finding, so we prayed and we decided that every other person we would talk to everyone so we hold each other accountable, and it works great. We found the prepared. We found one family that we shared the restoration with. Amalia and her kids, Riberto y Isaia. They are awesome. We shared 2 Nefi 31:3, about how God wants to reveal the truth and does so clearly, and then we shared Alma 5:33-34, which says that God's arms are outstretched toward us openly. It was a powerful lesson. The kids and the wife loved it. The husband was in and out because there was a man there working on the house. It was a good lesson. Too often we focus on the pamphlets, but the pamphlets often just become unnecessary crutches. The scriptures are where it's at. 

   In personal and companionship study, I learned from Mosiah 24:14 that God doesn't always deliver us FROM our afflictions, but He visits us IN them. They trusted God and had such great faith that as they saw their burdens being made light, they had their faith confirmed. It says that "they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord." Like in Mosiah 3:19. It isn't a painful experience or a sad experience to submit to the will of the Lord, but rather if we're patient, and we don't act out of fear, we have a cheerful experience, because His burden is light. 

   This week we really wanted to focus on the people that we already had, and yet we found the most than we had found in a very long time. The Lord's timing and knowledge is better than ours, and I think that by focusing on the people we had, the Lord blessed us with more to teach. 

I love you all, love Elder Sant

Week 90 - Palmdale

Hello everyone, this week has been pretty  good. Elder Hanchett and I have had some really good miracles. First, in our studies:

   I first studied the Love of God, and then trusting God, and then repentance, and then doubting God. It was actually very interesting. Basically what I learned was that Laman and Lemuel followed Nephi sometimes, but the almost always did it out of fear. Fear is never enough to change a heart. For example, in 1st Nephi 17:53-55, Nephi shocks his brothers, and they humble themselves and help him build the boat. In 1 Nephi 18:15 and 20, they untied his brother and humbled themselves, but only out of fear of the judgements of God. Sometimes I act out of fear, which brings temporary consequences, but when we act in faith and hope, it brings lasting and eternal blessings. And that is how, like in last general conference, it was said by Elder Robbins that we go from "failure to failure without losing enthusiasm". It is by not fearing God. Sometimes we want almost to scare the people we teach into doing the Lord's will, but we need them to act in faith, not in fear.

   In District Meeting, we talked about how Nephi in 1 Ne. 4 followed the Spirit and knew it was of God because he weighed out his options. He saw that it was a good thing. Then from the story of Saul waiting for the Prophet Samuel to offer a sacrifice unto the Lord, but then deciding that it had taken too long and it would be better if he were to offer the sacrifice, that it is better to obey than that which we think makes more sence. We cannot outsmart God. This was from 1 Sam. 15:22. It lead to another scripture, 2 Ne. 4:19 which is my favorite.

   This week we had a church tour with Maricela, and the Spirit was extremely strong. It was a very powerful lesson. She loved it all and asked many questions. On Friday we had exchanges, and there were some elders who were having a hard time having the faith to find, and Elder Hanchett did an amazing job at inspiring them to find. On Wednesday night, there was a lady who called us and asked us why we hadn't come to visit her in so long. Of course we came by and helped her out. She loves the Gospel and says she knows that the church is true. She said she could not be baptized because by doing so she'd be breaking one of the 10 commandments which is to honor her father and mother, and that by getting baptized in another church she'd be dishonoring them, but that's the same as Nephi in 1 Nephi 4 saying he can't kill Laban even if the Spirit says because it's one of the 10 commandments not to kill.

    We talked to Victoria, our recent convert, and taught her about the Restoration, reading from Joseph Smith History. She loved it and said she wanted to read the rest of it before the night was over. It was interesting that just because the light came, Satan fled. If we stay in the light, Satan loses all power over us. Elder Hanchett taught me that, as he has taught me many things.

