Time is flying!

Hello everyone! Time is flying.  I guess they say "time flies when you're having fun!" Right?

On Monday, after we emailed we went to Wingstop and had a lot of wings, which we followed with some basketball.  Not good.  Neither of us felt good.  And for dinner, we had ribs at a member's home.  It was just too much food to handle.  Neither of us felt good at all.

Tuesday was pretty sick.  Our zone had interviews with President Henrie.  So what do zone leaders and sister training leaders do the whole time while everyone else in the zone has their interviews?  Sit there with Sister Henrie and talk.  It sure was time consuming, but fun at the same time.  We got to go to lunch with them as well.  We went to some Mexican restaurant that was pretty good.  We were there first thing in the morning, 8:30, and weren't out of there until about 5:30.  We had a lesson with Tabitha again, which is always so smooth.  She has such a strong testimony.

Wednesday I don't even remember what happened, but I'm sure it was good.

Thursday we had a district meeting.  It went really well, and afterwards we had exchanges.  I got to go with Elder Cardinal, while Elder Clark went with Elder Mekhaeil.  I got to go back and work in West Hills for the day.  It was neat.  Knockout was fun, and talked with some people, got bashed by others, and proved some wrong.  When it came time for dinner, guess who we were eating with?  That family that had us over when I was in West Hills, who played Scrabble in the other room with their friends, while we had a Costco pizza in the other...yeah.  That family.  They took us out to Hook Burger, and asked my name and said "It's nice to meet you." BREH. Then said "The last missionaries always just asked for Costco pizza" okay, come one. Really?  We never asked for a pizza or to sit in the other room while you played Scrabble with your friends.  It was chill though.  Eventually we got to meet with some investigators in West Hills, and meet the new ones there.  Had a short lesson with one guy.

Friday we exchanged back and Elder Clark and I got back to work.  Again, I can't remember what we did, besides one of the missionaries from our ward came home yesterday, and the family had us over for dinner.

Saturday was really neat.  We got to go to a baptism.  It was someone that Elder Clark and Elder Horito found a while ago, but wasYSA aged, so he was taught by YSA and baptized there as well. Elder Clark and Elder Horito were the witnesses though, so I got to go, and so did Elder Silva.  It was a really cool baptism.  While the convert was changing back into non wet clothes, there was a musical number, but it ended too soon, so the YSA sisters came back and asked us (Horito, Clark, Silva, and myself) to teach the Restoration.  It was all impromptu, but we all went down the line, going off what the others said.  It was really neat considering we planned none of it.  It was very spiritual!  It was so awesome!  We had a few people come up and ask if we planned and practiced it ,but we're like "Nah, the Spirit took over."  So crazy! We were able to meet with a former investigator who seems pretty interested in getting back into lessons and such.  He's a sick guy.  He's a rapper, and he's featured on some stuff with some pretty cool people. The guy he's working with now, just won a Grammy with Beyonce,  He showed us some of his tracks...and holy cow, it's sick!

Elders Clark, Martin, Silva, Horito

Sunday was really good.  Church was awesome because it was a recently returned missionaries homecoming.  I was asked right before sacrament to give the opening prayer, so that was that.  There is a first for everything, right?  The homecoming talk was really cool.  It was all about "change".  It was something that he shared from his mission, but is so applicable to anyone.  It was really cool.  We had a lesson with one of our new investigators, and he committed to baptism as well, June 24!  It's a ways out, but who cares?  As long as he's ready by then, sweet!

Monday wasn't p-day, because of Caesar Chavez day, or something.  Who knows.  We got to do a lot of proselyting.  The day went by so quick, but we talked to some good people and picked up some solid potentials.  We came home for dinner, but neither of us were hungry, so we went to the courts at our complex.  There were 4 african americans playing and when we asked to play, full dress clothes, they laughed.  Their laughing quit pretty quick after we beat them 3 games in a row, by a lengthy margin.  We weren't able to share any doctrine with them, but talked about whol we are, and what we do. We put a good image of missionaries in their minds, we think.  They asked for our phone number to call us next time, but we won't play unless we have a missionary purpose behind it.  But we'll see how that goes.  Day 300!

It's been a great week, and I'm really looking forward to General Conference this week, as should you!  We get the privilege to hear from our Prophet and apostles on the earth today.  I hope and pray that you would all take advantage of this opportunity.  If anything, like in Alma 32:27 "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith"- all I can say, is just to try.

I love you all, I miss you all!  Have an awesome week, and general conference weekend!

Elder Martin

??? Snack, anyone???

"What a marvelous privilege it is to hear God's messages for each of us during general conference!  Let us prepare well for this great blessing of divine guidance delivered by His chosen servants.  For this is no ordinary blessing."  

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf