Week 44- June 9, 2014 - Pomona California

New companion in Pomona, Elde Williams

Dear home,

We started this week with MLC with President Becerra. It was our last MLC that we will have with him. The meeting was awesome, the spirit was super strong. I feel intake every time I go to MLC I understand why I was called to my certain situation at this certain time. It's pretty amazing how that works. At the end, President and Sister Becerra each shared their testimonies and we all sang Arcadia United together (ask Bro. Palazzo what that is). President Becerra told us that President Villanueva is coming the 1st of July and less than 24 hours later the next day we have a meeting with him. I can only imagine what would be going through his mind haha. He has to make some huge changes in his life, but still has to keep working like nothing happened.

This week, we got to do a couple of exchanges. One that I really enjoyed was with one of our district leaders named Elder Marchan. Elder Marchan and I are going to be finishing our missions together so we are from the same generation. He is originally from Mexico but came from Houston, Texas. He shared his conversion story with me, which was pretty amazing, so I thought I would share it here too. Elder Marchan and his mom got baptized when he was 10 years old in Texas. But due to some really bad stuff happening with one of the stake leaders and their family, they went inactive. Fast forward 10 years and Elder Marchan is now living in Houston with his cousins and uncles who are all active members. He said he never went to church still and didn't really care much for it. He lived with them so he could work, which he had to get up for at 4 a.m. everyday. 

He went on saying that he slept on the couch in front of the TV, this TV had the del parson painting of Jesus Christ on top of it. The room in which he slept in had very squeaky floors, squeaky to the point that it would wake him up if he was asleep. So this one Saturday night, he stayed up way too late watching movies. He went to sleep just to wake up at 2 am and not be able to go back to sleep. He looked up at the Jesus Christ picture and he said it was smiling at him. He was kind of freaked out haha because on top of that, there were 4 ensigns stacked on the table in front of him and this table was empty when he had gone to sleep. But the thing is, he didn't hear anyone walking on the wood floor so he said that only God could have put them there. So Elder Marchan told me that he decided to kneel down and pray for the first time in 10 years. 

In this prayer, he told God he will do whatever he sees on the ensign magazines for Him. So he finished his prayer and opened up the first magazine to a random page and it was all about missionary work. Marchan said he was like "yeah right, I'm not going on a mission!" So he opened up the next 3 and they all talked about missionary work and going on missions! Haha so in a few hours he called his boss telling him he couldn't work and his boss was actually right about to call him to tell him not to come to work. At this time, Marchan knew that he had to go back to church and get ready. 

He went to his closet and found a pair of church clothes he said he had never seen before and got ready for church and waited on his family to go out. He talked to his branch president about going on a mission and he responded by giving him a stack of books such as the bible, Book of Mormon, preach my gospel, etc.. It was pretty funny because he said that he didn't even know there was such thing as a Book of Mormon hahah. So for the next few months he studied and studied and studied and then turned his papers in and now he's here! I thought it was pretty amazing! I'll let you take the moral of the story how you want!

This past week was a bit better than last, we are starting to find more people and we had some more people progressing so things are starting to move forward. We bike a lot more here so I think I am starting to lose a little bit of weight hahaha. I'm still getting a little used to this side of the mission, but so far, it's been pretty cool! Te quiero mucho!

Clarissa's baptism in Arroyo

Week 43- June 2, 2014- Pomona California

At the Temple with Elder Fellows

Dear home,

To start off, this past weekend I got go back  to Arroyo for Clarissa's baptism. It was awesome, she asked that I baptize her, which was the first time I had in a while so that was awesome. It was

  great to see Vilma too. She looked like a completely different person. She was so happy and there was just something different in her face.

It was cool because afterwards, Vilma and Clarissa both got to share their testimonies. Overall, a great experience, they got the Holy Ghost this past Sunday as well, I feel like they have great things ahead of them.

This first week in Pomona was pretty good. We got a lot of work done. But it is definitely different than what was going on in Lincoln Heights. Especial since in ÉLAN we hit all our goals and the momentum is going up. But it is a little slower here. So we are focusing on helping everyone get the vision and start working towards it. But we have found some cool people so far, and elder Williams (my new companion) had a baptism here yesterday. So we are getting to work. I just feel like I have to start over now, so here we go.

I was in a bit of a culture shock when we first got to Pomona since it's a lot more spacious, deserty, and housy. It's still kinda ghetto though.

I don't have a ton of time today, but things are going well. Love you!

Transfer to Pomona

Last Conference with President Becerra

Week 42- May 26, 2014-Pomona California

Elder Perez, Vilma, Elder Fellows

Week 42- May 26, 2014- Pomona, CA

Dear home,

First off, this week I got transferred to Pomona. Pomona is on the complete opposite side of the mission. So far, it's pretty different. It's a lot flatter and more spacious. So I am enjoying the change a bit. But I am going to miss east LA, the smog, sirens, angry Chinese people yelling, and strong scent of marijuana at every corner.

Fortunately, I got to see Vilma get baptized this past Sunday! It was a bit of a stressful week leading up to it. A lot of doubts kept attacking her, but she still wanted to get baptized. She past her interview and it went well. After the interview, we went to the

temple. We thought it would be a good idea, but it turned out pretty shaky... The sisters that did the tour did not quite teach what we expected and needed and she ended up with even more doubts... So, as

you can imagine, we ended up pretty stressed. But, thankfully, church yesterday was awesome for her and she ended up getting baptized. It was awesome! 

Claire didn't get baptized this week, but it was mainly due to the lack of contact we had with her. But she should be getting baptized in these coming weeks.

This last week was pretty awesome. 

David, the member in our area, has been awesome lately. He brought us over to another one of his friends named Omar. Omar is super deep into drugs. We had a few lessons with him, and each time we started out he was in a pretty bad mood. So we had to show him a video or do something to warm him up. By the end of

the lessons he was pretty cool. But he is in Satans grasp for sure. Pretty scary to see. Hopefully Elder fellows will be able to help Omar and his family out.

It's crazy how fast time has been flying, I am really excited to get to learn from the other side of the mission. My new companion is Elder Williams. He is from Austin, Texas. He is going home this transfer.

Its crazy, he will be my fourth companion that I'll be with on their last transfer. After this transfer I will have more companions home than out on their mission haha. He was in my first district in east LA

so I know him a bit. He's kind of a geeky guy, but he's cool and hard working, so I am looking forward to getting it done on this side of the mission.

I love you all!!

Bautismo de Vilma

        

Week 41- May 21, 2014- Lincoln Hights, East L.A.

Dear Everyone,

 Not a ton happened this week, but the good news is we are going to be having a baptism this week! Vilma is super excited for baptism this upcoming week, her daughter is a bit iffy since we have not been able to teach her as consistently as we have Vilma. Her court stuff is getting resolved so she is a lot less stressed out and ready to jump in the water. So our focus right now is turning a bit to Clarissa to help her reach the date of the 25th of May.

Something pretty cool that happened on Sunday was that Jose, the one who got baptized a few weeks ago, got the priesthood! It's been awesome seeing him change so quickly. We can just see it in his face that he is someone completely different. He first came to church wearing an old sweater and some jeans and church shoes. This past week, he came in with some nice slacks and a nice button up shirt we gave him and that he took to the dry cleaners. He was pretty excited to get the priesthood too. But he was pretty tired and said I had contaminated him with his sleepiness haha. (There were sometimes I went over and it would be hot and I would almost fall asleep).

We also had zone conference this past week, which was great. Crazy to think that was our last zone conference with President Becerra. He is going to be having a farewell mission conference type of thing next month, and that will be the last time we see him and his wife. So for now, I am just trying to learn as much as I can from him before he leaves. Hopefully I get to go to the next MLC since we are having transfers this weekend, who knows what will happen.

Here are some ideas/thoughts that President sent us earlier today about the atonement that I wanted to share:

Dear Elders and Sisters:

This morning I woke up with the desire to understand the Atonement and Repentance in greater measure. Here are a few quotes that I came across that might be of benefit to you as you continue to work for the salvation of souls.

"Adam and Eve learned constantly from their often harsh experience. They knew how a troubled family feels. Think of Cain and Abel. Yet because of the Atonement, they could learn from their experience without being condemned by it."

"We need grace both to overcome sinful weeds and to grow divine flowers. We can do neither one fully by ourselves. But grace is not cheap. It is very expensive, even very dear. How much does this grace cost? . . . If we desire “all that [the] Father hath,” God asks all that we have."

"Our all by itself is still only almost enough—until it is finished by the all of Him who is the “finisher of our faith.” At that point, our imperfect but consecrated almost is enough."

"If I have any entitlement to the blessings of God, it has long since been settled in the court of small claims by His generous bestowals over a lifetime."

"The more I learn and experience, the more unselfish, stunning, and encompassing [Christ’s] Atonement becomes!"

"Jesus has already borne our griefs and sicknesses (see Alma 7:11–12). He knows them firsthand; thus His empathy is earned. . . . No wonder, of all the things for which we might praise Jesus when He comes again in majesty and power, we will praise Him for His “loving kindness” and His “goodness.”

"The divine gift of repentance is the key to happiness here and hereafter."

"Pretending there is no sin does not lessen its burden and pain. Suffering for sin does not by itself change anything for the better. Only repentance leads to the sunlit uplands of a better life. And, of course, only through repentance do we gain access to the atoning grace of Jesus Christ and salvation."

"This earth is not our home. We are away at school, trying to master the lessons of “the great plan of happiness” so we can return home and know what it means to be there. Over and over the Lord tells us why the plan is worth our sacrifice—and His. Eve called it “the joy of our redemption.” Jacob called it “that happiness which is prepared for the saints.” Of necessity, the plan is full of thorns and tears—His and ours. But because He and we are so totally in this together, our being “at one” with Him in overcoming all opposition will itself bring us “incomprehensible joy.”

Week 40- May 12, 2014- Lincoln Hights, East L.A.

Dear home,

Happy Mother's Day first off! Hope that went well for everyone! I had a good time talking with my family, even though it went by pretty quick.

This week we had zone meeting and MLC, where we got to hear from president Becerra for a good amount of time. He talked about how we can help people understand what we teach better so we can help them realize the importance of the restoration. 

The 4 pillars of truth that we help people understand is 

1) Belief in Jesus Christ and that He is our savior. 2) The reality of Joseph Smith's First Vision 

3) that the Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ 

4) and that the same priesthood authority that was on the earth during Jesus Christ's earthly ministry has been restored. 

I thought about it a bit and it's pretty cool to think how it goes hand in hand. Because of Joseph Smith's belief in the Savior, he prayed and really had the First Vision, which caused him to first bring light to the Book of Mormon and then restore the authority of God on earth. 

Which I thought was pretty cool how simply he put the differences between us and everyone else. We only have 1 MLC left with president Becerra, I'm definitely

going to miss hearing him!

The next day after MLC we went on exchanges with Tujunga. I stayed in Lincoln Heights with the district leader, elder Clark. I was pretty excited to apply what I had learned from MLC into our lessons. Our

first lesson was with Vilma. She was telling us that she still had to pay off her debt and still wasn't 100 percent sure about baptism. And on top of that she kind of got anti-ed a few days earlier, but she

didn't really listen to them so it went better than we thought. So we originally had something planned to teach her along the lines of faith/baptism. But I felt like that wasn't what she needed, I felt that she needed to hear the restoration again. So we started teaching her and a bunch of doubts came up. That's when we realized that it was more than the economic situation holding her back. That's when we started helping her understand a lot more, and she seemed to

understand more as well. She kept telling us she really wants to get baptized, but she needs to find the right place to do it. After we finished the lesson, she seemed to have understood pretty well, but

still wasn't completely sure. So we invited her to pray on the spot and ask God if it was true. 

So after she said an awesome prayer, we all sat in silence for about 5 minutes until the member we brought with us asked how she felt. She responded that she felt very blessed, she was feeling great. As she went on describing how she felt she started crying and said she wants to get baptized as soon as her court case (her economic setback) is over. It was amazing to feel the spirit there. We didn't even invite her at the moment, the spirit told her what it was she needed to do. And the awesome thing is that her court case ends this Thursday, so she is either getting baptized this Sunday or the next since we still have to catch her daughter up on some things as well.

So the main thing I learned this week is to listen to impressions I may have. This is something I still struggle with sometimes, whether it be talking to people, knocking a certain door, teaching a certain

lesson, asking a certain question. But I know that as we do follow these impressions, we will be blessed and guided into the way The Lord wants us to be. And that's what it's all about!

Love you all!!

Week 39- May 5, 2014- Lincoln Hights- East L.A.

Dear everyone,

This week was not the most eventful of weeks, but we still had some pretty cool stuff happen.

We started teaching our neighbors the other day and they are awesome. They are a young couple (about to get married) with a 1 year old baby. By first seeing them, I don't think many people would consider them

the "gospel type." The guy has tattoos all the way from the top of his head all the way down to his feet and has been in and out of jail a few times. But it turns out that they have actually been looking for a

church and a good place to go to especially for their daughter to grow up in. They were really receptive and excited to learn when we went over. So we are very excited to continue teaching them. Cholo people

are the coolest.

