The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a Gospel of Change

This week was short because of Tuesday p-day last week, and also we were real busy, so it went quicker too.  On Tuesday we went and bowled with some members and our friend Andrea, because she had never been before.  It was some good fun.  Teaching some folks a lesson... : ) Just kidding.

We had a lesson with Andrea later that evening as well, and answered questions and prepped her for her baptismal interview later this week.

Wednesday and Thursday both went really quick because we had interviews with President on Wednesday, and that takes some time.  We had quite a bit of time to get out and knock some doors too, so that was good.  Same with Thursday.  Lots of time to knock and look for those people that the Lord is preparing.

On Friday we were able to meet with Andrea for a little bit and talk about her addiction...with General Conference talks.  She loves them, haha, it's great!  She had her baptismal interview as well, and of course, she passed.  Later on, we went to visit a referral and ran into him, on his driveway and were able to teach him a little bit.  As we were walking away, we ran into another guy that we just started talking to- after a minute, he started opening up to us, and we testified how the Gospel can help him in his life.  I know that no matter who you are, or what you're going through, the Gospel WILL help if you allow it.  Those were just two little miracles that the Lord placed in our path in the matter of minutes.  Shortly after, we were able to do exchanges with the assistants, and I went with Elder Hadley, but stayed and worked in the YSA/Woodland Hills.  We were able to knock for a couple of hours and find some really cool people who could use the Gospel and are willing to act on the invitations we'll leave with them.  To end the night, we were able to have a pass off lesson with some Sisters who were teaching a younger person and passed him to us for YSA.  We had a really good lesson- Elder Hadley and I taught real well together.  Must have been the common denominator of Elder Jensen as a companion. ; )

Elder Martin and Elder Hadley

On Saturday we had a really open day, so we went by and looked for part member families and worked around their homes.  A couple of them, just happened to live on the edge of the mission and it took some time driving there.  We were able to get some good pictures too.

View into LA (If you look closely, you can see the temple)

Later in the evening, we were able to get two investigators to come to the evening session of Stake Conference, and then had an ice cream bar at the Bishops after.  It's a good time for our friends to make other friends in the ward.

Sunday was ward conference in Woodland Hills, so we stayed for all 3 hours.  Man was the Spirit there in great abundance.  Such a great ward, such great speakers, and teachers.  Great leadership in the ward and stake.  I love the Canoga Park stake.  Our investigators were still able to go to stake conference in YSA (it's another stake that CP) so that was good.  The members have been taking great care of them!  We were able to go to the baptism of Marla, as well, who is a sister I was able to teach in my last area with Elder Howell.  It was a great baptism, and she bore a powerful testimony, sharing lots of scriptures from the Book of Mormon by memory, it was awesome.  Very spiritual day!

Because Jesus Christ atoned for us, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a Gospel of change.  We can change and be better.  Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  Proverbs 3:5

I love you all!
Elder Martin


I forgot to mention the part where I was most scared this week.  I was standing in the road and about a half mile down, I see 3 horses come around this corner.  1 is stray and 2 have riders on them.  I thought it was a leisurely 'jog', until I saw the lone horse run a bit faster, and the rider on another horse starting to yell at it, and whistling.  Also, he had a rope, ready to lasso that thing.  It was coming straight at me, too.  I got a little startled, not gonna lie.  The closer it got, the more it looked like it was running right at me.  So I jumped in the car just before it got to me- the horse just stood there, about 3-4 feet on the outside of the car.  It was cray cray.  So when I get asked if I've been chased by a dog on my mission, no.  Horse? yes.

Role playing at district meeting

Elder Visser, Elder Howell, Elder Johnson, Elder Martin

Mail run

Elder Martin and Elder Horrocks

"The Lord promises to direct our paths, but for Him to do that, we have to walk, trusting that He knows the way because He is the way." L. Whitney Clayton

Waffle Love

Hello everyone!  This week was great!  I don't have too much time, but we had a great week!  We had a lot of lessons and had members with us at most all of them.  We spent quite a bit of time knocking some doors this week as well.

We had the chance to go to the LA Temple Visitors Center with our friend Andrea.  It was a really good time.  It was a beautiful day in LA, and the Spirit was there.  The sisters there taught what was needed.  I love the Spirit that is at the temple.

On our way back, our ward mission leader wanted to stop and get us food; we went to Waffle Love.  I had no idea that was a thing, and I guess it's huge in Utah.  We went back the next day too.  Too good.  It'll change your life,  Just like the Gospel.

The Spirit was really strong on Sunday at church, as well.  Andrea was really touched by the speakers in YSA, which was really cool.

The church is true, everyone.  Elder Maxwell said, that the only thing in which we can truly give to God that belongs to us, is our will.  God has given us so much.  Remember the things he's blessed YOU with, and give what you can.  Your will.