    For church on Sunday we talked about unity in the ward, and that the Lord cannot prepare people for the Gospel if the ward is not unified, that the Lord wants to send these prepared people to "Zion", where the people are of 1 mind, but he won't settle for less. Like in Alma 16:16, that there was no inequality between them, so the Lord was able to prepare by His Spirit the hearts of the people. Thus we are passing around a calendar for a 40 day fast where for a member takes one day for every day of the month to fast until the end of 40 days, and they do it so they can find the prepared.

   Every day I love the Spanish language more and more. I find myself talking to English speaking people and I cannot for the life of me think of the word in English. It's pretty interesting. 

    I love you all, and thank you for your prayers. 

   Love Elder Sant

Week 89 Palmdale

 

This week was pretty good. We got a referral from the zone leaders, and we went by, and it turned out to be a really cool person. We would say something, and she'd consider it intently and then ask a question. She said it would take time, but that she would be willing to find out if it was true.
   We went on exchanges, and I went with Elder Thomson. We went by Victoria, a recent convert, and we taught the plan of salvation, drawing it out on a whiteboard. We titled it "La vida de Victoria". She was so amazed. She looked at us and said "they never taught me this, I thought there was purgatory and then hell after that". Apparently she wasn't taught that before getting baptized. When she found that she would be able to see her mother in the next life, resurrected and perfected, and be able to do the work if salvation for her, she cried. It was very powerful. There was a part where we talked about faith and how in life we'd be tested and we need to take leaps of faith as there is no other way. We also talked to Lorena, Steven, and Mario. We tried to set them on date, and Lorena was so willing, but Mario wasn't.
   At chirch, a less-active woman I helped and taught in Little Rock, but had moved to Esperanza, came. It was really cool because she lives in my area, and in Little Rock we weren't able to teach the husband, who wasn't a member, but now we can! It's a really cool miracle. Sunday night we were walking down the street and found a family that thought that "Elder Saint" and "Elder Fillmore" were rankings in our church, like I was "Saint" level. It wad pretty funny. They were really cool and wanted us to come back. There was another guy who opened the door and said "Are you Mormons?" We said "yep!", and he perked up and said "Cool! Mormons are nice!" He closed the door behind him and we talked for a bit. He also wanted us to come back.
Something we've been doing is sharing scriptures as contacts. If we don't bring the Spirit, then they don't know what they're accepting or denying, so even if they're skeptical, we ask if we can share a scripture, and then after we share it, the Spirit comes and testifies. Hearts have opened from that. We've also offered blessings on the home for family peace.

   Something I learned is about a small culture in the mission amomg Spanish Elders, where we look for the houses with moons and suns and the Christmas lights still up to find, but Elder Fillmore and I were going through a court, and there was this house that was full of
moons and suns and "Bienvenidos". We decided to walk right past it and knocked their neighbor's door. We did, and just as we did, a woman pulled into the driveway, bringing her kids home from school. It was perfect timing. If we had knocked the other door just because we figured that they would speak Spanish and not because the Spirit told us, we would have missed the perfect timing to share a good scripture with this woman. I learned the importance of following what the Spirit wants of me, not of just where there will be hispanics.
Things are doing well here, and I am grateful for the chance to serve and see miracles. 

Week 88 - Palmdale

 

Hello everybody! This week was extremely interesting. First, we had an emergency transfer because he cannot drive, and I scraped the side of the car against a garage. Elder Fillmore went to Bakersfield, and I got Elder Hanchett. He is a great elder, and though I miss Elder Fillmore, I am glad to be with Elder Hanchett. We worked in the same district in Buena Vista, So we're pretty good friends. We had some good miracles this week.

   We talked with Silvia, and we talked about the Book of Mormon. She had a lot of questions, and considered everything we said. She said it was something new, but that she wanted to know if it was true. We also talked about Prophets and Apostles in our day. She's pretty prepared.

   We also did family history work with Victoria, our recent convert. She found a name to take to the temple, but before we could go, the nurse taking care of her son with disabilities cancelled, so she couldn't go. We taught Lorena, Mario and Steven as well. We read 1 Nephi 2. Explained how God asks us to do hard things, but that we'll be blessed when we obey. We invited them to read every day and pray every day as a family. We gave Steven an English book of Mormon and a CTR ring. He was like interrupting his mom because we're basically best friends. 

   We were going down a street, and I saw that someone was selling carnitas, quesadillas, and tacos, so of course we came by. We got some food, and they gave it to us for free because we were "servants of the Lord". We shared Alma 7:11-12. They really liked it. 

    We taught Maricela on Saturday about the importance of following God's commandments and how God wants them to follow Him, but there are always obstacles in the way, and then on Sunday we taught the restoration. She didn't come to church, and so we came by, and she said that everything happened to stop her from coming to church, and in the end, she didn't go. She loved the restoration, and we kind of scared her, but that was necessary because we can't be soft about not following God's commandments. This week I learned a lot. I learned the following this week: Faith is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true. You cannot have faith in something false. If God says "Have faith that I can help you and make you successful and bring you help necessary, it is something true or we wouldn't be able to have faith in it. Think of all the promises granted us in the scriptures, the things the Lord asks us to have faith in. It has to be true. "All true faith must be based upon correct knowledge or it cannot produce the desired results". 

   I love you all,

   love Elder Sant

Week 87 - Palmdale

 

This week we had exchanges with the zone leaders. I went with elder bankhead, a good friend, and we were able to find some pretty cool people. He gave me some good advice that I needed about the area. It happens to everyone, but one day my companion, before getting out of the car, told me "I'm done. I have no faith to find." I told him that without faith that there would be no miracle. He said, "yeah, there's probably someone here prepared and Satan is just trying to stop me."
We went down the street with rejections left and right, and we went down one street, and saw a man getting things out of his truck. We had a real good conversation, and talked about a quick restoration. He said that there would have to be a true church of God, and he didn't know where it was. We asked him what it would mean for his family if there were a true church of God on the earth. He said he'd be willing to try. We gave him a Book of Mormon and invited him to read it.
We talked to Maricela, amd she didn't go to conference because she put the wrong address into the GPS, and it took her to another church, and she was basically like, "Well, I'm here. Might as well stay." We set her on a baptismal date. She accepted it, and when her husband didn't want to, she gave a bunch of reasons why it makes sense, using what we had taught her.
I learned in my studies from Alma 5:48 a pure testimony of Jesus Christ. 49-50 explain our missionary purpose. For district meetong we talked about the ways that we can build unity in the ward.
We had a meeting with President Layton where he talked about the ways the wards in the stake can do missionary work. It was an inspired meeting.
Thanks for everything.
Love,
Elder Sant

Week 86 - Palmdale

 

Hello everyone,
This week was a pretty good week, especially because of General Conference. Let me just say that President Russel M. Nelson destroyed priestcraft among priesthood holders and a lack of heart in "Ministering" efforts. And he is opening unexpected areas for the blessings of the temple! The Lord is indeed hastening His work.
This week we went by one family, and invited them to General Conference. It was powerful. We explained many blessings to be received by going to General Conference, and asked them if they wanted the blessings. They said "Of course," and we explained that blessings and miracles come by faith, and that when we have enough hope that if we go to General Conference, we'll receive the blessings, to decide to go, that is faith. By going to General Conference, they'd be acting in faith, having enough hope that God would give them the blessings if they acted to try. It was probably one of the most powerful invitations we had ever given, but in the end they didn't come. We're going to find out what happened. 

   There was a scripture I read just before General conference in 1 Peter 3:15 that then appeared in General Conference that affected me both times. I think it is a good reminder to be ready always to think of your blessings so you can testify of the joy of the gospel to others. If you're ungrateful then you won't be ready to tell others the reason of your joy. I know the Lord will take us by the hand in our endeavors, especially the ones where it requires those leaps of faith.

   I love you all,

   Love Elder Sant

Week 85 - Palmdale

 

I was sent to Palmdale again, and there have been some good miracles that have been given us. For example, yesterday, we were walking and Elder Fillmore said "This isn't right. There's something else we've got to be doing." He turned around and knocked on the door of a potential investigator and she opened, let us in and said her mother needed us. We found the mother, and she had just come back from the hospital 8 days earlier from a fractured leg and an amputation of all the toes of her left foot. She looked at us and said in Spanish "How is that you knew to come here in this moment?" She was in a lot of pain, and we gave her a blessing. By the end of the blessing she had fallen asleep, and the family had gaping mouths. After giving the blessing we gave the family a Book of Mormon and invited them to read it. They held that book as though it were the greatest treasure.  

   There was another man, as we were walking down another street, who was surprised we'd be out in the rain in the afternoon. He said that his father had just passed away, and that he felt we were sent by God. He didn't think he could ever becone better, but we explained the story in 2 Nephi 4 when his father Lehi had died. We invited him to read it. He said he felt he'd be unworthy to come to church, that coming and then sinning and repeating that could be like slapping God in the face, and we told him we go to get clean, not because we're already clean, and Gpd knows when we're trying. He's from Armenia, and he gave us some Armenian soda afterwards. We were going down another street and this lady opened up. After getting to know her a little, she started to cry because she felt God wasn't there. We testified that He was and she said it'd still be hard to believe. We promised that by reading the Book of Mormon, her family would all be blessed. We left her with 2 Nephi 2. The Lord has provided many miracles for us. In my studies I learned the following. It's a quote from Jeffrey R. Holland. 

   In that sense Jesus did not come to improve God’s view of man nearly so much as He came to improve man’s view of God and to plead with them to love their Heavenly Father as He has always and will always love them. The plan of God, the power of God, the holiness of God, yes, even the anger and the judgment of God they had occasion to understand. But the love of God, the profound depth of His devotion to His children, they still did not fully know—until Christ came.

   We often misunderstand the Love of God. 

   I am seeing miracles here on the mission and back home. I love you all, 

love,

    Elder Sant

Week 84 - Buena Vista

 

Monday night was terrible for us. We had just finished a bible bash with an investigator, and another investigator seemed super annoyed by us. I was SO down. But on Tuesday, plans fell through and we decided to pick a street to tract on. We both had the maps in our phones, and we both chose the same street! We went to the street, and on the first door we knocked, there was a lady answered who said she was super interested, and that she'd read the Book of Mormón, and that her family would be interested. 

   We taught hna Jackie, and it was a little late, but we taught her about the Book of Mormon. 

    We taught the plan of salvation to Samantha. She liked it and she understood the importance of coming to church. She told us that she felt like she was too young to know the truth right now and that she felt a little blinded, as though she wouldn't really know the truth until she was old enough to decide for herself. We told her that God would answer even a 14 year old, but she would have to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it and come to church in order to receive an answer and the answer would come directly from God, not from us or her friends. She sounded excited to find for herself. Miracles are everywhere. 

   In the story of the woman who was sick with an issue of blood and knew that by touching the clothes of Jesus, she'd be healed, is such a simple idea, as also is "touching the stones" and making them shine from the story of the brother of Jared. We present the lord with an idea that is so simple and hope-providing, we just have to act in faith. Anything that will make us stretch, if we trust what He says, will provide miracles. Also, I am getting transfered to Palmdale, the same zone as little rock, but in Esperanza ward. I am so sad to be leaving, but what the Lord wants will make me happier than anything I would rather like right now. 

   I love you all,

Week 83 - Buena Vista

This week was good. I had tacos on Friday with our investigator Sandra from a taco truck. We invited her to be baptized, and she was like, "I'll pray about it." We went to Oak ward's district meeting, and it went well. We read Ether 12:14-15

   14 Behold, it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi that wrought the change upon the Lamanites, that they were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost.

   15 Behold, it was the faith of Ammon and his brethren which wrought so great a miracle among the Lamanites.

   Sometimes we think it's all on the investigator whether or not they read and find an answer, but it was the faith of the missionaries that caused the faith to change hearts. 

