Video! - September 28, 2011

Here's the first video that I've been able to upload and send. It was taken at our half mission conference a couple of weeks ago. I'm about 7th or so in from the left, behind and to the right of the shortest elder (not me!).

We're singing our mission song which was written I think in 2000.

You can see the sheet music and the story about our song here:
http://californiarosevillemission.blogspot.com/search/label/Mission%20Song

Here's the video:

Master, may we all do it well.



---Elder King
3rd Nephi 5:13

Email Letter - September 26, 2011

This week has been another rough week, things were slow again but that's ok. This last week has set us up for a really good week this week. Even though we didn't have many lessons we contacted a lot of people and if all works out we should pick up 4 or 5 new gators this week. That'll be nice to have solid people to teach.
One of those people is Kathy, a bushy head Cherokee Native American that can trace her genealogy back to the trail of tears! When we talked to her on her doorstep we talked about how Christ came to the Americas after he was resurrected, and she said that she already believes that. We promptly gave her a Book of Mormon and with Christ's ministry to the Nephites bookmarked and set an appointment for this Thursday. We also have appointments with 2 other potentials, a former and a less active that just moved into the ward. Even though last week was on the tougher end, this week will be good. The work of the Lord will not be frustrated. It'll all work out.

Funny story about last Saturday before I end. It needs some background though. There are two prominent Latino gangs in Yuba, the Nortenos and the Sorenos. Nortenos wear purple so they can have Sacramento Kings shirts that have SK on them for Soreno killers (or Sean King!). Sorenos wear red. Well on Saturday we were asked by the Spanish elders if we could help them clean out and repair a member’s chicken coop. As we showed up, each and every one of us was wearing red, in an almost all Latino neighborhood. You see the humor of 8 missionaries having the possibility of some Nortenos around the corner ready to shoot them up? I sure do, it's great that the Lord was looking out for us in making sure there weren't any purple people around.
Well everyone I love you, I hope you enjoyed that great story, next week I'll try to include some videos about what missionaries do when they're bored! Have a great day!

---Elder King
3rd Nephi 5:13

Email Letter - September 19, 2011

Hey everyone! This week was really tough but it was also really good! This week after the conference was really hard, not a lot of people wanted to hear what we had to say, and it just goes to show that Satan works really hard to bring you down after really good spiritual experiences. What a jerk! That's ok though, we'll get over it. We did get a pick-me-up yesterday though as Mike was confirmed and then ordained a priest! We also got permission from Maya's mom to teach her and baptize her if she so chooses, which is great!

So, there is a brother in my ward, Brother Nelson, that likes to give everyone a hard time. Yesterday he noticed the pink ribbon on my back-pack and gave me a hard time for that. Later on, at dinner he also began to give me a hard time, where the title to the email comes in. he said, "You are wearing a purple tie (my paisley one), you have a pink ribbon, and you play a club sport? Destined to drive a Prius my friend." It was great fun! Well, it's a short one today. I'm going to attempt to send pictures and a video. Have a good week everyone, Love you!

---Elder King
3rd Nephi 5:13

Email Letter - September 13, 2011

Hey everyone! Sorry for another day-delayed email, we weren't sure which day we were going to have half mission conference and it turns out we were on Monday instead of Wednesday like they said we would be. For the conference, we were instructed by President and Sister Weston, but also a General Authority. Who you might ask? Elder Kearon from the quorum of the seventy and his wife! When we found out that Elder Kearon would be coming I was very excited, he gave one of my very favorite talks in the priesthood session last October. The one about following the path of the righteous ones that came before us, listening to the counsel of our parents, and not disobeying commandments out of either laziness or rebelliousness. Very good talk indeed! There were a lot of questions that I had that were answered very well and the spirit was especially strong.

I would share pictures and a video but we went to Brother Parry's ranch again this morning and haven't been back to our apartment yet, where the cable and everything for the camera is. We almost didn't even make it to the ranch! I am scared every time Brother Parry is behind the wheel. After he ran a stop sign he declared the person that almost hit him "I'm Don Parry and I'm in town! Pay attention, gosh dangit!" Shortly after that he went straight on a left turn only lane. As much as I love that crazy old coot, I don't think I'll be getting into a car with him again. He also mentioned that it was one of his better days for driving.

Anyway, those will come next week. The video is of all 80 or so of the missionaries there singing the mission song, which I love. I sing it all the time, not just because I love it, but because Elder Garner gets so easily annoyed by it. Having been out for 20 and a half months he's heard and sung it quite a bit already and it's old.

This last Sunday, Mike was baptized! Woohoo! It's very exciting to see a 'gator that I had a part in teaching get dunked, er, partake of the ordinance of baptism. It was very special. It was the first of hopefully many times on the mission when the spirit has been palpable. Surprisingly, his faithfully catholic father and step mother were both not only supported, but also mentioned that they felt something they never had before the moment they entered the building. We got there address, Elders are on the way, maybe they'll accept too and will join the fold of the Lord. Another great thing was Mike's daughter, Maya, came up to us after the baptism and asked when she can be baptized! What a treat! We start teaching her Friday, so expect another baptism in a couple of weeks. Brother Tafua, to recount, he is Mike's father in law and also our Ward mission leader, talked to her and mentioned that she could be baptized by Mike after he had the priesthood. That'll be a treat! It's all very exciting. We also think we found out the way to crack DJ's resistant outer shell. We've already laid out the doctrine for him and he says he hasn't really felt the spirit. We think otherwise, so now we're going to teach about the spirit and how it impresses us, but also lay out the commandments as well so we can make sure that he's living in a way that he should so he can receive the spirit's promptings. Hopefully that'll do it, but if not we'll keep trying.

Right now we're really struggling for people to teach. People don't trust the missionaries around here. Apparently there hasn't been any trust for a while. Some missionary about 5 months ago broke a window in the stake center, when he shouldn't have been there anyway. So the stake president doesn't like missionaries, and since there's no stake trust, there is not any ward trust either. We rely heavily on referrals because most people slam doors in our faces, and there's no referrals coming in. Do any of you know anyone in the Yuba City area that we can teach? That would be nice if you could send them our way. As for now we'll keep on trying to find and teaching the less-actives that decide they still like the church.

In a couple of weeks I'll be sending my first journal home, you'll see why when it gets there. It'll be a pain to pack around in its current condition. Again, you'll see. I like the idea that I had, but if things keep going as they are I don't think I'll be able to carry on with it. I'll send a picture of it in its current state next week as well. Sorry I don't have the cable!

I'll be sure to email on Monday next week, nothing foreseeable is in the way of that. I'll talk to you all again then! Looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove you!

---Elder King
3rd Nephi 5:13

Email Letter - September 5, 2011

Well, this week has been tough. We had just about every appointment cancel, so there's not much to talk about. Mike, the guy with the date for this week is doing really well, we're meeting with him 3 times this week to finish up the commandments and such, things are going well with him.

Funny story about this week, with transfers last tuesday they held mail at the office just in case anyone got transferred. So last friday, we went to check mail, and I had received the package from Scott and Jenny, (thanks guys), and 4 letters, Elder Garner was not very happy that he only got one. Mail is a commodity that you usually stop getting around 6 months. The funny part is that later that day, since we got the letters earlier from the hands of the mail man, we decided to check again. Guess who got another letter; no, it was not Elder Garner.

Anyway, things are going well overall. The only down side of this last week was the two new people we found, Lupe and Yvette, decided that they don't want the gospel. They said "it's not right for them" of course they're wrong but what can you do?

Well, that's about it for this week, like I said there wasn't much to talk about. Love you all!