We also found a lady named Erika. We talked to her on the street, and it seemed like she was not interested at all. She actually even tried to give the card I gave her back to me, but I wouldn't take it. After

talking for a bit, she agreed to have us over at the shoe store she works at, but she still didn't seem all that interested. The time for her appointment came and we talked with her in her store. It turned out to be an awesome lesson! She started crying when she prayed asking God for guidance and if what we shared is true. She told us she wanted to go to church the upcoming Sunday. The only thing is, it turns out she lives in the El Molino branch area (Pasadena/El Sereno area). So we gave her the Pasadena building address and all the details. Along with that, we gave the el Molino missionaries a call so they could keep an eye out for her. We called later on Sunday, and it turned out

she did go to church! And on top of that, she brought someone with her as well! Even though she is not in our area, i am very happy that we were able to find her and help her out. Can't wait to see the el

Molino missionaries teach her and baptize her.

Another cool person we found was one of our member's good friends. The Giron family is the member family and they are awesome. We have been taking out the son, David, to lessons a lot and is really excited about missionary work. David is in his early 20s and is married with a kid. Anyways, David invited us over to his house along with his friend Carlos. Last week, Carlos messages us on Facebook off of David's

profile asking a lot of questions about the church. He was kind of rude about the questions, so we weren't super excited to go over and meet him face to face. But he turned out to be a super awesome guy. He

reminded me a lot of one of my friends from back home, it was kind of cool haha. He was really receptive and it all clicked for him. He talked about how he was looking for the truth and felt confused and lost for a long time now. He said he has been thinking a lot about this kind of stuff recently and has been feeling certain impressions and feelings to not do certain bad things. In other words, he was feeling the spirit guide him to not do dumb things.

So I guess the moral of the story for this week is to not judge a book by its cover. Although first impressions do last, it doesn't hurt to get over them and really get to know people. 

I am grateful that the spirit has been guiding us to these great people and also that it has helped us guide these people back to their Heavenly Father.

The church is true!

Love you all!!

Week 38- April 28, 2014- Lincoln Hights-East L.A.

Jose's baptism

Dear home,

So this past weekend we had a baptism, the guys name is Jose Mendez. I don't think I shared the story of how we found him so I'm going to share it. 

I told you how I met him at a a taco stand, but at that time I just got his information. One evening, we didn't have any idea where to go and we were with a member, so we decided to pray.

After we prayed, an address came to mind and we went to it, I didn't remember the guys name or anything, I just remember that there was someone I met there. So we went to the address and it was Jose (which

I later remembered his name). We had a lesson with him and he accepted a baptismal date on the first visit! 

This past week was probably the most stressful week ever. I told you last week how we were helping him

find a house, but it got more stressful this week, he had to leave by 2 days ago and we talked to just about everyone and called any for rent sign we saw. After all the house hunting we found one place that

was a small house in the back of someone's property. Jose was SUPER close to moving outside of the mission until we found this house. So we went to the house (a lady from El Salvador who's niece is an inactive member, who gave us the referral) and after some negotiating with her and a member that we brought, she let us have it! BUT it doesn't end there. The day after, I went on exchanges with the APs in

Boyle Heights and Elder Fellows called me with some bad news. The lady backed out on the house... That whole day I felt horrible and was praying that it would somehow work out. I went back home from

exchanges and Elder Fellows had just gotten home from talking with the house lady... And somehow, after talking to her after a while with a member, they got it back and now everything's ok. 

I think I caught a glimpse of how it is to house hunt for my dad. But I think if I could find a house in this man's budget in Los Angeles, I can find one almost anywhere hahah. So long story short, everything ended up working out and he got baptized. It was pretty cool to hear him bear his testimony after he got baptized. He was saying how when I was talking to him at the taco stand, he felt the spirit and that he should have us over.

Another cool thing that happened was when we taught Jose S.yesterday. We shared with him Alma 36, and the whole time he was smiling. It seemed to have answered a lot of his questions and helped him realize how he can repent and be clean. If you don't know what

that chapter consists of, read it! It was cool to see Jose put himself in the shoes of Alma. They had both done some pretty dumb stuff in the past. Only difference is that Alma finished his repentance process,and Jose is now starting it.

Not a ton of eventful things happened this week, still a good week Alma 36nonetheless, it was an awesome week. Love you all!