   We were on exchanges, and we decided to stop by an investigator we hadn't seen in a very long time because she hadn't been home or answering the phone. We decided to go over there, and she was outside! Turns out she got a new phone and got super sick. It was cool that at the moment we felt we should go we were able to help her. Her son asked her what we teach and she basically taught him the restoration! It was awesome. We had MLC, and it also went pretty well. We taught Brandon's family, and they want to get sealed in the temple, and so we invited tgem to come to church and repent as necessary. 

   We also taught a man named Luis, who has been investigatingthe chirch for a while. We taught the restoration and invited him to finish 3 Nephi 11, after starting it with him. He told us that the church has to be true, but that he'd have to sacrifice and change a lot in order to accept and join it. We drew out, and then taught the parable of the sower, how there were the seeds that grew quickly at first, and then died as well, but that the strong seeds took time, sacrifice, and effort, but that it would stay strong and grow into a big tree. He could be like the first seed, where it took little effort and we was excited in the moment, and then withered after the moment passed, or be like tge latter, which grew slowly and naturally in to a firm and immovable tree. We told him that he was the last tree. It would take sacrifice and effort, but totally be worth it. 

   In my studies I've been learning a lot about faith. It has been pretty intere

   We taught a partmember less active family, and they just have a pet owl in their shed outside. Keep praying for us, and I love you all.

Week 82 - Buena Vista

 

Hola, this was a pretty good week. To start off, we did some service Wednesday night for a member that's going to move. One of his friends was there, and after we had done the service, we all started talking, and an hermano said that he was a recent convert, she asked what it was, and after explaining it, she said "just like when I get baptized." 

    She said she didn't want to go another week without church again. She said she owed it to God. She came to church, and moved her work an hour later so she could come, and it was testimony neeting, and everything was amazing. She cried! I've really been learning about faith recently, and I see the effects that grow from having it. 

   There was a baptism we went to in the zone, and the man baptizing looked like he had never baptized before, and the man hit his head on the font's steps. It was all super awkward, but after, the bishop held a testimony meeting. One of the investigators in the audience came up unnanounced and in tears bore her testimony. She said something I'll never forget. 

   "My brother died last week. I'm not crying because he died, but because of what the missionaries taught me: the Plan of Salvation."

   She was amazing. Despite a super awkward baptism, the Spirit was still so strong. Here's something I learned. 

   "Giving him enough time to be out of sight, I said my last prayer—that I wanted my family to know I loved them and that Jimmy could make it home safely on his own—then I leapt. There was enough adrenaline in my spring that the jump extended my arms above the ledge almost to my elbows. But as I slapped my hands down on the surface, I felt nothing but loose sand on flat stone. I can still remember the gritty sensation of hanging there with nothing to hold on to—no lip, no ridge, nothing to grab or grasp. I felt my fingers begin to recede slowly over the sandy surface. I knew my life was over.

“But then suddenly, like a lightning strike in a summer storm, two hands shot out from somewhere above the edge of the cliff, grabbing my wrists with a strength and determination that belied their size. My faithful little brother had not gone looking for any fictitious tree branch. Guessing exactly what I was planning to do, he had never moved an inch. He had simply waited—silently, almost breathlessly—knowing full well I would be foolish enough to try to make that jump. When I did, he grabbed me, held me, and refused to let me fall. Those strong brotherly arms saved my life that day as I dangled helplessly above what would surely have been certain death.”

   What I learned: As we take our many leaps of faith, He is ALWAYS there to reach out and take us and never let us go. Every time. Are we destined to fall? No, but to acheive gloriously. 

Even though we feel like nothing is there, just gritty sand, He is there. Even though we feel He is not answering, He is waiting breathlessly for us to take our leap. That's from Jeffrey R. Holland's talk Where love, justice, and mercy meet. 

    I love you all,

   Love Elder Sant