Elder Corbin Moore-- Aug. 13, 2012

 Well this week has been a pretty good week. And it would have to be, because it will be my last week here in this part of the mission. The Lord has called me another way. I will be heading down to San Pedro, the southern part of the mission, and I will be a Zone Leader. So no more Downey and Santa Fe Springs, for right now. I was kinda bummed because I was just beginning to warm up to this area, and the people, and my investigators. But with new changes and responsibilities comes the opportunity to grow and be a better missionary. I'm just going to hold on tight and enjoy the ride. I will no be serving in an English area, but I will have plenty of opportunities to practice my Spanish with the Spanish companionships that are in my zone. It will be weird to go to an English ward, because up to this point in my mission I have only been going to Spanish wards. Overall I'm a little nervous for all the changes but the Lord knows better than I do. So yeah those is the big changes that are going to be happening this week.
       Our week was pretty good we focused a lot on some of the training material that we received and that really helped us to help our investigators. We visited with R and A a couple of times this week. They are doing wonderful, they have a lot of great questions, and are wanting to follow the Savior. A..a is still doing amazing, and they girls are liking the lessons as well. They came to church this week, and really loved it. It was hard for the daughters last week in church, because they are getting used to the Spanish but this week they understood and had a great time. They also went with us to the departing missionary fireside with us last night and they really liked that. Overall it was a pretty good week, and looking forward to another great one this week.
       Well sorry this one was short got to go because there is some stuff that I need to finish up on. Hope to hear from you all, and have a wonderful week.

Con Amor
Elder Moore

Everything.Happens.For.A.Reason
There.Is.No.Such.Thing.As.Coincidence

Elder Matthew Whittle-- Aug 7, 2012

CUMPLEANOS PAPI!

Que pachuca por Taluca! Cuantos anos tienes ahora papa? Como 30 algo? haha espero que lo disfrute! Gracias por ser un buen ejemplo para mi. Al seguir con mi mision me doy cuenta de todas las cosas buenas que me has ensenado a mi. Estoy agradecido por tu paciencia con migo y por tu amor. Espero que pueda andar en motocicleta o algo con M. Seria muy bien para el. El no es miembro todavia. Ha tenido un pasado muy deficil, pero el es uno de mis mejores amigos que tengo aqui en Del Mar. Se me hace muy deficil de salir de este area. Hemos fijado siete bautismos que vienen en esta mez y la mez que entra. Ojala que pueda yo regresar por esos bautismos.

 

The Moores are such a great family. I miss them all a bunch. I got a letter from Elder Moore the other week. He said he's doing really well. Seemed really positive. Tell them all hi and I love and miss them.

 

So something really sad happened this week, but in a way it was good as well. We have an investigator who all his brothers and sisters are members, but live in S M. He has 3 daughters, and he hasn't been progressing towards baptism at all. He already has a testimony of the church, and joseph smith. Well we've been praying a lot for him, and what happened is he just found out his wife, who is super catholic, has been cheating on him. So they're breaking up. It was really really sad to hear about it, but he's now is coming to church, reading, and praying a lot, and wants to be baptized as soon as he can. It's sad that it took that, but now he's really serious about putting forth the effort to be baptized. Kind of a crazy story huh?

 

Things are on fire down here. It's going so great. I've never seen so many miracles on my mission as I have this transfer. We taught a girl in the singles ward for the first time last week, and we taught her the restoration. We invited her to be baptized and she immediately said yes I will. She then asked us what do I need to do to get ready. We've taught her twice since then and she's understanding everything and keeping all her commitments. She's awesome. We taught her the law of chastity on the second lesson and told her she needs to either get married or stop living with her boyfriend. She agreed to do that as well. She has definitely been prepared. I love it down here in Del Mar. Oh ya by the way I am getting transferred. I don't know to where yet. Transfer meeting is today. The family S. are going to take me up to Vista to the transfer meeting. It was really hard to say goodbye to everybody here, but that's how it goes. I can't wait until you meet J. and M. They're so awesome. Some of the greatest people I've ever met. It's going to be really really hard to say goodbye to them.

 

Well things are all good here with me. I love the mission! It's definitely the best thing I've ever done. Hope everything is going great with all of you. Keep praying for missionary opportunities, and then Lord will give you them. There's a lot of Joy that comes from missionary work. I never want to stop doing it. Love you all. Cuidense mucho! Adios

 

Con Amor,

Elder Witle!