I love you all, have a great week!

Elder Martin

"The submission of one's will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God's alter.  The many other things we 'give' are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us."  Neal A. Maxwell

CPR- Church, Pray, Read

This week we had a couple of lessons with Andrea, who is getting baptized on March 3rd.  She is progressing really well and really fast.  She always texts us and asks for even more reading assignments-haha. It's funny because she already talks about her mission and things like that.  She was so prepared.  And she was found by the Book of Mormon experiment, where she read one random page of the Book of Mormon- she experienced it, and it touched her heart.  It's now changing her life and it can do the same for everyone.

Elder Johnson, Andrea, and Elder Martin

We had MLC on Wednesday, which is always good.  Afterwards, we had a lesson with another one of our investigators and so we met up with a member to go and pick up this investie and do a lesson at the church.  Lessons at the church are always so much better.  The Spirit is instantly there.

We had a lot of meetings this week.  Aside from MLC, we had district meeting and also a meeting with President Henrie and the Stake President of Canoga Park, so we could discuss the missionary efforts in the wards and stake.  It's so cool to be part of those meetings with those who have been called of God and have such big roles and responsibilities.  We had another lesson with a different investigator on Thursday evening and more on Friday.

Saturday was a good day of proselyting.  Got a lot of time to knock some doors and try and find people and get a hold of others.  We had some really good conversations with people.  On Sunday there were some really good talks in both Sacrament meetings we went to.  In Woodland Hills, one of the speakers was Mary Anne, who was baptized the last time I was in Woodland Hills.  It was super cool to see!  We had a lesson with a guy with some different perspectives, but it was good to learn from one another.  We had dinner in Hidden Hills...the community where all the celebrities live.  We saw The Weeknds house, Kim and Kanye's house and Drakes, as usual.  We saw two, all black Escalades, with blacked out windows, pull up and the gate open to Drakes, so we may have passed him...pretty sick.  Bout who cares, right?

BECAUSE...

The church is True.  The formula is simple.  We teach people about CPR.  CPR keeps you alive physically, right?  Spiritual CPR keeps your Spirit alive.  Church, Pray, and Read (Book of Mormon).  I promise if you do those things, your lives will be better.

I love you all!

Elder Colby Martin

California drivers...

Hanging with Luke

Elder Howell's birthday

"Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings and He will direct thee for good."  Alma 37:37

This Divine Book was Written for Our Day

Monday was crazy!  After we emailed we had to take a missionary, who was going home, up to where the other departing missionaries were, so that took a hefty part of our P-day.  Afterwards, we had dinner with a member, and then FHE with an investigator before we had to go home and pack, because we just found out then, that we were moving apartments. haha

On Tuesday, we had our transfers.  It was a bit different this time, we had a first time mission wide conference.  We had some good trainings as well as a big announcement. The Great California San Fernando Mission will be no longer, come July.  Our mission will have the boundaries change, and half the mission will go to the LA mission, and the other half to the Bakersfield mission.  It was a pretty busy day with transfers and everything with that.

Wednesday we had to get some things done that we didn't get to on Monday.  We had some other busy work as well and then a lesson with one of our investigators.  It went pretty well.

Thursday we had district meeting, which was really good.  It was on the doctrine of Christ and how we can make it more part of our teaching and lives as missionaries.  We were able to meet with another investigator of ours who is so solid.  She asks so many good questions and is really doing everything to seek after truth.

Friday and Saturday were both good days that we were able to have more lessons.  Elder Johnson and I have been able to teach a lot together and to find people as well.  We found a couple new investigators this week knocking, and have met with one of them again.

Sunday was really good as well!  We had ward council first thing in the Woodland Hills ward.  It's so great to be back there!  A lot of people remembered me and it was good to catch up a little bit and talk to some old friends.  The testimony meeting was great also!  We had to jet real quick after Sacrament to be able to drive and make it to our other ward.  We were able to have two of our investigators at church in the YSA ward, and one of them even got up and bore her testimony.  It was awesome because it was from the heart.  She shared her experiences with the Book of Mormon and the Spirit.  She's funny, she won the hearts of the people in the YSA, haha, they lover her already!  We had 'break the fast' afterwards, which is always good!

I had the chance to finish the Book of Mormon again this morning. It amazes me each time I read it, the things that I can get out of it.  This divine book has been written for our day.  I know that no matter what anyone of you is going through, you can find comfort and help within the Book of Mormon.  I cannot emphasize or encourage this enough, if you're not reading in the Book of Mormon, DO IT!  Don't take my word for it, just open it up yourself.

I love you all!

Elder Martin

P.S. Happy late birthday to my good friend Tyrell, and happy birthday to my other homie, Colin!

"The gospel of Jesus Christ opens the path to what we may become."  

D. Todd Christofferson