Elder Devin Oviatt--Aug 6, 2012

Man this week has been awesome but probably my slowest of my mission so far. We have been waiting for move calls. We think that Elder Manga is moving and I'm saying some where. But I really want to stay. OH yea  So elder Manga's Parents are going to go to Utah in october for the conference. They were wondering what they should go do and see while there. We thought it would be kinda funny if you guys met up. So yea that might be cool. OH yea so now i can officially say that Iv'e been attacked by a dog on my mission. haha We we're at Isabels visiting with her and her family and when we we're getting ready to go. Marcus Her younger brother had got the dog all worked up and he bit me on my arm. Not hard but enough to break the skin. The family was freaking out and I was Like I'm fine. It's not the first time I;ve been bitten and how Iv'e been around dogs all my life. They felt really bad. But hey for the time being I have some really cool bite marks. (: Also we might be moving apartments. We think some one broke into our flat. Its fine but yeah. We went to the London Eye again to go contacting. Thats still so much fun. Its funny how much of the Olympics Iv'e been seeing. Every ones house we go to is watching the Olympics. So yea We actually see alot of it. GO USA!!! haha. Iv'e never been so patriotic till I got on my mission.

  Oh so for P day we played football(soccer) and because we are in England we had to say a harry potter spell every time we kicked the ball. That was hilarious.

 We havn't been able to see N. t. this week. M. flog on our appointment. so yea its just been a okay week. We have been doing a lot of finding and trying to talk to as many people as possible on the bus and just where ever we are. I stil am amazed at how many people I meet from all over the world. Im loving that part of it. I want to stay here cause I love the members and our investigators but It would be cool to go somewhere else. So The end of this transfer signals the end of my training. I cant wait till I get to. I feel Like that would be really fun. But we'll see. :) I love you guys and I miss All of you. Love

Elder Oviatt

Elder Corbin Moore--Aug, 6, 2012

  Well we had a good week this last week. We were able to focus on finding more investigators through using our area book. Working with the formers investigators, and the potentials. We had picked out a couple to focus on this week and then passed by during the week. Well one of the days, it was late out and we decided that we were going to try and contact one more to see if we would be able to contact. So we checked out the address and we couldn't make out the number. We figured it was probably a 3 and then we drove to the respective area. We arrived and knocked the door, a woman answered the door and asked if she could help us. We told her who we were looking for, but she replied that no one lived there by that name. So we just proceded to tell her about our message. She said that she was busy then but that we could try to come back another day in the afternoon. So we found a potential through misreading the number. So the following day we decided that we were going to try and visit the same person but to try the other number that we thought it was. So we parked to the car and started walking to the house. As we were walking down the street, a man that was sitting out on his porch called out to us. He told us that he was a member from a different city. We continued talking to him, and found out that he was actually an investigator from a different mission that had recently moved into our area. He invited us in and we got to know him a little bit more and his girlfriend too. His name is R. and her's, A. He had been receiving missionary lesson up in the Valley, and wanted to continue with the church. Turns out one side of his family are all members and so that is going to help also. Not that he is not already prepared, because this guy has a Quad (the standard works) of the church, and he also has the missionary library and is reading, Jesus the Christ. We are going to be seeing them later tonight so I wlll keep you posted on them.

       Also this week we have been able to continue working with Al., and her two girls. We taught them the Plan of Salvation and they loved it. They had so many questions and couldn't even believe that we actually exsisted before this world. That is now their favorite question to ask their other extended family members, "Do you know where you were before this life?", it is super funny. They are progressing amazingly and are prepared to hear the Gospel. We will continue working with them and help Al.prepare for her baptism, on the 2nd of September. It funny to think that Al. was also from the Valley and just fell right into our hands. Mine I love have a good quarterback that knows how to throw the good passes.

       Well other than that Elder Stinson and I have been doing amazing. We were able to help the Relief Society president with an activity that they had for the women of the ward, and the woman investigators that we have. We are thinking about starting up an english class here in our ward. And just searching for more people along the way. Elder Stinson and I are working out every morning and then to finish the workout, I always have myself a nice smoothie that is pack with protien.

       What's new back home? It was good to hear that you all are still rocking out to that good old 80's music. I love that stuff and miss it dearly. How was the Iron Maiden concert? Amazing I bet, with a horrible atmoshere. How is J-dogg doing? Tell that kid that I want to hear from him. Also if you could talk to Josh, and let him know that I am still waiting for that letter he said he was sending?.....Glad Brayden is doing well. What is next on the agenda for him? Any progress on the papers or anything? Bernie how is the football going? Tell me what is going on. Are you playing running back? Are you playing safety? Are you 6'6", 225lbs, and ready to crush someone? If not you'd better get on that one. You got to get ready for high school ball. That is going to be next year, and you'll want to be ready for that. Make sure that you don't get lazy during the off season. Get out of the house, any from the TV and go running or something. Keyton, what is the story? I heard a little from you but it was only about priest's camp. What is going on in your life? Are you getting ready for your junior year in high school? This is the year you just have to bust you butt, trying to get everything ready, so that during your senior year you can do the things that you want to do. Always remember to keep the grades up, and that you are preparing for a better future. I wish you the best of luck. Study hard, work hard, play hard. Have a wonderful week.

 

Con Amor Elder Moore

 

Everything.Happens.For.A.Reason

Elder Matthew Whittle-- August 3, 2012

Well transfers are coming up soon. I can't believe I've been here in Del Mar for 6 months already. Time flies by super fast out here. The days just blurr together. Next tuesday are transfers. I think I'll probably be getting transferred, but you never know with Pres. Cook. I'll know by this saturday wether or not I'm getting transferred. It's really hard to leave an area. I don't like it at all. I feel like I'm leaving my family all over again. Remember the family sanchez? J and M? They're the ones I was talking about a little while back. Well they're probably going to be coming up to Utah in December this year. I told them that if they wanted to they could stay at our house. Hope that's ok:) They would only be there for a couple of days. They might just stop by and visit though instead.They're such great people. J. is a member, but her husband M. isn't yet. He's had a pretty rough past, but we're really good friends! He wants to come to Utah with me after and go camping up in the mountains, and hunting. Dad and him would get along really well. If they came by in December that would be a great opportunity for some missionary work:) and for dad to brush up on his spanish;) It's pretty good though. And we've been teaching english classes in the church each week, and Juana comes, and she speaks it pretty well now so mom won't have to learn spanish or anything;) haha. They're awesome. They have a son on a mission right now in Nicaragua.

 

 

Things have been going great recently. We've set a couple more baptismal dates, and found a lot of new people to teach. It's been really neat. It's really neat how when you work hard through the hard times the blessings start to pour out. I've definitely seen that on my mission. There have been times when you talk all day long to people and all you get back are no's, but if you just keep working hard the Lord see's that and he blesses you. You recieve no witness (blessings) until after the trial of your faith.

So last night we did a family night with the family sanchez and the family tadeo. We met the the house of the family sanchez and we had some carne asada y pollo con tortillas, salsa, aros, nopales, cevolla, enselada y jugo de sandilla mmmmhhhhhmmmmmm. estuvo muy rica! Then we played a game after. Remember the game helicopter? The one where you have a blindfold and a board and the person has to stand on the board blindfolded and then you pretend to raise the person up and then they fall. We did it to H.T. It was hillarious to see him and then we talked about the gospel and how in 3 nefi 27 Christ talks about the Gospel and how he says in .... I want to say like verse 31.. Christ says that which ye have seen me do that shall ye do also. He actually uses the word do 5 times in that verse meaning that the Gospel is what we do to follow Jesus Christ. It was probably one of the best Family Nights I've ever had.

 

Tell Josh Hola and that I'll be back in one year and then we'll basically just rock up missionary work together wherever we decide to go! We'll just teach everyone the gospel and give out Book of Mormons everywhere! It'll be awesome! There's definitely a reason behind Josh's sickness. The Lord know's what he's doing. Trust in the Lord in all thy doings and lean not unto thine own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths for good. I know that as Josh just keeps going, and stays strong in living the Gospel that the Lord will direct Josh to do what he should be doing. Tell Josh I love him, and I'm praying for him......... and that he's a stud!

 

Well the church is true! Love you all Que Tengan muy buena semana eh!

Con Amor,

Elder Witle

Elder Corbin Moore-- July 30, 2012

Whats up!! Well this week was a good one. We were able to go to the visitors' center with a couple of our investigators, A. and her daughters K., and K. It was a super great experience for them and they really enjoyed it. They were super excited to learn a little bit more about the temple, and the role that it plays in our beliefs. The sisters taught about families and tied that in to the temple and how the temple blesses families. The following day we went over to follow up on it and were able to talk with them about a phamplet that we got for them at the VC about temples. They loved it and said that they just want to keep learning more. They both showed up that the church as well. It was nice for them because it was 5th sunday which means that the missionaries were in charge of the sacrament. I didn't speak, but I did get a chance to sing with the other elders. Overall it was a good sunday and church for them. Then after church there was a baptism, so we invited them to go with us. They came and then returned to the church later that night for a fireside that they were having. They are the only investigators that we are working with right now but we are on the search for more.

       Im still working on the spanish, it is going really well. I am at the point were I can just speak in spanish and I am fine. I am trying to help Elder Stinson learn it a little quicker so he enjoys the spanish that I throw his way. Elder Stinson and I are doing great together we never have problems, which makes the work easier. The only time that we do have problems is when we get locked out of our apartment. Hahah. Which happened for the first time today. Well we were leaving our apartment to walk down the stairs to the laundry room that we have here in the complex. We shut to door behind us and when we returned we found out that the door was locked. So we tried to play with it for a little, because we didn't have a phone to call the managers. We couldn't do anything so I knocked on our next-door neighboor's door and asked her if she had the manager's number and a phone that we could use. So I called them but there was no one there, I left a message and then we started scoping out to window of the apartment to see if we had left any of them open. None of them we opened except the bathroom one. So we found a ladder and made it work for us. We finally got back into our apartment, it was pretty funny. I am sending some video feed of it.

       Well that is basically what happened this week, not to mention that I had my birthday which was just a regular day here in the mission. I still feel like I am 17 and enjoying life. So we will keep it that way. Well I haven't heard too much about what is going on back home. Just that Bernie is starting football, and that Keyton went to priest camp. Still haven't heard too much from Brayden. or Josh? Hopefully eveything is going well with everyone and I would love to hear from you all. and pics. Well got to go and do some missionary work. Hope eveyone is watching the Olympics I know I would be. Peace out

 

Con Amor

Elder Moore

 

Elder Corbin-- July 23, 2012

Man does time fly by way to fast. I had an interesting experience this past week. Elder Stinson and I were sitting in our apartment doing our weekly planning session. I look up and the big calendar that we have on our whiteboard and it dawned on me that August is in two weeks. Wow, my mind was just blown. I have almost been out for a year and I have no idea where all the time went. I was thinking to myself, I can still remember basically the whole week before I went into the MTC. Going out riding with Papa Whittle, and then the farewell, sitting in my room watching the Office, packing the night before with my wonderful mom, and listening to the Killers. Yet again I'm stuck here trying to contemplate the "mission time", it is unreal. Then to top it all off to think that I am going to be turning 20 this week. Crazy!!! Well I guess I will just have to live up this last year of the mission, and trying to just take everything in.

       Well this week was pretty much, "one of those weeks". Not too much going on, but just trying to stay positive, and laughing at evey chance that I get. This week I have done a lot of thinking about life in general. Although I can't share all my thoughts with you, hopefully I will be able to convey some of the ones I feel are the most important.--Gratitude--Unfortunately us as human beings, sometimes forget this word, and the application that it has in our lives. Being out here in the world and seeing everything that goes on, has really changed the way that I feel about this and how I apply it personally in my own life. Let us all remember that we are subject to a "higher power" and that when we involve gratitude in our lives, God is able to help us enjoy the things that we do have.--Patience--If we understood the full power that this virtue could have in our lives I am convinced that we would all make an effort to posess it. This virtue involves putting the will of God, before our own. When we are able to sucessfully do just this, we will begin to see miracles in our lives. If we read the Book of Mormon, we will find many stories of prophets that are able to work miracles. But in order for those things to have come to pass, these prophets had to align there will with the will of the father. In the Bible we read of our savior who did just that, and the miracles that he was able to perform. When we have enough patience to wait, and to believe that God knows better than ourselves, we are setting ourselves up for an enjoyable life. I didn't say it was going to be easy, no one every did, and yet we all decided to be here.--Charity--In the last book of the Book of Mormon, we read a lot about this subject. We read that it will be well with us in the last day, if we can only have this quality. Unfortunately enough it may not be the easiest to obtain, but we know that it is not impossible. I believe that the secret lies in trying to model our lives after that of our Savior, Jesus Christ. When we study the live of our Savior we will see that this is the driving force of the work that he did on the earth. We will also see that the greatest and most important thing, the Atonement, was also driven from the source of charity. All three of these things are very important in our lives. Especially as we consider the commandment from our Savior, to be "Perfect, even as our Father in Heaven". May we all concentrate our efforts to be more like our Savior. Then will we begin to be filled with the greatest feelings of joy, accomplishment, and self-worth.

 

Con amor, Elder Moore

 

Everything.Happens.For.A.Reason

There.Is.No.Such.Thing.As.Coincidence